NEW ENGLAND
Editor's Note: The following appeared in the booklet Remember ME, produced annually by the Maine Health Care Association (mehca.org) as part of a project that honors the accomplishments of selected residents of the state's long-term care facilities. (See sidebar.) Dorothy Anderson was recommended for recognition by the staff at MaineGeneral Rehabilitation and Nursing Care at Glenridge, Augusta. In April 2006, she was awarded a certificate of lifetime achievement by the association. She was 96 at the time and passed away on June 21 of this year. This information was provided to Light & Life by Anderson's daughter, Helen Anderson Canfield. (The following has been edited slightly for appearance on the Light & Life Web site.)
Dorothy Anderson
MaineGeneral Rehabilitation and Nursing Care
at Glenridge, Augusta
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Born in Burlington, VT, on Feb. 6, 1910, Dorothy Anderson née Myette graduated from the University of Vermont in 1932 and began what would become a lifelong career in teaching. In 1933, she married Carl Anderson, becoming a pastor's wife and immediate stepmother to a 3-year-old daughter, Helen. After 28 years of marriage and ministry, the Andersons were appointed to the Free Methodist Church in Belfast, Ireland, in 1961. Dorothy loved visiting the parishioners and recalls drinking a "wee cup of tea" with them.
MAINE ’S ELDERLY REMEMBERED BY GOVERNOR BALDACCI AND MAINE HEALTH CARE ASSOCIATIONApril 5, 2006, Augusta, ME – Governor John Baldacci joined the Maine Health Care Association (MHCA) today in honoring the accomplishments of 40 people living in the state’s long-term care facilities. The association presented Certificates of Lifetime Achievement to these individuals during a ceremony held today in the Hall of Flags at the Statehouse. The ceremony was part of a photography exhibit titled “Remember ME” and featured the black-and-white photographs and biographies of these citizens in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities. The primary purpose of the Remember ME project is to salute the people who have spent the best years of their lives supporting their families, building their communities and serving their state and country. The project also urges the public to remember the selfless contributions of our elderly and disabled citizens who now depend on others for their care and safety. The photography exhibit includes the photos and biographies of residents from Madawaska to York, Easport to South Paris. These residents are decorated war heroes, mothers and fathers, and community leaders such as nurses, teachers, journalists, engineers and small-business owners. According to MHCA President and CEO Richard A. Erb, “Just because these residents are less visible in the community doesn’t mean that we should forget their important contributions to our state and country. After giving to others all of their lives, they now depend on us for their daily medical and social care, and we take that responsibility very seriously. This photographic tribute and recognition ceremony is our way of remembering them and saying thank you.” he Maine Health Care Association is a nonprofit trade association, representing more than 250 providers of long-term care services to the state’s elderly and disabled citizens. |
After her husband's death, Dorothy took a position as secretary to VISA (Volunteers In Service Abroad) Director Don Bowen. As she interviewed candidates, she felt the urge to present herself as a volunteer, and ministered through education in six countries over a 13-year period. Her first assignment (at age 61) was to Paraguay as a missions secretary. It wasn't long before she took on additional duties, teaching kindergarten and first grade in an American school where she even taught the U.S. ambassador's son. Next came assignments to Taiwan and the Philippines, where she taught English at various Bible colleges. Dorothy also traveled to Japan and the Dominican Republic, where she performed secretarial work and taught conversational English in schools, factories and churches. She also taught for two years at the library of the Biblical Seminary of South Africa. Dorothy's final VISA assignment was to the Philippines, where from 1986 to 1987 she taught at Light and Life Bible College in Butuan City.
After years abroad, Dorothy came home to Gardiner, ME, to be with Helen and her family. As long as she could write, she kept in touch with former students, including Jim Tuan, the current bishop of the Free Methodist Church in the Philippines, and the many friends she gained along her way. A true missionary at heart, Dorothy volunteered at a local Gardiner church library, played piano and led a home Bible study until age and illness brought her to Glenridge.
