An associate director at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center has retired after 38 years.

Tim Ables, who started at ERDC in 1972 as a technical editor in the Publications and Graphic Arts Division, stepped down Dec. 21. He has also served as a technical information specialist in Information Technology Laboratory, information systems management specialist, chief of the Visual Production Center, assistant to the director, deputy director and acting director. In 2002 he became an associate director in the ERDC executive office.

Ables has a bachelor’s degree from Rhodes College and a graduate degree from Mississippi State University.

ERDC is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ main research and development facility with 2,500 employees, $1.2 billion in facilities and an annual research program exceeding $1.2 billion. It conducts research in military and civil works areas for the Department of Defense and the nation.