The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Conservationist among state’s 60 Over 60
CHESTER — A local woman was recently honored as a member of Duncaster Lifecare Community’s 2018 Class of Connecticut’s 60 Over 60 with a reception and ceremony in Bloomfield.
Over 200 people, including family and friends of the honorees, celebrated Margaret Wilson’s accomplishments. The event was sponsored by The University of Hartford’s The Hartt School, whose students also provided the music throughout the event, according to a news release.
“We were so honored that almost all of the members of this year’s class were able to attend,” Duncaster CEO Michael O’Brien said in a prepared statement.
“We are pleased that, for the second year, we had the honor of showcasing some of the state’s most influential individuals who are age 60 or better. We are overwhelmed with the contributions each member of the Class of 2018 has made to the world; the people they touch every day and their families,” he added.
Wilson is vice president/ president-elect of the Resident Board of Masonicare at Chester Village.
“A woman of many interests and gifts, she unselfishly shares them with the community-at-large,” Masonicare’s Executive Director, Annie Hoefferle, said in her nomination.
For the past 20 years, Wilson has been treasurer of the Connecticut River Gateway Commission, a state-local compact dedicated to the protection of the 30-mile Lower Connecticut River Valley. She also serves on the town of Chester’s Conservation Commission, is a monthly volunteer at the YMCA’s Camp Hazen in Chester and authors a weekly “Envirotrips” column, according to a release.
After her retirement, she continued to volunteer on nature and environmental projects at Chester Elementary School, where she was a substitute teacher. Her retirement also allowed her to attain her master gardener status through UConn.
The search for 60 individuals began in January. Nominations came in from across Connecticut from people who wanted to honor those who had contributed to their businesses, the arts scene, local and international nonprofit community and their families, according to the release.