Fifty years ago, LaDean Reed started at Sale Memorial Hospital in Neosho as a transcriptionist.

On Friday, she was surprised by her Freeman co-workers and family at a reception in her honor.

The event was held at the Freeman Business Center in Joplin.

“It has been my pleasure to be with Sale Hospital and Freeman. It doesn’t seem like 50 years,” said Reed. “It has been with very, very good physicians, staff and co-leaders.”

When she started, Campbell’s Tomato Soup was 10 cents a can and the most popular song was, “Great Balls of Fire,” by Jerry Lee Lewis.

Today, she serves as a physician billing clerk at Freeman Business Center.

“This is the first employee of Freeman Health System to ‘survive’ 50 years,” Freeman Executive Vice President Joe Kirk said to the crowd. “What she does not know, we are going to keep her another 50 years.”

Reed is the first person with Freeman to reach this milestone.

“I was surprised,” said Reed. “I wasn’t expecting this because quite frankly I have always tried to avoid these sort of things, because I felt like and I think my supervisors will tell you this, I have largely not participated in anything like this because I did not want the freeman Joplin employees to feel like somebody came in from Neosho taking a spot where thy might have been on the nursing floor 35 years. So I appreciate Freeman and what they have done for me, but I have always thought the other people should have the privilege of being the longest employee.”

In recognition of her years of service, Reed received a check for $2,500, a 50-year pin, flowers and a gift of her choice.

Ironically, when she began at Sale Memorial Hospital in 1958, her son, Greg, was a year old.

“I was told when I took the job at Neosho, the doctors told me that my son was a year old, but when I stayed with them and he went to school started, I was to be a mom, a room mother and to be at every sports activity that he was in,” said Reed. “I think Dick (her husband) and I accomplished that goal.”

Echoing her comments was Greg.

“My mom and dad were married for 50 years. Most kids these days can’t say that,” Greg said. “And then they have a parent who comes in and works for the same place for 50 years, I think that is an exceptional. It just doesn't happen. And I think that the thing that my parents gave me was their work effort.”

Asked how she accomplished staying at the job for 50 years, she gave two things.

“Every time I decided to retire or to do something else, I was always taken very good care of and was encouraged to stay,” said Reed. “It is easier to stay at one job for 50 years, that it is to stay at 10 jobs for five years. My advice would be to like what you are doing and show them that you can give them 110 percent.”