1976
Zestful and Productive at Ninety
July 1976


“Zestful and Productive at Ninety,” Ensign, July 1976, 40

Zestful and Productive at Ninety

On August 10, 1974, a noble and gracious lady in blue lace gown and orchid corsage greeted family and friends at a garden reception. It was her ninetieth birthday.

Two days before, this same lady—Alice Minerva Richards Tate Robinson—had returned from a 3,000-mile auto tour that had taken her and four family members from Washington, D.C., through New England, to the Cumorah pageant and then over the pioneer route from Nauvoo to Salt Lake. Arrival time was 9 P.M., but she was not content to be taken home until she had treated her weary traveling companions to an ice cream soda.

Friends and family marvel at her stamina and zest for life and wonder what magic formula she uses to achieve it. She is quick of mind and articulate when asked to share her secret. Five ingredients are indispensable.

1. Keep talent and earning power sharp with use. Sister Robinson began making fiber flowers in 1930 to help support her son, Joel, on his mission. She is still filling orders for two out of seven casket companies she has supplied through the years.

2. Stay pretty. When her husband died in 1947, she determined “never to look like a neglected widow,” so she has her hair done, wears pretty colors, and is careful of her grooming. Her sons love to treat her to a new dress or coat and her gracious acceptance delights them.

3. Keep family ties strong. She meets with her married children once a month for family fireside. The women of her father’s family also gather monthly for Sisters Club so that bonds might strengthen there. Every other year, she and a large number of her 130 descendants attend the Robinson reunions held alternately in Arizona, California, Idaho, and Utah. Between these events, children and grandchildren often drop in for a visit or a game. She is great competition for family games.

4. Exercise the mind. For the past six years she has attended weekly religion classes and has missed only three during that time. These, along with Sunday School and Relief Society, give focus to her study of the scriptures.

In 1965 she had a book published for family members based upon selections from the journals of her father, George F. Richards. This work required a year of solid research in Church-held files.

5. Build testimony through service and always be ready to bear it. This great lady attends her meetings faithfully and has given lifelong service to the Church. She presently serves as a visiting teacher supervisor in her ward.

She is always prepared to bear her testimony, whether to a grandchild or in a public meeting. Last stake conference, she was called from the audience to speak, and in a voice clear and unshaken, she bore faithful testimony to the power of personal revelation in her life.

She is a living testimony of the rich life that can be led while enduring to the end. Lucile C. Tate, Alexandria, Virginia

Illustrated by Phyllis Luch