Spotlight on Diversity September 2023
Two Recent Retirees Reflect on Working as We Age
RICK SHAVER: I studied at Penn State in the early seventies and got excited about lighting design during classes with the legendary John Flynn. There was a recession as I approached graduation in 1975, but Joseph R. Loring Associates (JRLA), a large engineering firm, hired me for their lighting department. I was seated next to a designer named Jerry Kugler, who left shortly after to pursue his master’s degree.
I did well as a lighting designer, but lighting design was just a small part of the services JRLA offered. So I jumped at the chance to join Edison Price Lighting when Mr. Price himself asked me in 1980. Initially, I worked in lighting applications and later formed a Research and Development Department to better organize the design of EPL’s products (something that Mr. Price had largely done on his own before his retirement). I hired a variety of men and women of different ages with different degrees and backgrounds. At our peak, we had 14 people (and seven different languages). It was a great group, and I am very proud of the products we brought to market.
I had always planned to retire from Edison Price Lighting (EPL) when I turned 70 in 2022, and as it turned out, my last day of work was August 31 of that year. But the last 2-1/2 years of working was nothing like I expected. COVID changed everything.
EPL closed in March of 2020 (for a few weeks, we thought), but Chapter 11 came in June. Filing for unemployment at age 67 was traumatic. I worked part-time for EPL while it was under bankruptcy court protection. Then after the sale in November 2020, I worked remotely for the new owners for 18 months until I retired.
HAYDEN MCKAY: I’m a licensed architect with an M.Arch degree from UCLA. After teaching architecture and lighting at the University of Maryland for 2 years, I moved to NYC to work for Jules Horton Lighting Design in the late seventies, followed by Howard Brandston Lighting Design in the eighties, and then I had my own architectural lighting design firm for 20 years.
In 2008 I joined Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design (HLB) and led their Daylighting and Sustainable Design Studio (DSD) for more than 10 years. I had planned to retire from HLB when I reached 71, so I actively searched for a replacement with specialized experience similar to mine. Matthew Tanteri worked as an HLB consultant for 2 years, and then our roles reversed. Matthew joined HLB full time and took over the DSD in 2018, and I continued on part-time until I fully retired at the end of 2019 at 73.
This last period was quite rewarding! I was still involved with the project work I loved, but Matthew took over the leadership and management responsibilities. It gave me free time to get back to the gym, get both knees replaced, and get used to work not being the center of my life. I was grateful to HLB for their support, and lucky with the timing of my retirement, because within a few months the world was on lockdown.
What’s it like working as an older person today?
SHAVER: Who me? I never thought of myself as “old.” Perhaps, it’s because there are many people in the lighting industry (and at EPL) who are older. COVID came when I was 67, and I had only begun to think about retirement. I’d been saving for it forever, but retirement didn't even seem real to me in early 2020. I had so much left that I wanted to do, and did not want to retire.
At EPL, we were always on to the next technological development, and the younger people in my group often led the way, which was great. I liked the fact that others were into the latest technologies; plus they sorted it all out, streamlined it, and then brought the rest of us on board. I often thought of my job as keeping us all moving in the same direction.
MCKAY: Office communication technology made a huge impact toward the end of my career. HLB has offices in many cities, and the employees with expertise in daylighting, controls, and sustainable design were spread over four time zones (now, many more). Consequently, HLB was experienced in sharing files, documents, and video conferencing years before the pandemic.
This saved countless hours of travel, and greatly expanded our pool of employees with relevant expertise. I was also able to work remotely when I transitioned to part-time. Teleconferencing is a really positive innovation and helps to blunt the differences between workers at different stages of life.
Where is there respect, or lack of respect, for older workers?
SHAVER: I think there is a great deal of respect for older people in our industry. Of course, you’re asking an “older person” that question. Everyone has an expiration date, a point where they stop contributing, so if you retire in time, you’ll maintain that respect until the end.
MCKAY: Many principals of lighting firms who are older than I are still practicing, so I don’t see a lot of ageism in this industry. I've noticed more open and encouraging attitudes towards women over my career, rather than any decline in respect or authority due to aging. I don’t feel old! I've always been physically active, so no one questioned my climbing ladders or being on bucket trucks or scaffolds during site visits and aiming. I had no trouble keeping up with younger people. (But I can never come close to Rick’s marathoning career.)
I've always been a workaholic, and even as boss I frequently was the last to leave the office. I think younger generations have a much healthier attitude toward work-life balance. I consider my greatest legacy to be mentoring young professionals. It was a joy and privilege to watch them learn, grow, and contribute. I gave up-and-comers a great deal of responsibility, because those are the conditions that helped me grow when I was younger.
Where is experience helpful or unhelpful due to changes in the marketplace or operations?
SHAVER: My experience was always very helpful to me. R+D team members would show me a prototype of a new product that they were working on. I may not have completely understood the manufacturing procedure or the underlying technology, but I had the experience to understand what lighting designers and architects need. And when you get up on a ladder and demonstrate the workings of a fixture, people believe you.
MCKAY: I started my career using a T-square, slide rule, and a cardboard sun motion calculator. So, I would say that digital technologies across the board have evolved the most over the past 50 years. On the other hand, those old tools required that the user estimate the order of magnitude of an answer. This served me well, giving me well-earned skepticism about blindly accepting computer-generated results.
I taught myself CAD and several generations of lighting calculations software. But I threw up my hands at the introduction of Revit and BIM, and the tremendous advances in lighting, daylighting, and graphics software. So, for the last 10 years of working, I felt somewhat handicapped in reviewing technical results, because I couldn't delve into the program assumptions. But I could always spot an outcome that just didn't make sense.
What about the digital revolution in lighting technologies?
SHAVER: Before COVID, lunch-and-learns in lighting designers’ offices were consistently fun and educational for me. I would always take along a younger person from R+D and have them explain the newest technological aspects of our products. This gave me a little “cover,” but it did not stop my colleagues from referring to me as “Mr. Analog” on occasion.
MCKAY: Technologies certainly got more complicated! In the last few years, I became more dependent on my coworkers to research LED equipment and controls. I kept up with daylighting technologies, especially advances in glass and sun-control. Years of daylighting experience were particularly valuable when the stakes were high, e.g., influencing building form or selecting expensive glazing.
Are there limitations to the advantages of experience?
SHAVER: It’s important to keep your experience in perspective. If you are open to new technologies, and do not dwell on “what we have always done,” then your experience remains a plus.
MCKAY: It’s important for young professionals to gain their own experience. Senior workers are prone to jump in with the answer, rather than mentoring others to puzzle it out themselves. Less experienced designers have their own journey of learning, growing, and gaining confidence. I kicked myself often, as a reminder to shut up and listen, rather than leading with my own opinions or solutions.
What are the advantages of nearing retirement?
SHAVER: When retirement started to become real for me, I would think about the time I would have for all my hobbies. I ran competitively in high school and college. Then when I graduated, running marathons was popular so I just kept going. I’m very proud of the 94 marathons I ran, including 42 NYC Marathons in a row. EPL was super supportive and installed a shower so I could run at lunch every day. Gardening and cycling take up much of my time these days. I’ve recently stopped running marathons, but I still compete in 100-mile bike races. (It’s easier on the knees.) Cooking is a newfound passion. Sometimes shopping and chopping and sharing a good meal with friends takes longer than a 100 mile race.
I have friends whose “hobby” is working, but occupying my free time has never been a problem for me. The only advice I can give is that retirement is a big deal. A life-changing event. Try not to combine it with other big events in your life like I did. I got married in June of 2022. I sold my apartment and moved out of the city in July. Then I retired in August of 2022. It all worked out, but that is a lot of change in a very short time.
MCKAY: I was fortunate to work with a top-notch team of younger professionals, whom I trusted to carry on the work that I loved. Succession planning years in advance of my retirement and then working part-time eased the transition for me and for HLB. I did extensive volunteer work for the IES and IALD for about 30 years, mostly on the topics of energy conservation and daylighting. The torch has been passed to newer generations of dedicated professionals, many of whom I mentored. Consequently, I did not feel an immediate urge to fill my retirement with volunteer work.
As I approached full retirement, I did harbor anxiety about how I would fare without work. Lighting design was at the core of my personal identity. What else could I do that would bring me such satisfaction?
Retiring at the start of the pandemic made a big difference in the transition, since I experienced the same slowdown as many in the world. For me, it was guilt-free enforced leisure at my house in Connecticut with my husband, Jim, an architect who still works part-time. We had time to read and garden and hike and spend time (outdoors) with friends. I intended to continue involvement in IALD and IES activities, but due to COVID, I avoided indoor lighting events even when they restarted. I did attend LightFair in NYC this year, but only to connect with old friends and colleagues. That was a treat!
Happily, my identity crisis never happened, and I love retirement. I never realized the constant stress I experienced my entire career until it disappeared. No more deadlines or responsibilities! Yay! I’ve filled my life remaking our gardens using native plants and organic practices. And last year, I started taking classes in botanical art and illustration, which has become my new passion. Light and shadow and color are essential to botanical drawing, so it’s a good fit. It is creative, delightfully relaxing, and fills my days with beauty.
