Blair Brandt '06

Registrar Carolyn Allbee has decided to call it quits after a career of 31 years in education, 13 of which she has spent at Deerfield.

As the registrar. Ms. Allbee has processed grade reports and other statistical information, kept records, and dealt with endless calls from concerned parents. Scheduling is an important part of her job, and she has told hundreds of new students how to manage their schedules: a process she affectionately termed "re-educating."

Students see Ms. Allbee to revise their course schedules. Serving as the link between the administration and students, Ms. Allbee insures the fluidity of the process.

"The biggest change that I have seen in my time here is the use of technology," said Ms. AlIbee. When she first started, the academic dean's office used a blackboard in one of the math rooms to create a master schedule for the year and keep track of individual student's schedules. Now, with the institution of Blackboard, students can sign up for courses with the help of their advisors.

Ms. Allbee grew up in Vermont and attended Brattleboro High School. She married her high school sweetheart and went on to raise four daughters. She earned an associate degree in general studies from the Community College of Vermont and spent eighteen years working at a small public high school.

Ms. Allbee has enjoyed her time here as registrar. However, she has grown weary after many years of a long commute. Living in Vermont, she makes a daily, eighty-four-mile, roundtrip commute. "It's hard to keep making the commute when I have eight grandchildren nearby in Vermont and many hobbies and interests at home," Ms. Allbee said.

Those hobbies include travel, caring for her garden, and most of all, painting. "My real passion is art," Ms. Allbee said. She has been particularly involved with pastels, watercolors, oil paintings, and calligraphy. She has sold her paintings at "one woman shows" and has given others to family members and friends.

For now, there is no replacement for Ms. Allbee after her retirement. However, a committee will soon find applicants and select a replacement.

Ms. Allbee looks at her retirement not as an ending, but as a commencement. "I am anxious to get started on the next chapter of my life."