COLUMBUS -- Elaine Mossman is giving herself a sweet 16th birthday present this year -- retiring from a 46-year career in the Platte County Courthouse.
She began working in the county school superintendent’s office in 1962 and will finish her last few weeks on vacation from her position in the Platte County Highway Department before her final retirement in April.
Mossman jokes about her leap-year birth date -- Feb. 29 -- and laments the days when renewing her driver’s license was easier to remember.
“It was always nice when the driver’s license renewal was every four years, because my birthday is a very easy one to remember,” Mossman said.
Her career with Platte County began about a year after her graduation from high school. She worked in the Platte County School Superintendent’s office until 1985 when the school consolidation movement in the county made it clear the office would eventually be closed.
“The county school superintendent office was on its way out, so I applied for a job with the highway department and got it,” Mossman said. “The other office didn’t close then for a couple of years, but I was glad I got the job here in the highway department.”
Mossman’s daily duties through the years have consisted of bookkeeping, filing, finance and budgets and office maintenance for the highway department. What kept her coming back every day was the variety of the work.
“I’ve loved the work,” Mossman said. “I’ve enjoyed it here because it’s never the same from day to day. Every day is different. It’s been challenging and never boring.”
Mossman said her greatest challenge early on was learning the jargon of the department. She was already familiar with the location of county roads and the layout of the county through her job with the school superintendent’s office.
In 1989, Mossman completed the work and passed the test to become a licensed highway superintendent. Four years ago the state legislature made adjustments to the license procedure and created a Class A and Class B license.
The Class A license requires continued education, but because her retirement was drawing near, Mossman opted for a Class B license which does not include the continuing education component.
Her current official tittle is deputy/clerk of the Platte County Highway Department.
Mossman said her most common interaction with the public is hearing residents’ concerns about snow-covered roads in the winter and soft roads in the spring. She said she also processes utility and culvert applications for residents who are making improvements that will impact the county’s roadways.
Mossman’s plans for her retirement include working on genealogy projects, golfing and other hobbies.
She’s also working to complete a project she’s has doing for the Platte County Historical Society, which includes the history of Platte County school districts, the dates they were established and closed and a listing of all school board members since 1907.
The first part of the project was to map out the locations of all the school districts.
This portion is currently on display at the Platte County Museum.
“Finishing the list of school board members will keep me busy for awhile, and then I’ll think about doing a list of all the teachers who have taught,” Mossman said.
Retirement activities are all good and well, but Mossman has no plans for the rocking chair just yet.
She also is looking at the possibility of a part-time private sector job that would bring her back to the courthouse.
Maybe this will turn into a second career measured again in four-year increments with the passing of future leap years.
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