Shirley Huber retired this week after 55 years of service. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com
Shirley Huber
By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com
Los Alamos County employee Shirley Huber reached a milestone no other County employee has accomplished.
Huber, an Office Specialist in the Information Management Division, has served the County for 55 years.
She bid her career, reluctantly, goodbye this week. Her departure caused a few tears in her colleagues and the County Council presented Huber with a special proclamation during its meeting Tuesday night.
Vice Chair Randall Ryti read the proclamation, which included the following: “No other County employee has ever reached such a historic milestone, and therefore the County Council wishes to commemorate this monumental accomplishment with a formal recognition of Shirley and her ‘55 Incredible Years of service.’”
During the meeting, Huber said it was a bittersweet retirement.
“The County is my family and that’s my second home,” she said. “It’s going to seem funny not to go to work every day … because I love to work. It’s going to be so odd to just stay at home … I’m a person who never wanted to retire but I have to so here I am…”
Although this chapter of Huber’s career has closed, she still has a lot to offer.
“One of the greatest gifts people can give is leaving their stories and memories … so we can all learn from them …,” Los Alamos Historical Society Executive Director Liz Martineau said during a Zoom meeting Wednesday morning with Huber, Chief Financial Officer Helen Perraglio and the Los Alamos Daily Post.
Huber has a lot of stories to share.
She said she moved with her family to New Mexico as an 8-month-old.
So, “I’m almost a native but not quite,” Huber said.
Initially, Huber said her family lived in Santa Fe but moved to Los Alamos when she was 18 months old. She attended elementary through high school in Los Alamos and started working for the County Nov. 16, 1965.
She started out as a finance clerk typist. Huber said she worked for 14 supervisors and 10 to 12 County Managers.
Perraglio said she estimates that Huber has processed about 65,000 timesheets in her tenure.
Huber said she remembers going to the Zia Company and learning the new technology at the time: the sorter, printer and key point machines, for example.
“We did everything,” she said. “We did the printing, the processing. We were the main people for a long time.”
Huber was not only instrumental in her work, but she touched a lot of people personally. She served on the employee benefits committee since 1996 and eventually became its treasurer.
Huber said the committee did not receive any money from the County but rather received revenue from soda machines in different County facilities.
The committee would offer everything from saving bonds for County workers’ babies and flowers for funerals.
She also was dedicated to documenting numerous events within the County. Huber photographed retirement parties, employee luncheons, baby showers and spring flings.
But her favorite activity was celebrating the Christmas seaspm.
“I love Christmas,” Huber said. “I am a Christmas nut.”
Huber didn’t stop there. She knitted booties, blankets and sweaters for County employees’ babies and gave knitted slippers as Christmas presents to her co-workers. Perraglio said Huber was a treasured friend and colleague.
“You have been tremendous to the County in so many ways,” Perraglio said.
She added that Huber may be retired but she is always welcomed at every Los Alamos County function.
“We treasure you, Shirley … you have the best spirit,” Perraglio said.
During her time with the County, Huber experienced the County relocate from one municipal building at Ashley Pond to portables around town and then finally to the municipal building on Central Avenue.
She saw Los Alamos National Laboratory move from Ashley Pond to across Omega Bridge. Plus, Huber experience several major fires and even remembers when Los Alamos County was hit with two major flu pandemics. One prevented children from going out and even attending school, similar to what Los Alamos is experiencing now.
She remembers the time she was prohibited from driving out of her office’s parking lot because President John Kennedy was visiting Los Alamos to make a speech at Sullivan Field. Huber also fondly recalls when the cost of a movie ticket was a dime and being able to buy films at Russ Gordon’s shop.
Huber said she isn’t sure what her retirement plans are but will miss working for the County.
The County will miss her, too.
“I have always admired the way you were there day in, day out and all that you do, but what I think I am going to miss most is seeing you with your cute Santa elf hat during the holiday season,” Councilor Antonio Maggiore said. “You are always such a ray of sunshine … I just wish you all the best and thank you for all your service. We have been so fortunate to have you.”
