Deborah Staber stands in the observatory at the Good Will-Hinckley school in Hinckley. She has retired as director of the L.C. Bates Musuem after serving 32 years.  Submitted photo

HINCKLEY — Good Will-Hinckley President and Executive Director Gary Dugal has announced the retirement of L. C. Bates Museum Director Deborah Staber.

Throughout her tenure, Staber has managed every aspect of the museum’s operation, from administration and publicity to exhibitions and educational programming, according to a news release. She has coordinated volunteers and managed museum grants, securing significant support from prestigious organizations such as the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Maine Humanities Council.

Staber has served as museum director since 1992.

Dugal recently presented her with the Good Will-Hinckley Legacy Life Changer Award.

Lyndell Bade, a museum educator who has worked alongside Staber since 2022, is the museum’s new director.

Good Will-Hinckley was founded by George Walter Hinckley, who as a boy offered his food and bed to an orphan seeking refuge in his home. From that one act of kindness sprang his enduring gift to the world: The Good-Will Idea, according to the Good Will-Hinckley website, goodwillhinckley.org.

“In 1889, on a beautiful plot of land just north of Fairfield, the Good Will-Hinckley Homes for Boys and Girls was born. More than 130 years later, Good Will-Hinckley is a testament to its founder’s vision, having uplifted thousands of Maine children and young adults by providing resources and a family for life,” the website says.