A license for kindness: Northfield DMV specialist brightens the day for customers

Generally speaking, visits to Department of Motor Vehicles service counters rank right up there with root canals.

Lines can be long. Documentation requirements for licenses and title transfers can be confusing — what's the latest on Real ID again?

And many of us know the frustration of spending a lunch hour waiting in line only to be turned away because one required item isn't in hand.

Lucky, then, are those directed to the attention of Jim Pence. The part-time DMV specialist in Northfield provides the type of respectful customer service most people only dream of. And that's drawn some unexpected attention.

"I try to treat people with kindness when they come in," said Pence, the married father of two children and eight grandchildren. "I smile, call people by their names because that means a lot to them, and try to help them understand things they might not."

Those seemingly small gestures have earned Pence a growing list of admirers — and hundreds of likes on a recent Facebook post.

"No one looks forward to going to the DMV, so when I heard Jim was working there, I thought maybe it was time for me to go get my Real ID," said Traci Morris of Dundas, who knew Pence from a previous job.

Northfield resident Becky Miest has her own fan girl story about Pence.

Miest, a former vet technician who now operates a doggy day care, suddenly lost her beloved 70-year-old mother to complications of congestive heart failure in late August.

In the emotional aftermath, Miest realized her vehicle tabs were expiring. Anticipating travel for the funeral a few days later, Miest didn't want to risk a ticket, so she pulled herself together for a stop at the DMV, her first time out in public since her mother died.

Pence, unaware of her circumstances, gently explained that her car also required new license plates. With that bit of news, Miest broke down in tears, then shared her loss with Pence.

"He didn't talk down to me or offer fake sympathy," said Miest. "He was just very friendly, said he was sorry and that he hoped my day would get better."

Soon after, she was moved to post about the encounter on the "Northfield Happenings" Facebook group.

"I usually just go on there looking for garage sales," said Miest, 47. "But I was going through hell at the time and he was a little ray of sunshine."

She didn't even know his name, but a whole lot of other people knew just who she was talking about. Pence's compassion prompted 450 "likes" and dozens of comments, such as "Jim is the BEST! Customer service God!" and "He has been an awesome addition to our DMV. We have been the recipients of his kindness a couple times," and "I didn't even need to check the comments to know it had to be Jim! He embodies kindness."

"People respond differently to feeling like an idiot," said Pence. "Whether they're angry, depressed, embarrassed, scared to death or nervous, I just try to understand where they're coming from before I get critical because I don't enjoy being criticized myself."

Quick with a quip, Pence, 66, has helped citizens with the mundane yet necessary tasks of renewing vehicle tabs, transferring titles, processing driver's licenses and obtaining license plates since July 2020.

He grew up in Minot, N.D., the middle of three sons born to God-fearing parents who were both military veterans. He was a standout athlete (football and shot-put) in high school and college; he still holds records for indoor and outdoor shot-put at Minot State University.

But Pence's life hasn't been without challenges. Before completing a business degree at MSU, he spent nearly two semesters at West Point before being shown the door due to inadequate academic performance.

The former Eagle Scout was let go from jobs with the IRS and the Boy Scouts (his fundraising efforts didn't keep pace).

Before spending 28 years with the Carleton College Computer Center, Pence worked at a garage soldering wires and hauled garbage while attending Control Data Institute.

After his Carleton position was phased out in 2013, he drove buses for special needs students in the Northfield area — another job that ended when COVID-19 pushed schools to remote learning.

Numerous parents of students Pence ferried responded positively to Miest's post, including Morris.

"I have two boys with special needs, and whenever Jim showed up, his bubbly personality was overflowing. The boys adored him," said Morris.

"He always had something funny to say at pickup and drop off, and he treats people equally across the board. Jim is an amazing guy, so caring and charismatic."

It's all in a day's work for Pence, whose view of Christianity centers on acceptance rather than condemnation.

"It's more about genuinely loving God, and other people by extension," said Pence. "We are all God's children — and why not help someone leave feeling better than worse?"

Jane Turpin Moore is a Northfield-based freelance writer who enjoys journalism because it gives her the perfect excuse to ask nosy questions.