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(Mail Tribune / Jim Craven) As 'Phoenix' as it gets After more than 50 years serving the public good, longtime Phoenix resident still not quite ready to retire By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune PHOENIX — Longtime Councilman Otto Caster could probably be convinced to stick around for another term or two. After 40-plus years in city government, the lifelong Phoenix resident admits he has never been one to have many hobbies or interests beyond public service. Just "retired" from the city Council, Caster began his career in public service in 1962 when he agreed to serve on the city's budget committee. From there, he went on to serve on the planning commission, seven terms as mayor and nearly as many terms as a council member. Outside city politics, he gave nearly three decades as a volunteer firefighter, 50-plus years as a Lions Club member, 40 years on the Phoenix High football team's Friday night "chain gang" and a handful of years for various other organizations. Born May 21, 1928, on a ranch off North Phoenix Road, Caster is descended from a family that came to Phoenix in the 1880s. He's lived in just two houses his entire life, both in Phoenix. He figures he's about as "Phoenix" as it gets. Advertisement Growing up during the Depression era, Caster said his plans were basic: find a decent job and raise a family in his hometown. "We all went to Phoenix High," Caster says. "My kids and grandkids, me and my dad." Caster left Phoenix just three times; for two stints in the Army in World War II and Korea — and during what he jokingly refers to as a darker time. "I moved to Texas for about six months. My brother managed a grocery store, so he got me a job selling potato chips," Caster recalled. El Paso, it turned out, was a far cry from his hometown. "We decided to come back. It was either that or I'd become a bachelor because my wife said she was coming back to Phoenix whether I did or not." After 53 years of marriage, Caster figures he chose well. When he came back Caster's father got him a job driving delivery for Coca-Cola beginning in 1968. He retired after three decades but never really slowed down. He raised three sons and a daughter and gave 28 years to the city's volunteer fire department. His three sons served as well, including former Phoenix Fire Chief Rowlee Caster, who died in a drowning accident 12 years ago. In addition to working full-time and serving as a volunteer firefighter, Caster spent eight years on budget and planning committees when he was appointed to the council in 1970. He served about a term and a half before he was asked to fill in as mayor and was subsequently re-elected. During his career in public service, Caster saw the freeway built and worked to replace failing wells with a municipal water system, two factors in the town's growth. He figures his best accomplishment was his work to convince the federal government that Phoenix needed more time to pay for its water connection to Lost Creek Lake. Caster's tenure as mayor ended after 14 years when he lost re-election to a challenger backed by residents upset with pollution from a local mill. "He ran on a single deal of getting rid of that mill. We had DEQ come down and they were within the law. I wouldn't close them down so he talked people into putting him in and within three years he had them closed down and as soon as they moved out he resigned," he said. Caster then served on the RVTD board and later returned to Phoenix as a councilman. Former Mayor Larry Parducci said Caster's knowledge and extensive memory of the city was a bright spot during his own tenure. "I know that when I was on the council, he was someone I enjoyed working with," Parducci said. "He has some very special qualities, a lot of common sense and a very good memory he did a lot of good things for the city during his long tenure." Longtime resident Wanda Long, owner of Norton Lumber, said his integrity was key. "Otto has always been a person you could talk to," she said. "... He's very ethical and honest. He never expected or received any special privileges because of his position and that's what I admire about him and that's why people trust him." Caster said he'll miss the council, but he'll stay busy despite complications from diabetes that make it uncomfortable to sit through long meetings. Even at 78, he probably won't slow down much, said Pat, his wife of 53 years. "He won't be idle, I can tell you that," she said. "He'll probably sit on a couple of committees — that will keep his finger in the pie so he won't be too bored." Of her husband's years of service, Pat Caster said he was just repaying what he felt he owed. "We've always been of the opinion ... that we have the privilege of being able to put four kids through school here, plus his families went through school here," she said. "When you take out of a community like we did here, you really need to put something back. That's what he's tried to do is put back anything we might have used." Buffy Pollock is a freelance writer living in Medford. E-mail her at [email protected]. Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2007 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Online Casino Reviews Men's Clothing Fundraisers UK Homeowner Loans Discount Hotel Reservations Send Flowers Casinos Canada Texas Electric Choice Compare Electric rates in Texas Windermere Van Vleet Trunks, Footlocker Online poker at AbsolutePoker.com