Alan Kim | The Roanoke Times

Zelda Vaughn (in red) is retiring after working in Radford's circuit court clerk's office for more than three decades. Next to her is retired Judge Duane Mink, who has known Vaughn since 1961, when he moved to Radford and started a law practice. Mink was appointed circuit court judge in 1983 and retired on Jan. 28, 2003, on Vaughn's birthday.

Zelda Vaughn is leaving the clerk's office.

That's bigger news than it may seem at first glance.

Vaughn has worked in Radford's circuit court clerk's office since 1975. Gerald Ford was president in 1975. Saigon fell. Billy Jean King and Arthur Ashe were Wimbledon champions. Foolish Pleasure won the Kentucky Derby.

And Zelda Vaughn was working in a lawyer's office in Christiansburg until she got a call from Giles Goodykoontz, Radford's circuit court clerk. The woman who made up the other half of Goodykoontz's office was moving to the district court office, so there was an opening.

"The clerk then thought I would be good in the office," she said.

Apparently she was.

The office has grown to four people now. Vaughn had risen to chief deputy clerk when her boss, J.C. Harman, decided to retire. Harman endorsed Vaughn and she won a three-way race by a 2-to-1 margin in November of 1995. Vaughn ran on her 20 years of experience. Voters seemed to appreciate that.

"They knew that I knew the job," Vaughn said on that election night.

She's leaving office Dec. 31, with two years left in her eight-year term. But 33 years in the clerk's office is enough for Vaughn.

"My time has been spent," she said.

Vaughn has a 10-year-old grandchild, another who arrived in November and one due in February. She said she plans to spend a lot of time with them after the first of the year.

Vaughn said she's enjoyed her time as clerk, but "I enjoyed being deputy more." A deputy clerk is done for the day when the office closes, she said, but the clerk is responsible all the time.

Vaughn's chief deputy, Ann Howard, said she expects to be appointed interim clerk beginning Jan. 1. Her father was the clerk who nominated Vaughn for the job when he retired in 1995.

The city will hold be a special election to see who fills out the remainder of Vaughn's term.