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DO YOU KNOW…….? This
month we are featuring two
Adrienne
Buck Adrienne is our longest serving volunteer, with 30 years of dedicated service.
Born in Brooklyn, NY, Adrienne lived mostly on Long Island, NY before coming to Florida in 1972. After graduating, she took a job with Maclullen Stores in the Buying Department, later moving on to Maidenform’s Export Department where she was the office manager with 12 employees.
Adrienne and her husband both enjoyed boating, living on their houseboat during the summer months. When they retired in 1972 and moved to Florida they bought another boat. After her husband died in 1976, Adrienne sold the boat and took up canoeing instead.
Ever active, she also goes to the gym three times a week which is something we all should do. This keeps Adrienne fit to teach ballroom dancing, one of Elfer’s more strenuous activities.
Her first volunteer job though was as bridge instructor, She happened to come to the Center during bridge afternoon and as so often happens, was asked to fill the most pressing need at the time, as bridge instructor. Although a fine bridge player, Adrienne had never taught but turned out to have a natural talent. Another vacancy cropped up when a dance instructor left and Adrienne began sharing the job with Ray.
There have been several partners since then and at present she dances and teaches with Ron VanCleve. Ron used to be a bus driver for the Elfers Travel Dept so they are both Elfers veterans. Adrienne’s main job, of course, is in the Travel Dept. She took over in the days when we rented a bus and then saw the acquisition of a 10-seater van. Later she worked with Betty Dimaso when our present 21-seater was purchased. Adrienne now helps Norm at the desk and plans and escorts trips. And still teaches ballroom dancing and bridge Way to go, Adrienne! |
Lillian Wellin
Lillian arrived at Elfers in 1980, just one year after Adrienne.
Born in 1914 in Chicago, she married at 21 and had four children: Elaine, Mick, Steve and Herman. She worked at GTE Factory Accounting for over 20 years, until 1980.
On retiring, she was asked to be a spokesperson for non-compulsory retirement but decided to come to Florida instead. She and husband Al had a house built in a brand new subdivision, LaVilla Gardens, in Holiday. Theirs was only the second house to be built. After the house was finished and there was nothing more to be done, Lillian began to look around for a job or something to do.
While out walking one day, she met a person on a bike who suggested volunteering. She tried volunteering at the grammar school on Madison Street at first but then decided she would rather work with seniors. And so she came to Elfers. She was asked to help in the Travel Department by Leroy Lembo’s wife Phyllis.
Al used to drive Lillian to Elfers until he died a short time later. Lillian remembers Leroy’s kindness at that sad time. The Travel Department became Lillian’s home from home and she has worked tirelessly planning and escorting trips and manning the desk since then, for almost 30 years.
She travels to visit her children in California, Indiana and North Carolina and still escorts bus trips even though she celebrated her 95th birthday at the beginning of the year. Lillian keeps on keeping on!
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