After more than 43 years of service to Columbia's Nevis Laboratories in Irvington, NY, Don Bunch is stepping down.

In an age where many people play musical chairs with their jobs, Donald Bunch has been a symbol of loyalty and unwavering commitment. On August 31, 2001, Bunch finished his last day of work at Columbia's Nevis Laboratories after more than 43 years of dedicated service.

Bunch, who was born at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital, concluded his career as a financial assistant, having started out as a stock clerk for Nevis in May 1958. As a financial assistant, he helped to prepare budgets, maintain financial information and manage the telecommunications operation for the Labs, located in Irvington, N.Y.

"I never got bored. It was never monotonous," Bunch says of his time at Nevis. The Harlem native sought out as many diverse projects and responsibilities as possible. He says multi-tasking was a skill he acquired early at Nevis and a challenge he came to relish. "The more you take on, the more knowledge you gain," Bunch says.

Higgins Professor of Physics William J. Willis has spent 11 years working at Nevis and interacting with Bunch. "I found he was a very important part of the life of the lab," says Willis. "It's a big operation and he could always anticipate what would happen next."

Willis said that Bunch's contribution extended beyond the grounds of Nevis' 60-acre campus in Irvington, noting that Bunch would often greet international scientists at the airport and help them get settled in the area. "He understood these people who came from all over the world and who had many personal and scientific needs," says Willis.

Bunch attributes this ability to his mother, who he calls his idol. "She taught me how to accept and respect all different people," he says. "She taught me not through words, but through her deeds."

Bunch is most proud of the reliability he exhibited, due in part to his thirst for knowledge. "Anything they asked me to do, I did it," says Bunch. When a new task would arise, Bunch would say, "Give it to me. Let me take the job and learn something new. Then, I'll be able to do even more with that experience."

One of the most rewarding aspects of his job has been interacting with the scientists at Nevis, says Bunch. In fact, Bunch has read extensively on physics and astronomy since he started at Nevis and learned much about the subjects over the years. "Now I can understand more of what [the physicists] are talking about," he says.

The end of his time at Nevis will not be the end of Bunch's working life. "Retirement has never been in my vocabulary," he says, referring to the change as "a lateral transfer." Bunch will continue instructing classes at the Court Sports fitness center near his home in Dobbs Ferry. For more than two years, he has been instructing students part-time in cycling and yoga-based exercises and will be studying to become a certified personal trainer.

As a instructor, Bunch calls upon memories from the U.S. Army, in which he served for three years before starting at Nevis Labs. He references the discipline he learned and tries to instill it in others. Though he used to be tentative about speaking in front of groups, Bunch says that once he started instructing, his fears melted away almost immediately.

The new career, he says, is rewarding in similar ways to his old job. "It's very fulfilling if you can help people," says Bunch. "That's the whole idea."

At the conclusion of many classes, Bunch notes, the students actually begin clapping for him, recognizing the motivation he inspired in them. "That's a great feeling," he says. "You can't beat it."

As for the future, Bunch's goal is simple: "I want to live to 100 and still be instructing classes."

Though he is moving on to pursue other things, Bunch says his time at Nevis will be remembered fondly. "I'm going to miss my work. I'm going to miss my challenges. I'll miss the Nevis of past and present. I'm proud of that place."