When she started working at CMR 30 years ago, Carolyn Lawhon didn’t anticipate being  at the school for this long.

                “I talked to the principal and filled out an application, then was hired. I didn’t plan on staying long, I worked because I needed to,” Lawhon said. “My husband was ill. He died, and between insurance and this job, it was a lifesaver.

                While working here, Lawhon has had the same job. She has done laundry, patched uniforms, and made things for athletic teams, all from her room in the fieldhouse.

According to Lawhon, at first she only did laundry, but when she saw the need for other things, she did them.

                “The uniforms had rips, so I would take them home and patch them. The trainer at the time saw this, and thought it would be a good job addition. I went from working five hours to eight, and got a sewing machine,” she said.

                Lawhon’s work doesn’t stop when school does.

                “I clean towels for town tournaments. Pretty much anything that happens in the fieldhouse, I help out with,” Lawhon said.

                Lawhon is retiring this year.

                “I’ll be 70 years old, it’s time to be with family,” she said. “They don’t live in town, so I can travel and go see them.”

                Besides traveling, Lawhon has some other plans for retirement.

                “I have a bucket list. I want to see more of Montana. I want to see my granddaughters, and I want to adopt a dog,” she said.

                According to Lawhon, she doesn’t have a best memory, but she will never forget the people.

                “I’ll be in Seattle and see a face, and I’ll recognize them from CMR. I don’t know their name, but I know the face. If they came into the fieldhouse for a significant amount of time, I don’t forget their face.”