ELAINE SHARON DATES

ELAINE SHARON DATES - BURLINGTON - Elaine Sharon Dates, wife of Stephen B. Dates, was born on March 1, 1942, in Hartford, Conn. She graduated from Burlington High School in 1960 and the University of Vermont with a BA in Classics in 1964. She went on to earn her Masters in Latin from Wayne State University and a Masters in Italian from Middlebury College and the University of Florence. Elaine and Stephen were married on Feb. 19, 1983, in Burlington's First Congregational Church. They spent the next 31 years as a couple who shared all of their activities. Elaine appreciated lifelong learning and in retirement continued her education by activities with the Burlington Garden Club, Federated Garden Clubs of Vermont, New England Region Garden Clubs, and the National Garden Clubs. Upon completion of four years of schooling she became a National Garden Club Accredited Judge. She has won numerous awards in flower arranging in NGC Flower Shows including the Boston Flower Show and the Philadelphia Flower Show. Elaine was President of the Burlington Garden Club, as well as the President of the Federated Garden Clubs of Vermont, and is a Master Gardener. During her teaching career she was a member of many professional boards such as the Vermont Classical Language Association, Vermont Foreign Languages Association, Classical Association of New England, Northeast Conference of Foreign Languages, and the American Classical League where she served in various capacities. Elaine taught Latin for 34 years in Vermont and Michigan, and enjoyed many awards such as the University of Vermont's Outstanding Teacher Award, member of "Who's Who," the American Association of University Women's Vermont Teacher of the Year Award, Yearbook Dedications, and recipient of a Rockefeller Fellowship to study Etruscan Art in Italy. She also studied at The American Academy in Rome, as well as with The Vergilian Society in Turkey, Cyprus and Italy. Every other year, Elaine and Stephen would lead members of her Latin Club on a two week study trip to Italy, visiting Rome, Florence and Venice, with excursions to Pompeii and Pisa. Elaine was a member of the First Congregational Church in Burlington. She enjoyed volunteering for the Pierson Library in Shelburne, where they made their home for 21 years. In addition, she did volunteer work for The Fleming Museum by taking art lessons for children to various libraries around the state. She also served as a Trustee on various Boards including the Pierson Library and the South Burlington Library. Elaine has three stepchildren, Carrie Hopkins and husband, Brant, Liza Dates, and Stephen M. Dates; and five grand- children, Eric and Nathan Roy, Alyssa Garcia, Andi and Moses Dates. Services will be held on Monday, Dec. 1, 2014, at 10 a.m. at the First Congregational Church in Burlington, followed by a celebration of her life immediately following at the church.