Merlyn "Pink" Queen

Merlyn Ellery Queen was born on October 28, 1943 to LaVerne Charles and Esmerelda Helen (Hume) Queen in Lodge Pole, Nebraska.  He passed away on May 20, 2018 at the Life Care Nursing Home in Greeley, Colorado. 

Merlyn "Pink" wrote this about his career with the Soil Conservation Service and his time served in the military: Pink started his career with the Soil Conservation Service when he applied for a summer job while attending CSU in 1965.  He was assigned to the Fleming SCS office the first year working with Walt Campbell and Paul Grimm.  The next summer he was stationed at Akron with Tom Skillman and Gene Hoyer.  The third summer he was stationed here in Haxtun with Wally Bruce and Jack Falk as trainers. 

After graduating from Colorado State University in December of 1967 with a Bachelor of Science  Degree in Agronomy.  Pink was drafted into the US Army.  He was first stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas for Basic training and then to Fort Polk, Louisiana for Advanced Training.  In June of 1967, he was sent to Bein, Washington Vietnam Replacement Center and from there to Vung Tau, Vietnam where he was assigned to the 805th Transportation Company and spent the remainder of his one year in Vietnam.  The last six months of his Army time was at Peterson Field in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  Pink was honorably discharged from the US Army in January 1970. 

Pink Queen's first permanent assignment with the Soil Conservation was in Greeley with David Suddith, District Conservationist.  He was in Greeley for a year and a half and then sent to Wray, Colorado where he worked with Robert Altstadt, DC and Bill Brown , Technician.  After one and a half years in Wray he was promoted to a District Conservationist  and sent to Yuma, Colorado with Marvin Salvador, Technician.   In August of 1974 he was again promoted and stationed at Las Animas, Colorado for about 9 1/2 years.  When Chuck Allen retired in December of 1983 from the Haxtun SCS  office,  Queen applied for a Lateral transfer to get back to Northeastern Colorado.  It was granted and he moved to Haxtun in February of 1984 where he spent the remainder of his career with the Soil Conservation Service, renamed Natural Resources Conservation Service. 

Merlyn E. "Pink" Queen retired on October 28, 1998 after 33 years with the Service. 

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