Warsaw Street Department employee Richard Stengel Sr. was honored Friday for his 33 years of serve to the city. A reception with cake and ice cream was held Friday at the Warsaw Street Department. Stengel's retirement is effective Sunday. Stengel also was presented with a plaque for his service by Lacy Francis, Warsaw Street Dept. superintendent. Street Department employees attended the reception along with Warsaw Human Resources Director Jennifer Whitaker, and former mayors Jeff Plank and Ernie Wiggins. Current Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer dropped off doughnuts Friday morning. Francis spoke of Stengel's work experiences. Stengel started working under the Cleaning Equipment Trade Association program installing sidewalks. He then worked full time beginning April 1, 1979, working on various crews, including on the back of the garbage truck. He was promoted to equipment operator from his experience from various jobs he had done including filling in as garbage truck driver and snow removal duties. Stengel has worked under five mayors, including Dale Tucker, Mike Hodges, Plank, Wiggins and Thallemer. He also worked under four street superintendents, Pat Ragen, Everett Dunkleberger, Kim Leake and Francis. He has made 1,573,936 stops at households in Warsaw to pick up trash, Francis said. "What I have liked about my job is that every day is different," Stengel said.[[In-content Ad]]He said in the early days everything was put in garbage trucks, even washers and dryers, refrigerators and brush piles. However, he said the most interesting thing he picked up in the early 1980s on a garbage route was the body of a Volkswagon Bug that he took to the landfill. "I found it in between Center and Market streets," Stengel said. Stengel said he has plans to fish during his retirement.
