Robert Scudder says that after graduating from Norwich High School, he wanted to go to school to become a firefighter. He says he had enjoyed being a volunteer firefighter in the Maydole Hose Company of the Norwich Fire Department, and wanted “to turn a passion into a career.”
Scudder began pursuing a liberal arts degree at the State University of New York at Potsdam. Unable to find enjoyment with the degree programs offered there, Scudder transferred to Onondaga Community College, where he received an associate’s degree with honors in Fire Protection Technology.
While at OCC, Scudder said he took part in the South Onondaga Fire Department’s Bunk-in Program which allows volunteer firefighter students to live at, and respond from, the fire station. “The experience was great,” he said.
Scudder was then offered a scholarship to attend Oklahoma State University. After pursuing that opportunity, he ended up graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Fire Protection & Safety Engineering Technology.
Scudder says immediately after his transfer to OSU, he fell in love with the school and the entire area. “To this day, I maintain a close relationship with faculty and friends,” said Scudder. “I met my wife Kathleen through campus life involvement. We fell in love, and were married at Willard Hall on the OSU campus three months after I graduated.” Both Robert and Kathleen agree their involvement with the campus will be a life-long commitment.
Showing support for one’s alma mater is something Scudder has perfected over the years and in doing so, has been recognized for his efforts. While a student at OSU, he began to attend football games with friends. He says he became passionate about supporting the team, and decided to paint his face on a bet.
After that, he says it became popular, so he painted his face for every game. “I still paint my face and go to games. It’s an unusual activity, but it’s harmless. I often get asked to have my photo taken with children of other OSU fans. We like to call them future Cowboys and Cowgirls,” he said. For Scudder’s face painting efforts that can take up to four hours to do, his face has been seen on ESPN, the Taipei Times through the Associated Press, TBS, Fox college sports and local Oklahoma news stations.
Following graduation and getting married, Robert and his wife moved to Dallas, Texas to find work. After six years working for Unified Investigations and Sciences, a forensic engineering company in Dallas, the couple moved back to Oklahoma so Kathleen could pursue her dream job at OSU. Scudder says he began working as an Industrial Safety Engineer at CACI, Inc., a Department of Defense contractor working at Tinker Air Force Base.
While at Tinker, Scudder said he decided pursue a master’s degree from the University of Central Oklahoma. “I graduated from UCO in December with a master’s degree in general education with emphasis in industrial safety,” he said.
While at Tinker, Scudder says he longed for more job security than being a contractor and soon found his current position as the superintendent of Coal Fired Complex Safety with the Grand River Dam Authority (GRDA), where he’s been over a year. GRDA has two hydroelectric dams, a reservoir pump-back generation system, and a coal fired power plant. “I take care of the safety for the Coal Fired Complex, approximately 215 employees,” he said.
Besides working, Scudder says he is a hobbyist blacksmith, a skill he took up to build a stronger relationship with his father years ago. Now, Scudder teaches a basic blacksmithing class at the Stillwater, OK Multi Arts center and he and his wife take part in historical reenacting (Civil War, Victorian era, and the Renaissance periods).
“The historical portrayals allow me to do blacksmithing and to teach children and adults about the way life existed in the past,” he said. “I believe it not only teaches them to appreciate what they have now through technology, but also teaches the mistakes of the past so they will not be repeated,” said Scudder.
Scudder also just recently joined the Mayes County Office of Emergency Management as a volunteer to help to develop the hazardous materials emergency preparedness program, as well as assisting in the mitigation of incidents.
Scudder says he cherishes the memories he had in Norwich and he enjoys visiting family and friends who still live in the area when he comes back for a visit.
Editor’s Note: “Chenango Stories” puts the spotlight on those people whose compelling stories you might not otherwise hear. If you know someone who is interested in telling their “Chenango Story,” contact Jill Kraft at 337-3075 or e-mail: jkraft@evesun.com.