Three women who arrive together for the walking say they, too, walk several days each week. Helen Gaulik, retired from her job as a church secretary, says that her husband comes alone much earlier, to walk with another group. But Helen walks with her friends Dorothy Piatek, retired after twenty years in the Sears credit office, and Annamae Escher who has retired from a career at Jordan Marsh. Annamae Escher also goes bowling. With five grown children, twelve grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren, Annamae enjoys being with her friends for the morning walks.
Window shopping can be a part of the early walks.
The stores won't be open for a few hours, but the mall is lively with the senior walkers. Peter Gentile, whom she hadn't seen since high school, had called out to greet her after all the years since graduation. Mother of two grown children and grandmother of one, she walks with the others a few days a week. They're always good-natured. Helen Gaulik says that they all prefer the tile floor at the Mall to the asphalt at the local track for high-schoolers.