Youngblood honored at retirement reception
December 21, 2022
Gary Youngblood, shown above left, with Representative Scott Cupps, was honored at a retirement reception on Monday, December 19, for his service to Barry County.
Ezra Devore
Gary Youngblood is retiring after over a quarter-century in political service to his community, but decades were spent before that in local agriculture and the Cassville school system.
Born and raised in Jasper County, Gary Youngblood began work at MFA in 1970. After being promoted to his plant's manager, Youngblood was sent to manage a fertilizer plant in Exeter and sent to the Barry County area in 1978. Upon the closing of the Exeter plant, he was sent to Wheaton, and once that plant consolidated in 1984, by March of '85, Youngblood was working in the maintenance department at Cassville School.
Youngblood would spend the better part of the next decade working in the Cassville school, even getting promoted to Director of Maintenance, until the mid-'90s, when a Circuit Clerk had advised Youngblood to run for County Clerk. In 1994, Youngblood was elected as Barry County's County Clerk and first walked into his new office in January of the following year.
"In the clerk's office, my goal was to do the best job I could and do what was required of me," Youngblood says. "I guess I did a good enough job that the people appreciated what I did and decided to let me do it some more," Youngblood chuckled, "and I can't thank the people enough for letting me do it. It's a challenging office, but I had great help - I have to credit my workers, especially my first Deputy Clerk, Gale Hasler. If it hadn't been for her, I don't know if I would have made it, and I mean that. She was a great asset."
Youngblood states that he attended a training day for new county clerks, hosted in Jefferson City, in December before he would take office - though he was quite intimidated at first. Without being completely aware, Youngblood had signed up to, among other responsibilities, ensure the exact taxable amount of every taxed entity in the county, as the County Clerk asserts each tax rate and assessed evaluation. Put simply, a decimal point moved incorrectly can cost a school, city, fire district, or any other taxable county entity a great deal of money, with the total amount of funds the department must account for and must have accurately assessed reaching over 600 million dollars.
"I went to a clerk's training in December in '94 after I got elected, in Jefferson City, and I didn't get a wink of sleep after I sat through that, or the first six months of the job." He says that the day-long barrage of deeply detailed tax information and the protocol was a daunting ordeal to memorize in one day; however, to add additional weight, the staff of the previous clerk had not been retained.
"I drove all the way back from Jeff City the day after I got out of that training, and I went to Emory Melton's office and said, 'Emory, are you sure I can run that County Clerk's job with the help being gone?' He said, 'Oh, you can do it, Gary.' I remember that vividly. And by the grace of God and my Deputy Clerk, we got it done, so I'm very thankful."
He says that among the greatest triumphs in his years as clerk were the successful elections he ran. Everything going exactly as planned is an event worthy of celebration, Youngblood explains, in such a rigorous and complex governmental position. Youngblood says that holding elections can prove to be a monumentally stressful endeavor but expresses that the team he built were "dedicated, good people, and I can't thank them enough," and they made it through each time.
After his 24 years in the County Clerk's office, Youngblood decided he would run for a position he, at that time, knew the ins and outs of the Presiding Commissioner and would serve four years in that job.
"I knew what the commissioner's position entailed, and I had the desire to be a commissioner and was fortunate enough that the people elected me. I consider it an employee of the people; they're the ones paying my wages."
For the last several elections, Youngblood stated that he "really enjoyed his positions," but had retirement in his back pocket if the election went to another individual.
"I know I didn't make everybody happy all the time, but you have to do what's best for the county. Not what's best for me. With God's blessing, we did a good job."
When asked about his plans for retirement, Youngblood simply stated that he plans to continue his lifelong tradition of figuring it out as he goes along. "Just whatever retired people do," he laughed, "I've never been retired before."
Gary Youngblood is retiring after over a quarter-century in political service to his community, but decades were spent before that in local agriculture and the Cassville school system.
Born and raised in Jasper County, Gary Youngblood began work at MFA in 1970. After being promoted to his plant's manager, Youngblood was sent to manage a fertilizer plant in Exeter and sent to the Barry County area in 1978. Upon the closing of the Exeter plant, he was sent to Wheaton, and once that plant consolidated in 1984, by March of '85, Youngblood was working in the maintenance department at Cassville School.
Youngblood would spend the better part of the next decade working in the Cassville school, even getting promoted to Director of Maintenance, until the mid-'90s, when a Circuit Clerk had advised Youngblood to run for County Clerk. In 1994, Youngblood was elected as Barry County's County Clerk and first walked into his new office in January of the following year.
"In the clerk's office, my goal was to do the best job I could and do what was required of me," Youngblood says. "I guess I did a good enough job that the people appreciated what I did and decided to let me do it some more," Youngblood chuckled, "and I can't thank the people enough for letting me do it. It's a challenging office, but I had great help - I have to credit my workers, especially my first Deputy Clerk, Gale Hasler. If it hadn't been for her, I don't know if I would have made it, and I mean that. She was a great asset."
Youngblood states that he attended a training day for new county clerks, hosted in Jefferson City, in December before he would take office - though he was quite intimidated at first. Without being completely aware, Youngblood had signed up to, among other responsibilities, ensure the exact taxable amount of every taxed entity in the county, as the County Clerk asserts each tax rate and assessed evaluation. Put simply, a decimal point moved incorrectly can cost a school, city, fire district, or any other taxable county entity a great deal of money, with the total amount of funds the department must account for and must have accurately assessed reaching over 600 million dollars.
"I went to a clerk's training in December in '94 after I got elected, in Jefferson City, and I didn't get a wink of sleep after I sat through that, or the first six months of the job." He says that the day-long barrage of deeply detailed tax information and the protocol was a daunting ordeal to memorize in one day; however, to add additional weight, the staff of the previous clerk had not been retained.
"I drove all the way back from Jeff City the day after I got out of that training, and I went to Emory Melton's office and said, 'Emory, are you sure I can run that County Clerk's job with the help being gone?' He said, 'Oh, you can do it, Gary.' I remember that vividly. And by the grace of God and my Deputy Clerk, we got it done, so I'm very thankful."
He says that among the greatest triumphs in his years as clerk were the successful elections he ran. Everything going exactly as planned is an event worthy of celebration, Youngblood explains, in such a rigorous and complex governmental position. Youngblood says that holding elections can prove to be a monumentally stressful endeavor but expresses that the team he built were "dedicated, good people, and I can't thank them enough," and they made it through each time.
After his 24 years in the County Clerk's office, Youngblood decided he would run for a position he, at that time, knew the ins and outs of the Presiding Commissioner and would serve four years in that job.
"I knew what the commissioner's position entailed, and I had the desire to be a commissioner and was fortunate enough that the people elected me. I consider it an employee of the people; they're the ones paying my wages."
For the last several elections, Youngblood stated that he "really enjoyed his positions," but had retirement in his back pocket if the election went to another individual.
"I know I didn't make everybody happy all the time, but you have to do what's best for the county. Not what's best for me. With God's blessing, we did a good job."
When asked about his plans for retirement, Youngblood simply stated that he plans to continue his lifelong tradition of figuring it out as he goes along. "Just whatever retired people do," he laughed, "I've never been retired before."