HOISINGTON — With 44 years in city service, Cecelia Conrad has experienced several firsts in her career. A retirement reception was held Friday morning at the Hoisington City Auditorium in her honor, recognizing her latest service as City Clerk from 2019.

Conrad was born and raised in Hoisington. Her early education was spent at St. John’s Catholic School and she graduated from Hoisington High School in 1975. She married Bob Conrad in 1981, and they had one daughter, Charly. Charly now lives in Wichita with her husband Mathew Goodson. They have two children: Colt, 7, and Autumn, 2. The Goodsons weathered the winter trek from Wichita in time for Friday’s reception, making it a family event.

Family is an operative word for Conrad, beginning her city service career in 1980, when she became the city’s first female operator at the power plant. She then moved over to the Water Plant, gaining her Class II Water Plant Operator Certificate and becoming the city’s first female operator at the water plant as well.  

“When you work in the field, the different departments help each other so we wear a lot of different hats,” she said. She started working in the city office as billing clerk around the year 1985, and gained her City Clerk certification through classes at Wichita State University in the 1990s. She was promoted to Deputy Clerk under Donita Crutcher.

She was serving as deputy clerk when Hoisington was hit by an F4 tornado on April 21, 2001. One person was killed and 28 injured, with 200 homes and 12 businesses destroyed. Another 200 homes received minor to moderate damage.

“That was an experience that I will never forget,” Conrad recalled. “But the entire community pulled together and made Hoisington a better place; I was very proud of our little city. In 2019 after 30 years of service, Crutcher then retired as City Clerk. Conrad was elevated to the position that December, and Hoisington resident Kim Loesch was advanced to Deputy Clerk. “I have had the honor to work with some great people and I have had the privilege to be involved in some great projects which have improved the City of Hoisington. Hoisington is a great place to live and I love the people, I’m very blessed,” she said. An avid collector and crafter, Conrad said her first order of business will be to clean up her basement. “My family is all here and I think I can get them to help with that,” she noted.

After shadowing Conrad for several months preceding Conrad’s retirement, Loesch assumed the duties of City Clerk on Jan. 2.

Loesch noted her first duties as clerk includes the city’s end-of-year budget transfers. “There is already quite a bit to do,” she said.