NYC ACS employee honored for serving the city for 70 years
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- A New York City Administration for Children Services employee was honored with a proclamation marking 70 years of service to the city.
Shirley Williams-Myrie, 87, began her public service career in 1953 and is currently the longest-serving New York City employee.
Mayor Eric Adams and ACS Commissioner Jess Dannhauser were on hand to celebrate the great-grandmother for her incredible achievement on Monday.
"Our public servants are the lifeblood of New York City. They show up every day and carry us through the storms we face in our city," said Mayor Adams. "For 70 years, Shirley Williams has weathered those storms and served New York City's children at ACS. We are in awe of her dedication to the city, and we are grateful for her lifetime commitment to public service."
Williams-Myrie said she is very proud to celebrate 70 years of service.
"The secret for my long career is that the work has to be challenging," Williams-Myrie said. "This job has meant so much to me over so many years and has made a major impact on my life."
Williams graduated from Theodore Roosevelt High School in the Bronx in 1953. That's when she decided to follow in her father's footsteps by applying for a job with the City of New York.
Although her father worked at the New York City Department of Transportation, she accepted her first job at the age of 18 as a stenographer with what was then called the New York City Department of Welfare -- now the New York City Department of Social Services.
"We started with manual typewriters, we had to use carbon and onion skin and if you made a mistake, you had to do it all over again," she said.
Today, Williams works eight-hours days at ACS as a principal administrative associate in the office of the general counsel.
She has always been energetic and still takes the subway to the office each day. Her colleagues describe her as pleasant, efficient, and professional. They say she has rarely missed a day of work.
"She is beloved and she is somebody who makes everyone know we can keep going," Dannhauser said.
As for if she has any plans to retire, Williams-Myrie had a simple answer.
"I say maybe next year and next year never seems to come," she said.
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