It Happened In Crawford County | Ken and Deb Cameron
Deb Cameron was born in Detroit to Bernard and Marjorie Alberts. Deb and her siblings Larry, Mary, Nan and Carol moved to Bellefontaine, Ohio, when their dad was transferred. Deb graduated from Bellefontaine High School and went on to Miami University, a school she loves. She received her bachelor’s degree in business and was recruited to Bucyrus Timken while still in college.
Her career there was primarily with human resources, but more it was meeting Ken Cameron on her first day that eventually led to her decision to stay.
Ken's parents were Robert “Bob” and Dorothy Cameron. Bob was a mechanical engineer working for Timken-Canton. Ken has two sisters, Carol and twin Kay. He began his career at Timken the day after high school graduation with preparations to go the University of Cincinnati. Ken graduated with a mechanical engineering degree from U.C.
Next, he was sent to Bucyrus-Timken on a temporary basis when they were doing the expansion in the distribution center. Ken was eventually transferred to Bucyrus full-time and while there, Deb came into his life. Ken and Deb married and chose Bucyrus to make their home and raise their children, Stuart and Marie.
Deb left Timken to focus on raising their young children, but has always looked for opportunities to try new things outside of home as well. For example, the first season the YMCA offered soccer, it needed coaches. She knew nothing about it but didn't shy away from trying. Later, she became a classroom volunteer for a couple days a week, which led to her being asked to substitute teach. She got her license and subbed a couple years in the county. This led to a position as Wynford’s math tutor; one never knows what doors will open in life.
The Camerons volunteer for many community projects and while neither one is comfortable being the chairperson, they feel if everyone does a little then big things will result.
The Crawford County Community Concert Association’s website needed updated. Deb had the skills and volunteered to build and keep the site up to date. It wasn’t a big decision for her; she saw the need and offered. Deb is a member, volunteer and teacher for the Crawford County Arts Council. She teaches alcohol inks, painting on tiles, something she never planned on. Donald Wenner M. D. invited her to serve on the board of the Crawford County Council on Aging. He said “you need to be doing this."
Ken also has a history of local volunteerism, with 40-plus years as a Kiwanian. Their projects are a priority for him and they can count on Ken. After a career of 42 years, Ken retired from Timken five years ago and has found even more ways to stay involved with the community. He is on the board of Projects, Inc, an arm of the Community Foundation.
One of the functions of Projects, Inc. is to keep the murals and fountain cleaned and winterized. Other volunteers are: Joe Shadeed, Mike Hoffman and John Kennedy, all working toward that end. Ken is also a dependable worker for the board of elections as a rover. Recently, he read about the need to place flags on vets’ graves for Veterans Day, so the team volunteered. Judy Lust joined them and the three drove to Oceola’s three cemeteries and the Martin Luther Church Cemetery, honoring the veterans there.
Deb and Ken have been avid travelers. Honolulu is the only state capital they have not visited. Poland has been their favorite vacation. They have been lucky to share this passion with their children; especially with trips to southern Africa and Scotland.
With retirement, Ken and Deb needed to decide where to live, and Bucyrus offered them a great network of friends and activities. They could continue as a team, volunteering for the many projects that fills their lives. Bucyrus is also conveniently located halfway between their children’s homes. Stu is a mechanical engineer for a defense contractor in Pittsburgh and is engaged to Lottie Legge. Marie and her husband, Sam Rowe, live in Indianapolis, where she works in finance for a major health care system. The Camerons also feel blessed to have Deb’s mom, Marj, live with them in her retirement.
Readers if you are interested in sharing a story write Mary Fox, 931 Marion Road, Bucyrus, OH 44820 or email littlefoxfactory@columbus.rr.com.