Prothonotary retiring after decades of record-keeping
The exciting county prothonotary race on Election Day heralded one sad fact: the county courthouse will have to get along without Glenna Walters come the first of the year.
Walters will retire on Dec. 31 after serving as the county's prothonotary since her first election in 1983.
Since that time, Walters has had only two opponents to the 4-year prothonotary term: one the first year she ran and another years later who dropped out due to health issues.
Leslie Osche, chairwoman of the county commissioners, said many county officials park in the garage below the county government center.
“She's often the first one in and the last one out,” Osche said. “She has to work harder than anybody at her job.”
Osche said with a work ethic like the one espoused by Walters, there has been no reason for anyone else to run for prothonotary.
But Osche stressed that Walters' hardworking tendencies are accompanied by an outstanding character.
“She's always so graceful and genuinely kind,” she said.
And Walters also goes the extra mile to ensure everyone knows they are appreciated, Osche said.
“If the carpets in her office get cleaned or the walls are painted, she comes up to our offices and thanks us,” Osche said. “She's always so appreciative of everything that happens in her office.”
She said it is difficult watching valuable and valued people retire year after year.
“You lose all these gracious individuals,” Osche said. “Glenna is going to be missed by so many people.”
Walters said she started at the courthouse on Sept. 16, 1970, in the keypunch room, where assessments were punched onto IBM cards.
She also worked in the tax claim, elections bureau and other departments if they were short-handed.
Eventually John Wise, the prothonotary in the early 1980s, asked her to work in his office.
“I came in as a junior clerk and worked my way up to be his second deputy,” Walters recalled.
When Wise decided to run for county commissioner, he suggested she throw her hat in the ring for prothonotary.
“My husband and family, we talked about it for a couple weeks and we decided I would run,” Walters said.
One large project Walters undertook was computerizing the prothonotary's office. Walters recalls the date, April 1, 1993.
Walters split the employees in her office into two groups, and had one pursue normal office tasks while the other trained on the computers. After a few weeks, the groups switched.“It was an easy transition because of the computer program we had selected plus the training the company offered,” she said.Before computers appeared on the desktops, workers removed the necessary page from one of dozens of 22-pound record books and typed in the information before replacing the page.She also enacted a scanning program for all information coming into the prothonotary's office so all records are backed up.“Once you start here, it gets in your blood,” Walters said. “It's interesting to see how court cases evolve and how attorneys bring out the best of their clients' position.”She said it takes employees 10 years to be well-versed in all facets of the prothonotary's office.“Each day is totally different,” Walters said. “There is never a day the same as another day.”Walters said she will miss working with her staff and the judges in Common Pleas Court.“I made a campaign promise that I would make sure the office was efficient and courteous and that the records would be accurate,” Walters said. “I've worked hard over the years to make sure that happened because I never forgot that campaign promise.”Judge Thomas Doerr said he will miss Walters reliable countenance in the courthouse.“Glenna is a wonderful person,” Doerr said. “She's so kind. You are always greeted with a smiling face when you come into the prothonotary's office.”He also mentioned Walters' dedication to her job, saying a judge's court order is not official until it is stamped with the prothonotary's seal.“Glenna will not leave work until everything is punched in,” Doerr said. “It's not uncommon to go home and have dinner and come back and see her car still in the parking lot.”He said Glenna is the type of co-worker who remembers the names of everyone's kids and what is going on in their families, from the custodians up to Osche and Doerr.“It's going to be difficult just from the fact that she is such a qualified, kind and professional person,” Doerr said.Walters has always hosted the Christmas party for courthouse employees and retirees, Doerr said, which takes a lot of work.“It's such a nice tradition because I get to see people you sometimes haven't seen for a year,” he said.Doerr said he will miss Walters' “tremendous personality, her professionalism and her untiring work ethic.”“I wish her well in whatever she does,” he said.Walters said she will continue her work as usual until 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 31.“I've had a wonderful time and I don't know where the time has gone,” she said.Walters said she appreciates all the votes she received over the years.“I have thoroughly enjoyed this job that (the voters) have given me and thank you,” she said.
