Amy Hamilton to Retire after More than 40 Years at the Bedford Recreation Department

Amy Hamilton will conclude her more than 40 years with the Bedford Recreation Department when she retires, effective May 31.

Hamilton, 59, was named the town’s director of recreation in 2003.

Asked why she has decided to step aside, she said simply, “It’s time – I’ve been doing this a long time.”

Emily Mitchell, Select Board chair, acknowledged in an email Hamilton’s decades of involvement, “with thousands of residents benefiting from the programs she directed and supported. The Select Board extends congratulations and best wishes to Amy on her retirement.”

“I will miss working with Amy on a day-to-day basis, but I am so happy for her as she embarks on her next chapter,” said Town Manager Sarah Stanton. “I join others in offering Amy congratulations on her well-earned retirement and gratitude for her many years of invaluable service to the town of Bedford.”

Hamilton, a 1980 Bedford High School graduate, began her association with the department as a volunteer coach and referee while a student.

She joined Director Frank Bauman as a full-time staff member in 1989 and succeeded him as director when he retired in 2003. Bauman was Bedford’s first director of recreation, starting in 1972. “I told Frank I would stay for one year –I always laugh when I think about that statement,” she recalled, adding, “It seems like yesterday.”

“I have business and education degrees and I always thought I wanted to run a small business,” Hamilton said. “This turned out to be a really good fit.”

She reflected on “all of the things that were done, all of the experiences” during the past 20 years, naming examples like the skate park, the former youth center, and Kids’ Club.

But Hamilton stressed that it has been “the people that have been the most incredible part of this job – employees, vendors, parents, kids. And all of those volunteers – they have been like co-workers.”

Hamilton said she is still formulating post-retirement plans. She said if needed she will be available to help with the transition and the busy summer season.

Mike Rosenberg can be reached at [email protected], or 781-983-1763