|
Oklahoma SCS/NRCS Retired Employees
Minutes of Meeting April 22, 2011
Oklahoma SCS/NRCS Retired Employees met at the Hometown Buffet on the NW Expressway in Oklahoma City. Forty-five people were in attendance.
President Stan Rice called the meeting to order and briefly outlined the agenda for the meeting. He reminded everyone to pay for their meal, tip the waitress and pay Sandra Hough their dues. John Pewthers provided the blessing for the meal. Everyone enjoyed the buffet meal.
Following the meal, President Rice again called the meeting to order. He reminded everyone to sign-in if they have not yet done so. Carolyn and Bob Webb were introduced as ‘first timers’ to the meeting. Carolyn was the District Secretary in the Bristow Field Office for 33 years retiring in 1986 and her husband Bob is currently serving on the Creek County Conservation District Board. The group welcomed them and encouraged them to come back.
Secretary/Treasurer Sandra Hough read the minutes of the October 15, 2010, meeting. They were approved as read. The treasurers’ report showed a balance at the last meeting of $981.20, with $190.00 dues deposited for a beginning balance of $1,171.20. Expenses for this meeting were $196.24 leaving an ending balance of $974.96. There were 333 notices mailed, 6 returned, 4 re-mailed and two of those returned for the second time. Current addresses are needed for Clarence Gardner (Woodward), Henry Langford (Perry) and Genny Watson (Universal City, TX). No one knew the whereabouts of Clarence Gardner, Henry Langford is in Stillwater and Genny Watson is deceased.
Five new retirees have been added to our retiree list: Dean Cook (Engineer at Perry WO), Debbie Ruark (Personnel Section in Stillwater), Roy Walton (Soil Conservation Technician at Fairview formerly of Okeene), Paul May (DC at Durant) and Bill Doherty (Soil Conservation Technician at Walters). Addresses are needed for Dean Cook & Debbie Ruark.
Sandra also told the group that Bob Day had reached the status of “Senior Conservationist” on March 15, 2011. To be a Senior Conservationist you must have worked for SCS or NRCS and be 83 years of age. There is a questionnaire to complete and submit to the Association of Retired Conservation Service Employees (ARCSE) but you do not have to be a member to qualify. Being a Senior Conservationist does not give free membership to ARCSE however. If there are any in attendance who qualify for a “Senior Conservationist”, Randy Freeland has the form to complete.
Randy Freeland then explained to the group that he 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 passed out membership applications to anyone interested in joining and asked those in attendance to complete a short information sheet on their activities not previously reported.
Randy Freeland presented a slide show of slides he had borrowed from the State Office information section. Everyone in attendance enjoyed seeing the slides of employees from years past and tried to identify those on the screen. Some were easy but most were difficult to identify. Seems as though people aged in the photos. Many of those identified were in attendance at the meeting. Everyone agreed they would like to see more of the slides at future meetings.
Fred Fortney read the list of retirees &/or spouses who have passed since our last meeting: Madison “Red” Hallows, 11/3/10, SCT, Atoka 87 yrs. old; Steve Cink, 2/25/11, SCT, Newkirk, died in Service; Jackie Sheperd, 2/11, wife of J. W. Sheperd, CET in design section of state office, retired ’86-’87; Wes Thomas 1/22/11, AC, Duncan, lived in Okemah; Don Perryman, 1/11, son of Tom Perryman & nephew of Fred Perryman, passed away in Altus; Irene Clements, 12/17/10, widow of Alvin M. “Buck” Clements, living at Coalgate; Max Dominick, 12/7/10, engineer & father of Darrel, Stillwater; Cecil Hicks, worked in Clinton WO; Eugene Hart, 11/9/10, SCT, Tahlequah, living in Okmulgee; Ray Murrell, 4/11/11, DC, Altus, 95 yrs. old; Ronnie Winkle, 4/8/11, Core Drill, Okemah, left SCS in 1971 when core drill unit abolished and worked for State of Okahoma; Hugh Gilbert Taylor, 4/8/11, SCT, Nowata, living in Barnsdall, retired in ’85, 87 yrs. old; and Donnie Donahoo, 4/3/11, DC, Enid. Everyone observed a moment of silence and a pray was offered by Fred Fortney.
It was reported that Archie Welch is now a resident of Ardmore Veterans Center and will soon be 90 yrs. old. Tom Perryman is 90 yr. old and his brother Fred Perryman is 85 yrs. old. Both are living close to where they were raised in southwest Oklahoma.
President Rice reported that he had been president for the past 16 years (actually he has only been president since April 2010). He appointed a nominating committee of Everett Cole, Gayle Goforth and Don Bartolina. They will provide a list of new officers at the next meeting.
There was no other business to bring before the group and the meeting was adjourned.
The next meeting was scheduled for Friday, October 28, 2011, at the Hometown Buffet on the NW Expressway in Oklahoma City. A notification will be sent approximately 30 days prior to the meeting.
| Back | |