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My Economy

The part-time security guard who just turned 80

Bennett Purser Jan 1, 2020
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Scott Olson/Getty Images
My Economy

The part-time security guard who just turned 80

Bennett Purser Jan 1, 2020
Scott Olson/Getty Images
HTML EMBED:
COPY

My Economy” tells the story of the new economic normal through the eyes of people trying to make it. This week we’re focusing on the work done by people 55 and older, the fastest growing segment of the labor force, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

After 37 years of working as a repairman for Sears, Dan Hartman retired. But when a natural disaster hit near his home in West Virginia, his neighbor recruited him to help be a security guard for a Federal Emergency Management Agency facility.

That was 15 years ago, and he’s since worked as a guard in Mississippi during the relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina, and regularly guards the Federal courthouses in West Virginia. At 80 years old, he’s the oldest guard in the company, and still passes his shooting tests, which are held twice a year at a local gun range. 

Dan Hartman has been working as a part-time security guard for 15 years.

“We have to shoot twice a year to keep our qualifications and I still shoot around the 94th percentile,” Hartman said. “And if I wasn’t able to do that, I wouldn’t be holding down this position.”

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