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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMarci Rodgers Transcription City of College Station Heritage Programs Oral History Interviewee: Marci Rodgers Interviewer: Brooke Linsenbardt Date: November 21, 2017 Place: Municipal Court Building Room 204, College Station, Texas Project: The City of College Station Oral History Collection Transcriber: Ian Seavey Abstract: College Station’s Senior Services Coordinator Marci Rodgers discusses her career working for the Parks Department. She recounts the history of the Parks and Recreation Department and some of the events they have put on over the years. Rodgers also speaks about how the growth and development of College Station has affected the Parks Department. Lastly, she highlights her time as the Senior Services Coordinator and heaps praise upon the senior community of College Station. 00:00 Brooke Linsenbardt (BL): My name is Brooke Linsenbardt, I College Station’s Historic Records Archivist and the interviewer. It is 9:07am on November 21, 2017, we are conducting the interview at Municipal Court off of Krenek Tap Rd. 00:28: Marci Rodgers (MR): And I am Marci Rodgers and I am the Senior Services Coordinator with the Parks and Recreation Department. 00:35: BL: Thank you for being here today. To start the interview tell us when and where you were born. 00:41: MR: I was born Tulsa, Oklahoma. 00:45: BL: Oh, okay. 00:46: MR: And um, I have three younger sisters, I am one of four girls and grew up in Houston. 00:55: BL: When did you move to Houston? 00:57: MR: Uh, in first grade, so it was about 1960, the early ‘60s. 01:01: BL: Oh, okay. What did your parents do? 01:05: MR: Well, my dad had a company. He manufactured truck mounted trains called Lift Moore. My maiden name was Moore and I see some of them on the back of the City of College Station utility trucks right now. So it’s kind of neat to see that. My mom and dad are both from Tulsa, Oklahoma and both attended college but never actually finished college. I attended Texas Tech and was one of the first in my family to graduate from college and earn a degree. 01:40: BL: What did you get your degree in? 01:42: MR: My degree is in Parks and Recreation. So it was recreation and park administration from Texas Tech. 01:51: BL: So do you any additional stories that you would like to talk about? 01:56: MR: Well, I’d love to visit about Texas Tech and moving here to College Station. 02:03: BL: Yes. 02:04: MR: So, while I was at Texas Tech I met my husband Steve Rodgers. And we had two classes together and he went to law school at Tech. So after undergraduate he went to law school and when he graduated from law school he started looking for jobs. He was from west Texas, he’s from Midland and I grew up in Houston and he knew that he wanted to get out of west Texas. So he researched areas that had the fewest attorneys per capita. So he knew he wanted to be west of I-35, so we looked at smaller towns. We looked at Tyler, Longview, Bryan/College Station wasn’t even on the radar for him until a friend from law school told him he should look at College Station. So it ends up that we move to College Station and he did join a law firm that he shortly became a partner in right after we moved here and we’ve been here ever since. We moved to College Station in 1979. We were married in 1978 and I can remember moving here and I was from Houston and I’d had heard of College Station because of Texas A&M but I had never been here. And we have loved living here and we have always lived here. So we love being a part and watching it grow and you know it’s just so fun to look back and see when we moved here A&M had about 17,000 students, the City of College Station had roughly 30,000 people. And today we are looking at a campus of 60,000 plus students and a population of well over 100,000, 110,000 right now, something like that. So it’s been fun to watch it grow and we always say you are always pretty young here because you are surrounded by 20 year olds with the university setting, and we have really enjoyed it. 04:14: BL: I’m curious about this and of course you don’t have to get into too much detail but when you went to Texas Tech, were you one of the first women who attended Texas Tech? 04:28: MR: No, Tech had a great female population. I know A&M, some of my classmates, I went to a small school in high school, and only a couple of my friends who I graduated with came to A&M. And when they were here I know there were very few women. And I graduated from high school in 1973. So yes women were here at A&M but Tech was a smaller, Tech was about 20,000-25,000 students but definitely strong female population. 05:04: BL: I wasn’t sure if there was any difference there. Um, thank you, you talked about how you got to College Station essentially. Can you talk about how you ended up working for the city? 05:18: MR: This is a fun story. Yes, my degree was in Parks and Recreation and I had done an internship with the Austin Parks and Recreation Department. So the first thing when we moved to College Station that I wanted to do was to go visit with both Bryan and College Station Parks Department just to learn about them. And I went to Bryan and I know I was looking for a job and the only job they had was to turn off the ball field lights at the softball complex. And I said, well thank you but I got to meet with him and visit about their program. And then I made an appointment to meet with the Recreation Superintendent for the Parks Department at the time Frank Lanier. And I asked if I could come visit and learn about College Station’s Parks Department and let him know that I was in a job. So I can remember trying to locate the Parks Department, uh it was on Eleanor St. by Lincoln Center. The road was not even paved it was a gravel road, it was a small building that has since been torn away, torn down and I probably would have driven by it, except Steve Beachy was standing at the front door out in front. And I though oh, there are going to know it’s me and I’ve driven by and I have to stop now. So I got out of the car and went to and introduced myself and learned about the department and then I was able to visit with Steve Beachy the director. And he explained to me that they did have a potion that was going to open up for a secretary because their secretary was about to leave and if I was interested that would be a great place to start. And that I would be able to move up in a reasonable time frame. And I accepted and I was thrilled to get my foot in the door as the secretary and that’s where the fun begins. 07:23: [Both laughing]. 07:24: MR: And that was in 1979. April of 1979 I became a full time secretary for the Parks and Recreation Department and I think there were five people in the Parks Department and then we had additional crew members that helped maintain the parks and mow and the ball fields. But I learned so much at that time as a secretary, I attended all the Park board meetings and took the minutes. And at that time there were no computers, it was a typewriter with the carbon paper you put on behind the letter and if you made one typo you re-did the whole letter. But I was very good at typing, so I could type well the white out and finally the typewriters came in with the correct erase so that was nice. We had no copier, so any copies that needed to be made I would make a daily trip to City Hall and all the copies I would make on the one copier at City Hall the Xerox copier. So that was a daily run and I know that Steve Beachy was so great and he introduced me to everybody. So he took me all through City Hall and everybody was on a first name basis, everybody knew each other and it was really a great group to work with. And I can always remember visiting with the switchboard lady, Karina Nash. All the phone calls into City Hall went through one line, one phone and she was in the City Manager’s office and the City Manager at that time was North Bardale. And so every call that came in you went through Karina and she would connect you. But it was fun having to go to City Hall every day and make a copy or to do any business, mailing letters. And we just had great stories to tell from the parks department. It was a fun group, Steve Beachy made the environment so fun but at the same time the work got done. And there was a time n Parks Department that all of our parks were being purchased and established and created, so I loved being part of that. Essentially at the ground level when we created all the parks and established them. 09:52: BL: How did kind of that process work? 09:56: MR: Well, the city was in a position where we were purchasing park land and it was also a time when a new law came into effect and it was definitely challenged. But municipalities had the right to work with developers to secure land. So when a developer came in a portion of the development was to be dedicated, had to be given to city for park land or they could give money instead. And there was a formula for home many tracks, how many housing units, whatever the development was, that a portion had to be dedicated to the city as parkland. And it was definitely challenged and upheld because the Supreme Court saw that this was a vital issue for a city to have parks and this was one way to do it. 10:52: BL: Was that a law that was Texas or that was an ordinance? 10:55: MR: It was a state law. 10:58: BL: Okay. 10:59: MR: And then it became challenged, I know through the Supreme Court in Texas. But you know it may have been nationwide, I’m not certain on that. But I know that our city attorney at the time was Lowell Denton and he played a big role in defending that. So and that law is still in effect today and some of our city there was no more land to dedicate or they didn’t have good land, the Parks Department has the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and the developer would come to the board and show them what they were looking at to donate, how it could be developed possibly, and if it was flood planed which a lot of it was, the Park Board had the right to not accept it and could make that recommendation to City Council not to accept it. But that’s how we got most of our neighborhood parks and then the city would maintain them. But then again some would donate money and then that money could be used in a zone, an area, to develop a park. So we had a lot of parks that were starting to grow in my time, my first time, with the city, which I worked from ’79-’84. When my son was born I was able to stay home with him for a while. But during that time we were getting a lot of park land dedicated and I could watch these parks grow. And I remember earlier on Anderson Park which is on Anderson and Holleman we used for soccer fields. And I was introduced and met the fire ants in that park. 12:48: BL: Yeah, fire ants in Texas? 12:52: MR: Well I had never seen or heard of fire ants in Texas before. So we were out marking the boundaries for the soccer fields with measuring tapes and standing out there and getting bit for the first time going these are ants. So that’s kind of neat to drive by Anderson Park today and know that I helped lay out that soccer field. Yeah it is fun to look back at how the parks developed and I know just a few were here when we moved here in ’79. You had Bee Creek Park, the swimming pool and the cemetery was over there. The arboretum and just a few neighborhood parks. Bryson Park was here, since I’ve been here we developed Central Park which became the Park’s office location, we moved over there I believe it was in 1982. And the architects designed a beautiful facility it almost looks like a home down there. But I can remember City Council of course had to approve the plans and one member of City Council was Jim Dozier, who was quite a character. But the plans called for a fire place and that was kind of a hot topic for some reason, why does the Parks Department need a fire place? Well he defended it and we were just so happy because the architects, Don Hill, he defended it. And the Council said, “Okay.” So we have a fire place in the Parks Department and it is our building, it is our office today. Steve Beachy named it the world headquarters, so it truly is. 14:45: BL: Wow, so you talked some about your time as secretary until 1984. Can you talk about your other positions or have you had only one other positon? 14:59: MR: That’s right, soon after I became the secretary, it was only a year that I was the secretary the Recreation Superintendent left and I became the Recreation Superintendent. So that was the majority for about four years, at least four plus years I was the Recreation Superintendent. And the duties were, I had an Athletic Director and he helped coordinate, we did all the youth sports and started introducing adult sports. So we ran tournaments, flag football and basketball leagues for children. We also had the Lincoln Center which was up and running at that time and my position worked with the staff over there as well. So that was a time of running tournaments, doing some special events for the community. So I started looking at other cities and what special events they offered and we. And we did a kids dog show which I remember doing at Oaks Park and there was no, I just tried to put it together. We paraded in the dogs there so we could judge the dogs and we gave out awards for like best trick but it was a fun event. We also did a kite contest and we had a prize for the largest kite, most creative, these all had to be handmade and I remember this gentlemen and his son driving up with a trailer and their kit was in the trailer and it had to fly and I think they got it off the ground but it was a huge kite they had built. And Southern Living Magazine actually wrote an article about our kite contest in 1982, I believe. I had no idea it was in there until a family member had pointed it out to me and was like, “hey we are in Southern Living,” which is a big deal. We also did a jury art show outdoors in the park at Oaks Park where we had artists, we had some local artists that came to us and asked if we would do this and that was always fun. But being outdoors you always risk the rain out of the weather issue. We did it for several years and a couple times we were rained out. And if you cancel and reschedule it kind of loses momentum. And that continued for a few years, we had the Boston Pops, symphony pops at Oaks Park and we started kind of concerts in the park. 17:48: BL: Okay. 17:50: MR: I can remember calling Lyle Lovett on the phone who had been to A&M and we were doing concerts in the park at Central Park. And someone told me about him, I had no idea who he was and called him on the phone and asked if he would do a concert for us in the park. And he said, “Sure.” And I think we paid him $100 and I remember that I wasn’t able to attend because I had something else going on. And that’s kind of our claim to fame we had Lyle Lovett doing a concert for us for $100 at Central Park back in the early ‘80s. So those we just some of the events we did and Halloween we always created a ghost or a haunted house at Lincoln Center and I know the Fire Marshall always wanted to come and check it out. But those were fun times. 18:38: BL: Wow, so are any of those, I know concerts in the park continues but what about the kite contest or the dog show? 18:46: MR: Yeah, the dog show they haven’t done in a while. But I noticed lately, I had found an article that I saved about the kite contest but I have noticed in the recent years the Texas A&M recreation, tourism science department hosts a kite contest. So the students help put it on and I believe they do it at Wolf Pen Creek now. 19:12: BL: That sounds, I mean I don’t have children but I feel like those would be exciting to attend. 19:12: MR: Those were fun, yeah, that’s right. 19:21: BL: Okay, so after that did you enter your current position? 19:29: MR: So after, in 1984 our son was born and I felt very fortunate to be able to stay home with him when he was little and growing up. So I took an early retirement from the city but I stayed involved. I wanted to because I just have this great appreciation for the City of College Station and I wanted to stay involved so I served on several community boards and commissions. I was asked to serve on the neighborhood, or the Community Appearance Committee. And that was where we tried to establish a weed ordinance, where your yard, or you had to mow your grass and if you didn’t and the grass got so high the city was going to come in a mow it and charge you. So we worked on that and I also served on the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and served as chairman one year, that was the year that we opened up Wolf Pen Creek too. And I was fortunate enough to be asked to serve CIP committee which is Capital Improvements Projects and that’s where we as a citizen’s committee of about 20-30 would make recommendations to the City Council for items to be on a bond issue. And I know the topic at that time was discussing a 150 acre park which is now Veterans Park. So that was one that we fought to get on the ballot and we did and now that’s being developed and it’s just become a real visitor’s sight. 21:07: BL: That’s off of? 21:08: Both: Harvey. 21:09: MR: It now has entrances off of University and Highway 30. So it extends, it’s 150 acres and we have ball fields, soccer fields, a pavilion, it’s a beautiful setting and the veterans memorial out there too. So those committees, I also got involved in community committees and boards and I served on the Boys and Girls Club, I chaired that one year, I served on the Brazos Valley Red Cross Committee. Uh let’s see, Junior League of Bryan/College Station is an organization of women who are pretty powerful in getting things done and I also was the president of that one year. From the Junior League I really learned a lot about how to run a meeting, how to take minutes [laughs] and so on a lot of committees I’m happy to take minutes, I know how to do it, I learned Robert’s Rules of Order just how to run meetings, so that proved to be very helpful. I also got involved in my son’s school, I would volunteer and worked with a lot of other volunteers in the community. And then when the Bush Library opened I was not about to miss that opportunity to serve. So I became a docent and continue to do that today and enjoy that. I want to be the oldest volunteer at the Bush Library and I love it, I love what it is and does for our community. 22:53: BL: It offers a lot. So can you talk about your current position and so in the program your responsibilities that you have with your current position? 23:06: MR: So in 1998 the City Manager at the time was Skip Noe and I think it was his idea to really come up with a position so we could work with our senior adults because we offered programs for youth and adults but we didn’t have anything for seniors so they created the position Senior Services Coordinator and it was part-time. Steve Beachy who of course I kept in touch with all these years asked me if I’d be interested in that position. So I applied and interview along with several others but I felt very fortunate to be selected to hold that position. And that started in November 1998. So it was part time until 2015 when it became a full-time position. So just for the last couple years I’ve been full time but the job being brand new was one thing I was advised was to get a Senior Advisory Committee made up of citizens who could help direct the path of that program. So with the help of a lot of other departments I got lists of organizations and retirees who might be interested. So I created the first Senior Advisory Committee and we met in 1999 and we have met every month since then. And they are a group because they are the eyes and ears of the community. They are the ones who have an interest and have helped lead a lot of our programs who give great advice on what we should offer or have heard what people want. I just had a great experience working with the Senior Advisory Committee. So one of the first things I did was took one of the vans from Lincoln Center and picked up seniors from the retirement centers and we drove around and looked Christmas lights and then I think a few years later then Santa’s Wonderland opened. So I then would hire a bus and take the seniors that we have from Terrace Pines, Lulac Oak Hill, and the Villas of Rock Prairie were the only senior living in College Station and still are today but we are starting to get more. And I would pick those seniors up and take them around, we would enjoy hot chocolate, Christmas in the Park at Central Park, so that was fun to start. And all the programs we created have either been an idea from the senior advisory committee or somebody comes up and says, “I’d like to lead a line dance class or I’d like to teach a computer class.” And what helped at that was the teen center was just built right about the time I started in this position. So it was built for the teens after school place for them to hang out and have a place to meet but during the school hours it sat empty so the seniors used it and that has pretty much been the rule until recently that we would meet there during the school hours and the students would have it after school. But today we have the use of it from 9-5 and weekends and evenings are, we do plan programs most nights now but it is available for rental. So there is meeting and rental for the community. 26:41: BL: Roughly how many seniors are involved? Or that may be a hard number to track but? 26:48: MR: There is a membership at Southwood now, so we ask them to become members and we have between 300-400 members who come regularly. And then at Lincoln Center we operate a daily hot meal through the Meals on Wheels it’s a congregate meal site. For seniors who are 60 and over they have to fill out a client intake form and if they qualify they can come in and have a free lunch every day. So we have 30-40 over there at Lincoln Center too every day. And we have a manager who plans activities, they will go on field trips, they will have a nutritionist come in and talk about nutrition. She does a great job Annie Williams over there and she has been there for the last 10 years. But they celebrate birthdays, they play games, she makes them exercise, she brings in speakers, and it’s a time for them to come gather and meet and do projects for others. They will do crafts and it’s just, they are getting a new facility and it’s about to be opened the new Lincoln Center renovation and addition. 28:10: BL: That’s great. So you mentioned some about the development to some of the parks when you first started. So can you maybe expand on that or maybe talk about other changes that occurred with the city during your tenure? 28:28: MR: Well, what I have seen, of course the population has grown and the city has grown. The parks department has just boomed. We have now hired people and we have events constantly. A real focus has come about to attract visitors from out of town and even out of state. So we have really built up and marketed our sports program and facilities. So that we can have first class facilities for these national and state tournaments. So we bring in soccer, softball, baseball, football, sports to the area. We just have some of the best facilities now, we sponsor this Games of Texas and that brings in every city in Texas and every child that can compete with their families and grandparents and aunts and uncles, cousins and brothers and sisters. So the restaurants and the hotels benefit and it benefits our city. I think the emphasis on tourism has grown and we are definitely on the map as a place that not only has the greatest facilities but the staff to run a great event. So we do strive to do that and we have got some remarkable people working for us that can host these events. You know, I look back over the years and we started so small and to now look at it we are at 60-70 employees in the Parks Department. They all take such pride in the work that they do and to see over 50 parks now that are in College Station. And to have seen the growth and development of those parks is great. There is a great emphasis on neighborhood parks and I think College Station has well planned their neighborhood parks. I’ve moved about three times in College Station and there was always a park within walking distance from my home and I think that is the idea. The city really focuses on the community, you know the students have those nice facilities but the city Parks Department is trying to take care of the people who live here in the community. So seeing the neighborhood parks established and now maintained, we have just replaced several playgrounds that needed to be replaced but our employees have certification to check playgrounds for safety. So there is a checklist, so we are a conscientious Parks Department. I know it has gotten so big now that some of our parks we are not able to maintain and the city has gone to outsourcing that so that some of the neighborhood parks are mowed at least by private business. But it keeps them mowed so you don’t see the grass getting tall. They are all well maintained, so I’m very proud of our parks and the development for the city of College Station. And we are an accredited parks and recreation department, which when we became accredited we were just like the second or third in the state and we maintain that and it’s quite an ordeal. They have high expectations and we do meet those and that’s something to be very proud of to be an accredited parks and recreation department. 32:16: BL: I think, I just heard that happened last year, is that correct? 32:19: MR: Right, right. We just went through the reaccreditation process so I think we are good for five more years [laughs]. 32:29: BL: Can you talk about the relationship between the Parks Departments or even your current position with Bryan? 32:29: MR: Sure, we work well with Bryan and other organizations. The City of Bryan helps us when we do these big state meets such as the Games of Texas because we could not do it without some of their facilities. And we correspond and work with them very well. They are also trying to get a Senior Advisory Committee and position established. The City Council did appoint a Senior Advisory Committee for them because they have always been jealous that we had the senior position that I’m in. Of course Bryan has the need as well, there was a group of individuals who came together and called themselves Friends of the Brazos Valley. And they work with trying to get the seniors and to meet the needs of the senior population in Bryan and they will host activities at churches and try to do a lot of what we do but as a private group they don’t have the city support. But the city is supporting now an advisory committee because they see the need and the importance of working with our senior population. So their staff at their parks department now who was formally with us in College Station, Linda Walkman so she will do great things over there and looking forward to them growing too. The City of College Station Parks Department has been very fortunate in having the support of the citizens and City Council so the citizens through bond elections have always said, “parks are important to us, so we are going to support what you need.” I don’t know if Bryan has had that over the years, but we definitely work well together and it’s hard for to people who come into the community to believe we are two separate cities. But I have to explain, yes, we have two fire departments, two police, two City Councils, they are two separate cities. But being sister cities we do a lot together and I know in fire and police they help each other out, you know all the time, so we have to work with them. I think our council is supportive of that too, you get different people on their throughout the years with different opinions but I think they see us as a regional community. 35:11: BL: Yeah it’s hard even living in College Station, it’s hard sometimes to recognize. 35:17: MR: [Interrupting] the difference. 35:18: BL: The difference. So I guess we talked about Bryan so is there differences or relationships much with Texas A&M or Brazos County? 35:30: MR: It’s not so much with the county and we have reached out but with A&M we have had good working relationships. When we have needed facilities for big events, I know my experience with them has been great. We offer the Senior Games and so we started, I know that’s been around since about 2003. It was a group of individuals who started it and we ran it as a board and I served on it and then just recently it has become part of the city Parks Department Senior Games and then this year for the first time we are calling it the College Station Senior Games. So this is a national event and it does take place all over the United States. Each state has a state Senior Games and then cities will host local Senior Games. And then those winners for any athlete 50 and over who wants to compete and we offer more than a dozen events from cycling, running, bowling, swimming, tennis, pickle ball, which is huge. And w sponsor that but we have used Texas A&M facilities for some of our events. Swimming they have been very helpful and the rec center. I know we have been able to work with them, they have some expertise and we have used their tennis courts too so they work with us and that has been my experience with the Senior Games and working with Texas A&M. 37:08: BL: That’s good, so the Senior Games started you said in like. 37:12: MR: [Interrupting] 2003 I think. 37:14: BL: And then the games of Texas, when did that start? 37:16: MR: That’s been around for many years. And that is through Texas Amateur Athletic Federation. So that’s been around for years and it’s a real big track and field event but there are other sports, swimming, basketball, boxing, tennis, so youth can compete and now it’s open to adults Texas State Games. But the Senior Games gives the older adult the opportunity to compete with those there age. Even with the track and field it’s big. 37:51: BL: Have there been any social issues, what social issues did the city maybe face during your tenure? 38:01: MR: Oh goodness, that’s a hard one. I don’t really know that there had been many. I don’t really have much to say on that. No we have just seen such growth in College Station and I think we are very progressive and of course we are newer than Bryan and we are now just developing whereas Bryan is older and has more minority population but the two now, I don’t know College Station has just been a great place to work. I think Council has handled issues beautifully, that’s a tough job to do. 38:49: BL: So, kind of related to that, what challenges maybe have you faced over the years in your position or maybe in the city? So it could be lack of staff maybe because of just incredible growth at a very quick pace. But are there any challenges that you or the city faced during your tenure? 39:13: MR: Well we were very fortunate that the citizens do support the parks but through the years we have definitely been in crisis of budget. So there were times when budgets were tight and there would be no extra, we call them serviceable adjustments, that’s when you would ask for a new position or some big project that would come and those were denied. And I also know that we went through a time that we had to let people go in the Parks Department. That was the hardest time watching people being asked to leave the city because of budget cuts. And the management so those people who had been with the city for a long time were asked to leave and you always kind of thought because you know police and fire are priority, and we all know that. And the Parks Department would be down the ladder but fortunately they survived but the hard times were when the budget was tight and people were having to be let go. But lately I think we are on a boom and finances are good and we are able to grow and add staff and develop these parks and maintain them as they should be. So it’s been good. 40:45: BL: So what about accomplishments? Are there accomplishments for your position or things that you have seen with the city? 40:55: MR: Well as far as senior programs, from having nothing to having something that people know that we do offer senior programs. But there are still so many who don’t know about us and the things we offer. What I was just thinking about recently was how media and communication has changed so much. When I first started the newspaper was the way to advertise, so all of our programs, everything had to be in the paper. That’s how people found out, everybody read the paper. Now so few read it but there are so many other outlets with the social media, websites, communication, email, newsletters. Our city does a great job of marketing but I have to keep reminding them the seniors still read the newspaper. So they don’t think much about that anymore but if we want to promote something it has got to be in the paper. Now a lot of seniors do use social media and get online and find out and that’s becoming more and more but still a lot don’t. And they aren’t going to get on the computer and search but if it’s in the paper they are going to see it. So that to me is something we need to maintain for a little bit longer, is to be in the paper. So that’s one change but I don’t know, I think I’m proud of the senior programs we have but of course it’s a teamwork, it’s the citizens, it’s the Parks Department that all helped bring it where it is today. So I think our future is bright and there is the possibility, the senior’s goal from the very beginning has been to have their own meeting place just like the youth, the teens went to City Council and said, “We want our own place.” And they got it. Seniors not so fast but they have stuck with it and I know the City Council through all the different positions there and people who have held it still know the seniors want their own place and we have grown so we can’t just use Southwood anymore we have to meet in all city facilities. We use Carter Creek training room over at the Waste Water Treatment Plant. When the conference center was still here we had events there. We used Utility Services we could meet in there before but we aren’t allowed to now but we have had to rent space at churches for a monthly luncheon we do. Because we are so large we couldn’t accommodate the number of people. So it would be nice to have one place where we could offer all of our programs and I think that is coming in the future with Arts Council, Arts Center Facility that is going to be available to us. We had a gentleman who served on our Senior Advisory Committee and active in our programs Mr. Bob Meyer, and he and his wife did not have any children. So when he passed away his entire estate was divided equally given to his church, First Baptist Church of College Station, and then to the city Parks and Recreation Senior programs. So the city received 25% of his estate which totaled a little more than $750,000 for senior programs to enhance and support senior programming. So we are just in awe of that, so hopefully some of that money, most of that money will go into a future facility that can be used for the seniors and we will definitely name it after him [laughs]. But he was very supportive and that’s a real honor to the city when somebody leaves you money for a program to keep it growing. And I think we are going to see the senior population grow even more and these are going to be citizens who expect the best. And who are very interested in fitness and exercise and quality programming and education. There lifelong learners, I mean we all are but I think they have a real interest and they bring a wealth of knowledge with them so they can lead a lot of our programs. We are fortunate to be in a town with A&M a major university that can offer programs. And hopefully we can, I mean my wish would be that we could work more with A&M where seniors could take classes over there and of course they can now. You can audit a class if you are over 65 if you have permission from the professor. So with all the different departments over there, archaeology, what an interest there is and would be a great place to partner with. 45:59: BL: I mean it sounds like there is a lot they can offer the city and a lot the city can then return and offer. 46:07: MR: Right, and that’s why we are such a great place to live here for retirement. When you retire to move to a college town that offers all the entertainment, sporting events that are at the university alone, we are a great location and that’s what I wish our city could market as a great place to retire even though we are a college we have the medical resources here, we are close to major cities without you having to live in them. But you can be in Houston, Austin in no time. So it’s great with those major airports and shopping and dining. But we are a great place to retire and that is a marketing tool I would use if I was in charge. And my seniors are so funny, they tell me, “well we don’t need schools, we don’t need jails, and we vote.” So yes that’s perfect. 47:05: BL: So what is your favorite part of working with the city? 47:08: BL: Oh, my favorite part is of course the seniors. This group is the most appreciative lovely group. They really are family, they are loyal but they are so appreciative and that’s what’s been the amazing thing. But I have literally hung up the phone talking to some who go, “love you.” Just like you would a grandmother or you would your mother, and that’s going to be the hard part when I retire is not having that daily interaction with them. They are sweet precious people and you always shave your few little gripes but [laughs]. On the whole they are a great population to work with and so interested in continuing, they want the activities and they are eager to support whatever we offer. 48:07: BL: I mean hearing you talk about it makes me think, “Oh maybe I should work with [laughs] the senior population.” 48:12: MR: They are great, you don’t have to deal with parents, and you don’t deal with some of those issues so it’s great. 48:20: BL: Do you have a least favorite part in working with the city? 48:25: MR: I really don’t, the Parks Department I’ve been fortunate, and I feel they have supported me. If I need help in anything they are very gracious to help. I don’t have any, it’s been a great group and the people that are in Parks and Rec are a unique breed, they are workers and they give. So I’m just very fortunate, it’s not that everybody is on their own we are a team and we work together and that’s the only way anything would get accomplished. It’s fun too, they add the fun to it. 49:00: BL: So how did your position interact, clearly there is a strong interaction with the public and the seniors. Are there interactions with the mayor or the city manager or the City Council? 49:14: MR: You know when the job first came onboard, I think that we did have more interaction with City Council. They were interested in us reporting back to them, what are you doing? What are the seniors wanting? Members of the Senior Advisory Committee would go to Council meetings and speak and say, “We want a senior center, we want you to give us permission to do some studies and needs assessments.” And the city granted them, so we held public meetings to get input, what would you like to see in the way of senior programs and facilities? So we conducted that and we reported back to City Council, we did have more dialogue with them. Now that we are more established and running we work more with the Park Board and the Senior Advisory Committee is now under the advisory board. But I am going to go to the Park Board next month at their meeting and I have almost 14 applications for the committee, so there is a real interest in serving. So you never know if the advisory committee will die out or if it’s still needed but I think there is a strong interest that still remains. So I am thrilled to take that to them. 50:38: BL: That’s great. So we are going to switch gears a little bit because I want to get your reaction to certain things that happened in College Station or even nationally. So the first of course is Bonfire that happened in 1999. Could you provide your reactions, personal or just city reactions to the Bonfire? 51:07: MR: Yes, that did happen right after I had just started with this new position. But Steve Beachy who I have mentioned several times, our director for the parks, also served as the city emergency management coordinator. So he was very involved with the fire department, police department, and emergency management. So when Bonfire happened I distinctly remember the night, it’s interesting it was about two or so in the morning and my husband heard something that woke him up. And he said he went outside, went out the front door and stood in the street and just looked around. He didn’t know what it what it was, he thought he had heard a crash or something, something woke him up. So he went outside and it wasn’t but minutes later that he heard sirens, so we all heard them. Then of course Steve Beachy and the whole city was just there to help. And I remember Bart Humphries, I believe he was with our fire department, he was the contact for the news. So when the news did a report on the events daily, he was the one they talked to and he did such an excellent job. If those are archived it would be so great to see how he handled those interviews. He gave up to date information he was on site, just they were there around the clock. And I know the whole city, public works, fire, they were all on duty and just sleepless nights I’m sure. And then personally we had friends that were doctors and I can remember being at dinner and a doctor, we were having dinner and he had worked on one of the young men and he didn’t make. And it was just uh, crushed the whole community. We really though there were going to be a lot more loss of lives because reports were coming out that there were hundreds trapped. And we just thought uh, this is the worst. And then the final result I’m not sure, you know it was just devastating. But it affected our whole community and that’s where a community does get strong and I know other events other than Bonfire, the city worked a lot to help the hurricane victims. So when Katrina hit and Rita just shortly after our Parks Department automatically because of Steve’s influence was the emergency management, we were on call. So everybody helped, I know that I worked one night downtown at EOC (Emergency Operating Center) and we were opening shelters as we needed and people were being bused in. So our whole department our Parks Department manned with the help of others site coming into the city when the people were being brought in on buses or else driving in to escape. And when they got to us they may have been in their vehicle for maybe a day and had not had anything to eat or drink. And so they were literally collapsing in our arms. So we had water and food and we would get them to the proper shelter. But we operated in Lincoln Center as a shelter, we operated the conference center as a shelter. And Parks Department was there along with community and everybody else, so many people helped but we were trained n shelter operation that was just part of your job. So I think the Parks Department and the city just all helped and those major events this is where the city stepped up. So 9/11, Bonfire, the hurricanes. And that’s when you really grow close to fellow employees, so you’re working beside them in a tragedy. And so many from Katrina and Rita stayed here people and ended up making this their home. We have those relationships still with them, so yeah. 55:31: BL: What about the annexation of Wellborn? 55:34: MR: That didn’t have too much influence on me. I know our city is just growing but it didn’t affect the position that I’m in so much. I’m sure we will see great things ahead as we grow in that direction. I know the Parks Department were trying to get another big community park on that side of town, like our Veterans Park which is on the east side but we are trying to get another large tract to build another large one on the opposite side. I don’t know when and will that will happen but it’s coming up. 56:17: BL: Something that we haven’t talked about but we may be able to brush upon until we get to our concluding questions is the gender dynamics within the Parks Department when you started. Can you talk about your experience there and the gender dynamic in your position? 56:45: MR: Right, I know when I started in 1979 there were women in the Parks and Recreation field but I just saw this as a great place where women could excel. There were very few but it was an opportunity where women could get into supervisory and upper management positions. So it was a good start, I know when I started I was the only female in our office but I felt welcomed and I felt like I had the support, I knew that when I did programs the rest of the department had my back. We all worked so close together and when there was an event we all worked together on it. We had a couple women who at the time were in the crews out mowing and so you just didn’t see that before then. But definitely a place where women could advance and today you see many directors that are female and in the Parks Department here you see a lot of female upper management in our Parks Department. And they do a great job and have the respect of everybody, so it’s a great opportunity for young men and women to get into the Parks Department because there are so many areas to serve in from the youth to the senior adults. Some may just be interested in creating and designing parks, others are managing and operating sports programs. But just all kinds of areas to get involved in and here I am working with the seniors and I didn’t start out doing that but I absolutely love it and would recommend it to anybody. 58:32: BL: Well that’s good. So along with your responsibilities and your current position do you participate in other? I know you mentioned a few at the beginning of this conversation, are there other areas that you serve in or opportunities or responsibilities that you do? 58:55: MR: Mhm, along with my job I try to get involved in educating myself with the senior population. And so I would attend conferences but for one there is a certification now, a certified senior advisor. And the city was very gracious to support me on this and I became certified as the senior advisor. There is a four day conference and test that you have to take, an exam that you have to pass and it’s good for three years and then you have to renew. But I felt that that was something that said, those were some initials after my name and gave credibility. But as a city I would want my Senior Services Coordinator to have that certification. And it’s fairly new but I definitely thought that’s something that I should do and I did get that certification. We work with a lot of organizations to put on a lot of events for seniors. So they are not really one city or organization but essentially a group of us and that’s been the unique thing with this position. People who work with the elderly in healthcare or caregiving, or financing, or retirement living, there is a group who meets here regularly and we put on the seniors expo once a year, so there is that group. A lot of organizations like the Bush Library is retirees who serve and I just love working there and continuing that relationship. And I do a lot with our church and my hope is that once I retire that I will try to take on the responsibility on our church of working with our senior group. They are still so active and mobile and want to travel so day trips are in the future. Just bringing in speakers for presentations, I can do, so I hope to just get more involved in that senior participation at our church. That’s basically it. 1:01:15: BL: So do you have any other hopes I guess that you want to accomplish in the future? 1:01:22: MR: Well, with the seniors I do want to stay in touch with them. You know some of the things they do now, some of the things that are popular, I’m not able to do because of my job. But there is a sport called pickle ball and it’s similar to tennis, badminton, and ping pong all kind of wrapped up in one. But the game is played on a court indoors or outdoors and the city has built the new Lincoln Center gym with the lines for pickle ball there is a net, a wooden paddle, and a plastic whiffle ball. And it’s a fun game if you are a tennis player, if you are getting older and can’t move around as much pickle ball is the answer. So it’s a fast paced game and I hope to get involved in pickle ball. And it’s big with the seniors and maybe I’ll compete in some of the senior games for pickle ball. And you know I would love to pick up golf and play that, I think I just want to see the beautiful golf courses. But being outdoors is important to me, I love being outdoors and will be travelling too after I retire in January. So I will finish my career with the Parks Department, it will be a sad day for sure, it’s been such a blessing for me to work with the Parks Department, the people, and then of course the seniors have been great. 1:02:59: BL: I know for many people it’s been bittersweet just deciding and then getting closer to the final day. 1:03:10: MR: That’s true, that’s true. 1:03:12: BL: So do you have any advice you would give to people interested in working either the city or parks and rec? 1:03:21: MR: Sure, I do think parks and rec is a great field, just because of the variety of avenues you could go from working in the park and planning programs in the park. For the young people considering parks and seniors are, it’s fairly a new thing to work with seniors because now there are so many more and they are active. This is a new population, it’s not bingo anymore, the baby boomers are very active and I would encourage a lot of the students in parks and recreation to consider working with seniors adults. And the programs that they are going to need and that special population some of the background on how the seniors have grown up and that respect that they so deserve. But I think working for a parks department or working for the City of College Station to me I have always felt so fortunate. I think working for an organization like the city you always have the support, the resources, the benefits are huge, with retirement, healthcare, and insurance. Municipality is a great place to work and just thought I would never see the end of going into retirement, knowing your young and starting you really don’t think about it much. Now you see how great the city treats its employees and all they offer and they do take care of us. So it’s a good place to work and with the College Station Parks Department my experience has been it’s very family and we all just treat each other, we have celebrations of life and everybody is good friends, it’s a friendly environment. So it’s not out cutthroat it takes all of us to make programs happen. It’s been a great experience for me in the parks department it truly has been a blessing. 1:05:36: BL: So are there any other thoughts or things you want to talk about before we conclude? 1:05:43: MR: I just am thankful for the opportunity to have served but living in College Station, the city is doing a great job and I know it’s hard when the city is growing fast. But just my compliments to those who serve on City Council and dedicate their time. But it’s really a great community, it’s a great place to raise a family and I just have nothing but good to say about it. So I appreciate the opportunity to visit with you today. 1:06:13: BL: Yeah, well I want to thank you for your time, for today that you spent doing this interview with us, or with me. And of course thank you for the contribution and service that you have done. You know starting in 1979 and taking a break and then coming back and working with the seniors as you mentioned is extremely important and a very needed thing especially in College Station. And of course thank you for the dedication that you have to the city. 1:06:51: MR: Thank you. 1:06:52: BL: We greatly appreciate it. 1:06:54: MR: Alright.