What started out as a temporary office job turned into a long, fulfilling career for Macomb resident Rose Elam. A native of Avon, Elam started working at Western Illinois Regional Council (WIRC) in Macomb in 1978. Now, after 44 years of dedicated service, she is ready to retire.
For the majority of her time at WIRC, Elam served as the agency’s Administrative Assistant. She was initially hired as a temporary worker to type reports for a community development project, and she fondly remembers using a bulky IBM typewriter to do the job. “It was a challenge that I enjoyed,” said Elam. “While I was working on that assignment, the agency’s secretary resigned. I applied for her position and the rest is history.”
As the Administrative Assistant, Elam worked in some capacity with each employee in every department at WIRC, which has grown considerably since she started her career there. WIRC & Community Action Agency now has over 40 employees. Elam says she will miss the staff and the busy-ness of the day at WIRC. She will not miss answering the many telephone calls each day, writing minutes, and leaving the house in the morning to go to work on zero-degree days!
