A limited literature on the retirement of academics suggests that they do not follow the expected pattern of retirement but may be similar to scientists in retirement. Data collected from 207 academies who retired from state and small private colleges and ivy league and large state universities indicate that to varying degrees they continue to engage in professional activities after retirement. Academics who are high on professional visibility appear to be especially likely to continue to engage in research and/or writing. The importance of psychological centrality of pre-retirement work to post-retirement activity is suggested.