Today marks the last day Red Level Elementary School Librarian Susan Rodgers will get on her golf cart and travel a short distance to her job.

Rodgers has spent the last 35 years as an elementary school teacher and elementary school librarian.

A native of Red Level and a graduate of the school, the only time she hasn’t been a part of the school was her time in college and three years she spent teaching at South Butler Academy in Georgiana.

“Red Level is like a second home to me,” she said. “I loved the convenience of being close to the job.”

“I taught first grade for 13 years,” she said.

Rodgers said the library program was in danger of closing and she said she’d love to be the librarian and it just took off from there.

“I enjoyed teaching, but children and circumstances changed,” she said. “There was more paperwork, and I have always loved books.”

The school board let her work as the librarian while getting her master’s degree in library science.

“It was just meant to be,” she said. “I’ve loved the library experience.”

The biggest change she’s seen is the move to automation in the library.

“You don’t know how much I kicked and screamed,” she said. “I didn’t know a lot about computers. We didn’t have computers when I came through. It’s been wonderful, though. It was a pivotal point.”

After retirement, Rodgers said she’s going to do all the things she’s put off doing for the last 30-something years.

“I’m going to work in the yard,” she said. “I want to do whatever comes to mind.”

Rodgers is married to Jimmy Rodgers, who serves on the school board and they have one son, Michael, who works for The Gadsden Times.