ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MD -- On Wednesday, 26 Oct 2022, U.S. Army Aberdeen Test Center command group, employees and several guests met together to mark the retirement of one of ATC’s longest serving Federal employees. Ms. Brenda King, an Administrative Assistant within ATC’s Firepower Directive was officially retiring after 40 years of service to the nation.
King’s federal career started with the Social Security Administration in 1982 but shortly afterwards she transferred to work on Aberdeen Proving Ground as a clerk within the Materiel Testing Directorate or MTD. MTD changed its name to U.S. Army Aberdeen Test Center in 1995 while King continued to work and be promoted within the Firepower Directorate. Eventually she became the administrative assistant to 5 different Directorate Chiefs during her time with ATC.
“Brenda has always been our continuity within Firepower,” said current Firepower Directorate Chief Patrick Donohue. “I met her as a test officer when I first came here and I was blessed to have her as my own Administrative Assistant for the last couple of years as well,” he added.
“When we were working with the Governor of Maryland’s office for a commendation for her retirement, it came to us with a misspelling at first. They had labelled the certificate for a “Brenda Kind”…then we figured they must have known how kind she really was.” Donohue commented to the assembled personnel. “We did get the spelling fixed on the official certificate though!”
King was presented in addition to the MD Governor’s citation of community service; an Army Civil Service Retirement Certificate and 40-year federal service pin; an Army Civilian Service Commendation Medal and an Aberdeen Test Center Commander’s Coin by the Commander of the Test Center, Colonel Timothy E. Matthews.
“ATC is losing one of our nicest employees in Brenda,” said Col. Matthews. “Her 40 years of institutional knowledge and her willingness to aid other members of the command will be surely missed.
In addition to several memento gifts provided to King by her co-workers, one of the last gifts presented to her was a U.S. flag flown over the Pentagon on September 8th of this year which marked the 40th anniversary of her first day as a federal civilian employee back in 1982.
“These years (40) have gone by so quickly” King said to the assembled friends and family. “I remember when I first got here and was talking to my fellow team members in the office and I was hearing that they had been with the command for 3 years and 15 years each…And I thought to myself “How could anyone stay in one place like that for so long”….And here I am 40 years later!”
“I feel it’s a testament to how it’s really been a pleasure and a blessing to work with everyone here that allowed the years to fly by so quickly!”
King, originally a native of Arkansas but a resident of the Aberdeen and Baltimore area for many decades now plans to retire to spend more time with her family and her church choir.
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