Trudy Roberts, The "Face And Voice" Of Vernon Town Hall, Retires

VERNON, CT — Gertrude "Trudy" Roberts, the greeter at Vernon Town Hall who met everyone with a smile and was a fixture in the building for the past 37 years, has retired.

Her last official day was Friday.

Since 1987, the 92-year-old Roberts had been the Town Hall receptionist and from her post in the lobby answered phones, sorted mail and handled any number of tasks. One could not get past her without signing in — from officials to residents to even media members — but she always did it with a kind word in her pleasant, chatty style.

"It's hard for me to imagine Town Hall without Trudy," Mayor Dan Champagne said. "Long before I became a police officer in town, Trudy was greeting people at Town Hall. We are going to miss her."

Diane Wheelock spent many years working with Roberts as mayor and now the administration's executive assistant.

"Trudy was the face and voice of Vernon for generations of residents," Wheelock said. "Anyone who visited Town Hall during the past 37 years knows Trudy. She loved talking to people and often lent a sympathetic ear to those who were having a bad day or struggling in general. She has an extremely kind heart."

One year the Rockville Rotary Club honored her for helping it sell roses during its annual fundraiser. When Roberts turned 90, she was summoned to the mayor's office and arrived to find a surprise birthday party and colleagues wishing her a happy birthday. For a few minutes, even Roberts was was speechless.

"Trudy has so many wonderful and detailed stories about growing up in Vernon," Interim Town Administrator Dawn Maselek said. "One felt like they entered a time portal of days gone by, hearing about Trudy and her neighborhood friends swimming in the Hockanum river on a hot day, or attending community dances and basketball games on the third floor of Town Hall."

Assistant Finance Director Frank Zitkus, who joined the town in 1989, said it's tough to overstate the role Roberts has played at Town Hall.

"She is obviously an integral person at Town Hall," Zitkus said. "I think people really enjoyed coming to Town Hall because of her and her cheerful way of guiding them to where they needed to go. She is a special person. And she will be missed."