THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 18, 1995 TAG: 9501170104
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Linda McNatt
LENGTH: Long : 107 lines
L.C. Eley prefers going by his initials. Not that he isn't proud of his first name. He is.
Smiling tolerantly (I guess he's taken his fair share of ribbing over the years), he told me that seldom does he use it, and he especially didn't use it during his short stint as an Internal Revenue Service agent.
So, what is his unusual first name?
Letcher.
Spelling's not the same, of course. But the connotation is there, to warped minds like mine. An IRS agent named Letcher? How about one named Heartless?
Anyway, don't tell our friend L.C. I told you.
In this county, since he moved back home to live on his old family farm near Windsor after an auspicious career in high finance, he's doing lots of good things.
Eley is a pleasant man, extremely professional in manner and appearance, and he is chairman of the Isle of Wight County free tax-counseling service for the elderly in Windsor and Smithfield. The service is sponsored by the American Association of Retired Persons.
And although Eley declined to tell me his age, he did say he's an active and involved AARP member. And he's obviously proud of the association.
Last year in Virginia, AARP members helped file 49,450 returns and assisted 91,338 taxpayers with filing their state and federal returns.
This is Eley's second year of working with the program. I'd say, considering his credentials, local taxpayers who take advantage of the service are getting a real deal.
Eley is an Isle of Wight native who left the county at the age of 7, when his father died. He was the youngest of 12 children, he told me. He went to Baltimore to live with an older brother, and that's where he grew up.
After 15 years in the U.S. Army, he finished his education and moved to Cleveland, Ohio. That's when he worked for the IRS. But not for long.
``I found I really didn't like taking people's money,'' he said, smiling.
So he went to work for the U.S. Comptroller of the Currency as a national bank examiner, examining banks with ``national'' in their titles. On the surface, it seems there are no longer many of those around. But most of the ``nationals,'' he said, are hidden in the names of the holding companies.
Bet that's one you didn't know.
Next he worked for the Small Business Administration, where he helped to counsel small-business owners in preparing financial statements and tax returns, before he retired.
Before all of that, Eley met a girl from West Virginia and married her. After he retired, she retired from the Cleveland School Board, and the two of them decided to ``come home.'' Nearly four years ago, they bought several acres of a farm just outside of Windsor on U.S. 258.
Mrs. Eley, according to her husband, couldn't any more stay still in retirement than he could. She now teaches at Carrsville Elementary School. He runs his own consulting business from home: L.C. Eley & Associates Financial Management Consultants.
As if that's not enough to keep him busy, he volunteers with the local VPI extension service teaching financial planning classes. He enjoys volunteer work, he said, enjoys helping others.
Recently, at the Smithfield Branch of the Isle of Wight County Library and at the Windsor Municipal Building, Eley has been busy training his volunteer staff how to help others with tax preparation.
Beginning Feb. 1, the AARP volunteers will be at the Smithfield library from noon to 5 p.m. They will be there each Wednesday at the same time through April 12.
On Fridays, beginning Feb. 3, they will be in Windsor from 9 a.m. until noon, through April 14.
This will be the first year the service has been offered in Windsor, Eley said. It was his idea.
The neat thing is that the service is free. Yes, free.
And although the service is geared toward seniors, the AARP volunteers will help anybody.
``Of course, we have to give our attention first to the elderly,'' Eley said.
Another ``of course'': They specialize in the short form, the one that's not itemized. That's not to say they would be unwilling to help or to answer any tax questions.
AARP tax-aides are specifically trained to assist the elderly, Eley said. It's been his job to head the training. Considering his credentials, he should be quite good at it. Each return normally takes about an hour to prepare, but some might take longer.
People wishing help should bring with them their W2 wage forms, any interest statements and other forms if they have them. They also should bring their 1993 tax returns. Forms are available at the library, county courthouse and most post offices.
Is there a guarantee?
``None at all,'' Eley said, smiling again. ``But the form is checked by a quality-control person. We've had no complaints from last year. And we all have each other's expertise to draw from.''
At 1 p.m. Jan. 25, the AARP program will offer a little advice from a special guest: local Commissioner of Revenue Gerald Gwaltney. Don't be surprised if he tries to recruit you into the Moonlight Ruritans.
Throughout the tax season, Eley will be in both Smithfield and Windsor.
``Come on down,'' he said. ``We've got the people. We'd rather be busy that sitting around.''
And before the conversation ended, we agreed that maybe things have changed a little with the IRS agent image.
``They can't get away with a lot of things they did in the past,'' he said. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by LINDA McNATT
L.C. Eley is chairman of the Isle of Wight County free
tax-counseling service for the elderly in Windsor and Smithfield.
by CNB