70-year resident says volunteering keeps her healthy

Bernice Houston. (Jennifer Szakaly photo)

JENNIFER SZAKALY
The Charlotte Observer

For a region that is being defined by all of the people moving here from other parts of the country, there’s still a large contingent of residents who have lived in the Lake Norman region for most if not all their lives.

Bernice Houston is private about her age and only offers this clue: She’s originally from Mooresville, but has lived in Davidson for 70 years. During that time, she has seen the farmland disappear through decades of development. In fact, her home off Sloan Street on Davidson’s West Side stands on what was once a cow pasture.

Ms. Houston recounts a Davidson that was distinctly different from the still quaint, small town, remembering that Goodrum Drug Store, Johnny Brown shoe store, a post office and two grocery stores were about all of the retail one could find there.

“There weren’t too many places to work – the Cotton Mill was open, and they supplied jobs to many in the community. Davidson College was a large employer and Carolina Asbestos too,” Ms. Houston said.

Widowed for several decades, Ms. Houston raised her two daughters in town and supported her family by working as housekeeper and cook for two presidents of Davidson College: Dr. Sam Spencer and Dr. John Kuykendall. She also worked a cook for a campus fraternity house.

Ms. Houston also assisted with hosting duties, if needed, when the college’s presidents would entertain important guests.

“It was so exciting to meet all sorts of people who came into contact with the presidents of the college,” she remembers. One of the most heralded guests to arrive was President Gerald Ford. Ms. Houston distinctly remembers the president’s home being on lock-down during the time that President Ford visited.

Ms. Houston still cooks for Kuykendall family and others in the community and enjoys sharing her gift of cooking.

“But I don’t share my recipes,” jokes Houston. She keeps those under wraps because she thinks each cook brings different skills to the kitchen. Ms. Houston, the eldest of four girls, learned to cook from her mother and wishes she had more time for this hobby.

Hospitality and service have continued to be a theme of Ms. Houston’s life.

After retiring in 1995, she immediately recognized the need to continue to serve others.

“I enjoy taking care of myself and taking care of others,” Ms. Houston said. “What a lot of people don’t realize is that both of these things are important for leading a longer and happier life. Many people forget about helping others.”

She has worked privately for several residents of The Pines at Davidson since retiring in 1995, and often drives others to the grocery store who aren’t able to get there themselves and visits the sick in their homes.

Ms. Houston continues to focus on volunteerism as a way of remaining active.

“Volunteering is such a wonderful thing to do to give back to the community, but it also keeps you socially active, which is just as important for your health,” Ms. Houston.

In 2004, Houston received the town’s Jack Burney Community Service Award, given annually to those in the community who exemplify the spirit of community and outreach of the late Davidson resident G. Jackson Burney.

Ms. Houston is humble about the recognition and reluctant to admit the ways she’s involved in the community.

But her dedication to service, before and since retirement, has been a catalyst for change in her own backyard – literally.

Behind her home sits The Bungalows, an affordable housing development that is a project of the Davidson Housing Coalition, where she is a board member. She also lends her support as a volunteer at Ada Jenkins Center on Gamble Street and for the town’s Davidson Aging-in-Place Task Force, serving as a board member of both.

“Davidson is growing fast,” Ms. Houston says, “so, it’s important to make sure that we continue to reach out to everyone in the area so that all residents feel connected to the town. It is what made this a special place to live for the past 70 years when everyone’s been one big family, and it’s something that we need to hold on to so that we don’t grow too fast and lose sight of what’s important.”

Jennifer Szakaly lives in Cornelius. Have a story idea for Jennifer? E-mail her at jennifer@caregivingcorner.com.

This story from The Charlotte Observer appears on DavidsonNews.net as part of our local news partnership.