Page 7 - September 2020 Voices

Rose Robison
Speaking Can Be Fun

Jim Robison, DTM

For 46 years as a nurse Rose Robison helped people. This
meant being able to communicate with the patient, doctors
and other nurses to ensure everything went right. Robison

shared, “I had heard about Toastmasters for many years and
had discussions about how to teach people about the work
they were doing. I thought it might help me teach nurses and
aides how to do their jobs. But then I retired.”
Rose recently celebrated her 90th birthday via Zoom, which

included many people she had met through Toastmasters
over the last 26 years.
While working, she knew that Toastmasters could help her

better teach skills to others. After retiring, Toastmasters was a
good place to socialize with other people. In addition, having
raised a large family (she has 7 children, 17 grandchildren,
and 36 great-grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild)
Toastmasters was a place where she could speak for a few

minutes without being interrupted.
“I was travelling and visited Toastmasters in several places.”
says Robison. “The first meeting I visited was, I think, in San

Francisco. They had eight members present, but only called
on four for Table Topics. I thought that was strange. I visited
about five or six clubs before joining Portland Toastmasters,
where my son was already a member.” She joined in November
1994 shortly after her 64th birthday.

VOICES! | SEPTEMBER 2020 7