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Meet the tattoo-covered greeter who charms Wal-Mart shoppers

“Hellllllllllooooooooo! Hello, hello!”

“Welcome, y'all!”

“Yeeeeee-ha! Let's have fun at Wally World!”

That's how you'll be greeted when you walk into the Wal-Mart at Butterfield and Kirk roads in Aurora when George Cornwell is working.

Cornwell, who turns 70 on Monday, is the store's boisterous, beloved greeter.

The long-haired, Harley-riding, tattooed and jewelry-covered Vietnam veteran has been charming customers with his friendly personality since the store opened seven years ago.

“Do you want a puppy dog sticker?” he asks two shy children as their tired-looking mother pushes her cart toward the exit.

They all stop, and Cornwell affixes stickers to the tops of the children's hands. He pats the kids on the shoulder and says in his Southern accent, “There ya go. You take care now. God bless.” They thank him, and the entire family walks out smiling.

It's a scene that plays out over and over again during Cornwell's 4-11 p.m. shifts on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

“I try to make people happy, no matter what. You've got to enjoy life,” said Cornwell, an Aurora resident. “People always say to me, 'Why are you so happy?' and I say, 'It's because I believe in the good Lord upstairs.'”

Last month, Cornwell became a social media sensation after US99 morning show hosts Lisa Dent and Ramblin' Ray posted a video of Cornwell greeting customers on their Facebook page. Shot by Ray, the video had more than 91,000 views, 2,000 likes, and nearly 450 comments from adoring customers.

“It was the biggest thing we have ever posted on Facebook,” said radio host Ramblin' Ray Stevens, a West Chicago native. “(He) loves America and is truly a big, gentle soul.”

Among the Facebook comments:

“He's the best!!!! My kids still ask to go to that Wal-Mart just to see him, even my teenagers.”

“He loves doing what he does. You can tell, and nowadays, we need this.”

“George is the reason I shop there!”

“This guy always puts a smile on my face when I walk in. Even if it's a bad day.”

Cornwell waves off the praise, saying he didn't read any of the Facebook comments.

“I don't do computer stuff. I'm just a dumb ol' hillbilly,” he said, laughing. “I don't do nothin' but stand there and B.S.”

One manager said Cornwell sometimes startles people who aren't used to a loud, friendly greeting when they enter or exit a store. But most customers love him. That includes Eric Lorenz of Aurora, who waved and said “Hi, Georgie!” when he walked in.

  Wal-Mart greeter George Cornwell of Aurora gets a hug from co-worker Eva Reyna, also of Aurora, as she leaves work for the day. Laura Stoecker/lstoecker@dailyherald.com

“He's always friendly and always nice,” Lorenz said. “He's the epitome of how every person should be at work.”

Customer April Hourselt of Oswego said Cornwell's joy is contagious, and he makes people from all walks of life feel special.

“He talks to them and acknowledges them. If you're carrying a pizza, he'll say, 'Enjoy that pizza!'” she said. “He's just a good guy.”

Cornwell's life wasn't all love and smiles. He doesn't like to talk about his past, but he said his family was on welfare when he grew up in rural North Carolina and “there was a lot of anger and hate in my life.”

As a kid, Cornwell would walk five miles to the closest Baptist church, where he developed a faith in God that helped him through difficult times.

  Wal-Mart greeter George Cornwell of Aurora says hello to every person who walks in the door, along with a wave or a thumbs-up. He's been working at the Aurora store since it opened in 2008. Laura Stoecker/lstoecker@dailyherald.com

“The Good Book says it's better to give than receive, so that's how I've always thought,” he said. “It doesn't pay to be in a bad mood, or to be upset or angry. It doesn't get you no place. You have to let bygones be bygones.”

A Vietnam War veteran, Cornwell said life was rough for him when he came back from the service, and he used to drink a lot. He wouldn't elaborate, but he said he was involved in some accidents, including one that left him in a coma. Cornwell gave up drinking and moved to the Chicago area, where he spent 20 years working for Elgin Sweeper as a shipping and receiving clerk.

“After I retired, my wife said to me, 'You've got to go out and do something.' Because all I was doin' was sittin' in my recliner in front of the boob tube,” he said.

He applied for a job at the new Wal-Mart store that was opening in 2008. They didn't have a time clock installed yet, so Cornwell was the person employees clocked in and out with. He was so personable that they made him a greeter when the store opened. He liked the job so much that he kept it.

  Wal-Mart greeter George Cornwell's Harley-Davidson motorcycle is almost as famous as George to shoppers who know him well at the Aurora store. Laura Stoecker/lstoecker@dailyherald.com

Cornwell works only part-time, but you know he's there when you see his decked-out Harley Davidson three-wheeler in the parking space closest to the door (he likes his bike to be within view when the store's doors slide open). It has American and POW-MIA flags, and decals of American and Confederate flags. And he's spotted riding it around town in all sorts of weather.

Cornwell doesn't do the $13-an-hour job for the money. He does it because he likes making people happy.

“Plus, out here,” he says, motioning his arm across the front of the store, “it's freedom. I love it.”

Then he spots a man pushing a cart toward the exit.

  Wal-Mart greeter George Cornwell of Aurora has been working at the Aurora store at Kirk and Butterfield roads since it opened in 2008. Laura Stoecker/lstoecker@dailyherald.com

“Thank you, sir!” he calls out to him. “Have a good night, buddy! Y'all come back now, ya hear?”

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