Veteran bus driver to retire

ASHLAND, Ill. — School bus driver Nancie Klein, who turns 81 on Sunday, will retire this week after serving students at A-C Central Unified School District (CUSD) #262 for nearly 39 years.

Formerly involved in farming, Klein’s career as a school bus driver began when she was looking for a part-time job while one of her three children was in high school, The State Journal-Register reports.

“A friend said, ‘You could never drive a school bus,’ and I thought, if I can drive a farm truck, I can drive a school bus,” Klein told the news source.

Klein has transported several generations of kids since taking on that challenge in Sept. 1971, including former students’ children and grandchildren, and has taken an active interest in their lives.

She told The State Journal-Register that she will miss the routine and the children.