Celebrating Seniors' Accomplishments and Contributions

When you meet an older person, especially one in his or her middle 80s to late 90s, do you have the tendency to unintentionally think "old" rather than "accomplished"?

Recently two seniors closely related to Stevenson House passed away. Mrs. B. who died in mid-July at age 90 was 85 when I met her for the first time. Mr. S. died in late June at age 99, and was 94 when I first met him. By the time I met them, both were very frail and Mr. S. was totally blind.

In preparing to speak at their memorial services, I came across some pleasant surprises. Of course there was the human side. Mrs. B. loved to dance, especially square dance. She dated Billy, one of her first throbs, and explored on the back of his motorcycle. Mr. S. was thin as a rail, but loved to eat, tell spicy jokes, and play the clarinet.

Both also had rich professional and civic lives that had an impact. Mrs. B. went back to school after her two children were older and earned her master’s degree in Social Work. She fought for an increased supply of low and moderate income housing and health care for all, and specialized in helping abused children and fostering child development.

When I first met him, Mr. S. regaled me with stories of his youth and of the founding of Stevenson House, of which he was the first president. Among so many other accomplishments of this “old man”, are these: PhD in Theoretical Physics from MIT; staff scientist at SRI International; president of the Acoustical Society of America; and chair of the Palo Alto Senior Coordinating Council (now Avenidas).

I encourage intergenerational programs here at Stevenson House so that younger and older generations have the opportunity to learn from each other. I tell the youngsters from the local elementary and middle schools who visit Stevenson House to be prepared not only to meet people who were present at events that these students are reading about in their textbooks, but people who played a part in creating this history. When you walk onto the Stevenson House property, you come face to face with over 11,000 years of experience, wisdom and knowledge.  Fasten your seatbelts.  

A close friend of Mrs. B. put it best by pointing to the true value of our seniors:

We had a sharing of hearts that went deeper than many relationships go. I grew to love her deeply. She had an open, simple and gentle heart which could be easily missed by those who don’t look closely. She was a good friend. I miss our talks.

May we all take the time to look closely.