Senior Living | Volume 5, Issue 2, Summer 2024

Soaring at 100:

John Knox Village of Central Florida Resident

Glendine Hamilton Defies Gravity

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Cover Story

7

Soaring at 100: A Life of Love, Adventure, and “Why Not?”

John Knox Village of Central Florida Resident Glendine Hamilton Defies Gravity

By Nick Van Der Linden, Senior Director of Operations, LeadingAge Southeast

Weathering The Storm Signs of Softening in the Property Insurance Market By LeadingAge Southeast Staff 13

Veterans and Visionaries

Memorial Eagle at The Glenridge Honors War Heroes and CCRC’s First Residents By Nick Fortuna

17 From Rocket Science to Retirement

Redstone Village Resident Eric Engler’s Mark on Space Exploration By Nick Van Der Linden, Senior Director of Operations, LeadingAge Southeast

20 It Takes a Village Changing Lives Through Innovations in Senior Housing By LeadingAge Southeast Staff

Departments

6 Board Chair’s Message Taking the Profession to New Heights By Garry Hennis, Board Chair, LeadingAge Southeast

John Knox Village of Central Florida Resident Glendine Hamilton’s adventurous spirit led her to spend her 100th birthday skydiving, underscoring the boundless possibilities that exist at any age. Cover photo courtesy of John Knox Village of Central Florida. Read more on page 7.

LeadingAge Southeast

1812 Riggins Road, Suite 1

Tallahassee, FL 32308

(850) 671-3700

www.LeadingAgeSoutheast.org

LeadingAge Southeast

Executive Staff

President & CEO

Steve Bahmer

sbahmer@LeadingAgeSoutheast.org

Senior Living magazine serves as a LeadingAge Southeast member resource that supports the LeadingAge promise: to advocate, educate, and serve aging services professionals. About the cover

Senior Director of Operations

Nick Van Der Linden

nvanderlinden@LeadingAgeSoutheast.org

Vice President of Advocacy

Susan C. Langston slangston@LeadingAgeSoutheast.org

LeadingAge Southeast Officers

Garry Hennis, Chair

Teresa Scott, Chair-Elect

D. Bruce Jones, Immediate Past Chair

Janet Stringfellow, Secretary

Steve Kramer, Treasurer

C hristopher Tomlin, Affordable Housing Chair

Brooke McLean, ALF/HCBS Chair

Scott Cairns, CCRC Chair

Mauri Mizrahi, Nursing Home Public Policy Chair Publication Team

Managing Editor

Nick Van Der Linden

Senior Director of Operations, LeadingAge Southeast For advertising inquiries, please contact Katie White at kwhite@thewymancompany.com or (352) 388-7031.

Senior Living is the official publication of LeadingAge Southeast. All rights reserved. Contents of this publication may not be reproduced without permission from LeadingAge Southeast.

Taking the Profession to New Heights

Iam honored to welcome you to another edition of our association’s Senior Living As senior living providers, we find ourselves at a unique point in time, one that presents both challenges and opportunities. It is during this time that we must harness our collective expertise, adaptability, and vision to navigate essential transformation.

As your Chair, I am inspired by the dedication and passion demonstrated by our members each day. Your unwavering commitment to enhancing the lives of older adults is a testament to the core values that unite us. Together, we strive to create vibrant communities where older adults can thrive, find purpose, and continue to contribute to society.

In this edition of Senior Living we’re thrilled to showcase the remarkable stories of individuals who exemplify the spirit of innovation, courage, and resilience that define our senior living communities.

Glendine Hamilton’s adventurous spirit knows no bounds as she celebrated her 100th birthday by defying gravity and taking to the skies through skydiving. Her zest for life serves as an inspiration to us all, reminding us that age is no barrier to pursuing our passions and embracing new experiences.

Erich Engler’s journey from Germany to the forefront of NASA’s rocket and shuttle programs is a testament to the power of determination and ingenuity. His contributions have not only propelled humanity into space but have also expanded our understanding of the universe.

In our assessment of commercial property insurance trends, we see that a nuanced recovery for the property insurance market is underway.

At The Glenridge on Palmer Ranch, we pay tribute to our war heroes through the Memorial Eagle, a symbol of honor and remembrance. It stands as a testament to the sacrifices made by those who have served our country and serves as a beacon of gratitude and respect.

Lastly, we explore innovative ideas in senior housing, embracing new approaches to enhance the quality of life for our residents. From technology integration to community engagement initiatives, we’re committed to redefining senior living for the better

With warm regards,

In this edition of Senior Living, we’re thrilled to showcase the remarkable stories of individuals who exemplify the spirit of innovation, courage, and resilience that define our senior living communities.

Garry Hennis, Board Chair, LeadingAge Southeast

Soaring at 100: A Life of Love, Adventure, and “Why Not?”

John Knox Village of Central Florida Resident Glendine Hamilton Defies Gravity

By Nick Van Der Linden, Senior Director of Operations, LeadingAge Southeast

In the realm of aging gracefully, some individuals seem to possess a tireless spirit, defying the stereotypes and limitations often imposed on older adults.

At first glance, Glendine Hamilton may appear to be your typical centenarian, with a gentle smile and a twinkle in her eye that hints at a lifetime of cherished memories. But behind her unassuming demeanor lies a spirit of unbridled courage and a thirst for adventure.

Instead of traditional festivities, Hamilton celebrated her 100th birthday by defying gravity, taking to the skies through the exhilarating sport of skydiving. Her story

PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN KNOX VILLAGE OF CENTRAL FLORIDA

is a testament to the boundless possibilities that exist at any age, inspiring us all to embrace life’s adventures with open arms.

“Here I am!” Hamilton said, chuckling. “I love life, I like experiences, and this is one of those things that came along somehow.”

It was nothing but blue skies on the morning of her birthday as Hamilton found herself strapped in a tandem harness, ready to board the tiny plane that would carry her thousands of feet in the air.

“I was enjoying the moment and the experience as a whole, plus the guy that I was strapped to was kind of cute,” Hamilton said.

After a short flight, the moment of truth arrived. The door of the plane swung open, and Hamilton found herself ready to take the plunge. With a deep breath and a fearless spirit, she leaned forward and allowed herself to be swept away by the wind, hurtling toward the earth below with a sense of exhilaration.

“When we were freefalling, the force of the wind pushed my arms back to the point where I had no control, I mean straight back. When you see the recording of the jump on TV later, it doesn’t actually show how the force truly felt.”

And then, with a gentle whoosh, her parachute deployed, and Hamilton found herself soaring gracefully through the sky, suspended in mid-air like a bird in flight.

As she touched down on solid ground once more, Hamilton was greeted with cheers and

applause from fellow John Knox Village staff and residents, as well as friends from out of town who made the drive for the occasion.

In the days and weeks that followed, Hamilton’s skydiving adventure became the talk of the town.

“I went to a doctor’s office recently, and he recognized me from the pictures in the local newspaper,” Hamilton said. “He said he was glad to have met me, and to me, that’s what it’s all about. To see the joy from other people, and possibly be an inspiration to let

them know that they too can do it, because, why not?”

The jump was Hamilton ‘s fourth, with her first one happening at the age of 90 alongside her late husband, Butch.

“I knew the opportunity to skydive was close by, and it sounded like a fun thing to do, so my husband Butch and I went out there to sign up, and that’s really how it happened,” Hamilton said. “Initially, it was going to be just me. I didn’t ask my husband whether he wanted to because I didn’t want

100-year-old Glendine Hamilton prepares for her jump.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN KNOX VILLAGE OF CENTRAL FLORIDA

Hamilton and her instructor mid-jump. PHOTO COURTESY OF SKYDIVE DELAND.

Hamilton and her instructor prepare for landing, where they are greeted by cheers and applause.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN KNOX VILLAGE OF CENTRAL FLORIDA

to pressure him into doing it, but when we got out there, he signed up, so that made it a double deal.”

A Beautiful Marriage

Butch’s decision to join his wife in her skydiving endeavor came as no surprise, however. Their shared love for adventure created a connection that would last a lifetime. Together, they embarked on countless journeys, forging memories that would endure for decades to come.

“We always did everything together,” Hamilton said. “We learned a lot just enjoying life and doing different things. We had a beautiful marriage.”

Butch and Glendine Hamilton also shared a love for the great outdoors and hunting together.

“I worked at a church as a secretary when Butch and I were dating,” Hamilton said. “For my 10th work anniversary, the church didn’t know what to do for me, or with me for that matter, but they knew Butch and I liked hunting together. So, they gave me a 20-gauge Winchester double-barrel shotgun, which we used quite a bit. I loved it and the thought behind it. We hunted all over and also bought a 22 pistol on a 38 frame so we could hunt jackrabbits.”

Looking back on her long and fulfilling marriage, she attributes a lot of great memories to their shared motto: “Why not?” For Glendine and Butch Hamilton, this simple

phrase became more than just a saying; it became a guiding principle that shaped their approach to life. Instead of dwelling on the “what ifs” and the doubts that often hold people back, they embraced each opportunity with open arms, seizing the moment and embracing the unknown with curiosity and excitement.

“Butch’s job as Park Ranger with the National Park Service brought us to a lot of different locations, including St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands,” Hamilton said. “That

At

100 years young, Hamilton’s story is not just one of longevity but of a life lived to the fullest and a reminder that age is no barrier to embracing new experiences with open arms.

was definitely a treat, and I loved snorkeling with the fish there. It was beautiful. So, we definitely liked a little adventure every once in a while. I would encourage people to ask themselves ‘why not?’ and see if it’s something that benefits them.”

Glendine and Butch Hamilton’s travel eventually brought them to Orange City, where they became independent living residents at John Knox Village of Central Florida. Glendine Hamilton has since called John Knox home for more than 20 years and recently moved into their assisted living facility.

“Well, I’m 100 years old, so I’m slowing down considerably,” Hamilton said, smiling. “But I’m doing good and as active as I want to be. There’s an oak grove out here, and when they showed me this [assisted living] apartment, that’s what made it. So that’s where I like to spend my time. There are two to three neighbors that like to join me, and we’ll go out there and feed the squirrels.”

At 100 years young, Hamilton’s story is not just one of longevity but of a life lived to the fullest and a reminder that age is no barrier to embracing new experiences with open arms.

May her story continue to inspire others to live life with passion, courage, and an unwavering sense of adventure, no matter how many candles may adorn our birthday cake.

Glendine Hamilton and her husband, Butch, pictured on their 58th wedding anniversary.

Glendine and Butch Hamilton in Thailand in April 2001.

Weathering The Storm: Signs of Softening in the Property Insurance Market

By LeadingAge Southeast Staff

Early in 2024, one LeadingAge Southeast member CEO said he had received a proposal for flat year-overyear property insurance premiums for his community.

It was a single, anomalous – but hopeful –moment amid an ongoing crisis for senior living providers all along the Gulf Coast.

According to a LeadingAge Southeast member survey in January, members averaged a nearly 75% increase in their property insurance premiums in 2023. The highest reported increase was 300%, and the lowest was 10%.

One insurance executive told the PropertyCasualty360 newsletter in January that, at least in Florida, there still isn’t enough capacity to absorb all of the insurance need.

“Insurance companies in the past, when you give them a building for $100 million

to insure, they will insure it in three and a half minutes. They give you a rate and get it done,” said Oscar Seikaly, CEO of NSI Insurance Group. “Today, that same insurance company is saying we can only take $5 or $10 million out of the hundred million, and you have to find someone else to take the next $5 million or $10 million, and then you have to find nine insurance companies to cover the rest just for one building.”

And he didn’t expect the situation to improve before mid-year.

“Nothing is going to change because nobody is entering the market. No insurance markets are knocking on the door to say, ‘We’re open for business in Florida.’ Nobody is doing that. Why? Because most insurance companies are at their maximum limit of insurance in Florida.”

However, data from LeadingAge Southeast Gold Business Partner MarshMcLennan Agency indicates that a nuanced recovery for the property insurance market may be underway.

The broker reports modest growth in investment and capital because of increased market capacity and an increased underwriting appetite from carriers. Even as this represents a slight positive shift, coastal communities are likely still to be challenged. Those with significant exposures and sustained losses can expect to experience rate hikes of 50% to 100%.

“There are so many factors at play,” said Phil McElfresh, Vice President of Business Insurance and Employee Health Benefits for MarshMcLennan’s Bouchard region in Clearwater, Fla.

Hurricane Delta left a devastating impact after striking Louisiana in 2020.

Source: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/billions/time-series

“Heavy catastrophic losses, continuing challenges of the pandemic on the supply chain, fluctuations in the employment market, and rising inflation have combined to create a perfect storm.”

Storms themselves – as well as wildfires and tornadoes – have contributed significantly to premium increases and the hardened market. According to the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, the latest estimate for insurance losses in Florida related to Hurricane Ian in 2022 currently stands at almost $12.6 billion.

Louisiana’s Insurance Commissioner reported the impact of 2021’s Hurricane Ida at about $13.9 billion.

And those are just two of the most recent, highest-cost storms. Industry experts expect the effects of climate change to drive those numbers even higher. The number of climate events resulting in at least $1 billion in damages continues to rise from an average of 13 per year in the 2010s to 20 per year since 2020.

Greenberg Traurig’s Fred Karlinsky, Timothy Stansfield, and Christian Brito wrote for Reuters in February of this year that the impact of climate change is one of the top five property insurance trends to watch in 2024 – in addition to ongoing inflationary pressure, continued population growth that strains insurance markets, insufficient insurance capacity, and claims-related litigation.

“While some may dispute the root causes for climate change, we have seen in recent

years that storms are indeed stronger and water levels are rising,” they wrote. “This poses a significant risk for Florida insurers given the state’s 1,350 miles of coastline.”

And that doesn’t account for the nearly 500 miles of coastline across Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.

“Clearly, these factors drive up the cost of operating properties and significantly impact the cost of insuring them,” McElfresh said.

Indeed, commercial property rates in the U.S. increased by an average of 11% in

2023, extending the year-over-year increases to 24 consecutive quarters.

For senior living communities, rapidly rising property insurance premiums are cause for concern since dollars spent on increased premiums can’t be spent on operations and direct care. And while there is little providers can do to control the macro factors like natural disasters, they can take steps to help mitigate the increases.

“You really need a broker who is a partner, someone who understands who you

Hurricane Ian brought an onslaught of damage to Southwest Florida after making landfall as a Category 4 storm in 2022.

are, your unique needs as a senior living community, and how best to serve you,” McElfresh said.

Because the underwriting process can take longer in a difficult market, he also recommended starting the renewal process well in advance and providing accurate construction, occupancy, protection, and exposure information. The better the data, the better the modeling and results.

McElfresh also suggested that providers work closely with their brokers to ensure the creation of a solid strategy regarding the options for mitigating rate increases.

Communities should also revisit their emergency preparedness plans, renew any mutual aid agreements that exist, and ensure a strategy is in place for communicating with residents and families in the event of a disaster.

In addition to partnering closely with their brokers, senior living communities are considering several other strategies to battle rising costs. In some cases, providers are considering captives – essentially setting up their own insurance companies to help narrow the risk to their own expe-

rience rather than being pooled with other communities.

In other cases, providers are joining risk retention groups, which are member-owned insurance companies that allow businesses with similar insurance needs to pool their risks and attempt to exercise some control over policies, products, and rates.

LeadingAge Southeast has explored several options on behalf of its members, including captives, risk retention groups, and the Florida Insurance Trust, the only trust in Florida for non-profit entities.

“For the last two years, nearly every conversation with members about their current challenges has included a discussion about out-of-control property insurance premiums,” said LeadingAge Southeast President and CEO Steve Bahmer.

“Because our members are all along the Gulf coast, they’ve been hit particularly hard by the recent increases. And we’ve turned over every stone in search of a solution.”

As with any business, increased costs either get absorbed, eat into reserves, or get passed on to customers. In senior living, of course, those customers are resi-

dents who, in most cases, could not have planned for the additional costs.

“Our members’ top priority is always their residents, and they have used a number of approaches to help minimize the impact on those residents,” Bahmer said. “They’ve simply absorbed the increases, passed on only a percentage of the increase, or implemented a temporary assessment.”

Bahmer said the search for options continues. He is working with business partners to dig deeper into potential insurance possibilities, and the LeadingAge Southeast policy team is also considering potential federal options.

Despite all the challenges senior living communities face in the insurance markets, MarshMcLennan’s data suggests that the market is showing signs of increased stability for the first time in six years.

“As the market continues to improve and reinsurance appetites return, increases will trend down,” McElfresh said. “Even coverage rates in Florida, which increased 250% since 2017, will be mostly caught up in 2024.”

Veterans and Visionaries

Memorial Eagle at The Glenridge Honors War Heroes and the CCRC’s First Residents

By Nick Fortuna

They charged fortified shorelines in France and the Pacific and battled their way to Berlin and Japan, but even the greatest generation is no match for time. Since it opened in 2003, The Glenridge on Palmer Ranch has been home to 173 veterans of World War II, but their ranks have dwindled steadily in recent years, and today, only five remain.

James Agnew, the chaplain at the Sarasota CCRC for the past six years, sadly acknowledges that eventually, that number will be zero.

“It’s coming quick,” he said. “Most of these guys are between 98 and 101. They’ve lived long lives and done some pretty marvelous things.”

Those veterans may be in the twilight of their lives, but their service and sacrifice will

be celebrated in perpetuity at The Glenridge, now that the eagle has landed. Last Nov. 10, right before Veterans Day, The Glenridge unveiled a stunning tribute to its military veterans, the Veterans & Visionaries Memorial Eagle, a bronze statue stretching almost 12 feet high from base to wingtip.

With an almost eight-foot wingspan, the massive eagle is shown gripping an American

The Eagle had landed. The Veterans & Visionaries Memorial Eagle, a bronze statue stretching almost 12 feet high from base to wingtip, graces The Glenridge on Palmer Ranch Campus. PHOTOS COURTESY OF TOMMY VIDAL.

flag in its talons while perched atop a black granite base. The octagonal base features bronze medallions honoring Glenridge residents who served in the U.S. Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard, and with an eye toward future residents, there’s even a medallion representing the Space Force.

A perpetual waterfall runs beneath the base, and at night, blue and white lights shining out of a reflecting pool give the exquisitely detailed eagle a patriotic glow. The monument is on the north side of a lake adjacent to The Glenridge’s main building, making it a focal point for the community.

Agnew, 72, a retired Army chaplain, said the Memorial Eagle honors the more than 350 veterans from all branches of the armed services who’ve lived at The Glenridge. The monument also celebrates the CCRC’s 20th anniversary and recognizes its “visionaries,” the approximately 120 residents who signed up to live there before construction began, he said.

“We call them visionaries because they’re the ones who put deposits down when the land was basically a pasture, a polo field, and some swampland, and they waited patiently while the engineers turned it into a magnificent community,” Agnew said.

The opportunity to celebrate the CCRC’s anniversary and its veterans simultaneously made the monument an especially worthwhile project, Agnew added. “The veterans, over the history of our nation, have always stepped up,” he said.

About 300 people attended the dedication ceremony for the Memorial Eagle, including the Sarasota Military Academy’s color guard, drum line, and choir, which led attendees in singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “God Bless America.” Every veteran and visionary in attendance also received a commemorative coin as a keepsake.

“It was quite a beautiful dedication,” Agnew said.

In addition to being a veteran, Agnew said he feels a special connection to the mis-

sion of The Glenridge and the monument. After retiring from the Army, he cared for his elderly father, himself a Navy veteran.

“For three years, he either lived with me or in assisted living near me, and that gave me insight into what senior living was all about and the progression of care,” Agnew said. “It helped me have a better picture of the type of ministry that they would need here. And caring for my father in my home gave me a great appreciation of what caregivers go through and the challenges that come with end-of-life care.”

Stories of Service

To mark the 75th anniversary of the war’s end in 2020, Agnew interviewed The Glenridge’s remaining WWII veterans, including several who would attend the monument’s dedication ceremony. Those attendees included George Measer and David Ambrose, both 98 at the time.

Measer said he was drafted by the Army right out of high school, was sent to North Africa, and later spent two years fighting in Italy.

“That was long enough,” Measer said with a laugh. “I’m lucky I’m here.” His thoughts on the monument: “When I first saw that eagle up there, I thought, ‘My God, that’s a beautiful thing.’ ”

Armed primarily with 81-millimeter mortars and machine guns, Measer earned the Bronze Star and a Combat Infantryman Badge. He said he remembers fearing that he would be killed as his platoon was transported to the front lines.

(From left to right) Chaplain Jim Agnew, his daughter Dawn Agnew-Mundell, Al White, David Ambrose, Bob Enander, George Measer, Bob McKee, Bill Cutler, and Howard Crowell at the Eagle dedication ceremony. PHOTOS COURTESY OF TOMMY VIDAL.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF TOMMY VIDAL.

“It was a psychological moment that all the guys in the truck had to overcome,” Measer said.

Ambrose was a quartermaster in the Navy and saw action in the Pacific. He also said the Memorial Eagle holds special meaning. “It keeps me remembering all the stuff that I did,” he said.

The Glenridge’s WWII veterans include Ralph Franklin, who was a senior at the University of Cincinnati and had been accepted to Harvard Business School when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. He enlisted in the Marines and fought as an infantryman in Guadalcanal.

Also serving in the Pacific was Don Evory, a supply officer in the Navy, and Howard “Punky” Dell, a civil engineer in the Navy. Although Evory would be stationed in Tokyo after the war, he happened to be at a supply depot in Bayonne, N.J., when the Japanese finally surrendered, so he was among the thousands of elated Americans who flooded into Times Square to celebrate.

Dell, who spent time on Iwo Jima helping to build airstrips and roads, said he was on a ship in Tokyo Bay when the war ended. Meanwhile, Bob McKee had been training in the Air Force to fly the North American B-25 Mitchell bomber when the war ended. Given the perilous nature of flight missions, he said he felt “relief, big time” when fighting ceased.

Sidney Wasch was in China with the Army Signal Corps., creating and managing communications and information systems, when the war ended. In the meantime, Navy veteran Bob Henderson was in Hawaii awaiting a new assignment after serving as an electrician’s mate on the USS Henrico.

Henderson said he was transferred off the Henrico shortly before the ship was sent to Okinawa, where it would be struck by a kamikaze mission. The plane crashed into the bridge on the starboard side, killing 49 officers, including the ship’s captain, William C. France.

“That happened to be my battle station on the Henrico, and I was fortunate to have been taken off it before that happened,” Henderson said. “The highlight of [the war’s end] for me was that my brother, who was in the 5th Marine Division, was preparing for the invasion [of Tokyo], which never took place.”

A True Passion Project

Agnew, who spearheaded the development of the Memorial Eagle, said the monument is especially meaningful to him because it was designed and sculpted by his daughter, Dawn Agnew-Mundell, who also has produced sculptures for the Franklin Mint and Texas A&M University.

After earning a degree in commercial art from Central Texas College, she studied design at the University of Kansas, and when James Agnew was stationed as an Army chaplain in Europe, his daughter

followed him there. Dawn Agnew-Mundell studied art history through the University of Maryland’s Global Campus program and attended seminars at Europe’s renowned art museums.

The experience sparked her interest in becoming an artist instead of just studying art, and she eventually graduated with honors from the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota.

“She’s been a talented artist and designer from the time she could hold a pencil,” Agnew said. “It was very rewarding for me

The Sarasota Military Academy color guard posted the colors during the dedication ceremony. PHOTOS COURTESY OF TOMMY VIDAL.

(From left to right) The Glenridge on Palmer Ranch CEO Jim Cater, statue designer and sculptor Dawn Agnew-Mundell, and Chaplain Jim Agnew. PHOTOS COURTESY OF TOMMY VIDAL.

to work on this project with my daughter and have the opportunity to honor our veterans, having been a veteran myself.”

The monument’s black granite base was hewn from the same quarry as materials used in the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. The statue was sculpted in Monroeville, N.J., with molds being made and bronze poured at a foundry in Philadelphia. The Memorial Eagle was transported to Sarasota by truck, landing at The Glenridge last Oct. 12.

Last Nov. 10, right before Veterans Day, The Glenridge unveiled a stunning tribute to its military veterans, the Veterans & Visionaries Memorial Eagle, a bronze statue stretching almost 12 feet high from base to wingtip.

At the dedication ceremony, AgnewMundell, 50, said it was “exciting” to see the monument unveiled after almost two years of work. She said growing up in a military family and living in Germany and South Korea while her father was deployed “gave me a firsthand appreciation of the service, sacrifice, and the separation that veterans and their families face.”

Agnew-Mundell credited a team of skilled craftsmen for helping to bring her vision to life. She said the eagle’s “fierce pose reflects the tenacity of our veterans, protecting and

uplifting our nation while preserving our rights and freedoms. Where would our country be without them?” The wings form a V shape for “victory,” giving the monument a distinctive look that can be seen “even from a distance,” she added.

“My dad being a veteran, I’ve always felt that those who have served our country have a sense of strength – an inner steel – shaped by their experiences,” Agnew-Mundell said. “I wanted to evoke that same courage and unyielding fortitude through a symbol that represents the American spirit.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF TOMMY VIDAL.

From Rocket Science to Retirement

Redstone Village Resident Erich Engler’s Mark on Space Exploration

By Nick Van Der Linden, Senior Director of Operations, LeadingAge Southeast

In the heart of Huntsville, Ala., where the echoes of rocket engines once reverberated through the hills, resides a man whose name is intricately woven into the fabric of American space exploration history. Erich Engler, a German engineer who played pivotal roles in both the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) and NASA, now finds solace in the serene settings of Redstone Village. Engler was born in 1926 in Bohemia, a historical country that now makes up the westernmost and largest region of the Czech Republic (formerly known as Czechoslovakia).

The presence of many German-speaking citizens in Bohemia served as a pretext for Nazi Germany to occupy Czechoslovakia following the Munich Agreement, making part of Bohemia a German protectorate. The German-speaking part of Bohemia was annexed by Germany, making Engler and his family German citizens.

Following the annexation, Engler, along with thousands of Sudetengermans, were drafted, many involuntarily, into the German army to fight during World War II.

“I had a general education in Czechoslovakia and Germany,” Engler said. “I was a student in an engineering school similar to universities in the United States. During the war, I finished about five semesters, and then I was drafted, and it interrupted my education. I was captured and spent four years in England. I wasn’t able to see my parents for quite some time as they were displaced to Berlin in 1945 because of the ethnic cleansing in Czechoslovakia at the time. After I returned to West Germany, I was kept out for almost a year because of the Berlin Blockade.”

Following the end of the Blockade in 1949, Engler rejoined his parents in Berlin, where he began working as a mechanic while finishing his studies. He would move again in 1953, this time to Frankfurt, Germany, due to the restrictions of Berlin’s location inside the Russian zone.

“While I was in Frankfurt I became aware that the United States Army was looking for engineers, so I applied, and in 1956 I came to Huntsville (Alabama) to work for the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA),” Engler said. “In 1958, I transferred to the Future Design Branch, where we did a lot of the preliminary designs for projects like

Erich Engler, a German engineer who played pivotal roles in both the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) and NASA, now finds solace in the serene settings of Redstone Village.

the Saturn I vehicle, before the Moon Program, and all kinds of other future launch vehicles and applications. One interesting thing we did at the time was a program for a lunar base development called Project Horizon. It was not well-known at the time. In fact, it was a secret program, which was later declassified. It was basically preparing an Army base on the Moon.”

In 1960, Engler’s division was transferred to NASA’s newly formed George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, joining Director Wernher von Braun in developing Saturn launch vehicles for the Apollo program. Engler specifically worked on the design of Saturn V, the rocket designed and built to send people to the Moon. Today, the Saturn V remains the only launch vehicle to have carried humans beyond low Earth orbit.

“Nobody had ever designed and built something that big together and made it work,” Engler said. “All the other vehicles, like the Saturn IB, were a cluster of smaller tanks. We were building a huge tank, and at that time, we didn’t have computers to create designs; we drew everything by hand on the drawing board. When you say this is 400 inches in diameter, on the drawing board it looks like whatever you can put on there. But when you walk into the vehicle assembly building, and something takes up the whole back wall, you finally realize the size you’re dealing with. You can’t really fathom it while you are working on it on the drawing board.”

From his work on Saturn V, Engler proceeded to work on the external tank and solid rocket booster design for the Space Shuttle program. One of the biggest differences and challenges was that the space shuttle’s solid rocket boosters had to be reusable.

“It had to be designed not only to be reused but also able to withstand the corrosive environment when you get aluminum in saltwater since they landed in the ocean when they were jettisoned and parachuted into the ocean,” Engler said. “They developed a technique to seal joints so they would not corrode underneath over a long period of time. If you would do it one time, OK, you would not worry, but on a shuttle over thirty years, that was a challenge.”

Another interesting challenge, he recalls, was that the structure for the Solid Rocket Booster was not built in Huntsville.

“We had to deliver the drawings by Christmas of 1974,” Engler said. “I remember that because I had a ski trip planned with my wife and kids to go to Germany for the first time in winter, to see their grandparents, and so on. My boss said he would let me go if I had all the draw-

It runs in the family: Both of Erich’s sons obtained Master of Science degrees. Pictured here is Eric (far left) at his son’s graduation in 1989.

Saturn V in its first stage of preliminary design, 1963.

ings signed so they could be sent to the contractors who were going to build the structure. The drawing package consisted of 1,600 drawings. You can imagine, you have tickets bought, and everybody was waiting to go on the plane, and you are hoping you get your drawings signed.”

Parts from the initial solid rocket boosters that flew on STS-1 (the first orbital spaceflight of NASA’s Space Shuttle program) were designed by Engler and his team and were used all the way throughout the Shuttle Program’s 30-year existence. The leftover hardware is now used in the Artemis program.

“When you watch a launch, you always worry that everything goes OK because you feel responsible for what you did, and you hope you did a good job to not endanger these people because there are so many pieces that can go wrong,” Engler said. “But every time I saw a shuttle fly, I said, ‘There goes one we did and it still works.’”

Engler also contributed to the Hubble Space Telescope, Skylab, and International Space Station (ISS) during his career.

Engler retired from NASA and entered the private sector, working in a variety of different capacities before being asked to come back to NASA in 2002 to work as a consultant.

“It happened right before Columbia,” Engler said. “I was involved in the Challenger evaluation and fact-finding and became involved in the Columbia accident investigation before working on a program that was the precursor to the Space Launch System, now renamed Artemis.”

Today, Engler is officially retired and lives in the city that became synonymous with his illustrious career — Huntsville, Ala.

At Redstone Village, nestled amidst the tranquil surroundings of northern Alabama and the Tennessee River, Engler finds respite from the hustle and bustle of his earlier years while receiving the support he needs to stay busy.

Though his days of designing rockets are behind him, his passion for discovery burns as bright as ever. As Huntsville continues to evolve as a hub of technological innovation, Engler’s story serves as a source of inspiration for future generations of engineers and dreamers alike.

Fueling Healthy Aging

Senior Living magazine received the 2023 Bronze Association Trends TRENDY award, a designation honoring excellence in marketing and communication within the association and nonprofit community.

Congratulations goes to the LeadingAge Southeast staff, the advertisers who make this print publication possible, and all of the wonderful aging services providers and their remarkable residents.

To share your residents’ stories with LeadingAge Southeast, contact Nick Van Der Linden at NVanDerLinden@LeadingAgeSoutheast.org or (850) 702-0309.

For advertising inquiries, please contact Katie White at kwhite@thewymancompany.com or (352) 388-7031.

Erich (second from right) stops for a photo in front of a Space Shuttle on Pad 39 during a meeting at Kennedy Space Center.

It Takes a Village: Changing Lives Through Innovations in Senior Housing

By LeadingAge Southeast Staff

Innovare. From the Latin: to innovate or renew, to restore.

In St. Petersburg, that single word means so much more –50 new apartments designed to help seniors in Pinellas County overcome homelessness and other long-term challenges. To fundamentally change their lives.

Innovare, a Volunteers of America project, welcomed its first residents on Valentine’s Day, with a truly grand opening ceremony following in April. It was the culmination of eight years of commitment to serving seniors in what is increasingly one of the most expensive areas in Florida.

Just getting to the groundbreaking in November 2021 was an uphill climb. Land deals fell through. Development costs skyrocketed. Regulatory hurdles and bureaucratic challenges halted progress. And then there was COVID.

The challenges, as always, were worth it.

“When (the new residents) opened the door and saw a fully furnished apartment, that was magical,” said Janet Stringfellow, President and CEO of Volunteers of America – Florida and Secretary of the LeadingAge Southeast Board of Trustees. “There was not a dry eye. Every single one of them jumped onto the sofa and mattress.”

Stringfellow had long thought about a place near downtown St. Petersburg where people could get off the streets and into their own

apartments. Where they could pay rent they could afford, even if it were only $100 a month. Where they had everything they needed for a new start: An apartment near public transportation, a bed, a shower curtain and towels, kitchen utensils, and free internet.

But the project went further. It also offered case workers and counselors, cooking classes, 12-step programs, rides to the food pantry, and help with school, resumes, and budgets.

“So many people are living paycheck-to-paycheck, and many of us are one major life event from homelessness,” Stringfellow said at the Innovare grand opening ceremony. “There but for the grace of God.”

At a time when Congress has been slow to finalize the budget for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and when disagreements over budgets threaten the loss of some 112,000 Housing Choice Vouchers, building and sustaining new affordable housing units truly requires an eye for innovation.

In St. Petersburg, that meant organizing and leading a coalition of dozens of public and private partners to make the project a reality.

Stringfellow and Volunteers of America led the $18 million effort and funded most of it with grants and loans. But that was just the beginning. Pinellas County added $1 million to buy the land. The city provided millions for construction and rent vouchers from the

local housing authority. Catholic Charities paid for most residents’ first-month rent. Kane’s Furniture offered sweeping discounts, and private donors added additional dollars so residents could move into fully furnished apartments. An executive from Raymond James donated groceries so residents’ pantries were stocked.

“A true community effort,” Stringfellow said. “The first of its kind in Tampa Bay.”

Volunteers of America is coordinating similar efforts for two more projects on Florida’s east coast and in the Panhandle.

Beyond Florida, Mike King, President and CEO of the national Volunteers of America organization, said Innovare inspired him to develop a similar project in Washington, D.C. Innovare, he said, is a model for the nation.

“We’re not trying to stick people off in a corner somewhere,” King said at the grand opening. “This is the way affordable housing ought to be in America. You have set the goal high.”

The timing of those investments and that level of leadership could not be more important.

According to a 2023 study from the Harvard Center for Housing Studies, the number of households headed by adults aged 80 and over will more than double between 2021 and 2040 to nearly 17 million. The baby boomers and greater longevity are fueling that growth.

Housing stock is simply not keeping up – it can’t.

A January 2024 study by the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing and Care (NIC) predicted that by 2025, some additional 156,000 senior housing units will be needed. By 2028, that number jumps to 549,000. And by 2030, an additional 806,000 units are necessary.

NIC reported that to meet that demand, $400 billion in additional capital will be needed by 2030, and at the current pace of construction, only about 40% of that demand will be met.

Government programs such as HUD’s Section 202 program and the Low Income Housing Tax Credit, which provide funding for the construction of affordable senior housing, are also not keeping up. In 2021, the number of renters aged 62 and older who were eligible for rental assistance was 5.9 million. Available housing assistance was only sufficient to serve 36.5% of eligible households, leaving 3.7 million households unserved.

Innovare Apartments, located in the Innovation District of St. Petersburg.

That gap has dramatic consequences for seniors.

In a February 2024 letter to Congress, Linda Couch, LeadingAge’s Senior Vice President of Policy and Advocacy, pointed to a 2021 HUD study, which found that the number of older adults experiencing homelessness increased by 73% from 2019 to 2021. Older adults now make up almost half of the total homeless population.

Walter Sloan was one of those people. A series of difficult life events left him homeless, moving, as he said, from tent to tent, shelter to shel-

ter, and couch to couch – an experience he described as “an extended camping trip.” He struggled to get his life back on track. Innovare was his solution.

Most residents at the new property came from Pinellas Hope. Many have a psychiatric diagnosis – anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder. Others have physical or mental disabilities. They were chosen by counselors at Pinellas Hope because they had helped out at the shelter, cooking, and cleaning, and because they were trying to manage on their limited incomes.

Half of Innovare’s units are low-income rentals for people who make less than 60% of the area’s median income, or about $36,450 annually. Rent starts at less than $1,000 for a one-bedroom apartment.

As is common across Florida, demand far outstrips the supply of affordable senior housing. At Innovare, more than 100 people are on the waiting list for 25 low-income rental apartments.

Sloan was one of the truly fortunate ones. He hadn’t lived in a secure, safe place in nearly two years.

Today, he lives in a new apartment in one of Innovare’s two midrise towers. Towers into which architects integrated the Volunteers of America logo, with external pillars in the courtyard angled to form the shape of the letter ‘V.’

“I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Volunteers of America, Catholic Charities, Pinellas Hope, and all the donors who support them,” Sloan said at the Innovare grand opening in April. “I wouldn’t be here, period.

He said the support from many organizations and individuals shows that people truly care about their homeless neighbors.

“I hope this right here is only the beginning,” he said. “Look what it’s done for me. It’s changed my life.”

Volunteers of America (VoA) of Florida Board Member Betty Viamontes, National VoA President and CEO Mike King, VoA of Florida President and CEO Janet Stringfellow, and St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch pose for a photo at the community’s ribbon cutting ceremony.