In 1974, Carl Douglas was “Kung Fu Fighting” his way up the pop charts while Steely Dan begged, “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number.” And closer to home, the seed was planted for the office on aging to set up shop in Rocky River’s City Hall.
“It was just another office and a department right there with the recreation department all operating out of City Hall,” says Deb Huff, Senior Center director. “It was before we had any buildings.”
Fifty years later, the Rocky River Senior Center celebrated its humble beginnings with a 1970s disco in September that reflected on the department’s journey from a small office to a 20,000-square-foot building that serves more than 5,000 individuals annually.
“We encouraged people to dress up in ’70s clothing and kind of recapture the feeling of that decade, and our seniors did not disappoint,” Huff muses.
What began as a card-playing and craftmaking band of senior residents swelled into a movement that prompted the need for a brand-new building for seniors — something that was unheard of in 1987.
“Most senior centers were repurposed buildings where they decide, ‘OK, we’ll give a little space over there to the seniors,’ but Rocky River looked for an architect to put together a plan, and they designed the senior center that we currently have,” says Huff, the center’s director for more than 10 years.
The grand opening was held in February 1989.
Upcoming plans will stretch the building’s footprint to add a gymnasium, a dance studio and a second set of restrooms on the north side of the building, while a second project will focus on a 100-seat tiered lecture hall on the south side.
Among the center’s biggest accomplishments is the distinction of being nationally accredited by the National Council on Aging, an honor bestowed on roughly 100 centers out of 14,000 in the U.S.
As Huff bashfully declines to take credit for the honor, she instead opts to share the limelight with all of the employees who cherish the smiling faces of those they serve.
“It’s a lot of hard work, but it’s such an amazing place,” Huff says. “I think that all of the employees here feel like it’s our privilege to be able to provide this kind of service to the people who come through our doors.”
Seniors Help the Poppy Project Blossom this Spring
The crimson color of poppies will be in full bloom for Memorial Day 2025 as seniors in Patty Tobin’s ceramics class prepare to honor the fallen veterans laid to rest in Lakewood Park Cemetery in Rocky River. The project was prompted by Marianne Scherry, a Gold Star Mother who lost her son in Iraq shortly after he was deployed. Scherry took her request to Mayor Pam Bobst, who promptly turned to 12 artisans at the senior center to assist in making the poppies. Three distinct shades of red will be used to sculpt the 8-inch- by-5-inch clay pieces that will be affixed to metal rods and displayed for the first time at the Memorial Day commemoration.
