High-tech way to stay young

Friday, May 17, 2002 | 2:15 a.m.

WEEKEND EDITION: May 18, 2002

When Dixie W. Frisk worked as a stewardess for Western Airlines in the 1940s, she would point out the benefits of the slow, bumpy flights to often shaken passengers.

It turned out to be good practice for her. Nearly half a century later in Las Vegas, she became a booster for another 20th-century innovation that also frightens some people -- computers.

"Back when I was an airline hostess, everyone was a first-time flier, so we really had to sell air travel because we wanted and needed repeat business," said Frisk, who in 1990 became administrator of the SeniorNet computer training program for senior citizens for her employer, Manpower of Southern Nevada Inc.

"Most people didn't own home computers in the early 1990s, particularly seniors, who were afraid of them," Frisk said. "We had to go into the community to senior centers and other places and really sell the program."

At age 78, Frisk, a survivor of two bouts with cancer, is still going strong even though her vision is impaired due to macular degeneration. She boasts that she did not miss a day of work before or after breast cancer surgery last month.

Two days after the surgery, Frisk attended the latest graduation for a class in a program that so far has graduated more than 2,500 local seniors. She has not missed a graduation since the program's inception.

At Manpower, a company that for 38 years has provided training and jobs for thousands of temporary employees, Frisk is not only the oldest employee, but also has senior longevity at 27 years.

After Western Airlines eliminated her job in 1973, "I had to keep busy because I am a people person," Frisk said. "Manpower was perfect for me. I had no idea it would become my longest career."

Frisk is more than an employee at Manpower -- she is an institution and an inspiration to her co-workers, students and her boss, Manpower President Andrew Katz, the son of local Manpower founders Bea and the late Michael Katz.

"My mother took Dixie's application in 1975 and saw in her a real go-getter," Katz said. "I think the love she has for her job keeps her young."

Frisk started as a temp and became an account representative for big Manpower clients before becoming head of the senior computer training program, which has 211 centers nationwide.

Frisk supervises a 23-member volunteer staff of teachers and assistants, many of whom are graduates of her computer learning program.

Frisk is a hands-on coordinator who often can be found in the classroom talking to students -- a number of them are older than her -- and evaluating how much they are getting out of the program.

"These students lived through the Great Depression and World War II -- they want to keep up with all of the new technology, they want to know what all the fuss is over (with) computers, the Internet and e-mail," Frisk said.

"They want to communicate with -- and send pictures to -- their grandchildren with the computer. It opens a whole new world to them."

Ruth Quinn, 76, a SeniorNet graduate and ex-teacher who now is a volunteer assistant to Frisk, said she was so computer illiterate when she enrolled that she had to begin at Step 1 -- how to turn on and off the computer.

"Patience is the key, and Dixie is a very patient person," Quinn said, noting many senior students have little or no computer experience when they come to class.

"Seniors need a program like this because many of them have tried to take computer classes at the university and were intimidated by much younger people who knew so much more. Here, we learn at our own pace, among our peers."

Each class has about a dozen students, each of whom pays $30 a year for the nine-level program. Each level is taught in six-week increments.

Students are taught about Windows, word processing and spreadsheets -- and how to spot and avoid Internet scams.

"I watched Buck Rogers when I was younger, but I never dreamed that such a level of technology would be available in my lifetime," said Frisk, who does much of her work at home and gets assistance from her husband of 38 years, Marv Frisk, who was one of the first students in her program.

"My wife and Manpower had a lot of foresight to get this program going," he said. "It's more than just learning about computers -- it's a process that builds confidence in older people. And that's very important."

Age truly is just a state of mind for Frisk. She has no retirement plans.

"As long as my eyes don't get worse and as long as Manpower wants me, I'll be here," she said, noting the many testimonials from satisfied former students, which she publishes in her newsletter, inspire her to work to improve the program.

Quinn said, "I cannot imagine there being a Manpower in Las Vegas without Dixie."