Carol Hauser Retires

Enjoy it.
That’s the advice Carol Hauser, support services bureau manager for the Kernersville Police Department (KPD), has for her successor as Hauser closes a four decades-long chapter of her life.
Hauser, who has been a part of the KPD family since 1975, is retiring just shy of her 41st year with the department. Her last day in the office will be Wednesday, Dec. 16.
“Just enjoy it as much as I have,” Hauser said last week as she reflected on a career that was more than just a job for so many years of her life.
Hauser first came to work for the KPD when she was 18-years-old. The local law enforcement agency was a 13-member department at that time and hers was a new secretarial position provided by federal grant money.
She worked as then Chief Grady H. Stockton’s secretary. In October 1976, the job became permanent and Hauser was hired on full-time.
Things were different back then. The police department really didn’t have a records division, and it was Hauser’s responsibility to organize the KPD’s records. Back then, everything was handwritten and Hauser had to type up each and every crime report in triplicate.
“There were 100 tally sheets and someone said, ‘Here, do this,’” Hauser recalled with a laugh just a few short years ago when she was named the KPD’s Civilian Employee of the Year. “I didn’t know what a crime report was.”
Over the years, as the department grew, so did Hauser’s job. Her position became more than just a secretary to the chief. It took on an administrative role that has become one of the most diverse in the KPD, seeing her work under four police chiefs in all.
“It’s always been a diverse position. It’s also one of the hardest to answer when someone asks, ‘What do you do,’” she said in that same interview.
Hauser will leave the KPD this month as the Town’s longest serving employee, but she knows the department is in good hands. Natalie McGhee will move into Hauser’s position and Hauser has no doubt that the transition will go smoothly.
“This department has a wonderful future ahead of it,” Hauser said.
How long had Hauser been considering retirement? She could have retired after 30 years, she said, but wondered then what she would do to fill her days. That’s not the case anymore. Now it’s time.
“I’ve always been told, ‘You’ll know when it’s time,’” Hauser said. “I am at the place in my life where I want to have an opportunity for me. This will be my time.”
Hauser plans to spend more time doing things she enjoys most. That includes working in and around her house on projects she never had time to start before, working outside in the garden and spending time with her three grandchildren, one of whom lives here in Kernersville and the other two in Roanoke.
“Life is about your family and your friends and I am looking forward to having the opportunity to have the freedom to move,” she continued.
As much as Hauser is looking forward to embarking on a new journey, she is proud of her time at the KPD.
“It was such a great opportunity working here as far as the personal and professional growth, the trust and support I received from my bosses and the Town, and just to be able to grow with the department,” Hauser said of what is now an 89-employee agency. “I feel like I have been such a huge part of watching this department grow. I was blessed to be part of a high-energy and efficient team over the years.”
What will Hauser miss the most?
“I am going to miss the laughter and the hilarious conversations I’ve had with my coworkers over the years,” Hauser smiled. “It’s a family. It makes the severity of what we do more bearable. It’s been fun and I have cherished memories.”