More Than 50 Years Later, Ginger Grossetete’s Legacy Lives On at Palo Duro
City honors the first employee and supervisor of Albuquerque’s first senior center as Palo Duro begins its next chapter
When Palo Duro Senior Center opened in 1974 as Albuquerque’s first senior center, Virginia “Ginger” Lee Grossetete was its first employee and supervisor. She helped establish the center’s operations and develop programs for older adults at a time when the City’s senior services were just beginning to take shape.
More than five decades later, many of the programs and opportunities she helped build remain part of Senior Affairs today.
The City of Albuquerque recognized that legacy Monday, Sept. 28, during a special Stories of Us reception at Palo Duro Senior Center. Mayor Tim Keller, Department of Senior Affairs Director Anna Sanchez, former colleagues, family, friends and others joined Grossetete for the recognition, which included the unveiling of a commemorative plaque honoring her contributions to Palo Duro and Albuquerque’s senior community. Keller also proclaimed Sept. 28, 2026, “Ginger Grossetete Day” in Albuquerque in recognition of her decades of service to older adults and the community. The plaque will be permanently installed in a dedicated area of the center following completion of the renovation.
Grossetete spent more than two decades with the Department of Senior Affairs, helping guide the growth of Albuquerque’s senior center system through the development of new centers, satellite programs and expanded services. She also held leadership roles with organizations focused on aging, recreation and public service at the state and national levels and represented New Mexico at the 1995 White House Conference on Aging. She was inducted into the Albuquerque Senior Citizens’ Hall of Fame in 1998 and received the Governor’s Award for Outstanding New Mexico Women in 2001.
Her involvement did not end with her City career. In 1982, Grossetete founded Senior Affairs’ annual “A Senior I Know” Essay Contest and continues to contribute to the program today. The Ginger Grossetete Endowment Fund for Silver Horizons also carries her legacy forward, supporting efforts to improve the quality of life for older adults in Bernalillo County.
The recognition comes at another important point in Palo Duro’s history. Renovations began Sept. 1, more than 50 years after the center first opened. Palo Duro will close Oct. 19 for interior construction, with reopening expected in summer 2027.
As Palo Duro prepares for its next chapter, the recognition honors the woman who helped shape its earliest years and the senior services that grew from them.