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Oklahoma SCS/NRCS Retired Employees
Minutes of Meeting October 28, 2011
Oklahoma SCS/NRCS Retired Employees met at
the Hometown Buffet on the NW Expressway in Oklahoma City.
Forty-eight people were in attendance. In the absence of President Stan Rice,
Vice-President John Pewthers called the meeting to order.
He reminded everyone to pay for their dues and their meal
before eating. He also
provided the blessing for the meal.
Everyone enjoyed the buffet meal.
Following the meal, Vice-President Pewthers
again called the meeting to order.
He reminded everyone to sign-in if they have not yet done so.
Secretary/Treasurer Sandra Hough read the
minutes of the April 22, 2011, meeting.
They were approved as read.
The treasurers’ report showed a balance at the last meeting
of $974.96, with $220.00 dues deposited for a beginning balance of
$1,194.96. Expenses for
this meeting were $193.75 leaving an ending balance of $1,001.21.
There were 340 notices mailed, 13 returned, 2
re-mailed.
Current addresses are needed for Everett Knight (Davis),
Billy Ellis (Seminole), Harold Welch (Helena), Grace Nixon (OKC),
and Johnny Davis (Chandler). Someone
knew Everett Knight is deceased and Johnny Davis lives at Meeker. Sandra read a note from the son of Billie
Hutcheson, Chelsea, advising that his father died in 2005 and his
mother, Kathryn died in 2010.
Carolyn Tucker, retired district secretary at Hinton, sent an
email advising she would not be in attendance due to recent back
surgery but wants to be kept on the mailing list.
Betty Todd sent dues with a note that she will try to come to
meetings when she can and is always glad to get a meeting notice.
Nick Lambeth had surgery in January and again in August on
his ankle. He has been
off his feet for 10 weeks and was just released so he can start
walking. He lost two
brothers and his wife Doris lost a sister in recent months to
cancer. Fred Fortney read a list of recent retiree
deaths: Lee Hayden,
5/10/11, Accounting Technician in State Office, retired in 1988;
Giles (Dee) Passmore, 7/31/11, Soil Conservationist @ Sayre FO,
retired 1/1/10; Alfred Thompson, 8/4/11, Soil Conservation
Technician @ Wagoner FO, retired 7/3/09; John Chelf, 9/11, DC @
Wewoka FO in 1980’s; Michelle Nichols, daughter of Ray & Donna
Riley, died in car accident 8/2/11.
Ray worked in watersheds & lives in Stillwater.
A moment of silence was observed and Fred offered a prayer.
Nine new retirees have been added to our retiree list:
Wilma Fraley, Office Clerk @ Claremore TSO for 12 yrs.,
6/1/11; Ken Swift, DC @ Idabel, 7/1/11; Becka Redding, Secretary to
State Conservationist, 8/31/11; Greg Kindell, RC&D Coordinator,
Tulsa, 9/30/11; Carl Smith, RC&D Coordinator, Tulsa, 9/30/11; Angela
Williams, RC&D Coordinator, Pauls Valley, 9/30/11; Larry Wright,
RC&D Coordinator, Cordell, 9/30/11; Joni Mustain, Program Assistant
in Programs, Stillwater, 9/30/11; and Terri Daniel, Visual
Information Specialist, Stillwater, 9/30/11. Vice President Pewthers then asked for ‘first
time attendees’ to stand and introduce themselves:
Paul May, retired as DC at Durant; Loren Zweiacher, retired
as DC at Pawnee but now lives in Stillwater; and Larry Caldwell,
retired a while back but has been too busy to attend.
He had been the State Conservation Engineer and then was in
charge of the Watershed Rehabilitation in Washington DC but was able
to remain in Oklahoma. The
group welcomed them and encouraged them to come back.
Others in attendance then introduced themselves and their
spouse if in attendance. Randy Freeland told the group 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 has membership applications for
anyone interested in joining.
He asked those in attendance to complete a short information
sheet on their activities not previously reported.
It was noted that there were at least two in attendance who
qualified as a “Senior Conservationist” if they wanted to submit an
application: Hadley
Meinders and Glen Mullen.
A form to complete was provided to each. Randy Freeland presented a slide show of
slides he had borrowed from the State Office information section.
Everyone in attendance enjoyed seeing the slides.
The group tried to identify those pictured on the slides.
Everyone agreed they would
like to see more of the slides at future meetings. It was reported that Glen Miller, retired
State Geologist, Stillwater, is battling a brain tumor.
A local hospice group has been called in to help with his
needs. Charlie Cail has
recently spent time with Glen taking him to coffee with other
retirees and to other functions around Stillwater.
Glen was given a special invite to attend our meeting but
felt his health just wouldn’t allow it.
An email was sent from the State NRCS Office indicating
Walter Lamar, retired District Conservationist from Fairview, has
been fighting cancer for some time.
Those in attendance were encouraged to send him a card or go
by for a visit if possible. A nominating committee of Gayle Goforth,
Everett Cole & Don Bartolina was appointed at the last meeting to
provide a slate of officers for election at this meeting.
Don Bartolina provided the report:
Dan Runnels, President; Charley Cail, Vice-President; Sandra
Hough, Secretary-Treasurer.
The group unanimously voted to accept these individuals as
officers for the coming year. There was no other business to bring before
the group and the meeting was adjourned. The next meeting was scheduled for Friday,
April 27, 2012, at the Hometown Buffet on the NW Expressway in
Oklahoma City.
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