Hillyard Senior Center’s Going To Miss Alvey Pratt

The smiling Irishman who steered the Hillyard Senior Center from meager beginnings in the basement of an abandoned church to the hub of Hillyard’s community center, is retiring Friday.

True to character, Alvey Pratt credits staff, volunteers, participants and the community in general with his success as director of the senior center.

“I’ve been blessed with the Hillyard neighborhood and the great, great people who live here,” he says.

At 52, Pratt’s too young for retirement and just a youngster to most of the folks at the Northeast Community Center.

He has three children of his own and recently became a grandpa for the first time.

“All these seniors come through the lunchroom and he’s like their kid. He knows them and all their families,” says Dorothy Larson, who’s worked with Pratt for nine years.

“He cares so much about people, that’s the neat part. He’s going to be missed,” says Larson.

Bill Dillon, community center executive director, agrees.

“Alvey brought an understanding of the neighborhood and the neighbors, and seniors,” he says. “These are people who have something to say and expect someone to listen. He has credibility, he has their confidence and respect.”

Taking his place is Karen Holmes, director of the Hillyard Youth Center. Pratt hired her as a recreation center leader in 1980 when she was still in high school.

She graduated from Eastern Washington University and returned to the center as youth director.

“Alvey is wonderful, he really is,” says Holmes. “I’ve known him for 16 years. He’s always been my supervisor. He’s very enthusiastic and great with people.”

The “authentic Irishman” of the community center, Pratt is proud of his heritage.

Born in Ireland, he came to the United States on a troop ship with his mother, a nurse during World War II. She had met his father in England, married and had baby Alvey. The family was reunited in Idaho and soon after moved to Hillyard.

Pratt’s first priority after retiring is to return to Ireland with his mother to visit old friends and family.

“We’re very upset that he’s leaving,” says Alice Ehrmantrout. “He has this ability to handle everyday stressful situations with a, what … ambience? He shines under stress.”

Pratt graduated from Gonzaga Prep, attended Spokane Falls Community College, then spent three years with the U.S. Army. He graduated from Eastern Washington University with degrees in secondary education, social work and psychology.

“They’re people-oriented degrees and I’ve been working with people ever since,” he says.

He played beach bum in Laguna Beach, Calif., for a while. News of a search for a Hillyard senior center director brought him back home.

In 1972 the “center” was a gathering of 30 or 40 seniors in the basement of a vacant church at the corner of Queen Avenue and Smith Street. Cards and snacks were the main attraction.

Donations from Catholic Charities, the Comstock Foundation, the addition of Meals on Wheels, and eventually adoption into the City of Spokane Parks and Recreation Department, helped the center grow.

Today it’s the cornerstone of the expansive Northeast Community Center Association, counting 700 senior members and serving 125 daily.

In addition to hot meals, the senior center offers classes in ceramics, oil painting, healthcare, day trips and tours, and special events, such as the Jack-O-Lantern Jaunt progressive dinner Monday.

“It’s the best job in Spokane,” says Pratt. “Imagine, getting paid to help people in your neighborhood access services they need.”

, DataTimes