Nancy Dubner, resident of St. John’s Meadows, was recently featured in an article in “55 Plus” magazine, celebrating her lifetime of remarkable achievements.
Born in Massachusetts and educated in Connecticut, Nancy was on first-name terms with Eleanor Roosevelt during Nancy’s college years, when she participated in a student association in support of the then-new United Nations. As the New England Regional Director for the initiative, Nancy’s offices (in a building in New York City, which she commuted to from University of Connecticut) were right down the hall from Eleanor Roosevelt’s. During her involvement in this organization, Nancy met many other notable figures of the age, including Adlai Stevenson and Hubert Humphrey (during his tenure as Senator of Minnesota).
Nancy has lived an eclectic life; she has visited 67 countries, was married in Fontainebleu, France, and participated in a Semester at Sea voyage as an adult learner. She has fought for feminist causes her whole life, particularly by spearheading successful efforts to designate two national parks in New York State – the Womens’ Rights National Historic Park in Seneca Falls, as well as the Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site in Hyde Park. She moved to Rochester when her husband got a job here, but Nancy was not a conventional stay-at-home housewife and mother – she continued to work outside the home, including as a hostess for the city of Rochester (showing significant visitors like Jackie Robinson around town), as well as serving as a trustee for SUNY Polytechnic and many other important occupations and roles across the state.
In later years, when it came time for Nancy to choose an independent living provider for herself, she chose St. John’s Meadows. Having heard about the place through word-of-mouth, she felt that “nothing came up to this one” after doing research on local options.
Some of Nancy’s favorite features of her life at St. John’s Meadows include: the on-site URMC lab that provides a “big convenience” by collecting blood samples very near where residents live, as well as the flu clinic, which to Nancy indicates that St. John’s “thinks ahead to what we need.” She also mentioned that the transportation system offered by St. John’s is “very good,” and praised the availability of the on-site polling that helps enable residents to vote in elections. For Nancy, these positive aspects of her experience at St. John’s Meadows show how St. John’s offers more than just the standard amenities.
“Everyone gets a great benefit from these things,” she said.
To read Nancy’s feature in 55 Plus, please visit http://www.roc55.com/features/force-of-feminism/