Perhaps my most satisfying activities in my leadership years with the Western Gerontological Society (as ASA was then known) were visiting 17 states with Gloria Cavanaugh while attempting to draft our first public policy statement and getting as many people and organizations as possible involved. This eventually led to the development of the Leadership Council of Aging Organizations, which through the years has provided needed advocacy and has coordinated efforts in D.C.

My most challenging moment was the year I was president-elect of WGS. During the annual meeting, U.S. Commissioner on Aging Arthur Fleming was about to arrive when there was a Gray Panther picket line in front of the hotel. Ted Koff and I grabbed picket signs and led the picket line away from the entrance as we saw the commissioner's car pull up. We then led the picket line into the hotel away from the area of the meetings and were able to begin a dialogue with the Panthers' local leader about their concerns.

One of my more humorous moments with WGS was when there was a cash flow problem. Ted and I went to the local bankers in Tucson trying to get personal loans to cover advance expenses related to the annual meeting in San Diego. When asked where the event would be, we answered honestly. They were a little aghast that we would try to borrow money in Tucson for an event in California, and the banks turned both of us down. However, Percil Stanford (ASA board president, 1975-76) was able to get the loan with no problem. Goes to show you that his credit was better.

WGS and ASA have been responsible for helping me develop a perspective beyond my immediate community. My involvement in the association showed me that national organizations which provide training and act as a bridge between academic research, applied research and program development can be very important in bringing better services to local communities. And being involved in ASA has helped me develop relationships with people in the field that have been important through my 37 years as director of the Pima Council on Aging.

Marian Lupu, a former president of the ASA Board of Directors (1977-78), has headed the Pima Council on Aging in Tucson since 1967. In October 2004 the Tucson chapter of Women in Healthcare honored her nearly four decades of leadership and advocacy on behalf of older adults.

I first joined the Western Gerontological Society [as ASA was then known] in 1977 when I became the codirector of Marin Senior Day Services, a fledgling agency in Marin County that opened the county's first adult day center that same year. In the early years of my membership, I was a sponge, learning from old-timers like Carroll Estes, Bob Newcomer, Charlene Harrington, Marie-Louise Ansak and Marty Richards. The conference sessions I attended were always so grounded in practice; even research-oriented presentations led us to try new things.

In 1978, we received a grant to start a wives respite project for older women caring for disabled spouses. ASA served as the forum for us to spread the word about our successes, in conference presentations and articles in Generations. And when I was privileged to be able to work with the Older Women's League, which adopted respite care as one of its advocacy issues, once again ASA was our forum.

Twenty-six years with an organization. Wow! I have made so many friends as a result and have had the opportunity to share and learn so much.

Linda Fitzpatrick, is currently director of Senior Health Services and the Elder Service Plan at the Fallon Healthcare System in Worcester, Mass.

My first encounter with ASA was in the mid- to late-1970s. After receiving my master's degree in educational psychology, I was hired by Marion Marshall, head of the Los Angeles Board of Education's Programs for Older Adults, to teach classes, and she suggested I join her in San Francisco at something called the Western Gerontological Society (WGS), which later became ASA. Later, Marion became the director for the State of California's Older Adult Education Program.

The meeting was held at a small red-brick hotel on Van Ness Avenue. We were not a large group, but I was impressed by the status the organization gave my newfound profession. Once launched as a member, I attended yearly meetings in San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego, and finally led several workshops on topics in which I was interested.

One of the highlights of my membership occurred in 1978. After a tour of China led by Maggie Kuhn, founder of the Gray Panthers, I went on to Tokyo for the 11th International Congress of Gerontology and a tour of Japan with WGS members. The Japan leg of the trip, organized under the auspices of the Elvirita Lewis Foundation, was led by Gloria Cavanaugh, who already was head of WGS. Robert Butler spoke at the congress.

In addition to the workshops I attended, my memories are of times with colleagues, many of whom were members of WGS and later of ASA. The workshops were important, and we learned and shared information in them. But most of all, I recall time spent with Maggie Kuhn and Tish Sommers, founder of the Older Women's League. After Tish's death, I recall sitting in the lobby of the ASA meeting hotel with Laurie Shields, reminiscing about Tish's contribution to all of our lives.

There was a feeling of excitement during the early days. We were looking at the aging process in a new way, developing new programs for leaders, teachers and older people themselves. Butler was talking about the threat of Alzheimer's -- the need to find treatment and a cure -- saying that without effective research, the inevitable increase in numbers of Alzheimer's patients would have a major financial impact on our healthcare system. How right he was!

Grace Jacobs is president of Lifelong Learners at the University of California, Santa Cruz.