WSSRA
4726 Pacific Ave.SE
Lacey, WA 98503
Phone: 800 544 5219 or 360 413 5496
WSSRA Legislative Message Center 800 221
1269
Fax: 360 413 5497
Officers
President
Gene Forrester
Gene taught Agriculture Science in Ellensburg High School from 1951-1972. He then moved to Olympia to the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. He worked in OSPI for 19 years and became State Director of Agricultural Education. He has served the Thurston county SRA as President and Leg. Com. Chair and served WSSRA as District 4 Representative, Parliamentarian, Chair of the Rules & Resolutions Committee and on the Legislative Committee. He also was a member of AARP’s National Policy Council for 8 years. In 2007 he received the Stan McNaughton Outreach Award. Gene & his wife Vivian have four daughters and 5 grandchildren.
President-Elect
Rita Requa
Rita started her elementary teaching career as a kindergarten teacher in Portland, Oregon. She had additional teaching assignments in Eugene and Milwaukie, Oregon before raising her family. Eventually she settled in Shoreline Washington and taught elementary students for 30 years. She was active in the Shoreline Education Association, serving as VP and President for 4 years. Her activities in WSSRA include President of the Sno-King School Retirees, NW-1 Coordinating Council Chair, WSSRA Executive Board and Secretary for the WSSR-PAC. She is active in her community of Lake Forest Park where she is Secretary for the Lake Forest Park Library Advisory Committee. Reading, traveling and watercolor painting are some of the activities she enjoys. Rita has three children and three grandchildren.
Immediate Past President
Paul Nicholas
A 1997 retiree after 30 years with the Seattle School
District, Paul has been a member of the Seattle School Retirees Association
(SSRA) for the past eight years. For the last three years he has edited
the SSRA newsletter, The Bulletin. He has served on the SSRA Scholarship
Committee and represented NW-2 on the State Retirement Planning Committee
and the Communication Committee.
Secretary
Barbara Pugh
Barbara Pugh has been a WSSRA member for 20 years
and is just starting her 16 years as its secretary. She is well prepared
for her job as scribe because she "trained" for the position
as a Spokane Public Schools administrative secretary for 25 years.
Today, when she is not recording the association's meetings, she is
enjoying retired life with Lyle Pugh, her husband of 33 years in Spokane. They have six children, 12 grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.
Treasurer
Neil Prescott
The man who is WSSRA's chief financial officer has
been a member for 19 years. Before that, he held many responsible
administrative positions with Spokane's Central Valley School District:
elementary principal, curriculum director and assistant superintendent.
Currently, he continues to serve as a consultant with his favorite
school district. Neil and his wife Ramona, have three children and
reside in the Spokane Valley.
