MIDDLEFIELD _ Ellen Rockwell said she didn't want a big fuss made over her birthday.
But her co-workers at the Office for the Aging threw her a luncheon at the Meadows office complex Thursday.
The 90-year-old Cooperstown resident also received accolades from the Otsego County Board of Representatives, state Sen. James Seward, R-Milford, Assemblyman Bill Magee, D-Nelson, and the New York State Office for the Aging.
"I was really trying to get them to play it down, but they went way over my head," Rockwell said of her co-workers. "A couple of times I felt like crying today."
Rockwell has worked for the Otsego County Office for the Aging since 1993, when she participated in the Title V Older Workers Program. In 1995, she became a county employee.
The newly minted nonagenarian works about 25 hours a week and commutes by bus.
"She's always in a good mood. She's always willing to take on a new task and get involved," said Office for the Aging Director Frances Wright during the lunch, which attracted about 30 employees and friends.
Wright said Rockwell is primarily responsible for the agency's newsletter.
The Otsego County Board of Representatives on Wednesday unanimously passed a resolution recognizing the county's oldest employee.
"It really is an amazing feat," Wright said.
Wright said that up until a few years ago, Rockwell commuted by car.
Rockwell lived in Worcester, Mass., before moving to Otsego County to be closer to her family, she said just before cutting her birthday cake.
Her daughter and son-in-law are doctors for Bassett Healthcare, she said.
Rockwell's resume includes training in graphic design and art teaching, working for the American Red Cross during World War II and design work for Broadway theater stages.
While in Massachusetts during her retirement, Rockwell took computer classes.
"I resisted it for a long time," she said of computers.
But now she said she does pretty well with them.
"I love it," Rockwell said.
When asked if she had any secrets to staying active into her senior years, she said: "Just don't hang on to any old stuff.
"I sound goofy to say that I am a happy person," Rockwell said. "I like my job. I like the people."
Wright said that with the aging Baby Boomer population, she anticipates an increase of retirees who return to the work force.
This has a benefit for the retirees but also for the younger co-workers, Wright said.
In many cases, she added, there is a disconnect between generations that can be bridged by having older and younger people working in the same setting.
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