Martha, at right in green, with her brother Marc and sister Lisa.

IRA specialist Martha Muskavitch joined the operations department at Badger Savings in October 1988. Later, it would become Badger Bank, which would merge with North Shore Bank in 1995. Through it all, Martha remained in operations. She talked to Shorelines about her life 30 years ago and her career since.

What were you doing 30 years ago, before you joined North Shore Bank?
I was newly relocated from Colorado with my 15-year-old daughter, Julie. I was born and raised in Milwaukee, had moved away in 1972, and returned in 1988.

What banking experience did you have?
I didn’t have any! I had worked in retail, at a bookstore, for eight years in Colorado and was so over working nights, weekends, and mandatory overtime from Thanksgiving through Christmas. When I moved here, I thought, What kind of job would mean working Monday through Friday, nine to five? And the first thing that popped into my mind was “banker’s hours.” I started in the operations department at Badger Savings, and it really was Monday through Friday, 8:30 to 5. And I’ve remained in operations all 30 years.

What was your family or living situation like then, and how has it changed?
When my daughter and I came back, we were living with my mother and sister. Now I’m on my own — and have been for quite a few years. I am very fortunate to have my daughter and her husband living just a couple of miles away, which is much better than the 10,000 miles away she was, when she graduated from college, joined the Peace Corps, and went to Fiji.

If you could go back and give 1988 Martha one work-related piece of advice, what would it be?
Spend some time working in a branch, just to see what it is like and to experience the challenges that my internal customers face. However, I really enjoy providing vital support and administration for both internal customers — who make up the majority of my calls — and external customers.

Finally: Does this list of pop culture from 1988 inspire any fun or meaningful memories?
I remember thinking that A Fish Called Wanda was one of the funniest movies I had ever seen, and now I can’t even remember what it was about! More memorable was the Denver Broncos playing in the Super Bowl that January, even though they lost.

From 2013: After 25 years, Martha Muskavitch still considers it a privilege to represent NSB