At 97, Alexandria Resident Stanley Kolker Inspires Through Song and Service

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Stan Kolker, 97, reads the June issue of The Zebra Press at The Landing in Alexandria. Earlier this year, Kolker shared a simple wish: he wanted to start a glee club. That idea sparked an eight-week partnership with The Alexandria Singers and culminated in a heartwarming concert featuring residents from memory care, assisted living, and independent living. Photo: Lisa-Helene Lawson

Alexandria, VA – At 97, Stanley Kolker, a resident of The Landing Alexandria, isn’t slowing down. Instead, he’s creating new traditions, building friendships, and inspiring others—most recently by making his concert debut with The Alexandria Singers.

Kolker’s journey has taken him from Brooklyn, New York, to Plant City, Florida, known as the “Strawberry Capital of the United States,” and later to Los Angeles, where he and his wife moved to be closer to their granddaughters. After his wife passed away on Christmas Day five years ago, Kolker relocated to Alexandria to be near his daughter, grandson, and three great-grandchildren. “That’s why I moved to Alexandria,” he said. “I’m blessed to have my family nearby.”

A former advertising agency owner, Kolker now spends his retirement bringing people together. Every other Thursday, he leads The Landing’s Gourmand Society, organizing lunches at Alexandria’s many ethnic restaurants. “That means I go to 26 restaurants a year,” he said with a smile. “I haven’t had a bad meal yet.”

He also founded Tea Time and Talk, a popular speaker series that has welcomed the mayor, members of Congress, law enforcement leaders, physicians, and other community experts. An upcoming program will feature a psychiatrist discussing anxiety.

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This spring, one of Kolker’s longtime wishes became reality. After telling Alexandria Singers board member Lee Platt he hoped to start a glee club at The Landing, the idea quickly evolved into an eight-week partnership between residents and The Alexandria Singers. On May 30, Kolker joined fellow residents from independent living, assisted living, and memory care on stage before a packed audience at Bishop Ireton High School.

Through an advertisement in The Zebra Press, avid reader Stan Kolker enjoyed a chance encounter with civic leader Lee Platt. Photo Credit: Lisa-Helene Lawson

For Kolker, the performance was a reminder that new dreams can be realized at any age. Asked the secret to reaching 97 with such enthusiasm for life, he offers a simple answer. “I used to say I was lucky,” Kolker said. “A friend told me, ‘You’re lucky if you win the Irish Sweepstakes. What you have—you’ve been blessed.’ I don’t know why I’ve been blessed, but I accept it.”

With his optimism, curiosity, and commitment to serving others, Stanley Kolker continues to enrich life at The Landing Alexandria—proving it’s never too late to start something new.

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