About the CLL
The Center for Lifelong Learning [CLL] was established in 1993 as the "Senior Center for Lifelong Learning." Its purpose was to serve the educational interests of the senior community in the Fort Walton Beach area, although there was no criteria for who qualified as a "senior." The word "Senior" was dropped from the title as unnecessary and the purpose was expanded to include the entire adult population in our area.
Our organization is a Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI). Throughout the nation, hundreds of Lifelong Learning Institutes are joined in an organization called the Elderhostel Institute Network (EIN), which is a branch of Elderhostel, Inc. EIN furnishes information on curriculum, tips on starting a new program, and topics of interest to the membership. The organization of each LLI is entirely the option of the people setting up the program at each campus. The CLL has the distinction of being one of the few all-volunteer programs in the country.
Our students come from not only the immediate Fort Walton Beach area, but from adjacent counties and, during the January semester, from northern states and Canada. The CLL has more than 700 current members. A current member is defined as a person who has enrolled in one of the two past semesters.
| CLL Board of Directors | |
| President | Dr. Bob Kitahara |
| 1st Vice President | Billy Walker |
| 2nd Vice President | Aaron Thrush |
| Past President/Special Events | Barbara Smith |
| Secretary | Martha Bradford |
| Treasurer | Louise Davis |
| Database | Dr. Bob Carney |
| Computer Liaison | Norm Blakley |
| Parliamentarian/Scholarship | Bob Garcia |
| Historian | Jean Lee-Jackson |
| Curriculum | Jean Schlitt, Fran Gerstman, and Hilma Jenus |
| Publicity | Jackie Youngblood |
| Registration | Lydia Weaver |
| Social Committee | Vicki Rhoades |
| Admininstratio | Shirley Hibarger |
| Planning | Ellis Boudreaux |
Back row (left to right): Bob Carney, Bob Kitahara, Jean Lee-Jackson, Aaron Thrush, Martha Bradford, Bob Garcia, Norm Blakley, Lydia Weaver, Louise Davis
Front row (left to right): Shirley Hibarger, Ellis Boudreaux, Shoko Beggin, Betty Kentosh, Barbara Smith, Jackie Youngblood, Billy Walker