For Ginger Young, a 24-year veteran of Pfizer and a retiree since 2002, retirement means that every day starts as a new slate. “I enjoy having the ability to try new things or just pick up and do something that sounds interesting,” she said.
Actually, that willingness to try new things seems to have been part of Ginger’s makeup for a while. Although she joined Pfizer in 1978 with a two-year degree in nursing, over the years she pursued and earned a bachelor’s degree in life sciences, an MBA in marketing and management, and a law degree.
Ginger put the communication, listening, and business skills she acquired from the various disciplines to good use in her position as a sales representative for Pfizer’s Roerig Division. But what she enjoyed most about her job were the relationships she built with the physicians and staff she visited.
In retirement, Ginger has transferred her skills and interest in trying new things into her volunteer work. She has used her nursing skills to assist the Red Cross during disasters, helping to staff shelters in Fort Worth, Texas, after hurricanes Katrina and Ike.
She has also served as a volunteer guardian for mentally challenged adults, helping them to make important decisions. And for 10 years she volunteered as a mediator, providing dispute-resolution services for local county agencies.
She is modest when she speaks about the service she’s given. “It’s gratifying,” she said. “It gives me a sense of doing something even though playing a small part. I feel I have offered what I can to help.”
More recently Ginger has been spending her time helping her husband through his battle with cancer. But she’s still finding time to try new things, like entering – and winning – a homemade ice cream contest sponsored by her local Forth Worth newspaper. Ginger’s winning entry, peppermint ice cream created from her mother’s recipe, received a perfect score from the judges. This doesn’t surprise her family, who eagerly await summer gatherings when she makes peppermint ice cream served with brownies.
And although summer is almost over, Ginger is happy to share her mother’s recipe with fellow retirees who also may enjoy trying new and interesting things.
