Senior Spotlight: Elizabeth 'Libby' Adkins

Elizabeth 'Libby' Adkins

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I was born sandwiched between two brothers who were distant in age, and that made life for the only daughter hectic, but loving. Way back in 1943, in Greenville, S.C., the new baby girl had the luxury of a stay-at-home mom and an insurance executive dad. Dad's business allowed us to travel a great deal. By the time I left for college at the University of South Carolina in 1961, I had visited every state east of the Mississippi River and parts of Canada.

At USC in Columbia, I met and married Jerry Adkins, the father of my two wonderful children, Kelly and Matt. We moved to Virginia, where Jerry was from originally. Martinsville, Va., known to every Nascar fan, was a great place to have a family, and both my children were born there. I worked in the purchasing department at a furniture manufacturing company for several years before becoming a librarian at Martinsville High School. I returned to school during this time at Roanoke College and secured my Virginia real estate license.

We moved to "The Queen City of the South," Charlotte, NC. Shortly after we arrived, I secured my North Carolina real estate broker's license. I worked for the very first Century 21 Real Estate office in North Carolina. I attended the banquet and celebration to view the very first national commercial for Century 21. I continued as a broker in North Carolina until 1984 found us moving to Colorado Springs, Colo. I only lived there one year, before returning to Carolina a single lady after 20-plus years of marriage. I developed subdivisions in several areas of South Carolina and North Carolina until I took early retirement in 1994.

My son married and gave me two wonderful grandchildren, Joshua, 18, and Shannon, 14. Both are still in Virginia, although Matt is out here now. Kelly, my daughter, went to mainland China after college to teach English. She moved to California when she returned to the states. She met and married a really good man and excellent father, Bob Orozco, a Fowler native. Together they are raising my wonderful grandchildren, Katie, 9, and Jonathan, 7. I moved here from Charlotte just before Katie was born. I feel very lucky to have been able to spend a lot of time during the pre-school years with each of my four grandchildren.

I really like Clovis. I moved here after five years in Fresno. I feel so connected with the seniors here. I joined the Clovis Senior Center after discovering I was diabetic. I wanted to attend Floyd Scott's Thursday morning sharing group for people in life-changing situations. I had a diabetic ulcer on the bottom of my right foot, which stopped me cold. I was hospitalized in August 2007 and put in a wheelchair for months. I was attached 24 hours a day to a wound vacuum that had to be plugged into the wall. Just when the skin graft was taking, I got pneumonia and it was back to the hospital. I believe the light at the end of the tunnel is coming my way. Thanks to the wonderful Dr. Ross Nishijima in Clovis, I am still here with all my body parts intact. It has been a rough ride, but I am one of the lucky ones. This type of ulcer often causes amputation and that is not in my future now.

I can't say enough good things about the Clovis Senior Center. Talking with the people there who share their own problems and solutions for an hour helps me realize I don't have an insurmountable situation after all.

I am dreaming of the day I can attend the dances. That was one of my favorite things all my life. I can say besides ballroom and classic rock, bluegrass music always got my toes tapping. One of my hobbies is genealogy research and thank heaven for the Internet. It allows me to stay in touch with all my friends and family back east. I get to visit them most years, too. Odd, but after just a couple years here, I began to speak of this area as home. I retain my deep Southern accent, but when asked where I am from now, without hesitation, I reply, Clovis, Calif.