Farewell Party Held in Smithville for Barbara Harris-Para
By Stan Ciurczak
Note from the Editors: All of us here at Inside the Fence and in the Organizational Excellence Group wish Barbara and her husband Fred all the best as they begin their retirement in North Carolina.
A “farewell” luncheon was held in honor of Barbara Harris-Para recently at Fred & Ethel’s Restaurant in Smithville. Barbara was truly surprised by the large turnout.
Guests enjoyed a delicious lunch. Laurie Zaleski, one of Barbara’s private pilot students and president of ART-Z Graphics, displayed some great photos from various Tech Center activities that Barb was involved in through a slide presentation and a poster. Adam Greco said a few words, “taking the heat,” according to Barbara, for hiring her as an Air Traffic Assistant back in 2000 from Titan. Barbara began her career here at the Tech Center as a part-time employee of Systems Resources, which later became Titan.
Some close local friends from teaching, flying students and neighbors from her hometown of Sweetwater, as well as Tech Center employees, attended the luncheon. The food was excellent. The favors, which were provided by Janet Kinsell, her sister Vicki and her mother, were appropriately decorated with an airplane.
Many gifts and plaques were presented to Barbara. She quipped, “My husband will probably add them to my garage hall of fame. He says I can drive through each time I enter or leave the garage, plus the walls in the house will have room for pictures.” She expressed appreciation to Janet Kinsell, Carol Alfonso and Roxie Mays for planning the luncheon.
Barbara and her husband, Fred, now reside in Whispering Pines, NC, which is not far from Fayetteville. She suggests, “If anyone is in the neighborhood, please stop in and visit.” She added, “I really have enjoyed working with everyone here at the Technical Center, and it has been my pleasure to help customers receive the materials that they requested through FOIA. I will miss everyone greatly, but another chapter begins in my life. The unknown is really daunting for me at this point. If I missed saying good-bye to anyone please forgive me, as I was totally overwhelmed at the end.”
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