Flora Minton
and her
"grand-dog"
Spikey
A Well-Rounded Life
Flora Minton's motto: Never stop learning.
Sue Pearl
Special to the Jewish News
F
Lora Minton, 95, greets me at
the front door of her daughter's
beautiful Bloomfield Hills home.
I watch in amazement as she walks with
the poise and grace of someone much
younger. When I ask her what her secret is
for staying so fit, she answers, "It is sheer,
unadulterated, good luck!"
Maybe the fact that Minton does Pilates
twice a week and doesn't eat fried food or
sweets (except for her favorite sour-cherry
pie from Traverse City) might also attri-
bute to her good health.
Minton's only daughter, Susan, has her
own theory as to why her mother remains
so healthy. "My mother is the most
dynamic human being I have ever met:'
she says.
Minton has sat on the board or has
been president of more than 20 charities
throughout her life.
"I think the real reason that my mom
is so vibrant is because of her incredible
curiosity. She is always learning, always
asking the question why. My mom is an
- incessant reader. She probably reads about
five nonfiction books a week:' Susan says.
Beginning in 1923, Minton attended
Ms. Newman's School for Girls (a private
school that taught both primary and sec-
ondary education) in Detroit.
"Unfortunately, my parents decided to
move to Chicago for my senior year, which
wasn't an easy adjustment at first:' says
Minton, who graduated high school from
Starrett School for Girls in Chicago.
In 1934, Minton attended Northwestern
University in Evanston, Ill., where she
majored in theater production. "I would
come home (my family had since moved
back to Detroit) for the summers and
vacations, and I would volunteer at the
surgical and medical clinic at Children's
Hospital. I loved volunteering and I espe-
cially loved dating all the interns!
"After graduating from Northwestern
in 1939, I got a scholarship to go to the
Boston Theater Guild, but that was when
Hitler started marching, so I had to return
home instead. From 1939-1942, during
World War II, I was trained by the U.S.
government to be a part of the United
States Citizen Core. I had a very important
job teaching civilian defense and fire pre-
vention."
In 1942, Minton married her husband,
Frank. Frank was a captain and bomber
pilot instructor in the Air Force (in civilian
life he was an attorney) until 1946.
"I followed Frank wherever he was sta-
tioned:' says Minton,who did volunteer
work in every location in which Frank
was transferred. "In Dyersburg, Tenn., I
founded and became the director of their
Red Cross chapter and in Topeka, Kan., I
worked for the Civilian Defense. When the
war was over, we moved back to Detroit.
"In the 1950s, I volunteered for the
American Cancer Society. I put 1,000
volunteers on the streets collecting dona-
tions. I got the churches, synagogues and
unions involved. The Statler Hotel let us
use their large ballroom for checking in
and out. I had a great idea to call one of
the top model agencies to let us use all
their top models to go around collecting
money. Let's just say with all the business-
men around, we were able to make a lot of
money that day!"
Minton has been involved (quite often
chairing or founding one committee
or another) in more charities and vol-
unteer positions than any one person
could imagine. Her five-page resume
includes foundations such as the DIA, the
Arthritis Foundation, the Committee on
Aging, Oakland University, Detroit Public
Library, Sinai Hospital, National Council
of Jewish Women, Hospice of Southeastern
Michigan ... and the list goes on.
Minton also spent many years volun-
teering at Temple Beth El.
"In 1973, I was asked by the temple
administrator if I would volunteer full
time in the executive office she says.
Minton ended up working five days a
week from 9-5 for the next four years.
"Remember now, this was all prior to
computers and electronics that you kids
have today. Everything was either hand-
written or typed on cards.
"I was also the president of Temple Beth
El Sisterhood for two years and the presi-
dent of the State Sisterhood for another
two years. I was always involved with
temple in one fashion or another:'
Minton also enjoyed traveling with her
husband and daughter. They traveled to
the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Jamaica and
Europe. "One of my best trips was when
Frank took me to Italy for a month for my
50th birthday:' remembers Minton. "We
had.a wonderful time:'
Besides volunteering, education and
learning have always been an integral part
of the person Minton is today.
"When I was 61, a friend of mine made
a bet with me that I wouldn't be able to
get into Wayne State University and, of
course, I proved her wrong:' says Minton,
who attended Wayne for two years. "I was
three credit hours away from getting my
masters in instructional technology. The
only reason I didn't finish was because the
class I had to take was down at the main
campus, and it started at nine at night.
Frank didn't want me driving down there
by myself at such a late hour at my age.
That's OK, though, because it was a fun
experience anyway.
"I stopped volunteering when Frank
passed away 11 years ago. Now I spend a
lot of my time with my daughter, Susan,
who is my best friend. Our houses in
Bloomfield Hills are a block away from
each other. Sometimes I will run errands
for Susan because, yes, I still do drive.
"My favorite pastime is reading —
mostly nonfiction books. I would be posi-
tively lost without my Kindle!"
What is Flora Minton's secret for stay-
ing so fit and healthy? Perhaps the answer
has less to do with "luck" and more to do
with the positive way in which she lives
her life.
❑
Know a senior (80 or older) in the
community who has an interesting
adventure or story to share about their life?
Contact Sue Pearl at susanpearlwrites@
gmail.corn.
July 5 2012
21