▲ Above: Sarah Winters and Avis Pope. Left: Pope discusses upcoming work with her team at a brief for the USS Albany (SSN-753) project.
SHIPYARD SPOTLIGHT STORY BY ANNA TAYLOR | PHOTOS BY SHAYNE HENSLEY Avis Pope speaks softly. She’s always been introverted, and would rather immerse herself in work than make small talk around the water cooler, but her calm and quiet demeanor is part of what makes Pope a great supervisor; she doesn’t yell, she doesn’t sweat the small stuff, and she knows the true value of quiet diligence. “I feel like the way she does her job is how all supervisors should do their job,” said Sarah Winters, a Shop 26 Welding Apprentice Graduate who works for Pope. “If she tells me something, I know it’s right. She knows what she’s doing. She knows the rules. And I don’t think she knows the definition of stress.” Pope, a Shop 26 Welding Supervisor on the USS Albany (SSN-753) project, came to Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) in 1972 as a Shop 26 Apprentice just four days after her 18th birthday. Her passion has always been working on submarines, but when her family began to grow, she was more frequently working in the shop than on the waterfront, and eventually took a hiatus from NNSY. When her five sons were old enough, and after the Reductions in Force (RIF) of the 1990s, Pope returned to work at the shipyard. “After a while, people were encouraging me to put in for supervisor but I just really enjoyed welding,” said Pope. “Whatever job capacity I’m in, I’m going to give it all I got. The day I became a work leader, my supervisor left me on Wednesday and I didn’t see him again until Monday, so I learned a lot on the job.” When asked about the legacy she hopes to leave behind, Pope said, “I would like people to remember me as a hard worker. I do what I have to do. I just enjoy treating people fairly.”
Pope’s fondest memory of her childhood involves quiet days inside playing with her dolls, which may seem a far cry from the seasoned welder she is today. “I’ve learned I can be a leader,” she said. “As a child I was very shy. My husband encouraged me to be a supervisor. I can be a leader, and I am a leader, and I want to leave the legacy of a good leader.” Pope’s sons are now grown, and she has 13 grandchildren to occupy her free time away from work. “When I go home, it’s just me and my husband,” she said. “We’ve been together since junior high school. I met this guy and that was it. It’s been the two of us ever since. We spend a lot of quality time together and with our grandkids. We have a lot of good family time together.” All told, Pope has spent more than 30 years inside the shipyard gates, and hasn’t yet considered a time when she won’t be working at NNSY. “Right now, I still have the zest and zeal to work.” “You have to be a special person to work in the shipyard,” she added. “It’s like no place you’ve ever been.”
10 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT Avis Pope 1. I'm a Libra. 2. If I had a superpower, I would try to put love for one another in people’s heart. 3. My favorite TV show is Jeopardy. 4. My favorite food would have to be chicken. 5. I am embarrassed to admit I love Okra. 6. "Be Blessed" by Yolanda Adams is my favorite song. 7. My lucky number is seven. 8. My favorite candy is peanut brittle. 9. My favorite place I’ve ever visited is New York City. 10. I love the way eucalyptus smells.
DECEMBER 2015/JANUARY 2016 • SERVICE TO THE FLEET • 23