After 25 years as President of the Bunker Hill Ladies Aid Society in Jefferson, Gladys Johnston has stepped down. Lonnie Andersen will succeed her as president.
“I’d been decided for years,” Johnston said during an interview on the porch of her Bunker Hill Road home Sept. 1. “I just couldn’t find anyone to take over.”
Johnston’s presidency came with endless hours of organization and work to plan and execute the societies events and fundraisers. The Ladies Aid Society raises money to maintain the historic Bunker Hill Church and Ladies Aid Hall.
She answers many questions about why she gave those endless hours with some variation of “there was no one else to do it.” What she really means is that she cares deeply about the organization, and for decades did whatever she could to make sure it never failed.
Johnston maintains the gardens at the Ladies Aid Hall and the flower tubs at the Bunker Hill Church, and along with her presidency, Johnston served as Chairman of the annual Strawberry Festival from 1967 until two years ago, when Andersen agreed to take that post, as well.
“She’s fantastic,” Andersen said of Johnston. “She’s energetic, gracious and a lot of fun to be with.”
Johnston has brought her spirit to the Ladies Aid Society since the early 1950s, a few years after she married Richard Johnston and moved to Jefferson from her hometown of Newcastle.
Johnston and her husband have three children – Laurie Bouchard, and Mark and Rick Johnston – and four grandchildren.
When she joined the Ladies Aid, her mother-in-law was president of the society.
Johnston was a member of the society for about 20 years. She then served as treasurer and secretary for 14 years before becoming president.
She said she joined to help out, spend time her with mother-in-law, and because it was “something to do.” Back then, the monthly dinners were larger and the Ladies Aid Hall had “terrible, ugly brown curtains,” she said.
“We used to make a lot of aprons back then,” Johnston said. Along with the changing crafts, the culture surrounding women’s lives has changed with the years, and as women’s expectations of a community organization have shifted, Johnston has remained at the helm.
“I think she’s a transitional figure,” Andersen said. “She’s a great teacher and has more energy than most people.”
Johnston’s energy bridges a gap, Andersen said, between the older members, more schooled in handcrafts, and the younger members that want to learn. “No matter what their skills are, Gladys makes them feel welcome.”
Johnston is renowned for her homemade donuts, which could explain what Andersen described as Johnston’s knack for making and keeping friends.
“She has more friends…” Andersen said “and she keeps in touch with them.”
Although Andersen described Johnston as contributing to the town of Jefferson in a long list of ways, and she described Johnston’s lengthy history of volunteerism, Johnston did not want to talk about it.
She also did not want to talk much about her childhood or life outside the Ladies Aid Society.
“This is not an obituary yet,” Johnston said.
“She’s very modest,” Andersen said. “She feels it’s just the normal thing for someone have done.”
Johnston said she feels relieved to have someone else take the reigns, but added she has no plans of removing herself from the work of the Ladies Aid Society.
Andersen said she’s excited to be president, and plans to branch out into new kinds of activities and trying to broaden the society’s membership.
She said for now, she’s not worried about the stress of being president: “Not yet, because Gladys is still right there.”
