In 1987, the Minnesota Twins were the World Series Champions. Bacon cost $1.80 a pound. A Ford Mustang would set you back about $9,000. The Simpsons debuted and Fox Broadcasting began it’s TV programming.

 

Oh, and June Hubbard of the Becker Police Dept. began her first day of work in November of that year. Thirty years later, she is riding off into the sunset and not looking back.

 

June applied for the secretary position with the Becker PD when just 600 people lived in the city. Earl Hohlen was the chief and there were just two officers on duty those days. The Becker PD was only in its 11th year of existence when June joined the force after spending some time as a waitress at Family Cafe in Big Lake.

 

June grew up in a town called Barry, MN that had a population of 52 (now only a dozen or so). She was the 10th of 12 kids to her mom and dad, the Guenthers, a well-established German Catholic family from Western Minnesota, 30 miles west of Morris.

 

When June joined the BPD, there was no secretary — only a high school student who would occasionally stop in to do the filing.

 

“I came in and cleaned things up,” June said.

 

June received training for her new job through the BCA and immediately started a numbering system to make things work more efficiently. A few years later when computers became a big thing, she began transferring all the police data to the computer system and did away with file cabinets and drawers.

 

June has seen three fulltime and two interim chiefs in her tenure at Becker. Hohlen was first, then Tom Smith took over as interim when Hohlen retired at the age of 70. Police Officer Kevin Reiland then took over as chief until 2006 when Steve Mengelroch spent time as interim in search of a new chief.

 

“Then Brent (Baloun) was hired and he’s been here ever since,” said Hubbard. “I’ve seen an awful lot over these 30 years.”

 

For a time in 2003, the mayor of Becker at that time petitioned to have the police department discontinued and the city just hire the services of the county.

“That was a precarious time,” Hubbard said. “It was around Christmas and we didn’t know if any of us would have a job after the new year.”

 

Fortunately, residents stepped forward and persuaded the council to retain the department. In a close, 3-2 vote, the city elected to keep the PD and since Baloun’s hiring, very little talk of disbanding has occurred through the years.

 

“We’ve had a few things pop up about it since but nothing too serious to get worked up over,” said June.

 

Hubbard’s first day on the job saw her working just 20 hours a week at $4.50/hr. Since she has migrated to a fulltime position where she has worked on the budget, done scheduling, fielded phone calls and even aided strangers who approached her window with a medical emergency.

 

“One day a construction guy came in because he got something in his eye from a construction site and I helped him out,” June said. “Another time a lady came in with shortness of breath and I called 911 and kept her relaxed until paramedics arrived. I’ve had lots of these experiences.”

 

June says not all her day-to-day duties have been delightful. She can’t help but reflect on the numerous times she’s had to field calls about neighbors complaining about barking dogs.

 

“That’s my pet peeve,” she said.

 

The nicest part of her job? June says it’s been the people she’s worked with through the years and also the wonderful “thank you” notes the department receives when citizens show gratitude for an officer’s assistance.

 

“The people I’ve worked with here have been fantastic,” she said. “They are like my kids now. I’m really going to miss them now.”

 

And they will miss her. June is also famous around the department for taking care of the fellow officers and their families. Every year she would invite the entire force and their families over to her and her husband Richard’s home in Santiago Twp. for Christmas. She would serve her legendary lasagna which became a custom through the years.

 

“She never forgot a birthday either,” said Baloun. “June has helped over 75 officers who have come through our doors and has helped develop them into fine officers.”

 

June and Richard plan to do a lot of traveling while in retirement. The couple -who have been married for 43 years — have a new fifth-wheeler and plan to rediscover the great state of Minnesota and head to Texas and Arizona during the colder months. The Hubbards have four children, 11 grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

 

“We look forward to spending more time with them, too,” she said.

 

A lot has happened since 1987 and June has seen a lot through her black-rimmed glasses as well as the glass partition at the Becker Police Station. Her view of the world has changed like everyone else’s and she’s grateful she was able to find such quality work at the PD. For all that she’s seen and discovered, she’ll never lose the memories of her 30 years with the City of Becker.

 

“Hopefully I’ve done some good around here,” she says with a smile.

 

“She has,” says Baloun. “We’re gonna miss her.”