To know where you need to go, it’s best to learn where you’ve been. And in high school sports in Southwest Washington, there are few people better equipped to do that than Leta Meyer. On Friday, which was the final day of the school year for Evergreen Public Schools, Meyer closed out a career as an educator, coach and administrator that spanned four decades, including the final 20 as the only athletic director Heritage High School has ever known.

And that’s why I decided to sit down and talk to Meyer about her career and prep sports before she retired. We spoke for two hours, and I think we only scratched the surface. “Some people have to go to work,” Meyer said. “I get to go to work. And I’ve had that for almost 40 years.”