PERENNIAL VOLUNTEER HONORED : LEGISLATOR, MAYOR HAIL ACTIVIST, 88.

Byline: Bhavna Mistry Daily News Staff Writer

Dorothy Lewellin may be a modest woman, but her years of service throughout the Antelope Valley have been noticed.

Last spring, the 88-year-old volunteer worker was named by Assemblyman W.J. ``Pete'' Knight, R-Palmdale, as the 36th Assembly District's 1996 Woman of the Year, flown to Sacramento and given a resolution praising her achievements.

At first she was reluctant to accept the award.

``I don't like people making a big fuss over me,'' Lewellin said. ``My volunteer work is something I really enjoy.''

In May, she received an award, the first of its type, from Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford. A plaque in her honor hangs on a wall at the Palmdale Playhouse, which Lewellin helped found.

She is proud of the 348-seat theater that attracts audiences from throughout the Antelope Valley.

``We started with a committee, and then we struggled and formed a foundation,'' Lewellin said. ``I served as business manager and raised $70,000.

``We wanted to do this for the community. We wanted to do this for Palmdale.''

Lewellin has been a volunteer worker in the area for 25 years, since she moved to Palmdale in 1971 after her husband died.

``When I first came here, I was so bored,'' Lewellin said. ``I had always worked and needed people around and to be with.''

Lewellin and her husband had vacationed for many years in the Antelope Valley, where they initially stayed in hotels. They bought a two-bedroom home where they could escape from the city on the weekends.

``The desert grows on you,'' she said. ``The evenings are so nice.''

Lewellin's husband died a year before he had planned to retire to the Palmdale house.

She moved to the desert - and avoided loneliness with volunteer work.

``I think it's helped my life a lot,'' Lewellin said. ``Volunteering kept me busy, and I needed that - being able to be associated with so many different people.''

For six years, she volunteered with the American Red Cross and American Lung Association. She worked five years for the Palmdale Hacienda Fiesta. She worked as treasurer for the Palmdale Repertory Theatre and as a member of the Palmdale Hospital Auxiliary and the Palmdale Women's Club.

Lewellin has worked for the Palmdale Lilac Festival since 1975. In 1982 became the general chairwoman, a position she still holds. She also has been business manager of the Desert Opera Theatre since 1986.

``I don't plan to quit anytime soon,'' Lewellin said. ``I still have a few years.''

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Photo

Photo: (color in AV edition only) Assemblyman W.J. ``Pete'' Knight has named Dorothy Lewellin, 88, a Palmdale volunteer, as 1996 Woman of the Year for his district.

John Lazar/Special to the Daily News