Oklahoma SCS/NRCS Retired Employees

Minutes of Meeting

April 26, 2013

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

Vice President Charlie Cail called the meeting to order.  He reported that JoAnn Keltch, retired clerk at the Woodward TSO, suffered a stroke and is currently at the Vici Nursing Home for skilled nursing/therapy.  Glen Mullen provided the blessing for the meal.   Everyone enjoyed the buffet meal. 

Following the meal, Vice President Cail again called the meeting to order.  Tim Miller introduced himself and his wife Margaret as first time attendees.  Those in attendance introduced themselves and their spouse if in attendance.

Secretary/Treasurer Sandra Hough read the minutes of the October 26, 2012, meeting.  They were approved as read.  The treasurers’ report showed a balance at the last meeting of $925.27, with $120.00 dues deposited for a beginning balance of $1,045.27.   Expenses for this meeting were $200.15 leaving an ending balance of $845.12.   There were 336 notices mailed, 9 returned, 2 re-mailed.   Current addresses are needed for B.B. Bennett, Hydro; Jerry Winchester, Marietta; Frances Hudgins, Stillwater; Dorothy Snowder, McAlester; Debbie Ruark, Stillwater; Gary Garman, McAlester; Calvin Gann, Antlers; Bobby Morton, Chelsea; and Carl Mackey, Kingfisher.

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.

Fred Fortney read a list of recent retiree deaths:  Joe Lansford, Sulphur, 1/17/13, 97 yrs. old; Charles Harmon, Edmond, 11/12/12, 71 yrs. old; Gene Womack, Perry, 2/18/13, worked in Cheyenne WO & Perry AO in 1960’s; Ron Mathiews, Eufaula, 1/26/13, retired in 1993 as SCT @ Eufaula; Billie Sites, Norman, 1/8/13, wife of George Sites, Engineer, retired in late 1980’s; Danny McCook, 1/25/13, Marlow WO, 69 yrs. old; Vivian Cagle, Stillwater, 1/18/13, wife of John Cagle; Clarence Hughes, SCT, Holdenville, 3/13/13, retired 1994; Fred Jones, Tulsa; Hadley Meinders, 4/20/13, 90 yrs. man, retired 1980 from Purcell/Norman; Denny Runnels, son of Dan & Sharon Runnels, passed away 4/1/13; Michelle Williams, Tulsa CD Secretary, 11/30/12, 57 yrs. old; Dr. Jim Stritzke, 2/13, Professor at OSU who worked with many SCS/NRCS employees; and Novalene Norton, Retired District Secretary, Sulphur 4/2013.  A moment of silence was observed and Fred offered a prayer.

Eight  new retirees have been added to our retiree list:  Greg Scott, State Soil Scientist, Stillwater, 1/3/13, 37 yrs. old; Lanny  Miller, Asst. State Conservationist (FO), Stillwater, 1/3/13, 35+ years; Brad Elder, Soil Conservationist, Anadarko, 1/3/13, 38.5 years; Ron Schmidt, District Conservationist, Cordell, 12/31/12, 25 years; Ron Hilliard, State Conservationist, Stillwater, 1/3/13, 37 years; Ann Colyer, Tribal Resource Conservationist, Durant 3/1/13; Shelley Hungerford, Administrative Assistant, Stillwater, 4/1/13, 23 years; Cherrie Brown, 1/3/13, District Conservationist, Boise City.

Lowell McMasters reported that Ferris Allgood, former Soil Scientist at Woodward, had authored a book ‘Christmas 1941’.  It is available online.  Ferris retired as the State Soil Scientist in Salt Lake City, UT.

‘Flashes from the Past’ were presented by Randy & Bonnie Freeland.   They had scanned photos from a 1977 State Awards Program booklet and presented a power point video for the enjoyment of those in attendance.  Many of the award recipients were present at the meeting.  Roland Willis was the State Conservationist at the time of the awards program.

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 asked those in attendance to ‘jot down’ on an information sheet something he could include in the newsletter.

It was brought to the attention of those in attendance that the Hometown Buffet on the Northwest Expressway in Oklahoma City had reopened.  Prior to April 2012 this had been the location of our retiree meetings.  A show of hands indicated an interest to return to that location for meetings.  The meeting room at that location was better for visiting and conducting the meeting.   The Hometown Buffet will be contacted for availability for the next meeting.  Those with email addresses will be advised by email prior to the meeting and the meeting notices sent out 30 days prior to the meeting will show the location for the next meeting.   

The next meeting is scheduled for Friday, October 25, 2013, location to be determined.

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

 

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