Silver Story: Florence Gilkesson
Historian, Traveler, Encourager, Life-Long Learner
Have you ever met someone, and only in a few short minutes, did you get the impression that they were one of the kindest and interesting persons you had ever met? Well, I can say I have. I met Florence while I was teaching an AARP computer class. She was actively engaged and eager to learn more about computers. In between lessons, our class tended to deviate from the topic and go on a tangent discussion, which we all jokingly called “the front porch”. We did this often, as the students and I got to know each other. My personal experience with Florence was when I shared my concerns about getting cataract surgery. Florence took the time to explain the surgery based on her own experience. She also offered so much encouragement that I decided to go ahead and have the surgery – with great success. I continued to get to know Florence during our class and when asked to write an article for GCPA, Florence was the first person to come to mind. In my interview with Florence, I learned so much more that I was totally impressed. I am so glad to learn more about my friend and I am excited to let you get to know her too.
Florence was born in Washington D.C. She grew up in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Florence lived a very exciting life as a young woman and took advantage of the opportunity to achieve a high level of education, as was common in her family. She attended Hampton University and received a Bachelor’s degree in History. She then continued to Graduate school getting a Master’s degree from UCLA with a focus in African History. When asked why she chose History, she responded that she spent a lot of time around older relatives who had experienced interesting things in their lives. She was eager to learn more.
Florence’s list of experiences has easily matched the experiences that intrigued her from her relatives. She has taught History at San Diego State University and Howard University. She has worked for Congressman Steny Hoyer in Washington D.C. And most interesting of all, during Grad school, she spent a long stay in Liberia for research and also volunteered for the United Nations in Senegal. She also spent time in Brazil and learned Portuguese. She has traveled to France, England, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Italy. Florence has an extensive travel history as she has traveled the world for education, work, and leisure. I was almost speechless (not common for me) as she shared stories about her adventures all over the world.
I asked Florence how she managed to travel to such distant places and her answer was simple. She has always been a confident woman. Her family has always been supportive of their family members doing great things and trying to achieve their best. Travel and education were common in her family. Speaking of family, Florence’s family is very close-knit and always there for each other. She shared that whenever any family member was in need or had trouble, there was always a family member ready to help. She shared a funny story about the time she traveled to Paris. Her closest family member, her Mom, came all the way to Paris, just to check on her! Now that is real family support!
As you can see, Florence is a very interesting lady with a strong sense of self-confidence and family values. In recent years, she and her siblings banded together to ensure that the family business, Simon’s Mortuary, remained in family ownership. She works in the administration office helping to manage the day-to-day operations of the busiest African-American-owned mortuary in Peoria. When asked what was her motto or slogan, she said, “We got this!” and also “We speak with one voice.” I asked if that was her personal motto or the company’s. She responded that it was both. They operate the mortuary as a family and as a family business. The values of the family are evident in the business. They work as a team to ensure that they help families make a transition from grief to a positive future.
Even though Florence is very busy with work, she still makes time to continue to travel, read, and collect cookbooks. She owns African cookbooks that were published before electric stoves existed. Florence also offered a message to the younger generation, and specifically to “any” generation that they should always treat people with respect and treat everyone as good human beings. She continued with additional advice. Have good medical care because medical science has improved so much. She encourages everyone to try to catch an illness/disease early so you can find a cure. Another good suggestion was to have people in your life that have common sense. I loved that one! She also wants people to have good health and a purpose in life.
It was a pleasure interviewing Florence and sharing her thoughts and accomplishments with our GCPA friends. I hope you enjoyed this bit of Florence’s life and will be eager to get to know her better in the future.
I leave you with one last statement from Florence that will resonate with all of us older adults.
“Long life doesn’t mean you deteriorate, it means you improve.” Florence Gilkesson
Article by Felisa Jordan Durr GCPA Board Member 2/24/24