Co-op People
Danny Watters means OEC by Tory Tedder In Newcastle, OEC means Danny Watters. OEC means
Danny Watters in Bridge Creek and Tuttle, too. Danny became the district lineman for this area south and west of the Canadian River in 1987. Danny moved to Newcastle in 1971 as a sophomore in
high school from Oklahoma City where he attended Capital Hill. He married Trudy in 1981 and together they raised four kids and now have nine grandchildren. Danny started working at OEC in 1978 as a lineman's
helper. He left for just a while in the early 1980s when the oil fields were singing a siren call to most able-bodied young men willing to work hard, but he came back home to OEC just a few years later. His first year as district lineman—aka, the boss of
his area—was the same year the "great ice storm" hit on Christmas Day in 1987. "We worked 40 hours that first day," he remembers. "It
gets harder as the days go on, but during that first stint you're full of purpose that can't be swayed." I asked Danny how he made such a name for himself in
the community, if he was active before coming to OEC or only after. Danny credits the Lion's Club for teaching him how a town works and what it needs to run. "But, OEC wants you to be involved. Tey support
employees working in their communities," nods Danny. "Little things like handing out electric safety coloring books make a big difference. Tose kids remember and they're having kids now. It's funny what you remember." I ate lunch recently with Danny and his helper for the
day, Kirk Gless (Danny's regular helper, Bobby Herring, had another engagement), at the Newcastle Senior Citizen Center. It was heartwarming to be greeted so warmly by everyone all because I know and work with Danny Watters. I thought, this is how you should want your town to know you. Tis is the way to live a life, in such a way that people smile when they see you coming. And boy do they smile. Danny plays guitar in the band Graystone Bluegrass
Danny Watters, from top to bottom: December 2012 employee portrait; Working without a bucket, April 2013 (photo by Bobby Herring); Watters in the early days, circa 1979-1981.
Revival, a local favorite. Tey've been together officially since 2001 and are often requested as OEC annual meeting entertainment. (I'll tell you a secret: Tey'll be at the 2013 annual meeting in August with Jaci Lane.) Tey play an annual benefit for the Newcastle Senior Citizen Center and Danny gives guitar lessons to kids after church. Danny made a name for himself by living in his
community, by being present in the lives of his neighbors; OEC is lucky to be defined by "Danny Watters."
News Magazine 7
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