Three Eastern faculty members shared their experiences as teachers, co-workers and beyond as they prepare for their retirement and enter the next phase of life.

Each annuitant has pursued a different avenue during their career, but all served the community of students in an effort to help them prepare for their future.

Audrey Edwards, director of the integrated secondary education program, said her biggest accomplishment was learning how to individualize instruction for unprepared students and with disabilities.

Edwards informed people about the program, managed the admission process and taught three courses during her career at Eastern.

“I taught two sections of ISEP, a section of EDF 5510: Social Foundations of Education, and ISEP III,” she said.

Edwards said talking with the students and colleagues is among the things she will miss most. However, grading papers is not.

“I’ve graded each assignment about 100 times,” she said.

Edwards said she accomplished more than she planned for, including: earning a doctorate, becoming a professor and publishing a book.

Although she planned to teach for a few more years, Edwards decided to retire because of the state’s financial situation.

“I wanted to lock in my pension benefits before things get worse,” she said.

Since retirement, Edwards said she has time

to think about what she wants to do with the rest of her life.

“Until now I’ve been too busy to think about it,” she said.

Trying to not dribble oatmeal down the front of his shirt is one of the goals Jeffery Lynch has for retirement.

Lynch, former interim dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, said he has several plans for the future, like going to his beach house and training for the Iron Man Triathlon in 2012.

An employee at Eastern for 34 years, Lynch said he will miss his colleagues the most.

“My colleagues are enormously gifted teachers, scholars and artists whose energy fed me each day,” he said.

While retirement is the new stage of life, Joseph Heumann, a film studies professor, said he is very active in his research, and that his plans include continuing work on his book.

Heumann and Robin Murray, an English professor, have been working together the past eight years on several books in film studies.

“As a professor. there is always something new to examine, discuss, analyze,” he said.

Heumann, who taught at Eastern since August 1976, said Eastern is a really good place to work.

“I had a good time teaching and doing my work here,” he said.

Teaching never gets old, Huemann said, because teachers have to stay fresh with present relevant things appealing to the students and be aware student’s interest change over time.

While he will miss working with students, Heumann said he will not miss departmental meetings.

Heumann said though retirement is coming soon, he couldn’t predict his future because it has not happened yet.

Other retiring faculty recognized for their service on campus include: Judith Barford, Katherine Bartel, Suzan Braun, Janet Cosbey, Scott A.G.M. Crawford, Doug DiBianco, Jean Dilworth, William Fischer, Vince Gutowski, Michael Havey, Peter Hesterman, Mary Lou Hubbard, Yunus Kathawala, John Dodge Kilgore, Roann Kopel, Johnson Kuma, Stephen Laribee, Gail Lockart, Carl Lorber, Joe Martin, Gail Mason, Pat McCallister, Christine McCormick, Tim Mills, Matthew Monippallil, Karen Nantz, John Oertling, David Radavich, Alberta Reed, Greg Ronnse, J Sain, William Searle, Leonard Storm, James Stratton and Barbara Walker.

Rashida Lyles-Cowan can be reached at 581-7942 or DENmanaging@gmail.com.