This year Chancellor Nick Dunagan will lose a great asset to his office. Administrative assistant Shelby Webb will be retiring on May 31 after 41 years of service to UTM.

“I have only one regret and that is that I will not be here when my eldest grandson starts college in the fall,” Webb says.

When asked what she plans on doing after retiring she says, “Whatever. My husband has been retired for eight years so we can go to the lake and fish, maybe do a little traveling. I have five grandchildren so I can spend time with them, too.”

She first began working for the university when she was 23 years old. She started as the secretary to the Dean of Women, and then went on maternity leave to have her second child. On returning to the university she worked at the Women’s Residence Hall until 1989 when she began working for Dunagan. She has remained with him ever since.

Dunagan describes her, “She’s calm, smooth, and she’s just wonderful. The university will miss her.”

Some of her specific duties are correspondence, scheduling, filing, organizing special events, and answering the phone. She laughs about one phone call, “I have had calls from people telling me the swimming pool is too cold.”

“We have mixed emotions. She’s such an asset to the office, but it’s important to spend time with your family so it’s a good move for her,” said cowork Dorthy Gillon.

Webb has already started to write a list of advice for the replacement so they will be better prepared to take over.

“There are a lot of fond memories here. The university is a wonderful place to work. It’s what we are all about, educating young people.”

Kelly Stewart, Becky Parnell and Ashley Mansfield contributed to this report.