Neighborhood resident Sally Rambo blazed a trail for women during her 20 years as Lakewood Country Club’s general manager.
It’s hard for her to say good-bye, she says, but Sept. 30, the 71-year-old Rambo will retire to spend more time with her children and grandchildren.
Rambo leaves after becoming the only woman and only Texan ever to be honored with the Best Club Manager in America award, which she received from the Club Managers Association of America in 1991. She also was named the best manager in Dallas by D magazine in 1981 and the best manager in Texas by the Club Managers Association in 1984.
She is one of only two women ever to serve on the Club Managers Association’s National Board of Directors, which was formed in 1912 and currently has more than 6,000 members. She also is the only woman to help write the latest textbook on club management, which was released in 1994.
“I have always said I was the luckiest person in the world, and I believe I am,” Rambo wrote in a letter to club members announcing her retirement.
“Thank you for permitting me to be a part of your lives as you have certainly been a big part of mine.”
Rambo was given a lifetime membership to Lakewood Country Club by its board of directors. Her retirement party is from 5-9 p.m. Sept. 29 at the club and is open to members only.
Before coming to Lakewood, Rambo served 21 years at the Eastern Hills Country Club in Garland. She says during her 41 years in club management, her favorite job has been organizing “pretty parties,” which she prefers over juggling finances.
“When you’re almost 72 years old, it’s time to retire,” Rambo says, “but I’ve had a fun time.
“I want to quit while I’m young enough to do some of the things I’ve always wanted to do.”
The club has hired Joe Petrash to replace Rambo. He is moving from San Francisco to being work Oct. 1.
Shepherd Center Developing Telephone ‘Buddy’ Program
The Greater Lakewood Shepherd Center, which serves senior citizens, is developing a Telephone Reassurance Service for elderly neighborhood residents who would like volunteers to call them throughout the week.
Some seniors are lonely and looking for companionship, says project director Robyn Pond. Others live alone and have medical problems. These seniors need someone to check on them as a safety measure, Pond says.
The Shepherd Center matches volunteers with seniors and also helps neighborhood associations and other interested groups establish their own “buddy systems”. Some churches are working with the center to provide this service to their congregations, Pond says. The Shepherd Center provides training for interested groups and helps establish the program.
If you would like to volunteer or if you are a senior who wants to use this service, call Pond at 823-2583.
White Rock Senior Center Offers Free Spanish Classes
Neighborhood seniors can learn to speak Spanish for free.
Starting Sept. 9, White Rock Senior Center, 9100 Diceman at Oldgate, will offer Spanish classes Mondays from 12:45-1:45 p.m. The classes will last 10 weeks and are for beginners only.
Although there is no charge for the lessons, participants will have to purchase a textbook for $12.
Sign up with center manager Adrienne Kahn or Eleanor Triplett by calling 328-4863.
NEWS & NOTES
Sept. 3: The White Rock Newcomers Club, a social club for Dallas residents, meets the first Tuesday of each month at the Holiday Inn, LBJ and Jupiter. This month, JCPenney presents a style show during the luncheon, which costs $11. Meetings include hospitality time from 9:30-10 a.m., lunch at 11:30 a.m. and bridge. The club is open to all ages, but most members are 50 years or older. For reservations, call 341-1494 or 495-2397.
Sept. 5: The White Rock Senior Center, 9100 Diceman, has scheduled a free DART light-rail trip with a charter bus leaving the center at 9:15 a.m. for DART’s Downtown station. Call 328-4863.
Sept. 18 & 21: Doctors Hospital, 9440 Poppy at Buckner, will hold a free seminar this month about “What to Expect in an Emergency” as part of its ongoing SeniorSafe program. The sessions will start at 10 a.m. in Doctor’s West Tower Conference Center, Suites 206 and 207. Safety lectures are scheduled Wednesdays and Saturdays at Doctors, and topics change monthly. Call 324-6640 to be put on the program’s mailing list.
Sept. 28: The American Association of Retired Persons, Ridgewood Park Chapter No. 3787, meets at 10 a.m. Sept. 26 at Ridgewood Park United Methodist Church, 6645 E. Lovers. The program is “Lectures on Live Birds.” Lunch will be served for $1.50 per person. As its community project, the chapter is collecting donations for the Wilkinson Center, which provides needy families with food, clothes and other necessary items. Call Dorthea Sooby at 827-6678.
Sept. 26: The Dallas Zoo, 621 E. Clarendon, hosts senior day from 9 a.m.-1 p.m., offering free admission to visitors age 65 and older, as well as members of Methodist Hospitals’ Senior ACCESS program, which is open to people age 55 and older. The event includes entertainment by the Dallas Banjo Band, a continental breakfast, free health screenings by event sponsor Methodist Hospitals, needlework, and quilting demonstrations, and information booths from area organizations, and information booths from area organizations. Call the zoo at 670-6825 or Methodist Hospitals at 947-4628.
Sept. 27: The White Rock Senior Center, 9100 Diceman, will host “Chewing Gum Day” with a gum-blowing contest at 11 a.m. The center simultaneously will hold a White Elephant Sale from 10 a.m.-noon, selling items donated by area residents. Proceeds benefit center programs. Call 328-4863.
Oct. 4-Nov. 22: The Greater Lakewood Shepherd Center offers the fall semester of its “Adventures in Learning” program for seniors. This program offers a variety of classes from bridge to exercise to foreign languages. Classes are held at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 3204 Skillman. Registration begins this month. Call 823-2583.
