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Show Wednesday, March 2, 2005 Dl Expressions Basin Life Community Calendar March 2 Businessman rides through Basin's ups and downs By Carissa Magee Express Writer Life's ups and downs are no match for the strength of Basin businessman, Gene McFarland. Born and raised on a farm in Kansas, Gene began driving a team for his father at the age of 11, doing leash work and pit digging. His childhood spanned the Great Depression which was also the reason his family ran a farm. While driving the team, Gene also did some roustabout and construction work. Even today these jobs are very physically physical-ly demanding and during Gene's childhood child-hood it was much more challenging. Throughout the coming years Gene worked many summers and weekends assisting his father and working as a roustabout. At the young age of 13, he had his first experience with the oil field casing business. He worked for 50 cents an hour, greasing pipe threads and applying thread protectors on thousands thou-sands of pipe joints. As those in the oil business know, this is one enterprise that never shuts down. Gene often worked 24 hours with no rest and had food delivered to him by his mother. Gene's father passed away in 1937. At the age of 17, Gene purchased a driving team of his own along with all equipment equip-ment to run it. While finishing high school he hired a crew, or 'skinners' as they were called, to run his equipment. This was the beginning of a lifelong career of business ventures, company management and the love of a good day's work. After finishing high school, Gene sold his team and on Sept. 8, 1938, he began roughnecking in the oil field. This consisted con-sisted of a collaboration of labor activities activi-ties on multiple drilling rigs. He continued contin-ued to work in the roughneck field for the next few years until he signed up for . military service on Dec. 8, 1941. He was scheduled to enter the service later that month but when he broke his leg while working on a rig Christmas Eve, his activation was postponed until July 10, 1942. Gene spent the next three and a half years in the U.S. Coast Guard on carriers, car-riers, transports and LST's all over the Pacific during World War H He was involved in sea battles against the Japanese which took place in the Santa Cruz Islands. At one point, he was wounded, but returned to sea once again before being discharged on Dec. 12, 1945. After his discharge, Gene returned to Great Bend, Kan. and began working work-ing as a roughneck once again for Crow Drilling Company. In February of 1946 he was employed by Loffland Drilling Company until June of that year. Gene then relocated to Casper, Wyo. and continued con-tinued to work in the oil business for a drilling company by the name of Fred M. fanning Drilling Co. By that fall he was promoted to drilling foreman. Over the years Gene traveled throughout the Rocky Mountains working work-ing in many different oil fields and businesses until March of 1947 when he purchased two oil field trucks; a two ton truck and a one and a half ton truck. He named the company Rocky Mountain Trucking. The base of Rocky Mountain Trucking was located in Casper, Wyo. With his hard-working attitude backing up the business, Gene had expanded to nearly eleven trucks and two caterpillars caterpil-lars in a short four years. He then sold the business and made quite a profit One month later he started McFarland Trucking Company, a competing com- ) , i., -J Gene McFarland and John Smith, Franks Westates Regional General Manager, pose with their pride and joy, a new and shiny laydown machine. y - - ; - x- ..V k ,' 1 ... . 3 - J MC i 1 A. Another day on the job at Franks Westates Casing Service of Vernal. pany with the new owners of Rocky Mountain Trucking. In June 1959, McFarland Trucking was chosen as trucking contractor for Pan American Oil Company in Baird, Alaska. Hired to build and maintain a road to the remote location, the job was a "camp" job where an Army surplus hut made of canvas became Gene's new short-term residence. While on the job there was much to be desired in the field of entertainment, with the lack of television tele-vision and little outside contact. Gene began to read often and played a lot of cards with other workers. The days of work were long, so sleep was also a very important part of life on the Alaska job. Work proved to be quite difficult with conditions unlike any McFarland Trucking and Gene had ever experienced. experi-enced. Their contract was completed, just as Gene promised, with a lot of hard work and dedication. Gene moved to the Vernal area for the first time in August of 1961. He built Thunderbird Trailer Court and managed man-aged it for a few years while still in ownership of two oil field trucks which he leased out. In 1965 he sold the trailer court and moved once again for a short time to California and then back to Casper, Wyo. Eventually he moved to Las Vegas, Nev. where he worked on the Mercury Atomic Test site in March 1967. Gene worked there until 1971 when he once again moved to Vernal. Gene purchased and became owner operator of Parrish Oil Tools after returning to Vernal. This was a casing business in the Vernal area that had already been in business before his purchase. Gene built the company on his understanding of business, people and his ethic for hard work. Parrish Oil Tools stayed in the hands of Gene McFarland until 1987 when it was sold. Gene, recently on vacation from his real job, took a trip to Costa Rica to fish for martin with customers and friends. Once again, on May 27, 1987, entrepreneur entre-preneur Gene started another business by the name of Westates Casing Service. The business thrived with, hisknowl-edge hisknowl-edge of the oil field ways. Throughout his life and travels Gene was blessed with one son and was married mar-ried to the mother of his three daughters daugh-ters for 28 years. His youngest daughter, daugh-ter, Betsi, has been working with him at Westates since nearly the beginning of its ownership. Together, with Betsi doing the office work and Gene doing the dirty work, they built Westates Casing into a very well-known casing business in the Vernal area, as well as around the country. For years it was a family business with the employees being relatives or treated as such even without McFarland blood. On first meeting him, Gene resembles resem-bles a tough, hard-working, intimidating intimidat-ing man, but those who know him know the truth that lies behind his tough exterior. Truth is, yes, he is a very hardworking hard-working individual with a work ethic like no other, but as for intimidation, he can hold his end of a bargain, but would give you the shirt off his back if truly needed. Respect and admiration for Gene is something that even his competitors com-petitors have. He makes a relationship with everyone he meets and loves a little lit-tle friendly competition. He has knowledge knowl-edge of many trades, has experienced a number of places, and has strong beliefs gained from a life filled with new adventures. adven-tures. One of Gene's most loved hobbies these days is fishing. He enjoys most of his time off, or all of his fishing time, in pursuit of halibut and salmon in Alaska. He has been traveling to Alaska for 16 years and has taken a number of individuals, and even business competitors, competi-tors, from the Vernal area with him to mzs Lo. fish and view the beautiful scenery of Alaska. He has made wonderful friends with owners Glen and Kay Keller of "his" lodge, Bear Valley Lodge. He has brought so many customers to the lodge, that they have given him a gift certificate cer-tificate for free lifetime fishing at Bear Valley and have visited the Vernal area with fresh fish in tow to hold a fish fry for Gene and friends. Gene and son-in-law Jamey Magee, have become traditional visitors at least every June and lately Gene has even visited twice in one year. Grandson J.D. has also been a visitor of the halibut and salmon in Alaska a few times with his father and grandfather. Gene's other pastimes include the finishing of one or two books as often as every couple of days. In 2002 Westates Casing Service sold to Franks Casing of Lafayette, La. Vernal's Westates is still in operation opera-tion today under the name of Franks Westates Casing Service with Gene still working every day. He even goes to the shop, "just to check things out" on holidays, holi-days, weekends and any other day for that matter. "I'm here because I want to be, not because I have to be," said Gene. He enjoys seeing his well-oiled machine still in production. His daughter Betsi is still office manager and granddaughter Kriston has been part of the office team now for quite a few years. Gene's older sister Ginny, who just celebrated her ninetieth birthday, also frequently visits vis-its from Texas to "check on her brother" and to help out with a little filing at the office. Both Gene and sister Ginny hide their age quite well with their striking memory, quick wit and the abilities of much younger individuals. Gene will be celebrating his 85th birthday March 7th, while still looking about half his age. Sister Ginny, daughters daugh-ters Toni, Teri and Betsi, son-in-laws, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and friends will be celebrating with Gene on this momentous birthday. "I have had some crazy parties throughout my days," said Gene. "I'm not even asking about this one." Gene McFarland has had quite a career and quite a life. Spanning over seven decades he has worked all types of jobs including driver of horse-drawn teams, contractor, roughneck, roustabout, roust-about, truck driver, ran casing and managed or owned too many businesses to count He has traveled the world, seen the positives and negatives of life, Including that of the Great Depression and World War n. He has loved, he has lost and he has survived through the toughest conditions. con-ditions. He knows the feeling of a hard day's work and has felt the rewards of a job well done. His integrity and commitment commit-ment is something that can been seen just by looking at him or can be heard about from all those who know him. He will undoubtably never retire. The Piebald Patriot 4-H club is hosting a sportsmanship sportsman-ship clinic featuring Marty O. Simper March 2, 3, 4, 5 at WW Ranch, 3836 N. Dry Fork Canyon Rd. For more information contact Shanna Witbeck (435) 789-5753. March 3 Third in the series, 'Take charge of your Money' workshop work-shop will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Extension Conference Room on the third floor of the State and County Building. For more informa tion contact Ronda Olsen, USU Extension Family and Consumer Science Agent at 781-5452. Vernal Duplicate Bridge Club meets every Monday and Thursday at the Ashley Condo's Club House 1:00 p.m. All interested are welcome. For more information please contact 789-8596. March 5 2005 Vernal Area Women's Conference will be held from 10 a.m. to noon at the Ashley Stake Center, 850 W 100 N. Speakers are Phyllis Andrews, Kathleen Hinckley Barnes Walker and Virginia Hinckley Pearce. March 6 Break the Fast Potluck for Uintah Basin Singles 31-131 sponsored by Ashley Stake, however all faiths and stakes welcome. Held 5 p.m. at the Ashley Second and Fourth Ward Chapel, 235 East 600 South. March 7 Vernal Duplicate Bridge Club meets every Monday and Thursday at the Ashley Condo'S Club House 1:00 p.m. All interested are welcome For more information please contact 789-8596. . March 8 Uintah County Citizens Corp Council meeting held at the Uintah County Commission Chambers at 7 p.m. First annual family skate night at the new Western Park Skating Arena. 7 to 8:30 p.m. Free of charge. Everyone is invited, though space is limited. For more information informa-tion or to make reservations please call 790-1325. The monthly meeting of the Utah Music Teachers Association (UMTA) Vernal-Roosevelt Vernal-Roosevelt Chapter will be held Tuesday, March 8. Following the business portion of the meeting, Cheryl Norman, State President of the UMTA, will be the presenter. March 10 Vernal Duplicate Bridge Club meets every Monday and Thursday at the Ashley Condo's Club House 1:00 p.m. All interested are welcome. For more information please contact 789-8596. March 12 The local Girl Scouts will be having their annual cookie booths on Saturday, March 12 at Wal-Mart, Basin Sports and Cellular One on 100 West and Main from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. If you are looking for Girl Scout Cookies, the booths are great opportunities to pur chase them. March 14 AARP Driver Safety Class will be held March 14 and 15, 1 to 5 p.m. at Cross Roads Senior Center in Roosevelt. For more information contact Grady McCullough at (435) 789-5258. Tt pltct Kms of viMc htifitt M tJM CowMlrf Cataadar, Ml tM to ttw VwmI Express, P.O. lex W00, wmHi itHofVvtfMLcoMt or col tko VtmolEiirtstotTW-SSn. Gene McFarland's first trucking company, Rocky Mountain Trucking of Casper, Wyo. i V. |