“Ive got a grandaughter in California and one in Alabama and they both play basketball, so im going to be visiting,” Linda Douglas said of her post-retirement plans.
Matt Lamb | Daily Journal
ROCKINGHAM — Walk in the front door of the historic Richmond County Courthouse, hang the first left, and in the back left corner, you’ll find Linda Douglas.
Douglas has worked for the county in the Register of Deeds office since July 1990. After 33 years of service, she is hanging up her pen and retiring from her position on June 30.
Born and raised in Richmond County, Douglas has lived through some of the most pivotal changes in the county’s history. In ninth grade, segregation was struck down and Douglas left the Leak Street School to integrate into Rockingham High School. Douglas said the change was tough, but she made lifelong friendships when she transitioned schools.
Responsible for issuing birth and death certificates, deeds, separation agreements and powers of attorney, Douglas has been at the helm of the register of deeds office since 2008, after being appointed by the Richmond County Democratic Party.
At a time when job-hopping is commonplace, Douglas has had a lifetime of staying power. “This is an office that people stay, usually they get in and stay, just like the tax office, most people stay,” she said. Douglas attributes some of her longevity to the county itself.
“The county has done better about our benefits and the pay is better,” Douglas said. “I think that’s what keeps folks now, the benefits are good, and the pay is good.”
Douglas says the implementation of technological advancements has drastically changed her job.
“When I came to work here, we did everything by hand. We wrote in every book, we did everything by hand, we recorded by hand. Now everything is on the computer and it’s a fingertip away. I love it, I do, because when we first came in, we had the books and some of the books weigh ten to fifteen pounds, computers have made everything so much easier,” she said.
Douglas isn’t sure what retirement holds, but one thing is certain – “I’m going to stop getting up at six in the morning,” she said with a big smile on her face.
Douglas has four grandchildren spread across the country and is looking forward to the free time to visit them.
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