CRESTVIEW — Friends, family and colleagues paid tribute Monday to retiring Library Director Jean Lewis at a special City Council meeting.
But, Lewis said, though she's retiring, neither the Crestview Public Library nor the community has seen the last of her.
"I'm going to continue my summer reading program at Carver-Hill, and I'm going to continue volunteering at No Child Left Behind," Lewis said. "My library days are not over. I'm going to continue to be a library patron and maybe a volunteer."
Spending more time with her family is also high on her list.
"My great granddaughter is going to be 1 year old so I'm definitely going to be visiting Baltimore," Lewis said. "And I definitely want to do some traveling."
Lewis was librarian at the Eglin Air Force Base Library until the city hired her more than 10 years ago.
Colleagues from the Okaloosa County Public Library Cooperative and member libraries took turns praising Lewis.
"It's tough for us to say good bye, but we're library folks and we're very flexible and we embrace change," Mary Esther Library Director Sheila Ortyl said. "I've learned so much from Jean …. Her work and good humor inspire us to revel in our accomplishments. We're grateful for her wisdom."
Lewis' colleagues praised her dignity and gentle demeanor.
"She's been a very calming effect on this old scallywag," Fire Chief Joe Traylor said self-deprecatingly. "Every now and then she has to kick me in the shin and say, 'Maybe you shouldn't say that."
"I'm going to really miss your calming character," Public Works Director Wayne Steele said. "Especially during the sometimes heated moments of budget planning."
"She is a true professional," Mayor David Cadle said.
Lewis' daughter, Jill Lewis-Daggs, said her mother poured her heart into improving the city's library.
"She gave you guys everything, because she loves the library and she loves Crestview," Lewis-Daggs said.
"There is always so much happening at the Crestview library," Ortyl said. "You have made that place a lively center of learning."
"I'm really, really proud to be your librarian," Lewis said.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Retiring Crestview library director honored at special council meeting