When Queen’s Medical Center super-volunteer June Anderson suffered a stroke last year, it marked, as far as collective institutional memory can confirm, the first time in nearly 50 years that Anderson was unable to make it for a scheduled shift.
And no one who knew Anderson believed for a second that she wouldn’t be back.
“I’ve always been involved in volunteering,” Anderson said. “I like people.”
Anderson grew up in Orange County, Calif., and came to Hawaii soon after high school to work as a secretary for local construction bigwig E.E. Black.
Once, when going through her old papers, Anderson’s stepson David Holzwarth found a copy of the letter of inquiry she had sent to Black. He was stunned at how professional the writing was for someone who was just 18 or 19 at the time.
Anderson was a trusted assistant to Black for several years, providing support not just for his business, but for his numerous community service obligations, as well.
Among his various board affiliations, Black served as chairman of the board of trustees for The Queen’s Medical Center.
“We used to have our own nursing school here,” Anderson recalled. “Every year I would take the nurses out to lunch at the end of the term, and Mr. Black would treat them all at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel and I would be the hostess. Most of them came from Ewa and had never been to a hotel. I miss that nursing school.”
Anderson’s affinity for the medical center endured long after she transitioned into a career in real estate.
Early on, Anderson found purpose and satisfaction as a volunteer assigned to the information desk. There, as the first person many Queen’s visitors encounter upon entering the medical center, Anderson’s friendly, hyper-professional style has provided guidance and reassurance both to patients and to family and friends of those receiving care.
“She’s always thinking about others, always so kind,” says volunteer program manager April Light. “She always volunteers on holidays — Christmas, Thanksgiving, Fourth of July — because she wants others to have a day off to spend with their families.”
In addition to her volunteer work at Queen’s, Anderson also has devoted years of service to her condominium board and her church.
“She’s one of those people who is always trying to stay ahead of what other people give her just so she doesn’t feel like she’s taking,” said Holzwarth. “She’s always giving.”
Thus, Holzwarth said, it was particularly heartbreaking to see Anderson, then 87, unable to do the things she loved in the weeks and months following her stroke.
At Anderson’s advanced age, recovery came neither quick nor assuredly. Yet even at her most vulnerable, Anderson proved inspirational.
“At the rehab center she fought to get better and to be mobile,” said Holzwarth, who spent his sabbatical from Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania helping Anderson recover back in Hawaii. “It wasn’t easy, but we did what we could with the resources we had and the expertise that was available.”
With effort, planning and her characteristic focus, Anderson did indeed make it back to her post at the information desk. While things are a little different now — her shift has been shortened to two hours from four, and a couple of aides accompany her throughout — she continues to be an indispensable part of the Queen’s volunteer team.
Earlier this month Anderson celebrated her 50th year as a volunteer with the medical center.
“It helped me get through, knowing I had a place to come back to,” said Anderson. “It’s a wonderful feeling to do something for the community. I have something to look forward to.”
Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@staradvertiser.com.
