“From There to Here: How You Can Do Anything After Retirement” is the presentation theme of Edwardsburg Author Jim Pauley when he speaks at 7 p.m., today, at the Edwardsburg Area Historical Museum.

He was a flight attendant for 45 years before publishing his first memoir and first book, Bumpy Rides and Soft Landings. That publication has won numerous awards, including a second-place award in the Humor Genre from the International Book Publishers Association. And now? In addition to authoring An Unconditional Friendship, another award-winning book, he teaches the art of creating writing at the Forever Learning Institute in South Bend.

Pauley has traveled extensively on behalf of the Bumpy Rides book, including New Orleans, New York, and Denver, as well as to several cities in the region.

An Edwardsburg native, he is the son of the late Barbara Long Pauley and the grandson of the late Harley E. Long of Adamsville. After graduating from Edwardsburg High School in 1974, he earned a bachelor’s degree in German and Spanish from Albion College, where he minored in education.

He had planned to enter the field of international business but instead, spent 35 years working as a flight attendant for American Airlines. On one of his last flights before retirement, a passenger handed him his business card. A year later, he got in touch with the man and spent another 10 years flying for a privately-owned airline.

Pauley will relate his many life experiences and the versatility that comes with remaining open to change. He believes, “You can do anything you want after retirement.”