ECHO volunteers celebrate 70th anniversary
In 1994, Eleanor “Lollie” Peckham and her husband, George, took a vacation from their retirement home in Maine to Southwest Florida where one day they took a tour of the ECHO Farm.
The couple, which had spent much of their adult lives traveling the world to help farmers, decided they didn’t want to stay retired for long.
So, the Peckhams, who had vowed never to move again, did so once again to become volunteers for the farm.
Last week, the couple was honored by ECHO and its volunteers as they celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary, which featured cake, a video and testimonials from those they have touched in their 22 years of service.
The couple met in 1944. Lollie enrolled at the College of Wooster (Ohio), where there were very few men, since most were fighting in World War II.
There were some Naval and Marine personnel there to take a refresher course before going to join the Air Corps.
“On my first day I met this handsome Marine in uniform. He was taking a refresher course in college for a semester to become a pilot,” Lollie said. “When he got his wings, we got married on Nov. 2.”
George took part in the battle of Guadacanal as a rear seat gunner and bomber before earning his wings. After marrying, he went to Pensacola for his first flight assignment.
After the service, George went to college, found work with Ralston-Purina in its international sales group, and later became a chicken farmer in South America to encourage farmers down there to grow chickens.
“We went to Puerto Rico, Panama, Columbia and Venezuela and talked so many people into chicken farms that he talked his wife into one,” Lollie said. “We started one on the French island of Martinique before a hurricane came and blew the chickens away.”
George worked in agriculture until retiring to Maine, where they decided they were done with travelling until their visit to ECHO. Thus, began an amazing second act where they became essentially fulltime volunteers.
George helped teach the ECHO farmers about chickens while Lollie responded to mail and worked in the office. Today, although George requires portable oxygen, they are still hard workers.
They work with the newer volunteers to teach them the ropes and make them feel welcome, inviting them over to lunch and giving them the wealth of knowledge they have learned over the years.
At the Monday meeting, numerous volunteers and employees spoke on their behalf about their work ethic and sharing stories of their encounters with the couple.
“It’s wonderful to see how faithful they have been with the skills and talent to volunteer for ECHO. They are inspiring to us,” said Ali Diaz, donor services manager.
Danielle Flood, communications director, said their years here have probably added years to their lives as they have a good reason every day to get up.
“They lived a full life serving the poor internationally. They took a tour of ECHO and were impressed by how our mission connected with them and felt it was their next step,” Flood said. “This gives them a purpose knowing they are making a difference around the world through ECHO that has made their retirement years so golden.”
Dr. Martin Price, one of ECHO’s founders, said the organization wouldn’t be the same without volunteers, saying they hit the jackpot with the Peckhams.
“Occasionally, you get a real winner where they become essentially fulltime employees. It seems God has appointed one couple to be unofficial ECHO grandparents. They click with all age groups,” Price said.
The secret to a long marriage, Lollie said, was learning new languages and cultures together.
“We got along well and never had any major issues. We’ve had a lot happen in our lives, but as we’ve learned, we’ve come to depend on the Lord,” Lollie said. “We’ve travelled many places and we would go to a new place and have to be together. It was a new experience and we did it together.”