When Ken Abraham finished his bus route this week, it marked the end of a 37 year career as the director of transportation for the Becker School District.
Sitting behind the desk in the office he has occupied for so many years, he recalled that the district had 15 busses and one van in service on the day he started, with 12 routes transporting around 550 students to and from school each day. That represents quite a contrast to the 23 routes, 10 vans and 3,100 students transported in the present day.
Abraham is a graduate of Sartell High School, and was employed there as a custodian and bus mechanic before being offered the transportation director position at Becker. He has four children from a first marriage, and has three step-sons with his wife Mary, who has been a bus driver in Becker for the past 27 years, and there are six grandchildren in the picture as well.
He has seen many changes in his long career, he said, especially the growth of the district campus and the ever-increasing number of students. He has worked for six different superintendents in his time as well, he said, including Jim Mantzke, Steve Dooley and current Supt. Dr. Stephen Malone.
“It’s been a good run,” Abraham said, and having had good people to work with in both the transportation and administration “made the job that much easier.” He also enjoyed having an encyclopedic knowledge of the job and the department during his long run with the district. “Some of the drivers thought I had ESP,” he laughed, “because I could answer a question from out on the road even before they finished asking it.”
He expects that he will take some time to get used to a new schedule in retirement, since he will no longer have to wake up at 4:30 a.m. to check on road conditions and other transportation issues each day. Some travel is also on the new agenda, Abraham said, with a trip to Alaska and a visit to the East Coast being near the top of the list, especially since his wife is also considering retirement. Old habits die hard, though, and he said he is usually up by 6 a.m. even on days off.
A motorcycle may also be in the works. He had owned a Honda Gold Wing® touring bike in the past, he said, which he had converted into a three-wheel road machine on his own. With his obvious gift for mechanical work, building another one is a consideration for the future. He also purchased a snowmobile last year, and plans to do more riding next season now that he has the time.
He has not taken up golf as of yet, he said, but did note that he does live next to a golf course, so anything is possible in that regard.
Abraham said he has been cleaning out his office for some time now, sorting and deciding what to do with the memorabilia of a long career and leaving the next director with a “clean sheet” as he takes over the position.
Though he is moving on, Abraham does not rule out a return engagement behind the wheel if the district finds itself short of drivers in the future.
Customer satisfaction is key to any business, and the reaction of the students on his route this week tells the story better than words. They had created a large “Happy Retirement” card themselves, telling Abraham how much they enjoyed having him as their bus driver, and especially hearing his catch-phrase of: “Let’s sit down so we can rock and roll!”
Their gift also included a massive bag of peanut M&M’s®, Abraham’s favorite candy.
