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“USGS Retirees” is an organization of retirees, and their partners, founded in 1973 by USGS Water Resources Division retirees, now open to all USGS retirees.
Membership is also open to current USGS employees (affiliate members) and persons having a long-standing relationship with the USGS.
USGS Retirees is run by retirees, who volunteer their time and talent to help members stay in touch with each other and the USGS community. A quarterly Newsletter, an annual directory, a biannual Reunion, State-based meetups, and virtual meetings on topics of interest to retirees are all venues and mechanisms we use to stay connected.
A cornerstone of the USGS Retirees is an annual Scholarship Program for USGS hydrologic technicians and hydrologists. The purpose of these scholarships is to promote an upward mobility path to USGS Technicians and Hydrologists by providing tuition grants for additional academic advancement. As of February 2025, more than $98,397 has been provided to 56 awardees since the program’s inception.
The USGS Retirees is governed by a Constitution and Bylaws. The activities of the organization are overseen by a Board, comprised of its Officers, Regional Representatives, and Newsletter Editor. State Representatives (Retirees) and State Liasons (current USGS employees) serve as focal points across the country to increase connections of the organization’s activities at the local level.
A history of the first 50 years of the USGS Retirees Organization can be found HERE. Please take a look. We very much welcome you to join any, or all, of these efforts. -
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President: Robert Mason
Vice President: Phil Turnipseed
Secretary: Kate Flynn
Treasurer: Cathy Hill
Archivist: Deborah Mclean
Membership Recruitment Director: Brian McCallum
Past President: Bill Carswell
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Northeast: Barb Ryan
Southeast: Jeanne Robbins
Central: Bob Swanson
Western: Owen Baynham
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USGS Retirees State Contacts- include state representatives, center liaisons, and meetup contacts.
State representatives are retired members of the USGS Retiree’s Organization. They help maintain communication between the Organization leadership and the field.
Liaisons are current employees of the U.S. Geological Survey. They provide communication between Science Center staff and the Organization. Among other things, they notify Region Representatives of recent retirements and deaths, news of the USGS, and share information with Centers about the Retiree’s Organization, such as, the Scholarship Program.
Most states have at least one recurring opportunity for Meetups within the USGS Retiree’s community.
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National Editor: Jeff Stoner
Assistant National Editor: Joanne Taylor
Debbie McLean (NR)
John Clarke (SR)
Kathy Wilson (CR)
Matt Larsen (WR)
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In the 1990’s the George Ferguson Service Award was created to honor individuals for their service to the organization.
George Ferguson was born in April 1906. He enjoyed a 44-year career with USGS, working in Ohio, Hawaii, Texas, Florida, and the DC area. He was Northeast Regional Hydrologist when he retired in 1972. In 1973, he chaired a work group of 8 retirees who went to Chief Hydrologist, Roy Hendricks, with a proposal to create the WRD Retirees organization. Hendricks agreed to the proposal. From 1973 through 1975 the work group ran the new organization, with George Ferguson serving as the ad-hoc first president. George also began the first newsletter in November 1973. It was two pages on one sheet of paper.
The first elected President, Roy Hendricks, was elected in late 1975 to serve a two-year term beginning in 1976. But George wasn’t through - he served as newsletter editor until 1987.
After that, he regularly attended the meetings of the Reston chapter of WRD Retirees. During the April 2008 meeting the Reston chapter held a party to celebrate his 102nd birthday. He was alert and enjoyed the company of many friends. He died in his sleep a month later. He was a true gentleman and richly deserves the Service Award to be named after him.
GEORGE FERGUSON AWARDEES
1990s: George Ferguson, Sumner Heidel, and Bob Beall
2002: Bill Schneider, Porter Ward, and C. T. Welborn
2006: Bill Boning, Jack Pickering, and Loren Young
2010: Jim Biesecker, Jim Blakey, and John Musser
2018: Merilee Bennett, Tom Yorke, and Andy Anderson
2023: Herb Freiburger, Kate Flynn, Gary Garrett, and Dick Engberg
2025: Pete Antilla, Cathy Hill, Ken Lanfear, and Jeff Stoner
George Ferguson Service Award Nomination Criteria
The George Ferguson Service Award was created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Retirees’ Organization to recognize outstanding contributions and distinguished service to the fulfillment of the USGS Retirees’ mission to help USGS retirees stay in touch with one another and their former agency, share in mutually enriching retirement activities, and promote societal support of the Earth Sciences.
The Award is presented to members, affiliates, and friends of the USGS Retirees at the national, regional, state, and local levels. Members are encouraged to nominate members, affiliates, or friends of the USGS Retirees, who have demonstrated exemplary service or sustained leadership of the USGS Retirees’ Organization. For USGS Retirees, achievements and/or contributions prior to retirement are not considered.
We particularly want to acknowledge those individuals who have organized and/or significantly contributed to local Retiree groups, as their contributions may not otherwise be as visible as those serving at the regional or national levels.
The examples below illustrate possible considerations for nomination:
-The candidate is a local Retiree, Affiliate or Friend who is instrumental in keeping the Organization alive at the local and/or state level;
-The candidate “stepped up” to fill a gap in a position in the Organization for an unusually long period of time;
-The candidate has provided many years of steadfast service in support of the organization’s mission;
-The candidate consistently performs their job or task in a manner that exceeds what might have been expected; and/to;
-The candidate has led and participated in the challenging and complex effort to host a biennial reunion.
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