Friends, co-workers, residents celebrate retirement with Aldrich

 

By Shawn Cunningham
© 2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC

More than 120 friends, co-workers, relatives and Chester residents turned out at the American Legion on Saturday night to celebrate Town Clerk Debbie Aldrich’s retirement after 42 years.

Aldrich began working as an assistant town clerk in April 1983 and became town clerk when Sandy Walker retired in 2005. She has also served as town treasurer for 15 years and will continue in that post part time.

See related story: Chester Clerk Aldrich to step aside, but not too far away. 

A photo board at the entrance featured Aldrich at work, on vacation and sporting a vast array of Halloween costumes that seems to have been especially important at Town Hall. Guests enjoyed a large buffet and then – after talking a bit about her relationship with Aldrich – Assistant Town Clerk Amie Record asked those gathered if they had remembrances they wanted to share.

Those who rose to the prompt told stories of Aldrich’s calm as a driver for the Chester Ambulance service, her work ethic and capacity for fun; and more than one spoke of the need for extra cargo capacity when traveling with her. Aldrich’s granddaughter Finn spoke of the future though, looking forward to spending more time with her grandmother.

When Aldrich took the microphone, she reminisced about her years at work, which she said could be a “lot of fun” but she allowed that not everyone who came through the door was a pleasure to deal with. She said that staying calm and holding her temper in check was the best course — although not one she always followed.

Figuring that any of her stories were beyond the statute of limitations, Aldrich told of Halloween pranks the Town Hall staff played on other town employees with Ken Barrett as their driver. In addition to friends and family, Aldrich thanked her co-workers, noting that Amie Record will make a very good town clerk. The Select Board appointed Record for one year as town clerk beginning April 30. ; she can then stand for election in March 2026.  The Town Clerk post is no longer elected.

When she finished, the crowd stood to applaud Aldrich.