It ain't over 'til it's over ... but it's over.

There must be a hundred old sayings and cliches in America. If you have been reading my columns in this publication, you probably think that I have borrowed them all. Nonetheless, with this, my final column, I seek your indulgence in the use of just one more. Sadly, it's a one-liner that's accurate yet among my favorites: "The older you get, the faster the time flies."

This adage is certainly the case regarding my elected service to AASA, for it seems like just last week that Paul Houston swore me in as our association's 137th president. Given the conditions of my unexpectedly early calling, the event of my oath was rather nondescript and appropriately so, given the circum stances. However, I would like to think that my time in the forefront was at least a little more vibrant. I know that I gave it my best. As I noted in last month's column, let me be clear on this: AASA's apparently more stable landscape is a credit to many individuals and I want to use my remaining space to pay tribute to them.

The AASA senior and junior staff consists of 40 exemplary employees. Led by industry leader Paul Houston, their offices are located on North Quincy Street in Arlington, Va. However, their hearts and minds are centered in the 15,000 public school districts that are sprinkled throughout our nation. Many of their names you have heard individuals such as Bruce, Judy, Sharon, C.J. and Dyanne. Other individuals carry less visible names but their work is no less valuable. They include Sherri, Shirley, Chris, Jay, Marilynn, Calvin and once upon a time Donna.

AASA's Executive Committee is another group of consummate educators. From the outside looking in, the role of an Executive Committee member appears to consist of traveling to America's most charming cities, lodging in grand hotels and dining in great restaurants. And you know what? Those things are true. But from the inside looking out, AASA Executive Committee members seldom see the sunlight, spending most of their time confined to meeting rooms, and rarely enjoy the lodging. The fatigue of business agendas often demands a double-digit hourly obligation. I am proud to have served with them, each and every one. Future Executive Committees and members of AASA's new Governing Board have big shoes to fill.

As many of you are aware, an all-too-frequent curse of being the president of AASA is the loss of one's "real job." if you approach the responsibility of AASA leadership with intensity, and I have tried to do that, the hours spent attending to AASA matters while at home in tandem with the days out of the school district have been politically consequential for many of my predecessors. That I have held my superintendency for the nearly two years of my presidency is in large part due to the quality of the committed staff members who work in the Troy, Mo., R-III School District and in larger part still to the credit of the men and women who serve and have served on the board of education there. They care about kids, and they not only understand but also embrace the need to advocate for children beyond the borders of a local school district.

Finally, and by far most importantly, I want to pay tribute to my wife Lou Ann. She has been my counselor, my personal psychiatrist and my confidant. Her indirect contributions to AASA are beyond measure but within the bounds of recognition. To that end and admittedly in violation of the promise I made in this column's opening, I'm going to use one more clich6. It really will be the last one: "Behind every good man there is a good woman."

Thank you all for the privilege of service.