Mary Musick decided to follow her mother's footsteps into the education field. Musick received her bachelor’s in secondary education in mathematics and biology. So naturally, her first job was teaching English in Lee County in 1950.
Musick began her career in Fairfax County in 1952, and although she officially retired in 1999, she is still working part-time for the human resources department. Musick has also spent 18 years as an elementary-school principal, director of special programs and services, and personnel director of instructional employment services, among other things.
"I need to get up every morning. I like to keep abreast of what is gong on in the school system," Musick said. "If I wasn't working here, I would get a job at the dollar store."
In the process, Musick has become an unofficial historian on the Fairfax County Public School System. If people need to know something, they call her.
"I truly do see her as a pioneer," said Brad Draeger, assistant superintendent, Department of Human Resources. "Mary started at a time when Fairfax County was an all-white school system that was very segregated and women couldn't be pregnant."
It was that policy on pregnancy that brought Musick to Fairfax County. She had been filling in for a teacher on maternity leave and had seen an advertisement for teachers in Northern Virginia. Knowing the teacher would eventually come back and she would be out of a job, Musick applied to both the Fairfax and Arlington county school systems.
"When I came here, I had an interview with Fairfax and Arlington, and I took the job with Fairfax," she said. "I don't know why, but never regretted it."
OF ALL THE POSITIONS Musick has held in the school system, she spent the most continuous time as an elementary school principal, where she trained 13 assistant principals, 12 of whom went on to become principals of their own schools.
"In the schools, I felt the principalship was the most important job I had. It was very fulfilling," Musick said. "As principal, you have a lot of teachers and a lot of influence over children."
Musick gave up her principalship because at the time, Fairfax County offered principals 11-month contracts, and she wanted to begin saving for retirement. Problem is, Musick isn't actually interested in retiring.
"I've known her for about five years. She seems very interested in learning all types of new things," said Joseph Houston, coordinator of technology in the Human Resources Department. "Most people her age would be interested in just quitting and doing shuffleboard."
Since moving to the Human Resources Department, Musick has been involved in a number of projects, ranging from completing reports on recruitment to staff development projects, all of which have required her to keep up with the current technology.
"I had to study and learn," she said.
But she has no complaints. Although she and her husband, who is retired, take occasional trips, Musick prefers to be at work, where she intends to stay as long as she feels she can contribute.
"I leave the retirement things for my husband to do," she said.
DURING HER TENURE, Musick has helped develop many educational and developmental programs, such as the system's kindergarten program, evaluation by objectives, and a school-based management training program for new principals and assistant principals.
She has also proved to be extremely reliable, much to the dismay of her husband.
"I didn't miss a day of school from kindergarten through 12th grade, and I practically did the same as a teacher," Musick said. "When I was teacher, I had a couple weeks off, and we'd go driving through the National Parks. When I came here as the director of special programs, I didn't feel I should take more than a week at a time. He'd like to go on a trip every month."
Musick said she enjoys working at the Human Resources Department, and she makes sure to let her co-workers know she appreciates them.
"I have all kinds of knickknacks on my desk, and I'm not a knickknack kind of person. They're all from Mary," Houston said. "She brings people stuff, usually on holidays, but at times we really don't know what the occasion is."