Lenore Costello, a resident of Lake Alfred, Florida, USA, is celebrating her 110th birthday today.
Lenore Costello was born in Sycamore, Ohio, on 12 November 1916. She was the third of five daughters. She earned a one-year scholarship to Heidelberg University, where she studied sociology and biology. To cover her expenses, she also participated in a youth work program. At the university, she became known as “Gundy,” a nickname she would carry throughout her life. Soon after graduating, she secured a position as executive director of the American Red Cross in Wyandot County, Ohio. In that role, she met her future husband, George Costello, who was a member of the organization’s national staff.
Before the United States entered World War II, the Red Cross sent George to the Philippines for six months to establish civil defense units. On his return voyage by ship, he passed through Pearl Harbor on 6 December 1941, just one day before the Japanese surprise attack. He arrived in San Francisco on 9 December. George was later sent to the Philippines for a second deployment, this time for 15 months, to assist with the reconstruction of the Red Cross organization there. Meanwhile, with the country at war, she stepped up activities at her local Red Cross unit. Among other efforts, she and other women knitted surgical dressings and bathrobes for donation to veterans’ hospitals.
George and Gundy married on 19 December 1942. After George’s return, the couple left Winter Haven and moved into a house in Lake Alfred. They had no children. George later served as Lake Alfred’s city manager for eight years. In 1948, she was selected as one of a dozen background swimmers for the Esther Williams film On an Island with You, which was filmed at Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven.
Winter Haven High School recruited her to fill in for a biology teacher who had joined the military. She continued working as a substitute teacher for five years before embarking on what she considered her “real” career. In 1951, the president of the Lake Ridge Girl Scout Council asked her to serve as temporary executive director while the organization searched for a permanent leader. Although she had not participated in Girl Scouts as a child, she accepted the position and ultimately led the organization for 25 years, retiring on 1 October 1976.
LongeviQuest extends warm congratulations to Lenore Costello on her 110h birthday.
