This year’s Chilton County Board of Education retirees have seen many changes in education during their time with the school system.

Teena Jones has seen as much change as any of them.

With 41 years of service to the school system, Jones had the longest-tenure among the 26 retirees honored at a reception May 7 at the Board of Education central office, where Jones worked for many years.

“I tell all these young people at the office: ‘You’ll be retiring before you know it,'” Jones said. “I’m going to miss it.”

Tommy Glasscock is the 10th superintendent of education Jones has worked with (she worked with Frank Daniel during two different terms).

Jones was hired by Gordon Conway in 1970 as a secretary/clerk. She said workers’ roles at the central office weren’t as defined then.

Jones has experience in personnel, payroll and child nutrition—and has been the secretary, or administrative assistant, for the last six superintendents.

“I’ve worked in just about everything,” she said. “I’ve just met wonderful people. Every superintendent was unique in their own way. You had to kind of learn their personalities and what they expected, but they were all very gracious and kind.”

Jones grew up in Clanton but graduated from Isabella High School.

“My mom thought Clanton was a big school, and she wanted us to go to a small country school where there was less trouble you could get into,” Jones said.

Current Board of Education member Curtis Smith was principal at Isabella when Jones graduated. Then a Lockhart, she was part of a long line of siblings at Isabella. In fact, there was a Lockhart of some age at the school every year for about 30 years until the mid-1970s.

Jones graduated from Isabella on a Friday in 1967 and started work the following Monday at First National Bank in Birmingham. She said a supervisor told her that her application stood out because of her high school.

“She said she had been impressed with the other person who worked there who was from Isabella,” Jones said. “I thought that was a compliment to Isabella High School.”

After working at the bank for about three years, a 21-year-old Jones took a job with the Board of Education. She went back to the bank a few years later but then moved home to Clanton, working for Chilton-Shelby Mental Health for a couple of years before going back to the school system in 1976—this time for good.

“I was blessed to have a job here at home when our children were growing up,” Jones said.

Jones remembers the Board of Education office moving from the Chilton County Courthouse to its current location, which formerly was the site of Hatley nursing home, but she said the most significant change she’s seen in education has been technological advances.

“It’s been a gradual sort of thing, but technology has been so amazing,” she said.

In her retirement, Jones said she hopes to spend more time with her family, including more trips to New York to visit her son and four grandchildren.

The other school system retirees undoubtedly have similar plans.

They were treated to cake and other refreshments at the reception, and the chance to reflect on memories.

Glasscock told those in attendance at the event, which was co-hosted by the Chilton County Chamber of Commerce as a “Business After Hours,” that he was excited to be able to honor the retirees.

“It’s just a small token of our appreciation,” he said.

Chilton County Board of Education retirees included: Jones, Willie Mae White, Kay Pate, Tommie Nettles, Rebecca Blair, Deanna Roper, Donny Finlayson, Dianne Wilkins, Gerald Stamps, Brenda Bates, Sandy Pate, Warren Chaney, Regina Pierce, Paula Avery, Judy Hale, Elizabeth Peterson, Judy Walls, Kim Moore, Bobby Powers, Donna Velasquez, Ellen Bird, Linda Robinson, Deb Davis, Sandy Pierce, Jane Leach and Wayne Howell.