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'Things have sure changed'

Retiring Collector Steve Pickering reflects on 40 years as a Laclede County official

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For more than 40 years, one thing has been a constant at the Laclede County Courthouse, the presence of the Pickering family. That will change March 6 when Steve Pickering departs as Laclede County Collector after serving 36 years. Pickering says he will take with him mostly good memories of his time as collector. “It’s hard for me to even think of it, to be up here for 40 years, of course it’s went pretty quick,” he said last year. “It’s been a great job and I’m the most blessed person around to be able to do this.” Those 40 years have seen some big changes for the collector’s office as well as the entire courthouse. Pickering’s time in county government began in 1981 when he was appointed public administrator to fill the unexpired term of Lawrence Miller. In the Lebanon Daily Record at the time, he was quoted as saying, “The main objective of the job is to handle the affairs of people who have been ruled incompetent by the court” and “I will do my best for the people of Laclede County.” For more on this story, see Saturday's LCR.