Jackie Rooney: Older Americans Month is a reminder that aging is just a state of mind

“As you get older three things happen. The first is your memory goes, and I can’t remember the other two.” — Sir Norman Wisdom, British comedian

In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson passed the Older Americans Act and proclaimed May “Older Americans Month.” In President Joe Biden’s proclamation to mark the observance, he said “This month and beyond, I call upon all Americans to celebrate older adults for their contributions, support their independence and recognize their unparalleled value to our nation.”

It has become a tradition for presidents to declare May as a time to honor older Americans with theme-based events. The 2022 theme is “Age My Way.”

If you are married, that raises the issue of whose way will you age? My spouse the Binmeister and I will chalk up 55 years of wedded bliss in June. Okay, not all of them were blissful, but we came through the hard patches by sometimes doing things his way and sometimes my way, which by-the-way brings to mind the Frank Sinatra song: “…I've lived a life that's full; I've traveled each and every highway. And more, much more than this, I did it my way.” (Now try to get that tune out of your head.)

Memory loss is good to have at this age so you don’t dwell on the past. My biggest problem is remembering names. I blame it on the past two years of folks wearing masks. Now they’ve taken them off and everyone looks vaguely familiar. Instead of masks, I believe everyone should have their names tattooed on their forehead.

As No. 1 daughter once said in sheer frustration, “Mom, you can’t remember the past; you can’t remember the present and you sure can’t remember the future!” OK, there’s another problem we can address.

May is also the Binmeister’s birth month. Until August he will be the oldest Rooney Bin resident, and I can enjoy saying he is well-aged.

Burr Foundation fundraiser

SoNapa Grille specializes in serving the well-aged … wines that is. The new restaurant opened March 25 in the former Roy’s Third Street South location in Jacksonville Beach. On May 3 the Northern California-born dining establishment also took over a longtime tradition at Roy’s — a fundraiser for the Monique Burr Foundation. This year’s soiree, themed “A Night in the Vineyard” and presented by River Bay Investments, celebrated 25 years of protecting children.

Monique Burr was a mother concerned about all children. When she passed away in 1997, her husband, Edward Burr, formed the Monique Burr Foundation for Children in her honor. The foundation developed prevention programs to educate and empower children and adults with strategies and safety rules that apply to bullying, cyber bullying, digital dangers, physical, sexual or emotional abuse and neglect. The foundation has reached millions of students across Florida and 18 other states. The event raised a record $130,000, “funds essential for continuing our programs and initiatives,” president/CEO Lynn Layton said.

Ed Burr was there with sons Garrison and Austin. Among notable guests packed elbow-to-elbow in the SoNapa parking lot were foundation President/CEO Lynn Layton; Programs Vice President Stacy Vaughan; Jacksonville Beach Mayor Chris Hoffman; Maxine McBride, owner of Clockwork Marketing; Donna Orender, owner of Generation W & Orender Unlimited with her husband M.J. Orender, owner of Hampton Golf; as well as Oceano Wines co-founder/vintner Rachel Martin, Cufflinks winery partner Hunter Boon and other Napa winemakers.

Featured were fine wines, craft beer, savory food, live and silent auctions, music by Colleen Orender and live painting from artist Penelope Moore. Using vivid colors and texture, the artist painted the flavors she tasted while drinking a glass of Oceano wine.

SoNapa Grille owner/founder Adam Barringer said the Northern California restaurant is chef-inspired restaurant set in an atmosphere reminiscent of a wine tasting room specializing in wines from Sonoma County California. Other Florida SoNapa locations can be found in New Smyrna Beach and Ormond Beach.

Beach Legends announced

According to the dictionary, a legend is a story from the past regarded as historical, although not necessarily verifiable. That’s not the case of the Beach Legends, who are “making tomorrow’s history, today.” The Beaches Museum hosted an outdoor reception at its History Park to announce the 2022 Legends, who will be honored with a Sept. 16 gala at TPC Sawgrass. After sampling tasty appetizers, enjoying a pre-dinner beverage and mingling with guests, including Legends from previous years, this year’s honorees — Bill Hillegass, Herb Peyton, Mary Watson and Dr. Percy J. Golden — were announced.

Peyton started Gate Petroleum with a single gas station in 1960. It grew into a large regional corporation with multiple divisions, including hospitality, such as the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club that is considered one of the top oceanfront resorts in the country.

Hillegass was raised in Jacksonville Beach. He lost his father at an early age, so he and his brothers pitched in to help their mother raise nine children. She ran a bookkeeping business in her home, and eventually Bill established his own CPA firm. Over the years he has been devoted to helping others through the Exchange Club and Deck the Chairs, among others. His love for preserving Beaches history led to his involvement with the Beaches Area Historical Society.

Watson has spent many years beautifying the community and preserving natural environments. She helped bring a national organization, The Garden Conservancy, to Florida, and is well known for her work on Bird Island Park adjacent to the Ponte Vedra Branch Library. It took eight years of planning, fundraising and construction, but she and a group of hardworking volunteers dedicated the 4.2-acre wildlife and native plants park in 2010.

Golden grew up in the church his mother founded in their home in 1976. He now serves as Bishop of the Holy Church of the Living God Revival Center in Atlantic Beach where he ministers to the Beaches communities. He serves as chaplain and critical incident officer for the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, where he counsels and provides encouragement to first responders and their families. He also is chaplain of the Atlantic Beach Police Department and helped preserve the history and culture of his elementary school, through the Rhoda Martin Cultural Heritage Center, and he was a visionary behind Gospel in the Park, held annually in Atlantic Beach since 2004.

Fletcher block party

Duncan U. Fletcher High School alumni got together for the big “All-Class” block party on April 30 at the Beaches Museum History Park. The event was themed “85 Years of Defending the Island."

”Defend the Island” was a rallying cry for the Senators football team, as well as the motto of those who have been involved as lifeguards, planting sea oats, enjoying beach clean-ups, enjoying surfing and more.

The evening featured music by the 4 Play band, led by singer Vicki Bost Hollingsworth, class of ’76, with dancing, food trucks and most important, lots of chatter among familiar faces, who graduated from Fletcher, or married into the family, so to speak.

Hollingsworth paused from singing to welcome the guests, many of whom represented the decade of the 1970s. Way back when, Fletcher was the only high school on the barrier island, and the Fletcher Senators take pride of ownership of the coastal community and its special quality of life. The party was in the park, but the museum was open with an exhibit of memorabilia from early Fletcher days. Funds raised by the event went toward the work of the Beaches Museum. The museum’s mission is to “preserve and share the distinct history and culture of the Beaches area.”

Vicars Landing scholarships awarded

More than $300,000 in scholarships were awarded recently to 87 employees in the progressive care retirement community Vicars Landing. Among the awardees were 10 children of employees. Workers from dining, health, administration, housekeeping, wellness and activities departments were eligible for general awards of $2,500, plus special awards of $1,000 to $3,000 for qualified expenses related to colleges, trade schools, English as a Second Language and nursing schools.

This year 77 general scholarships, 36 member-special scholarships and 12 named scholarships were awarded. Each also received a certificate and brochure honoring them.

More than $60,000 was earned for the scholarship fund by the Vicars’ Boutique. Residents Rose Murdock and Ginny Elliot co-chair boutique sales of donated items sold in a shop on the Vicars' campus, while general, member-special and named scholarships were donated by residents.

James Munson, chair of the Vicars Retirement Community scholarship committee congratulated the recipients and thanked his committee: Carolee Bertisch, Sallie Ann Hart, Sue Foley, Jim Marx, Laurie Reeves and Dr. John Woodard.

The final word …

A cartoon taped to my computer is titled: “The First Senior Moment on Record.” It pictures a pair of dinosaurs sitting atop a mountain surrounded by flood waters. In the distance is Noah’s Ark. One dinosaur says to the other: “Oh darn, was that today?” The caption reads: “And that’s what happened to the dinosaurs.”

Jackie Rooney is a freelance writer living in Ponte Vedra Beach. Contact her at rooneybin@comcast.net.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Rooney: Older Americans Month reminds us aging is just a state of mind