THE ROTARY CLUB OF ST. LOUIS PARK HAS A NEW MEMBER:
ELLIOTT ROYCE
Posted in 2012
http://portal.clubrunner.ca/5625/Stories/the-rotary-club-of-st-louis-park-has-a-new-member-elliott-royce#sthash.9CevjKpV.dpuf
The Rotary Club of St. Louis Park has a new member: Elliott Royce. Elliott is 93 years young. That’s right—93. This is not a re-join, it’s a new member enrollment. Why at 93 was he compelled to join Rotary?
“Elliott is a long-standing member of our non-profit board for Doorstep Healthcare Services,” explained Judy Goldetsky, owner of a health care personnel placement service in the western suburbs of Minneapolis and longtime Rotarian. “He has been involved in community activities for many years, most recently as a volunteer at Park Nicollet Health Care Center.”
Because she knows Royce is always interested in staying involved with people, Goldetsky told him about Rotary. “He was looking for a volunteer activity, so I asked if he wanted to come as a guest a few times, and he liked it,” Goldetsky said. “It was the easiest prospective member invite I've ever had.” Royce joined and has not missed a meeting since. As an active member, he is even involved in several of the club's programs.
Staying Active
Royce was a pilot before World War II before becoming involved in building structures at the site of the present Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. He was also in the pharmaceutical industry. His father was the first Jewish pharmacy graduate in Minnesota in 1910. Royce graduated from pharmacy school to please his father, but didn't like it and never practiced.
Royce gave up driving at the age of 85 and he has learned all the bus routes to get around the city independently. He does not like asking for rides, so he finds his own way to get around, making friends on the buses as he goes. He visits his daughter in Israel annually.
Royce is determined to stay active, physically and mentally--and to help others along the way. For example, when he learned that the greatest safety risk for the elderly is falling, he called around to find someone who would teach him to fall safely. No one would do so, since there was liability in allowing someone to fall. They wanted to teach him to strengthen and balance in order to prevent falls.
Royce searched online and found someone in Hawaii who would teach him the art of falling safety. He flew there and spent a week learning how to do so. He came back and purchased an air mattress that he practices on every morning, falling for 20 minutes on the air mattress in his living room. He has fallen outside three times in the past three winters, and used his technique to avoid injury. He is planning to present his methods to Rotary groups throughout the metro in the near future.
From his Hawaii experience, he heard about an Olympic trampoline coach and he now takes trampoline lessons three times a week. He has lost 20 pounds and his balance and strength have improved--even though he is the oldest student his coach has ever taught.