The following article originally appeared in the 2010 Fall issue of Hometown Magazine.
For a couple of people who are supposed to be retired, Larry and Yvonne Rose spend an exceptional amount of time working. But to quote an old expression, “if you love what you do, you’ll never ‘work’ a day in your life.”
Yvonne has a “part-time” job as the Legislative Assistant to Delegate Roslyn Tyler, who serves as a Democrat in the Virginia House of Delegates for the 75th District (which covers all or part of the Counties of Brunswick, Greensville, Isle of Wight, Lunenburg, Southampton and Sussex, as well as the Cities of Emporia and Franklin). For Yvonne that means being in Richmond from January to March (during a long session) or through the end of February (during a short session). The rest of the year, she works three days a week in Delegate Tyler’s Emporia office.
“I take care of her office, keep up with appointments, receive lobbyists or visitors while we’re in Richmond, and attend a whole lot of dinners and breakfasts and things that put the pounds on you,” says Yvonne with a laugh. In the “off season” she mans phones to listen to constituent concerns, does a lot of research and tries to help people resolve their issues and problems. She also sets up meetings for local groups with Delegate Tyler and, occasionally, with other state officials.
What does Yvonne do when she’s not working? “Probably working,” she says with another chuckle. But when she can squeak in some free time, she likes traveling, fishing and spending time with her grandchildren “creating memories.” She’s also a member of the New Light Church in Franklin and, not surprisingly, does work for them, too.
Larry, on the other hand, has dedicated much of his time to basketball officiating since retiring from the mill in 1994. He became an NCAA official in 1976, moved up to an NCAA Division I official in 1982, and estimates that he worked more than 2,300 collegiate games—including 22 consecutive “March Madness” tournaments—before retiring in 2008. In addition to all of his accolades as both an athlete and an official, Larry received the Naismith Award in 2002 as the College Official of the Year.
As he waits for his induction into the Hampton Roads African American Sports Hall of Fame this November, Larry keeps busy as the supervisor of officials for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC)—which is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Division I.
In his new role, Larry hires and trains referees, and assigns them to games—a refreshing change from living out of a suitcase and traveling across the country six days a week.
It’s still a busy lifestyle—for Larry and Yvonne—but they both seem to thrive on the challenges of their respective jobs. So who is taking care of business for Larry and Yvonne while they’re off enjoying their retirement? Bronco, of course.
“We’ve been members for a long time,” says Yvonne. “Larry joined while he was employed with Union Camp and Bronco has been a blessing to us in many respects. They’ve worked with us on a number of loans over the years and their rates have always been very competitive. I’ve never been disappointed. And I might be a little biased, but I think they’re a good bunch.”
We might be a little biased, but we think our members are a “good bunch,” too. And as Larry and Yvonne demonstrate, we have a number of fascinating folks with exciting plans for the present and the future. So when you need help you take care of your business, or just to follow your dreams, you can count on us to be there for you, as well.
