By Sue Kiesewetter
Enquirer contributor

FAIRFIELD - In the past 30 years, Cathy Milligan has watched from the middle of it all as the Fairfield Schools changed from a rural to suburban school district.

She has seen the cornfields and dairy farms along Nilles Road change to subdivisions and businesses. She has watched the district grow from 5,355 students her senior year to 9,322 this fall.

First as a student, then teacher and finally administrator, Mrs. Milligan, 51, observed and then participated in the transformation.

But by year's end Mrs. Milligan will quietly step aside as assistant superintendent, handing the reigns to Lynn Kitchen, whom she's worked with since August. The 1969 Fairfield High School graduate is retiring after spending her entire career in education - 30 years - in the Fairfield Schools.

"I will miss the people,'' Mrs. Milligan said. "This was a quality-of-life decision. My husband, Sam, retired from teaching five years ago. I want to partner with my husband to take the next step in life together.''

That step will include volunteer work at Cornerstone United Methodist Church, reading and working in her garden. It will also mean spending more time with her daughters, Katie, a junior at Lakota West High School, and Cara, a junior at Ohio Northern University.

"Right now re-employment is not on my horizon,'' said Mrs. Milligan. "I'm looking forward to not having the schedule and demands of a school administrator.''

Thursday, the community will say goodbye during a reception from 4:30-6:30 p.m. in the high school's Performing Arts Center.

"Cathy is like a living legend here. She's had such a positive impact on so many lives - students, parents, teachers and administrators,'' said Superintendent Robert Farrell. "I think people admire Cathy because she is so giving, so hardworking, so knowledgeable, and she has impeccable integrity.''

Mrs. Milligan said she's enjoyed her behind-the-scenes problem-solving role, taking a concept, working with a team, working out the details and making the concept a reality. "I've never aspired to be a superintendent. I'm not a good out-front person. I'm better behind the scenes.''

Mrs. Milligan said she's watched as educators shifted their focus from classrooms of students to the needs of the individual child.

Teachers are often more involved with parents, who now ask more questions. They teach in partnership with each other and the community.

"We (educators) used to put information out there. You knew some of the kids would get it, some wouldn't - that's just the way it was. But with accountability now, every child has to get it,'' Mrs. Milligan said.