Davey Tree Flipbooks

31 January/February 2022 | THE DAVEY BULLETIN CHURCH, FISHING AND INDUSTRY SUPPORT KEEP SURGERY COMPANY RETIREE BUSY Larry Abernathy has only been retired four years, but when you hear what he's been up to – and accomplished – in his leisure years you might think it's been much longer. The John Davey Award of Excellence recipient retired in March 2018 after 49 years of service at Davey, including serving as vice president and general manager of the Davey Tree Surgery Company in California. Since retiring, he's served two years on a civil grand jury for Calaveras County – including one year as foreperson. Abernathy helped his church, Foothill Lutheran Church, collaborate with two other area churches and start broadcasting sermons virtually to adapt to the COVID-19 quarantines. He worked with past industry colleagues at the Utility Arborist Association (UAA) to help establish the UAA Utility Line Clearance Arborist Training program in 2019. And he still serves as vice president for Kokanee Power, a non-profit organization of volunteers and members dedicated to enhancement of inland kokanee, trout and salmon fisheries in California and Oregon. That last endeavor, at least, offers Abernathy the opportunity to fish – on occasion. "I've always enjoyed work," Abernathy said. "If you enjoy what you do, work can be as much fun as play. If you really pick an occupation you love, then there's really not too much difference. A lot of people use the phrase 'work hard, play hard.' I basically got to retirement and never really skipped a beat when it came to not knowing what to do with myself." "I've always had Christian principles," he said. "I just know God first, and country and family second. It was the way I was raised no doubt, and I was very involved in scouting at a young age. I was an Eagle Scout, so that really set my belief system in the early years." After four years of retirement, some things have finally settled down. He no longer serves on the county civil grand jury, but Abernathy remains connected to it through the non-profit chapter of the California Grand Jury Association. The UAA utility line clearance training program is now up and running. He's been serving as temporary president of the Kokanee Power group, but that responsibility will soon shift when the group's president returns from a brief absence. Now, he's getting ready to upgrade to a new boat and looking forward to spending more time on the water with his fishing partner. "My wife is my fishing partner," Abernathy said. "I'm lucky to have a wife who loves the outdoors, too." Retirees! Have stories to share about retirement or your life at Davey? To be featured, call 800-447-1667 ext. 8615 or email bulletin@davey.com. LARRY ABERNATHY'S ADVICE TO DAVEY EMPLOYEES: On developing your career: "Never stop learning. Always try to improve your knowledge and skills and just get in 'ready mode.' The more you do that, the more you set yourself up for success. On investing in employee ownership at Davey: "Start young. Put your money into the Davey 401KSOP. Participate in a stock subscription. Whenever you get a pay raise, try to stay with your old flow of cash and put the raise into the Employee Stock Purchase Plan. If you start young, the compounding success of Davey is such a good investment." RETIREE CORNER Above: Davey retiree Larry Abernathy casts off the back of his old fishing boat, "Lucky Linda." Left: Abernathy with his wife and fishing partner Linda.

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