A retirement party was held Thursday in the Geary County Courthouse in Junction City for Alice Adams.

Adams has been the Chief Clerk for the Eighth Judicial District since 2004 and has been with the District since 1980. Her last day with the district is Friday.

When asked what it was about her job that made it so easy to wake up in the mornings and come to she replied,” It was the challenge mostly.”

“I enjoyed the larger staff and I certainly like the people who work here,” Adams explained. “The job was different here, than the one I had before.”

Before becoming the Chief Clerk she worked in Council Grove as the Morris County Clerk of the District Court. Adams still resides in Council Grove and said she won’t miss the drive every day but she will miss the people.

“The people here are terrific,” she said.

The Honorable Michael Powers, Chief Judge, said that it will be difficult without Adams,”Alice is more than just an employee or staff member. She’s kind of an institution. She seems to know what to do and when to do it and a lot of people rely on her to make the right decision and she always has seemed to do just that.”

Due to a hiring delay finding her successor will take some time. The request to fill her position has been submitted to the office of Judicial Administration but approval could be 45 to 60 days away according to Cecil Aska, District Court Administrator.

“This is an essential position so I’m thinking that probably we’ll get permission to fill probably 45 to 60 days from now,” Aska said. It will be a state wide search and Aska is hoping by March 1st to have someone in place.

Adams’ plans in retirement seem pretty simple,”I’m going to spend more time with my family and pick up some projects that haven’t been done for a long time.”