His retirement was announced to members of the Loudon County School board through an e-mail from Director of Schools Wayne Honeycutt. The e-mail read, "Gil has been considering retirement for a long time. After long discussions with his family, he has decided the time has arrived. He has submitted a letter of retirement effective July 31, 2009. It is with a saddened heart that I am accepting his letter. We all wish him the best in the future and thank him for his many contributions to Loudon County Schools."

Luttrell said this was his second retirement and that it's time for him to move on. "That's something I have decided to do. I've been working for 45 years and don't want to work anymore," he said with a laugh. "I've put off retirement for three years. I though I might do it when Edward (former director of Loudon County Schools Edward Headlee) retired and I didn't," he added. 

He said he feels he has done his part to help educate not only Loudon County students but children in Knoxville as well since he spent the majority of his profession life teaching there.

"I've been doing this a long time. I've had a career of 38 or 39 years in education so yeah, it's hard to walk away but I know it's time. I'm 67 years old in a couple of months" he said adding the familiar lament, "I never though I would get old."

He has had 45 years in the workforce and serving his country. After retiring once from a full career in education, he returned home to Loudon County to be with his dad after the death of his mother.

"Loudon County is my home. I went to Highland Park Elementary School and Lenoir City High School. My parents lived here all their lives. When I retired from where I once worked I thought I was retired. I wasn't looking for more work. But it (the Loudon County School system) just happened to have an opening for someone who fit my description. I wouldn't have answered any other call to return to work. Loudon County was kinda coming home," he explained. 

It was a long road that lead him home to the county, which included serving his county in Vietnam. "After college I went into active duty in the Marine Corps. Right away I went to Vietman," he said.

"I spent three years on active duty, one of which was in Vietnam in the mid-to-late sixties. After that I worked in Knox County Schools for three years, then I worked in Nashville and went to grad school for a year. Then it was on to Webb School for 27 years. That was really my career," he explained. He joined Loudon County Schools in July 2000. 

When asked what he was most proud of about his time with Loudon County Schools and what he considers to be his greatest accomplishments during his time here, Luttrell refused the spotlight.

"I won't take individual credit for any single accomplishment, but there are some things we worked on collectively as a staff that I had a hand in. About eight years ago, we decided to go after the Coordinated School Health grant, which has helped fund school nurses and a health educator position. Two years ago we implemented the Disciplinary Hearing Authority which has been important in improving the due process protocols that students, parents, and school administrators deserve in dealing with discipline issues."

If he were to go back there are some things he would do differently.

"The scope of my job duties grew quite a bit during my nine years here. If I could go back and do over, I would not have agreed to take on as many additional duties as I did," he said.

"Some of the additional duties were a natural result of system needs to meet mandates from state and federal authorities. Some were the result of staff reductions which resulted in remaining staff members having to absorb additional duties. I certainly was not the only staff member who took on more, and I do have concerns that having to do more and more with less staff will be a problem," he said. 

As to the future of the school system after his retirement he was upbeat about the school building plan.

"I am a proponent of a pre-kindergarten through grade 8 school configuration because of the opportunity it presents to build community and facilitate student achievement through instructional continuity. We have an excellent model for that at Philadelphia. With that said, great schools can exist with other configurations as well," he said.

"Good leadership and motivated teachers in a school of the right size are probably the most important factors in creating effective schools, regardless of grade configuration," Luttrell said.

"I am optimistic that we are on the verge of starting new construction relatively soon in Loudon and Greenback, as well as additions/renovations at Loudon Elementary/Fort Loudoun Middle and Philadelphia," he said. "These are very urgent needs and we have needs in other areas of the county as well. As always, finding the money to finance these projects is a formidable task and it will take commitment and resolve on the part of decision makers to make that happen."

While this is his second retirement, he doesn't rule out returning to the workforce but he feels that is unlikely.

"This time I think it might stick," Luttrell said.