Spanish Fort’s Claudine Andress may be 85 years old, but she said her age doesn’t stop her from trying to make her community and the world around her a better place.

Andress was recently named as an inductee of the Alabama Senior Citizens Hall of Fame, a honor she was nominated for by several Baldwin County citizens.

Fairhope resident Lucille Wilson wrote in her nomination letter that she had known Andress since 1993 and found her to be a great civic leader.

“She’s a very knowledgeable person with her skills of sculpturing, painting and dress designing,” Wilson wrote. “She can organize all types of civic functions, such as the Delta Woods and Water Expo she helped create. There are so many functions she has started up and followed up on.”

Andress was one of the guiding forces who helped create the Delta Woods and Water Expo that helps highlight the many interesting features of Spanish Fort’s Five Rivers Delta. The now 8-year-old event attracts thousands of visitors to the area every year.

Andress has helped arrange open studio space for local artists and was instrumental in helping to bring concerts to Spanish Fort.

Andress said she’s worked hard in her community because she feels led to give something back.

“I feel like I have a duty to get out there and try to make the world a better place,” Andress said. “I haven’t really done it for the awards – God made the world a beautiful place and people have kind of loused it up, so I just wanted to help bring some of the beauty back.”

Baldwin County Commissioner Chris Elliott said people from across the region owe Andress a debt of gratitude for her continued involvement.

“She’s one of those people that help make Baldwin County the great place that it is to live,” Elliott said. “From her work with seniors and artists to being a founder of the Woods and Waters Expo, she has continued to try to make her community a better place and helped make Baldwin County citizens appreciate the joys that we have here.”

Andress has also taught Sunday School for 65 years and even teaches doctrine at the seminary level. She said her faith has continued to be a part of why she does as much as she does.

“I teach things at seminary level and I think that spiritual side of your life makes you more responsible,” Andress said. “It really doesn’t have anything to do with awards and things – I think your satisfaction is looking at what difference you’ve made in people’s lives and seeing the joy on their faces coming from what you’ve helped create.”

Andress said she has no plans to slow down or pull back her involvement. Even now, she’s working to get a group together to try to better promote fine arts, music and entertainment in Spanish Fort – a group she calls FAME.

“I’m going to keep at it as long as I can,” Andress said. “I continue to be blessed with the ability to envision things and then go out and make them happen, so I see no reason to stop now.”