Everyone has heard about Customs employees who came back to work. Some retirees returned after 9/11 to fill positions as air marshals and overseas contractors. But let's take a look at a couple of Customs retirees who are still on the job in their communities.

Larry McPhail
You won't find former Customs Inspector Larry McPhail just relaxing in front of the tube. McPhail, 60, is using his expertise to spot fake merchandise at the Lynden Pioneer Museum, Bellingham, Wash. His 30-year career with Customs taught him how to spot every kind of counterfeit product in less time than it takes most people to identify a brand.

Now retired, McPhail has developed an interest in antiques-from cars, farming and logging machinery to tools, pottery, and long guns. But he is still using his keen eye to point out and teach others how to identify fake merchandise. In June 2002, McPhail started sharing his expertise in a class he called Antiques 101 at the Lynden Museum. It was offered as a part of the museum's Adult Summer School. While the class was designed for 30 students, it became so popular that it's been expanded to accommodate 40. McPhail also started teaching another course on Thursday nights, Antiques 102, which focuses on spotting fakes. The class will also deal with how to treat and protect old items, many of which may lose their value if they're improperly restored or repaired wrong.

McPhail says, "I used to always look for the belly buttons when I examined shipments of Cabbage Patch Dolls coming across the Blaine, Wash., port from Canada. If they were missing a belly buttom, I'd have the cargo confiscated, knowing I had discovered a shipment of fakes." I guess you can say old habits die hard, and that's why McPhail is still on the job helping people recognize the fakes from the real thing.

Donald Roberts
On June18, 2002, retired Special Agent Donald E. Roberts, Sutter Creek, Calif. was selected as California's "Outstanding Older Worker" in the Experience Works National Prime Time Awards Program. Every year Experience Works conducts state-by-state campaigns to identify the Outstanding Older Worker from each state.

A selection committee panel of judges representing private industry, workforce development professionals, and community service leaders review the nominations and select the most outstanding older worker for each state. The awardee and his or her spouse receive an all-expense paid weeklong trip to Washington, D.C., where they visit and attend hearings on Capitol Hill with both members of Congress.

On September 21, 2002, the honorees received their official award at a banquet held at the historic Washington, D.C., Union Station. Roberts was selected to represent the state of California because of his contributions to the workplace and his involvement in community service activities.

Roberts is employed as a criminal investigator by the Amador County Sheriff's Office, Jackson, Calif., where he specializes in investigating financial crimes. He is active in community service and is currently serving as a Chair, Amador County Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Commission. He is a member of the Court Strategic Planning Committee, and a member of the Amador County Board of Supervisors Ad Hoc Committee for a Juvenile Hall. Finally, he is also a member of the Jackson Lions Club, the Amador County American Legion Post 108, and Past President of the Mother Lode Shrine Club.

In 1998, he was selected as "Amador County Citizen of the Year," and in 2002, he completed his fourth term as National President of the Association of Former Customs Special Agents, an organization that Roberts founded.

Roberts has worked in law enforcement for 33 years: he began with the South Pasadena Police Department, where he attained the rank of sergeant. He later became a Customs Special Agent and served as a supervisory criminal Investigator. He retired from Customs in 1984 as the Deputy Assistant Regional Commissioner for Enforcement, Pacific Region. In 1976, while serving as a group supervisor at the SAC-Los Angeles Office, Mr. Roberts was selected as "California Law Enforcement Officer of the Year" for his efforts in drug interdiction and education. During the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Calif., Mr. Roberts was involved in planning for the security of the Games and was a member of the 7 member Anti-Terrorism sub-committee. In the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Ga., Mr. Roberts served as the Deputy Chief of Security for the Olympic Village.

The day after he retired from the Customs Service, Baskin-Robbins hired him as their Corporate Director of Loss Prevention. He retired from Baskin-Robbins in 1992 and became their security consultant until March 2001.

Roberts and McPhail are examples of true public servants-retired but still making a difference.

Retirees who want to be added or deleted from the U.S. Customs Today newsletter distribution should call 202-927-1644.