Lance Perdue, Civil Maintenance Section Electrical Section Supervisor, Sallisaw Navigation Office, has a lengthy title and a welcoming smile. Amidst the clutter of pens, tape, and pictures chronicling the lives of his three sons, at the front of his desk sits a small green frog looking ready to leap.
“That’s a stress frog,” Perdue said. “One of the boys got that for me.” Any stress Perdue feels is never reflected in his demeanor.
His upbeat personality and giving spirit are reasons why his friends describe him as dependable. “Everyone calls when they need help and I always show up,” Perdue said. His helpful nature is part of why this job suits him so well.
“We assist a lot of people all throughout the district,” Perdue said. “We help fix things when they are broken and help people get up and going again -- and there is a lot of satisfaction in that.”
Perdue attributes his willingness to work and inclination to help people to his biggest influence growing up, his dad. “He taught me my work ethic,” Perdue said. “He never sheltered me from anything, I was always working.”
When Perdue isn’t at work for the Corps, he is working on his farm, checking cattle or hauling hay, something else he gets from his dad. “I’ve always had cows,” Perdue said. “For me it is kind of a relaxing deal to check on the cows and take care of them. I like being outdoors in anything I do.”
Another outdoor activity Perdue enjoys is going to sporting events and watching his kids in their activities. “The senior class this year was the first group of kids I coached,” Perdue said. “I coached them in T-ball when they were six years old, and they graduated this year.” Perdue, having coached for nearly 15 years, loved being there for the kids and being their mentor. He taught them about baseball and life, while they taught him about patience. “I always had the Bad News Bears team,” Perdue said. “We had a lot of fun. We were always the underdogs, but we came through.”
Perdue comes through in most aspects of his life. Turning his first job out of college into a career, Perdue enjoys his work with the Corps. “I work at an organization where you do have a lot of variety of talents and the ability to accomplish big tasks through teamwork,” Perdue said. “I think it’s underrated sometimes, what we do accomplish with the people we have. We have a lot of talent within the Corps.”
Perdue is proud to be a member of the Corps team, proud of his sons, and humble when talking about himself. Casting Will Ferrell as himself in a hypothetical film about his life, and comparing himself to an almond joy candy bar because sometimes he feels like a nut, this Don Williams fan is truly a Good Ol’ Boy.
“I’m just me,” Perdue said.