The Face of the Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad Retires After 45 Years in Industry

If you have a question on the Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad (KO) – or about certain other aspects of railroad operations – chances are Sherlyn Graham can answer it. She’s been in the railroad industry for 45 years. And until her recent retirement, she was considered the face of the KO since Watco began operations in 2001.

Graham began her career at the railroad formerly known as the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe. She switched to the Central Kansas Railway (CKR), where she worked for eight years until Watco purchased and renamed the short line railroad to the KO.

For the majority of her career at the KO, Graham worked as an office manager. She previously served as a dispatcher. She didn’t mind taking on extra duties, as it was all to help the team and ultimately improve the railroad.

Graham said, “I never had an official job title that I knew of. I was just there to help the team members. I wanted what was best for them.”

Her approach to her job duties earned Graham the nickname of “Mother Hen” among her teammates. According to KO Roadmaster Herb Lamkin, who started working with Graham at the CKR, her dedication to her job and teammates was always her No. 1 priority.

“Sherlyn was often the first person to arrive each morning,” Lamkin said. “She’s meticulous in everything she does. She made sure the trash was taken out and the coffee was made. In everything she did, Sherlyn looked out for us.”

Senior Vice President of Sales for Railroads, Jimmy Patterson, agrees with Lamkin’s assessment. Graham was the first person Patterson ever met at Watco; she interviewed him for his first job. He would later become her supervisor when he became the general manager of the KO in 2004.

Patterson said, “It takes everyone to run a railroad, but she was certainly the engine behind operations. I could count on her to take care of all the details.”

As much as she had her team’s back, they also had hers. She didn’t care to drive in inclement weather, so anytime that was the case, a teammate would take Graham to and from work.

When the KO set up a new dispatch center several years ago, her teammates named it Graham Junction — after her. Usually named after the county it’s located in, this honor came as a surprise for her.

Graham said, “They asked me to come and look it over. I noticed the name on the sign and said, ‘That’s the wrong county.’ That’s when they told me that they named it after me. I was shocked.”

To celebrate her career and many contributions to the KO, Graham’s teammates hosted a retirement party for her. In attendance were Graham’s family members and Watco teammates including Patterson, Lamkin, and Executive Chairman Rick Webb.

To say thanks for so many years of service, her teammates presented her with a trip to Alaska. They also gifted her a new luggage set as she starts this next phase in life.

“Railroads have been my whole life,” Graham said. “The KO was my second home. I’m excited for the next chapter and to live a long, healthy life.”