Skillman’s long history of service exemplifies the spirit of the ALA.

By: Bridget Mizener

Decades ago as a young waitress in a small-town American Legion club, Barbara Skillman didn’t think she could join the Auxiliary, let alone be its Department President. But that is exactly what she did. Skillman began as a young waitress in her local Legion club and steadily rose through the Auxiliary’s ranks. Today, she is the Department President of the Nebraska ALA whose commitment to tight-knit community and personal service has remained untouched.

Like many young people in small towns across the state, Skillman’s involvement in the Auxiliary began at her local American Legion club. As a waitress at the club in Denton, a village of about 200 in Lancaster County, she encountered Legion and Auxiliary members. Soon enough, they began asking her about joining the Auxiliary.

“I initially didn’t think I could join—I knew I had to be family of a veteran,” Skillman said.

She came to find out she could join through her grandfather, a World War I veteran, and took the opportunity to become a member. While she did not know it at the time, this choice would end up affecting the trajectory of her career, and eventually, her entire life.

Starting from the waitressing position, Skillman soon became the manager of the Denton Legion club. A few years later, her unit needed a president, and she decided to try her hand.

“I had never been a President before,” Skillman said.

Lo and behold, she was elected the president of her unit. But she did not stop there.

“Then I said, ‘Oh, maybe I should be district president!’ and [a fellow ALA member] said, ‘You could do that,’” Skillman said.

Not only was she elected district president, but she was subsequently elected to positions including the Community Service chairman, Home Service chairman, chaplain and the Poppy chairman. It seemed only natural then that Skillman’s accomplished résumé would be capped off with the title of Department President of the Nebraska ALA.

As president, her responsibilities are numerous: she appoints several chairmanships and advisory board positions, she’s “the boss” at the Nebraska ALA office, 13 district presidents report to her and she’s a VIP. She attends a myriad of special occasions such as ribbon cuttings, wreath layings, fundraisers, dedications and the upcoming department convention.

But neither the title nor the prestige are important to Skillman—whichever position she holds, she is wholly dedicated to the community of the ALA and the work that it does. To her, the ALA is a family, and making personal connections with Auxiliary members, veterans and those outside the organization are what makes it so meaningful.

“We’re here to be part of you, and part of everything that you are to be,” she said.

The most important of those connections are those with the veterans. After all, our servicemen are the reason Skillman became so involved in her Auxiliary unit all those years ago.

“We give all of the credit to them,” Skillman said. “That’s what it’s all about.”