LWVAC is proud to have several Life Members—those who have been League members for 50 consecutive years! We’ve set out to interview them. Here we talk with Nancy Gilbert. This interview was first published in the February 2021 LWVAC Voter.

 

Nancy grew up in Illinois, and earned her bachelor’s degree in History/French at the University of Michigan. It was there she met her future husband Carter--the couple were married soon after in August of 1958. Nancy taught junior high school in Ann Arbor while Carter did his graduate work in zoology.

The couple then moved to Washington, DC, where Carter studied sharks on a research grant from the Smithsonian.

In 1961 they came to UF. The springtime azaleas were in bloom, and Nancy loved Gainesville right away. Carter took a position as the Curator of Fishes at the Florida Museum of Natural History; Nancy earned her Master of Education with a major in social science. They raised their sons, John and Steve, both now electrical engineers living in the Chicago area with their families.

Nancy has been volunteering in ESOL since 1989, starting out at Williams Elementary, then working in adult classes in Cory and Maguire Villages. The program not only teaches English, but also gives local advice to the students, as well as providing them a chance to socialize. (The ESOL potluck lunches are famous for their culinary diversity!)

Nancy has continued her ESOL work through the pandemic, now teaching her students via Zoom.

When did you join the League?

Very soon after moving to Gainesville, I was invited by Margaret Pierce—later the president of the League—to attend a meeting. I was impressed by the women in the League. They grabbed your attention: they were talented, brilliant, fascinating, and passionate about the League issues. They were uncritical and very accepting of new people. I joined in the fall of 1961.

What issues have moved you the most?

The right to vote. I served on the Voter Services Committee. I feel that everything depends on voting, and that vehicles like the Voter Guide are critical in keeping the public informed on the stakes in elections.

What big changes have you seen in the landscape—political, the League, Gainesville?

Gainesville and the university have grown tremendously. When I began my master’s program at UF, there were 13,000 students and the tuition was $75 a semester.

There have been many wonderful cultural additions like the Harn, the Performing Arts Center, and the Florida Museum of Natural History’s outreach programs to local children.

We now have very good senior living at places like Oak Hammock and The Village, something we didn’t always have in Gainesville.

Unfortunately, we have also seen many of our local shops and restaurants replaced with big-box stores.

In the League, there has been a positive movement in the use of technology. It’s now easy to attend state meetings through webinars. Our LWVAC website has given us a good sense of what’s going on in Alachua County.

I’ve enjoyed the Hot Topics program. It’s a great way to learn something relevant, socialize with League members, and get a bite to eat.

What advice or lessons learned would you pass on to our members?

• The League is a great organization. It’s well-run and well-managed. See what’s on offer and find something to engage yourself.
• Vote… and be as active as you can in promoting voting and informing the voters.