Dora Frisby

CAPSULE DRAWING - Programs Director Dora Frisby won the capsule drawing at the February luncheon to the tune of $50.00!

Programs: Dora Frisby

Meeting, American Business Women's Association, 6 p.m., Family Traditions Lighthouse, 4301 Philadelphia Ave.; 6 p.m. social hour, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. dinner; enrollment event; Dora Frisby, 352-3004.

Reaching out: Dora Frisby has been active for decades, volunteering for NARFE, ABWA, the hospital, scouts and multiple other programs in Franklin County.
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Long before there was Make A Difference Day, quiet people such as Dora Frisby were making a world of difference in their neighborhoods, among their peer groups and at their places of worship.

Retired since 1985, Frisby was by no means a stranger to service while she was working and raising a family.From the time she was a Cub Scout den mother when her son, Terry, was a youngster, she has volunteered for at least a dozen service organizations in Franklin County, including Cumberland Valley Visitors' Station and Chambersburg Community Concert Association.

Not that she's an impulsive person.Even her speech is thoughtful and deliberate, not a syllable wasted.She's just one of those people who likes to lend a hand.In many cases, she has stepped up the rungs of volunteer ladders to become a board member or an officer.

"I figured if it didn't interfere with my home life, it was something I could do," said Frisby of her various commitments.
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For many years, Frisby was the church secretary as well as a trustee, treasurer and steward.She also has given time to the adult Christian education, Sunday school and special activities committees of the church, all non-paid positions.

Without taking away from the care of her own son, Frisby felt the need to reach out to neighborhood children by organizing a Girl Scout troop in John Wesley AME church and volunteering as a reading tutor at Thaddaeus Stevens Elementary School, Chambersburg.For 10 years, her family hosted a Fresh Air child, who returned each year until he was 16.

After serving on the board of Chambersburg Area Hospital Auxiliary, Frisby became president for a year in 1994.She emphasizes that the scholarships given each year by the auxiliary to deserving young women entering the medical field are now available to young men as well.

While working as a federal government employee at Letterkenny Army Depot, Frisby became involved in American Business Women's Association (ABWA), where she is now president.Taking advantage of the education credits this networking organization gives members in a variety of fields, she has received certificates toward paralegal, business and economic statistics and continuing education courses through ABWA.

"So often (the courses) make you think about things that you normally wouldn't think of in that way," Frisby said.

Through the years, she chaired the

chapter's membership, program, fund-raising, publicity and education committees.Last year, Falling Spring Chapter named her Woman of the Year for 2003, an honor based on the merits of her chapter participation, community involvement and career accomplishments.

Frisby entered the work force in 1955 as a clerk for Letterkenny's Major Item Supply Management Agency.A clerk for 12 years, she was promoted to a program analyst and then a system analyst within the next 10 years.

Her job dealt with organizing and reporting data regarding all the different systems and equipment at various depots throughout the country.She ended her career as a management specialist, responsible for planning, coordinating and evaluating work at depots, the National Guard and the Army Reserves.She likened this job to that of an overseer.

"During the Cuban missile crisis, for example, we needed to know how many of this type of vehicle was available and chart them so we could get hold of them at a moment's notice."

For four years after retiring, Frisby volunteered as a tax consultant for the county's income tax preparation service at the Eugene C. Clarke Jr. Community Center, Chambersburg.She has also given of her retirement life to National Association of Retired Federal Employees, where she has been program chairman for nine years.She wasn't nominated into this position, but, she said diplomatically, "I was invited to take it."

In December, Frisby was surprised with a special recognition certificate from NARFE for her dedication to the job.
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As program chairman, Frisby does more than just line up speakers and entertainment for the monthly NARFE meetings.
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Frisby enjoyed 10 years of her retirement with her husband, Leon, until his death in 1995.

She now shares her home with her son's dog, Molly, and enjoys reading in her spare time.