Lakewood Ranch woman represents Florida in Ms. Senior America Pageant

Flitting about her Lakewood Ranch home, Lorraine Robertson looked down at the floor and felt compelled to apologize.

"You will have to excuse the glitter," Robertson said with a smile. "I've been putting it on my shoes."

She also has been sprinkling it on her life.

At 82, Robertson continues to pack her schedule at a time when many would rather find a place on the porch swing.

She is an accomplished painter and she is working to improve her skills as a pianist. She has taken up bridge and is a "serious" player at clubs around the area.  

Now she has another important date on her schedule. Robertson will represent Florida Oct. 17-19 in the Ms. Senior America Pageant at the Resorts Casino in Atlantic City, N.J. She won the Ms. Senior Florida Pageant Aug. 6 in North Miami.

The national pageant was founded by Dr. Al Mott with the first queen crowned in 1996.

Robertson explained that Mott was concerned senior women would give up on pursuing or developing new goals. "Once they were not involved in child rearing, or in work, they were having trouble finding new direction and purpose," Robertson said. "I saw that in women I knew, but not myself, thank God."

The Ms. Senior America Pageant is a showcase for women who choose to make their later life meaningful.

Robertson has been finding ways to make her life meaningful since she stopped working full-time at her medical practice in 2005. In the same year, she started painting.

"When you retire, you have to reinvent yourself," she said. "This can be an exciting time of your life. Some people live life passively. I live life actively. I get more pleasure playing the piano than going to hear the New York Philharmonic. One you are sitting in the audience. The other you are making it happen."

So she signed up for an art class which put her on "the lowest rung on the ladder."

"It's very hard to be the worst in the class," Robertson said. "But frankly, I found it amusing. In other areas of my life, I had been successful."

Her medical practice was in Rockaway, N.J. and she explained she was a family doctor at a time when most were men. Her patients became so comfortable with her, they often asked her to treat them for maladies that were outside her scope. That caused her to keep expanding her medical horizons, to keep learning skills. 

Whether in her professional or personal life, she always was willing to put herself in uncomfortable situations.

She thought back to a time in her 60s when she took up the piano. Her teacher made sure her students gave public recitals, no matter their level. She would take the stage thinking, "A 6-year-old was better."

Her wide range of talents eventually was what impressed the judges at the Ms. Florida Senior Pageant, which is comprised of Talent, Philosophy of Life, Interview and Evening Gown categories.

"Last January, I found out someone had submitted my name (to the pageant)," she said. "I didn't know anything about it, but in March I got an email that had a list of the planned events for the contestants. It sounded like fun and I thought maybe I could be a role model or an inspiration. I could be a poster child for retirement and womanhood."

The mother of two sons and grandmother of five never imagined she would have a chance to win the competition.

"The other ladies were extremely impressive," she said. "Some were professional entertainers and there were those who had been in film and TV. Most were much younger than I am."

In the interview portion of the contest, Robertson talked about addiction medicine, which was a subspecialty of her work life.

"It's hard to be a bubbly personality when you talk about addiction work," she said.

But she won the Philosophy of Life portion and she still has a collection of ball gowns from her days as a competitive dancer, so she obviously knew how to present herself in a gown.

In the talent competition, she played a jazzy selection by Duke Ellington while 40 of her paintings were displayed on a big screen behind the piano.

"I suspect it was the artwork that won it," she said with a laugh.

The 10 finalists were ages 63 through 92 and they lined up to hear the results. When Robertson was called as the winner, she stood frozen.

"The person next to me had to elbow me to get me to move," she said. "It was a total surprise."

It shouldn't have been. Robertson has a good reason she has excelled in so many disciplines.

"The harder I work, the more talented I get," she said. 

Now it's on to the national competition.

"I am checking off the days, hoping that nothing intervenes," she said. "At this age, you learn to expect the unexpected.

"But even without winning, this has been a wonderful experience. It has been a delight to meet people who have had so many other experiences. And I like putting on pretty gowns, and having professional making me up. Who wouldn't?"

She doesn't anticipate any other pageants, though.

"I am sure this is my last hurrah."