Trinity River Authority, TX

The atmosphere at the Central Regional Wastewater System treatment plant was filled with joy and excitement as a group of retired TRA employees gathered for a reunion on March 2. They shared stories about their time working at TRA and discussed the challenges, lessons learned, and most important, the friendships formed.

“It's a special bond, all these people pretty much grew up together,” said Bill Tatum the CRWS plant manager who helped organize the event.

The majority of these men and women worked together at TRA for many, many decades.

“Only three of us joined the organization in the 70s, everyone else was hired in the 90s,” said Tatum. 

The strong sense of community of years working side by side is what led a group of retirees to begin a reunion, of sorts, in 2018. They've continued since, celebrating as former coworkers hang up their boots and join their exclusive club, celebrating milestones and supporting each other through the ups and downs of life.

This was the first reunion since 2020 because of the pandemic.

"We wanted the gathering to be at CRWS because they hadn't been there in three years and hadn't seen all the improvements," said Tatum.

The group was given a tour of CRWS, where they observed the new construction projects, learned about the technology advancements and had an opportunity to connect with current employees they once mentored.

“They are TRA's backbone,” said Tatum. “This group represents more than 1,000 years of combined service. Their dedication and contributions made CRWS and other projects become what they are today.”