It’s often said that Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, only backwards in and high heels.

That’s not quite the case with Joyce Cline, secretary/treasurer of Cline Oil Co. — but pretty close.

Joyce Schiefferle Cline has been chosen as the 2018 recipient of the fourth annual Yellow Dog Ward by the Penn Brad Oil Museum, an honor to be bestowed at a dinner at 6 p.m. June 9 at Pennhills Club.

“The Yellow Dog Award is presented annually to a recipient selected by the museum board of directors for outstanding service to the museum, the oil and gas industry and the community at large,” reads the announcement from the museum, where Cline serves as treasurer and membership chairperson.

Cline told The Era on Wednesday that she was stunned when her name was put into contention for the honor. Sam Slocum, museum manager, said he and the late Harvey Golubock had discussed it. Golubock wanted to nominate Cline.

“I said ‘WHAT?’ I was so surprised,” she recounted with a laugh. The board immediately made a motion and approved it.

“I was so honored and I just couldn’t believe it,” Cline said. “I don’t know when I’ve ever been so surprised. I’ve always kind of been in (her husband Bill Cline’s) shadow as far as the business has been concerned.

“I’ve worked very hard for the museum since I’ve been treasurer,” she said, explaining she took office in 2015.

Speaking of the oil business, she said, “I kind of married into it 44 years ago; 1980 is when I actually started doing Bill’s bookwork full time, when I resigned from teaching.”

She had taught at Bradford Area School District.

She had been involved in Cline Oil’s work, going out into the field with Bill Cline, too. She got more involved in the business end of things after the company’s bookkeeper retired.

The Crude Oil Windfall Profit Tax Act of 1980 created some complicated bookkeeping, and she changed careers to help out with Cline Oil.

“Bookkeeping is what I had wanted to do all my life,” she explained.

She’s been involved in various aspects of the industry and industry advocacy as well. Cline is a 36-year member and past president of Penn York Oil & Gas Affiliates of Desk and Derrick Clubs. She is also corresponding secretary and treasurer of the Pennsylvania Independent Petroleum Producers Association, past president of Zonta Club of Bradford, and past president of Delta Kappa Gamma Honor Society.

Lately, her work has been focused on the Penn Brad Oil Museum.

“The board is much more active and involved in the decisions for the museum” than it ever was before, she explained. The museum has seen an increase in admission and in sales at the gift shop.

“The thing I am most proud of is I’ve been in charge of the memberships, and we’ve been able to get a lot of support from the community,” she said, pride shining through in her voice. “People have given from $25 to $2,500. Every little bit helps.”

She’s hoping the community support will result in even more people visiting the museum to take in the history of the oil industry in the region.

The museum opened for the season recently with an ice cream social, and attendance was good, she explained. “A lot more people came who had never seen the museum.”

And the board is hoping to do some more work at the South Avenue facility to make it more accessible to visitors.

“We’re doing what we can with the money that we can raise,” Cline said. “The Yellow Dog dinner is the big fundraiser of the year. The dinner is very important to the financial picture of the museum. We work hard to try to make it something that will continue in the future.”

Dinner reservations, advertising in the program journal and sponsorships are available by email: pennbradmuseum@icloud.com or by telephone (362-1955).

Past recipients of the award have included Susan Gibson Perry, former museum president and treasurer; and Sherri Huston Schulze, museum curator and docent, both in 2015; in 2016, Fred Fesenmyer of Minard Run Oil Co.; and in 2017, Harvey Golubock and Paul Phillips.

A “yellow dog” is a two-spouted lantern that, invented in Pennsylvania by Jonathan Dillen in 1870, burns crude petroleum straight from the ground.