Anne Stanback, M.A.R.

I’ve learned that in many ways, retirement looks very much like non-retirement. It still includes creating Doodle polls, attending meetings, and still not getting my closets fully Kondo-ized. In addition to lots of projects at my home church— Immanuel Congregational Church/UCC in Hartford—I was particularly busy the past year with board service for three diverse, but equally wonderful organizations: Freedom for All Americans (an LGBTQ organization working to secure full nondiscrimination protections nationwide), Community Partners in Action (a 144-year old Connecticut organization that works with those in and returning from prison), and Davidson College.

The year wasn’t all meetings and political work though. In addition to nice visits with friends and family, Charlotte and I took another long trip back to the national parks of Utah and Colorado in our 24-foot camper. But one of the most powerful experiences of the last year was an interracial, interfaith civil rights trip in January to Alabama, the highlight being the Memorial for Peace and Justice (aka Lynching Memorial) and the companion Legacy Museum.

2018 was a year of milestones: a 60th birthday for me, a 65th birthday for Charlotte, 35 years together, and 10 years of legal marriage in Connecticut. All in all, a very good year.