Volunteer Spotlight

The Tustin Area Senior Advisory Board

By Jonathan Boxdorfer

The Tustin Area Senior Center is proud to recognize Sue Drobish in this quarter’s Volunteer Spotlight.

Sue was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio where she lived until graduating high school. Following high school she attended Northwestern University in Illinois. During her freshman year of studies Sue met her future husband, Bill, an Engineering student at Purdue University in Indiana.

Following college, Sue’s husband entered the Navy and was stationed at the Naval Training Center, Bainbridge, Maryland to be trained in Nuclear Power. While in Maryland, Sue began her career in education teaching Junior High School. Sue and Bill eventually moved back to Indiana where their three children, Bob, Ken and Betsy were born and where she obtained a Masters Degree in Home Economics Education from Purdue University. In 1969 the Drobish family moved to Southern California settling first in Torrance and finally in Villa Park. Sue continued to teach at the Junior High level and in 1981 began her current tenure as an instructor with the Irvine Valley College Emeritus Program.

Sue has taught Needle Art through IVC Emeritus at the Tustin Area Senior Center since our doors opened in 1989. Due to recent reductions in State funding, IVC Emeritus has unfortunately had to eliminate many of their enrichment classes. Sue graciously agreed to continue teaching her Creative Needlepoint/Needle Arts class on a volunteer basis. “If the students are happy, I’m happy,” she said. Sue’s Needlecraft classes and lab have had as many as 40-50 students and currently have 20-25.

Sue also volunteers at the Orangewood Children’s Home and has been a member of the Assistance League of Orange for 25 years. Sue is an active snow skier already hitting the slopes in South Lake Tahoe and Colorado this year. She also loves houseboating! Sue and her family and friends go houseboating on Lake Powell in Nevada two to three times per year.
Thank you, Sue, for your many years of dedicated service to the Senior Center!