South, East Orange Senior Citizens Honored For Community Service In Essex County

Two residents of the Oranges received an Essex County Legends Award during the 10th Annual Essex County Older Americans Heritage Month Celebration on Wednesday.

According to a county news release, East Orange resident Inez Rosalie Alick Elliott and South Orange resident Nan Samons were both recognized “because they are positive role models for the younger generation, have worked tirelessly to assist fellow seniors and made tremendous contributions to improve the quality of life.”

County officials provided the following biographies for each awardee:

Inez Rosalie Alick Elliott

East Orange resident Inez Rosalie Alick Elliott is known as “Rose” by family and friends and as the de facto recording secretary of the Bethany Senior Citizen Center in Newark because of her impressive memory. At 99 years old, Ms. Elliott overcame an accident in which she suffered nine broken ribs and had to learn how to walk again. At the senior center, she enjoys reading and playing dominoes.

Her nomination from Bethany states: “Even though she is basically quiet, with a straight face, she has a strong presence that radiates admiration… Mrs. Elliott’s secret to living healthy is her faith in God, staying calm and laughing as often as she can. Her contagious laughter makes you want to join her in the joke. With almost a hundred years of life, we salute Rose for setting an example of grace.”

“It is an honor to be here today and I hope that many of you will continue to do something worthwhile for your community,” Elliott said during Wednesday’s ceremony.

Nan Samons

South Orange resident Nan Samons was nominated by the JCC MetroWest Kosher Congregate Nutrition Program. She was one of the founders of the Playhouse Cooperative Nursery School 65 years ago, which is still going strong and owned her own business, Needlepoint and Stitchery, in West Orange. Now 90 years old, Ms. Samons remains involved in community affairs by making life better for fellow seniors. Two years ago, she started SOS (South Orange Seniors), which has established a town-wide discount card for seniors, coordinated intergenerational programming with Seton Hall University, hosted an Annual Senior Gala and established a snow shoveling service to assist elder residents. In addition, Ms. Samons worked with SHU students to produce a documentary highlighting the lives of six South Orange seniors, organized computer literacy classes for her peers, worked out an arrangement with the South Orange Performing Arts Center to provide free tickets for seniors and worked with the South Orange Advisory Committee to conduce Senior Citizen Forums.

“I really am very proud and honored to be a recipient today,” Samons said during Wednesday’s ceremony. “I would like to share this award with everyone in the room. Each of us know the benefits of volunteering – we learn new skills, feel a sense of purpose and contribute to the success of our community.”

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Photo by Glen Frieson