The person known as the numbers guy for the Douglas County School District for more than 27 years retired June 30.
Some other numbers associated with retiring Director of Business Services Rick Kester: six-zero.
"For me, it's time," Kester said. "I'm going to be 60.
"I'm not leaving because I'm tired of the job, I'm leaving because it's the right time in my life. If not now, when?"
Kester was hired in 1979 as chief accountant to the school district.
"In 1980 he became the business manager and has served education in the most honorable fashion," said Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Rich Alexander. "He is truly an educator. He makes sure the district runs in the black and has educated us about the business side of the house. He contributed to education."
The school district's budget was $5 million when Kester started and is now at $80 million and has five more schools.
"We're the fourth-largest employer in Douglas County," he said. "A lot of people don't realize the size of the operation - 900 employees and 870,000 square feet of buildings.
"I hope they will remember, if you look at the choppy waters of school districts, I think the financial ship was right for the past 20 years," Kester said. "I'm proud that we remained firm, sound. It required foresight and hard work."
Retired superintendent John Soderman said he appreciated his friend's advice on business and education.
"Talk about knowing everything about the process of learning - he has a good way to cut through and sort things. He's also the guy with the candor to say, 'You failed miserably,'" said Soderman. "I was used to hearing it."
Kester was born in Kansas and grew up in Independence, Calif.
He went to the University of California, Los Angeles, on a full athletic scholarship for baseball, graduated in 1968 and signed a professional contract as a pitcher with the Atlanta Braves.
"I played a year and a half in the big leagues but hurt my arm in 1972," he said.
After that, he and wife Jean Kester built their home at Lake Tahoe and within a few years Kester was working for the Douglas County School District.
"First, I was chief accountant in the school district, then business manager when Assistant Superintendent Lou Hirschman retired," he said.
For the last 15 years Kester's been head of business services and handled transportation, food services, warehouses, computer services - all of the operational side of the district.
The Kesters have no plans to move out of the area after he retires.
"Jean and I have been all over the country during the baseball days," Kester said. "We like to camp. I'll relax for a while but if I find I need to do something to do, I'll do it."
Kester said he's glad he left the district in sound financial shape and ready for his replacement, Holly Luna.
"The facilities are in good shape and we're set for a reasonable transition," he said. "Holly is energetic and very bright and I have confidence she will do really well.
"I'll stay around for the transition to shorten the learning curve. Hopefully I can smooth the transition help her be successful," he said.
Kester said he didn't count down the days until retirement and the last year seemed to have gone by in about a month's time.
"When a movie's good and you're interested, it seems short," he said. "Almost 28 years seems like a short time - everything's gone by fast. Looking back I can say I enjoyed this job.
"I hope I was seen as a credible, hard-working and honest person who did a good job at what I was supposed to do - with common sense and a sense of humor.
"If I'd keep working, I'd stay here. I never did regret coming to work. If you wake up and want to come to work, you can tell you enjoy your job."
