At the end of the 2025-2026 academic year, two Elon University librarians are turning the page to retirement.
Both Teresa LePors and Patrick Rudd will leave their positions in just a few short weeks. The two together have worked a total of 68 years at Elon. For LePors, 45 years, and for Rudd, 23.
LePors, who is the coordinator of library research and scholarly services for Belk Library, said when she was first searching for a job, she wanted to work at a public library, but started at Elon as a reference librarian.
“I thought I would be here maybe a year or two, and then move into public librarianship,” LePors said. “And I just stayed, because I love the university so much, so I've had several different roles.”
From being a reference librarian, to moving into a supervisory role overseeing public services, to now, as coordinator of library research and scholarly services and an associate librarian, LePors said that retirement has been on her mind for a few years, since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I just felt like it was beginning to be more of a reality for me,” LePors said. “There are some things that I want to do in retirement, and I just thought that it seems to be a good time to think about doing it right now.”
Rudd is the coordinator of library instruction and outreach at Elon and has been in that position since 2012. He was in graduate school when he started at Elon in 2003, as well as working at May Memorial Library in Burlington.
As a graduate student, he became the evening library manager at Elon, which meant he stayed a lot of late nights helping students with their research — something he said he’s going to miss.
“I think what I'll miss most is just daily interaction with students,” Rudd said. “That's why we're here. That's the center of everything. And being Elon, students are very gracious in incorporating faculty and staff and all of the work that they are doing.”
After graduate work, Rudd accepted a faculty librarian position, working with departments such as education, English and religious studies. Then, research, instruction, and outreach came into his position.
Rudd said he has thought about retirement since 2024, just two years ago. He said the decision is about having the agency to do different kinds of work, especially volunteering in the Elon community.
“I have agency to involve myself in new work and in different work,” Rudd said. “I live close to the university. I do not anticipate a different relationship with the university.”
Some different kinds of work include pursuing a hobby of becoming a master gardener, as Rudd said he has always enjoyed creating landscapes and learning about plants.
“I also think with the library and background, we're insanely curious,” Rudd said. “We love to do research. We love to find answers to things. I think I can help the county extension office, answering a lot of the public's questions about plants and gardening and soil preparation and all of that.”
With more free time on her hands, LePors said she has a list of books, movies, television series, yard work and house work to catch up on.
“I want to look around to be sort of thoughtful about the things that I decide to invest my time in,” LePors said. “I'm looking for things like, maybe some classes and some things just, I'm just going to sit back and really think about how I want to be a little more intentional in moving forward.”
Shannon Tennant, coordinator of library collections, works alongside both LePors and Rudd. She said LePors is wise, knows much about Elon and is good with students and faculty.
“She is such a fantastic researcher if you need to track something down, no matter how obscure your student research topic might be, Teresa is the person to find it, and she never gives up,” Tennant said.
Tennant said Rudd is wonderful with students, faculty and building relationships.
“He's such a spiritual person,” Tennant said. “He's got such emotional intelligence. He really is so great.”
Teresa LePors, coordinator of library research and scholarly services for Belk Library, shows off handmade notecards that were gifted to her in her office May 8 in Belk Library.
A song in the musical, “My Fair Lady,” called “I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face”, is how Tennant described the feeling of missing the retirees after 20 years of seeing them each day.
“I'm just going to miss them so much as people,” Tennant said. “Both of them are sticking around, and I'm sure I will see them on campus and at events, but it's a little different than just having those casual run-ins where you bump into them at the water fountain, or you're going to see them once a week in a meeting. It's going to be really hard.”
LePors said that when Elon’s first mascot, the Fighting Christian, retired and changed into the Phoenix, the Christian walked across the stage along with the graduates. LePors joked that her retirement is just like graduating as well.
“That could be me,” LePors laughed.
Long Live Elon is Elon’s slogan, and LePors said she enjoyed how the community chants it together at big events.
“That's always been really meaningful to me. My career has really been here,” LePors said.
Rudd said he is not calling this his retirement — but his retooling.
“I have things to do,” Rudd said. “I have more impactful work and meaningful work to do, and I do hope a part of that will be connected to this university that has been so much a part of my life.”