Clint Salmon still can’t let go of his activism and put his feet up to relax.
Even at age 87.
He has a jam-packed résumé, with stints in the Marines, as a New York State trooper and as Town of Sardinia supervisor. He also has remained active with the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, the Masonic Lodge and the Chaffee-Sardinia Kiwanis Club, each for at least 40 years.
More recently, the Chaffee resident has volunteered with the Southtowns Meals on Wheels, the Town of Sardinia senior citizens organization and the Rural Transit Service Advisory Board.
And while he has served as area coordinator for Meals on Wheels in Sardinia, guess what he started doing when one of the delivery routes opened up a couple of years ago? He and his wife, Jeanne, started delivering meals on Mondays.
That’s why Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz and Senior Services Commissioner Randall A. Hoak honored Clinton A. Salmon as the county’s “Senior of the Year” in a brief ceremony Monday afternoon.
“I’m funny. I can’t put my feet up. If I put my feet up, I get angry with myself,” Salmon explained. “I have to be active.”
Poloncarz used Salmon as an example of a senior citizen who makes a difference, at a time when it’s so tough to find volunteers for services such as Meals on Wheels, whether it’s because of gas prices or people’s increasingly busy schedules.
If people like him weren’t out volunteering with that program, someone may not get a needed meal, the county executive noted.
“He is an inspiration to us all,” Poloncarz said. “As he noted, it’s become more and more difficult to find volunteers. Here’s a man at his age who doesn’t want to put his feet up.”
Among his many efforts, Salmon created new bylaws for Town of Sardinia senior citizens, has served as president of the Town of Sardinia’s senior citizens organization for the last 10 years, has been a member of the Rural Transit Service Advisory Board since 1997 and has driven for that service for more than 15 years. And since 2002, he has been area coordinator for Southtowns Meals on Wheels, delivering meals, contacting clients and handling paperwork.
Salmon clearly got a kick out of the honor.
“I have put in quite a few years, and it’s one hell of a thing to be appreciated,” he said.
Before the ceremony, Salmon explained why he remains so active:
“I’ve got to keep doing something – or else I’ll get old.”
email: gwarner@buffnews.com
Even at age 87.
He has a jam-packed résumé, with stints in the Marines, as a New York State trooper and as Town of Sardinia supervisor. He also has remained active with the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, the Masonic Lodge and the Chaffee-Sardinia Kiwanis Club, each for at least 40 years.
More recently, the Chaffee resident has volunteered with the Southtowns Meals on Wheels, the Town of Sardinia senior citizens organization and the Rural Transit Service Advisory Board.
And while he has served as area coordinator for Meals on Wheels in Sardinia, guess what he started doing when one of the delivery routes opened up a couple of years ago? He and his wife, Jeanne, started delivering meals on Mondays.
That’s why Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz and Senior Services Commissioner Randall A. Hoak honored Clinton A. Salmon as the county’s “Senior of the Year” in a brief ceremony Monday afternoon.
“I’m funny. I can’t put my feet up. If I put my feet up, I get angry with myself,” Salmon explained. “I have to be active.”
Poloncarz used Salmon as an example of a senior citizen who makes a difference, at a time when it’s so tough to find volunteers for services such as Meals on Wheels, whether it’s because of gas prices or people’s increasingly busy schedules.
If people like him weren’t out volunteering with that program, someone may not get a needed meal, the county executive noted.
“He is an inspiration to us all,” Poloncarz said. “As he noted, it’s become more and more difficult to find volunteers. Here’s a man at his age who doesn’t want to put his feet up.”
Among his many efforts, Salmon created new bylaws for Town of Sardinia senior citizens, has served as president of the Town of Sardinia’s senior citizens organization for the last 10 years, has been a member of the Rural Transit Service Advisory Board since 1997 and has driven for that service for more than 15 years. And since 2002, he has been area coordinator for Southtowns Meals on Wheels, delivering meals, contacting clients and handling paperwork.
Salmon clearly got a kick out of the honor.
“I have put in quite a few years, and it’s one hell of a thing to be appreciated,” he said.
Before the ceremony, Salmon explained why he remains so active:
“I’ve got to keep doing something – or else I’ll get old.”
email: gwarner@buffnews.com