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<br />ODD~74
<br />
<br />Good Work Takes'Good Workers
<br />"
<br />
<br />Dana Jackson
<br />
<br />When a question comes up about
<br />the budget or any business aspect of The
<br />Land Institute, someone always says,
<br />"Ask Linda, Linda will know:
<br />Linda Okeson, administrative as-
<br />sistant, has worked for The Land Insti-
<br />tute since September, 1981, except for a
<br />nine month break when she worked as a
<br />legal secretary. She worked half time,
<br />then three-fourths time, and in 1989
<br />succumbed to the consequences of The
<br />Land's growth and became a full time '
<br />employee, She has seen The Land
<br />Institute change from a staff of four to a
<br />staff of fourteen, from an operating
<br />budget of$70,000 to one that exceeds
<br />half a million dollars,
<br />Linda says that the most dramatic
<br />event that affected The Land Institute
<br />was the purchase of the quarter section
<br />ofland across the road, After that we
<br />planted more experimental plots, hired a
<br />research staff, and started the intern
<br />program, These activlties naturally
<br />expanded the budget, and Linda's
<br />financial work became more challenging.
<br />Linda remembers when the mailing list was
<br />kept on typed sheets and we went to Evans Grain
<br />Company to copy names onto labels to send out The
<br />Land Report, She remembers when she, Wes and
<br />Dana all shared the classroom building office, with its
<br />cold floors and no inside bathroom, Now labels for
<br />mailings are printed off our computerized list in the
<br />comfortable Krehbiel House office building. Linda's
<br />desk is the first one visible from the front door, and
<br />even when she is working on her computer with, her
<br />back turned towards the entry, she can't resist
<br />turning around to give a cheerful greeting to every-
<br />one who comes in,
<br />As The Land Institute grew, Linda felt the
<br />limitations of our electric typewriter and finally
<br />talked Wes into raising money for a computer, When
<br />the IBM PC was installed, she was the first to learn
<br />the Wordstar and Lotus programs, Now The Land
<br />has eight computers,
<br />Linda is a graduate of Brown Mackie Business
<br />College, This past summer the management team
<br />decided to have Linda set up our own accounting
<br />system instead of sending worksheets to an account-
<br />ing firm each month. Linda chose a computer pro-
<br />
<br />
<br />This second article in a series about
<br />Land Institute stafffeatures two
<br />women whose work, often behind the
<br />scenes, is essential to tlu! daily busi-
<br />ness oft"" Institute.
<br />
<br />Linda Okeson, Administrative Assistant
<br />
<br />gram, installed it herself and worked her way
<br />through the manual to learn the program, It is now
<br />in operation, though she says there are still some
<br />"bells and whistles" to learn in order to enhance
<br />reporting capabilities, The management team and the
<br />president are able to get up.to-date financial informa-
<br />tion more quickly with Linda's new system.
<br />Wes Jackson has relied on Linda since 1981 to
<br />type all his speeches, manuscripts and correspon-
<br />dence, She typed chapters for Meeting the Expecta-
<br />tions of the Land, and Altars of Un hewn Stone, plus
<br />countless articles and speeches. The pressure can be
<br />intense when trying to finish up last-minute revisions
<br />of a speech in time for Wes to catch a plane, but one
<br />can hear Linda teasing Wes as he goes out the door,
<br />"When the pages are warm as you get in the car, Wes,
<br />you know you've cut it a little short!"
<br />When asked what she considers the most inter-
<br />esting aspect of working at The Land, Linda replies,
<br />"The diversity. You don't know who is going to show
<br />up next or what is going to happen."
<br />Having new interns every year with different
<br />personalities also makes the job interesting to Linda.
<br />Being the mother of a college-aged daughter herself,
<br />Linda enjoys lively banter with the interns. She can
<br />
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