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50th anniversary retrospect: Mary Lue Russler and the secretaries of ISUE

March 2, 2015

In 1965, Mary Lue Russler began her career at USI, then known as ISUE, as secretary for Byron Wright, business manager, who later became vice president for Business Affairs. Staff often worked late hours and weekends, and Wright would, at times, make trips to the grocery store to pick up bread and cold cuts to keep the hardworking employees sustained. Around 400 freshmen enrolled the first year. Sophomore classes weren't offered until the following year.

Russler remembers the days of manual typewriters and handwritten account ledger books with a single account number representing the entire University. She also recalls the move from the Centennial School Building, located at the corner of Twelfth Avenue and Illinois Street on Evansville's Westside, to USI's current home. A truck would pick up employees from a church parking lot and drive them to campus and drop them off because there were no parking lots on site yet.

Secretaries Of ISUEWhile those early years took a lot of hard work and sweat, Russler said the employees on the small campus were like "one big happy family," dedicated to the success of the University. She formed an especially tight bond with her fellow secretaries (later to be renamed administrative assistants). To retain and build on this special connection, Russler, along with 12 others formed the longest running campus club in the University's history, the Secretaries of ISUE. After gaining approval of the president, David L. Rice, she wrote the bylaws for the organization one evening on her front porch. The goals she laid out that evening have stood the test of time: build unity between employees, improve professionally and give back to the University.

The organization still exists today and after a few names changes to better suit the times and the roles of members, the Administrative Assistants and Associates Organization (AA&A) maintains a connection for support staff. Support staff have gathered throughout the years to socialize, learn new skills and hold fundraisers to raise monies for student scholarships. In Russler's time, card parties, style shows and themed bosses' luncheons, (later to become the Employee Picnic), were big hits.

Apple Butter 2The largest and most successful fundraiser would happen at the University's annual open house. Staff would gather on the weekend at the Eicher Barn to peel, core, cook, can and sell apple butter. The famous recipe was one of Harry Thompson's, a major donor to the University. Thompson also would lend big copper kettles to cook the apple butter. People would take turns stirring the pot with long wooden poles. Candy red hots were added for a punch of cinnamon and every year the jars would sell out. While the apple butter tradition has become a thing of the past, the AA&A still hold a variety of fundraisers and have given more than $34,000 worth of scholarships to students.

Julie Bordelon, a current AA&A member, says that taking the time to step out of the office and bond with peers is extremely important. Not only does it breed familiarity with colleagues on our ever-growing campus, the comradery helps reduce stress and make even a larger campus feel like "one big happy family". And it's a family that Russler is still a part of. Kim Sullivan, current AA&A president, says the founding mother of the organization attends meetings to this day as a permanent honorary member.

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