She learned the concept of hard work from parents

Betsy Wheeler retired last fall following a 26-year career at ExxonMobil.

“I grew up in Elgin, Oregon, way up in the hills and the mountains. I was a farmer’s daughter. We were what they called shoestring farmers. We didn’t make very much money. You lived year to year. Three bad years would break you.

“We didn’t have any electricity until I was 9 years old, so we did everything the old-fashioned way. We lived off the land. It was a hard life, but it was the best life that I could have ever had.

“One of the things my parents taught me was to be optimistic and hope for a better day. Farmers are always hoping. They’re hoping it’s going to rain and then they’re hoping it’s not going to rain because they need to get the wheat or the hay in.

“Probably the most important thing I ever got from my parents was the concept of hard work. They taught me how to work with my hands, which is something I was able to do for years. I think that was the best gift of all.”

— Betsy Wheeler