For two decades Eleanor White served as the town clerk for Dartmouth, but her commitment to public service did not end there.

White has volunteered her time for an array of groups across the community, including the YMCA, Red Cross, Council on Aging, Dartmouth High School Alumni Association and Friends of the Elderly. 

Her “extraordinary local impact” was recognized at the Older Americans Month Luncheon held at the New Bedford Country Club Friday, May 16 by the Dartmouth Friends of the Elderly.

Director Maria Connor presented her with certificates recognizing her services from the town and state legislature, noting the lunch to be a thank you to all of the town’s elders for their contributions to the community.

Rep. Christopher Markey said thanks to the volunteers who support the Council on Aging: “Your work does not go unnoticed and what you do is tremendous.”

“One of the things that Dartmouth has that no other town has in this area is a Council on Aging that is tremendous — that offers incredible resources to everybody,” he added.

While “it takes a village” is often associated with raising a child, Markey said it also takes one to support the town’s elders as well.

He said hard work and communities are values instilled in elders now that he hopes to pass along to his family. 

The approximately 100 seniors who attended did so adorning all sorts of hats to fit with the luncheon’s theme.

Select Board member Stanley Mickelson noted: “You all look so good — the Kentucky Derby has nothing on us.”

“The whole fanciness of it is cute,” Linda Oggenfuss said of the lunch. “It gets people out and gets people doing something different.”

Joyce O’Connell said she was surprised to learn that Older Americans Month celebrations were started by John F. Kennedy.

She added, “This is really nice to remember what we’ve done and what we may have accomplished.”

Nanci Rice said she found the lunch to be exciting.

“I’m very appreciative, and while I’m here with all these lovely people, I can’t help but think of my grandmother and her mother before her and my mother,” Rice said. “They didn’t have a celebration of life while we were living, so I think it’s unique.”