Pilgrim Senior Center’s Director of Senior Services Meg Underwood told a crowd at the center as she received a special citation from Speaker of the House Joe Shekarchi that the honor was unexpected.

And Underwood’s next announcement — that she will be retiring and her final day in charge of the center will be Oct. 11 — was a surprise to many in the audience.

Underwood said she struggled to make the decision to retire for some time, but looks forward to pursuing new hobbies in her free time.

“I genuinely love my job, and will desperately miss my PSC family, so the decision to retire was bittersweet,” she said. “Still, I felt it was time.”

Underwood was named director 22 years ago. While at the center, she said that her proudest accomplishment was the work she did to help raise the statewide budget for senior centers, something that she said led to her advocating for older Rhode Islanders whenever she can. That included meeting then-Speaker of the House Nicholas Mattiello alongside PSC member Sylvia Dulgarian in 2018.

“The older adult that accompanied me made a very strong case for the increase. It was hard to argue with her logic and persistence,” Underwood said. “As such, she and I were honored to have been invited to the signing of the state’s budget for fiscal year 2019 because it doubled funding for senior centers, an increase which was long overdue.”

Underwood also noted the center has undergone a lot of physical work during her tenure, including adding a computerized check-in system and the replacement of flooring throughout the building, which wrapped up last month.

Prior to becoming the Senior Center’s director, Underwood was a grant writer which she continued as director of the center. Some of those grants, such as grants for paratransit vans as part of Transwick, the city’s public transportation for older residents, Underwood said were critical to the center’s functions.

“It’s hard to overstate how important that service is to older adults,” Underwood said.

Shekarchi complimented Underwood on her tenure at the Senior Center, calling her a “pillar of the community” whose work helped improve the city.

“For the community as a whole, you have been a rock star,” Shekarchi said.

Getting the honor from Shekarchi, Underwood said, was particularly meaningful to her.

“I was overwhelmed and genuinely touched,” Underwood said. “I had to hold back tears, though I’m not sure I accomplished that.”

Underwood said that she has made a recommendation to Mayor Frank Picozzi for her replacement, though she is keeping that information confidential.

Though she is retiring, Underwood said that she would be filling in when needed and would still be involved with happenings at the Senior Center.

“You’re not done with me yet,” she said.