The WOG : employee newsleteter of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife, 02/2012

              W I L D L I F E • O • G R A M
Continued on next page.
Employee Newsletter of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife
February 2012
Damron to Retire after 37 years
After 37 years of service to the
sportsmen and women of Oklahoma,
Loren Damron (LE), game warden
supervisor stationed in Roger Mills
County, is retiring. One of the striking
aspects of Loren’s ODWC career is
that he served his entire career, all 37
years, in Roger Mills County. It is no
exaggeration to say that the outdoor
community of hunters, anglers and
law enforcement officials in western
Oklahoma will greatly miss him.
Damron was hired as a game
warden in Roger Mills County on
October 8, 1974, and went to work with
a passion. District Seven chief Thor
Carlson (LE) said, “As a game warden,
Loren has always been energetic and
enthusiastic about catching wildlife
violators.”
Law Enforcement Chief Robert
Fleenor (LE) remembers an early
encounter with Loren.
“I first met Loren shortly after I
reported to my initial duty assignment
of Latimer County in 1976. Loren came
up to me one day in Wilburton and
introduced himself. He was in town
visiting his sister who lived nearby. I
was impressed by how friendly Loren
was as he welcomed me into the
Wildlife Department family.”
Damron worked hard and earned
the respect of his peers, and in
1993 he was promoted to warden
supervisor. “I really like working with
him as a supervisor,” said warden
Brandon Lehrman (LE). “He’s a good
guy and I hate to see him go.”
“All the wardens in the district
respect him,” said warden Clint
Carpenter (LE). “He’s going to be a
hard one to replace.”
Damron has also earned respect
for the discipline and priorities he has,
putting great emphasis on his family
and his faith.
“Loren has excellent character,”
said warden James Champeau (LE),
a frequent hunting partner. “He is very
giving and very spiritual, a devout
Christian man. When we are out
hunting, he does his devotional, even
if he has to do it by flashlight in the
tent. He is also very dedicated to his
family.”
Fleenor says Damron has left a
proud legacy from his many years of
service.
“Loren is well respected
throughout western Oklahoma and is
known as a game warden who has
always been intent on performing his
duties the ‘right way.’ Even though
Loren has been a game warden for
over 37 years, he has continued to
produce an excellent work product,
both in the field and as a supervisor,”
Fleenor said.
Thor Carlson agrees that Damron
will be missed. “Loren has always
worked closely with landowners, and
he is well-respected in the county
and in the district for his work ethic.
Of course, he has a little more work
coming after he retires. He’s due in
court in March from cases made from
the airplane last fall.”
District Seven Lieutenant Bryan
Wilkerson (LE) wrote this about
Damron’s career with the ODWC:
“How do you sum up almost four
decades of service as an Oklahoma
Game Warden in a few sentences?
Well, Loren went to work in 1974
and worked 37 years, so Loren worked
CONTENTS
Cunnius Retires...............................2
Commission Summary ��������������������3
Mystery of the Bird Prints ���������������4
Website Year in Review �4
Reelin’ In the Years ������������������������6
ID photos of warden Loren Damron through the years of
his ODWC career.