Buddy Herndon, center, speaks Thursday with retiring co-workers Ann Ayres, left, and Ellen Tate at the R.E. Baker Elementary School in Bentonville during a joint retirement party. Ayres has been in education for 38 years and spend the last 33 years as a librarian at R. E. Baker. Tate has been at R.E. Baker since 1999 and is retiring as an English as a second Language teacher.