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Outstanding!
State’s top seniors recognized at the fair
To find this year’s outstanding seniors, judges
went to the heart of the state and found a couple
older Minnesotans with a lot of heart.
Elaine Lucht of Grasston in Kanabec County and
Wayne Abell of Breezy Point in Crow Wing County were
named Minnesota’s Outstanding Senior Citizens
during a recognition ceremony Aug. 29 at the
Minnesota State Fair. The Outstanding Senior
Citizens program is sponsored by the Minnesota Board
on Aging, the Minnesota State Fair and the Minnesota
Federation of County Fairs.
A total of 108 older adults from throughout the
state (named as outstanding seniors in their
respective counties) were recognized for their
contributions to their communities. Lucht and Abell
were selected to represent Minnesota’s seniors
based on their community activities since reaching
age 65.
Wayne Abell: Always volunteering
Wayne Abell has been active in senior citizen
community affairs since he retired 15 years ago. In
fact, it was looking through the newspaper as a new
retiree that quickly led him down the road of
volunteerism.
"When I retired and moved up here from the
Minneapolis area, I was looking for something to do.
I saw in the paper that they were looking for
someone to drive the senior van out of Pequot
Lakes," he recalled. "Then I saw that they
were looking for a tax aide to help older people
prepare their taxes and I figured I could do that,
too.
"Once you start volunteering for things,
people ask you to do other things and I guess I’m
one of those people who just can’t say no,"
Wayne said.
Wayne’s current resume of volunteer work in the
Breezy Point area includes serving on two boards
including the Crow Wing County Council on Aging,
where he acts as treasurer, and the Minnesota Senior
Federation Heartland Region board of directors
(where he was formerly treasurer and is currently
program chairperson). He also serves on the Breezy
Point Planning Commission and assists in planning
the Allied Concert Series for the Heartland
Symphony.
He and his wife, Marge, are snowbirds, residing
in Alabama each winter. But their volunteering
doesn’t stop when they leave the Land of 10,000
Lakes. In Alabama, he’s the chairman of a
Minnesota group that puts on "Brat Fest,"
a cookout party that last year served up 4,500 brats
with proceeds going to three local fire departments.
He has also helped with the cooking at fund-raising
pancake breakfasts.
Wayne said that the volunteering he does is rich
in rewards for himself.
"I really think that I get a lot more out of
it than I give," he said. "There’s real
satisfaction in receiving people’s appreciation
for helping them."
He thinks back to a recent trip of driving a
90-year-old man to a medical appointment in St.
Cloud. "He gave me so much of the history of
the Brainerd area that I didn’t know; it was so
interesting," Wayne said. So interesting, in
fact, that he didn’t pay attention to an
approaching speed zone, forgot to slow down and
ended up with a ticket.
After earning recognition at the county level,
Wayne never figured he’d be selected for honors at
the state level.
"I was just flabbergasted," he said.
"Really, every one who was there has done a lot
of wonderful things."
Elaine Lucht: Doing what she likes to do
Elaine Lucht has been instrumental in the
beautification of her city. Projects she’s been
involved with include the Grasston Fire Hall
Restoration and the Grasston Community Improvement
Program.
Elaine has had a front-row seat to the
development of those projects in her role as mayor
of Grasston, which is located 18 miles north of
Cambridge. She’s been the city’s mayor since
1988.
Becoming the mayor "melded together"
her volunteer spirit and the needs of the community,
she explained.
"You certainly don’t run for the position
of mayor for the pay," she laughed. "You
get paid $40 a month. You do it to see our town grow
and make it a beautiful little city."
Typical of the work is the recent project she
spearheaded to save the town’s old fire hall,
which was built in 1912.
"It had become an eyesore and a lot of
people wanted to tear it down," she said.
"But it was the only historic building we have
in our town and we saw some potential in fixing it
up."
Her real joy in volunteer service comes in the
planning stages, "of putting together a good
working committee and seeing a project come
together."
The fire hall project is now heading down the
home stretch. When completed, it will become
Grasston’s museum and a meeting place.
Elaine’s volunteer work goes in other
directions, as well. She has helped with the
Grasston Centennial, Multiple Sclerosis bike tours
and Thanksgiving Food Baskets. She helped establish
the Grasston Senior Dining program and she sings
with the Pine City Senior Singers group.
How big of a surprise was it to Elaine to be
named the state’s top senior woman? She thought
her chances of earning the recognition were so slim,
she was gone on a previously-arranged trip to Alaska
when the award was presented at the state fair.
"I was completely overwhelmed," she
said. "I didn’t even want to be nominated for
the county award in the first place. Then when I
found out I was the state’s outstanding senior, it
was just awesome. It’s wonderful to be recognized
for doing the things you like to do."
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