Rickey Doucey, an employee of White Hall municipal government for more than three decades, was honored Feb. 28 with a City Hall retirement reception noting his long service to the city.
Doucey has worked for the city in a number of capacities, turning in his retirement notice in December while serving as operations supervisor. He will remain on the municipal payroll until April 5 as a consultant.
Dozens of city employees and White Hall residents attended the reception and praised Doucey.
Mayor Noel Foster read and then presented Doucey with a framed proclamation citing his service, which began under Mayor Jack Moody and continued under Mayors Tom Ashcraft, Pete Ross, James “Jitters” Morgan and Foster.
“I really appreciated the reception and the people coming out to say goodbye,” Doucey said.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Doucey logged 27 years as a member of the White Hall Volunteer Fire Department, the last 11 as chief, the proclamation noted.
A 1999 accident when he was struck by a car while directing traffic for truck moving furniture for his son left him with extensive injuries and limited mobility, he said earlier.
After 45 days in a hospital, he went from using a cane to crutches, Doucey recalled. However, his left leg has not healed and that meant crutches and a wheelchair. “It got worse after I retired from the fire department in 2006.”
He likes to stay busy and once designed and built street rods, he has turned his talents to designing jewelry. He has credited his wife Brenda, a retired school teacher, with the suggestion that he work with fusion glass to keep his creative talents occupied.
He began working for the city by driving a garbage truck before collections were contracted to a private firm, and was later assigned responsibility for the city’s water supply, animal control and ended his career writing building permits, supervising meter readings, scheduling building, electrical and plumbing inspections.