Ron Magers' final night on the anchor desk

CHICAGO (WLS) -- As Ron Magers wraps up more than 50 years of reporting the news of the day - always calm, always well informed - it is a bittersweet night at ABC7.

So now, instead of spending evenings in your home, he'll be with his own family and he will always be a part of ours.

When you've done something for over 50 years - and you're pretty good at it and you've had a wee bit of fun along the way - retirement requires adjustment.

"I think the thing I'll miss the most will be the people. Newsrooms are filled with very bright people, and it's an engaging place to be, and I do so love that," Magers said. "Just being around bright people who care about what they're doing, I'm going to have to find something to replace that."

Time can be a replacement. More time to spend with your bride. More time for your other passions. More time for grandpa kisses. More time to reflect on a career that began with a desire for 10 cents more an hour and air conditioning.

"Somebody once said we sometimes don't realize the importance of the moment until it becomes a memory. I'm having a wonderful time re-experiencing those memories," Magers said.

As the saying goes, retirement is getting up every morning with nothing to do, and going to bed with only half of it done. The tie is down. The deadlines are gone. New opportunities await.

In searching for a statement that would best define Ron Magers, I chose to turn to a higher power. When I asked my wife, she said without the slightest hesitation, "Ron Magers is one steely-eyed missile man."

I think that works, as does this from veteran TV critic Rob Feder, who said: "Ron Magers is the role model for getting it right."