June Everson was on the ground floor when Treehaven, one of three University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP) field stations, was opened in the mid-1980s.

She was a young "60" when first hired part time in 1986. At the time, Treehaven had only been operational for a year. But it did not take long for the field station to grow and by 1988 she was its full-time office manager.

"I love Treehaven so much that this has been a very difficult decision to retire," said Everson. "This is the best job I ever had and I hoped to stay until they had to carry me out, but I think the time is right for me to move on." In 2001 she received the CNR Outstanding Contributor Award.

What had been a one-person operation when Everson was first hired is today a three-person office operation. A native of Washington, Everson and her husband, Art, spent 25 years in Alaska before relocating to Wisconsin in the early 1980s. Her son-in-law, Ray Everson, was employed at Treehaven when Everson joined the staff. Today he oversees site maintenance at Treehaven.

While in Alaska, Everson worked for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in Anchorage in a variety of administrative positions. In fact, she met her husband while working at the FAA in the early 1970s. They subsequently moved to Gleason in 1977 before relocating to Rhinelander a few years later.

Everson will stay in Harrison Township, just south of Rhinelander, with her husband. She plans to visit her oldest daughter, Vicki, in San Diego every so often while her other daughter, Li, lives just down the road. Her son, Alan, lives in Dallas. In addition, she hopes to volunteer at Treehaven, as well as for Calvary Baptist Church and Christian Youth in Rhinelander. Everson worked at both Calvary Baptist and Christian Youth in the early 1980s.

"I do know I won�t be sitting in a rocking chair because I don�t even have one!"

She also has begun to transcribe her late father�s diaries as a worker along the Alaska\Canadian Highway.

Her retirement will be effective February 20.