Super Senior: Gloria Wing
MORRISVILLE, Vt. (WCAX) - In downtown Morrisville, there’s a landmark. Once a church, in more recent times it has served as a senior center. And a few weeks ago it was renamed The Wing Center, in honor of Gloria Wing.
Gloria Wing says she doesn’t like all the attention. It was her good friend, Dawn Archbold’s, idea. “Gloria has dedicated her life -- 70 years of her life -- to this community and has done so much and helped so many people and has led by example,” Archbold said.
Dozens of people showed up earlier this month to honor Wing at the renaming celebration.”I want to thank you all for coming out today, this is quite the turnout -- much more than we expected -- and of course why not -- we’re here to pay tribute to a superstar,” Dawn said during the dedication.
The normally stoic Super Senior sported a smile at the ribbon cutting. “Everybody was just great and it was pouring rain and they came in and hugged me and I was wet most of the time,” Wing recalled of the day.
Wing grew up in Morrisville. She became a nurse and worked in Seattle and then Providence, Rhode Island, before heading back to Vermont. She’s been a town administrator and even a Vermont legislator. She’s now the president of the senior center.
The center was much more active prior to the pandemic and the volunteers were younger. Now, Wing and Archbold have a plan to bring more people into the Wing Center. “What are we going to do? What is our purpose in life?” Wing said.
“We got to mix it up a bit and get more people involved,” Archbold said.
“I like to see people coming in,” Wing added.
Their plan is to make the place multi-generational. “We talked about a lot of the old Vermont traditions are getting lost and so we like to do is have a place where older folks can teach younger folks the traditions of the past,” Archbold said.
In return, younger people can teach the seniors things like new technology.
Reporter Joe Carroll: New blood, right?
Gloria Wing: Yes, that’s what we need.
Reporter Joe Carroll: You’re not the newest of blood.
Gloria Wing: No, I got some mileage on me I guess you might say.
“I give her a lot of credit, you know, this has been her baby for a long time,” Archbold said.
The 92-year-old doesn’t move as well in the past, but her mind is razor sharp. “I feel that I have to keep going. I just can’t sit and do nothing,” Wing said.
Wing and Archbold are a team with a shared vision to bring new life to the old building. “It’s right in the middle of town -- which is the heart of the town -- and Gloria, to me, is the heart of the town,” Archbold said.
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