Bruce Hagevik/courtesy of WCCO

Bruce Hagevik, a WCCO radio news staple for 39 years, announced Friday that he will be retiring.

It was far from an easy move.

Hagevik, 64, said he and his wife, Marvettte, had decided it was time to hang it up, but that he "chickened out twice" when trying to turn in his resignation letter. Finally, last Friday, he got up the nerve. After dropping off the letter he made a beeline for the door, too emotional to talk to anyone.

"When I got back to my car, this sudden sense of peace came over me," Hagevik said. "I knew I had made the right decision."

Hagevik will continue to split his time between Minnesota and Miami, where his wife works.

Hagevik's last day at the station is Wednesday.