‘BE INVOLVED WITH THE WORLD AND THE PROBLEMS’
100-year-old activist says she’s ‘lucky’ to help break poverty cycle in Nicaragua
LuckyNORWALK — After 100 years of life, Virginia Auster’s advice is to “be involved with the world and the problems,” advice she has lived by.
As one of the founding members of the Norwalk-Nagarote Sister City Project, Auster has served on the board for nearly 40 years.
“I feel lucky to have been engaged with it,” Auster said, perched on a love seat in her living room days before her 100th birthday on Jan. 13.
“I’ve had a fortunate life, and hopefully, I’ve been giving back a little bit,” Auster reflected.
Originally from Scarsdale, N.Y., Auster has called many places home, including London, Hollywood, and most recently, Norwalk. Here, she has found a community of friends who fill her time with poetry and social activism.
After graduating from Smith College in 1945, Auster said she worked in the theater industry.
“I worked for Irene Selznick; ‘Streetcar’ was right across the way, and I saw it a lot, many times because as part of the office, I could just walk in,” Auster recalled.
“I worked for about five years, and then I went abroad and lived abroad for a year and a half, mostly in France, Italy — a little skiing in Austria,” Auster said.
Auster recalled taking the exam to work as a clerk for the Marshall Project; however, when she passed, she changed her mind.
“They were going to send me to Copenhagen in the winter; I said no,” Auster said.
Auster eventually settled in Westport, where she began volunteering at Hall-Brooke Hospital, which today is known as St. Vincent’s Behavioral Health Services.
“I volunteered there, and then, at around when I was around 49 — 50, I went to get an advanced degree,” Auster said.
Auster earned a master’s degree in social work from the University of Connecticut and returned to work at HallBrooke in clinical social work.
“Then I had the great good fortune of, and I can’t remember how, sort of easing my way into social action,” Auster reflected.
Auster became an attender of the Quakers meetings.
“I’m very involved there, and I’ve been on a lot of committees, and we’re
active in gun violence and incarceration and all kinds of good social events, social action,” Auster said.
A significant portion of Auster’s life has been dedicated to social activism, which culminated in her helping establish a sister city project between the city of Norwalk and Nagarote, Nicaragua.
“I had some wonderful mentors
and got involved with the Nagarote sister city project,” she said.
Former Norwalk Mayor Bill Collins, his wife Elizabeth “Tish” Gibbs, Auster, and others were moved to action in response to the Contra War.
“They were very upset with what the American government was doing, and they wanted to do something positive to offset,” explained Tom Kretsch, the current president of the NorwalkNagarote Sister City Project.
Their mission is to create “sustainable
community development and breaking the cycle of poverty for the most disadvantaged children and youth in Nagarote,” according to their website.
For 38 years, Auster has been involved in making that mission a reality.
“Virginia has been on our board ever since and to this day, she’s still on our board and continues to work,” Kretsch said. “She always is involved in getting people to do things and to commit to our project and to get people
to come to our events.”
“She’s so active and an integral part of our board, and it’s been since the inception,” Kretsch said.
Over the years, Norwalk has built a community center in Nagarote and established lasting programs, including tutoring, after-school programs, and a sustainable farm.
Auster’s impact is vast and has not gone unnoticed. On the occasion of her centenary, Auster has been awarded a citation from Connecticut’s Secretary of the
State Stephanie Brown’s office.
“Virginia has been a shining example of what lifelong civic engagement can look like,” said Secretary Brown. “I’m happy to honor her on this milestone birthday and wish her many more to come.”
Auster said she has been celebrating her birthday “a lot,” and planned to celebrate her birthday with a dinner party on Sunday with her son, daughter and friends.
“It’s gonna be a big deal,” Auster said.