Name: Willard "Bill" Vinson
Retired: In 1986, from 20 years of Civil Service at Fort Gordon.
Family: Three sons and one daughter, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Married to wife, Effie Helen, for 57 years before she died in 2005. Another daughter, Nancy, died in 2008 from cancer.
What do you enjoy doing every day?
On Mondays and Wednesdays, I go to the Senior Center and play Bingo. Other days, I piddle around the place here. Every year, I plant 1/4-acre of sunflowers for the birds, and I keep the hummingbirds fed. My entertainment is watching the hummingbirds. ... In July, I flew on an airplane for the first time to visit my daughter in Pennsylvania. It wasn't as bad as I thought, and I decided I'm going to start flying to Augusta and everywhere else I go.
What do you think McDuffie County needs for seniors?
They need money. The Friday Bingo was cut out three or four weeks ago on account of the money shortage. They need money to do more things. They (Senior Center) cut out our trips, too.
How did you end up in McDuffie County?
I was raised in Alabama. During World War II, I came to the government army hospital in Augusta, and I met my wife downtown on Broad Street. And I kept coming back until I married her, and I've been here ever since.
What do you like best about living in Dearing?
There's a lot of good people in Dearing. They're all just as nice to me as they can be.
What one piece of advice do you have for younger people?
Something they wouldn't understand -- stay on the right track. Go to church on Sundays, and learn what it's all about.
