Lyon staffer leaves ‘temporary’ job after 31 years

July 2, 2007

When Gayle Silberhorn came to work at Lyon College in 1976 so her children could attend Batesville schools, she intended to stay only a short while. But those plans soon changed.

"Thirty-one and a half years later, I’m still here," she said shortly before her retirement became official at the end of June.

Born and raised in Ohio, she grew up thinking she’d like to be a teacher, but going to college seemed like a goal that was out of her reach. After graduating from  high school, she immediately obtained an office job and within a few months became a private secretary. She stayed in that position for four years. During that time she married her first husband, Bob Bauders. When she left her job, it was to spend a year in Germany with her new husband. When they returned to the U.S., the couple had two children.

"If I couldn’t be a teacher, I wanted to be a mother," she said. "They were my pride and joy, but they’ve been replaced with grandchildren now."

Bob died in an accident and to help cope with that, Silberhorn taught Sunday school and took some courses from Kent State University extension for a year and half, maintaining a 4.0 grade point average.

Three and half years after Bob’s death, Silberhorn married her second husband and moved to Arkansas and lived out in the country.

"I was like Annie Oakley, guns and all," she said.

In January 1976, she took a job at the College as a word processing technician.

"Back then, I didn’t even know what that was," she said.

Kay Stice was already working in the word processing department when Silberhorn came aboard. When the department director left the job, Silberhorn became director, a job she performed for three years. When Silberhorn became director, Teresa Loggains came aboard to fill the position she left behind. Stice and Loggains are still with the college today.

In the following years, Silberhorn became director of Development Research, administrative coordinator to the vice president of Business and Finance and executive secretary of Aberdeen Development. Aberdeen was an entity created to develop the 1,500-acre Eagle Mountain property, and other "non-traditional investments" that the college owned at the time.

When the Board of Trustees voted to sell the property to the developers of the golf course, they dissolved Aberdeen and Silberhorn returned to her job as administrative coordinator to the vice president of Business and Finance.

Throughout her years at the college, Silberhorn has most enjoyed watching shy kids "blossom" into confident young adults.

"There are always some special students that just blossom here at Lyon," she said. "My biggest joy during my time here has been watching them develop into leaders."

Though she said she’ll miss the people she’s come to know and love at the college, Silberhorn is looking forward to retirement. She’ll remain active in the United Methodist Women and Family Violence Prevention, but she won’t be taking on any new duties for a while.

"I’m going to rest, get my energy back up, care for my parents and spend time with my little granddaughters," she said. "Eventually, I look forward to some traveling."

After so many years spent serving as administrative coordinator to the vice president for business and finance, Silberhorn has worked with several who filled the position, but says she’s glad Ken Rueter has stayed on the job as long as he has.

"I told Ken when he came to Lyon that I was tired of training VPs and that he had to stay until I left," she said. "And, by golly, he made it."

(Editor's Note: Gayle's last day at Lyon was June 29. Kay Rush is the new administrative coordinator to the vice president for business and finance. She formerly served as administrative coordinator for alumni and parent services.)