'The Russians were invading ...'

HALEY PAYNE ROBERTS
MCO Senior Staff Writer

Some of us have coworkers who make work fun if we’re lucky. I hit the jackpot with Mark Kraus.

You probably know Mark’s smiling face as he frequents Lynchburg’s businesses daily on errands for International Book Import Service. However, you probably don’t know the incredible story that made the man you know and love.

Mark’s journey starts in 1942 in Breslau, Germany - now Wroclaw, Poland - during World War II, which was just one destination of many in the years to come. “After the war in 1945, we had to leave Breslau quickly because the Russians were invading; we barely escaped,” he said.

It would be another eight years before the Kraus family journeyed by ship from Germany to America. “My father was a rocket scientist with [Wernher] von Braun, who was trying to get his team back together after the war. In 1953, my father accepted his offer, and we came over,” Mark said. “I’ve been in Huntsville ever since.”

The Kraus’s relocation to Alabama would spark Mark’s long and vibrant career. “After high school, I decided to join the U.S. Navy as an electrician. At first, I was stationed in San Diego. Then, I went aboard the U.S.S. Coontz. My first trip overseas was to Australia, which was pretty neat,” Mark said.

“I got to see a lot of the world – Hong Kong, Japan, the Philippines, Hawaii, and other places.”

“After over four years in the Navy, I came home and worked on the Saturn rocket for Boeing. And after that, I went back to school to get an accounting degree from Alabama A&M,” he said.

“I worked at the university in accounting before moving on to a company called Thykald. When they decided to move to Utah, I didn’t want to go.

“Through a friend, I got a job with Barbara Patten at International Book Import Service, and I’ve been with her for the past 25 years,” he said.

Mark even made the journey when IBIS moved from Huntsville to its current location in Lynchburg. “When Barbara bought this building, I decided to follow her up here,” Mark said. “It’s a 50-mile one-way trip, but it doesn’t bother me.” Talk about the labors of love!

Mark plays an integral part in the company’s operations and wears many hats. “I work in shipping, receiving, packing, and sending books all over the country,” he said.

“I also do various other things for Barbara, who is the best boss in the world.” His official title is the Shipper, though I think that’s highly reductive of the great magnitude of his work.

It’s evident to everyone who talks to Mark that he loves what he does. “I don’t know when I’m going to retire. I’m 83 years old – but you don’t have to put that in there!” he said.

Mark makes his rounds around Lynchburg daily, frequenting the post office, Woodards, and even Lynchburg Veterinary Hospital and Friends of Animals on “official IBIS business” that he so cherishes.

“I love being in Lynchburg. Everyone is very, very friendly, and I enjoy being greeted and waved at,” Mark said. “I love my coworkers. Barbara’s satisfied with me – most of the time! It’s steady work, and I love what I do.”

I’ve spent over seven years at IBIS with Mark, our coworker Marcia Vannatia, our furry friend Ruby, and Barbara Patten – the best boss in the world – and it would take a whole book to adequately describe how much love, care, and laughter fills that old glove-factory-turned-book-warehouse across the Square, much less the incredible journey that Mark has lived spanning decades and continents.

Alas, time persists, so I must leave you only with a small summary of Mark’s journey for now – and it’s a powerful one. I am beyond fortunate to be a part of the IBIS family and to know the epitome of “good folks” so well.

Above all, I am glad to call Mark Kraus my friend.