Elizabeth Ferguson loves the New York City art scene. Theater, dance, museums—all of it—which likely explains why working in the box office of the Sarasota Ballet is what Betty refers to as being in her “happy place” on a regular basis. Elizabeth, known by most as “Betty”, was born in New York and lived and worked there as a manager in a physician’s office for most of her life. She and her husband lived in the suburbs for about 30 years, but returned to the big city upon retirement where they attended as many cultural performances and exhibits as they could.
“My first ballet performance was Swan Lake performed at Lincoln Center in New York City in the 1960s,” she recalls. “I went home flapping my wings and knew that from that point on, I was hooked.” Fans and frequent attendees of the ballet—The Joffrey Ballet being their favorite, followed by the American Ballet—Betty and her husband had the privilege to meet and personally know some of the dancers from the American Ballet company. “This made us both very, very happy,” she says.
In early 2000, Betty’s daughter and her son-in-law decided to move to Sarasota from New York. She and her husband subsequently followed in 2009 as snowbirds, which she says provided the best of two worlds. “I tried to volunteer during the winter months in Venice where I live, but each group told me they didn’t need any more volunteers since there was an abundance of volunteers during the winter months,” she shares. Soon after her husband died, however, she really felt the need to stay busy and hoped to find a place in the arts to satisfy that desire. She attended a performance of the Sarasota Ballet where she noticed an ad for volunteers in the program book. “As in anything, networking works both in business and in pleasure,” she says. “Little by little, I was able to meet people by ushering and eventually made my way to the box office.”
Betty calls her work a win/win situation: “I get to meet people from all different places. I also do will-call when we have performances. I love meeting new people and they get to enjoy themselves which I get to witness. It brings me such great pleasure.”
Box Office Manager, Rod Kelly, is a true fan of Betty’s. “I have come to trust Betty’s knowledge of the FSU Center for the Performing Arts, Sarasota Opera House, and Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall—the theaters where we perform. She interacts with our patrons with kindness and compassion and handles each situation in a timely and professional manner. She is highly proficient and creative at solving problems and taking appropriate action. It is truly my pleasure to work with Betty. She has become an invaluable member of the Sarasota Ballet Family.”
When she is not enjoying a ballet performance, Betty always loves a good movie. Some of her favorites include Gone with The Wind, Remains of the Day, La La Land, Black Swan, Avatar and CODA. “When we lived in New York, there was a club we joined that showed new movies prior to their release. We saw the movie and then afterwards the moderator interviewed someone connected to the movie—an actor, director, etc. That was great fun,” she recalls. In addition to her volunteer work with the Ballet, Betty is the membership chair for the Friends of The Sarasota Ballet, a group of men and women who help support the Ballet in any way that they can. A philanthropist and art supporter, she is also involved with Arts Advocates, an association working to preserve Sarasota’s cultural legacy, to raise awareness of arts organizations and to promote art education.
Now a grandmother to two boys and a great grandmother to three boys, Betty shares words of wisdom to the younger generation: Try to figure out what makes you happy or content. Once you find your happiness, work toward achieving a goal you have set for yourself. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from anyone who you think could be of assistance to you.SRQ Elizabeth “Betty” Ferguson was honored as one of SRQ Magazine’s good heroes in March 2023.
