Georgene Conner has completely thrown herself into community service since retiring from the Baldwin County School System ten years ago. Her community, she’ll tell you, is where her heart is.

Conner is a lifelong resident of north Baldwin County. Having grown up in Stockton, she and her husband now live in Bay Minette. A return to her hometown is in the couple’s near future, though. They’re currently in the process of renovating a home originally built in 1926. “Most people downsize after retirement,” Conner says. “We’re upgrading.” She admits she had ulterior motives for purchasing the house. “The house is a landmark. I wanted to see it preserved.”

As a board member for the Stockton Heritage Society, Conner is very involved in helping the area she loves to grow and thrive, while still preserving the history that makes it special.

Conner holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s degree in counseling, both of which served her well during her 26 years as a marketing teacher. In those two and a half decades, Conner helped prepare hundreds of local high school students for their future careers.

When Conner herself was a high school student, she was chosen by Baldwin EMC to go to Washington, D.C. as part of one of the first Rural Electric Cooperative Youth Tours. “They gave us the royal treatment. We toured the White House, and I remember even wandering around the White House by myself,” she says. “It was definitely a different time.”

Conner doesn’t get much leisure time these days. When she does, she enjoys reading and going to the Gulf, which brings back memories of visiting her grandparents in Orange Beach as a child.

Being close to beaches, having easy access to shopping, while still being in an area that resembles country more than city are among many things Conner loves about north Baldwin County. “Everyone comes together, and you get a real sense of community,” she says. It’s a community she’s working hard to preserve.