'She's like a celebrity to all of us': Dot, the legendary N.B. crossing guard, retires

A well-known and much loved New Brunswick crossing guard is retiring after 35 years of helping children get to and from school.

Dorthy Larsen is better known as Dot around St. Stephen, N.B.

It's where her name is also synonymous with kindness and positivity.

“She’s like a celebrity to all of us," says student Landon Wheaton.

People of all ages gathered this past Friday for Dot’s final crosswalk shift, followed by a reception at the town’s Garcelon Civic Centre.

Dot’s career as a crossing guard began when her son Rodney came home one day in the spring of 1987 and said he was having trouble getting across a busy intersection near the school. She phoned the town to ask why there was not a school crossing guard.

"I asked if I could do it until the end of the year," says Dot.

Dot was hired on the spot, and returned at the end of that year to see if she could apply for the job permanently. She was told the job was hers for as long as she wanted it.

“So I’ve been there ever since."

For Dot, the career became a calling — making generations of students at St. Stephen Elementary School feel special.

"She has all the compliments, and then you'll just have a nice day after that," says Wheaton. “I think she’s probably the most known person in St. Stephen."

Dot's system for remembering and celebrating student birthdays is one of legend and reverence. She hands out envelopes of stickers and candies to students on their birthdays and makes sure those with summer birthdays are included too.

The town organized a community birthday party for Dot — who also has a summer birthday — in 2014. She also received hundreds of cards from students while recovering from surgery earlier this year.

As Dot adjusts to a different kind of September, she acknowledges her decision to retire hasn't been easy.

Dot's successor, Tiffany Richardson, has been helping her predecessor ease into the change.

"I don't know how she's done it all these years," says Richardson. "She is such a lovely woman. I have always loved coming by, especially with my kids, knowing she is there to help get them across as well as myself when I was their age."

Dot continues to be in high demand for appearances at local events and meetings this fall.

"I love the town and everyone in it," says Dot.