Hi, I’m Perry Shellaberger, currently host of the Tuesday Coffee group. I joined MVOPT in 2005. We all have our own stories, but in my case, I had just come out of a relationship and was unfamiliar with the gay community. I learned of the “Friends of the Italian Opera” (Spaghetti Warehouse) group and began attending, and through them, learned of Prime Timers, joined, met my future husband Gene Evans, and almost as importantly, met a community of friends. That time was a period of rapid growth for MVOPT, which is noted in the “MVOPT History” document that has been previously distributed. There were many events and activities, and we attended many of them, especially since Gene was MVOPT president in 2006. One
Of the events I couldn’t attend was Tuesday Coffee (then called TLC - Tuesday Latte and Cappuccino- Society) since I was still working. I was somewhat jealous of the guys who could attend; being retired and able to waste the morning away, solving the world’s problems over coffee. I retired in 2012 and began attending Tuesday Coffee, and over the years the coffee group has struggled, along with the rest of the club, as membership declined. Even during the Covid Quarantine, the coffee group persevered, meeting by Zoom call. I am delighted to see the increased membership in the club (and also the coffee group). There have been many events over the years- game night, movie night, dining outs, road trips, and more. One thing that has been constant over time is that regardless of the event, there is a common theme of community, camaraderie, and friendship. So, if you’re new to Prime Timers, pick an event (how about Coffee?), attend, make a friend.