Title: WHEN I RETIRE I’M GOING TO...

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Section/SPIG: Health Administration

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Shirley F. Randolph is a past chair of the Health Administration Section and served as chair of the APHA Executive Board and speaker of the Governing Council. She retired from the Illinois Department of Public Health on Dec. 31, 1991 as deputy director of public health. She is the recipient of several public health recognitions including the Section’s Exceptional Achievement in Public Health Administration Award, the Committee on Affiliates Award of Excellence, the APHA Executive Director’s Citation, the IPHA Distinguished Service Award, and the Illinois Department of Public Health’s Outstanding Leadership Award.

What a familiar phrase. How many times have you said it? I said it a lot before I took the big step and decided to accept the challenge of early retirement at the age of 55. My husband and my colleagues all thought I was fantasizing. Get real, they said. You have this powerful, key position as deputy director of the Illinois Department of Public Health. What more could you want? How are you going to fill the days after 26 years with the state and after being in the ranks of the employed for 35 years??? Let me count the ways, I responded. When I retire I’m going to (in priority order):


  • Sleep until at least 8 a.m. every day.

  • Begin the day by reading the newspaper over a cup or two of coffee.

  • Never do anything productive until at least 10 a.m.

  • Take a walk with the greyhounds every day.

  • Never travel on Mondays or Fridays.

  • Dabble in some consulting work.

  • Volunteer.



Nothing Ever Works Out Quite Like the Plan



I began accepting consulting assignments early in 1992 as soon as I returned from a week in Cuba as part of a trip planned by Marilyn Aquirre Molina for APHA Executive Board members. Other than short forays across the borders to Canada and Mexico, this was my first trip to a foreign country…and, an embargoed one at that! What a unique experience to begin my retirement!

Well, one thing led to another, as they say, and by early February I found myself with three consulting contracts and a five-day workweek….requiring travel some Mondays and some Fridays. Consulting was exciting and opened up a whole new array of interesting and productive activities.

Among the highlights of my first six years of retirement, both as a consultant and as a volunteer, I assisted the University of Illinois School of Public Health develop and implement a public health leadership institute and served on its staff; was president of the Illinois Public Health Association and Planned Parenthood, Springfield Area; acted as interim executive director for the Illinois Public Health Association; served as speaker of the APHA Governing Council; and served as a site reviewer for the accreditation of schools and programs for the Council on Education for Public Health.

Family First



Then, in mid-1998 critical family responsibilities required me to “drop out” for about three years. When I returned to active duty I once again served as interim executive director for the Illinois Public Health Association, was a geriatric mentor for medical students at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, and was elected APHA vice president.

Currently I am president of the Area Agency on Aging for Lincolnland, a 12-county area in central Illinois, and continue to serve on committees for the IPHA. I am also secretary of Family Planning Springfield Area, Planned Parenthood Springfield Area’s Foundation.

Is There a Public Health Life after Retirement?



Absolutely! The challenges will still be there and the opportunities to serve are numerous and varied. As I reflect on the contributions I have made since leaving full-time employment, I can honestly state that some of the most personally satisfying opportunities to serve have only been possible as a “retiree.” A prime example is my ability to accept leadership positions with Planned Parenthood. This could never have occurred as long as I had oversight of state and federal grant programs as a state official. Certainly, serving twice as interim executive director for the Illinois Public Health Association would not have happened had I not been in the ranks of the “retired.” And serving on staff for the Illinois Public Health Leadership Institute might never have occurred and I would have missed a truly amazing experience.

Advice From Someone Who Has Been There



My advice to all of you contemplating retirement is to embrace it and to look forward to the challenges and opportunities it will offer. Your world still needs you and your skills and commitment to the practice of public health. Public health professionals can accomplish much after retirement.

Take the initiative and look around. There are many ways to serve and many arenas to serve in. As for me, my next challenge will be to train as an Ombudsman to assist folks in long-term care facilities who have no one to advocate for them. Personal experience has led me to see for myself that those in LTC without an informed advocate are often times lost in the system.

Wishes Versus Reality



Well, in retrospect, my priority order for retirement quickly went the way of all good resolutions. The reality is that I’m lucky if the greyhounds let me sleep until 6:30 a.m. About half the time the newspaper doesn’t arrive until after coffee. The telephone starts ringing by 8:30 a.m. And, I still travel on Mondays and Fridays. I do dabble in consulting work, and I certainly do spend a lot of time in volunteer activities….and, oh yes, I do walk with the greyhounds daily.