Couple Inducted into Senior Hall of Fame

Editor's note: Three seniors were inducted into Dunedin’s Senior Hall of Fame in recognition of Older American’s Month (May). The City of Dunedin and the honored the seniors— John Wylde and Tom and Alice Anderson — during a luncheon on May 18. This is the second of two spotlights on this year's winners.

Florida House Representative Tom and wife Alice Anderson maintain that an active lifestyle and a sense of humor are the key to aging gracefully.

Dunedin Council on Aging member Earl Tapley nominated the couple for the Senior Hall of Fame award. They will be married 55 years on June 9.

During Tom Anderson’s acceptance speech, he said he and his wife choose to be happy and try to maintain a sense of humor. He said they walk every day at the mall to keep physically and mentally fit. He said he was honored that Alice has shared her life with him, although he said he didn’t know why. 

When asked, Alice told him, “Success without adversity isn’t a challenge.” 

The couple enjoys traveling and has attended many Civil War reenactments throughout the country. They also enjoy camping and golfing. 

Rep. Tom Anderson (R-District 45) was born in 1932 New York, N.Y. He received his bachelor’s from the City College of New York and served in the U.S. Navy from 1955 to 1957. He married Alice Christine of Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1956. The couple moved to Virginia after marriage, where Alice graduated summa cum laude in police science and became a social worker with the Health Department.

The couple moved to Dunedin in 1982.

Anderson served as mayor of Dunedin from 1994 to 2002, when he was elected to the Florida House of Representatives. He was instrumental in having Dunedin recognized by former Gov. Jeb Bush as the first City for Elder Community Programs in 2000 and for the construction of the Dunedin Public Library, the Hale Senior Center and the adult day care center.

Anderson sits on many committees at the state level, including Acting Chair on the Elder and Family Services Policy Committee and still serves and volunteers on many boards and advisory committees in Dunedin, including the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Advisory Board, the Area Agency on Aging, Downtown Dunedin Development, both the Pinellas and Tampa Bay Regional Planning Councils and the Fairway Estates Homeowners Association.

Alice, born in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1936, volunteered with the Mease Hospital Auxiliary, Dunedin Historical Chapel. She also served as an ombudsman for 15 years.

Tom will retire from the House of Representatives at the end of his term so that he can spend more time with Alice.

To be qualified for the Senior Hall of Fame, nominees must be at least 75 years old and have lived in Dunedin for 10 years or more. They must have demonstrated their ability to age gracefully while donating their time and talents to various activities that serve the community. The purpose of the award is to present a positive image of aging and to honor those individuals who have made and continue to make uniquely meaningful contributions to the City of Dunedin. Any individual or couple can be nominated. All Senior Hall of Fame inductees receive a Service Commendation and their portraits are on permanent display in the Walk of Fame. The Dunedin Committee on Aging selects the winners. The event is in its 13th year and is sponsored by Mease Manor and Main Street Studios.