Brenda Kuhlman Marks 52 Years at Pope John XXIII Central Catholic School
The Elgin, Nebraska office manager started working at the school at age 17 and now welcomes grandchildren to the same halls.
By Fatima Saleh ·
Brenda Kuhlman has served as the administrative assistant and office manager at Pope John XXIII Central Catholic School in Elgin, Nebraska, for 52 years.
Kuhlman began her role in December of her senior year of high school. She was 17 years old when the previous secretary left, and the school administrator asked her to take over the position. She had selected electives in shorthand, bookkeeping, and typing during her final year of school.
The Catholic school opened in 1967, eight years before Kuhlman started her job. She grew up southwest of Clearwater, Nebraska, and attended a rural school with a small student body before transferring to high school in Elgin. She described the transition as a major adjustment, moving from a class of four students to a class of 56.
Kuhlman met her future husband at the school and raised six children in the area south of Raeville. Her grandchildren now attend Pope John XXIII Central Catholic. She noted that younger students often assume she lives at the school because she is there every day.
Lauren Borer, a former student who returned to the school as a teacher, recalled Kuhlman as a maternal figure during her seventh grade year. Borer said her own children now view Kuhlman as a grandmotherly presence. The school currently serves approximately 130 students from prekindergarten through 12th grade across eight surrounding parishes, including Raeville, Petersburg, Neligh, Clearwater, and Ewing.
Deb Warren, who graduated with Kuhlman in 1972, described her as a detail-oriented professional who keeps the institution running efficiently. Warren served as the development director while Kuhlman worked in the office. Warren said Kuhlman is frequently invited to graduations, weddings, and baby announcements for the families she has known for decades.
Kuhlman maintains scrapbooks that document the school's history, including photographs of past graduates displayed in her office. She said she becomes more attached to specific classes as she ages, making it difficult to watch them leave. She continues to work as long as her health permits, joking that she will stay until she is asked to leave.
