The Literary Arts Issue by American Senior

LITERARY ARTS ISSUE!

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MAY / JUNE 2017 ISSUE 3

HELPING YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY THE HISTORY OF AUDIO BOOKS THE WHIMSY OF “DUCK” ARCHITECTURE INSIDE CARTOONIST AL JAFFEE’S MAD MIND

Maria Shriver

IS ON A MISSION TO DEFEAT ALZHEIMER'S

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EDITH FULLER, 5, IS BOUND FOR THE 2017 SCRIPPS NATIONAL SPELLING BEE AFTER BECOMING THE YOUNGEST WINNER OF A REGIONAL COMPETITION IN OKLAHOMA.

28 The Bee at 90

The annual National Spelling Bee is a spectator sport full of learning moments. by Christina Burns

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

16 Four Questions for Maria Shriver

5 Publisher’s Letter 6 Remember When 10 Did You Know? 12 Health & Wellness

Maria Shriver is using her influence to raise awareness about Alzheimer's disease as a women's health issue. by Christina Burns

18 The Birth and Rise of the Audio Book The "talking book" is here to stay. by Seamus Mullarkey

21 Going Public

Easy ways for you to help—and enjoy—your local library.

JAMES GIBBARD/TULSA WORLD VIA AP

by Melissa Mayntz

24 It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

An exclusive interview with MAD magazine's long-time cartoonist and comic, Al Jaffee. by Myra Musgrove

32 Is That Duck a Building?

Or is that building a duck? Relics from the heydey of roadside advertising that amuse us.

by Tobi Adams, photographs by Julien McRoberts

The many health benefits of reading.

14 Uplift & Inspire

Life lessons learned from an old dog.

38 Books 40 Fun & Games 42 Highlights for (Grand) children 44 Horoscopes 46 Puzzle Solutions 48 Last Laugh

LITERARY ARTS ISSUE!

americanseniormagazine.com

MAY / JUNE 2017 ISSUE 3

HELPING YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY

THE HISTORY OF AUDIO BOOKS

On the Cover Maria Shriver

Photographed by Kwaku Alston

THE WHIMSY OF “DUCK” ARCHITECTURE INSIDE CARTOONIST AL JAFFEE’S MAD MIND

Maria Shriver

IS ON A MISSION TO DEFEAT ALZHEIMER'S

May / June 2017 3

Learn more about the

Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement at www.thewomensalzheimersmovement.org Every 66 seconds a new brain develops Alzheimer’s Disease. Two-thirds of them belong to women. Help us find out why.

PUBLISHER’S LETTER

MAY / JUNE 2017 • ISSUE 3

PUBLISHER AND CEO

John Polatz

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Christina Burns

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Ali Burke

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Julien McRoberts, Lori Stevic-Rust CONTRIBUTORS

Katherine Adams, Tobi Adams, Melissa Mayntz, Seamus Mullarkey, Myra Musgrove, Cristina Nascimento

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Cheers to Reading

pring is in full swing and summer is right around the corner! While this is sufficient cause for celebration by itself, all of us here at American Senior are also excited for May and June as they are Older Americans Month and Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, respectively. For starters, we caught up with the iconic Maria Shriver to learn about the good work she is doing to create awareness for overall brain health and a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Ms. Shriver recently testified before the US Senate to advocate for an increase in federal funding for Alzheimer’s research—and an increase of $400 million was approved by Congress a few weeks later! Her very personal mission continues in the form of an eight-city Move for Minds event on June 4th, raising funds for the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement. Further within the pages of this Literary Arts issue, we explore the growing consensus around the positive effects that reading has on brain heath and the development of our interpersonal skills. While this is perhaps intuitive to American Senior readers, I think you will also appreciate pondering whether

advances in literature-delivering technologies are enhancing your personal experiences with reading and storytelling. Following on that, Al Jaffee–the legendary 96-year-old veteran cartoonist of MAD magazine—tells us how technology has actually improved his work and efficiency over his career that spans an awe-inspiring seven decades! In “Going Public,” we call much-needed attention to our public library system and its social and cultural relevancy for readers of all ages. Please make a point to go visit your local library soon, and see if it is one of the “cats-in-residence” libraries popping up around the country these days. Finally, the Uplift & Inspire piece about Will and his red coat brings it all home, proving in just two short pages that reading can both stimulate your mind and move your soul. Happy reading, and send us your thoughts online at americanseniormagazine.com!

JOHN POLATZ

Publisher and CEO May / June 2017 4

Remember When... POP CULTURE, NEWS, AND EVENTS FROM DECADES PAST

The high-profile Hindenburg disaster occurred in New Jersey, when the German airship burst into flames and was destroyed during its attempt to dock after making the first transatlantic passenger flight of the year.

Director David Lean’s film Great Expectations opened to movie theaters in the US, with critics calling it the finest film ever made from a Charles Dickens novel.

ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

1937

1947

The longest suspension bridge in the world until 1964, California’s Golden Gate Bridge opened with a week-long celebration. The official color of this American landmark is “international orange”. ISTOCK

Musician Roy Brown recorded what some consider to be the first rock n’ roll song, “Good Rockin’ Tonight,” which would later be covered by other recording artists, notably Elvis Presley. ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

4 American Senior

Daredevil Robert “Evel” Knievel successfully jumped over sixteen cars on his Triumph stunt motorcycle to much fanfare in Gardena, California. COURTESY OF EVEL KNIEVEL BRAND

Broadcaster Larry King began his radio career in Miami Beach when he was promoted from a janitor to a disc jockey after an announcer failed to show up. Soon after, singer Bobby Darin became his first celebrity interview.

Filmmaker George Lucas’s science fiction-fantasy movie Star Wars opened in cinemas and immediately broke box office records, playing continuously for more than a year in nearly 60 theaters. RONALD GRANT ARCHIVE /ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

1957

1967

1977

›

The CBS-TV sitcom I Love Lucy, starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, aired its last episode after six seasons while remaining the most popular show on television.

Disneyland’s Space Mountain attraction, a high-speed spacethemed indoor roller coaster, opened on Memorial Day weekend with the six living Mercury astronauts in attendance.

GRANAMOUR WEEMS COLLECTION/ ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

DISNEYLAND RESORT

Roughly 100,000 people, mostly teenagers and young adults, converged in San Francisco’s HaightAshbury neighborhood to embrace hippie culture in what would be coined as the “Summer of Love”. AP PHOTO/ROBERT W. KLEIN

May / June 2017 5

In Washington, DC, President Bill Clinton dedicated the 7.5-acre Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial,i which traces each of the 32nd President’s four terms in office through a sequence of outdoor rooms featuring waterfalls and scultpures.

From an anonymous fan’s suggestion, Ben & Jerry’s introduced their new ice cream flavor, Cherry Garcia, an edible tribute to legendary guitarist Jerry Garcia and Grateful Dead fans everywhere.

HBO series The Sopranos aired its series finale with a innocuous scene showing the Soprano family at a restaurant and then a full ten seconds of blank screen and silence that lasted all the way to the closing credits.

BEN & JERRY’S

WILL HART/HBO

ANNA YAKIMOVA/123RF

1987

1997

All the major networks had marathon news coverage of the Congressional hearings on the Iran-Contra affair, an investigation into the illegal sale of weapons to Iran and secretly financing Nicaraguan rebels to encourage the release of American hostages in Lebanon.

Amazon launched its electronic-book reader the Kindle at a cost of $399, selling out within hours and remaining out of stock for months. AP PHOTO/MARK LENNIHAN

AP PHOTO/LANA HARRIS

6 American Senior

2007

Author Charles Frazier’s first novel, Cold Mountain, which tells the story of a deserting Confederate soldier’s journey home, was published and quickly became a best-seller, eventually winning the National Book Award for Fiction.

AP PHOTO

The Brooklyn Dodgers Moved West

evastated New York fans will remember distinctly when Brooklyn Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley announced that their beloved team would be leaving Brooklyn to move to Los Angeles. Sixty years later, this remarkable event in the history of major league baseball continues to be discussed and debated and ellicits strong feelings. The reason for the move was primarily due to the challenges of real estate in a big city and maximizing franchise profits. Although the Dodgers were the most financially successful baseball team, O’Malley believed there was even more room for growth. The aging Ebbets Field had a relatively small capacity of 32,000 and an even smaller parking lot that could only accommodate up to 700 cars, not to mention that it was in dire need of major repairs. A visit to the old ballpark was commonly known to be an unpleasant experience, especially when the games were being televised, so the crowds tended to stay away. New York City also had the Giants and Yankees baseball teams, so airtime had to be split three-ways, and so did television revenue. O’Malley sought other tracts of land to build a new Dodgers stadium within New York City with the help of city government, including the Atlantic Yards in downtown Brooklyn and in Flushing Meadow, Queens. New York City Parks Commissioner and city planner Robert Moses and Mayor Robert Wagner prevented either scenario from happening, refusing to sell the Atlantic Yards except at a fair market price and unwilling to build a municipal ball park just for the Dodgers. On May 28, 1957, the National League agreed to allow the Dodgers to move out west on the stipulation that their chief rival the New York Giants went as well, otherwise the closest

AT EBBETS FIELD, A YOUNG BROOKLYN DODGERS FAN WAVES A BANNER IN THE STADIUM AS THE DODGERS PLAYED THE PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES, 1957.

National League team to Los Angeles would have been the St. Louis Cardinals. New advances in transcontinental airline service also made it possible for teams to be located all over the country, and the west coast market was hungry for baseball teams to call their own. San Francisco agreed to build Candlestick Park for the Giants, while Los Angeles made the land available for a stadium that the Dodgers could call home. After the move of both teams in the fall of 1957, New York City would go from a three-team town to only having the New York Yankees until 1962, when American heiress Joan Whitney Payson founded the New York Mets and brought National League baseball back to the city. Mets stadium would be built on the same land in Flushing Meadow, Queens that O’Malley had unsuccessfully tried to secure for the Dodgers. May / June 2017 7

Did You Know? FASCINATING FACTS TO KNOW AND TELL

n dozens of public libraries across the nation, felines have taken up residence. There’s Browser in White Settlement Public Library, Texas, Pages in Valley Center Public Library, Kansas, and Stacks in Litchfield Public Library, Illinois, but perhaps none is better known than Dewey Readmore Books (Dewey for short), the library cat from Spencer Public Library, Iowa. Back in 1988, Vicki Myron, the Spencer Library director, was trying to raise the spirits of her library’s patrons, the residents of an out-ofthe way town deeply mired in the farm crisis of the 1980s. Her answer arrived one bitter winter night when someone put a ginger kitten into the after-hours book return slot. Recognizing the extraordinary strength and uniqueness of this kitten, Myron sought and received approval from the library board to adopt him as 8 American Senior

Spencer’s resident library cat. Dewey grew into an affable and immensely popular library cat whose antics drew in patrons. As his fame grew, people drove hundreds of miles to meet Dewey. Soon, the media began featuring stories of him, and he even ended up the subject of a popular documentary in Japan. When Dewey died in 2006 at the age of 19, his obituary appeared in over 250 local and national newspapers, including The New York Times, USA Today and the Des Moines Register. His fans continued to grow when Myron wrote the best-selling book, Dewey, The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World, which not only pays tribute to this special feline but is also a love letter to the power of libraries. Since Dewey’s passing, Myron retired from the library and has a new cat, aptly named Page.

AP PHOTO/CHARLIE NEIBERGALL

Allergies Aside, Library Cats Rule

CONSTITUTION CENTER/REMBRANDT PEELE, AP PHOTO/RICHARD DREW

JEFFERSON’S LITERARY GIFT

TIME TO “AGE OUT LOUD”

DURING HIS LIFETIME, THOMAS JEFFERSON had one of the finest libraries in America, and he intended that his collection should benefit the nation. All through his years of public service including positions as the minister to France, Vice President, and President, he used every opportunity to add to his collection of documents about America and its past, as well as volumes in many languages about philosophy and history, science and technology, agriculture and horticulture, architecture and painting, poetry and rhetoric. He shared the vision of the nation’s Founders that liberty and learning are inseparable and that a free democratic people must have free access to information in order to carry out their civic responsibilities. After the War of 1812, during which the British burned the Capitol and with it all the volumes of the Library of Congress, Jefferson offered his own collection to Congress, which they purchased in 1815 at a price of $23,950 for nearly 6,500 books, almost twice the number lost in the fire. Thus, the Library of Congress has grown from the seed of Jefferson’s own library, universal in subject matter and format, into a library that serves as Congress’s working research collection, as the nation’s library, and as a symbol of the central role that free access to information plays in our knowledge-based democracy. Today you can visit the Jefferson Building Treasures Gallery in Washington, DC, where the American Treasures exhibition presents more than 250 items arranged in the manner of Thomas Jefferson’s own library, the seed from which the present collections grew: Memory (History); Reason (Philosophy, including Law, Science and Geography); and Imagination (Fine Arts, including Architecture, Music, Literature and Sports).

YOU PROBABLY DON’T VIEW AGING THE same way you did when you were a child, or even as a young adult. That’s because getting older doesn’t mean what it used to. For many aging Americans, it is a phase of life where interests, goals, and dreams can get a new or second start. Today, aging is about eliminating outdated perceptions and living the way that suits you best. Barbara Hillary is an excellent example. A nurse for 55 years who dreamed of travel, Hillary became an adventurer and the first African American woman to set foot on the North Pole when she was 75 years old. Four years later, in 2011, she set another first when she stepped onto the South Pole, becoming the first AfricanAmerican woman to reach both poles. Former president George H.W. Bush celebrated his 90th birthday by skydiving. Actress Betty White, now 95 years old, became the oldest person to host Saturday Night Live in 2010, coincidentally during May—the same month recognized as Older Americans Month. Since 1963 when President John F. Kennedy encouraged all Americans to pay tribute to older people across the country, Older Americans Month has been a time to celebrate older Americans’ stories and contributions. This year’s theme is “Age Out Loud,” which emphasizes the ways older adults are living their lives with boldness, confidence, and passion while serving as an inspiration to people of all ages. May / June 2017 9

HEALTH & WELLNESS

The Health Benefits of Reading

By Katherine Adams

ver since I turned 50, reading has become horribly similar to filling a bath with the plug out,” actor Hugh Laurie recently tweeted. For many of us, this rings true; our ability to retain information is just not as strong as it used to be. However, the benefits of copious reading for keeping the aging brain agile are well known. It has been shown that older adults who are dedicated readers tend to have sharper minds and perhaps even stave off the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s disease. However, the positive results gained by reading fiction, as opposed to non-fiction, articles, and the news, are just now being explored. More and more, researchers are making comparative studies to see the effects of reading fictional books on the mind, and, right from the start, the emotional compensation seems to be fairly in evidence. A UK study conducted in 2015 showed that those who read for pleasure experience fewer feelings of stress and depression than non-readers. Reading fiction also seems to help people sleep better and have a stronger sense of relaxation. Yet the benefits carry even further. Those who read novels, researchers claim, have higher levels of self-esteem and a greater ability to cope with difficult situations. More scrutiny into the kinds of books we read— meaning what we might call “pulp fiction” versus literature—has led to somewhat more controversial theories. Although not yet fully supportable by a large set of scientific data, recent examination of the effects of literature on the minds of readers has led some to conclude that the fast-paced, popular

10 American Senior

novels that often make the best-seller list today are not as beneficial as works that are deemed “high” literature. While this is a slippery slope, leading into questions about what exactly constitutes “high art,” the working notion is that literature puts more responsibility on the reader for its interpretation. The stories told often leave the motivations and actions of characters vague or unexplained, so that it is hypothetically possible that every reader will have a unique experience of the story. In other words, the popular mystery novel is a roller coaster but the tracks are laid out and everyone gets the same ride. Literature, by contrast, provides landscapes of human interaction and emotions that can often be difficult to navigate, but the rewards in terms of critical thought and engagement with human issues are higher. The potential social implications for readers of literature are huge. Some researchers assert that because of the complexities found in literature, reading it allows us to understand each other better. Readers of literature feel closer to their friends and to their community, have a greater understanding of and empathy toward others, and a stronger awareness of social issues and of cultural diversity. Moreover, as a recent study suggests, those who read literature possess a greater ability to discern the emotions, motivations, and thoughts of others. In order to counter the argument that those who profess themselves enthusiastic readers of literature just happen to demonstrate greater emotional intuition and empathy, researchers designed a study that gave one study group pages from literature to read for 15 minutes a day, and

MARTHA HOLMES/THE LIFE PICTURE COLLECTION/GETTY IMAGES

 EUSTACE SELIGMAN, THE FIRST MEMBER OF THE BOOK OF THE MONTH CLUB POSING BEHIND STACKS OF THE VOLUMES HE HAS RECEIVED.

gave another group pages from the category of popular fiction to read for 15 minutes a day. After two weeks, each participant was presented with a series of pictures of faces and asked to identify the emotions expressed. Both groups did better at correctly determining the emotional states of the people in the photos than the control group, the participants of which read nothing at all. However, the group that read literature did significantly better than the group that read popular fiction. Some have argued that such immersive reading, which makes us empathetic to fictional characters, does not necessarily translate into real life empathy for our fellow humans. True bibliophiles can certainly be reclusive hermits rather than community activists, as we all can easily picture the kind of person who enjoys literature but is awkward or unpleasant in social situations. A better understanding of human nature, then, does not necessarily make us more altruistic or compassionate toward each other. More studies are needed to describe the connection between reading novels and how it alters the chemical or organic make-up of the brain, as well as how such changes impact our actions.

At the same time, there is a growing interest in what is called “bibliotherapy,” which is based on the idea of using books—especially fictional literature, though also including poetry, self-help books, and non-fiction—as a means to navigate periods of turmoil, or to help with larger issues, such as grief and mourning. The method involves seeking the help of a bibliotherapist who prescribes a list of books. Advocates claim such rigorous reading and contemplation of the complexities of humanity, even if in fictional situations (or perhaps because of the fiction), can be transformative. For those who do not have access to a bibliotherapist, there is a growing list of resources available, where topics both mundane and transcendent are described and provide relevant literary titles (see, for example, Ella Berthoud and Susan Elderkin’s The Novel Cure: An A–Z of Literary Remedies). Though serious examination of self may not be one’s preoccupation in retirement where focus on enjoying the golden age of our lives often takes precedent (many of us do not wish to return to lessons already hard-learned), it is worth considering what literature might offer in terms of expanding the mind. Consulting such a list as recommended above could steer older adults into topics that are more relevant, or perhaps offer new ideas to explore. As a social activity, a reading group dedicated to loftier works of prose holds the potential of being very satisfying, as it provides opportunity to interpret both universal and individual human issues as well as the chance to share complex ideas with a peer group. Such discussions might also help with what Hugh Laurie lamented. Stories are more likely to stick with us through the process of active thinking and discussion about them. Hearing other peoples’ interpretations might offer insights we would have never thought of before. Indeed, we are never too old to engage with characters and stories that challenge us, and perhaps shift our viewpoints, as well. ■ May / June 2017 11

UPLIFT & INSPIRE

Will to Live

The Fate of a Little Dog Transformed by Nature, Love, and Friendship

By Cristina Nascimento

ometimes the richest lessons in life are the most unexpected. In New Hampshire lives a man named Tom Ryan, who once shared an extraordinary spiritual connection with his dog, Atticus. You may have heard of him, he recounted the story of how just the two of them conquered hundreds of miles up and down the peaks of the White Mountains in his best-selling book, Following Atticus. But that’s another story. Ryan’s latest autobiographical tale ends before it begins. On a rainy day in April, the little red dog 14 American Senior

coat hanging on his office wall remind Ryan of the senior dog who has since passed, and a promise he made to him. Back up several years earlier, when Ryan makes the impetuous decision to open his home to rescue a very sick 15-year-old miniature Schnauzer named Will from a kill shelter. Ryan figures he can at least give him a peaceful and loving home—a sort of hospice—as he desperately needs a place to die with dignity. Will is deaf, near-blind, and he has physically disabilities so he struggles to walk. But he also struggles with his heart and his soul. At first, he

COURTESY HARPER COLLINS

LEFT TO RIGHT: ATTICUS AND WILL; TOM RYAN HOLDS WILL ON A SUMMIT OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS IN NEWHAMPSHIRE.

displays a broken, frightened, and aggressive nature and just wants to be left alone. He remains curled up in a ball, sleeps all day, and generally ignores Ryan and Atticus. Because of his mobility issues, he is prone to getting stuck in crevices in the house during the middle of the night. When Ryan tries to help, Will trashes wildly, biting and attacking him. Ryan begins to wonder if he had made the right decision in bringing Will home. And then, Will’s life takes a surprising turn. Ryan goes to great lengths to share New England’s natural wonders with his elderly companion. Since Will’s health won’t allow him to join on long hikes, on one November day, Ryan pulls Will in a wagon along one of his favorite mountain trails. At its summit, he lifts the dog from his wagon to show him the views across the valley. He writes in the book, “The forest had helped me, and I thought it would help another lost soul as well.” It’s at this moment that Ryan felt all the tension in Will’s body release with a sigh. From this moment on, Will lost all of his rage. On another occasion, the author introduces Will to the salty air of a desolate beach in Provincetown, Massachusetts. For a few days in the early winter months, Will freely digs his heels in the sand. When he dared to enter the frigid waters,

Ryans scoop him up with a towel to dry off his sensitive skin. Then there are the moments when he is entranced by the bright sunrise in the mornings and the full moon late one evening. Will achieved another milestone during this trip—he goes without a leash for all the days that followed. Over time, with Ryan’s patience and small acts of kindness from friends along the way, Will transforms and he blooms—quite literally. The fresh air and ever-changing colors of the surrounding forests awaken Will’s spirit, where he discovers his love for the scents and bright colors of wildflowers. Ryan nurtures Will’s newfound appreciation for wildflowers by planting a garden in his yard. On lazy summer days, Will wanders through the garden and rests his body among his favorite flower beds. Because the author wrote about his experiences with Will online through his blog, soon fans across the country began flooding the local florist with orders for wildflowers for the aging dog. As Ryan writes, “What was to be a brief two- or three-month stay grew into two and a half years of wonder. When the time finally came to say goodbye to Will, I was surprised by how right it all felt. Instead of grief I had nothing but reverence for a friend, who in the end, got it right.” ■ Mary/ June 2017 15

FOUR QUESTIONS – for – MARIA SHRIVER

By Christina Burns

hen one hears the name Maria Shriver, many things come to mind: the journalist, the author, the film and television producer, the former First Lady of California, the mother of four, and the daughter of Sargent Shriver and Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who were both committed to public policy and activism as founders of the Peace Corps, Head Start, and the Special Olympics, respectively, to name just a few. Maria Shriver’s background and her accomplishments have all lead her on a dedicated mission to address a national epidemic: to get people to pay attention to Alzheimer’s disease, starting with women’s health, so we can end this thing. Shriver refers to herself as “a daughter of Alzheimer’s disease.” Sargent Shriver was diagnosed with the disease in 2003, so she experienced the effects of the disease firsthand. Eventually he could not recognize anyone in his family, including his wife or any of their children. By the time her father passed away from Alzheimer’s in 2011 at the age of 95, she became one of the nation’s leading advocates for families struggling with Alzheimer’s disease. 16 American Senior

In 2009, she wrote the best-selling children’s book, What’s Happening to Grandpa, as a tool for children to understand the effects of Alzheimer’s and how to support someone with it. That same year she testified before the US Senate Special Committee on Aging to encourage Congress to make Alzheimer’s a national legislative priority, which paved the way to the December 2010 passage of the National Alzheimer’s Project Act. In 2010, she published “The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Takes on Alzheimer’s,” which was the largest study ever conducted to look at the significant impact of Alzheimer’s disease on women, who make up the majority of patients and caregivers. She also executive produced the Emmy Award-winning, multi-platform series, “The Alzheimer’s Project” with HBO, as well as the Academy Award-winning film, Still Alice, which tells the tale of a woman affected by early onset Alzheimer’s disease. American Senior asked Maria Shriver about the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement, the origanization she founded that focuses on why Alzheimer’s disproportionately impacts women.

KWAKU ALSTON

American Senior: This spring you testified before the Senate Aging Committee on the urgency to increase federal funding for Alzheimer’s disease research. How optimistic are you that we will end Alzheimer’s disease in your lifetime? Maria Shriver: I’m very optimistic. Federal funding is at a national high and Congress gave a $2 billion raise in funding to the National Institutes of Health in May—$400 million of which will be going to Alzheimer’s research. Alzheimer’s is still insufficiently funded compared to other major diseases in America but the increases we’ve seen are a promising step in the right direction. The good news is that this is a nonpartisan issue. So long as our leaders in Washington DC remain committed to funding the important research that’s being done by our nation’s leading scientists and researchers, then I am confident we will continue moving closer to a cure. AS: On June 4, you will be hosting the Move For Minds event simultaneously in eight cities, which will benefit the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement. But it’s more than that. What will happen at Move For Minds? MS: Move For Minds is an exciting day of education and engagement around the ways that we can keep our brains working at their best. The event is in partnership with Equinox Sports Clubs and features a

specially designed brain-body workout, a marketplace with brain-healthy snacks, and a panel discussion featuring the superstars of brain research, fitness, nutrition, and more. Our goal at Move For Minds is to share valuable information about what we can do today to live a brainhealthy lifestyle and the steps we can take to prevent or delay Alzheimer’s and other dementias. The event benefits The Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement in its mission to fund research that will help wipe out this disease, which disproportionately affects women. AS: What lifestyle changes can an older adult—as opposed to someone younger in their 40s and 50s—do now to prevent cognitive decline or minimize the impact of Alzheimer’s? MS: The key components to a brain-healthy lifestyle are applicable no matter what age you are. These include exercise, getting a proper amount of sleep, practicing meditation and other forms of stress reduction, and eating a healthy diet. Staying socially engaged—be that with family, friends and/or members of your community—is also critical. If you can combine socializing with some form of exercise (dance lessons, for instance), then all the better. Activities like coloring are another great way to challenge your mind, relieve stress, and forge

connection. I just finished my first coloring book, Color Your Mind, which is specifically designed for individuals with Alzheimer’s and the people who love them. The book is filled with coloring pages, activity suggestions, information about living a balanced life, and ideas for shared reflection and conversation. The bottom line is that there are a variety of healthy lifestyle choices that we can all make starting today. The more we can implement these choices into our daily lives, then the more empowered we’ll be to help prevent cognitive decline. AS: How do you inspire someone to care about this disease if they haven’t been personally affected? MS: The one thing we all have in common is that we all have a mind. That’s why it’s in everyone’s best interest to do what we can to save them. We focus so much on what we can do to keep our bodies healthy and fit over our lifetimes. Why wouldn’t we also want to do the same for our brain? It’s our most powerful organ, and yet is so often overlooked. Every 66 seconds, a new brain develops Alzheimer’s. Two-thirds of those brains belong to women, and no one knows why that is. Those are startling statistics. Anyone who cares about protecting their mind or the minds of those they love should care about Alzheimer’s and join us in our mission to end it. ■ May / June 2017 17

THE BIRTH AND

AUDIOBOOK By Seamus Mullarkey

There’s something central to the human experience about

listening to a story being told. Whether in a Neolithic cave or at summer camp, there’s a special intimacy to hearing a tale unfold. In fact, one of your earliest (and probably most pleasant) memories may be having been read a bedtime story. As you listened, you got to drift away into worlds of imagination and makebelieve. Even though you might have struggled to stay awake, you held on to every single word as if it were a magic spell. And, indeed it was. Surprisingly, technology didn’t play a part in such listening experience until the advent of the phonograph in 1877. Thomas Edison thought that his new innovation might “speak to blind people without effort on their part.” The very first recorded verse was the inventor reciting “Mary Had a Little Lamb”. However, the early recording cylinders were limited to a mere four minutes, making a longer narrative impractical. The first flat records extended the listening time to 12 minutes—enough time for a poem or a short speech. It wasn’t until the 1930s that records extended to 20 minutes. In 1934, the Books for the Adult Blind Project launched a “talking book” including excerpts from sources as diverse as O. Henry and the Bible. In those early days, a book was on gramophone records of approximately 20 minute each. Sometimes a single title might require 20 records—not too convenient, to say the least. As you can imagine, it was a logistical nightmare to produce, manufacture, and distribute such a bulky collection. By 1960 it was possible to distribute spokenword books on tape. However, threading and unthreading the tape onto the reel-to-reel player 18 American Senior

was complicated and error prone—as anyone who remembers those clunky old machines can testify. This was an additional awkward hurdle for the blind people who were at that stage, one of its main consumers. However, talking books took a great leap forward in 1969 with the introduction of the audiocassette tape, and things would never be the same. These compact wonders were straightforward to store and transport, and best of all—easy to use. The audiobook as we know it had arrived. Public libraries all across the USA started stocking an extensive variety of talking books, as publishers began releasing the spoken word versions of their books alongside the hardback edition. The diminutive size of this palm-sized format meant that even a lengthy volume could be mailed for an affordable cost. A cornucopia of listening delights opened up, even to those in the remotest of areas. By the start of the 70s, it was how-to audiobooks that led the field—with such notable titles as Managing and Selling Companies and Executive Seminar in Sound, quite obviously aimed at the business traveler who sought to

123RF/ALEXANDER BEDRIN

RISE OF THE

climb the corporate ladder. It was during the era of bell-bottoms and the smiley face that cassette players became widely popular among the carbuying public. By the middle of the decade, the cassette player was no longer an optional extra but an essential automotive feature. What’s more, you could practically store an entire catalog in your glove compartment—or for the more untidy—under your seat. Now, average Americans could not only hum along to their favorite tunes but listen to the latest page-turner

or revisit a much-loved classic. All this “reading” occurred while zooming along the highways, or more importantly, provided much needed distraction when stuck in a never-ending traffic jam. To this day, industry experts The Audio Publishers Association state that audiobooks are most often enjoyed during commuting time—whether on mass transit or while behind the wheel. Edison and Henry Ford would have chuckled to think of Americans enjoying “talking books” in their horseless carriages. May / June 2017 19

What a wonderful coming together of two great American inventions! Today, the steadily increasing audiobook audience doesn’t just enjoy listening while driving, they also savor this medium in combination with a host of other activities. Right at this very minute there are many thousands of Americans listening to books while they exercise, cook, or pull those stubborn weeds from between the petunias. It’s this versatility and flexible convenience that audiobook aficionados appreciate. For example, if you get distracted or can’t follow the plot, you can easily review until you get caught up. Additionally, barriers to reading such as location, learning challenges, and physical disabilities have been greatly reduced. You could listen to all of Shakespeare at the top of Mount Everest, if you chose to do so. What’s to stop you listening to Tom Clancy as you fill in your taxes? It might even make that most unsavory of chores almost pleasurable. Lest you think that the audiobook phenomenon has peaked, you’d be dead wrong. On the contrary, we’re probably entering its golden age. With sound files and the Internet, it’s 20 American Senior

become easier than ever to find audio titles on topics as wide-ranging as preparing for medical school exams to savoring the romance of an 18th century novel. Furthermore, the barriers to entering the industry are constantly falling. It’s no longer necessary to have the monetary resources of a corporation behind you. Today, a professional standard product can be produced for as little as $2,000—a dramatic drop from the approximately $20,000 such an endeavor required as recently as the late 1990s. It would have been incredible for our ancestors to imagine a world where reading would no longer require adequate light, good eyesight, and a hefty budget to assemble and stock a substantial library. Nowadays, no matter what your interests might be, there are millions of audiobooks waiting to be discovered. This booming business has certainly come a long way since that eventful day when Thomas Edison recited “Mary Had a Little Lamb” into his primitive microphone. ■ Seamus Mullarkey is a writer in New York City and big fan of audiobooks, especially on long flights and in the dentist’s waiting room.

JERRY COOKE/PIX INC./THE LIFE IMAGES COLLECTION/GETTY IMAGES , INTERFOTO/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO, DAVE BURESH/THE DENVER POST VIA GETTY IMAGES, IAN SHAW/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

ACTRESS ETHEL BARRYMORE LISTENING TO A STORY ON THE RADIO, 1945; ACTOR THEO LINGEN RECORDING A BOOK ON TAPE, CIRCA 1959; MARSHALL SAVAGE, CO-OWNER OF THE AUDIO BOOK STORE, 1987; A WOMAN LISTENS TO A BOOK ON A RECORDER FOR THE HARD OF HEARING, BLIND, OR VISUALLY IMPAIRED, 2010.

STUART BOULTON / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

Easy Ways to Help Your Local Library

GOING PUBLIC By Melissa Mayntz

May / June 2017 21

GOING PUBLIC

From classic Carnegie libraries to modern, multimedia book

One of the simplest and most effective ways to help your library is to be a frequent patron. Libraries run on their circulation numbers and their budgets are determined largely by how popular the library is and how many people use it. Having an active library card and regularly checking out materials will help increase your library’s budget and staffing. Browse the new books and DVDs, check out books for when the grandchildren visit, enjoy classic music or popular hits from the CD collection, or indulge in an audio book—any checkout helps. Participating in programs is another way to show how popular and valuable the library is to your community. 22 American Senior

Many libraries offer music performances, skits, movie nights, puppet shows, coding classes, coloring groups, children’s programs, history lectures, or similar activities, and they often take headcounts or asks for sign-ins for these events. Attendees are then counted and those numbers reported for budgeting purposes and to determine the future calendar of events, tailoring the library’s programs to exactly what the community prefers. If you enjoy sharing with others, it may even be possible for you to coordinate your own program at the library, and that program will help promote the library even further. You might lead a lecture based on the expertise and experience

of your life and career, or you may plan a presentation based on your once-in-a-lifetime exotic getaway. You could also coordinate a craft group to teach others the hobbies you enjoy, or form a book club to encourage more people to use the library’s resources. Even as you check out materials and participate in programs, you can help the library even more if you become an advocate for your local library and encourage more people to visit. Get library cards for grandchildren—many libraries offer guest cards or temporary cards for seasonal visitors—or help arrange a field trip with a local school so students are introduced to the library. Carpool with your

ISTOCK

repositories, public libraries are some of the most useful and beloved buildings in our communities. They not only give us books, magazines, and newspapers, but today’s libraries provide a wide range of services and activities. Study groups, cultural lectures, book clubs, internet access, e-books, musical performances, story times, craft projects, and more can all be found at your local library. It is devastating, then, that many libraries are facing drastic budget cuts that threaten to slash funding and close their doors to the public they serve. Fortunately, there are many easy ways we can support our public libraries so they can continue to provide so many valuable services to our communities.

friends or neighbors for library visits or otherwise help arrange transportation for those who can’t get to the library as easily. You can even contact your local newspaper, radio, or news broadcast to let them know about special programs and help spread the word so more people can discover the different fun the library offers. Another way to advocate for your local library is with political power. Municipal, county, and state budgets often include provisions to support libraries, and your vote can help ensure those funds are allocated with your local library in mind. You could also consider writing to local officials, signing petitions, or attending council meetings to support library measures. Libraries are always eager to work with volunteers, and it’s easy to donate an hour or two of time to your local library every week. While a volunteer’s duties will vary, they often include sorting or reshelving books, light cleaning, repairing damaged materials, processing new materials for use, keeping shelves organized, cutting up scrap paper, organizing donations, or assisting with regular programs and book sales. Volunteers may also help tend flowerbeds around the library, promote programs in schools, or assist with visiting school groups. It is amazing that library cards are free, when patrons can get so much value from those cards. Even if you don’t have

to pay your local library, you can donate generously to help support the library’s operation and programs. Cash donations are always welcome, or you can donate books, magazines, movies, and other materials that may be added to the library’s collection or included in a book sale or other fundraiser. Purchasing from a book sale or buying promotional items, such as t-shirts, book bags, or other gear, is also an easy way to donate to your local library and augment its budget. You might even organize a rummage sale, bake sale, or other fundraiser to donate to the library. Leaving a legacy is another easy way to help out a local library. Include donations to your library from your estate,

either with funding or material donations, and generations to come will be able to enjoy the same generosity you appreciated from the library for many years. There are so many ways we can all help our local libraries, there is no reason we can’t enjoy new books to read, programs to attend, or all the other services the library offers. The more help we provide, the more help the library will be able to give to everyone in the community. ■ Melissa Mayntz is a Florida-based freelance writer who has sorted, shelved, and repaired books, processed materials, and cleaned shelves as a library volunteer and always finds new books to check out every time she visits. May / June 2017 23

IT’S A MAD, MAD, M

The Comic Genius of MAD Magazine’s Al Jaffee

l Jaffee, best known for his work in MAD magazine, holds the Guinness Book of World Records title as the “Longest-Running Cartoonist of All Time”. If you want to know what it takes to earn that title, consider that he got his first gig before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Born in Savannah, Georgia to two Lithuanian Jewish immigrants, Jaffee’s artistic journey began in earnest in 1936 when he was selected to attend the very first class of New York City’s High School of Music and Art alongside future MAD editor, Harvey Kurtzman. Little could he have known that one day he and his classmate would revolutionize the entire landscape of comics and American satire. Jaffee has certainly seen the comics industry through booms-and-busts, legends, and never-to-be’s. He worked on projects ranging from teenage humor, like “Patsy Walker,” to the wordless, pantomime comics of “Tall Tales” he created for the New York Herald Tribune. He was at Timely Comics around the time they printed the first issue of Captain America, working with the legendary Stan Lee before Marvel Comics was even a twinkle in his eye. Jaffee was always on the cutting edge, which is perhaps what made MAD the perfect home for his inimitable style. Since coming onboard the magazine in 1955, Jaffee has entertained generations of adolescents and comic lovers alike with his work in MAD. He is most well-known for “Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions,” roasting celebrities, politicians, and pop culture icons for decades, and of course, his trademark feature, the MAD fold-in, which has appeared in nearly every issue since 1964. I had an opportunity to sit down with him in his NYC studio recently and pick the brain of one of the most iconic cartoonists of all time.

American Senior Many artists have a moment when they decide to follow a creative path and follow their passion. When was that moment for you? Al Jaffee Being hired by Will Eisner (creator of The Shadow) was the first acknowledgement that I had the ability to be a professional cartoonist. Prior to that, I did artwork for sign companies and took whatever job I could get. I was 19 years old at that time, and I was going to 24 American Senior

every comic book place I could get into to show my drawings. But you know, beginners are very misguided, often because what they show is their best school work, and of course that work is not professional at all. So I was walking around with woodcuts and etchings, pastels and oil paintings, and those made no impression whatsoever. Then I was introduced to Rube Goldberg, the man with those crazy inventions. I showed him my art portfolio, and he said,

“But where are your cartoons?” because he was in the cartoon business, doing daily and Sunday cartoons. He said, “Do some cartoons and come back and see me.” So, I created the Inferior Man character. But then I got a tip to go see Will Eisner instead because he was hiring, too, so I eventually went with Eisner instead of Goldberg. AS And so it was cartooning that drove your passion more than illustration or painting?

MAD, MAD WORLD

PHOTO BY ALI BURKE

Interview and illustration by Myra Musgrove AJ The great ambition of the time, when I graduated from high school, was syndicated comic strips because it was during the Depression, and syndication guaranteed payment. Freelancing was very chancy, but with syndication, people were making fortunes. The more papers cartoonists got, the more money they made, so we all aspired to achieve syndication. That’s why I created the Inferior Man character. It was a crazy gag idea, but I

thought maybe I could get it syndicated. But I also realized from the point of view of my abilities, cartooning was a better bet than illustration. I was no Norman Rockwell. AS How long was it before you began to make a living on comics? AJ Well, it really changed over time, of course. Making a living through the various stages of one’s life included getting married and having children,

and then the children need to go to college. You know, that whole disaster. [Laughing]. All those things send a message to you, which is to get legitimate employment. So once I got into the comic business, and that was before the war, I also worked with Stan Lee, and he gave me free reign to write and draw a number of comic books. They weren’t super hero comics; they were humor stories. If the war hadn’t interrupted, I would have May / June 2017 25

AL JAFFEE

remained with what eventually became Marvel Comics because Lee and I got along very well. He gave me assignments and I did them. Ultimately, I was a journeyman cartoonist, still am. Anyone would call me up and say they needed an eightpage story for such and such, and I would do it. I would do just about anything. AS As someone who has worked in comics for many years and seen quite a bit of change in technology, how do you think that has helped or hindered your career? AJ There are small benefits for me personally; for example, when I get an idea, I used to pick up the telephone and try to explain the idea, but for someone who works in a visual business, I couldn’t do that on the old rotary phones. Now I use a scanner to send my pictorial ideas. I do all the preliminary work for MAD, scan it, and send it by email. I never have to leave my studio, so that’s very helpful. AS So prior to the use of a scanner, you’d walk sketches over yourself ? AJ Of course! How else would I transmit the idea? When I was an editor at Timely Comics, later known as Marvel, I’d have to have somebody re-do certain parts of a six-page story, take it home, re-do it, and come back a couple of days later to show it. It was a lot of traveling and time wasted. Now it’s very 26 American Senior

simple to send work back and forth on the Web. Technology should be a blessing and not a curse for us old people. AS So do you think the readership of MAD has changed over time? Do you think the magazine has the same influence it did, say in the beginning? AJ I think it’s different. It’s different because of technology. You don’t have to wait to buy a newspaper to find out what the big story is today. You don’t have to wait to see the magazines or to read the funnies, you can just tune in on your phone. I don’t think it’s the same audience and I don’t think adolescents look to it as they once did. AS The fold-in has been a MAD staple since 1964, and you do seem to be best known for that, but of all the work you have produced over your long and successful career, is there any other work that you feel is overlooked or underappreciated? AJ Well, I have files and files and files of projects, like children’s books, that I’d love to work on. I think that my creative juices are stimulated by entertaining kids, and the fold-in idea itself in a more simplified form would be appealing to children. Yes, that’s something I would still love to do. Sometimes I feel very sad I can’t pursue other ideas that I have that I would

have jumped into years ago and couldn’t wait to do. I’d work all night on those ideas. But these days, I just take it one day at a time. AS With files and files of projects you’ve begun, how big of an undertaking would it be to turn some of those into publishable work? AJ Well, at this point, the MAD fold-in takes me a long time. It stretches over a week and a half or so, and by that time I’ve finished one, I’m so tired I need to take a couple of days off. The drive just isn’t as strong as it used to be. AS It has been quite an undertaking, every month for 53 years! Do you have a preferred time of day to be creative or is it the same as it’s always been? AJ I used to work on very tight deadlines, so I had a schedule, but now, I read the New York Times in the morning, and when I feel up to it, I go into my studio and start working. Then I quit when I start getting sloppy. AS I can only work for about three hours at a time, and by then I need a long break to clear my mind. AJ I can work much longer than that, even at my age! AS Your work ethic is remarkable! AJ To me, the word “work” is a very, very flexible word. To some

COURTESY OF DC ENTERTAINMENT

THE FOLD-IN (BOTH FOLDED AND OPEN) FROM MAD #544, APRIL 2017.

people it’s closer to drudgery, to other people it’s a lark. I’m somewhere in the middle where I’m tense at the start of a project but as I get into it, it’s more like a hobby. I start to enjoy the feeling of dipping into paint and making a nice stroke. As I begin to see solutions to problems, there is an excitement, and I’m not just talking about problems in fold-ins. It’s in everything, whether it’s painting or penmanship or whatever skill I use. When work opens up doors for me mentally, it’s exciting, and I get a kick out of it. When

I solve the problem, I start to feel a sense of elation and that makes it all worthwhile. To tell the truth, with my wife’s social security and mine as well, I could just as soon sit around all day, but it’s just not my style. I have to do something creative. I could just sit and read newspapers and books, absorbing other people’s genius, but I prefer to be the genius that produces work rather than just absorb it. I think that’s what keeps me working. You know I’m heading towards 97, and I’m still able

to do it. It’s important to keep your brain cells circulating, and the best way to do that is to be creative. Everyone in this world can’t be creative. Some people have to do manual work, but even in manual work, you can figure out better ways to do the work more efficiently or productive, and there is excitement in that, too. Doing a good job is rewarding, and that’s what I aim for. I just can’t picture myself sitting around all day watching television. That’s absorbing someone else’s creativity. ■ May / June 2017 27

28 American Senior

THE BEE AT

How a Campaign to Promote Literacy Became a National Treasure

By Christina Burns

very year, students from all walks of life have the opportunity to participate in the National Spelling Bee, one of the nation’s oldest and most iconic competitions. They progress from classroom to cafeteria, from auditorium to civic center, delighting friends, family, sponsors and fans, just as millions of other students have done before them. The end of their journey may take them to the big stage, now broadcast live in primetime on ESPN, where the emotional highs and lows have become a spectator sport. This year marks nine decades of the National Spelling Bee, the nation’s largest

and longest-running educational promotion, administered on a not-for-profit basis by The E.W. Scripps Company. Officially called the Scripps National Spelling Bee but also known as simply the Bee, is a tradition that began in 1925, when nine newspapers came together to host a spelling bee to promote literacy and encourage a love of reading. Ninety years later their literacy effort would reach 11 million students every year. The Bee has ballooned in participation since 1925 and as the number of contestants increased, so did the competition. The first Bee had only nine contestants and slowly increased to 50 contestants

LEFT: REBECCA SEALFON, 13, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, REACTS AFTER WINNING THE 70TH ANNUAL NATIONAL SPELLING BEE. SEALFON OVERCAME A BAD CASE OF NERVES, AND 244 OTHER CONTESTANTS, TO WIN THE BEE BY CORRECTLY SPELLING THE WORD “EUONYM.” TOP: PRESIDENT CALVIN COOLIDGE WITH THE SEVEN FINALISTS IN THE 1926 NATIONAL SPELLING BEE.

May / June 2017 29

THE BEE AT 90 by 1950. After the 1957 Bee took almost ten hours to complete and the word list was exhausted (and for the first time, two winners were declared), it moved from a one-day format to a two-day format in the following year. In 1978, over 100 contestants entered, and then in 1987 there was a record 185 entrants, so officials decided to eliminate an opening practice round. Officials tried having a three-day Bee in 2001 but that was deemed too lengthy so a written test was added the following year to help keep it to two days of competition. The prize has also changed, although not at the same rate as the number of entrants. In 1925, the top prize was $500 in gold pieces, which doubled to $1000 the next year. Due to the Depression, it dropped back to $500 in the 1933 Bee and only returned to $1000 in 1956. In 1987, the first place prize was raised to $1,500, and all spellers after reaching tenth place received $50. By 1993 it was $5,000. Today, the first prize winner receives a $40,000 cash prize and an engraved loving cup trophy from Scripps, a $2,500 savings bond, a reference library from MerriamWebster, $2,600 in reference works and a lifetime membership to Britannica Online Premium from Encyclopædia Britannica, $5,000 cash prize from the Sigma Phi Epsilon Educational Foundation, and an online course and a Nook eReader from K12 Inc. Not to mention, a lifetime of bragging rights. At the end of the day, each speller who participates at any stage of a school, local, or national spelling bee walks away with a deeper appreciation for language. They also take away important lessons on hard work and memories that will last a lifetime. ■ 30 American Senior

 President Herbert Hoover with the top spellers in 1929.

 Jennifer Reinke, right, champion of the 40th annual National Spelling Bee, and Anne Clark, who came in second, receive awards from James Wagner, the Bee director, in Washington, June 9, 1967. Jennifer, who is from Deshler, Nebraska, received $1,000 plus trips to New York and Montreal. Anne, who is from Huntington, West Virginia received $500.  Trudy McLeary, 14, of Kingston, Jamaica, is comforted by her mother Vinnette after being eliminated in the 11th round (after misspelling ‘’aplustre”) of the 76th annual National Spelling Bee in 2003.

 A contestant in the 2014 Scripps National Spelling Bee.

 Sandra Sloss, 13, of Granite City, Illinois, winner of the National Spelling Bee in 1955, proudly displays the photo of herself with President Eisenhower during rehearsal for Ed Sullivan’s Toast of the Town television show on deck of the USS Wisconsin with Ed Sullivan and British Empire heavyweight champion Don Cockell flanking the spelling champion.

 Michelle Hancock, of Lakeside, Arizona, left, who took part in the National Spelling Bee this week in Washington, pays a visit to Supreme Court Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor in her office on Friday, June 4, 1982 at the high court in Washington.

 In 1973, Barrie Trinkle, 13, of Fort Worth, Texas, won the 46th Annual National Spelling Bee. She spelled “onomastica” to eliminate her last competitor and spelled “vouchsafe” to clinch the title.

 For the third year in a row, there were double winners at the 2016 Scripps National Spelling Bee: Nihar Janga, 11, of Austin, Texas, and Jairam Hathwar, 13, of Corning, New York. CREDITS: AP PHOTO/WILLIAM J. SMITH, AP PHOTO/MARTY LEDERHANDLER, AP PHOTO/BOB DAUGHERTY, AP PHOTO/RON EDMONDS, AP PHOTO, SCRIPPS NATIONAL SPELLING BEE (2)

May / June 2017 31

Is That Duck A Building?

(OR IS THAT BUILDING A DUCK?) HOW ROADSIDE ADVERTISING SEEKS TO AMUSE US By Tobi Adams

Photographs by Julien McRoberts

32 American Senior

BIG DUCK PHOTO BY TOBI ADAMS

BIG DUCK, FLANDERS, NEW YORK

May / June 2017 33

ARCHITECTURE

ost of us can’t help but notice how alike many American towns and cities have become. Whether you are in Maine or Washington state, the roadside landscape looks eerily similar—fast food chains, gas stations, and big box stores are the norm these days. As family-owned business close, they are often replaced by franchises with the same design. It wasn’t always that way, of course. Once America’s love affair with the automobile started, the focus of commerce shifted from downtowns to roadside commercial strips. Competing for the attention of passing motorists, many entrepreneurs created unusual buildings to house their businesses. The iconic Brown Derby Restaurant on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles was one of the first. Built in 1926, the building itself was in the shape of a derby hat. That idea was followed by restaurants, shops, real estate offices, motels, and service stations built in the form of teepees, chickens, giant chili bowls, tamales, boots, and giant Muffler Men. Vernacular or programmatic architecture, that is architecture as advertisement, became increasingly popular in the post-war era. You could sleep in a concrete wigwam motel, buy orange juice from an enormous orange, and pick up breakfast in a giant drive-thru donut shop. This strange architecture was not confined to the west coast. Martin Maurer had a building shaped like a duck built in 1930 in 34 American Senior

Riverhead on Long Island, New York to house his retail poultry business. The duck’s eyes were made from Ford Model T tail lights! The Long Island Duck was so beloved over the years that the term “duck” came to mean a building that is intended to mimic things, such as objects or animals. That term came about in reference to Maurer’s duck but is now used to refer to all buildings which are disguised as objects. You can still see many of these buildings and their creative design if you drive the backroads of America today. We enjoyed visiting Lucy the Elephant in Margate, New Jersey (originally a hotel) as well as the giant dinosaurs in Cabazon, California. The Gemini Giant and its attached restaurant in Wilmington, Illinois are currently for sale. Two wigwam motels have been lovingly restored and are open to overnight guests in Holbrook, Arizona and San Bernardino, California. Down the road on Route 66 is one of the last giant oranges, built as a roadside stand to sell juice to weary travelers. Saved from the wrecking ball by the local historical society, it is now located in front of Bono’s Restaurant for all to enjoy. The Duck was a delight to visit. Now a gift shop, it has been moved several times and is now located in Flanders, New York under the auspices of Friends of the Big Duck. You can’t buy duck eggs there anymore but you can get a T-shirt or a coffee mug and enjoy the iconic fellow and the lovely town of Flanders. ■

MCGINN’S PISTACHIO TREE RANCH, Alamogordo, New Mexico.

LUCY THE ELEPHANT, rsey. Margate, New Je

 STEWART’S PETRIFIED WOOD SHOP, Holbrook, Arizona

 RANDY’S DONUTS, Los Angeles, California.

May / June 2017 35

ARCHITECTURE THE WORLD’S LARGEST CATSUP BOTTLE, Collinsville, Illinois.

 PINK SAND PAIL, Wildwood Crest, New Jersey

WIGWAM MOTEL, Holbrook, Arizona.

THE BUNYON’S STATUE (aka “Tall Paul”), Atlanta, Illinois

36 American Senior

GEMINI GIANT, Wilmington, Illinois.

 THE WORLD’S LARGEST ROCKER, Fanning, Missouri

May / June 2017 37

BOOKS

THEFT BY FINDING DIARIES (1977–2002) BY DAVID SEDARIS

For forty years, David Sedaris has kept a diary in which he records everything that captures his attention including overheard comments, salacious gossip, soap opera plot twists, and secrets confided by total strangers. Written with a sharp eye and ear for the bizarre, the beautiful, and the uncomfortable, and with a generosity of spirit, his newest book is a potent reminder that when you’re as perceptive and curious as Sedaris, there’s no such thing as a boring day.

SCRIBBLED IN THE DARK: POEMS BY CHARLES SIMIC

The Pulitzer Prize-winning former poet laureate’s signature sardonic sense of humor, piercing social insight, and haunting lyricism to diverse and richly imagined landscapes is on full display. Peopled by policemen, presidents, kids in Halloween masks, a fortune-teller, a fly on the wall of the poet’s kitchen; on crowded New York streets, on park benches, and under darkened skies: the poet toys with the end of the world and its infinity. 38 American Senior

RECKLESS DAUGHTER: A PORTRAIT OF JONI MITCHELL BY DAVID YAFFE

Musician Joni Mitchell’s songs captivate people with the beauty of their language and the rawness of their emotions. Composed of dozens of in-person interviews with Mitchell, this intimate biography reveals the backstory behind the music—from her youth on the Canadian prairie, her pre-vaccine bout with polio at age nine, and her early marriage and the child she gave up for adoption, up through the quintessential albums and love affairs, and all the way to the present.

BETWEEN THEM: REMEMBERING MY PARENTS BY RICHARD FORD

From Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Ford comes a deeply personal account of his parents and his changing perception of them while he also reflects on the impact of loss and devotion. Edna and Parker were rural Arkansans who married in 1928, and traveling throughout the South due to Parker’s travel salesman job until they had one child in 1944. For Ford, the questions of what his parents dreamed of and their parental love become a striking portrait of American life in the mid-century.

THE GREAT RESCUE: AMERICAN HEROES, AN ICONIC SHIP, AND THE RACE TO SAVE EUROPE IN WWI BY PETER HERNON

When the United States declared war in April 1917, the German luxury ocean liner SS Vaterland was interned in New York harbor. President Wilson renamed it the USS Leviathan and it was converted into a warship that ferried US soldiers across the Atlantic Ocean. During the Great War, the ship played an important role, while under the constant threat of German U-Boats hunting Allied ships and the Spanish flu that was spread worldwide, striking healthy young adults including soldiers.

CHEMISTRY: A NOVEL BY WEIKE WANG

A luminous coming-of-age novel about a young scientist who must recalibrate her life when her academic career goes off track. After some soulsearching, the heroine learns the formulas and equations for a different kind of chemistry–one in which the reactions can’t be quantified, measured, and analyzed. The first literary work by Weike Wong astutely juxtaposes the elegance of science, the anxieties of finding a place in the world, and the sacrifices made for love and family.

MEN WITHOUT WOMEN BY HARUKI MURAKAMI

Across seven tales, with the same wry humor that has defined his entire body of work, Haruki Murakami brings his powers of observation to bear on the lives of men who, in their own ways, find themselves alone. Here are vanishing cats and smoky bars, lonely hearts and mysterious women, baseball and the Beatles, woven together to tell stories that speak to us all.

MAGPIE MURDERS: A NOVEL

BY ANTHONY HOROWITZ

When editor Susan Ryeland is given the manuscript of Alan Conway’s latest mystery novel, she has no reason to think it will be much different from any of his others. But Conway’s latest tale has his protagonist investigating a murder, and the more Susan reads, the more she’s convinced that there is another story hidden in the pages of the manuscript: one of real-life jealousy, greed, ruthless ambition, and murder. This story-within-a-story thriller is a classic whodunit worthy of Agatha Christie. May / June 2017 39

FUN & GAMES CROSSWORD 1

ACROSS

1. Desires (5) 4. Talents (5) 7. Square pasta parcels (7) 8. Canonized people (abbr) (3) 9. Uncooperative (9) 13. Share out (9) 17. Wooden shelter (3) 18. Recessed (4-3) 20. Flair (5) 21. Type of footwear (5)

11 12 14

16 17

WORD SEARCH Literary Work E O E E E S E I E N G S C O N

W O N G U U D I Y L P H B L E

G W R O T G D O O A A F E N D

C R T R I O O S E R Y V S R P

O I O A X T S L A L O R O G E

CHARACTER CONTENTS 40 American Senior EPILOGUE EXPOSITION

T T S C X A C C I N I W N X C

S E R S R C T U W P E O P E R

L R E Y S E O R D R E O U P R

T S E C R N S N O O S Y L Y E

O B O D N T E F T I R O E O G

I L E G O E L G T E T T E E R

L O E R R Y T I A O N I N E E

INTRODUCTION NOVEL PAGE PLOT

O C Y O X Y O N S P E T T I E

F K S T T N P E E U E L S I L

E U C O I N D E X S E E T F P

LITERARY WORK CHARACTER CONTENTS EPILOGUE EXPOSITION FOLIO FOREWORD GLOSSARY INDEX INTRODUCTION NOVEL PAGE PLOT SENTENCE STORY TITLE WRITER’S BLOCK

DOWN

1. Stretch, perhaps (4,2) 2. Penultimate month (abbr) (3) 3. Ruin (5) 4. Sorrow (5) 5. Spiral-shaped pasta pieces (7) 6. Sliding window frame (4) 10. Fit (7) 11. Expert (3) 12. Combines (6) 14. Priest (5) 15. Coral ridges (5) 16. Not that, but ___ (4) 19. “ Full house,” on Broadway (inits) (3)

Solutions on page 46 SUDOKU

Sudokuâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;also known as Number Placeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;is a logic-based, combinatorial number-placement puzzle. The aim of Sudoku is to enter a number from 1 through 9 in each cell of a grid. Each row, column, and region must contain only one instance of each number.

8 7 9

1 8

3 2

7 1 6

6 4 2

3 1 8

9 6

2 4 3

3 5 4 LETTER SOUP

Can you rearrange the floating letters below to spell out different words related to surnames of famous authors? Each letter should be used exactly once in the resulting set.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

6 9

7 1

4 2 5

ITH EK NN K G Y A W N O I L I I E WE L W R A C N N M O D I

May/ June 2017 41

Answers on page 47

ART BY DAVE KLUG

How many things can you find that begin with the letter B?

Try saying this tongue twister five times, FAST.

Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky. Draw lines to match the words that rhyme.

STAR SPRINKLE SKY CAR SPACE NIGHT BRIGHT TRACE TWINKLE FLY

ASTROLOGY MAY / JUNE 2017

ARIES (March 21–April 19)

Responsibility may be the one concept that pushes you through the coming months. While the potential to bust out of a time-worn groove and begin down an entirely new path is auspiciously present, you may find that the best way to harness this influence is by taking a high road. Travel and education are highly favored areas that could deliver you with a new breath of fresh air. Along with any effort of self–improvement comes the reward and satisfaction that you are making your journey more fruitful and engaging. While the cosmic temperature may be sizzling hot, you may be better equipped to garner a positive outcome.

TAURUS (April 20–May 20)

CANCER (June 22–July 22)

New and unusual occupational opportunities may arise during this period. Remember that occupation need not be limited to how you earn income but rather how you spend your time on a daily basis (in short, how you occupy your time). The interesting point of view during this time may come from your primary relationship and how that plays in your life. A significant change in a relationship could offer up a chance to shift how you occupy your time for this period. A shift in this area of your life may hold the promise of liberation and a new-found sense of freedom.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22)

The coming months provide you with a period of transition or of moving from one state to another. Transition carries as much potential as it does risk, and the distinction may be up to how you choose to move forward. If you can seize the moment and gracefully direct yourself towards a positive venture, you are likely to find the move beneficial. Transition seems to carry a certain ominous quality with it and that need not be feared but rather embraced. You can direct this in a meaningful way as long as you are cognizant of the opportunity.

Prepare yourself for an adventure that either involves travel or education. A surprise encounter with a spiritual individual or group could trigger you to re-evaluate how you walk through your life these days. A departure from the norm may sound ominous but stop and consider what new insights and concepts may allow you to view the path you are on differently. In this capacity, you might be enlightened in ways you had not previously ever entertained. Like opening a wrapped gift, you may be thrilled at what arrives in the form of a new attitude. If you approach this like a wild adventure, you may be amazed at the outcome.

GEMINI (May 21–June 21)

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22)

You may be in the process of redefining your relationship with certain key business associates. While your connection with others may involve a career-oriented move, you may also see a significant shift in the groups with which you are aligned. Social groups and close friends may also be players in this game of change. This shift may bring into view a newer, deeper, and more meaningful connection with those with whom you spend time or share a common interest. While changes in any area of our lives can be challenging, consider the improvements that may also come your way as a result. 44 American Senior

Your imagination may be testing the waters of a new form of personal expression that may be nothing short of transformative. New and unusual methods of personal development may be the secret to unlocking the potential that you are harboring. Do you have the courage to take a chance on a new form of creativity? What have you always wanted to accomplish with your deep and inquisitive, detail-oriented mind? You might find that the current climate is perfect for you to finally make an attempt at something that may have been lurking deep inside you that never had a chance to be expressed.

by Chris Flisher

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22)

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22–Jan. 19)

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21)

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18)

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22–Dec. 21)

PISCES (Feb. 19–March 20)

Your time in the spotlight may have delivered you with many new options. Your primary relationship may have presented you with an unexpected surprise that may have been quite extraordinary. Jupiter continues to shed its abundance on you for roughly the remainder of the year, which should allow you to feel confident and expansive. Volunteering for a public service that holds a special interest to you might serve to elevate your status within your community and shed light on ways for you to find meaning in your daily life. Expect to have discussions with siblings that may require a shift in family dynamics. One area that looks quite promising is travel and education. You might consider the benefits of returning to school for some advanced education or other stimulating experience that presents you with a different lens through which to look at your experiences. This should be an ideal time for heading out on the road for a lengthy and enlightening experience. There may be nothing so thrilling as feeling the road move under you as you seek to broaden your view. You might be catching up on visits to relatives that have moved farther away or have new family members. Expect to make some long-term investment decisions over this period. You may be reconsidering how you allocate your holdings or decide on new distributions for those you have considered as beneficiaries of your estate. New family members may help you decode how you want to have your love shown. You might also be inclined to seek out or work with large organizations to establish a future plan for yourself. Changes you make at this juncture may last for some time so consider carefully, and perhaps include charities or other groups to which you have participated in as possible recipients.

Expect to see a lot of action and conversation with friends and closest partners during this period. You may be discussing new plans for adopting new life patterns or discussing ways to be more engaged in some form of volunteer organization. Basically, you may be feeling as if you are eager to give back and establish a routine that fits your abilities. This could be a game-changing outlet for you and one which allows you to leave a valuable imprint on a group of people. The best part may be the feeling of appreciation that washes over you from others. Charity and altruism may be areas you consciously try to address. This should be an excellent time for organizing help and establishing a volunteer organization that addresses a public need. To be of service has always been one of your strongest traits and to begin again in this direction may feel familiar simply because it may be what you do best. You may find that it is better to step into this realm cautiously and with some serious consideration of what this might entail. Once you are committed, you might not want to entertain the option of doing things differently. Choose wisely because once you are inspired, you may find it hard to stop.

A burst of creativity may descend on you during this season as your imagination runs away with ideas for forming groups of like-minded friends and acquaintances. While your inspiration for collaborating may be much admired, you may have to set realistic boundaries around what you can achieve and what may have to be put off for a while. You might consider what your plans are for the future and try and reign in your expectations, especially of others. Joining together in some form of group-oriented process or benefit may inspire you in ways you might have previously forgotten. May / June 2017 45

SOLUTIONS CROSSWORD W A

M U

O L

T U

I T

WORD SEARCH

S H

L I

U O

E E

S A

N I

R H

T E

8 9 1 2 3 6 7 5 4

2 3 4 7 8 5 1 9 6

46 American Senior

W O N G U U D I Y L P H B L E

G W R O T G D O O A A F E N D

C R T R I O O S E R Y V S R P

O I O A X T S L A L O R O G E

T T S C X A C C I N I W N X C

S E R S R C T U W P E O P E R

LETTER SOUP

SUDOKU

6 7 5 4 1 9 2 3 8

E O E E E S E I E N G S C O N

1 8 7 5 2 3 4 6 9

4 5 6 9 7 1 3 8 2

3 2 9 6 4 8 5 7 1

9 4 2 8 5 7 6 1 3

7 1 8 3 6 2 9 4 5

5 6 3 1 9 4 8 2 7

1. DICKENS 2. HEMINGWAY 3. TWAIN 4. ROWLING 5. TOLKIEN

L R E Y S E O R D R E O U P R

T S E C R N S N O O S Y L Y E

O B O D N T E F T I R O E O G

I L E G O E L G T E T T E E R

L O E R R Y T I A O N I N E E

O C Y O X Y O N S P E T T I E

F K S T T N P E E U E L S I L

E U C O I N D E X S E E T F P

B IS FOR

DIAMOND IN THE SKY

1. BAG 2. BALLOON 3. BANANAS 4. BANJO 5. BARREL 6. BASKET 7. BATHTUB 8. BEAR 9. BEAVER 10. BEE 11. BEETLE 12. BENCH 13. BERET

14. BIRD 15. BIRDBATH 16. BIRTHDAY CAKE 17. BLANKET 18. BOOK 19. BOOTS 20. BOWL 21. BOY 22. BUBBLES 23. BULL 24. BUTTERFLY 25. BUTTONS

STAR SKY SPACE BRIGHT TWINKLE

SPRINKLE CAR NIGHT TRACE FLY

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6-12 1-800-627-1976

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May / June 2017 47

“I’ve had those book for years. They represent the person I once inspired to be.”

48 American Senior

WILLIAM HAEFELI, THE NEW YORKER COLLECTION/THE CARTOON BANK; ROZ CHAST, THE NEW YORKER COLLECTION/THE CARTOON BANK

LAST LAUGH