On Friday April 11 many students and faculty went to the Reading/ Writing lab to say goodbye to Judy Whitton and to wish her the best in her retirement. Judy started as a student assistant at RWC 22 years ago and has been working for the Study Skills Lab ever since. Judy says that she doesn’t really have any plans for her retirement. She’s been married for 40 years, has three children, and seven grandchildren, and she loves to quilt. She says she’s sure she has many things to keep her busy.
She loves the comfortable feeling that the environment at RWC provides, but what she’ll miss the most is the people. She’s going to miss the contact with the faculty and students. She says that retirement is a bit frightening because of our fear of the unknown. She’s not sure what she’ll do when she’s not here, but don’t worry about never seeing her again.
If you didn’t have a chance to say goodbye, there is a good chance that you could catch her in the Study Skills Department volunteering on Fridays. Judy believes that she had the best job at RWC and says that it was a wonderful job. She is happy to have been here for 22 years and has really enjoyed it.
Her friends at RWC feel very much the same. Mary McClellan, Interim Director of College Study Skills and the Reading Center, said it best: “If you know her, you already know why she will be missed so much. If you don’t know her, you should know that she will not be missed solely because of her many years of service. Yes, she has been a dedicated employee, professionally and faithfully performing her job duties to the benefit of innumerable Raymond Walters students. But over the years, Judy has touched many people here on a deeper, personal level (students, staff, and faculty) and leaves more as a friend to many than simply a coworker.”
She will be missed, and we wish her the best of luck in retirement.