The executive assistant to the Dean of Social Sciences and a Brock employee for more than 36 years is retiring.

Carol-Ann Farinacci of St. Catharines will work her last day on Feb. 24. Farinacci has worked here since 1968, and in retirement, plans to do more reading, volunteering and fulfilling a lifelong goal to stand on both coasts of Canada.

Brock had been open four years when Farinacci was hired as a clerk to the director of Continuing Education. She served in that role for six and a half years before she took time off to raise her two children.

She returned to Brock in 1981, working part-time in admissions in the Registrar’s office. Future positions saw her co-ordinating involved in Convocation preparation, working for the Dean of Business, and becoming a secretary in the accounting and finance departments in the Faculty of Business for about eight years. For the last seven, she has worked for the Dean of Social Sciences, first under with Dean David Siegel and now under with Tom Dunk.

Farinacci was “one of the most hard-working and conscientious people I have ever had the pleasure of working with,” Siegel said.

“There are a lot of pressures and crises in the dean’s office. I never once saw her lose her cool.”

Moving around the University has exposed Farinacci to a lot of different roles and co-workers.

“It hasn’t been boring,” she said. “I haven’t had any mundane jobs.”

Farinacci’s husband, Seby, retired last year after 19 years as a maintenance mechanic at Brock. In her retirement, she plans to travel, spend time with her grandchildren, volunteer and read.

“I will not miss having to get up at 6:30 in the morning,” she said. “But as cliché as it sounds, I’ll miss the people.”

There will be a farewell party for Farinacci from 3 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 15 at Alphie’s. RSVP to Jo Stewart by Feb. 10.