I'm Being Honest. I Approach Retirement Parties with Absolute Envy, Appreciation, and Relief. For me? Another 20 Years!

The Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions is applauding, celebrating and appreciating the hard work of several who are retiring this year: Drs. Barbara Wells-Nystrom, Faith-Anne Dohm, Paul Mahoney, Diana Hulse and Virginia Kelly. They will join the much missed Tony Costa, Patricia Calderwood, Deborah Edelman, and Wendy Kohli who also left in recent years.

Yesterday, we celebrated the career accomplishments of "Ginny" Kelly and Paul Mahoney in the Diffley Room of Bellarmine Hall. I shake my head with admiration.

I saw Ginny earlier in the day and said, "I don't know if I want to hug you or punch you." She's a career counselor, so she responded, "Tell me how you really feel?" In my first year at Fairfield she was assigned as a mentor and she would come look at me and laugh, "Oh, Bryan. You are so precious. I hope this place doesn't ruin you." In my first year, I didn't know the ways of the land and how my sense of humor, spirit for life, and optimism would be received in academia - the institute death-eater that it is.

Both Paul and Ginny have given so much - they are the background heroes who do tremendous amounts of work, always approach teaching, service and research with a smile and ambition, and who rarely, RARELY, call attention to themselves. Ginny said, "So, I looked at retiring and the option of not-retiring, and I thought, it's a no-brainer. I want to finish out my life with zest and purpose."

It reminded me of all the colleagues I saw retire at the Brown School, when I was a fledgling teacher and who invested so much into me. It reminds me of my own parents who stepped away from work and no longer had to deal with the grind, chaos, personalities, and viciousness of a workplace. They were done.

I feel old...mid-life...24 years of teaching...and looking at the clock wondering, "Can I really do this for 20 more years?" I'm not sure.

I spent last night pulling together a miraculous (in my opinion) activity for my undergraduate philosophy course, cleaned up my house, and sort of imagined the prospect that I might get away to Syracuse this weekend for Easter (which I really, really, really need).

Lossine said, "Let's do lunch." I suggested, "Let's do the Clam Bar, Bitch." He responded, "Don't you mean Butch." I told him it was a typo. So either Thursday or Friday, Butch, Sue and I will need to do the Clam Bar for lunch. I can't wait.