PORTLAND, Tenn. (WTVF) — Teresa Keen spent nearly five decades inside Portland City Hall, and leaving isn't easy.
"Very hard to think about that… I've been here so long I feel like a fixture… it's kind of like cutting your arm off," Keen said.
For 49 years and three months, she was the person co-workers turned to when they needed answers.
"They go over to Teresa and they say, 'Hey, by chance do you remember what we did...,'" said Portland Mayor Mike Callis.
Her memories stretched back to a time when city work looked very different.
"We had barely graduated from using the cigar box for the cash when I came to work," Keen said.
Most tasks were done by hand in those early days.
"We handwrote all the utility bills," Keen said.
As Portland grew, Keen watched the city and its people change along with it.
"A lot of people moved in… you don't know everybody anymore," Keen said.
Through it all, she said she wanted to leave behind one legacy — commitment.
"They don't owe me anything… I've done the best I knew to do," Keen said.
Keen plans to continue volunteering at her church and wants to spend more time in her garden this summer.
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