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The �鶹���� Pembroke community came together recently to celebrate the careers and contributions of 25 dedicated employees whose combined decades of service helped shape the institution’s growth and success. 

During a heartfelt retirement ceremony, colleagues, friends and family members honored their hard work, commitment and lasting impact on campus life.

After 26 years of dedicated service, Bryan Hunt is celebrated for a remarkable career that began with an entry-level role on the university’s grounds crew and culminated in overseeing the pristine landscapes of the Chancellor’s Residence as head groundskeeper. Hunt, who worked for three chancellors, recalled the day he met Chancellor Robin Gary Cummings during a formal event at the residence.

Hunt wasn’t sure why the chancellor asked him to be there. As a groundskeeper, he assumed he would simply blend into the background. To his surprise, Chancellor Cummings stepped away from the crowd, walked directly over to him, introduced himself and shook his hand.

"That was a very proud moment for me," he said, showing off his signature smile. “I’m going to miss getting up in the morning and coming to work in the garden.”  Tela Brooks still has vivid memories of the summer of 1987 –– June 1, to be exact. That was the day former library director Dr. Robert Hersch hired her. Brooks dedicated 34 years to the university, becoming a beloved fixture of Mary Livermore Library and a familiar face to generations of students and faculty.

“I was grateful to provide students with resources for term papers and assist the professors with information for their books,” Brooks said. “I also enjoyed working interlibrary loan (ILL) because there were things we didn’t have here on campus that we had to get from other universities and vice versa,” Brooks said. 

Valaria Deese was first hired in the grants office thanks to a recommendation from Dr. Richard Vela, a longtime English professor who is also retiring after an unprecedented 50 years of service. Deese served in several departments over three decades at �鶹����P before finding her home with the Office of Online Learning.
Deese answered without hesitation when asked what she would cherish most about her time at �鶹����P.

“Working with the students,” said Deese, a 1991 graduate of �鶹����P. “They are the reason we are here. Working with the students was always a pleasure.” 

In his closing remarks, Gabe Eszterhas, vice chancellor for Finance and Administration, thanked the retirees for their service and for choosing to invest their time in �鶹����P.

“You have collectively touched tens of thousands of lives and made them better,” Eszterhas said. “Directly or indirectly, you created the nurturing and intellectually stimulating environment in which our students learned a lot about a specific field of knowledge, but also a lot about themselves and the larger world around them.

“Each of you played an important role in our students’ journeys. You have supported their paths — in your way,” he said. “May your retirement be filled with joy, fulfillment and the freedom to explore all the dreams on your horizon.”
 
The total list of retirees:
Dr. Victor Bahhouth – 18 years
Alfred Bowen – 27 years
Stephen Brooks – 27 years
Lora Cummings – 16 years
Vicky Dial-Jacobs – 30 years
April Galbreath – 9 years
Jamie Deese Graham – 27 years
Loria Huggins – 19 years
Penny Locklear – 37 years
Penny O. Locklear – 30 years
Daisy Long – 13 years
Dr. Olivia Oxendine – 42 years
Sharlene Oxendine – 30 years
Alan PreVatte – 28 years
Gale Sampson – 35 years
Terry Scott – 20 years
Becky Thompson – 38 years
Valerie Turnmire – 18 years
Dr. Richard Vela – 50 years
Johnny Walker 12 years
David Ybarra – 12 years
Dr. Christopher Ziemnowicz – 17 years