On March 3, biology teacher Bing Holling, math teacher Jack Bradford and physics and chemistry teacher Gary Freebury, all with more than 25 years of teaching in District 5, announced their retirement at a school board meeting. For the teachers, there was no specific reason to retire, but all felt it was time to go. Holling has been teaching for School District 5 for 26 years, at Linderman, Kalispell Junior High and Flathead High. His wife, who works at Glacier Bank, is also retiring. “We’re building a house in Arizona,” said Holling. “We’re going to go down there for the winter and play golf.” Bradford plans to travel with his wife — an elementary teacher, who is retiring from Elrod — and their friends, who have been persuading the Bradfords to retire. “A lot of our friends are retired and they’re always telling me and my wife that we’ve got to retire, but retirement can be a hard decision,” said Bradford. “You also leave a lot of good friends behind.” Rather than a peer pressure situation, Freebury came to the decision based on his sense of time. He plans to go fishing and golfing, as well as visit his children. “I felt like 39 years was enough,” said Freebury. “I didn’t want it to become a job. Monday is no different from Friday; everyday is a great day and I don’t want to lose that.” |
