Master of the daily grind
Ray Jenkins’ century strong work ethic

Brian Badzmierowski | staff writer


The 2007 America’s Oldest Worker award went to Horatio “Ray” Jenkins, a maintenance manager at the Champlain Valley Expo Center (CVE) and long-time resident of Colchester.

Jenkins is 101 years old and has held countless jobs ranging from a laborer in a mine quarry to a volunteer firefighter. 

Although he requires the use of a cane, fashioned from a sawed-off shovel to move around the house he built in 1968, he hasn’t slowed mentally. 

Jenkins’ attitude can be described by a tiny sign that hangs on the doorway leading to his dining room.  It reads: “Push button for maid service.  If no one answers, DO IT YOURSELF!”

America's oldest worker

Jenkins was awarded, “America’s Oldest Worker: 2007,” by Experience Works, a national company specializing in training senior citizens for modern jobs. Brian Badzmierowski, photo

Jenkins’ caring, selfless attitude through the last century garnered enough attention to make him the recipient of the 2007 Primetime Award for America’s Oldest Worker, says Martin Rome, director of communications for Experience Works.
Jenkins says he was invited by Experience Works to travel to Washington, D.C., where the award was presented to him by Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

Every year, Experience Works, a Virginia-based company that trains senior citizens for modern jobs, conducts a search for the oldest working American.

Certain criteria are expected to be met when searching for the oldest worker in America, Rome says.

The candidate must be at least 65 years old and be working at least 20 hours a week in paid employment, according to the official nomination form.  He or she must also “show evidence of contributions at the workplace and in their local community and demonstrate a commitment to lifelong learning.” 

Jenkins works full-time—40 hours a week—at CVE and his dedication to his community is readily apparent.

He says that when he was younger, he would help out farmers who were short on manpower, expecting nothing in return.  This was on top of his regular duties at his own farm. 

Today he paints watercolor paintings per request of his friends and neighbors and hands them out for free. 

Jenkins far exceeded the criteria for the award, Rome says.

Upon arrival in Washington, D.C., Jenkins and his son Bob were ushered into the Hotel Washington, Jenkins said. 

On Oct. 4, a press conference was held for Jenkins at the hotel.  Bernie Sanders presented him with the award, a granite trophy inscribed with his name, and congratulated him on his achievement, Jenkins says.

Jenkins was the oldest person in attendance by far; most of his so-called peers were 50 to 80 years old, he says. 

He accepted his award graciously, but the national attention didn’t phase him, he says.

Along with numerous dinners and ceremonies, Jenkins and his fellow outstanding workers were treated to a number of activities while in D.C., Rome says.

This included a night-time tour of the famous monuments littered across the city.  The group made stops at the Lincoln, World War II l, Roosevelt, and the Hiroshima Memorials.  The lights that lit up the monuments at night made the tour mesmerizing, Bob says.

Bob found “quite the watering hole” to unwind at in Ebbet’s Field Restaurant and Pub, but Jenkins refrained from having a beer.  He occasionally drinks a glass of red wine, but has never desired a beer because he is repulsed by the smell of it, he says.

Working at CVE

Jenkins says he has been working at CVE for 30 years.  When he started his CVE career at the ripe age of 71, Jenkins says he would perform more physical labor than he does now, such as fixing roofs, mowing lawns, and maintaining the upkeep of the fairgrounds. 

For years, Jenkins has been working from April to October, from 7:30 until 3:30, five days a week.  Jenkins says a hearty breakfast may be the secret to his longevity; he gets up early every morning to enjoy a hot bowl of apple cinnamon oatmeal.

Orry Selby has worked at CVE for eight years and is one of the two mechanics that work directly under Jenkins.

“When I first came here, he was hands on quite a bit,” Selby says. “Now that he is 101, he’s cooled down.”

Ray Jenkins reaches into a tool box while at work maintaining vehicles for the Champlain Valley Expo Center.  Jenkins works full-time. Brian Badzmierowski, photo

Selby and Jeff Jewell, the other mechanics who works with Jenkins, spend most of their time in the H.F. “Ray” Jenkins Maintenance Facility, the repair shop named after Jenkins.

Equipment such as forklifts, scissor lifts, and golf carts are brought to the facility where Selby and Jewell can work on them.  Located in the corner of facility is Jenkins’ office.

It is here, in between bouts with pesky flies that send him rolling around the office in his chair with a fly-swatter, that Jenkins performs much of his daily work.  Jenkins says he puts in orders for supplies and keeps a record of all the maintenance work that is performed on the equipment.

“I do physical labor as well," Jenkins says. "That’s one of the things I make sure of.  It keeps you physically fit and mentally fit."

Living through ten decades

Jenkins was born on his family’s farm in a village called Dover Plains in upstate New York.  Growing up on a farm, Jenkins says there wasn’t much else to do besides work.  He was fortunate enough to attend high school, while most other kids continued to work on their families’ farms, he says.  Jenkins’ graduating class consisted of himself and three other boys.

Jenkins says he was in his early twenties when he held his first job off the family farm as a laborer in a mine quarry.  He then attended Northwestern University and received a degree in electrical engineering.  His job at IBM as an engineer and quality inspection officer is what ultimately brought him to Vermont, he says.

In 1968, Jenkins built the house in Colchester that he still lives in today.  The walls are made from knotted pine, and they give the house a distinctive vintage look.

Jenkins says he was an avid fisherman while he lived in New York, and he loves to sail with his daughter, whose sailboat sits in his driveway.  He also loves to read and is currently wrapped up in the Bible, which he says he believes in literally.
           
“We need to be very, very wary of 2012,” Jenkins said.

A maintenance building at the Champlain Valley Expo Center proudly exhibits Jenkins’ name. Brian Badzmierowski, photo

Jenkins says he has found passages in the Bible that allude to mankind’s destruction in 2012.  Man will not be able to withstand the change of climate and because of the intense heat, man will perish, he says.

His views on society today aren’t any more optimistic.  He says he is disappointed with the level of crime in Vermont and in the country, as well as the United States’ position in foreign affairs.

“It’s asinine to try to form a democracy in Iraq," Jenkins says, "You can’t do it.  It’s been that way for years and years.  You can’t change it."

Jenkins says President Bush has enough problems to deal with here in Vermont and the rest of the United States.

“If I had seen him, the first thing I would have told him is to keep his nose out of foreign affairs,” Jenkins said.