By By LYDIA GRIMES-Features writer
David and Doris Castleberry are not only married to each other, but they have both worked in the same place for many years. Friday, July 29, they both retired from T.R. Miller Mill Co. David has worked there for 37 years and Doris has been there for the past 36 years.
David Castleberry was born in Castleberry, reared there and still lives in Castleberry today. His father, too, worked for T.R. Miller Mill for many years as bookkeeper in the pole division. David grew up on the family farm and went to work at a young age. He attended Conecuh County High School in Castleberry and graduated from there in 1958.
After high school, on June 2, 1958, he went to work for T.R. Miller Mill, for the first time, as a yard and delivery man. He attended college at Troy State for a short time and then went back to T.R. Miller. He and Doris were married in 1962 and in 1966 he was drafted into the U.S. Marine Corps.
After serving in Vietnam for 13 months, David came home in 1968 and began working for T.R. Miller Mill Company again. He has worked there continuously since Feb. 13, 1968, and has held various positions including material handler, pole checker, crane operator, quality control supervisor, technical director and treating plant manager until his promotion of a corporate officer as vice-president of the treating division in 1986. He became vice-president and general manager in 1989 and was interim president from January 2001 to September 2001.
Both David and Doris are looking forward to their retirement. He is very interested in growing azaleas, especially native azaleas such as honeysuckle.
He also plans to spend time at their camp fishing and they already have a few trips planned for the next few months.
The Castleberrys are very church oriented. They are members of Cedar Creek Baptist Church in Castleberry. They sing in the choir and he is a deacon.
Along with camping, azaleas and church, David enjoys playing golf and doing a little woodwork in his shop at home.
Doris Castleberry was also reared in Castleberry. She was one of eight children in the family and also a twin. She attended school in Castleberry and graduated from Conecuh County High School a couple of years after David.
Doris's dad was a farmer and logger. He was killed in a logging accident when she was only 13 years old.
Doris went to work at V.J. Elmore's while she was in school and then got a job at Vanity Fair in Monroeville. It was while she was working there that she and David were married in 1962. They have one son, Jason, who lives in Henderson, Texas.
While David was in the military, Doris worked in Evergreen. After he came back and went to work at T.R. Miller Mill, she was able to get a job there too and started in 1969 in accounting. She manages the office and the computer systems. The company sent some of the people in the office to train them in computer programing and she actually wrote the programs used by the company.
The two have managed to work in the same building for all these years and they say it has never been a problem.
Doris is also an active member of the Cedar Creek Baptist Church and sings in the choir. She is looking forward to having the time to spend on some of her favorite pastimes such as crossword puzzles and reading.
Fellow coworkers are full of praise for both of the Castleberrys and T.R. Miller Mill.
One thing seems sure. The people who work at T.R. Miller Mill are very loyal to their employer. There is not much turnover and one word they all stress is "family" saying that is they way they all feel. The Castleberrys will be missed and chances are they will miss the mill.