Oklahoma SCS/NRCS Retired Employees

Minutes of Meeting

April 24, 2015

Oklahoma SCS/NRCS Retired Employees met at the Golden Corral Buffet at 520 South MacArthur Blvd. in Oklahoma City.  Thirty-nine people were in attendance.

President Dan Runnels called the meeting to order.  He asked that everyone keep Nickey Lambeth in their prayers.  He has a foot problem and was told by his doctor to stay off of it.  Bob Day spent this past weekend in the Oklahoma Heart Hospital.  He has returned home and is resting.  Stan Rice provided the blessing for the meal.   Everyone enjoyed the buffet meal. 

Following the meal, President Runnels again called the meeting to order.  First time attendees introduced themselves:   Andy Tucker lives in Okemah and retired two years ago.  Sandy Hafner worked in a field office, area office and state office before retiring in 1994.  She retired again in 2014 and lives in Tulsa.  Robert Dukes retired 2 years ago after working in El Reno and OKC.  He is currently employed by OERB.  Harry Fritzler retired in January from the State Rangeland Specialist position.  He was the Resource Conservationist at Pauls Valley TSO prior to that.  Those in attendance introduced themselves and their spouse or guest if in attendance.

Randy Freeland is the Oklahoma representative to ARCSE and uses information gathered at the meeting to provide news articles for the newsletters sent to members of the organization every other month.  Dues are $18 per year and he has membership applications for anyone interested in joining.  He also attaches his information to the retiree website.  First time attendees were asked to complete an information sheet.  Others in attendance were asked to ‘jot down’ something about them and to include their email address if they would like to receive an email about upcoming meetings.

Randy Freeland announced that John Beard, retired Area Conservationist from Hugo, has put together a reunion of all Area 9 former employees for June 16^th at noon at the Western Sizzlin Steak House in McAlester.  Everyone is invited to attend.

Secretary/Treasurer Sandra Hough read the minutes of the October 24, 2014, meeting.  They were approved as read.  The treasurers’ report showed a balance at the last meeting of $735.63 with $170.00 dues deposited for a beginning balance of $905.63.   Expenses for this meeting were $191.79 leaving an ending balance of $713.84.   There were 325 notices mailed, 4 returned and 1 re-mailed.  Current addresses are needed for Eugene Martin, Altus; Mary Lou Chaney, Jefferson City, MO; and John D. Cooper, Prague, and Debi Carnott, Calumet.

The retiree website (www.cyber-shack.net/nrcs/ ) has been helpful in our effort to keep retirees informed.  This website also has a posting of the attendees, minutes and pictures from each of the meetings.  Special thanks to Randy Freeland and Bill Porter for their work in keeping the website up to date.

President Dan Runnels read a list of recent retirees:  Debi Carnott, Central North Canadian River Conservation District, Geary, 26 yrs. 12/14; Harry Fritzler, State Rangeland Specialist (State Staff) Norman, 34.5 yrs. 01/15; Tom Lucas, RC&D Coordinator (retired as Public Affairs Specialist), Woodward, 01/15; and Leota Burnett, SCT, Miami FO, 02/10/15.

Sandra Hough read a list of retiree deaths: Joe Nichols, 81, Soils, Fort Worth, retired in 1993, 37 yrs. service  (10/21/14); O. B. Boyd, 64, SCT, Holdenville   (11/18/14); John Ensminger, 85, Watershed Party Chief, Duncan, retired in 1993, 32 yrs. service, retired from Pauls Valley but worked in Marlow & Davis   (11/22/14); Charles (Chuck) Nuttle, 77, Watersheds, Perry, retired in 1993, 34 yrs. service, retired from Claremore and then worked 20 yrs. for Oklahoma Conservation Commission in Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation    (12/6/14); Dale Davis, 69, Ag Economist, Marlow, left in 1980’s for Halliburton   (11/30/14); Marcus Harjo, 30, Hughes County Conservation District Engineering Aide, Holdenville, died in car accident  (1/2/15); Edward L. (Eddie) Day, 85, Soil Conservation Technician, Clinton, retired from Weatherford in 1987, 30 yrs. service  (1/12/15); Michael Scott, 50, Soil Conservationist, Hobart, worked at Taloga for 3 yrs. and Anadarko 5 yrs. at the time of his death; Virgil Miller, Ada, father of retiree Lanny Miller,   (1/18/15); Tom Perryman, 94, Area Conservationist at Duncan, retired in 1982, also worked as DC in Cheyenne and Area Conservationist at Woodward   (2/6/15); Mike Thralls, 64, Billings, retired after 17 yrs. as Oklahoma Conservation Commission Executive Director  (2/10/15); Fern Lambeth, 101, Okemah, mother of retiree Nick Lambeth    (2/15/15); William Hunt, Boley, former State Conservationist died in Minnesota (2/22/15); Erik Friend, DC at Vinita  (3/18/15); Beverly ‘Jeanie’ Brewster Edwards, 69, retired District Secretary Mayes County Conservation District at Pryor, 30 yrs. service (4/13/15); Donald Lady, 79, retired Construction Inspector Okmulgee Watershed Office, living in Morris, OK  (4/15/15).  A moment of silence was observed and Stan Rice offered a prayer.

Randy Freeland played a tape recording of a song composed several years ago by two SCS employees who were attending a training session.  The song was titled “The Battle Hymn of the SCS” and contained the acronyms used by the agency.   Randy Freeland and Gordon Moebius then lead the group in SCS/NRCS Trivia Time.  A list of 20 questions were passed out and everyone given a short amount of time to read through the questions.  Everyone participated in responding aloud to the questions.  A proposed answer sheet was then given to those in attendance.  Several questions posed different responses as to the correct answer.  Everyone enjoyed this change from our recent ‘identify the person in the photo’ session.

New officers were installed for the coming year:  Gordon Moebius, President and Sandra Hough, Secretary-Treasurer.  Dan Runnels will fill in if needed as vice-president.   A round of applause was given in appreciation to the officers who have served their positions for several years.

Everyone was challenged to personally contact retirees who have not been attending the meetings and invite them to attend our next meeting or even better yet, bring one or more with them to the next meeting.

The next meeting is scheduled for Friday, October 23, 2015, at the Golden Corral on MacArthur Boulevard in Oklahoma City.

There was no other business to bring before the group and the meeting was adjourned.

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