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After an impressive 55 year career working as a Game Warden for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IFW), Harland Hitchings recently retired at the age of 92. Most people don’t think they will ever live to see this age, much less work so long, but Hitchings completely devoted himself to his job and worked as hard on his last day as he did on his first.
Hitchings became a Game Warden straight out of high school and fondly remembers being sent to camp in the woods in his uniform on his very first day. He was also presented with the opportunity to pilot an airplane – a Piper – in his first years of service, which he admitted to missing in the latter years of his career.
Hitchings eventually turned to doing TV repair service and working as an electrician for 17 years, but eventually returned to his first love: wildlife. He became a recreational safety coordinator for the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, where he remained until he announced his retirement in late December.
The IFW has publicly thanked Hitchings for his hard work and dedication to the job, acknowledging all the long weekday hours, weekends and late nights he put in with an impeccable sense of duty that is unfortunately very rare in this day and age. When he worked as a Game Warden during the latter part of his life, he fulfilled coordinating and education duties for things like trapping, boating and firearm safety.
Hitchings says that despite his retirement, he still loves and enjoys the great outdoors, even though he doesn’t get paid to do so anymore. He is a true inspiration for hard workers everywhere and sets an amazing example of dedication for future generations to come.