North County Woman Honored for Being Ageless-Remarkable St. Louisan

St. Andrew’s Resources for Seniors System will honor 22 adults who prove that you’re never too old to build and support your community.

Billie McKindra Phillips, of North St. Louis County, will be honored for the St. Andrew’s Ageless-Remarkable St. Louisans gala.

“After 10 years, our honorees continue to amaze us by demonstrating how exciting and fulfilling life after age 75 can be, and we’re excited to add another 22 honorees to the incredible group of more than 240 individuals that have been named Ageless-Remarkable St. Louisans since 2003,” Mary Alice Ryan, President and CEO of the St. Andrew’s Resources for Seniors System, said in a press release.

Phillips, 87, has dedicated her life to teaching students and remaining a student herself of the arts.

She’s a lifelong St. Louis native who earned her bachelor’s degree from Stowe College and a master’s degree in teaching aesthetic education from Webster University.

She then spent 10 years teaching students in the St. Louis Public Schools before later helping to found the School of Visual and Performing Arts and establishing the school’s art program. She then served for 15 years as the Superintendent of Art for St. Louis Public Schools before retiring.

That didn’t slow her down though.

She’s continued to help and teach people as an art docent at the St. Louis Art Museum as well as being a storyteller and volunteer for Impulse St. Louis.

“I feel very loyal to volunteer work,” she said. “If you’re given a talent, you have to use it or lose it.”

The annual gala celebrates and honors older adults who align with the center’s vision for society for “older adults are respected, productive, secure and fulfilled.” The event also serves as the center’s main fundraiser, and it has raised more than $1.6 million in the past 10 years.

The 2012 gala will be held Nov. 11 at 6 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch.