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-- Programs and Services -- Contact Information From the Director The Berkshire’s Quintessential Elder Advocate
by Catherine R. May
Executive Director
Merlyn Girard, Elder Advocate, died on February 26 at her home in Harwich. She had moved to Cape Cod in 1998, from North Adams.
Merlyn began her political advocacy in the 1970's as the then Berkshire Home Care’s (now Elder Services) Community Services Coordinator.
She was a vibrant and consistent presence at Council on Aging and Congregate Meal Site activities throughout the county, informing people about issues of importance to older Americans and leading them into advocacy efforts that brought these elder issues to the attention of local, state, and federal elected officials.
Merlyn created a strong group dynamic among Berkshire elders, leading many local communities to develop their own "Berkshire Banners", reflective of each town’s character and history. These 3 by 5 foot banners hung at Senior Centers, and were displayed at the State House during advocacy initiatives when Merlyn and one or more busloads of Berkshire elders descended on Boston to advocate for their causes.
Merlyn loved to tell of the bus ride to the State House on November 18, 1980, in a major early snow storm, when the banners were displayed from the windows of the buses as they arrived at the State House and carried as they mounted the stairs into the great building. Merlyn wanted the rest of the state to acknowledge the Berkshires and Berkshire elders!
Merlyn helped area elders make their point in creative and unusual ways and helped elected officials understand the needs and wishes of the Berkshires’ older residents. Congressman Silvio Conte was treated to the special advocacy efforts of Merlyn Girard: extra long window shades, each boldly proclaiming its important message, with hundreds of elders’ original signatures flowed to the Congress-man’s office.
Merlyn retired from Elder Services in 1988, but not from advocacy on behalf of elders. She served on the North Adams Council on Aging, and in 1990 received Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs’ highest award, the Frank J. Manning Award, from Paul Lanzihas, the then Secretary of Elder Affairs, who traveled to the Spitzer Center in North Adams to present the award.
Merlyn Girard believed very deeply in the role of political advocacy, and her knowledge, creativity, and enthusiasm led other elders to join her in these efforts. She twice attended the White House Conference on Aging, in 1981 and 1991, as one of two Berkshire delegates. Merlyn was a wonderful speaker, a fine writer, and highly effective in mobilizing groups of elders to join her in her drive to protect elder rights and generate legislative response to their unmet needs.
Merlyn Girard - elder advocate extraordinaire!
Photo Caption: Merlyn J. Girard, Berkshire elder advocate, and former Elder Services Coordinator, died recently. See From the Director, pg. 2.