Oklahoma SCS/NRCS Retired Employees

 

 

Minutes of Meeting

October 24, 2014

 

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

 

President Dan Runnels called the meeting to order.  He asked that everyone keep Eddie Day (brother of Bob Day) in their prayers.  He is battling bone cancer.  Also Bill Porter in the State Office has been diagnosed with cancer.   Stan Rice provided the blessing for the meal.   Everyone enjoyed the buffet meal. 

 

Following the meal, President Runnels again called the meeting to order.  Chris Shepherd introduced himself as a first time attendee.  He has a cow/calf operation, resides in Lookeba, OK, he was raised in Clinton, and served as district conservationist at Fort Cobb, Watonga and El Reno.   He retired as the District Conservationist at El Reno.  Those in attendance introduced themselves and their spouse or guest if in attendance.

 

Secretary/Treasurer Sandra Hough read the minutes of the April 25, 2014, meeting.  They were approved as read.  The treasurers’ report showed a balance at the last meeting of $763.23, with $140.00 dues deposited for a beginning balance of $903.23.   Expenses for this meeting were $167.60 leaving an ending balance of $735.63.   There were 326 notices mailed, 5 returned, 5 re-mailed and one of those returned.   Current address is needed for John D. Cooper, Stroud or Prague.

 

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.  Several emails as well as notes through the mail were received notifying us of deaths and incorrect addresses.

 

Fred Fortney read a list of retiree deaths:  Betty Oliver, retired District Secretary at Wilburton; Joe “JE Jech, Jr. worked in Kingfisher & Kay counties , passed in 2006;          Laurence Richardson, Marlow, died 11/29/11 (just reported); Lloyd Eldon Lynch, 74, retired in 1990, worked in watersheds before transferring to ASCS, died on 5/18/14; Bonnie Lavern McCarty, mother of Richard McCarty, CET, PVTSO, died 5/28/14; Maurice Mitchell ,83, retired Soil Scientist, Hooker, worked in 1960’s retired in late 1970’s, died 5/28/14; Patsy McFarland, retired District Secretary @ Woodward FO, died 7/7/14; J. W. Sheperd, 84, retired Civil Engineer, Stillwater, 1960-1989, died July 2014, inspector on the 1st Watershed Structure, Site 1, Cloud Creek in Washita County in 1948; Reta McVay, 86, retired District Secretary @ Miami FO, died on 8/10/14, living in Florida; Linda Sue Riley, 63, died 8/24/14, daughter of John T. Riley, Jr., Agronomist Clinton TSO, retired in 1988; Don Shanklin, 77, retired Civil Engineer @ Fort Worth with 42 yrs. service, died in September 2014,  born in Washington DC;  Steve Tully, 66, retired Biologist in State Office, died 9/27/14, retired 12/31/11 with 40 yrs. service; Mother of Randy Mauldin, Watershed Surveyor @ PVWO, died 10/1/14, 88 yrs. old; Charles Smith, 83, Sequoyah County CD board member in Muldrow, died 10/4/14; George K. Sites, 86, retired Area Engineer, died 10/12/14, Norman, retired in 1985; and Clifford W. (Toby) Moss, 81, retired Geologist/NEPA Specialist, Stillwater, died 10/14/14.  A moment of silence was observed and Fred offered a prayer.

 

Other personnel items of interest:  Kelly Hellar, Secretary for Alfalfa County CD, lost home to fire August 2014; Joe Freeland, Project Engineer @ Pauls Valley Watershed Office, was selected as Civil Engineer with National Design, Construction and Soil Mechanics Center in Fort Worth, TX effective 7/13/14, brother of Randy Freeland; Mike Thralls, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission for 17 years,  retired 9/1/14, due to medical condition;  Trey Lam, Garvin County Conservation District board member and former President of the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts,  has been selected to serve as the Oklahoma Conservation Commission Executive Director replacing Mike Thralls effective November 17, 2014;  Don Coffman, Cherokee, OK sent a note with a change of address; advised he was 5 weeks behind in alfalfa & wheat farming, had heart operation six weeks ago (note dated 10/15/14) but he is doing great now, hoped to make the meeting and see everyone; Wes Oneth, McAlester, OK sent email with a new address, wanted to give the crowd a big hello since he could not attend, senior grandson from Denver, CO taking tour of OSU and granddad has to be there to show him around the campus.

 

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.  Information sheets were passed out and he asked those in attendance to ‘jot down’ something about them and if they would like to receive an email notice of the upcoming meetings to include their email address.

 

Randy Freeland presented a power-point “Do You Remember” to the delight of those in attendance.  Those in attendance were asked to name the person being presented an award.  The presentation was taken from the 1979 State-Wide Awards Program held in Stillwater.

 

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, April 24, 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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