2005's CCHOAA WINNER

The 2005 C. Colburn Hardy Award goes to John Stokesberry!

This year’s award goes to someone who needs absolutely no introduction not only because of the many hats he has worn and continues to wear in Florida -- but also because he is a genuinely compassionate individual.  You don’t have to spend much time with him to realize that -- and the mere mention of his name among colleagues in the aging network evokes big smiles and warm stories.

Former Congresswoman Carrie Meek admiringly called him a “gadfly among Miami-Dade County and the nation’s aging professionals” and another well known Floridian and good friend of our recipient – Assistant Secretary of Aging Josefina Carbonell and he have alternately called each other  “ferocious leader and ferocious follower” – as their roles have evolved!

John Stokesberry is a native of Miami who has devoted most of his life to the people of Florida.  His career has spanned more than 40 years – from serving as the head of the then Florida Office on Aging and Adult Services and as an HRS district Administrator in three different regions.  John served as Executive Director of the Dade County Association of Retarded Citizens and as the Chief Executive of the Alliance for Aging, the area agency on aging serving the seniors of Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties.

In retirement, John has continued to give back to his State and his community through volunteerism in many ways.  Last year he was named “Citizen of the Year” by his own community in Miami Shores in recognition of the incredible time he has given in a variety of areas including as member of the Miami Shores Mobile Patrol! I read in a report not too long ago that the more linked a person is to his or her community; the more likely that person is going to be a volunteer.  The people of Miami Shores are lucky to have John living among them and watching out for them!

John’s commitment to the seniors of Florida and indeed the entire country can also be noted through the work he continues to do to protect elders in the aftermath of a natural disaster such as the hurricanes we have experienced over the last many years. Currently he serves as a Communications Officer in the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol and is involved in many aspects of emergency management for several organizations.

John has unique and valuable expertise in aging network emergency preparedness because of his experiences with Hurricane Andrew which occurred in or near his planning and service area and the subsequent ones that have it Florida since that time. Through EAGLES, or Elder Action Global Logistical Emergency System, which he has helped to create, he has enlisted the support of his Rotary Club and its tremendous volunteer network to be activated to help vulnerable seniors in the aftermath of a disaster.