‘School mom’ to ‘school grandma’: Secretary has served students for 52 years

ELGIN, Neb. (KOLN/Gray News) -Brenda Kuhlman opens the door to greet students each morning at Pope John XXIII Central Catholic School, where she has worked for more than 50 years.“And they’re so happy to be here. And yes, the morning hugs are wonderful,” Kuhlman said.Kuhlman has been the school’s administrative assistant and office manager since she was 17.“So my electives, I did the shorthand, the bookkeeping, the typing, and all of that,” Kuhlman said. “And it was probably about December of my senior year, the administrator asked me if I would be interested because the secretary that was here was moving on.”Kuhlman said the Catholic school opened in 1967, eight years before she started this job. She grew up southwest of Clearwater, Nebraska, and attended a country school before high school in Elgin.“It was a big adjustment going from maybe four in my class to 56 in high school,” she said.Kuhlman met her husband at the school and raised six children south of Raeville. Now her grandchi