55 Plus

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Marilyn Pinsky Move My What? (Keeping Up with Language)

55 PLUS

Issue 41 October / November 2012

For Active Adults in Central New York

Yes, We Vote!

In Large Numbers More and more seniors turning out to vote

Back Into the Workforce

More boomers seeking second careers

Bob Laubach

Michael Crinnin 23 Years Supporting Those With AIDS and HIV

The 94-year-old still devotes time to work every week at ProLiteracy in Syracuse

Many Americans die with virtually no ďŹ nancial assets

Marvin Druger: 14 Things I’ve Learned About Grandchildren

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October / November 2012 - 55 PLUS

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Smart Giving Will Carry On for Letty Murray

Letty Murray sits in her home at The Nottingham alongside a photo from her wedding day in 1942.

It just came naturally for us to be charitable. When my late husband, Gil, suggested that we open a donor-advised fund at the Community Foundation to help increase our charitable impact, I trusted his good judgment. That was in 1960, when donor-advised funds were a relatively new vehicle for giving.

Over the past 50 years, we used our modest fund to support causes we cared about deeply. We actively participated in the grantmaking process while taking advantage of being part of a larger investment pool for continued growth. I feel strongly that our family’s legacy of generosity should continue on long after I am gone, and have turned to the Community Foundation to carry that torch.

I have entrusted the Community Foundation to continue giving in the Murray name in perpetuity, supporting the greatest needs of the community. There is no better way to honor Gil than to leave a lasting mark on the community we love. Our fund has had immeasureable impact for over half a century and will carry on for generations, making the Community Foundation Where the Smart Money Gives.

Where the Smart Money Gives.

4

55 PLUS - October / November 2012

431 East Fayette Street, Suite 100 Syracuse, NY 13202 (315) 422-9538 www.cnycf.org

55 PLUS

55 PLUS

October / November 2012

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30

Savvy Senior 6 10 TRENDS Financial Health 7 • The number of seniors voting Gardening 8

in CNY is likely to remain high

19 My Turn 13 CAREER Aging 14

• More baby boomers seeking a second career

Golden Years 38 21 WHERE IS MY HARLEY Consumers Corner 47 • More 50-plus people Druger’s Zoo 48

riding motorcycles

24 PROFILE

• Bob Lauback: at 93 he still devotes time to ProLiteracy

26 COVER

• Michael Crinnin: 23 years helping AIDS patients in CNY

CONTENTS

21

36 40

48

30 HOBBY

• Robert Canfield: A master watercolor painter

36 GRANDPARENTING • The reward, and the stress, of raising grandchildren

40 LEADERSHIP

• Brewing beer in Utica for 123 years

42 VISITS

• 10 ways to experience Pittsburgh’s renaissance

50 LAST PAGE

• Faye Beckwith, 65 October / November 2012 - 55 PLUS

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savvy senior

By Jim Miller

Dying With Debt Will Your Children Inherit Your Obligations?

W

hat happens to a person’s debt after they die?

In most cases when a person with debt dies, it’s their estate, not their kids that’s legally responsible.

When you die, your estate — which consists of the stuff you own while you’re alive (home, car, cash, etc.) — will be responsible for paying your debts. Whatever is left over is passed along to your heirs as dictated by the terms of your will, if you have one. If you don’t have a will, the intestacy laws of the state you reside in (see mystatewill.com) will determine how his estate will be distributed.

If, however, you die broke, or there isn’t enough money left over to pay your unsecured debts — credit cards, medical bills, personal loans — then your estate is declared insolvent, and your creditors (those you owe) will have to eat the loss.

There are, however, a couple of exceptions that would make your kids legally responsible for your unsecured debt after you pass away: if your son or daughter is a joint holder on a credit card account that you owe on, or if they co-signed on a loan with you.

Secured debts — loans attached to an asset such as a house or a car — are another story. If you have a mortgage or car loan when you die, those monthly payments will need to be made by your estate or heirs or the lender can seize the property.

Untouchable Assets You also need to be aware that there are some assets, such as 401(k) and 403(b) accounts, brokerage accounts, and some life insurance policies that creditors cannot get access to. That’s because these accounts typically have designated beneficiaries, and the 6

55 PLUS - October / November 2012

money goes directly to those people without passing through the estate.

Tell Your Kids If you haven’t already done so, you need to inform your kids and the executor of your will of your financial situation so there are no surprises after you die.

If you do indeed die with debt, and you have no assets, settling your estate should be fairly simple.

Your executor will need to send out letters to your creditors explaining the situation, including a copy of your death certificate, and that will probably take care of it. But, your kids may still have to deal with aggressive debt collectors who try to guilt them into paying.

If you have some assets, but not enough to pay all your debts, your state’s probate court has a distinct list of what bills get priority. The details vary by state, but generally estate administrating fees, funeral expenses, taxes and last illness medical bills get paid first, followed by secured debts and lastly credit card debts.

Get Help If you have questions regarding your specific situation, you should consult with an attorney. If your need help locating one use findlegalhelp. org, a consumers’ guide created by the American Bar Association that offers referrals and links to free and low-cost legal help in your area based on your income level. If you don’t have internet access, call the Eldercare Locator at 800-677-1116 for referrals.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit www.savvysenior.org.

Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

55PLUS Editor and Publisher Wagner Dotto

Associate Editor Lou Sorendo

Writers

Debra Lupien Robillard, Deborah Jeanne Sergeant Ken Little, Sandra Scott

Columnists

Eva Briggs, M.D., Bruce Frassinelli Marilyn Pinsky, Harold Miller Jim Sollecito, David J. Zumpano Marvin Druger

Advertising

Jasmine Maldonado Marlene Raite Tracy DeCann

Office Manager

Laura J. Beckwith

Layout and Design Chris Crocker

Cover Photo

Chuck Wainwright 55 PLUS –A Magazine for Active Adults in Upstate New York is published six times a year by Local News, Inc., which also publishes In Good Health–CNY’s Healthcare Newspaper.

Health in good

CNY’s Healthcare Newspaper Published at 185 E. Seneca St. PO Box 276 Oswego, NY 13126.

Subscription: $15 a year

© 2012 by 55 PLUS – A Magazine for Active Adults in Upstate New York.

No material may be reproduced in whole or in part from this publication without the express written permission of the publisher.

Third class postage paid at Syracuse, NY. Permit Number: 3071

How to Reach Us P.O. Box 276 Oswego, NY 13126 Phone: 315-342-1182 Fax: 315-342-7776 Email: editor@cnyhealth.com Editor@cnyhealth.com

financial health

Comprehensive, convenient, and caring.

By David J. Zumpano

Do I Need a Will or a Trust?

O

ne of the most popular questions I get asked as an estate planning attorney is, “Do I need a will or a

trust?”

Most are shocked when I answer, “It doesn’t matter because neither one works.”

After getting their attention, I explain why most estate plans, whether a will or a trust, do not work.

But to understand the answer, you must first begin to make a distinction of what estate planning is.

Most people view estate planning as “documents.” That is, should I have a will, a trust, healthcare proxy, power of attorney, living will, etc.? The real question should be, “How can I ensure that my estate planning documents do as they are intended?”

This is what proper estate planning accomplishes. Ensuring the legal documents you create actually grant the authority and the direction to your loved ones to ensure your needs are carried out when you are not able to do it yourself.

The primary reasons to plan is to ensure your financial and legal matters can be handled as you direct in the event of your incapacity, disability or death. For example, a standard power of attorney grants the agent appointed authority to make traditional legal and financial decisions for the person granting the power. The challenge, however, is most powers of attorney do not grant all of the powers necessary to actually do what the individual intended. For example, most standard forms do not allow the agent to engage in asset protection if you go into a nursing home. This could be very problematic, especially because in most cases when a power of attorney is utilized, it’s after the disability of the individual.

Then it’s too late.

Proper estate planning requires a complete review of all of your financial and legal matters. But, most importantly, it includes a complete

review of your personal wishes for healthcare, family and, in many instances, even business operation.

Many people underestimate the family part, but in estate planning that traditionally is the most important. In the thousands of clients I have worked with, I have never had one who wanted their family to fight after their disability or death, but that’s what commonly occurs with insufficient planning.

Documents do not ensure against family arguments, but planning can.

Planning is the integration of the financial, the legal and the personal aspects of your life. It usually requires the integration of lawyers, financial advisers, and most importantly, the family. This could include children, if and when the parents are willing.

So, next time you’re thinking about whether you want a will or a trust, ask instead what each can do for you, and how it will work in the event of your disability or death.

We start each individual with our educational workshop to share the top seven threats to every estate plan and why they fail. After the education, we offer a free “vision” meeting to help you identify which of the seven threats are most important for you to avoid and the manner and method in which you choose to do it. After you’ve identified all of your goals, we offer you no less than three options to accomplish the goals and objectives you identify.

Ensure your plan is not just documents, but ensures what you want to happen, actually will when you need it the most.

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For information about the Outpatient Rehabilitation Center call 488-2112.

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He operates Estate Planning Law Center.

He can be reached at 7933622.

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“We care about what you HEAR!”

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55 PLUS - October / November 2012

Gardening

By Jim Sollecito

The Fruits of Fall

A

s a Cornell University student in the ‘70s, I was amazed that the research station not only allowed but took measures to insure that some apples would drop before ripening on the trees.

I had not understood that nature produced more than the tree could bear and still remain healthy. By selectively removing some fruit, the health of the tree would be maintained. So if there is a lot of fruit on the ground under your apple tree, this is probably part of the natural thinning process.

There are about 100 apples in a bushel so keep that in mind when you pick or buy. I’ve yet to see refrigerator drawers as large as a bushel, and only by keeping fruit cool do you extend the shelf life.

Apples weren’t eaten until the end of the 19th century. They were mainly squeezed and drunk. My own garden center was once owned by Cowboy Jack Hallinan. He had been called Farmer Jack Hallinan until he realized he was not a very good farmer. Cowboy Jack collected the neighbor’s apples to make some of the best moonshine in the county. Apples grow very well here in Central New York, hence flowering crabapple trees really flourish.

The difference between an apple and a crabapple is the size of the fruit. Larger than one-and-a-half inch are apples, smaller are crabapples.

The newest, improved flowering crabapple trees have tiny, persistent fruit. The apples tend to be half an inch or less and they persist on the branches through winter, drying and shriveling like raisins. Hence no messy apples on the ground.

I want to talk about two interesting forms of crabapples that you might want to try, the multi-stem Sargent’s and the Weeping Louisa.

Both interesting landscape plants with very different features can really add a lot of pop for not a lot of folding money.

Clump form trees are unusual and

a bit informal. I like that. Sargent’s crabs only reach about 10 feet in height. They have a lovely red bud that becomes a fragrant white flower.

Their tiny haf-inch berry-like fruits are dark red, creating great fall interest in a spot where you want to block a view or provide some screening.

The Weeping Louisa reaches about the same size, but has electric pink flowers and yellow fruit. The weeping shape, what some refer to as an umbrella, works well on a slope or near the front entrance where the cascading branches add fantastic winter interest. A striking look against the white snow.

Both crabapples are great for Christmas lights. Just take some clothespins, spray paint them green and red, to hold lights in a lovely shape for the entire winter. To extend the appeal of your landscape well through the winter, this is the fall to fall for crabapples. The perfect addition to nearly any landscape.

And if you were thinking about planting something this year, don’t wait. The ground is nice and warm.

We are finally receiving ample rains.

And the root system of any plant will grow strong and deep until the ground freezes. That may not happen until well into December. With healthy roots now, you’ll get healthy shoots next spring.

Healthy plants, like people, need a lot less care. So grab your shovel, use it in a meaningful fashion and do something good for yourself and your neighborhood. The rewards are priceless.

Jim Sollecito is the first lifetime senior certified landscape professional in NYS. He operates Sollecito Landscaping Nursery in Syracuse.

Contact him at 4 6 8 - 11 4 2 o r a t jim@sollecito.com.

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55+

trends

Yes We Vote!

The number of seniors voting in CNY is likely to remain high

By Ken Little

M

ature voters go to the polls more often and in proportionately higher numbers than their younger counterparts.

That fact does not go unnoticed by candidates for office, especially in an election year that includes the presidential race and New York state Legislature.

C e n t r a l N e w Yo r k i s n o exception.

“There seems to be an upward trend of older people voting,” said Bill Ferris, AARP state legislative representative.

An AARP survey conducted last year with New York state residents aged 50 to 64 focused on healthcare issues, but also asked respondents a few questions about voting habits.

Sixty-one percent said they “always” vote in gubernatorial or state legislative races. Another 21 percent said they vote “most of the time.”

“I think it’s fair to say that 81 percent of people between 50 and 64 vote most of the time for governor and their state legislators and that’s a big number,” Ferris said.

High Percentages

10

55 PLUS - October / November 2012

In 2008, the last presidential election year in Onondaga County, 77 percent of all registered voters turned out for the general election, according to the Onondaga County Board of Elections. The total for 2011, when there was a county executive race, was 26 percent.

In 2008, about 83 percent of those between the ages of 41 and 60 voted. Registered voters

between 61 and 75 years old voted at the same 83 percent rate four years ago, and 85 percent of all those age 75 and over went to the polls.

In 2011, 41 percent of Onondaga County registered voters in the 41to-60 age group cast a ballot. The figure was 30 percent for the 61 to 75 age group, and 18 percent for those over 75.

Governor, the state Legislature and some countywide positions were on the ballot in the 2010 general election. In Oswego County, 11,876 of 16,716 registered voters age 55 and over cast a ballot, said Donald Wart, Republican elections commissioner.

The percentage of older registered voters who go to the polls is consistently higher than other age groups in Oswego County, Wart said.

“The biggest turnout is the senior voters,” he said. “There’s a lot of people registered to vote, but the people who seem to turn out in the elections are the more senior people.”

Those 55 and over, Wart said, “are the ones who seem to go to the polls every year.

“I think most people in office realize the senior voters are the basis for the turnout,” he said.

Candidates Respond Amy Tresidder, a member of the Oswego County legislature and Democratic candidate for the state Senate seat held by incumbent Republican Patty Ritchie, is one of those.

“As an elected official and a candidate, I consider the over-55

vote to be very important. I am a part of this age group myself, so it is important to realize that this is a multi-generational group of interested and interesting voters,” Tresidder said in an email response to questions.

Voters who are considered part of the baby boom generation born between 1946 and 1964 have different concerns than some older Americans, Tresidder said.

“My own experience leads me to believe the priorities and issues important to the over-55 group are as individually unique as with any section of the population,” she said.

“Because the lifestyle differences of over-55 voters are vast, I hesitate to identify voters by their age. Many 55-year-olds are just beginning to think of retirement, some are retired or looking for new career opportunities, while others have been victims of downsizing and are seeking employment,” Tresidder said. “Voters in their 70s and 80s are facing different challenges.”

Statistics show that baby boomers are living longer.

“Health care becomes a pressing and personal issue as insurance c o v e r a g e p ro v i d e d b y f o r m e r employers disappears and medical needs become more frequent. Statistics also show that we are interested in the operation and decisions of our government and that we value integrity and ethics,” Tresidder said.

“We still believe in the process available to us to choose our representatives by our right to vote.”

hiring.”

The U.S. Census shows that in 2011, 14.2 percent of Onondaga County’s 466,960 residents were age 65 and older; and that 12.9 percent of Oswego County’s 122,228 residents were 65 and older.

The 65-and-over segment of New York state’s population comprises 13.7 percent of the 19.46 million total.

Ferris, the AARP legislative representative, said health care and economic security, along with issues like Medicare and Social Security,

are particularly important to older voters.

AARP members constitute a formidable voting bloc, he added.

“We know that our members vote and we try to engage our members all the time on the issues,” Ferris said.

“It’s a well-known fact that older people head to the polls year after year. How elected officials use that I can’t say.”

It’s safe to say baby boomers are also “getting out to the polls more and more,” Ferris said.

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‘Critical’ To Election Process Ritchie said mature voters “are critical to the election process, and helping them has been one of my priorities since I took office.”

“The concerns of people in the 55 and older age bracket are extremely important to me. Healthcare for people of this age is a top priority, but so are jobs,” Ritchie said.

Half of the job-seeker-participants at Ritchie’s two job fairs in 2011 were 55 years or older, she said.

Ritchie said she keeps mature voters in mind when she advocates for job creation through “lower taxes, spending and right incentives that help businesses grow,” along with “working to connect my constituents with businesses that are already

Bringing jobs to CNY Protecting affordable health care Cutting taxes for the middle class

Al Stirpe for State Assembly — Election Day is November 6th — 458-0095 | www.alstirpe.org October / November 2012 - 55 PLUS

11

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55 PLUS - October / November�������������������������������������������������������� 2012

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my turn

By Bruce Frassinelli Email: bruce@roc55.com

My Last Visit to a Movie Theater

T

he other night I went to a movie for the first time in nearly two decades. The last movie I had seen was Jurassic Park in 1993 at the Oswego Cinema.

I had heard about the latest Spiderman movie, and since I had been a long-time Spidey fan and had nothing better to do that night, I thought I would enter this incredible world of fantasy and special effects.

I was shocked at how things had changed — and, regrettably — not for the better.

There were about 150 of us in the theater, mostly animated teens.

I was by far the oldest patron.

With cell phones ringing, texting notifiers sounding off every few seconds and loud exchanges of conversations among teens who seemed to have little to no interest as to what was happening on the screen, the experience of seeing my first big-screen movie in ages was fast turning into a disaster.

And I had just laid out $7 (senior citizen rate) for the experience.

I was seething. At one point about 10 minutes into the movie, I turned around to confront a group of five particularly obnoxious boys sitting two rows behind me and slightly to my left — probably not the smartest thing to do. Using my sweetest, persuasive voice, accompanied by a nice smile, I tried to appeal to their spirit of fair play by telling them that their incessant talking was spoiling my movie-going experience.

“Tough s---, old man” said one of the boys, maybe 16. His friends laughed and high-fived him. My first reaction was to hop over the seat and throttle the insolent little bastard, but then I remembered that I am too old to hop over

At one point about 10 minutes into the movie, I turned around to confront a group of five particularly obnoxious boys sitting two rows behind me and slightly to my left — probably not the smartest thing to do. much of anything these days.

Recalling the days back in my hometown when Mr. Lagos, owner of the Capitol Theatre, used to patrol the aisles of the moviehouse with a flashlight to demand silence from clods like this, I headed to the lobby to find the manager and get help in dealing with these punks.

“Where can I find the manager?” I asked a young guy bagging popcorn who looked like he might be 19 on a good day. “I’m the manager,” he said. I told him what had just occurred and how my movie experience was being ruined.

“Yeah,” he conceded, “it’s pretty much like this every night. I can’t go in there, because I have to stay here for security purposes.”

“So, what are you telling me?” I asked in exasperation.

“That there is nothing that can be done about this?”

“Well, if they start tearing up the place, I would call the police,” the manager said. “But if they’re just talking loud or on the phone…” his voice trailed off.

“Well, that’s a hell of a note,” I grumbled. “I would at least like my money back.”

“No problem,” the manager agreed. He would refund the $7, or,

more accurately, reverse my credit card expense, but I had to fill out a one-page form with my life history.

“Oh,” the manager said, almost as an afterthought, “I can give you a ticket to see another movie in the future if you want one.”

In saying “no, thank you” through clenched teeth, I thought to myself, “Right, I can double my ‘pleasure.’”

As for this movie that I had been dying to see, I guess I’ll wait for it to come out on DVD or BluRay and enjoy it in the comfort — and quiet — of my living room.

“You know,” I said to my wife, “that was probably the last time that I will ever step foot inside a movie theater in my lifetime.”

The erosion of civility these days is so pervasive that we’re likely to encounter it everywhere, not just in movie theaters. When I recounted the anecdote to a caseworker in Onondaga County, he was not surprised. “This was just an example of kids being kids,” he said. When a group of teens get together, and they are not supervised, they are oblivious to the wants and needs of other people, he added.

Teens want to fit in with their friends, I was told. They brag, showoff, do things they would never dream of doing when they are alone or with their parents.

As for my confronting the teens in the movie, the caseworker said I need to be careful. “Some of these kids carry knives, guns and other weapons,” he said. He congratulated me for not visibly losing my cool and trying to get someone in authority to help solve the problem.

Well, I wasn’t successful in seeing the movie, but at least my form got a round of applause from the experts.

October / November 2012 - 55 PLUS

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aging

By Marilyn L. Pinsky

Move My What?

Keeping up with the language and other random thoughts about aging

A

few years ago I heard my young grandchildren refer to their “butts.” I was shocked. Wasn’t that one of those words you teach children not to say? But I had to rethink that reaction when the very next day my exercise class instructor shouted out, “come on ladies, move your butts.”

In my day it was not considered polite to make reference to those body parts that you now hear discussed everyday on television.

Did I somehow lose a few years of

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modern language development that’s caused me to turn into a linguistic old fogey?

Another example. My phone rang and I could see that it was a call from someone who has me on speed dial.

They apologized by saying, “oops, that was a butt call.” So now I have to worry about communicating with butts? What does one discuss with a butt? Gravity? What brand of prunes does your owner buy?

And that recalls a conversation I had with a younger doctor a few

years back about meaningless cocktail party conversation.

Instead of talking about the weather, he suggested it would it be more interesting to introduce topics that people really care about, like “Boy, I had a really great bowel movement today. How about you?” That could lead to discussions about food, exercise and staying healthy, which would be much more meaningful than talking about the weather.

Just to finish off the original question, though we might still be able

to “move our butts,” shouldn’t there be an age when reference by others to certain parts of our body becomes more respectful?” On the one hand, when I’m 95 I don’t want someone telling me to “move my butt,” but on the other hand, shouldn’t I just be happy that I’m able to move whatever it’s called at that time and not worry about the language issue?

• Swearing. Is there an age when those of us who might possibly swear, should stop? There are occasions when one just needs to swear, but at an age when our hearing is not all that acute, a swear word that we think is being uttered under our breath, really isn’t.

At what point does it look totally inappropriate for our age, to the point where even some 30-year-olds — who include four letter words in every sentence — stare at you for inadvertently swearing?

Shouldn’t there be extenuating circumstances where swearing is the default option whatever your age?

Like when you back your car into a

tree or your wheelchair into the med trays? We need “rules of exception” for these occasions. So come on people, we can’t just wander in the aging language desert without some parameters. Help me out here. 60, 70, 80, 90, 120 — when do we have to absolutely stop swearing?

• The droop factor. Tattoos have gotten very popular but I can’t help but wonder about the future. What about those of us who when we were younger got a rosebud tattooed on a nice firm breast only to watch it turn into a long-stemmed rose? Or perhaps an anchor on our derriere that we got in our 20s and is now beginning to head to the bottom of the sea?

• The boomer Influence. As baby boomers are joining us in getting older, they are setting new standards for aging that conform to their generation’s lifestyles. I personally love that because they ruined their ears listening to loud music, hearing aids are becoming a cool accessory to have and they’re

even getting better looking. But what’s next? Depends in psychedelic colors that hang below the waist and become fashion statements? Thong Depends? Okay, maybe that one is not such a good idea.

• Speaking of Thongs. This might not be an issue right up there with global warming, but some of the more fashionable among us probably give more time thinking about underwear than about global warming. At least that’s what both the underwear manufacturers and politicians are counting on. Given that the fashion for women’s slacks right now are straight and narrow and even skin tight, the question of appropriate underwear arises.

At what age are thongs no longer appropriate?

Okay, so this column was not about world peace, and I’d much rather leave you thinking about creative solutions to keep Medicare and Social Security solvent for future generations, but I just couldn’t tackle everything in one small article.

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Study: Preventing falls in seniors is possible

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fresh look at earlier studies shows there are several steps seniors can take to prevent falls — a major health concern for the world’s aging population.

“The strongest evidence is for exercise that contains multiple components such as strength and balance training, whether carried out in groups or prescribed for people in their homes,” said Lesley Gillespie and Clare Robertson, who worked on the new research review.

“These programs appear to reduce the number of falls experienced by about on average 30 percent and the number of people falling by about 20 percent,” they said.

About a third of Americans over 65 fall each year, resulting in nearly 20,000 deaths and more than two million emergency room visits, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

With the right interventions, those numbers could be much lower, suggest the new findings, published in September in The Cochrane Library.

While some studies have suggested vitamin D supplements might help stave off falls by boosting muscle strength, the researchers found that wasn’t the case, based on 16 studies with more than 29,000 participants.

Some interventions to treat vision problems, such as adjusting to new glasses, also increased the risk of falls.

Studies with thousands of participants showed exercise, including tai chi, effectively cut the risk of falling. So did home safety assessment and modification, especially when carried out by an occupational therapist.

According to data released earlier this year by the CDC, nearly 38,000 Americans 65 and older are treated in ERs each year after tripping on a rug or a carpet. More than a third of the falls happen in the bathroom.

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55+

career

Getting Back into the Workforce Many boomers seeking second careers

P

ursuing a second career after retirement can make a lot of sense.

For one, you can try something different from your longterm career. Or, if your career was in a field you love, you can continue to dabble in it but without the stress of a full-time career. Second careers can also help you feel productive and avoid boredom. You can also supplement your retirement income, too.

But if you’re seeking a second career out of necessity, you’re not alone.

“We’ve had people enrolled in

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

our program who were professional people who had thought they had secured their retirement planning but all their investments were with Bernie Madoff,” said Karen Mastronardi, director of the New York state branch of Experience Works, Inc., based in Cortland. “They had nothing and they weren’t old enough to get social security. If they had them, their former professional licenses had lapsed because they’d retired.”

Mastronardi added that some baby boomers re-enter the workforce because of the cost of their spouse’s or elderly parents’ medical care exceed their retirement income.

While seeking a job now may seem a mission impossible since even young people fresh out of college are struggling to find employment, many companies in the area see the value in hiring mature employees.

As far as scheduling goes, many companies, especially those seeking to hire part-time-only employees to rein in benefits expenses, are a good fit for seniors who want only a few hours to supplement their income.

Older employees also add value to companies by nature of their maturity.

“Though I don’t want to stereotype, mature workers are fairly settled in October / November 2012 - 55 PLUS

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career

their lives,” Mastronardi said. “They’re stable. There’s a myth that older workers have more sickness and workers compensation claims. Younger workers actually take more sick time and more workers compensation claims. Older workers also are generally not looking at this point in their lives to climb the corporate ladder. They’re loyal to the organization that they’re working with.”

Employment search engines such as simplyhired.com use a “50+ Friendly” filter to help job seekers find employers who want mature applicants. Other sites focus on employers that appeal to the baby boomer demographic, including Seniors4Hire.org, Workforce50.com, and Seniorjobbank.org. The American Association for Retired Persons’ site (aarp.org) includes numerous jobhunting tips and leads on local jobs.

Some companies and organizations actively recruit only people 55-plus, whether for more human servicesoriented employment that pays a small stipend or companies that simply see the value of your experience.

Don Unger, senior branch manager at Adecco Employment Services in Fulton, likes the fact that with retirees who re-enter the same field there’s less training. “They can step back in at day one and know what to do,” he said.

For retirees who need a little extra income, the Senior Companion Program in Syracuse might be a good fit. It recruits only people 55 years and older to help frail, elderly clients.

Although more like working in a volunteer-based capacity, the program pays its workers a stipend and other benefits tax-free.

This includes transportation, sick days, holidays, vacation, monthly in-service training, and annual recognition luncheon.

“It won’t affect any other benefits they get like senior housing, food stamps or HEAP,” said program director Larry Crinnin.

Serving 60 clients in Onondaga, Cayuga and Madison counties, 20

55 PLUS - October / November 2012

Senior Companion Program is part of InterFaith Works of Central New York, based in Syracuse.

“We’ve done surveys of our senior companions over the years,” Crinnin said.

“They overwhelmingly say the interaction they have with even more elderly seniors gives them a feeling of satisfaction because they are able to help others who need more help. They stay active themselves. If they’re compassionate by nature, they’d probably do it regardless. To provide the stipend and benefits, it’s win-win.”

The Onondaga County Department of Aging and Youth offers employment and training programs for older employees through its Senior Community Services Employment Program (SCSEP). The program places qualified candidates at area nonprofit and government organizations where on-the-job training helps them build the skills they need to land a traditional job.

SCSEP participants work 20 hours daily, and receive the current minimum wage through the program.

“The program participants benefit from on-the-job training and our partners benefit from the knowledge, skills, loyalty and dedication that older workers bring to their organization every day,” said Lisa Dunn Alford, commissioner of the Onondaga County Department of Aging and Youth.

Applicants to the program must meet income requirements to participate. But Commissioner Alford said that even regarding those who aren’t eligible for those reasons, “our department can still offer help. We have staff available to assist mature workers with issues related to being unemployed, and to help them stretch their fiscal resources as far as possible.

Our staff will assist with screening for those income-stretching programs, such as HEAP, SNAP, [food stamps], and more.

“In these tough economic times, it makes good fiscal sense to participate in these programs if you meet the

income guidelines,” she added.

When applying to work at a post-career position, consider how a potential employer would view your most recent experience. An agency like Experience Works, which operates a Syracuse office, can help you develop work skills if you have not recently worked or want to shift to a different industry.

“If they haven’t been in the workforce for a while, I strongly recommend that they volunteer with a community service agency which can provide them with updated skills and references,” Mastronardi said.

“Whether it’s paid or not, if they can get a reputable person in the community to give them a reference, that will help. When I’m looking at resumes and see a big hole, that’s a concern for me. It helps if you can show what you’ve been doing for the past six months and that you’re reliable.”

Keep in mind that your resume could probably use sprucing up if you have not made a new resume in the past decade.

Use a standard font such as Georgia, Times New Roman or Courier and 12 to 14-point size. Oneinch margins and block formatting work fine, though indenting under each heading is fine, too.

A chronological style resume is best for most positions since recruiters can easily follow the timeline of where you’ve been and what you’ve done; however, a skills-oriented resume may be suitable for a human servicesoriented job, especially if your past employment won’t otherwise reflect the people skills needed for this kind of work.

Emphasize measurable results you have achieved with past employers, such as “sales increased 25 percent within five years” for a position as sales manager. Don’t embellish job duties or titles.

Even if you really could use some additional income, don’t mention this in the “Objectives” section or you will sound desperate. But don’t sound as if you don’t care about the job opening, either. You don’t need to explain why you want to continue to work.

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hog wild

Mike Waters shown during an open house at Performance HarleyDavidson in Syracuse. Photo by Kevin Baker

Where is My Harley?

If you see more 50-plus people riding expensive motorcycles, it’s not just an impression

By Aaron Gifford

O

nce the kids are graduated from college, out of the house and married, the Harleys can roar.

Central New Yorkers may have noticed more than just a touch of gray among the leather-clad bikers who ride scenic roadways during the warmer months here. The vast majority of the 250 members in the Syracuse HOG club are, in fact, between 50 and 70, says Jeff Crouse, assistant director.

“We try to attract younger riders,

but most of the Harley followers are just older,” he said with a laugh. “Old people with tattoos and Harleys. I guess there’s a stigma to it. But for us, it’s like a second childhood.”

Since the HOG club’s inception some 20 years ago, the number of empty nesters has grown substantially, club officers explained. Many are retired, and have opted to spend their discretionary income on highpriced Harley Davidson motorcycles, accessories and clothing instead of RVs or Florida condos. Nowadays,

the scene is likely to be dominated by professionals or ex-professionals turned weekend warrior as opposed to the bearded, beer-swilling, brawling thugs more closely associated with the Iron horses 30 or 40 years ago.

“When I started riding in 1973,” said HOG club historian Dick Davidson, “the guys on Harleys were the ones you stayed away from. You didn’t pal around with them. They were psycho.”

Davidson was quick to point out that Harleys have changed drastically October / November 2012 - 55 PLUS

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hog wild

Mike Waters, Alex Varchenko, Andrei L. Bugrim and Igor V. Varchencko.

Photo was taken at Performance Harley-Davidson in Syracuse as Waters was giving gifts to three Russian from St. Petersburg. The Russians were on a two-week tour of the U.S. Andrei and Igor had rental Harley-Davidsons and Igor’s son, Alex, followed them with a rental car. Members of Syracuse HOG have been invited to St. Petersburg in 2013 for a motorcycle rally.

Photo by Marcella Becker. in terms of quality, durability, comfort and price in the past 40 years. Most models are more expensive than Japanese bikes, often to the point where the purchase is out of reach for parents who are still raising children and saving for college.

Crouse, 62, a retired car salesman, got into the scene in 2002 after completing a motorcycle riding course and obtaining a license. He used to have a summer cabin and a boat, but now has four motorcycles. On any given weekend he joins other club members for rides to the Finger Lakes or Adirondacks. He said the thrill of revving up the loud engine is still as intense as it was 10 years ago. For the longer treks, he rides an Ultra, the biggest bike Harley makes.

“I like the big boldness of it,” he said. “The sound of it, the feel of it — it’s truly iconic American.”

Crouse, like his peers, got several tattoos in recent years and loves to sport the Harley clothing. He said there are some club members who are more into the style than they are the motorcycles and the rides.

Several HOG members in their

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late 60s and 70s — and there are many of them, Crouse said — prefer to ride three-wheeled models, or trikes.

They’re safer and require less leg strength, yet still stylish.

Representatives from Performance Harley Davidson in Syracuse declined to discuss their clientele or sales trends.

Harley’s official website does not break down figures by demographic, but it does indicate that sales have been strong in this post-recession economy. According to its secondquarter earnings statement released in August, Harley’s sales in the past year increased 2.8 percent worldwide and 4 percent in the United States.

While club members are quick to point out that Harley Davidson has recognized the older adult market by expanding its line of three-wheelers and other bikes that are easier to handle, they also caution that they don’t think the motorcycle company is trying to lock in the 55plus demographic. But the company, according to its website, is looking to reach women, Latinas, African Americans and military veterans.

Still, Harley Davidson’s core

customer base is Caucasian men 35 and up, according to its website. The company also acknowledges that the core customer base is expected to increase significantly in the next 12 years as the U.S. Census projects that the population of Caucasian men between 65 and 74 will increase by 40 percent through 2020.

John Muldoon, Syracuse HOG club director, is a retired school transportation supervisor who bought his first Harley six years ago, at the age of 48. He rode Japanese bikes since the 1980s but never got into the biker scene until he was an older adult. When his kids graduated from high school, he could finally afford a shinier bike.

As he sees it, joining a club is like joining a family.

“You can go anywhere and find like-minded people,” he explained.

“With the older members, we’re all in it for the same reason. No one is trying to outdo one another. We raised families and we found a place to get away from the everyday stress.”

Muldoon completed a nineday trek to North Dakota last year.

When he flies to tropical vacation destinations, he rents a Harley instead of a car. Next year, Muldoon will make the pilgrimage to Milwaukee to celebrate Harley Davidson’s 110th anniversary. After that he’ll fly to Italy, and plans to rent a Harley there. His long-term goal is to buy a motor home that has a ramp where motorcycles can be driven right onto the vehicle.

“So now we’ll be able to see the country,” he said, “and bring our Harleys.”

Mike Waters, a retired Onondaga County fire coordinator, is among the club’s most well-traveled members.

He’s ridden in 46 states with plans to add Washington and Oregon to that list soon as well as Newfoundland, Canada. He weathered Hurricane Katrina during a Texas ride in 2005.

His touring bike has cruise control, a CB and satellite radio.

Sometimes Waters rides alone and sometimes he joins other club members. The job of being retired, he said, is having the ability to improvise on long trips and take extra time to

catch up with old friends in other parts of the country.

“The more you ride, the more you like it,” said Waters, 69. “It’s a great thing for retirement.”

Waters is also a member of the Iron Butt Club, an honor reserved for those who can complete a 1,000-mile trek in 24 hours. This he accomplished by riding from Fayetteville, NY, to Fayetteville, Ga., in 17 hours.

“You prepare for it,” he said, “and you don’t diddle around at the gas stops.”

But Waters said he was outmatched by a retired Navy Admiral who drove his Harley entirely around the Great Lakes in 35 hours. “Now that,” he said, “is something to brag about.”

Davidson, the club member who began riding in 1973, said the used Harley he bought that year broke down often and didn’t perform well.

Thirty-nine years later, the Road King model he rides now has 85,000 miles on it and is ready for a trip to the west coast. He said the brand has improved immensely in the time when Davidson got rid of his first motorcycle, traded his pickup truck for a station wagon/ camper combo, and raised a family.

In recent years, Davidson attended Harley rallies in Montana, Tennessee and Canada.

“What I like is you don’t feel like you have to get anywhere too fast,” he said. “My bike is set up like a recliner. The bikes have power and

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hog wild

torque, but speed is not a priority like it is with the crotch rockets [Japanese sport bikes].”

Davidson rides almost every day, even during the winter months. If the roadway is black, he’s on it, though he has had encounters with sleet, rain, hail, snow and slush. He wears heating gear that supposedly keeps a rider as warm as if they were in a heated automobile.

“If you have a bad day, you spend 20 minutes and life is good again,” said Davidson, who works at Le Moyne College and is dreaming of retirement. “When I do retire, whether I’m here or in Florida, you can bet everything I do will involve a Harley.”

F o r o l d e r a d u l t s w h o a re considering the biker lifestyle, HOG members advise to start a gradual process before spending so much money on a new bike and gear. Take a motorcycle course and get the license, start with a used bike (it doesn’t have to be a Harley) preferably something not too big or hard to handle, but don’t skimp on the protective gear. If you still enjoy riding a motorcycle after several rides, talk to a Harley club member about their experiences.

“You can stop someone who is riding and just talk to them on the spot,” Muldoon said. “You won’t find anyone in a club who doesn’t love to sit and talk about it. We’ve sold more motorcycles just by word of mouth.”

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55+

profile

Meet Bob Laubach, the Dalai Lama of Literacy 94-year-old still devotes time to work every week at ProLiteracy in Syracuse

By Aaron Gifford

B

ob Laubach has been called the Dalai Lama of literacy.

For the past eight decades he’s played a key role in teaching millions of people across the globe how to read and write. Like the Dalai L a m a , he’s made an effort to visit as many places and people as he can, giving hope to those who had very little and

24

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earning love and respect from a loyal following of newly literate communities in third world nations. And while Laubach continues to visit new places, he always returns home to Central N e w York.

I n fact, the 94-yearold still puts in a few hours of work e v e r y week at ProLiteracy (formerly Laubach Literacy International) in Syracuse, e v e n though he’s

certainly earned the right to retire.

He is the founder of an international weekly publication that serves new adult readers, and established the Literacy Communications Program at Syracuse University.

“I keep working and traveling because it’s nice to be loved,” he said. “I enjoy a very interesting and privileged place. It’s nice to go places where people know you and thank you for your work. I try not to be pompous about it, but I have to say I do like the attention.”

Like the Dalai Lama, he’s made an effort to visit as many places and people as he can, giving hope to those who had very little and earning love and respect from a loyal following of newly literate communities in third world nations. In a sense, Laubach entered this world with a mission.

The son of a missionary, Laubach was born in the Philippines. He remembers his father ’s work in non-Christian communities, where Frank Laubach earned the natives’ respect by teaching people of all ages how to read and write, giving them the necessary tools to improve their situations.

Ironically, Laubach grew up in a town that didn’t even have a library.

He was able to get his hands on books from time to time, and remembers reading “Tarzan” and “Riders of the Purple Sage,” a novel first published in 1912 that heavily influenced the Western genre. As a teenager, Laubach helped his father produce literacy materials and newsletters by setting type and running a small press.

After graduating from high school

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Ruth J. Colvin, founder of Literacy Volunteers of America, Barbara Bush, former first lady of the United States at US Conference on Adult Literacy, Houston, Texas, November 2011.

in the Philippines, Laubach returned to the United States in 1935 to attend prep school and then college in Ohio. He served as a conscientious objector in World War II, clearing brush in Maryland state parks and participating in other public works projects rather than fighting in Europe or the South Pacific.

“Those were my ideals at the time,” he said. “I heard my father preach every Sunday — turn the other cheek.”

Laubach rejoined his father after the war, traveling with him throughout Africa and Asia in the name of literacy.

In some places, they had to learn native languages in order to teach small communities how to read and write. In four years, they covered 40 countries.

Some of the nations they visited were still colonized, so personnel from English-speaking university centers provided the Laubachs plenty of resources. But in every nation, Laubach said, “we were always welcomed by leaders of government and churches. We were never in any danger.”

In Africa, Laubach’s favorite

country was Ghana. It was easier to get started because that nation was largely English-speaking, and everyone in its government, from the federal level to local chiefs, embraced literacy.

“I went back in 1963,” Laubach recalled. “By then there were many trained teachers educating people on a mass scale, teaching people by the thousands. We got a royal welcome.”

Thailand was another highlight of Laubach’s journeys. There, he decided to start producing a publication for new readers that would provide survival skill instructions, such as how to obtain clean water or properly install a mosquito net.

Frank Laubach established Laubach Literacy International in Syracuse in 1955, settling into a domestic location after working in 105 different countries and creating reading lessons in 315 different languages. He can be credited for making Central New York an international literacy capital.

Bob Laubach was also able to establish himself locally, attending Syracuse University in 1951 to study

journalism. There, he developed an appreciation for a clear and concise writing style. Within just one year of Laubach’s enrollment at SU, he developed a “Writing for New Literates” course and was invited to join the faculty.

Laubach’s “News for You” adult literacy newspaper was launched in 1959 and still exists today in print and online. Eight years later, he founded the New Readers Press, which continues to publish books and instructional materials for adult learners and adult education teachers.

He succeeded Frank Laubach as the organization’s president after his father’s death in 1970, holding the position until his “retirement” in 1981.

Since then, Laubach has officially served as a spokesman for literacy and as a lifetime member of the agency’s board of directors.

In 2002, Laubach Literacy International merged with Literacy Volunteers of America Inc. to form ProLiteracy. Laubach has prepared younger leaders to continue the agency’s mission and expand existing continued on p. 46 October / November 2012 - 55 PLUS

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Michael Crinnin 23 Years Helping AIDS Patients At 65, the AIDS Community Resources’ director has witnessed first hand how perception of AIDS in CNY has changed and how patients cope with the disease and the stigma that was once associated with it

By Aaron Gifford

I

n 1989, Michael Crinnin knew what he was getting into when he signed on to lead AIDS Community Resources.

Globally, doctors had no success slowing the spread of AIDS, let alone scratching the surface of finding a cure. A diagnosis of AIDS or HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, was largely viewed as a death sentence. Locally, ignorance and prejudice toward those who suffered from the disease was rampant. Fear, anger and frustration often ruled the day.

Crinnin, by then a well-established leader at establishing and growing successful human service agencies, was eager to face such a volatile situation head-on. He felt as if he had been preparing for a challenge of this magnitude his entire life.

“They needed someone who was not going to get scared off by the anger, grief and tears,” he said.

“It seemed like the right move at the time.”

Crinnin assumed he wouldn’t be there 10 years. But 23 years later, he’s still going strong. During that time AIDS Community Resources has seen tremendous success, growing from eight to 80 employees and expanding into nine counties. Its annual budget has increased from $340,000 to $4.5 26

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million.

“I never dreamed I’d stay here this long,” said Crinnin, 65. “I like the people I work with and I look forward to coming to work. And I think we’re making a difference.”

The oldest of eight children, Crinnin graduated from St. John the Baptist High School in Syracuse before continuing his education at Wadhams Hall Seminary College in Ogdensburg, St. Lawrence County.

There were two priests in Crinnin’s family. Catholicism, charity and compassion were strong values.

Crinnin’s mother, at 88 years old, still volunteers for Meals on Wheels.

“I admired priests,” he recalled.

“I applauded their ideals. They were committed to social justice issues.”

As a teenager, Crinnin worked as an orderly at St. Camillus. He continued his education through Niagara University’s theological department at Our Lady of Angels in Albany and completed a year of clinical pastoral work in Boston. He enrolled at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. but then decided against becoming ordained.

Instead, Crinnin moved to California — a popular thing for young people to do in the 1970s. He worked as a medical technician in

the Santa Clara area for a while as he contemplated his true path in life.

“I never saw myself as a west coast person,” he said. “I realized that I need four seasons.”

So Crinnin returned to Syracuse, accepting a live-in position at the L’Arche center, a religious-based program where people with and without disabilities reside together.

He took a second job in the pastoral care department of Loretto, but was later laid off because of budget cuts.

He went back to school, enrolling in Syracuse University’s master’s level vocational rehabilitation program.

“I thought this degree pulled it all together,” he said. “I was very lucky.”

It was there where Crinnin developed his leadership skills. He was 30 years old at the time and much wiser than most of his 20-something peers.

“I was the guy you could talk to if you needed someone to talk to,” he said. “I liked that role. I was good at it. I’m still friends with some of those people that needed to talk to me back then.”

During his time at SU, Crinnin traveled to the University of California, Berkeley, to tour an independent living facility for those with disabilities; it

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was a new concept at the time. He brought some ideas back to the United Cerebral Palsy Center, which used a grant to hire Crinnin to expand its programs in 1979. In turn, he became the founding director of ARISE. “That job changed my life for good,” he recalled. “It was a humble, empowering experience.”

He stayed with ARISE for 10 years before finding another a new opportunity with AIDS Community Resources. As with ARISE, the plan was to build a human agency and expand its programs. Crinnin, who had witnessed the stigma that persons with cerebral palsy and their families battled, knew he was in for some trying times.

He acted quickly, getting the agency incorporated, forming a board of directors and moving the main office into the West Genesee Street location in Syracuse where he still works today.

“Things were bad,” he said. “The first couple years, people were still trying to sort out what was going on.

Everything was acute. People came to us when they were sick, and they died. There was no test. They didn’t know they could carry this virus for 10, 11 years. Most of them were dying from AIDS.” Crinnin described the job as an environment of love and hate. The clients were angry at the government and the people who ran human services agencies; they believed that no one was doing enough to help

them. At that time, AIDS Community Resources’ programs were limited to legal services and support groups, and regular members of the support groups were dying off at an alarming rate.

And yet, the clients viewed this organization as the only family they had left because their relatives wouldn’t talk to them. They even complained of discrimination from doctors and nurses. Moreover, Crinnin said, AIDS was largely viewed as a gay white man’s disease even though most of the clients he saw were minorities. And many of them, in fact, were women.

“I knew so many people that were straight, white, black or Hispanic, and they’re dead now,” he said. “We clearly saw evidence that this affected a much larger population.”

In 1989, the agency was entirely funded by a state Health Department grant. Crinnin has since expanded the funding base to include a variety of government grants as well as private donations. He applied to the United Way during his first week on the job and has been funded by that agency ever since.

The agency expanded its reach to the Mohawk Valley and the North Country. In St. Lawrence County, a vast rural landscape along the Canadian border, those who suffered from the disease were usually very poor and had no access to transportation.

Crinnin and his employees gave those clients money for heat and provided

HIV and Older Adults

N

early a quarter of AIDS Community Resources’ clients are over 50. That’s a big change from the age breakdown in the 1980s, explained Executive Director Michael Crinnin.

While this trend might be viewed as a positive sign that people are living longer with AIDS due to medical breakthroughs, there are additional factors to consider: • The number of people over 50 who are single or divorced as 28

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steadily increased in the past 30 years.

• Many older adults grew up before safe sex awareness campaigns, and rarely used condoms.

• Sales of erectile dysfunction drugs like Viagra and Cialis, as well as a host of other products that older men and women use to stimulate their sex lives have exploded in recent years.

“It’s a different era for AIDS now,” Crinnin said.

rides to medical appointments, which at that time were often limited to SUNY Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse.

In all nine counties, not one nursing home would take AIDS patients. Crinnin remembers the countless phone calls to nursing home administrators and the agencies they reported to, “trying to educate them, convince them that there was nothing to worry about.”

Gradually, Crinnin noticed some changes.

New clients who walked into his office had the HIV virus but not always full-blown AIDS and many were optimistic that they weren’t going to die any time soon. Dozens of churches offered their help, as opposed to only two or three 23 years ago. And the range of services for HIV-positive clients covers housing, transportation, nutrition and case management.

There are specific outreach programs targeted at heterosexual drug users as well as separate ones for the gay community.

The current client load is about 250 clients. Of that number, about 56 percent are men and 44 percent women. Twenty-three percent of the clients are over 50. Most of the clients are low-income and rely on Medicaid to cover their medical bills and prescriptions. Even though AIDS Community Resources has educated a much larger demographic base, those who can afford it get treatment from their own physician and may seek counseling or other support services elsewhere, Crinnin said.

In December, the agency launched a syringe exchange program in Syracuse. It currently serves about 140 registered clients, most of whom live on the city’s west side. Attempts were made to reach out to the east side as well, “but we found there, smoking [drugs] was much more popular than injecting them,” Crinnin said.

AIDS outreach workers who run a similar needle outreach program in New York City provided the training, and Syracuse city leaders and the police department strongly support this initiative, Crinnin said.

“When we tried to do this 16 years

55+ ago,” he said, “there was too much political opposition.”

While Crinnin has witnessed his fair share of suffering, he also knows many clients who took on a more positive lifestyle after their diagnosis.

Problems like diabetes and obesity are common.

“So many people come here, and HIV is so far down on their list. They say, ‘HIV is the best thing to ever happen to me because I can get help with my other problems.’ They had no history of health care before they came to us for help.”

Crinnin also took major strides to expand services to young people.

The program started with a support group for gay kids and, five years ago, expanded into the Q Center for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth. It’s located next to the agency’s main office. The services are targeted to teens at risk of suicide, dropping out of school, using drugs and engaging in reckless behavior because of the stigma attached to their sexual orientation.

The executive director of AIDS Community Resources downplays his accomplishments, calling his tenure an ongoing learning experience. But his peers say Crinnin is a model of caring, compassion and outstanding leadership.

Tom McKeown, a close friend of Crinnin since childhood and, coincidentally, the current leader of ARISE, said Crinnin is one of the most genuine persons he’s ever known. He credits his colleague with transforming ARISE from a small office with folding chairs and a cardboard box table to a thriving human services institution that currently employs more than 500 people.

During a boating trip nearly 50 years ago, McKeown fell into the water and panicked. He said Crinnin kept calm and pulled him out, saving McKeown’s life. “What I really respect is he’s reflective of what he does,” McKeown said. “He knows when to fight and when to have his dukes down and be approachable. He’s attentive to people and he notices everything around him. That skill has served him well.”

cover

with Q&A Michael Crinnin What Keeps Michael Crinnin Going?

At 65, the executive director of AIDS Community Resources has much to reflect on, but he also says there is plenty to look forward to. He says he hasn’t focused on retirement yet.

He shared a few thoughts about his longevity inside and outside of work.

Q: Over the years AIDS has claimed many of your friends. Has this job taken an emotional toll on you?

A: “I don’t want to say it hardens you, but death is something that is a part of this work. Every World AIDS day, it’s the one day of the year that I kind of let myself feel it. But every now and then it catches me, and I do have grief.”

Q: How do you stay healthy?

A: “I think I’ve got good genes. I’ve also been going to the gym five days a week. I like to get outside and walk at Onondaga Lake. I started doing the Empire State AIDS ride [bicycling event] when I was in my 50s. I had accidents — had two hips replaced and a broken femur. I went back into biking, but this time I’m riding a hybrid [made for trails and road]. “ Q: What about nutrition:

A: “I still eat like I’m 18 years old! I love to eat. I have very little portion control. I come from a big family, and we love to get together and eat. I love cheese, bread, peanut butter. Maybe those aren’t the best choices.”

Q: You’ve always worked at human service agencies. Why do you care about helping people?

A: “My parents set that example, and it’s the way that I was brought up. Life would be empty if you didn’t care.

That’s how I grew up.”

Q: How would you describe your generation?

A: “I’m proud to be part of the boomer generation. We have tons of idealism, and there are tons of boomers running nonprofit agencies. All of these people make this a better place to live. A lot of these people are a lot better than me, but I’m still proud to be part of a generation of people who had questions, who had ideals and who lived out those ideals.”

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hobby Canfield works at getting just the right shade of blue to apply to his paper in order to create the gradation for his background. Gradation is one of the eight building blocks of painting taught to Canfield while taking a workshop from Tony van Hasselt, in Florida.

A Master Watercolor Painter At 86, artist enjoys seeing his paintings being exhibited — never mind the fact that he never painted until his retirement about 20 years ago

By Debra Lupien Robillard

R

etired SUNY Oswego professor Robert Canfield, 86, never picked up a paintbrush until retiring from teaching 20 years ago. Now, he not only paints for pleasure, but he has also sold his watercolors, been commissioned to paint and has had his paintings on exhibit. Currently, his skillful pieces line the main hallway at St. Luke Health Services, in Oswego, as well as enhance the elegant décor of Bishop’s 30

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Commons, where he resides.

“Having Dr. Canfield’s artwork on display at Bishop’s Commons bring a personal touch to our décor while showcasing what a gifted painter he is,” Julie Chetney, senior living coordinator at Bishop’s Commons, said. “His artwork is warm and inviting for guests and visitors upon arriving into our residence; it is one of the first things that people see when they visit and shows that continued

interests and hobbies can improve to perfection at any age.”

Humble and unassuming, Canfield seemed surprised anyone would want to interview him about his “hobby.”

“I haven’t had any formal education [in art] at all,” he said.

“Everything I do I have learned on my own and through some workshops while living in Florida.”

Canfield said he does not know what actually sparked his interest

Robert Canfield said he does not know what actually sparked his interest in painting — it just appealed to him. He said he chose watercolor because of its simplicity and he did not want to invest a lot of money. in painting — it just appealed to him. He said he chose watercolor because of its simplicity and he did not want to invest a lot of money.

While he resists teaching the art form to anyone, he does like to reach out to the other residents at Bishop’s Commons, encouraging them to try any type of drawing or painting.

“I find a lot of people won’t get involved with painting because they don’t think they can draw a straight line,” Canfield said.

“If you can get them to do some simple [drawings], even it is it just a tree or something as simple as a triangle, it could evolve into someone using painting, not to sell, but to enhance their own life.”

Just like, he said, it has enriched his.

“There are really two parts of my life,” he said. “There is the education part, and since I retired, there is another part.”

Born in Buffalo, Canfield received his master’s degree in elementary education from Fredonia State College. He taught junior high school English for four years in Silver Creek in Western New York, before coming to Oswego in 1951 to teach at SUNY Oswego.

“I was a professor of reading education,” Canfield said. “I trained teachers how to teach reading and I was also the chairman of the reading education department.”

In 1982, he was awarded the Reading Educator Award from the New York State

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Canfield stands in front of three of the several watercolors he has painted which grace a main sitting area in Bishop’s Common’s, where he resides. When he is not painting, Canfield enjoys golfing and is also an active board member of the Friends of the Library as well as the Fulton Art Association, where his artwork has also been displayed.

Reading Association.

Upon retiring in 1983, the Canfields moved to Winter Haven, Fla., where he began to live out the artistic portion of his life.

Canfield joined art workshops with friends, remarking that many of them had some extremely good painters, one of which was Tony van Hasselt. There he learned about the eight building blocks of painting, which he uses today in his paintings. Canfield said they really make you think about the painting process. Before he himself starts any watercolor, he makes a black-and-white sketch first, which reveals to him the value of the darks and lights.

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While in Florida, Canfield said he also conducted several art exhibits for himself as well as other artists, which were very successful.

Canfield said he suffered a stroke while studying with van Hasselt, which left him with him with slight speech impairment and some difficulty with his mobility. He said it took quite some time to recover, but once he did, he continued to pursue his passion for watercolors.

In addition to their home in Winter Haven, the Canfields also had a summer home in Fair Haven, where they traveled to during the summer months.

Fair Haven, he said, is quite a little art community in itself.

“I enjoyed the people there,” Canfield said. “I learned some more about painting from them — again nothing formal, but I learned from my friends, who I still visit from time to time.”

The Canfields eventually moved to a duplex at Springside at Seneca Hill, where he had a room entirely devoted as a painting workshop.

There, he met Barbara Irwin, another watercolor painter, whom he said taught him some more technique.

Canfield said it was strange, but from the moment he began to paint, he felt there was a connection between his earlier profession and his art.

“When I first started to paint, I said to myself, ‘there is something familiar about this,’” he said.

“I recognized that everything I had read about art work pretty much said when you paint a picture, you need to have one thing stand out — a main idea.”

Much like a novel, he said, the main idea needs supporting images, color, dimensions and light.

As an example, Canfield pointed out one of his paintings on his living room wall, which features as its main idea the intriguing arches inside Old City Hall on Water Street in Oswego.

“In every picture I’ve painted, I have had to be conscious of

featuring one thing about it,” he said. “The rest of the things [in the paintings] are important details, but they are supporting the main idea.”

He described enthusiastically how much similarity there is between writing and painting.

“When you write something, you have a theme for each paragraph and you have supporting details or quotes to add to the main idea,” Canfield pointed out.

“Some main ideas you state at the beginning, sometimes at the end and sometimes in the middle.”

Sometimes not at all, he said, because the writer has done such a good job of describing the whole atmosphere or background, that the reader can infer the main idea.

“I was busy teaching teachers to do this with kids and that is where I recognized…the same thing that makes a composition in writing has much the same direction in painting.”

Canfield said he also realized very early in his painting career that “whether it is a composition you are listening to…whether you are reading something or whether you are looking at pictures, you are going to look for organization.”

As a painter, he said, you have to be aware of that and put that into the design of your picture.

Especially, he said, if you are creating realistic paintings, which is the genre Canfield typically paints.

Because of the connection he feels between words and art, Canfield likes to tie both together by writing a poem about what he has created in watercolor.

Flowers are one thing he likes to paint, not just for their beauty, but because they combine so many colors. Even though he has sold some paintings, he tends to give many away, and flowers are very popular, especially with women.

Currently, he has been commissioned to paint a picture of a client’s camp on a lake. He said the picture he is painting from is small and difficult to see a lot of the detail, so he is planning

on painting more than one picture for her to choose from.

Another project he is truly enjoying is painting iconic and majestic landmarks, such as Magic Mountain in California.

“I have never been to California to see Yosemite National Park and Magic Mountain,” he said. “It’s a beautiful mountain and I saw a picture of it and I painted it.”

He said he truly relished painting it and when he got through, he felt as if he had been there.

“You see, through art, you can be there,” Canfield said. “You get so involved …and can live it hypothetically through art that you can feel like you have been there.”

Right now, his son, Gary, who has been traveling across the United States, is in Alaska and has been sending Canfield emails and pictures of his travels. His other son, Donald, lives in Black Creek and also sends him beautiful images from that area. Canfield appreciates it as he said they are places he will probably never get to travel to.

“The Cascade Mountains, the Badlands, Yellowstone National Park,” he said. “It’s not likely I will ever get there, but I can paint from the pictures they send me and I feel like I have been there.”

Canfield has recently challenged himself by attempting to learn, understand and try to paint abstract pictures. Although he is not happy with his first attempts, he continues to push himself in order to get a grasp on what is a very different style of painting for him.

Canfield stressed how painting has become such a powerful part in his life. When his beloved wife of 62 years, Irene, became ill, eventually passing away in February, he said it was his painting that got him through.

“It’s a very good thing for people to have something, like I have painting, to take their mind off things they can’t control,” Canfield said. “For me, it was a very helpful activity to overcome the sadness and it is still helping me.”

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grandparenting

Linda Campbell of Syracuse poses with her granddaughter Kieasha. Campbell thought her child-rearing days were behind her when 12 years ago, she suddenly found herself with a newborn to raise—her granddaughter Kieasha.

Raising Grandchildren As more grandparents raise their grandkids, they say their new role brings rewards but also a good amount of stress

By Matthew Liptak

B

eing a grandparent can bring a great deal of joy but for those who raise their grandchildren that joy is usually mixed with other feelings: stress and concern.

The role of being a parent a second time around is one that many grandparents in the U.S. are filling today and Central New York is no exception.

“I think it’s always been an issue because there’s always been grandparents raising grandchildren but definitely the statistics I’ve seen in the past five years—it’s definitely gone up,” said Ellen Breslau, editor-in-chief of grandparents.com. “The number of

grandparents raising grandchildren definitely has increased every year.

Now you’ve got two and half million grandparents raising grandchildren.

That’s not a small number.”

Breslau finds that grandparents often fall into three categories.

“You’ve got grandparents who are caregivers, who just help out and the parents live with them; then you got grandparents who take care of the children but they don’t have legal rights and; then you’ve got grandparents who’ve actually adopted their grandchildren and they have the legal right to watch the grandchildren,” she said.

Linda Campbell is one of the latter. She is a 61-year-old Syracuse resident who works as a property manager for the Syracuse Housing Authority. She thought her childrearing days were behind her, when, 12 years ago, she suddenly found herself with a newborn to raise—her granddaughter Kieasha.

“I had a lot of mixed feelings because my youngest child had gone to college and she was out of the house,” Campbell said. “I had been footloose and fancy free for probably a year and a half and it was kind of like what am I doing this for? It was a real Continued on page 37 October / November 2012 - 55 PLUS

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55 PLUS - October / November 2012

grandparenting Continued from page 35 struggle to come to grips with having not just a child, but like a newborn baby in the house and I thought, oh my gosh, this is not going to work — but it has.”

There are many reasons more and more grandparents are caring for and raising their grandkids these days. Breslau runs into the reasons regularly, as she gets emails from readers and because grandparents. com has an active online forum called with over 1,600 members.

“I think there are lots of different reasons for this — anything from the economy, more families are living under one roof because they are having trouble making ends meet and they are combining their incomes, to the fact that in many cases there is a socioeconomic divide here,” Breslau said. “Among lower-income families there is a higher level of grandparents caring for grandchildren.”

For Campbell it was because her son and daughter-in-law were unable to raise Kieasha.

“They couldn’t cope with being parents,” Campbell said. “She was a very sick child. She was a premature baby. She was very sick. They had real issues with making sure things were going well with her. She was taken away from them and placed with me.”

Like most living situations, this one has its ups and downs, Campbell said At first, isolation was a problem for her because her peers had already raised their children and they just weren’t on the same wavelength any more.

Kieasha has ups and downs, too, Campbell said.

“There are days when she is really happy about it,” Campbell said. “She says ‘If it hadn’t been for you I don’t know where I’d be.’ But then there are days when she’s like ‘How come my mother and father didn’t come and get me?’”

Researchers have taken an interest in the trend of grandparents raising grandchildren. Carol Musil, a professor of nursing at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, noticed the phenomena of more grandmothers raising grandchildren back in the 1990s so she began to

study it.

“I’ve been doing studies since 1996, grandmothers as caregivers,” Musil said. “Typically what we’ve done is we’ve looked at grandmothers raising grandchildren and compared them to grandmothers in multigenerational homes and grandmothers who live in separate residences from the grandchildren.”

What has she concluded from all this research? For one thing, grandmothers raising grandchildren definitely tend to have a tougher time than grandmothers who don’t have that responsibility.

“The grandmothers who are raising grandchildren without any adult parents in the home have more stress,” Musil said. “They report more strain within the family. They have more depressive symptoms. They have worse health. They rate their health as being worse. They tend to report more problems in the way they see their families as operating.”

It may be surprising, but Musil’s studies have also found that raising a child gets easier on the grandmother as the grandmother gets older. In other words, a grandmother raising an 8-year-old child has a harder time if she is 45 than if she is 65. The reason is a simple one.

“What a lot of the grandmothers say, particularly as they get older, [is] in some ways being older gives the grandmother’s an edge on wisdom,” Musil said. “They have more wisdom.

They have more patience in some

ways. They’re more experienced.”

But wisdom isn’t the only help out there. There is some government financial support for grandparents raising their grandchildren. There is also social support. This can come in many forms but one of the most helpful seems to be support groups.

If you can find one, that is.

“Based on how big a problem this is there are not enough support groups and resources out there,” Breslau said. “They are fragmented and some of them are regional. If you are a grandparent looking for support it’s not easy to find...it’s hard to find.

Campbell was in luck. She found a vibrant support group in Syracuse with over 20 members.

“It was a real godsend for me because I didn’t have anybody to talk to about what it felt like to raise a grandchild or how disappointed I would be in my son. Once I had the support group there were grandparents who were there who were going through the same thing.”

And Campbell has found something else — that Musil’s studies show most other grandmothers have found too — the joy and satisfaction in raising your grandchild.

“Sometimes you have to wonder ‘What am I here for in life?’” Campbell said. “Well I think I know what I’m here for. She’s going to be a great person and that’s my responsibility.”

For more information on the support group in Syracuse call Rita Fratto at 315-470-4372.

Grandparents Association in the works G r a n d p a r e n t s . c o m h a s grandkids the site wanted to create been around since 2007. something different so Originally it was designed this fall the Grandparents as a site limited to helping Association will become a grandparents find activities to reality. It is planned to be do with their grandchildren. an organization serving As of Sept. 9, Grandparents grandparents raising their Day, it has become a lifestyle grandchildren that will s i t e f o r g r a n d p a re n t s , include a guide to state-byincluding everything from state grandparent rights, money, health and family legal advice, support group re l a t i o n s h i p a d v i c e t o listings and, as Editor-Inrecipes.

Chief Ellen Breslau said “a But for those grandplace for people to share p a r e n t s r a i s i n g t h e i r Breslau their stories.”

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golden years

By Harold Miller Email: hal@cny55.com

Auburn’s Renaissance

A

s the 20th century dawned, Auburn was already one of the major hubs of manufacturing in America.

International Harvester was the world’s largest manufacturer of farm machinery — its facilities stretched over 20 acres within the bustling city. A spin-off, Columbian Rope Co., would go on to become the nation’s major supplier of hemp rope. American Locomotive (ALCO) invented and produced the first diesel/electric locomotive and was the world’s leader in stationary steam engines. Dunn and McCarthy, one of the country’s top producers of high quality shoes, featured the iconic Enna Jettick brand (the Gucci shoe of its day).

Later would come General Electric’s expansive semi-conductor facility; and in 1950 Remington Air Conditioning Division moved its operation to Auburn.

At the turn of the 21st century

Auburn had become a ghost town with abandoned factories everywhere, and empty stores and office buildings on the main thoroughfare. This once beautiful city in the heart of the Finger Lakes suffered the same fate as all of the other towns and cities in Upstate New York along the rust belt. High taxes, high utility rates, and high labor rates have driven business and industry offshore, and to southern cities and towns. The only major manufacturer left is McQuay (successor to Remington).

Fortunately, this community is blessed with a group of highly successful businessmen, entrepreneurs, and philanthropists who have rolled up their sleeves and launched a campaign to return Auburn to something resembling its former state.

John Bisognano was a poor immigrant who settled in Auburn at the turn of the 20th century. In order to scratch out a living he acquired a

horse and wagon and start delivering fruits and vegetables house-by-house during the day, and coal (which he obtained from railroad car spills) by night. John Bisgrove (he later changed his surname because no one could pronounce Bisognano) went on to build Red Star trucking company into the largest regional trucking firm in the country. His sons took over operation of the company when their father retired and sold it in 1984. At that juncture both brothers decided to devote their lives to investing the fortunes they derived from the sale of Red Star to help people in need and aiding the community that fostered their personal wealth.

Jack and Jerry Bisgrove founded the Stardust Foundation of Central New York in 2007 (the name derived from the financial dust that emanated from the sale of Red Star). Together they have pledged $15 million to support community organizations for health care, education, youth

Opened in July, the Hilton Gardens Inn in Auburn is a 92-room facility, complete with conference center, two restaurants, a fitness center and other amenities. The new project is seen as part of an economic renaissance that the author says it’s taking place in Auburn.

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care, arts and architecture, plus many other needs in the quest to improve the quality and life in Auburn and Cayuga County.

The Stardust Foundation also partnered with other philanthropic organizations, including the Emerson Foundation and the Allyn Foundation.

A significant portion of their investment will be used to refurbish and rebuild the downtown area. The first major project is “Aubu rn’s Creative Corridor” which is a renovation of abandoned buildings and eyesores on State Street into a charming block of shops and offices with architecture that melds the Auburn of yesteryear with the functionality of today. The centerpiece of the corridor includes the Stardust Entrepreneurial Institute, an incubator facility for new businesses, and Auburn Musical Theater, which will combine with Merry-Go-Round Playhouse at Emerson Park in order to bring theater to downtown once again.

Michael J. Falcone, founder of the Pioneer Companies and an Auburn native, is also an important part of Auburn’s renaissance. Beyond owning and renovating some of the buildings along the Creative Corridor, Falcone and a cadre of local entrepreneurs and businessman have developed a new guest facility that anchors the project. The Hilton Gardens Inn is a 92-room facility, complete with conference center, two restaurants, a fitness center, a heated pool, and Hilton’s signature outdoor courtyard bordering the Owasco River. It opened in July.

Research conducted by the Stardust Foundation indicates that there is a need for an upscale hotel and conference center in the heart of the Finger Lakes. Shermans Travel, a widely respected New York City review and rating agency, rates the Finger Lakes region as, “The No. 1 Lakeside Retreat in the World.”

Tourism is increasing in the Finger Lakes, it is a bright spot in our economy, and Auburn is the center of activity.

I have been an integral part of the Stardust Foundation as well as a partner in the new Hilton Gardens Inn. It is very gratifying to witness the infrastructure that has been created for the rebirth of Auburn. A foundation has been laid, and perhaps in the

future our children and grandchildren will not have to leave the Queen City of the Finger Lakes in order to seek their fortune.

Culture Crisis Strikes Many Chords My last column — “Our Culture Crisis” — drew more response than ever before. People stopped me on the street, and it was the topic of discussion at most of the social gatherings we attended. It is gratifying to see the wide readership that this magazine has.

All of the reactions were positive save one email sent by a retired teacher who described the column “as being politically biased and out of character for 55 Plus.”

To this I respond that our burgeoning welfare state and the degradation of the current generation has been growing for many years, and has existed under many government administrations. Neither liberals nor conservatives can take the blame (or the credit). As the writer stated, “[the columnist] is also no lover of our government, which, although certainly inefficient, is still of, by, and for the people. It is, after all, ‘us.’”

Mary H. submitted a typical response; “I read your article today in the 55 Plus magazine. It was right on! My sentiments exactly. You said everything that I have also felt or said. It makes me sad to see what is happening to our country and how so many Americans look and are behaving. I live in Syracuse and I see it every day. I see what is happening to the north side of Syracuse and it upsets me I see it at work and the total lack of a work ethic our young people have. I see how sloppy, fat and lazy, so many people have become. I even saw a lady purchase a $50 cake with her white benefits card. This was at our now-closed Wegmans on Pond Street.

Anyways, I thoroughly enjoyed your article and will pass it on to my friends.”

I believe that we seniors have an explicit obligation to the younger generations in our families to mentor and guide them and pass on the wisdom and experiences of our years.

That is why this article was written, and my readers are likely to see more of it in the future.

55 PLUS

Central New York’s first publication to celebrate life after 55. Don’t miss out future issues. Focus on health, finances, travel, housing, family, leisure.

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leadership

Brewing Beer for 123 Years Surprise lessons from the owners of a familyowned business: family that doesn’t stay together makes the most successful enterprises

By Patricia J. Malin

A

s the third consecutive generation to operate the more-than-century-old F.X. Matt Brewing Co. in Utica, Nick Matt has a surprising perspective on what makes a family business thrive.

It’s the family that doesn’t stay together that makes the most successful enterprises.

Matt, the chairman of the board and CEO, believed in getting his feet wet in an outside business first before being entrusted with the family jewels. It’s true, too, with his nephew, Fred Matt, now president of the company, and next in the line of succession at Matt Brewery.

As a young man, Nick never envisioned himself taking charge of the brewing business founded by his grandfather, Francis Xavier (F.X.) Matt, 123 years ago.

Reflecting back on the days when he was a top executive at Vicks pharmaceutical company and living in Connecticut, the now 66-year-old Matt said, “I never thought I would come back to Utica.”

“I worked here as a kid, of course,” he explained during a recent interview in the brewery’s 1888 Tavern on Varick Street, on Utica’s historic west side.

“But I left to go to school, and it wasn’t until 20 years later that I came back.”

It wasn’t just family ties that brought him back. In the late 1980s, the brewery was literally staring at the bottom of the barrel. It was enough to make Schultz and Dooley — the 40

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“talking” steins (voiced by comedian Jonathan Winters) — that brought the brewery to regional fame among TV viewers in the 1950s and 60s, tipsy with fright.

The younger generation was needed to breathe new life into the home of Utica Club beer. It’s hard to imagine that today’s robust microbrewery was struggling back then, but times were extremely rocky in 1989.

“If it wasn’t for Saranac [beer], we wouldn’t be sitting here today,” Matt said. “The business was in trouble and potentially, the brewery could have been sold. But the family wasn’t in favor of that. We’re proud that we survived. It’s unusual today in the brewing industry — and in any industry overall, to have four or five generations in one company.”

The concept of hitching the brewery to a premium brand — an award-winning star at that — put Matt Brewery back on tap.

Saranac, brewed with pure water from the foothills of the Adirondacks, has since gone big-time, winning converts nationwide for its variety of tastes, while enhancing Matt Brewery’s reputation as a small, but high-class craft brewer.

“We couldn’t compete with Busch or Coors on price or quantity,” said Matt. “They’re heavily advertised... but with Saranac we can compete. It’s perceived as better.”

It all started in 1880 when F.X. Matt, the founder, left Germany for Central New York. He had been a

brewing student of the Duke of Baden.

F.X. worked as head brewmaster at the Charles Bierbauer brewery in Utica.

F.X. Matt later took over the brewery and renamed it The West End Brewing Company in 1888.

Matt has vague memories of his grandfather, who died when Nick was 11. “He was a very vital man and he lived until he was 99.”

Matt remembers hearing tales about the patriarch’s work ethic. “He used to get up at 5 in the morning and go to the office,” he said. “Later he would go out and sell accounts. He would say the only thing that stopped him from working all night was that ‘my horse got tired.’”

Like anxious princes in waiting, Nick’s father, Walter and his uncle, Frank,, served many years learning the ropes under their temperamental father. After F.X.’s death, Walter and Frank took over brewery operations.

Walter was president from 1951 to 1980. His son, F.X. Matt II, was president from 1980-89 and chairman from 1989 until his sudden death in 2001.

“I’m sure there were some difficult moments for my father,” said Nick Matt, who decided he would rather not follow that same path in the family business. “He was here his entire life.

I never worked for him and I only worked here a few summers, but he did pass on some of the wisdom he gained from experience.”

The youngest of five children, Matt grew up on Pleasant Street on the Parkway in Utica. Two of his older brothers are deceased. His brother, Kemper Matt, 11 years older, still owns a graphics company in Syracuse.

He also has a sister.

Nick attended local elementary schools, but after just one year at Utica Free Academy, he was sent to Canterbury Prep School in Connecticut.

Matt later attended Union College, then enlisted in the Navy. A lieutenant, he spent three years aboard aircraft carriers based in Rhode Island and Charleston, S.C. After his stint in the service, Matt returned to Utica and briefly worked at the now-defunct Marine Midland

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Nick Matt with the stein collection that includes Schultz and Dooley.

Bank downtown before entering Johnson School of Management at Cornell University.

After earning his MBA, he got a job in marketing and branding with Richardson-Merrill (it became Richardson-Vicks when it was acquired by Procter & Gamble). He settled down in Darien, Conn., with his wife, Susan, and raised his family there for 16 years.

Matt eventually became general manager and president of the marketing division at Vick’s Health Care. He was successful on his own terms and didn’t miss the brewery business.

Matt really didn’t feel there was a niche for him at the then-Utica Club Brewery. “My brother [F.X. Matt II] was in charge and Kemper led the sales department,” he said. “There was my brother-in-law, Frank Owens,

and a cousin, Bob Welch, who ran the financial side. All the major positions were covered.”

“I had no intention of coming back here after business school, although I observed the brewery from afar,” he recalled. “I think I had high aspirations for myself.”

His opinion changed in 1989. Matt didn’t consider it a great sacrifice to return to his roots, explaining that it was perhaps harder on his wife, who was active in the Darien community (and likewise today in greater Utica), and his children, who were ages 8, 10 and 12.

“It wasn’t as big a change for me as it was for my wife,” he said. “She doesn’t get enough credit.”

Nor does Matt claim credit for the turnaround at Matt Brewery. “I’d like to say that when I walked in, it got better immediately, but it wasn’t,” he

said, laughing.

“But we did decide to change the focus of the company to Saranac. Up until then we were selling Utica Club and Matt’s beer. It wasn’t until 1991 that we came out with the original Saranac Adirondack Lager, and then it won a gold medal at the Great American Brew Festival. We figured that if we had a product that was that good, then we should go for it.”

In 2008, Matt became chairman and CEO and embarked on greater development of the Saranac brand.

Today, it includes 1888 Tavern Root Beer, other sodas and lemonade.

Saranac’s line of “craft” beers has expanded substantially, introducing about 30 new products in the last two decades.

In May 2012, Matt Brewing Co. won seven medals at the Australian International Beer Awards.

Matt has taken a step back since turning over day-to-day operations to his nephew. Fred, 52, got his start in business outside the brewery too, in what looks like a winning formula.

He received an MBA from the Simon School of Business and previously worked as an account supervisor for Grey Advertising in New York City.

Though Fred represents the fourth generation to run the brewery, there are no plans to bring other family members into the fold, yet. Nick has three grown children who live outside New York state, with careers and families of their own. Fred also has three children, the eldest in college.

“We don’t want them working here if they’re not qualified or experienced,” Matt said.

However, Nick is still interested in improving the present product. He is now focused on the construction of a $4.4 million anaerobic-digesting plant next door to the brewery on Court Street. It will allow the Brewery to recycle the waste from its products to generate heat and electricity, and reduce its dependence on National Grid almost entirely.

One can imagine Schultz and Dooley sitting on the shelf now and happily foreseeing a bubbly future for Matt Brewery.

October / November 2012 - 55 PLUS

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55+

visits 10 Ways to Experience the Pittsburgh Renaissance

The Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh is a living museum with an historic Victorian glasshouse. It’s one of our top 10 attractions in the city.

By Sandra Scott

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ittsburgh transformed itself from a dirty industrial city to a clean, green happening place noted for its excellent universities, renowned hospitals and great things to see and do. It has been named one of America’s most livable cities. And “National Geographic” placed Pittsburgh as one of the best places in the world to visit on its “Best of the World” list. Located at the confluence of the Monongahela, Allegheny and Ohio rivers Pittsburgh is often referred to as the “City of Bridges.”

1 – A bus tour: The Pittsburgh Bus Tour with hop-on hop-off at 21 stops gives a good overview of the city and its sights with interesting side notes. Visitors may find it cheaper than taking taxis, which are not 42

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always easy to find, plus it’s more convenient than looking for a place to park. Gateway Clipper offers a variety of river cruises, including a one-hour narrated sightseeing trip.

Check out their PediCab service for a private tour.

2 – The view: Get a spectacular view of the city from the Duquesne Incline. Completed in 1877, the 800foot funicular is one of two remaining.

At one time there were 15 or more that were used to ease the commute from hillside communities to the workplace. It has been voted one of the “Top 10 Cityscape Viewing Sites in the World” by USA Today. There is a museum at the top detailing the city’s history.

3 – Heinz History Center: An affiliate of the Smithsonian, the history center is the perfect place to learn about

local history from its beginnings to the present day along with Pittsburghers who made history. Pittsburgh is the home of many firsts, including first jeep design, the first Ferris wheel, and where the polio vaccine was first tested on the public. One area is devoted to a sports museum. The Fort Pitt Museum, located in historic Point State Park, is also part of the Heinz History Center.

4 – Carnegie Museums: Two of Pittsburgh’s Carnegie museums are on one site: art and natural history.

The art museum has an outstanding contemporary art collection and you don’t have to be a kid to be awed by dinosaurs. Also part of the Carnegie at a different site is the Andy Warhol Museum dubbed the “art-that-dares museum.” It is one of the few museums dedicated to a single artist. Warhol, a Pittsburgher, is

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considered one of the founding fathers of pop art. Pay homage to him and leave a memento — a tomato soup can, perhaps — at his burial site at St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Cemetery.

5 – Sporting time: Pittsburgh and sports are synonymous with winners like the Steelers, Pirates and Penguins. Pittsburgh is truly a “City of Champions.” And, even the fans are champions when it comes to tailgating. Besides football, hockey and baseball, sports fans can watch the Pittsburgh Panthers basketball and other sporting events.

What’s ahead for you?

DANIEL R. CUDDY

Moving into retirement means adopting a new perspectiveand learning new ways to manage your money.

Partner with Dan Cuddy to create a plan that works for you- so you can get to where you want to be in retirement.

Call or e-mail Dan today for a no-cost, no-obligation retirement consultation.

7 William Street Auburn, NY 13021 315∙252∙3600 dcuddy@cuddyfinancial.com www.cuddyfinancial.com

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CPA, CFP� *Advisory Representative

Project HERRS assists women

with taking charge of their sexual health through HIV/STD risk reduction educational services and support. Empower yourself and GET TESTED!

Call AIDS Community Resources 6 – The Strip District: Enjoy a Pittsburgh sandwich stuffed with French fries or gourmet dining but all foodies will head to the Strip District to sample a variety of homemade food brought to the city by the ethnic groups who immigrated to the city over the years. Try Italian mele, Polish perogies, Syrian hummus, and more.

Take a guided culinary tour with Burgh Bits and Bites.

at 1.800.475.2430 to talk to a Women’s Advocate.

7 – Kidsburgh: Pittsburgh is truly a fun destination for kids. Besides the dinosaur exhibit at the Carnegie, the Science Center has Roboworld, the world’s largest permanent exhibit of robotics. The Children’s Museum has been rated one of the 10 best children’s October / November 2012 - 55 PLUS

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museums; the zoo and aquarium are home to 400 species, and Kennywood Park boasts thrilling rides.

8 – Nature: Pittsburgher Rachel Carson would be thrilled with today’s Pittsburgh. Visit the National Aviary where daily events include learning about penguins and more than 800 birds. The Botanical Gardens is a living museum with an historic Victorian glasshouse. Enjoy the river from a sightseeing cruise on the Gateway Clipper or rent a kayak to explore on your own. There are 22 miles of scenic riverfront trails, and Schenley Park has been named one of America’s Coolest City Parks.

9 – The new Whiskey Rebellion: President Harry Truman called the Whiskey Rebellion one of the six turning points in American history.

Today it is possible to pay homage to Phillip Wigle and the Whiskey Rebellion and the new Wigle Distillery where the tour includes both the history of the Rebellion and the making of whiskey.

10 – Unique: Stop by Old St. Peter ’s Church to see the Holy or Kneeling Stairs, one of only three replicas in the world of the original steps taken by Jesus his way to trial before Pontius Pilate. Favorite evening spots include the church that is now the Church Brew Works or the one that is the Altar Night Club. Take note of the Bridge of Sighs similar to the one in Venice, Italy, which at one time was used to transport prisoners from the Allegheny Court House to the jail.

There is plenty more to experience including the famed Frick Museum with its Art at Noon, a series of free informative talks that related to current exhibits. Visit the Pittsburgh Glass Center featuring glassblowing demonstrations. The architecture of the city is highlighted in several self-guided walking tours that can be downloaded from the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation website. There are plenty of seasonal festivals, performing arts and great nightlife.

For more information log onto visitpittsburgh.com or call toll-free 800-359-0758.

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Jersey Boys to Debut at Landmark Theatre Oct. 9

T

ickets are on sale now at the Landmark Theatre box office for the Syracuse premiere engagement of the Tony, Grammy and Olivier award-winning hit musical Jersey Boys. The play will be at the Landmark Theatre Oct. 9-28.

Jersey Boys is the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons: Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi.

This is the story of how a group of blue-collar boys from the wrong side of the tracks became one of the biggest American pop music sensations of all time. They wrote their own songs, invented their own sound and sold 175 million records worldwide — all before they were 30.

Jersey Boys is part of the 2012-2013 Famous Artists Broadway Theater Series.

Directed by two-time Tony Awardwinner Des McAnuff, Jersey Boys won the 2006 Tony Award for Best Musical, the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album, the 2009 Olivier Award for Best New Musical, the 2010 Helpmann Award for Best Musical (Australia), and continues to break box office records on Broadway and across North America.

Jersey Boys worldwide has been seen by approximately 14 million people.

Jersey Boys is written by Academy award-winner Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe and choreography

by Sergio Trujillo.

Jersey Boys opened at the August Wilson Theatre on Broadway to critical acclaim on Nov. 6, 2005. The Jersey Boys first national tour opened to rave reviews in San Francisco Dec. 1, 2006, played a record-breaking run in Los Angeles and is still breaking house records in cities across North America.

There are six current productions of Jersey Boys worldwide: New York, London, Las Vegas, Auckland, New Zealand and two U.S. national tours.

Catch a sneak peek of Jersey Boys! Log on to www.JerseyBoysTour. com/watch.

Tickets for the show begin at $30 and are available at The Landmark Theatre, Famous Artists and all Ticketmaster locations. For information on groups, call Famous Artists at 315-424-8210.

For other information, visit www.JerseyBoysTour.com, www.

FamousArtistsBroadway.com or call the Landmark Theatre box office at 315-475-7980.

To catch a sneak peek of Jersey Boys! Log on to www.JerseyBoysTour. com/watch.

Many Americans Die With ‘Virtually No Financial Assets’

I

t is a central worry of many Americans: not having enough money to live comfortably in old age. Now an innovative paper co-authored by an MIT economist shows that a large portion of America’s older population has very little savings in bank accounts, stocks and bonds, and dies “with virtually no financial assets” to their names.

Indeed, about 46 percent of senior citizens in the United States have less than $10,000 in financial assets when they die. Most of these people rely almost totally on Social Security payments as their only formal means of support, according to the newly published study, co-authored by James Poterba of MIT, Steven Venti of Dartmouth College, and David A. Wise of Harvard University.

That means many seniors have almost no independent ability to withstand financial shocks, such as expensive medical treatments that may not be covered by Medicare or Medicaid, or other unexpected, costly events.

“There are substantial groups that have basically no financial cushion as they are reaching their latest years,” says Poterba, the Mitsui Professor of Economics at MIT. However, the study — one of the first to examine Americans’ end-of-life finances — also reveals a diversity of outcomes among senior citizens. Between 1993 and 2008, it found, unmarried older individuals had median wealth of about $165,000 roughly a year before they died — a figure that includes current and future Social Security income, job-related pension benefits, home equity and financial assets. In the same period, the median wealth for continuously married senior citizens, roughly a year before they died, was more than $600,000.

“There is a lot of divergence

Study shows single elderly faring worse than married couples in how people are doing,” Poterba says. Those disparities also complicate the public-policy issues relating to the new findings.

“One of the clear messages is that it is very hard to do a onesize-fits-all retirement policy,” Poterba says. “We need to recognize that, for example, if we were to substantially reduce Social Security benefits for those later in life, that there is a share of the elderly households for whom that would translate very directly into reduced income, because they seem to have accumulated little in the way of financial resources.”

The paper appears as a chapter in a book edited by Wise — “Investigations in the Economics of Aging” — newly published by the University of Chicago Press.

The three paths to retirement While much attention has been paid to how much wealth people should aim to accumulate at the time of retirement, this study focuses on the evolution of that wealth during retirement, right up until death. The idea, as Poterba puts it, was “instead of looking at these people going into retirement, why don’t we try looking late in the game, and see how it all came out.”

The research in question draws from data collected in the health and retirement study (HRS), an ongoing survey that follows people throughout their retirement years, thus providing data on their wealth over time; it is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and based at the University of Michigan.

Poterba, Venti and Wise focused their study on people who were 70

and older in 1993, when the HRS began, and examined data running through 2008. This enabled them to track levels of wealth prior to the participants’ deaths, over an extended period. People were surveyed every two years, which means that on average, those who passed away between 1993 and 2008 were last studied roughly one year before their deaths. The researchers identified three main “pathways,” running between the early years of retirement and death, for the households in the survey: those consisting of one person who remained single until death; married individuals who outlive their spouses and die single; and married individuals who die before their spouses.

The three pathways tend to produce very different financial outcomes for the elderly. Married couples, for one thing, are better able to mitigate the financial burdens of old age. Among retirees in the study, 52 percent who were single had annual incomes of less than $20,000 and less than $10,000 in other financial assets; by contrast, just 36 percent of single people who started out in twoperson households at retirement fell below those levels, and only 26 percent of people in two-person households fit that description.

“There really is a key distinction between what it looks like for the married [couples] and the singles,” says Poterba, who is also the current president of the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER).

The study also revealed a “strong correspondence” between wealth in 1993 and the length of time that people lived. That relationship held true across a variety of asset classes: People whose homes were worth more, who had larger retirement incomes, and who had more financial savings all tended to live longer than those who had fewer assets.

While there is, Poterba observes, a “very active debate” among social scientists about the precise causal relationship between wealth and health, the study helps confirm, he notes, that “the patterns of health status in these years are quite persistent.”

October / November 2012 - 55 PLUS

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Meet Bob Laubach continued from p. 25

“Sometimes you can get discouraged,” he explained. “There are still two or three billion illiterates. If I lived to be 1,000 years old, then maybe we’d have a completely literate world.

We still have 40 million Americans who cannot read,” he said.

According to ProLiteracy’s website, the effects of low literacy cost the United States at least $225 billion a year in terms of non-productivity in the work force, crime, and the loss of tax revenue due to unemployment.

ProLiteracy currently has ongoing projects in 31 countries. Laubach’s interest in the printing press at a young age planted the seeds for a financially viable institution: The bulk of the nonprofit agency’s revenues, about $6 million, are generated by sales of its publications, while $2.56 million come from foundations and corporate sponsors, and $814,086 from

various other contributors, according to ProLiteracy’s most current annual report.

In addition to producing pub licat ions for new readers, ProLiteracy also coordinates regional and national conferences on literacy, and oversees training programs or program partnerships in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and in 30 different nations.

Laubach, a widower with four children and seven grandchildren, maintains that traveling often has been the secret to his longevity. In recent months he visited Florida, California and British Columbia.

This summer, he’ll be in Germany. All told, he’s been to about 80 different countries in his lifetime.

“But with Belgium Congo, Zaire, and now the Congo Republic, I count them as three different countries

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55 PLUS - October / November 2012

even though it’s the same place,” he quipped.

When he’s not somewhere else, Laubach spends his free time photographing Central New York’s beautiful landscapes. He’s especially proud of his Green Lakes photos that he used to create greeting cards. He also loves to read, naturally, and hails Ernest Hemingway as his favorite author of all time.

“He developed a whole new way of telling a story,” Laubach said. “He was very simple and direct. He was a great journalist and an influence on so many writers.”

Laubach says continuing to work keeps his brain healthy. He exercises by walking a fair amount while traveling, and maintains a reasonably healthy diet. He said his other secret to longevity is drinking beer — “root beer.”

He spends about two to three hours a day on the computer, usually in relation to his “News for You” weekly publication. The Internet, Laubach says, has allowed ProLiteracy to reach people all over the world. The potential for using this powerful tool to eventually education millions or even billions of people across the globe is staggering.

“For us it’s a fairly new development that people all over the world are reading it,” he said.

“We’re just getting to the digital age.

It’s pretty exciting to think about the future.”

Laubach’s co-workers hail “Dr. Bob” as the reigning champ of adult literacy and an extremely warm, caring and charismatic individual.

“Like his father, he has inspired people to become part of this historymaking work,” said Jane Hugo, ProLiteracy’s vice president of programs and professional services.

“He loves people, travel, and meeting new people. When he attends ProLiteracy’s national conference or visits local programs during his travels, it wouldn’t be unusual for him to wear his ‘signature’ red sport coat and to have a camera around his neck so he can take pictures of the people he meets. He makes sure that he sends copies of the pictures to those people along with a note of appreciation and encouragement to continue to their literacy work.”

consumers corner

By Eva Briggs

A Condition Called ‘Polypharmacy’ Some people take a medicine for so long they’ve forgotten why they started it in the first place

I

doubt that there is a Guinness world record category for the greatest number of medicines taken regularly by a single patient, but I’ve certainly had patients who might have been contenders, with two or even three page lists of medicines. It’s a condition called polypharmacy and it’s often a problem in this country, where over 40 percent of adults age 65 and older take five or more medicines.

For some people with multiple medical problems all those drugs are necessary.

Sometimes, one has to wonder: How can one person accumulate so many medicines?

First, there is the mindset that if a person has a symptom, something must be done right away. Heath care provider and patient alike often expect that the something is a pill.

Most doctors, physician assistants and nurse practitioners want to help patients. Our training stresses what drugs fix which condition. After all, pharmaceutical companies are in the business of studying when to start medicines, not when to discontinue them. No one is going to fund a study that determines when to stop prescribing a medicine. It’s often easier to prescribe a medicine than to spend time counseling about diet, exercise, and other lifestyle changes. And for busy people, a pill can seem more convenient than time-consuming treatments like physical therapy.

There is a strong inertia factor.

Once a medicine is started, people often continue the medicine forever if they feel better. The original condition for which the medicine was prescribed is gone, but no one wants to rock the boat and find out whether something bad will happen if the medicine is stopped.

Some people take a medicine for so long they’ve forgotten why they started it in the first place.

Multiple providers and multiple pharmacies compound the

problem. When a specialist, emergency doctor or urgent care provider, doesn’t know all your medicines, he might prescribe drugs that interact or duplicate existing medicines.

An astute pharmacy might pick that up, but if you shop at several pharmacies, the pharmacist at any one store won’t get the complete picture. So write down every medicine that you take, every supplement, every overthe-counter drug, and show that list to everyone who treats you.

As people age, our body physiology changes, altering how we metabolize and excrete drugs. Kidney function declines.

Body fat percentage increases and muscle mass declines. The risk of side effects and drug interactions increases. Adverse drug reactions may cause as many as 20 percent of geriatric hospital admissions.

There are ways to reduce polypharmacy. First, clean out old medicines from the medicine cabinet and throw them away. Next, review each current medicine. The patient, or caretaker for those with mental or memory impairment, should learn the name of each medicine and what it’s treating.

Then review the goal of treatment: Pain reduction? Staying functional?

Reducing health risks? Think about whether the medicine is achieving the goal, about side effects, and whether the medicine is actually being taken as prescribed. Review the data with your health care provider, and determine whether any medicines can be discontinued or replaced by safer alternatives.

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druger’s zoo

By Marvin Druger

14 Things I’ve Learned About Grandchildren

A

s a newly married couple in June 1957, my wife, Pat, and I never thought about having grandchildren.

Indeed, even having children was not high on our newly-married agenda.

We wanted to be exclusively with each other, and I didn’t want to share our love with any baby intruder. Also, we were told that having children was an expensive proposition and we started our marriage in poverty. Eventually, we had three children and never thought much about them growing to be adults and getting married and having children of their own. Now, we have seven grandchildren, ranging in age from 3 to 21 years old.

Here are 14 things that I’ve learned about grandchildren: 1 — Every individual is unique and has special talents, needs and pathways in life. This applies to grandchildren as well as every other living thing. Each of us is the product of heredity and environment.

Identical twins who have the same genes cannot possibly have the same environment, so even identical twins are different. So, it’s important to treat your grandchildren as unique individuals with special talents.

Don’t try to fashion them in your image of what you’d like to see them become as adults, but help your grandchildren identify and nurture their unique talents and interests. Grandchildren seem more likely to respond to suggestions from Grandma and Grandpa than from their parents. If you have good advice to offer, grandchildren are likely to consider it.

2 — Grandchildren tend to be more respectful of grandparents than they are of their parents. My grandchildren tolerate my idiosyncrasies very well.

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One granddaughter had a habit of very frequently saying “Are you serious?” I made her aware of this habit and I said, “I don’t have any speech defects.” She responded, “Yes you do. You talk too much!”

3 — Grandchildren tend to be rather condescending in their attitude toward Grandma and Grandpa.

They tend to view us as old people who are out of touch with the modern world, which is mostly true.

Grandchildren think they know everything, and are willing to educate their aging grandparents. When I gave a poetry reading to the class of my granddaughter who was 9 years old, the teacher presented me with a gift of a digital photo frame. I looked at it with bewilderment. My granddaughter saw my consternation, and she quickly offered, “Don’t worry Grandpa. I’ll show you how to use it.”

4 — Grandchildren can be expensive for grandparents. We contributed substantially to one grandchild’s education at the University of Chicago. We paid for the college education of our two youngest grandchildren in advance through a special plan. We expect to help finance the education of the others, as needed.

It feels good to be able to do so. Even taking grandchildren to lunch in a restaurant can be expensive. They have peculiar tastes, but consume food that they like in huge quantities and without regard to cost.

5 — Grandparents should not expect to spend endless time with grandchildren. The grandchildren are busy with their own lives and it seems that they are always being transported to some activity. Be prepared to become an auxiliary

baby sitter and chauffeur. Although parents are basically responsible for transportation, grandparents need to be prepared to help out.

If your grandchildren are in your locality, it’s a good idea to schedule a dinner get-together at least once a week. Otherwise, tennis matches, tutoring, music lessons, school, parttime jobs, and social events of your grandchildren may displace you.

6 — Grandparents should tell grandchildren as many personal and family stories as they can. The special history of a family can easily be lost to the next generation. Grandchildren usually love to hear stories about your own past and about the family. How many of us know much about the lives of our grandparents, or even our parents? One of my grandsons has memorized almost every personal story that I’ve ever told him and he often repeats them to me.

7 — Young grandchildren are sick all the time, even though they may not appear ill. They are reservoirs of germs, even when they appear healthy. We have experienced instances where grandparents and parents have become the victims of grandchildren’s hidden germs. I suspect that all contagious diseases originate in grandchildren.

8 — Grandchildren grow up rapidly, so enjoy them in the process. I used to give our young grandchildren “bear hugs.” I would squeeze them forcibly and they would laugh and enjoy it. Now, these grandchildren are older and they give me crushing “bear hugs.” They hurt. I sort of enjoy it, but I don’t laugh.

9 — Enjoy the experience of giving the grandchildren back to Mom and

Dad when you are tired of them. It’s sometimes nice to know that you are their grandparents and not their parents.

10 — Grandparents can “spoil” their grandchildren without fear of negative consequences. Grandchildren love to get their way, and grandparents can let them do so. One of my young grandchildren lost a tooth. “Great,

I’ll give you a dollar.” Her reply was, “That’s not enough.”

11 — Geographically distant grandchildren love to get mail from their grandparents. It’s a good idea to send “care packages.” For example, I recently mailed our young grandchildren in Chicago a care package containing treasures from the dollar store. The postage cost more than the contents, but the items were appreciated.

12 — Tell grandchildren “I love you,” as much as possible. The affection will be returned in good measure.

How many of us have frequently told our grandparents (or parents), “I love you?” That phrase generates wonderful feelings in grandparents, parents, and in grandchildren. Those words are not spoken often enough in our world.

Never too young

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14 — The ultimate pleasure of grandparents is the satisfaction that your grandchildren represent the next generation of the family line.

The grandchildren have your genes and the ultimate responsibility of any species is to pass on genes to future generations. Otherwise, that species will become extinct. From the expression on my grandson’s face when he read this article, I could tell what he was thinking, “Yeah, Grandpa, this article ‘stincts!”

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Wherever I go, I encourage people to read 55-Plus magazine. Oftentimes, the response is, “I’m not old enough yet.” When my grandchildren in Chicago were visiting us in Syracuse, I mentioned to my 6-year-old granddaughter, Gabby, that I wrote articles for the magazine. I showed her a copy and she became excited about my article. I gave her a copy of the magazine to keep. My son had to drive to Buffalo to catch his flight to Chicago. En route, Gabby became totally absorbed in reading the magazine. She spent more than an hour reading 55-Plus magazine.

My daughter-in-law captured Gabby’s concentration in the accompanying photo. Now, I’m convinced that it’s not necessary to be over 55 to read and enjoy the magazine. Perhaps, a new title for the magazine should be, “5Plus magazine?”

13 — Try to show respect for the thoughts and actions of maturing grandchildren. When Pat and one of my older granddaughters were driving from Niagara Falls to Syracuse, I suddenly got suntan lotion in my eyes.

My eyes burned and tears flowed.

I could hardly see the road. My 19year-old granddaughter volunteered to drive. I turned down her offer. The idea of my granddaughter driving my car on the highway seemed ridiculous, even though she is probably a better driver than I am. I am known as “lead foot,” and my family has little regard for my driving ability. I should have respected my granddaughter’s driving skills. Instead, I fought her off and finally reached a rest stop where I could wash the sun tan lotion from my eyes, but could not realize that my granddaughter was a grown-up, capable adult.

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last

page

By Alyssa Mammano

Faye Beckwith, 65 Never a dull moment for a real estate agent who runs several businesses Q. You’re a Zumba instructor, a real estate agent, you play in your husband’s band and you run a Christmas tree business — how do you handle all that?

A. I think I try to just focus. When we’re playing in the band, that’s my focus. When I’m teaching Zumba or choreographing a new routine, that’s my focus. Real estate is my career, and when I’m doing real estate I have to focus. I think that’s the key.

The Christmas tree farm is seasonal by nature. I handle the marketing and sales portion. My role comes at the harvest time. That begins the week before Thanksgiving. The real estate market is very compatible with that because there are very few people who purchase homes between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Q. What does owning your businesses entail?

A. I’m the broker and owner of Freedom Real Estate [in Fulton]. So I’m everything from an office manager, list and sell, council, we do some appraisal work. For the Christmas tree farm I’m in charge of the marketing and sales end, and the bookkeeping. I’m in charge of the wreath department; the gift shop and wreaths and other greenery. I take orders and do some shipping. The Zumba studio is only 3 years old. My daughter and I work in that together. Between us we have eight certifications to teach Zumba.

That entails education, scheduling classes, not only learning new choreography, but we also write our own choreography, doing play lists and marketing. We make certain that everyone is progressing as they want to and are able to meet their goals.

Q. How much of your time do you devote to your work?

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55 PLUS - October / November 2012

A. That’s a challenging question for me because I don’t consider it to be work. I get up early and after coffee and breakfast, I start. There’s social networking involved, so I start off with that. There are client contacts and appointments to make. I put in as many hours as it takes, but I take breaks too. I can take a break and go out in the Christmas tree field, and that’s a break in a way even though it’s work.

Q. How do you manage coownership with your family?

A. I’ve never known any different.

My husband [Jack Beckwith] and I started working together many years ago when I went to cosmetology school and he was a barber. We work together in the band and he was in real estate for about 20 years with me. With my daughter, the Zumba is something that we so thoroughly enjoy, that I don’t even think about it.

It just comes natural to me.

Q. When did you become interested in Zumba?

A. It was about four years ago.

My daughter Noelle came into my real estate office and announced that she had signed us up for Zumba and the YMCA. I said, ‘What is that?’ and she said, ‘Oh, mom, you’re going to love it.’ The first time I went I felt very ill at ease, and the next week I felt similar.

But the third week it clicked with me and became easier. By that time I was hooked.

Q. How did you end up becoming an instructor and owner of a Zumba studio?

A. We enjoyed it a lot and felt we had the skills to appropriately get into the teaching aspect of it. We wanted to offer something locally to

people in Hannibal and surrounding communities so they didn’t have to drive a distance to another location.

We went to the appropriate trainings and got the certifications we needed to get started. We’ve built on those certifications since that time. I was starting to become a couch potato quite frankly, and the only kind of fitness training that has worked for me throughout my lifetime has been dancing. I used to be a Mideastern dance teacher.

Q. Why do you enjoy being a Zumba instructor?

A. It has benefited me so much and I just want to share it with a lot of people. I want people to know the value of exercise and the benefits of the program. For me, it’s a fitness program that I can stick to and that feels good. I don’t dread doing it unlike others that I’ve tried. I think that anybody can do Zumba if they want to.

Q. What do you do in your free time?

A. I enjoy reading, but I have to discipline myself with that so I usually save that for vacation time. I might take a nap. If I get tired I might take a break or a power nap. We enjoy vacationing. We take a vacation about once a year. I have a great support system, three adult kids, Jack, Noelle and Scott, and in-law kids. In our free time we get together. I enjoy my church family as well.

Faye Beckwith lives in Hannibal.

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Central New York’s first publication to celebrate life after 55. Don’t miss out future issues. Focus on health, finances, travel, housing, family, leisure.

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IMPORTANT ISSUES FOR THOSE 55 AND OVER EE

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Octogenarian Travels the World as a Backpacker

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Issue 32 April/May 2011

For Active Adults in Central New York

Joe Whiting and others still devoted to music, more than 40 years after they started their careers

Still Passionate About Music Natural Remedies: Is it Time to Ditch Viagra?

Do you have a few hours a week to share with a child?

The Intergenerational Tutor Program is a dynamic approach to help kids read better. The program promotes literacy with a proven approach to help high-need children read at grade level.

The program taps the tremendous potential of committed volunteers who have the time, patience and life experience to make a profound difference in the lives of children.

Tutoring takes advantage of the special relationships that develop across generations to reap benefits for both children and adults.

Tutors are volunteers age 40+, who have a love of reading and children. Tutors are trained to use a curriculum specifically designed for students K-4. At a time when many schools are struggling to meet the individual needs of every student, OASIS Intergenerational Tutoring offers a bright ray of hope.

To find out more about becoming an OASIS Tutor in our community, contact OASIS Outreach Coordinator, Sally Terek M.Ed. at (315) 464-1746 or Email: tereks@upstate.edu

OASIS 6333 State Rte 298, East Syracuse, NY 13057 www.oasisnet.org/Syracuse