CORPS OFFICIALS `TOES TO DOGS' IN RETIREMENT

After working 36 years for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bill Busch is going to the dogs.

Busch retired Friday as resident engineer of the Corps of Engineer's Lower Mississippi River Valley Resident Office, located in the Cape Girardeau Federal Building.

When he wasn't busy handling the engineering and inspection work on Corps construction projects between St. Louis and Cairo, Busch and his wife, Cecille, have been raising registered Beagle puppies for more than 30 years at Busch's Kennels.

They're professional dog handlers who show dogs at such events as the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at New York's Madison Square Garden.

Busch said his retirement came about on short notice. "I was in St. Louis and they made me an offer that I just couldn't refuse as part of the overall downsizing of the military," said Busch. "So I said yes."

Although Busch regrets leaving the friends and professional people he's met during the past 36 years, he is looking forward to spending more time with his wife as they tour the dog show circuit.

As a professional dog handler, Busch now shows other people's dogs, in addition to his own.

Busch said raising Beagle puppies and showing dogs has provided a welcome change of pace from his work as resident engineer at the Cape Girardeau office.

When he retired last week, Busch and his staff were responsible for overseeing and inspecting corps construction and maintenance projects and levee work on both sides of the Mississippi River.

In addition, the Cape Girardeau office is also responsible for construction and maintenance work at Lake Wappapello as a result of a swap that occurred several years ago, in which the Corps' Memphis District took over responsibility for the Diversion Channel Levee and all other levees south to Cairo.

Busch was born and raised in Cape Girardeau County and grew up on the family farm located not far from where he now lives.

While trying to make up his mind about going on to college after graduating from College High School in 1956 (he said he really didn't have the ambition to do it at the time), Busch and a friend were hired by the local Soil Conservation Service in 1957.

Busch worked four years for the SCS before transferring to the Corps of Engineers in 1962 as a construction inspector at the Cape Girardeau resident office.

His job was to inspect all work done by civilian contractors working on corps-funded projects in this area. Later, he was promoted to field engineer, and in 1973, the same year as a devastating flood, he became the resident engineer.

As resident engineer, Busch handled all of the office work, computations, drawings, pay estimates and was responsible for making sure the contractors were paid for their work.

During his 36 years with the Corps, Busch was involved in numerous construction projects in the Cape Girardeau area, including construction of the slackwater harbor for the Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority. He was also involved in the emergency rock removal project in 1988-89 to deepen the navigation channel in the river at Grand Tower, Ill., and at Grays Point and Thebes, Ill., when a prolonged drought sent the river to record low levels between St. Louis and Cairo.

More recently, Busch and the Cape Girardeau resident office gained oversight responsibility for the Cape La Croix Creek-Walker Branch Flood Control Project, which is nearing completion of the first phase of construction.

Busch said one of the most unusual projects he handled as resident engineer was the construction of a monorail system under the Thebes railroad bridge in 1965. He said the technicians with the U.S. Geological Survey now use the cable car that runs along the monorail to ride out over the river to take water velocity and flow measurements on a regular basis.

During his career with the corps, Busch has seen the river at its lowest, in the late 1980s, and at its highest during the floods of 1973, 1979, 1982 and 1993.

When the Mississippi River goes on a rampage, Busch and his staff drop most of their normal duties and gear up for a flood fight. "And it's a real battle in every sense of the word, between man and nature and the Mississippi River," he said.

"At 38 feet on the Cape gauge, our office goes on a 12-hour, daylight, work schedule. As the river comes up, we go on a 24-hour operation as long as the flood emergency exists."

The Cape office was able to stand down from its flood fight a short time ago, after having been in that mode for most of the summer. During the flood fight corps personnel from the office work with levee district people patrolling the levees and offering technical assistance.

The job had its reward, said Busch.

"There were days when I wished I could have walked out the door and never come back," Busch admitted. "But I also got to meet and know a lot of very nice people. I've personally met and worked with every one of the St. Louis district engineers (commissioned Army officers) since 1962, and a lot of the staff of the Lower Mississippi River Valley Division office at Vicksburg," he noted. "I've also met a lot of nice people in the contracting business, and in the congressional offices that represent the people of this area." Busch said his work also brought him in contact with levee district officials and elected municipal officials.

Last year, Busch was presented the St. Louis District's "Hard Hat of the Year" for his outstanding work.

Besides being able to attend more to dog shows since his retirement, Busch will also have more time to plan for the SEMO Kennel Club's two annual dog shows that are held at the Arena Building. He serves as president of the club and dog show chairman.

Busch said he's cut back on the number of Beagle puppies he and his wife raise because of their work as professional handlers.

"Instead of 40 Beagles, we're down to around a dozen or so," he quipped. "We get a lot of calls for our Beagle puppies, but we can't fill them all because we're on the road a lot more."