Gene Hall of the Splitlog area worked a variety of jobs before retirement, including as McDonald County clerk and McDonald County circuit clerk.
Hall grew up in the Splitlog area. His family had a farm and raised cattle and vegetables and had orchards and vineyards.
"This country used to have apple orchards and grape vineyards everywhere," he said.
He went his first eight years of school to a two-room schoolhouse called Banner and graduated from Anderson High School in 1962. He went to Northeastern A&M College in Miami, Okla., and then transferred to Southwest Missouri State in Springfield. He graduated in 1966 with a degree in business management.
After graduation, he moved to California, Mo., for a management position at a turkey plant owned by Ralston-Purina. From there he went to Joplin and worked for Safeway stores bakery as a personnel manager. Next, he worked for the state of Missouri employment security division. Then he purchased a convenience store in Lanagan and ran it for three years. Following that, he opened a screen printing and sporting goods store in Anderson for five years.
"Then life drastically changed," he said. "I ran for county clerk in 1986 and served from 1987 to 1995."
Then he ran for circuit clerk and recorder, which was a combined office at the time. He served eight years as circuit clerk and recorder and for several more years as circuit clerk after the offices were separated. Altogether he worked in the courthouse for 24 years, he said. He retired in 2010.
He noted that in 1996 he had a heart attack and had five bypasses but has fully recovered and has had no more problems.
"During those years in the courthouse we moved to the farm, and I've been a part-time hobby farmer ever since," he said.
He said he spent a lot of time while in the courthouse working on community development. The county changed a lot during his time in the courthouse. When he became county clerk, the county was struggling financially and was about $200,000 in debt.
"The voters passed a small tax levy, and we began to dig our way out, and then we passed a half-cent sales tax in 1992. The Walmart and other retail have been a Godsend financially for McDonald County," he said.
Hall is involved in his community. He was a volunteer firefighter for 20 years at Goodman, Lanagan and Anderson. But, after his heart attack, he quit, he said.
He is a Red Cross volunteer for McDonald County and serves on the Arvest Bank board for McDonald County. He is also on the board of the McDonald County Historical Society.
He is an active member of the Splitlog Baptist Church and serves on several committees there.
"My family members have been active in that church since 1933. My grandparents helped found it in 1933," he said.
He concluded, "I'm a strong believer in working in your community and your county. Having served the people -- they elected me -- so I feel like I need to give anything I can back to my community."
General News on 06/21/2018