Parishioner Spotlight: Dorothy Powell

Spotlight on Dorothy Powell

Hometown: Born in Noblesville, Indiana but had lived in four states by the age of 8.

Episcopal affiliation: Started coming to All Saints in the mid-1960s.

Profession: Retired from Procter & Gamble after a 21-year career in customer service.

You covered a lot of ground as a young child. Why so many moves?

We lived with my grandparents in Indiana, because my dad was working for the Norfolk Navy Yard [in Virginia]. He entered the Army Air Corp when I was about 4, and we all moved to Florida where he was stationed. We were living in Boca Raton until the airfield was destroyed by a hurricane, then he was transferred to Mississippi. We lived three different places there. When I was about 7, the Air Force and Army split, and he went with the Air Force. They wanted to send him off to the Marshall Islands, but by then, he had six children. He told them he couldn’t leave his family, and they gave him an honorable discharge for his four years of service.

But you didn’t stay on in Mississippi?

No, we moved back to his hometown, Asheville, North Carolina, when I was 8. It was a pretty depressed area at the time, and my dad did all kinds of jobs to support us. Then General Electric came to town looking for people who were qualified to work for them. He had been trained as a mechanic in the service, and he got a job with GE and moved to Cincinnati. We all joined him at the end of the school year. I was 11 at the time. When we moved here, we lived in Warren County right above Foster. I rode the school bus to to Kings Mills where I stayed until we moved to Glendale when I was a junior in high school. I graduated from Princeton High School.

Did you attend the Episcopal Church as a child?

No. My mother had a heavy duty faith that she passed onto me. In the different places we lived, neighbors asked me to go to church with them, and I remember that I always said, “Yes” whatever the church. And I always liked it, even the Fundamentalist ones in the South. When I was in junior high, I had a group of friends who asked me to come to the Sunday night youth group at their Somerset Presbyterian Church in Symmes Township. Eventually, that’s where I met my former husband, Wayne Powell, who played the piano and organ there. We were married in that church.

When did you and Episcopal Church get together?

Wayne and I had a daughter, Charlotte and a son, Bradley. We first lived in Mt. Healthy, then moved to Norwood, then Pleasant Ridge where we found this church. As soon as I came, I knew it was my church. I had actually been in the church years before when one of my favorite high school teachers had invited several of us to her wedding here.

Let’s back up a minute. What about college?

When I was a kid, I wanted to be a teacher and as I got older, I wanted to teach English and literature. I loved reading poetry, plays, literature, then breaking them down and discussing them. I had applied and even paid at UC, then Wayne and I decided to get married and then had two children. Over the years, I took a course or two here and there, but after I started working at P&G in 1994, I completed half my college course work in UC night classes, then transferred to Xavier University weekend classes to complete my degree. I studied business and communication and graduated in 1999 with a Bachelors in Liberal arts with a specialty in Communications.

How did you end up at P&G?

Wayne and I divorced after seven years of marriage, and I began working at Kenwood Savings and Loan. I was there for 21 years, starting as a teller then ended up doing loans, reports, working for examiners, everything. But their values were contrary to mine, and I finally decided to give it up. I spent three years working for different temp agencies. Two different times, I worked temp jobs at P&G and had given them my resume. One morning I got a call from their personnel department because I had told them I loved customer service. They were consolidating their many customer service locations into one Cincinnati location. It was exactly what I wanted.

So, you were in on the ground floor of creating a new department at P&G?

Yes, I trained in Cincinnati, then traveled to all the P&G locations throughout the country to learn their customer service side of things. I worked with all the big customers [such as Kroger] when there was a problem. It was a heavy duty job, and I was challenged all the time.

What are you most proud of?

I was able to work with customers no matter how mad or upset they were. I would say, “I hear you.” I didn’t lose my cool. In the end, they appreciated that.

What kinds of volunteer work have you done, do you do?

I’ve volunteered with Radio Reading Services for almost 40 years by reading The Cincinnati Enquirer on air every Saturday morning. I’ve worked with Pro Kids; was a member of the Cincinnati Choral Society for 35 years. I have volunteered at the Western and Southern Tennis Tournament for 35 years. I conduct workshops that are sponsored by the Council on Aging, 6- week programs for people who are dealing with chronic illnesses, diseases or conditions. It’s about helping them to learn new ways of living so they can continue to do the things they want to do in their lives while managing their condition. And every single time I have a new class, I end up loving the people.

You certainly are a mainstay volunteer at All Saints. You sing and read. You currently are

Junior Warden. What else have you done?

I have done accounting and bookkeeping for the church. I’ve been on and off the Vestry for years. I’ve been Senior Warden a couple of times and Junior Warden several times.

Do you play tennis?

I played for 25 years. When the children were older, I took tennis lessons at 7 in the morning at Camargo Racket Club before work. I never played in a tournament, but I became part of a group who played at the club every Friday night. I loved doubles. I also was part of groups who played outside all over the city during the summer. It was a great social thing. I haven’t played for several years, but now friends are telling me I should try pickleball.

What is your favorite thing to do for fun?

For a long time it was tennis, but now it’s the family going out to dinner together. I love taking my girls [daughter Charlotte and granddaughter, Brandi] to the opera, ballet and playhouse. We saw all three operas at Summit Park this year.

What’s on your bucket list?

The place I’d love to go more than anything is Wimbledon to see tennis. My dad was Scotch/Irish and my mother Welsh. I would love to go to that part of the world, too.