Friends, family and co-workers gathered at Pauls Valley’s Santa Fe Depot Museum Sunday to share hugs, well wishes and a few tears with Nanette Shultz as they celebrated her retirement from Garvin County’s OSU Cooperative Extension Office.
Shultz has served OSU’s Cooperative Extension as an administrative support specialist since July of 2003.
“Eighteen years ago, and I tell this a lot, I thought, 'If I can just get through the first six months, everything’s going to be okay,'” Shultz said during Sunday’s reception. “I never dreamed what 18 years would bring me: People I desperately don’t want to leave, and I am going to miss.”
Through the years, her position has allowed her to work closely with Oklahoma Home and Community Education (OHCE) groups across the county, the county fair board and Garvin County 4-H students.
“I think sometimes people don’t realize what all 4-H is, and what all they do. A lot of times people think it’s just about animals or agriculture, but it’s so much more,” Shultz said.
In fact, 4-H is the largest youth development organization in the U.S., with programs for kids and teens that encourage hands-on projects in areas like health, science, agriculture and civic engagement.
Shultz said they are also some of the most hardworking and compassionate kids she’s had the pleasure to work with.
“They don’t give up. I’ve never seen kids work that hard. They’re not afraid of work,” Shultz said.
Her work with the extension office over the last 18 years has also drawn her into an agricultural community that she had not had the opportunity to experience before.
“I grew up in Oklahoma City, so this was all foreign to me,” Shultz said. “I had no idea how hard it was to be a crop producer, or to be a cattle producer. I’m amazed at all the hard work agricultural producers put in – and don’t really give a second thought to.”
In many ways, Shultz has become the face of the Extension office over the years, and she will be missed, Garvin County Extension Director Melissa Koesler said.
“We have mixed emotions. As excited as we are for her, and this next chapter in her life, we are heartbroken to be losing her,” Koesler said. “Our extension office is family, and it’s like our favorite aunt is moving away. She has been involved in everything, and she’s always gone above and beyond what her job was.”
Lori Prewitt is stepping in to fill the position of administrative support specialist at the OSU Extension office.
“Lori is a blessing, and we’re super excited to have her join our team. I’m not sure God could have found us a better replacement,” Koesler said.
