Employee of the Year

By Traci Chapman
Staff Writer

When Jerry Calloway retired in March, he did so as city of Mustang’s chief building official and with 13 years’ service to the municipality he loved.

Last week, Mustang American Post 353 and city officials gathered to thank Calloway for that service, recognizing him as this year’s non-uniformed Employee of the Year.

“Three words sum up Jerry’s work ethic that make him an excellent candidate to receive this recognition from the American Legion – determination, pride and character,” City Manager Tim Rooney said, in nominating Calloway for the annual legion honor. “Mr. Calloway, regularly and consistently, would take whatever steps were necessary to get the job done – if he ran into obstacles, he would remove them or figure out another way.”

Calloway took particular pride in his work as a city employee, a trait he expected in his fellow workers – people he showed the ultimate loyalty to, the city manager said. It was something exemplified in how he worked, in a position that was so much of the time autonomous.

“As a building inspector, it would be so easy to vanish during the day and do your job and nothing else, but that isn’t what Jerry was about,” Rooney said. “He would oftentimes help out code enforcement, utility billing and other departments, just by sharing things he would come across while doing his job.

“If it didn’t look right, Jerry would either report it or address it – in so many ways he was the eyes and ears of this city,” he said. “He is very deserving of this honor and his retirement from our organization will be an impact that will be felt for a long time.”

A graduate of Oklahoma City’s Harding High School, Calloway served in the U.S. Navy, including a stint in Vietnam. He is married to Brenda Calloway; the couple have two grown sons and several grandchildren and are active in several organizations, including the Thursday Night Cruisers.