Alice Gustafson remembers the day she rode in the rumble seat of her mother’s car one Wednesday afternoon as Hotchkiss boys were walking into Lakeville for ice cream sodas. They waved and hollered hello to Alice as she rode past. Alice demurely waved back for which her mother roundly scolded her.

Growing up in Lime Rock in the early 1930s, it was frowned upon for the boys to shout hello to girls, or for girls to acknowledge their greetings, said Gustafson, who turned 100  on December 15. Over the years, she has watched Hotchkiss evolve from an all-boys school, where she once attended white-glove dances as a teenager. These days, she not only waves hello to students from her seat at the gallery’s front desk, but often strikes up conversations with them.

Alice has been a volunteer at the The Tremaine Art Gallery for more than 10 years. When she turned 100 last month her family organized a big party for her at Lakeville’s Town Grove. Many town residents attended to thank her for her years of volunteering. In addition to working at the Tremaine several hours a week, she has been a long-serving member of the Board of Music Mountain in Falls Village, and has volunteered at other area institutions, including Sharon Hospital and Salisbury Congregational Church.

The School relies on Alice and the dozen or so mostly retired members of the community to staff the gallery reception desk.

“Without volunteers like Alice, we would not be able to keep the gallery open on a daily basis,” said Sarah Anderson Lock, arts administrator. “Plus, Alice’s buoyant spirit keeps us young.”

The Tremaine has become a fixture Alice’s life, although she concedes her favorite part of the job isn’t being immersed in the art. Truth be told, she says, “I get to read The New York Times, cover to cover.”

Head of School Craig Bradley concurs. "I see Alice most weeks when she stops by the office to pick up "her" New York Times, and we usually take a few minutes to chat. I am grateful for and inspired by Alice's cheerful presence on campus.  She is an important member of the Hotchkiss community."

As for her secret in living so long, Alice quips, “I’m no saint, but I don’t drink and I don’t smoke. Other than that, I really don’t know.”