Longboat nonagenarian reflects on accomplishments

Longboat Key resident Merle Nelson started off her 90th birthday on May 8 in a way not many do — with a morning outing on her paddleboard.

She took the time on her birthday to share some life advice and reflect on the high points of her career.

"I have been lucky in my lifetime, and I'm grateful for being a lucky person," she said. "You don't make luck — it just happens. But I think you can always have a positive outlook, and that keeps you young and generous of spirit. I've found that here."

Nelson appreciated growing up and working in Maine, where she raised her three children — Judd, Eve and Julie — but she joked that "you can't slip on a frozen sidewalk in Sarasota."

Judd Nelson made a name for himself as an actor in films such as "St. Elmo's Fire," "New Jack City," "Suddenly Susan" on TV. 

But his most famous role is playing John Bender in the '80s hit movie, "The Breakfast Club." Last month, the full cast reunited for the first time in 40 years at an entertainment expo in Chicago, where they made the film.

Besides raising her three children, Merle Nelson held a distinguished career as both a politician and a teacher. She served as a legislator in Maine from 1976 to 1986. 

"I grew up there near the end of World War II, and my father worked in the shipyards in South Portland," she said.

She still remembers going door-to-door on the campaign trail in 1976, where she learned directly from Mainlanders about what they would want in a leader. That experience served her well, as she ultimately won five elections.

When asked what she was most proud to have accomplished in her political tenure, Nelson said two pieces of legislation rose to the top.

She played an integral role in changing the process for organ donation, aiming to help loved ones work through the intricacies of donation in a manner that respects the person they lost.

"I introduced a piece of legislation that helped make Maine one of the largest organ donation states in New England, which saved a lot of lives," she said.

She said the regulations laid out how and when medical professionals should ask about donation. This sensitive approach explains to families how meaningful such a donation is for recipients and ideally helps them begin the grieving process.

"I don't think you ever give up grieving something like that, but it really gave them a sense that there was still life, that it was a meaningful donation," she said. "It really is a gift of life."

Nelson also pushed forward the Displaced Homemakers Act, which helped people learn the skills they needed to re-enter the workforce after losing a spouse. For her efforts, the Maine Centers for Women, Work, and Community gave her the first annual "Women Making a Difference Award" in 2004.

Of her time in office, she said, "It was a wonderful opportunity to do some important and good things for people's lives. It was very meaningful."

She added, "I did a lot of things that have hopefully changed people's lives for the better, and that makes me very proud."

As a passionate advocate for the arts, Nelson said she is also proud of her work introducing the Maine Percent for Art law, enacted in 1979, that provides for art in public buildings.

Her promotion of the arts isn't limited to her legislative work. Two decades ago, she and her high school sweetheart, Lenny, started the Leonard and Merle Nelson Social Justice Fund, which honors artists at the Portland Museum of Art. For her ongoing support, the Maine College of Art & Design conferred an honorary PhD.

"I don't use it to get reservations, calling myself 'Dr. Nelson,'" she said with a laugh.

Nelson said one aspect of living in Longboat Key and near Sarasota that she appreciates is the thriving art scene.

"That's one of the reasons my husband and I decided to move to the area," she said. "It has a rich cultural environment, like Portland. People are also very philanthropic here, which we find impressive and really enjoy."

She and Lenny have been married for 69 years.

Nelson valued her time in the legislature but eventually stepped down to make way for fresh perspectives. She then pursued a career as a court mediator.

This work proved challenging yet rewarding as she helped people navigate some of the most difficult moments of their lives.

Preceding her work in politics and the courts, Nelson worked as a teacher, specializing in helping students who were blind or required special education accommodations. She always placed an important focus on education, graduating from Lesley College.

She acknowledged the challenges teachers face with salaries and classroom environments, and the best advice she had to offer up-and-coming teachers is to stay with it.

"It is indeed the most powerful profession in the world," she said. "You teach as much through the environment as what you teach, and you need to listen to the kids. It's hard, more so than when I taught, but every day is a new experience. You learn about yourself as well."

She is enjoying retirement on Longboat Key, where she and Lenny moved 20 years ago, and she especially likes taking advantage of the programs offered at The Paradise Center. 

When she's not busy swimming or doing yoga, she still likes to volunteer with Tuttle Elementary School. She particularly enjoys reading to students, which she particularly values considering she learned to read while dealing with the challenges of dyslexia.

"I've volunteered every year of my life since I was 12," she said.

Birthdays always offer an opportunity for reflection, and if she could offer any life advice, it would be to embrace giving back to one's community.

"I really believe that giving to others makes you better and stronger as a person," she said. "You can see things in a different light. It's important to get perspective."