The History of Operation A.B.L.E.

Over its 28 year history, Operation A.B.L.E. has assisted well over 30,000 mature workers get back to work.  It assists mature workers in a number of ways including:  coaching and counseling, access to job listings, occupational skills training, computer skills training, job search workshops, job fairs for mature workers, A.B.L.E. Showcases, advocacy for mature workers and employer referrals.

The founder, Ezra Merrill, had recently retired as the President of H.P. Hood & Company.  In the early 1980s, H.P. Hood, like so many companies, forced employees to retire at age 65.  Ezra, still full of energy, envisioned a non-profit organization that would assist and support seniors.  He called his organization Careers for Later Years and established two divisions:  1) the Executive Service Corps, which still exists today and targets retired executives to assist non-profit organizations which might need help in such areas as marketing, finance, management or legal; and 2) Operation A.B.L.E. of Greater Boston, Inc. which was created to support seniors who were out of work and needed assistance to find either part-time or full-time employment. 

The Executive Service Corps spun off of Careers for Later Years in the early 1980s and has been an independent organization ever since.  You can learn more about the Executive Service Corps at www.escne.org or by calling Bethany Kendall, president, at 617 357 5550 for more information.

Operation A.B.L.E. of Greater Boston, Inc. quickly evolved with the assistance of Shirley Brussell, the founder and Executive Director of Operation A.B.L.E. in Chicago.  In 1991, the incorporators of Careers for Later Years formally changed the name to Operation A.B.L.E. of Greater Boston, Inc.

By 1992, Operation A.B.L.E. realized there was a huge need to train seniors on computer software if they were going to become employable. Accordingly, we became the first organization in the country to have an IBM-funded computer training center exclusively for seniors.  Since 1992, Operation A.B.L.E. has been providing both individual and group computer skills training to mature workers 45 and older.