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80-year-old Roush a longtime worker at Fonner Park Grand Island, NE - March 12, 2011 - “Fonner Park has been blessed with some very key and longstanding employees. We’ve had very little turnover in help over the years.” That assessment was made by Fonner Chief Operations Officer Bruce Swihart, earlier this week, as I was making my rounds to put together today’s column, focusing on 80-year-old Marlene Roush. Swihart, a 35-year Fonner veteran, will have to go some to match the 53 years of service turned in by Roush, albeit the last 22 years of her body of work came right next door at the Nebraska Thoroughbred Breeder’s Association office as Registrar and Executive Secretary. You have to go way back to 1958, when Bruce Swihart‘s dad, Al, then Fonner Park general manager, hired Marlene Roush to work in the Racing Office. “All I knew about the ponies was that they were running around in a circle just a short distance from my home; my husband (Don) was serving overseas (in the Marines) and I needed work,” remembers Roush. What started out as a seasonal job when the horses were running, turned into full-time employment when the Nebraska Breeders came calling in 1979, and for ten years, Roush served two masters. Taking entries, typing up overnight sheets and putting the program together for Racing Secretary Dean Williams were just a few of Roush’s earlier duties. Then it was over to the Breeder’s office to register Nebraska bred mares and stallions and certify all eligible foals. read more: By Steve Anderson / The Independent