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Oklahoma SCS/NRCS Retirees Newsletter April 2011
The Oklahoma SCS/NRCS Retirees met April 22, 2011 at the Hometown Buffet Restaurant in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Forty-five people were in attendance. They were: Bob Bumgarner, Bob & Loretta Bourlier, Everett & Helen Cole, Geri Cutler, Bob & Betty Day, Wayne Fjeseth, Fred & Gayle Fortney, Randy & Bonnie Freeland, Jim & Roberta Frie, Lloyd Garrison, Gayle & Mary Goforth, Jim & Molly Henley, Sandra Hough, Don & Pat Jackson, Winnie Jaques, Billy J. Johnson, Otho LaMar, Nick Lambeth, Carl & Jeanne Mackey, Jim McCampbell, Gordon & Minnie Carol Moebius, Nelson Mueller, Glen & Eunice Mullen, John & Joy Pewthers, Eddie & Linda Rathbun, Stan Rice, Dan & Sharon Runnels, Gene Spurlock, and Carolyn & Bob Webb.
John Pewthers provided the blessing and everyone enjoyed a buffet meal.
Our Secretary, Sandra Hough, noted that she had mailed 333 notices of our meeting. That is quite an impressive mailing list of Oklahoma SCS/NRCS Retirees. She only received 6 back from the post office because of insufficient or wrong addresses.
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).
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. Others in attendance were given an opportunity to introduce themselves and their spouse or guest.
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. She stated that if there were any in attendance who qualify for a “Senior Conservationist”, Randy Freeland has the form to complete.
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. It seems as though people aged in the photos. Many of those identified were in attendance at the meeting.
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.
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 Oklahoma; 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 prayer was offered by Fred Fortney.
Jim and Roberta Frie continue to volunteer one day a week at the Stillwater Medical Center. They keep an RV at Lake Carl Blackwell year round. Don Jackson spends a lot of time babysitting and taking grandkids to school. He had a Cochlear ear implant in his right ear last fall and said he can “now” hear.
Raising registered Dexter cattle keeps Dan and Sharon Runnels busy these days. They had their first calf in March. They also took a ten day trip to Colorado last fall on their “Trike” (motorcycle) and loved every minute of it. He highly recommends retirement!
Carolyn Webb is an American Red Cross Coordinator for the Bristow Blood Drives. She also delivers Meals on Wheels, serves on the Bristow Library Board, volunteers at the local hospital and is active in her church and with the Bristow Garden Club.
Helen Cole still works at Stillwater National Bank and Everett spends his “spare” time on the farm. Wayne Fjeseth is active in NARFE and encourages all SCS/NRCS retirees and active employees to become members.
It is always fun to hear what others are doing in their retirement years.
The next meeting was scheduled for Friday, October 28, 2011, at Hometown Buffet on NW Expressway in Oklahoma City. A notification to those on Sandra’s mailing list will be sent approximately 30 days prior to the meeting.
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