- April 24, 2024
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Signature Healthcare held its annual Hall of Fame ceremony recently.
Betty Kenter celebrated her 102 birthday this year, but she has plans for many more. The resident of Signature Healthcare of Ormond has a goal to be 108.
“She had a relative who lived to be 107,” said Denise Crosby, administrator at the facility.
Kenter was inducted into the Signature Hall of Fame in a ceremony on Oct. 9 along with another resident, Herbert Thackston, and several community leaders.
Crosby said Signature wants to honor their achievements and contributions. Signature, a national organization, inducted nearly 350 people into the Hall of Fame on 100 campuses around the country on the same day.
She said the seniors are war heroes and business leaders.
“We need to stop and celebrate, and record their work,” she said.
Kenter, originally from Connecticut, was married to her husband, Philip, for 72 years, until he passed away in 2003. She taught piano and was president of the local Cancer Care Chapter.
Thackston, from Kentucky, was a senior vice president of a mortgage loan service and director of offshore insurance companies. He’s known for his involvement with Easter Seals, and says he enjoys cooking for his family. His favorite hobbies are fishing and golf and he’s most proud of his two children and Christian faith.
Community leaders Donna Craig, Sue Parkerson and Sheila Turner were also welcomed into the Hall of Fame.
Parkerson, a native Floridian, was very involved with trying to save the Ormond Hotel, which was ultimately demolished in the early 1990s.
She has served on several advisory boards including the Historic Landmark Preservation Board, and is currently a member of civic organizations and garden clubs. She said her motto is “do everything with love.”
Craig is part of a seventh generation of Minorcans born in St. Augustine, and her family moved to Daytona Beach when she was 2 years old. Craig has a degree in psychology and has worked in youth services and as a realtor. She said that volunteering at Signature and spending time with her mother are her two most rewarding experiences.
Turner is chaplain for Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center, New Smyrna Beach Police Dept. and Sisters Alive-Daytona chapter. She is a suicide prevention trainer and serves on several advisory boards. She travels throughout the world as a speaker and instructor.
Also honored was Louise Pickett, chaplain and spirituality director at Signature. She was activity director for 25 years. She also has worked at Living Faith World Ministries and is an evangelist volunteer in the community.
City Commissioner Troy Kent and Deputy Mayor Bill Partington were on hand to help honor the recipients.
“Our senior population is one of our greatest resources,” Partington said. “Their wise counsel, years of experience … it makes us a stronger, better city.”
