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Shupe retiring, Baldwin running
“Yes, it’s true; I’m finally going to retire,” said Doug Shupe who has been Vernon County’s recorder of deeds for the past 27 years. “It took me nearly that long to convince Shelly [Baldwin, chief deputy recorder] to run for my position.”
On June 1, Baldwin will have worked as deputy for 25 years.
At an early Thursday morning interview in their office Shupe reviewed his years of service and Baldwin looked ahead.
“I say it a lot because I mean it: the two of us work in the best office in the county courthouse,” said Shupe. “Everyone comes in here happy. They’ve bought a house, sold land or are getting married. And all day long, Shelly and I serve happy people who end up shaking her hand or slapping me on the back.”
In Nov. 1990, Vernon County’s then recorder of deeds, Loretta Johnston, won reelection.
“But in January of ‘91, after Associate Circuit Judge Patricia Breckenridge was appointed to the appellate court, Johnston agreed to follow her as her secretary, leaving the office vacant,” said Shupe.
While at the time, Vernon County still tended to vote Democratic, it was then-Republican Governor John Ashcroft who would be filling the vacancy by appointment. Ten people interviewed before the county’s Republican committee for the office including the then deputy recorder as well as Shupe.
“While the deputy clearly knew the job, I think the committee was trying to find someone they thought had a reasonable chance of getting elected,” said Shupe. “I had a real estate license and was fairly well known for the auction work I did.”
Shupe and his wife, Lynne, traveled through an ice storm to receive the appointment and he began in office on Feb. 1, 1991.
Born in Lamar, the physician who delivered him was Dr. Vern T. Bickel, father of Judge James R. Bickel.
The recorder of deeds has resided in the same home at Milo since 1977. He has about 75 cows, loves to fish, raced a dirt bike for 20 years and is a dog lover.
“It used to be our kids and their friends ruled our house,” said Shupe. “But now it’s the grandkids and the dogs.”
The first week on the job, Shupe wore flat shoes, khaki pants and what he called a nice shirt.
“But that wasn’t the Doug Shupe people knew and I didn’t feel like myself,” said the recorder. “So I began the courthouse fashion trend of wearing a nice pair of jeans and cowboy boots.”
Asked to compare the job 27 years ago with today, Shupe could only name one addition to his job description but said the way in which things are done has greatly changed.
“When I started, I still wrote things by hand into a large bound index volume,” said Shupe. The only difference between what they were doing in my office back in 1885 and 1991 was that they used a quill pen and I used a ballpoint.”
Shupe did note, however, one difference in his present job description.
“As my title says, I record deeds,” said Shupe. “I record land transfers, mortgages, marriages and more recently, one additional record, military discharges. That’s not a requirement for veterans but it’s cheaper than a safety deposit box and it helps with genealogy.”
He summed up the greatest change with a single word: technology. His office received its first computer in 1994 with the most recent update in 2015.
Said the recorder of deeds, “Without computers, we would need a third person in the office. But with computers, the two of us can keep up. Plus they give us immediate access and the safety of off-site backup storage.”
When Shupe started, a typical mortgage was three pages, now they run from 20-25 pages.
The other noticeable change came in 2001 when the 3-day waiting period for marriage licenses was abolished.
Said Shupe, “Folks like to stop in here for their license on the way to Branson, Lake of the Ozarks or Eureka Springs. One time, after hours, I took an application and issued a license on the hood of a pickup. I mean it; Shelly and I are here to serve.”
In May of 1993, when it came time for Shupe to hire a new deputy, a friend whom he respected told him the person to hire was a bookkeeper at Thorpe’s.
“It was Shelly and when we met for lunch, boy was she nervous but I hired her on the spot,” said Shupe. I’ve made some foolish decisions but marrying Lynne and hiring Shelly were two of my best.”
When Baldwin was asked about why she wanted Shupe’s job she said with a hearty laugh, “Because I’ve been carrying Doug for years.”
Shupe laughed even louder.
Getting quiet she added, “I’m a people person and I love this work. I know the job but I have some ideas on how to advance this office.”
Asked what those advances might include, she began by saying, “Doug has never been comfortable with e-filing and payments but I am,” said Baldwin. “And since our computers already have the software to do this, there won’t be any additional cost but it will be an added convenience and speed things up.”
Asked if this means county records will be accessible online, Baldwin responded with an emphatic, “Absolutely not. We wouldn’t let someone tear up the old ledger books in the vault and I’m not going to allow some hacker to do that online.”
And the other change she would like to make?
“We’ve got a vault full of ledgers going back to the 1850s but we only have digital scans going back to Jan. 1994,” explained Baldwin. “Over time, I’d like to get all of them done. Some mortgage companies have to go back 60 years and we have a lot of people come in doing genealogy and this would be a huge help to them.”
Shupe has been married for 40 years; Lynne is a vice-president with Heritage State Bank and together they have two daughters and three grandchildren.
Baldwin married husband Kevin in 1994 and together they have an adult son and daughter, three grandchildren and an adopted daughter who is now 11. The Baldwins have 75 acres in Badger Township where they have 40 cows and according to her, “way too many goats.”
Shupe added in closing, “I’ve had three honors in this job. I’ve been trusted by the people, allowed to do a job I love and work with Shelly.”