After 32 years on the Stillwater School Board, Roland "Bud" Buchman is stepping down. He was first elected in 1976 and has seen nine of his children and 14 grandchildren go through the school system.

Now 80, Buchman didn't want to talk quite yet to the Stillwater Gazette about his lengthy term, saying he wanted time to think about his legacy first. But colleagues offered nice memories of him.

They called him a calming influence, who also worked for the best interests of the kids.

He gets extra credit for fostering the Stillwater Area High School Environmental Learning Center, 55 acres of undeveloped woods, prairie and wetlands that serve as an outdoor laboratory for the school's science department.

State officials say it's rare for school board members to hit the 20-year mark, even rarer to hit 30 years.

But there is a school board member in the Nett Lake district who's closing in on 44 years.