Forty-five years after organizing the first ever Lake Allatoona Cleanup in 1971, eighty-four year old Eleanor Hope Crisler Babcock returned to the sand and red clay shores to once again do her part in keeping the lake clean.

“It looks like people really care about it,” a fit 84-year-old Eleanor Babcock said as she looked out over a group of young volunteers working to pick up trash by the lake at the Galt’s Ferry Day Use Area in Acworth, during the 31st annual Great Lake Allatoona Cleanup on Sept. 24, 2016.

Joined by her son David Babcock, 54, and her granddaughter, Michelle Babcock, 25, she collected three garbage bags worth of trash and debris during annual lake cleanup.

Now a resident at Autumn Leaves of Towne Lake in Woodstock, GA, Eleanor and husband Robert (Bob) Babcock, Sr. raised three boys in Cobb County, making frequent trips to Lake Allatoona to enjoy fishing, swimming, water skiing, and hiking.

In December 1970, Eleanor, Bob, and their three boys visited the Little River area of Lake Allatoona, just after the Corps of Engineers completed their partial drain of the lake in annual preparation for the upcoming flood season. Disturbed by the aluminum cans, broken glass bottles, old tires, and abandoned appliances littering the muddy shores, she was inspired to take action.

Eleanor organized 50 volunteer groups made up of scout troops, church youth groups, and others, for the first ever cleanup in 1971, collecting 120 tons of litter and debris, including cars that had been dumped in the lake. History had been made, and leaders took notice.

Eleanor was recognized with several honors, including a Certificate of Appreciation for Patriotic Civilian Service from F. J. Clarke, Lieutenant General, USA Chief of Engineers, Department of the Army. She also received a commendation from Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter in 1971, as well as an award from WSB Radio 750.

The cleanup happened regularly for a few years, then went dormant for about a decade. The memory and success of Eleanor’s original efforts inspired a resurgence of the event 31 years ago, and it has continued annually ever since.

“It’s a beautiful place, that I’m glad to see it’s being taken care of,” Eleanor Babcock said.

The annual event keeps the lake and surrounding areas beautiful and clean for generations to come, and that is what Eleanor Babcock had hoped for.