I don't dig up a lot of Spirit of Alabama stories at civic club meetings.
But, I found a dandy Monday at the Eastwood-Irondale Rotary Club. Their special guest speaker was one of a kind.
Her name is Will Holmes. Ms. Holmes is a bright woman who does in-depth research before presenting fascinating programs. She's charming, lovely and so engaging.
Oh, I should mention she turned 98 years old last Sunday.
What's it like to be 98 years old?
"Well, it makes me think that i must have been born a long time ago," Holmes said and laughed.
Will Holmes was born Jan. 10, 1912. When she retired years ago, she was determined that she needed something to keep her brain going strong.
"So, I developed a hobby, developing new subjects all along and doing research on them and then if anyone wanted to hear what I had to say... I'd tell ‘em anyway," she said.
So on Monday, Holmes was the guest speaker at the weekly meeting of the Eastwood-Irondale Rotary Club. Her subject, the history of the famous Macy's department store, was based on the book called “The Store, The Star, The Story.”
"I recommend the book," she said.
The first Macy's store opened in New York in 1858. And, Ms. Holmes understands the company’s success.
"First, they were bright themselves and they studied and they worked and they surrounded themselves with smart people, they knew how to find talented smart people," Holmes said.
She's been doing this for nearly 30 years... she thoroughly researches a subject and meticulously prepares a talk to enlighten and inform. She always wants to be respectful of other peoples’ time.
"I don't worry when people look at their watches... but when they begin to get out little calendars, I begin to wonder what's next," Holmes said.
Her son Ben attends when he can to support his mother. He is her only child.
"That's it,” Holmes laughed. “I concentrated on quality."
Before retiring, Will Holmes spent years working for the local Children's Aid Society. She loved her work and the people around her.
"The wonderful volunteers and the association with them...like at Macy's, I was surrounded by such wonderful people, and I just learned to love them, and like I said, just love people and they'll love you back," Holmes said.
Will Holmes calls herself a collector of people.
"The people that I meet that means so much to me... I collect them, I don't let them go," Holmes said.
No one much glanced at watches or calendars while Ms. Holmes spoke. The meeting ended with members singing happy birthday to Ms. Holmes.
"Thank you and may I celebrate by coming back and making another blow again when I'm a hundred," Holmes said.
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