SANDY HOOK, Ky. — Elliott County officials are honoring longtime Dispatch Director Robin Thornsberry following her retirement after years of service to the county and its residents.
Thornsberry officially logged off for the final time as dispatch director on Friday, September 25, according to a tribute posted by the Elliott County Fiscal Court.
Her career in emergency services began after graduating from Elliott County High School. She first became an emergency medical technician before attending paramedic school and later working with St. Claire. In later years, she transitioned into emergency dispatching for Elliott County.
Thornsberry's career spans an era of tremendous change in emergency communications. She recalled a time before computers and modern dispatch systems, when emergency calls received at the ambulance service sometimes meant responders simply wrote down the emergency, jumped into a van and headed out.
Longtime friend and colleague Dewey Moore joined Thornsberry in reminiscing about those earlier days and the technological changes that have transformed emergency medical care and dispatching over the years.
County officials credited Thornsberry's dedication with touching thousands of lives and potentially helping save many along the way. Her service also included extraordinarily long shifts, sometimes lasting 24, 48 or even 72 hours.
Despite the recognition, Thornsberry emphasized that serving others — rather than receiving recognition — was always the purpose of the work.
“This job is never done for money or glory. This job is done because you care.”
Elliott County Judge-Executive Myron S. Lewis offered the county's gratitude to Thornsberry for the many years she spent serving as the person on the other end of the line when residents needed help during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.
The Fiscal Court thanked her for her years of service, describing the county's feelings toward her as one of “indebted gratitude and respect.”
For Thornsberry, retirement closes a long chapter of service that began in the back of an ambulance and eventually placed her at the center of Elliott County's emergency communications system — answering the call when her community needed help most.