Cumberland County 50plus LIFE January 2016

LIFE

Complimentary | Cumberland County Edition | January 2016 • Vol. 17 No. 1

Where Poland and Pennsylvania Meet

page 14

Inside:

Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter page 6

Buying Tips for New Year’s Travelers page 8

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Welcome to the first official issue of 50plus LIFE! For the last 20 years, 50plus Senior News has been focused on its central motto, its tagline, its mission: Redefining Age. It’s a large-scale ambition that was the heartbeat of 50plus Senior News’ 241 monthly issues.

50plus LIFE picks up that mission and carries it one step further, recognizing that in terms of living fully and enthusiastically, today’s boomers and seniors have not only redefined life after 50, but age itself—the number—has also become secondary to attitude!

It’s not an age. It’s an attitude.

With a new look and a new name, 50plus LIFE reflects the lifestyles and attitudes of today’s boomer-andbeyond generations.

In addition to the obvious cover changes, you’ll notice some changes inside 50plus LIFE, too. A larger typeface to increase readability.

Updated column headers and some new stylistic flourishes.

And you’ll begin to see a few new faces added to our roster of recurring columnists. We hope you’ll agree

their fresh content complements the contributions of your favorite writers as indicated by our biannual readers survey (please look for it in June 2016).

And though there some changes, you’ll find many features you’ve always enjoyed and come to expect: articles about travel, family, health and wellness, lifestyle, and finance, as well as local happenings, puzzles, and profiles of your friends and neighbors.

Don’t forget: 50plus LIFE is also available online at www.50plusLifePA. com, so you don’t have to miss a single issue.

Let us know what you think of 50plus LIFE! Connect with us on Facebook and at www.50plusLifePA. com, or contact us at info@onlinepub. com or (717) 285-1350.

We are excited about these changes and for the year ahead. Thank you for being a part of our 20-year journey and evolution!

Megan Joyce Editor, 50plus Publications

Why Jan. 1? Ask Julius Caesar You can’t exactly blame Julius Caesar for any failed New Year’s resolutions, but the idea of beginning the year on Jan. 1 originated in his time.

The Roman emperor designated that day as the New Year in 153 B.C. to mark the naming of Rome’s two ruling consuls.

The so-called Julian calendar remained in standard use throughout the Middle Ages, although many European countries chose to start their calendar year on different days to commemorate various Christian holidays, such as Christmas or Easter.

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January 2016

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By the 16th century, many people and nations agreed that the Julian calendar ought to be reformed. Pope Gregory XIII chose a calendar devised by Italian astronomer and philosopher Aloysius Lilius in 1582.

By that time, most western European countries had already adopted Jan. 1 as the start of the year, but the Gregorian calendar itself was accepted at different times by different nations.

Russia didn’t abandon the Julian calendar for the Gregorian until after the October Revolution in 1917. www.50plusLifePA.com

Men’s Senior Softball Exists in South-Central Pa. Two men’s senior softball leagues are seeking interested players from Cumberland, Dauphin, and York counties.

The evening league, a competitive league, is for players 55 and older.

Games are played Monday and Wednesday evenings.

This league includes 10 teams and uses a slow-pitch softball with an arc of 6 to 12 feet. Wood softball bats are used and there are 11 defensive players on the field, four outfielders, and seven infielders. Games are seven innings.

Currently, four municipalities— Susquehanna Township,

Mechanicsburg Borough, Derry Township, and Fairview Township— provide fields for play.

The morning league, which is for players over age 62, comprises six teams.

Every player who attends the game is placed in the batting order and must

play a minimum of three innings on the field. Games are nine innings.

Games in the morning league are played on a field provided by Susquehanna Township.

For more information about joining a league, contact Jerry Munley, (717) 877-3356.

At Your Fingertips Helpful numbers, hotlines, and local businesses and organizations eager to serve you—all just a phone call away.

Assisted Living Residences Brookdale Grandon Farms 1100 Grandon Way, Mechanicsburg (717) 730-4033 Emergency Numbers American Red Cross (717) 845-2751 Central PA Poison Center (800) 521-6110 Cumberland County Assistance (800) 269-0173 Energy Assistance Cumberland County Board of Assistance (800) 269-0173 Eye Care Services Kilmore Eye Associates 890 Century Drive, Mechanicsburg (717) 697-1414 Funeral Directors Cocklin Funeral Home, Inc. 30 N. Chestnut St., Dillsburg (717) 432-5312 Health & Medical Services Alzheimer’s Association (717) 651-5020 American Diabetes Association (800) 342-2383 Arthritis Foundation (717) 763-0900 CONTACT Helpline (717) 652-4400 The National Kidney Foundation (800) 697-7007 PACE (800) 225-7223 Social Security Administration (Medicare) (800) 302-1274 Healthcare Information Pa. HealthCare Cost Containment Council (717) 232-6787 www.50plusLifePA.com

Hearing Services Duncan Nulph Hearing Associates 5020 Ritter Road, Suite 10G, Mechanicsburg (717) 766-1500 Pennsylvania Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (800) 233-3008 V/TTY Heating/AC/Plumbing Farr Tech Heat (717) 889-3960 3537 Hartzdale Drive, Camp Hill Home Care Services Senior Helpers (717) 920-0707 Hospice Services Homeland Hospice 2300 Vartan Way, Suite 115, Harrisburg (717) 221-7890 Hospitals Carlisle Regional Medical Center (717) 960-1696 Housing Assistance Cumberland County Housing Authority 114 N. Hanover St., Carlisle (717) 249-1315 Property Tax/Rent Rebate (888) 728-2937 Salvation Army (717) 249-1411 Insurance Apprise Insurance Counseling (800) 783-7067 Intellectual Disabilities Keystone Human Services 124 Pine St., Harrisburg (717) 232-7509 Medical Equipment & Supplies Medical Supply (800) 777-6647

Nursing/Rehab Homeland Center 1901 N. Fifth St., Harrisburg (717) 221-7902

Drug Information (800) 729-6686

Nutrition Meals on Wheels Carlisle (717) 245-0707 Mechanicsburg (717) 697-5011 Newville (717) 776-5251 Shippensburg (717) 532-4904 West Shore (717) 737-3942

Health and Human Services Discrimination (800) 368-1019

Flu or Influenza (888) 232-3228

Internal Revenue Service (800) 829-1040 Liberty Program (866) 542-3788 Medicare Hotline (800) 638-6833 National Council on Aging (800) 424-9046

Orthopedics OSS Health 856 Century Drive, Mechanicsburg (717) 747-8315

Organ Donor Hotline (800) 243-6667

Personal Care Homes Homeland Center 1901 N. Fifth St., Harrisburg (717) 221-7902

Smoking Information (800) 232-1331

Pharmacies CVS/pharmacy www.cvs.com

Social Security Office (800) 772-1213

Passport Information (888) 362-8668

Social Security Fraud (800) 269-0217

Travel AAA Central Penn (717) 657-2244

Services Cumberland County Aging & Community Services (717) 240-6110

Journease Travel Specialists (717) 462-4806

Toll-Free Numbers Bureau of Consumer Protection (800) 441-2555

Veterans Services American Legion (717) 730-9100

Cancer Information Service (800) 422-6237

Governor’s Veterans Outreach (717) 234-1681

Consumer Information (888) 878-3256

Lebanon VA Medical Center 1700 S. Lincoln Ave., Lebanon (717) 228-6000 or (800) 409-8771

Disease and Health Risk (888) 232-3228 Domestic Violence (800) 799-7233

Veterans Affairs (717) 240-6178 or (717) 697-0371 Not an all-inclusive list of advertisers in your area.

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January 2016

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Older But Not Wiser

New Year’s Resolutions

Corporate Office

3912 Abel Drive, Columbia, PA 17512 Phone 717.285.1350 • Fax 717.285.1360 Chester County: 610.675.6240 Cumberland County/Dauphin County: 717.770.0140 Berks County/Lancaster County/ Lebanon County/York County: 717.285.1350 E-mail address: info@onlinepub.com Website address: www.onlinepub.com

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EDITORIAL

Vice President and Managing Editor Christianne Rupp Editor, 50plus Publications Megan Joyce

ART DEPARTMENT Project Coordinator Renee McWilliams Production Artists Lauren McNallen Janys Ruth

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Account Executives Angie McComsey Jacoby Amy Kieffer Ranee Shaub Miller Account Representatives Brantley Lefever Sales & Event Coordinator Eileen Culp Events Manager Kimberly Shaffer Marketing Coordinator Mariah Hammacher

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January 2016

Every year I make several New Year’s resolutions, and every year I fall way short of accomplishing them.

Maybe I set my goals a little too high.

For example, these are some of my failed resolutions from last year: I will read Moby Dick and Ulysses. I will clean out the garage.

I will become a more honorable person. Who can do these things?

And so this year, I decided my goals would still be lofty, but I wouldn’t set the bar quite as high. And maybe, just maybe, I can accomplish them with the right amount of determination.

Here are my resolutions for 2016:

50plus LIFE ›

4. I will go to my 50th high school reunion and stretch the truth about my accomplishments.

I realize it’s deceitful and I should be happy with my true accomplishments, but I think I can overcome these feelings. I will rent a limo and tell my former classmates that I’m a billionaire and I invented suitcases with little wheels on them.

3. I will go to the bathroom at least four times every night. I’m pretty sure I can accomplish this goal because I have had plenty of practice.

this New Year’s resolution. Some people are so dumb that I have to repeat myself in order to make sure that they understood me the first time.

8. I will eat something bad for me at least twice a week. I may have to go to different restaurants to find the creamiest piece of cheesecake or the fattiest pastrami sandwich, but I will be diligent in my search and in making this resolution a reality.

9. I will not go to the opera or the ballet with my wife. I may have to make up numerous excuses, but I think with the right determination and creative thinking, I can do it.

1. Even though I am already overweight, I will somehow manage to gain 5 pounds this year. I was going to say 10 pounds, but I don’t want to shoot too high.

2. I will brag about my 2-yearold granddaughter incessantly.

I will find any excuse I can to talk about her. And I will do it even if my transitions aren’t that graceful. For example, if someone says, “It’s a nice day out,” I will reply, “Speaking of nice days, did I mention that my granddaughter is brilliant?”

ADMINISTRATION

4

Sy Rosen

5. I will watch at least three hours of television a day. It will be hard to find enough good programs to watch, but I will search them out and be relentless in my goal.

6. I will only say that I am seven years younger than I actually am.

Saying I am any younger than that would be dishonest.

7. I will occasionally repeat myself. I know this will be met by some eye rolls and annoyance, but I will not be deterred in achieving

10. I will take credit for things I haven’t actually done. This can be anything from fixing a leaky faucet to cleaning out my closet.

I figure if I say it enough times, people will actually believe me (it works for politicians).

11. I will pretend to have read Moby Dick and Ulysses. This resolution will be difficult to achieve, but I will get the CliffsNotes and study them for days so I can convince people that I have actually read these books.

Yes, this may take more time than actually reading the novels, but I think it’s worth it.

12. My column will not be longer than 600 words because that—

www.50plusLifePA.com

Dear Pharmacist

Suzy Cohen

3 Foods to Avoid if You Snore

Do you know someone who snores all night? Don’t let snoring ruin your relationship or cause sleep deprivation.

Snoring may be controllable.

What about your sweet grandchild?

How many earaches has he or she been medicated for?

I sadly wonder how many children have undergone tonsillectomies due to repeated infections.

Maybe those kids could have kept their tonsils and just went off foods that are known to trigger the problem, as well as earaches, respiratory infections, and asthma.

Studies point to food allergies or sensitivities as one underlying cause of snoring and a common complication of earaches for children.

Researchers have tested the theory of food allergies causing something called “adenotonsillar hypertrophy” or ATH. That is the medical term for enlarged adenoids, and adenoids are patches of lymph tissue near the tonsils in the upper airway.

Adenoids and tonsils are part of the immune system and protect against germs that we swallow or breathe in.

From birth to age 6, these tissues grow as the immune system develops.

They slowly shrink unless there are problems. Instead of shrinking, adenoids swell up in response to food allergies, the top three offenders being milk, eggs, and cod.

Complications of ATH include chronic ear infections, ear pain, stuffy nose, swollen glands in the neck, snoring, and respiratory infections.

Children and adults are usually offered antibiotics for these conditions, which almost makes sense unless you find out that the person has a chronic problem, they eat common www.50plusLifePA.com

food allergens, or they lack a positive culture.

ATH may be behind the snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. Recent research found allergic inflammation within the glands and tonsils are provoking the swollen tissue. The allergic inflammation was IgG or Type III, which is a delayed response to foods.

Basically, the “delayed” immune complexes show up after about three hours but could take up to two weeks to develop the full allergic response!

Can you test for IgG, IgE, or IgA immunoglobulins?

Yes, you can. It’s pretty easy, and I will share these special tests in the longer version of this article—just sign up for my free newsletter at www.suzycohen.com.

This is a big deal. The current method of testing can give you false negatives, a false sense of comfort, and worse, a negative result when you are truly positive.

Food intolerances must be identified properly and eliminated to fully relieve the allergic inflammation and swollen tissue. If you deal with chronic snoring, sleep apnea, swollen tonsils, or enlarged adenoids, you need to tease out the underlying cause.

Immune-boosting supplements can be helpful; however, nothing you take negates the damage done by food sensitivities. The offending foods have to be removed. The intestinal permeability has to be repaired.

The adenoids and tonsils will eventually shrink and your breathing will improve, both day and night.

This information is not intended to diagnose, prevent, or treat your disease.

For more information about the author, visit SuzyCohen.com

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January 2016

5

The Bookworm Sez

Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter Terri Schlichenmeyer

The king has spoken.

And in pretty much every fairytale, that’s all it takes for a happy (or notso-happy) ending: he decrees, and it is so.

And in the new book Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter by Kate Clifford Larson, you’ll see how that affected the oldest girl in what many say was America’s royal family.

When Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy went into labor on the Sept. 13, 1918, she figured her third baby’s birth would be as uneventful as that of her first two children.

Alas, the doctor was delayed in caring for Boston’s Spanish flu victims so the nurse, unauthorized to deliver the child, held the baby in place in the birth canal for two excruciating hours.

By the time little Rosemary Kennedy was a year old, it was obvious

that something and quickly was amiss. overtook her both physically Compared and mentally, it to her older became apparent brothers, “Rosie” was delayed in that she was going to need all milestones, more than the which her family could mother blamed offer. on “gender and Doctors temperament.”

Author photo courtesy of David Carmack diagnosed her Still, hoping Rosemary: her daughter as “mentally The Hidden Kennedy Daughter retarded”; she would catch up,

By Kate Clifford Larson Rose vowed to c. 2015, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt might also have suffered spend more time $27 / $35 Canada from epilepsy. with Rosemary.

302 pages No matter Inwardly, she struggled; outwardly, she was how much parental attention she had, however, Rosemary would never charming and fun-loving. Many thought she was just “shy.” be a rough-and-tumble Kennedy.

Desperate for a cure that would As younger siblings were born never come, Joseph and Rose Kennedy sent Rosemary to a succession of schools until, in 1938, a good fit was found in Great Britain but World War II intervened.

Nineteen-year-old Rosemary was pulled from that school for her safety, and her stateside return sent her into a tailspin.

By 1941, Joseph Kennedy was searching for new methods of treatment for his daughter and had considered lobotomy (a radical brain surgery).

Family members recommended against it, but he’d been “assured” it (formerly 50plus Senior News)

North American Mature Publishers Association Awards

1st Place

Division C Profile Category “Penning a New Normal”

by Chelsea Peifer 50plus Senior News, January 2015 www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com

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would work and so, sometime in early November 1941, without telling his wife or children, he authorized the surgery …

Stunned. Absolutely stunned. That was me, as I read this sit-still book.

Yes, I was aware that Rosemary lived until relatively recently, tucked away in small-town Wisconsin, but the rest?

I had no idea.

That story, however, isn’t all that lies inside Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter. Author Kate Clifford Larson also lays out plenty of history, both of the family as a whole and of the world.

She reaches back to the earliest Kennedy years and, as she pulls us forward, she puts into context each phase of Rosemary’s life, plunging us into the way things were early in the last century.

Then, believe it or not, in Larson’s hands, this tragic tale culminates in an oddly happy ending.

I couldn’t get enough of this astounding book and, especially if you like a splash of historical biography in your scandal, you’ll love it, too.

Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter is a book I can’t speak enough about.

The Bookworm is Terri Schlichenmeyer.

Terri has been reading since she was 3 years old and she never goes anywhere without a book. She lives on a hill in Wisconsin with two dogs and 14,000 books.

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Savvy Senior

Social Security’s Viagra Benefit for Kids Jim Miller

Dear Savvy Senior, I’ve been told that my children, who are 13 and 16 years old, may be eligible for Social Security when I file for my retirement benefits. What can you tell me about this?

– Older Dad

Dear Older, It’s true. If you’re retired and are still raising young children, there’s a little-known Social Security benefit dubbed the “Viagra benefit” that can put some extra money in your family coffers.

Here’s how it works. When you file for Social Security retirement benefits, each of your minor children can get money on your work record equaling half of what you would receive at full retirement age, which is currently 66.

Even if you were to take a smaller

benefit by claiming earlier, your kids will still get half of your fullretirement age amount.

To qualify, your kids—whether they’re biological, adopted, or stepchildren—must be unmarried and under age 18.

Kids that are over 18 but still in high school can collect too until they graduate or turn 19, whichever comes first. (Other rules apply to kids who are disabled.)

But that’s not all.

Because you have one child who is only 13, your wife (if you’re married) can collect Social Security benefits on your work record too.

And it doesn’t matter if she’s just 40 years old. The minimum age requirements to collect retirement benefits (62) or survivor benefits (60) do not apply when it comes to

collecting benefits as the caregiver of a young child.

The spouse’s benefit, which is also worth up to half of your benefit, will stop when your child turns 16.

But be aware that there are limits to the amount of money that can be paid to a family. The Social Security “family maximum payment” is determined by a complex formula (see ssa.gov/oact/ cola/familymax.html) and can range from 150 to 180 percent of your full retirement benefit amount.

If the total exceeds that, each person’s benefit, except yours, is cut proportionately until it equals the maximum.

Here’s an example of how that’s figured. Let’s say, for example, that your full retirement age benefit is $2,000. After doing the Social Security math computations, that

would make your family maximum benefit $3,500.

Subtract your $2,000 benefit from the $3,500 family maximum benefit, which leaves $1,500. That’s the monthly amount that can be split between your two children: $750 each.

If your wife wants in on it too, the individual checks are smaller, at $500 apiece, but the family amount is the same.

File and Suspend One other benefit-boosting strategy you should know about that’s relevant here is “file and suspend.”

If you’re still working and would like to wait, say, to age 67 or even 70 to start claiming your own benefits, please see BENEFIT page 9

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January 2016

7

Art & Antiques by Dr. Lori

Buying Tips for New Year’s Travelers Lori Verderame

As the new year commences, many of us find ourselves taking to the skies or roads on trips for business and pleasure.

When I travel—and I travel a lot—I often meet people who ask me what is a good buy or how to spot a bargain.

When collectors travel to various parts of the world, here are some of the collectible items that you may want to shop for in some famed yet fabulous far-off locales: • Australia: coral jewelry • Caribbean islands: giant seashells, woven handbags • China: paintings • Costa Rica: coffee, handmade wooden crafts • Denmark: handmade wood objects

• Finland: wool clothing • Germany: contemporary art, knives • Greece: pottery • Guatemala: santos sculptures • Italy: leather goods and fashion accessories • Japan: knives and swords • Mexico: silver, terracotta pottery • Middle East: gemstones • New Zealand: wool sweaters • Panama: hats • Turkey: linens, tiles

• Puerto Rico: mahogany furniture • Russia: matryoshkas or nesting dolls • South Pacific islands: basketry, black pearls • Spain: Lladro figurines Of course, this list is not all inclusive, but it gives travelers a good starting point about what types of objects may be good buys in certain places.

While the unique qualities of objects found in far-off lands are

interesting, be prepared to shop wisely while on vacation or traveling.

Negotiate with cash when you can, be knowledgeable about exchange rates, and be sure to fully understand the shipping and return policies.

Remember that in many tourist areas and big cities, the prices are inflated in an effort to attract buyers.

Stick to your budget and compare prices from shop to shop whenever you can.

No matter where you travel, remember that quality equals value.

Wherever you shop—at home or abroad—negotiate politely and consider the artisan and the locale when shopping for handmade items.

The allure of handmade items is the fact that they demonstrate a particular talent and help you to recall a special trip as a keepsake or souvenir.

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January 2016

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Some of my most favored collectibles from my travels are those handmade items that I bought directly from the artisan or those objects that I bought after an exchange with a shop owner or other local resident.

I remember clearly the time I watched as a talented Romanian woman crocheted a tablecloth in Bucharest that I now use in my sunroom; how I tried to break the language barrier with a nun at the Vatican gift shop while I shopped for silver rosary beads blessed by the

Pope for my mother; and I remember when a local man drew me a map of the local roads so I could find the sculpture studio of a santos carver in Guatemala.

Happy hunting!

Celebrity Ph.D. antiques appraiser, author, and former museum director, Dr. Lori hosts antiques appraisal events worldwide.

Dr. Lori is the star appraiser on Discovery channel. Visit www.DrLoriV.com/Events, www.Facebook.com/DoctorLori, or call (888) 431-1010.

Heat Assistance Available through LIHEAP Eligible Pennsylvania residents are encouraged to apply for the LowIncome Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which helps low-income people pay their heating bills through home-energy assistance grants and crisis grants.

Cash grants are awarded based on household income, family size, type of heating fuel, and region. Both renters and homeowners are eligible.

Crisis grants are provided in the event of a heating emergency, including broken heating equipment or leaking lines that must be fixed or replaced, lack of fuel, termination of utility service, or danger of being without fuel or of having utility service terminated.

Eligibility for the 2015-16 LIHEAP season is set at 150 percent of the federal poverty income guidelines.

For more information or to apply online, visit COMPASS (www. compass.state.pa.us).

Household sizes and maximum income limits for LIHEAP’s 2015-16 season:

1 person – $17,655 2 people – $23,895 3 people – $30,135 4 people – $36,375 5 people – $42,615 6 people – $48,855 7 people – $55,095 8 people – $61,335 9 people – $67,575 10 people – $73,815

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(For each additional person, add $6,240.)

Paper applications are available from your county Office of Aging, or applications can be downloaded and printed from the Department of Human Services’ website (www.dhs. pa.gov). Click on “For Adults.”

BENEFIT from page 7 you can file and suspend starting at full retirement age, 66.

This option gives you the ability to start monthly payments for your minor children and wife but suspend your own benefit so you can collect a larger amount later.

Your benefit will increase by 8 percent per year for every year you delay collecting your retirement benefit up until age 70. That means your retirement benefit at age 70 will be 132 percent of what it would have www.50plusLifePA.com

been if you had collected at age 66.

You should also know that minor children can collect Social Security benefits based on the earnings of a parent who is disabled or deceased.

To learn more, see the SSA publication (No. 05-10085) Benefits for Children at www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN05-10085.pdf.

Jim Miller is a regular contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior Book. www.savvysenior.org

50plus LIFE ›

January 2016

9

Salute to a Veteran

He Flew 173 Missions in the Berlin Airlift Robert D. Wilcox

John Schuppert grew up on a farm in New Freedom, Pa. As a youngster, he often saw barnstorming pilots flying overhead.

And in 1931, when he was only 12, he had a chance to get a ride with one of them. That sealed his ambition to one day become a daring pilot himself.

That day was pretty far in the future, however, and in the meantime, he finished high school, and then went on to earn a BA in social sciences at Loyola College in Baltimore.

In 1941, he was drafted into the Army Engineers, where he helped build runways and revetments at air bases used by our World War II fliers.

Then a chance came along to try for the Aviation Cadet program. So he quickly grabbed it.

He aced the test and went through the flight program, emerging with his pilot’s wings and the gold bars of a

German children watch a C-54 land at Templehof Airport during the Berlin Airlift.

Maj. John E. Schuppert with the Air Medal he got for flying his first 100 missions of the Berlin Airlift.

second lieutenant.

His first assignment was to a base in

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Great Falls, Mont., where he flew A-20 and B-25 bombers to Alaska. There, Soviet pilots picked them up and flew them to the Soviet Union, which, at that time, was our ally in the war in Europe.

His next assignment was to be in a

situation that shocked the world.

When the war in Europe ended in May 1945, the U.S., Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union each was given a part of Germany as an occupation zone. The German capital, Berlin, was well within the Soviet zone, and it, too, was divided between the four powers.

Matters between the Soviets and the three Western powers rapidly deteriorated, however. And on June 24, 1948, the Soviets blockaded rail, road, and water access to western Berlin.

Fortunately, air corridors had been agreed upon for reaching Berlin, and they now became the only way the West had for supplying the some 2 million Germans residing in western Berlin.

Each corridor was 20 miles wide, and it was quickly decided that they

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January 2016

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were to be used to bring to Berliners the essentials they needed to stay alive.

There were 102 C-47 transports and only two C-54s in Europe, so they were all flown to Wiesbaden and Rhein-Main to use the corridor to Templehof Airport and to Celle and Fassberg to use the corridor to Gatow Airport.

The C-47 could haul 3 tons of cargo, while the C-54 could carry 10 tons. On June 26, 1948, the first day of what became the Berlin Airlift, C-47s made 32 fights with 80 tons of mainly powdered milk, flour, and medicine.

But it became clear that C-54s were urgently needed, and in two weeks they began arriving from the U.S. to replace the C-47s.

Schuppert arrived in Celle in November 1948 and soon started flying C-54 missions to Gatow Airport in Berlin.

When asked what that was like, Schuppert says, “Well, the weather in winter was pretty bad, with fog, clouds, rain, and ice. In clear weather, we had often been flying at threeminute intervals, 24 hours a day, but we had to extend that some with the bad winter weather.”

How about the Soviets? Did they try to jam the flights?

“Not really,” he says. “Their fighter pilots and anti-aircraft gunners occasionally opened fire near the corridors, but they didn’t come into the corridors after us.”

So that wasn’t a problem?

“Well, yes and no. On one mission, a bullet had passed cleanly through one of our props, but we didn’t even realize it until we found the hole later, when we were on the ground.”

The airlift worked so well that the Soviets lifted the blockade on May

12, 1949, but just to be sure that the land access would endure, we kept the lift going until Sept. 30.

By then, 2.3 million tons of cargo had been flown to Berlin, about 75 percent of which came in American planes. We flew 189,000 flights, totaling nearly 600,000 flying hours and exceeding 92 million miles.

The biggest single day was Easter Sunday, April 17, 1949, with 13,000 tons of cargo, including the equivalent of 600 railroad cars of coal.

Schuppert flew his last Berlin Airlift mission in May 1949 and flew back to Westover Field in Massachusetts, where he was separated from the Air Force.

He was recalled for Korea in 1951, completing survival school in Nevada and then going to San Antonio, where he was checked out in B-29s.

Then it was to Forbes Air Force Base, Kansas, where he flew the all-jet B-47 bomber. That led to his being an instructor pilot in the B-47 for two years before retiring from the Air Force for the last time in 1955.

Back in Central Pennsylvania, he joined Hamilton Technology as a contract administrator. He then worked for Fulton Bank, heading their credit card division.

As a person who needed to keep himself busy, he worked at a surprising number of other jobs before coming to a comfortable retirement home, where he and his wife, Cynthia, reside today.

He can look back at an unusually diverse Air Force career, while his important days of flying the Berlin Airlift stand out as some of the most rewarding.

Colonel Wilcox flew a B-17 bomber in Europe in World War II.

Look for my Professionally Speaking column in the March edition of 50plus LIFE about colorectal cancer awareness

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April 6, 2016 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

York Expo Center • Memorial Hall East 334 Carlisle Ave., York

This event is FREE to attend.

Veterans (of all ages) and the military community and their families are invited to join us!

The Expo brings federal, state, and local agencies together with area businesses to provide information and resources to veterans and their families.

The Job Fair brings veterans and spouses who need jobs together with employers who can benefit from this rich source of talent to aid their organizations.

At the Expo

Veterans Benefits & Services Medical/Nonmedical Resources Products and Services Available Support/Assistance Programs Education/Training Services

At the Job Fair

Employers Job Counseling Workshops Employment Seminars Resume Writing Assistance Hosted by:

Sponsor & Exhibitor Opportunities Available

www.veteransexpo.com (717) 285-1350 www.olpevents.com

www.carlislesurgical.com 50plus LIFE ›

January 2016

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Tinseltown Talks Putting the EASE in your travel planning!

Travel with us to nostalgic “Mayberry,” Mount Airy, NC America’s favorite hometown and inspiration for the “Andy Griffith Show,” as well as hometown to Andy Griffith himself

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Be sure to follow us as Customized Group Trips are continually being added

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When you join our family, you can feel secure knowing that we’re here for you every step of the way. Whatever the future holds, our communities are designed to care for your needs, through all the stages of life.

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(717) 285-1350

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January 2016

50plus LIFE ›

Nick Thomas

Betty Lynn: Keeping Mayberry Alive

It’s just after noon on the third seasons, throughout most of the 1960s.

Friday of the month, and 89-year-old It won six Emmys, including five for Betty Lynn is preparing to take her Don Knotts. seat behind a small brown table in “Andy was fun and a bit of a tease the main room of the Andy Griffith off-camera, while Don was sweet but Museum in Mount Airy, N.C. very quiet and nothing like his Barney Visitors are already beginning Fife character. But that just illustrates to flood into the 2,500-square-foot what a good actor he was.” building to meet the actress best Lynn also appeared in some 20 known to ’60s films and more TV fans as than 40 other Barney Fife’s TV shows, girlfriend, including many Thelma Lou, Westerns. from The Andy “I enjoyed Griffith Show, Westerns, but set in the filming in the fictional town of hot Californian Mayberry. summers “Over 500 wearing long Betty Lynn at the Andy Griffth people come dresses and Museum in 2013.

Photo credit: through,” says petticoats was Hobart Jones, Surry Arts Council.

Lynn of a typical rough,” she said. afternoon at the “During one museum, where show—I think it she greets fans was ‘Texas John once a month.

Slaughter’ for They come Disneyland—we from all over the sat down to lunch world to meet and these huge a former cast bugs swarmed all member of the around us. We popular show were told to just and to see the ignore them and Don Knotts and Betty Lynn in a screen large collection eat around them.” shot from The Andy Griffith Show. of Andy Griffith Throughout memorabilia, her career, Lynn assembled by Griffith’s lifelong worked with some Hollywood greats. friend Emmett Forrest (see www.

“My first film, Sitting Pretty, and andygriffithmuseum.com). then later Cheaper by the Dozen, were In 2007, after being twice robbed with Clifton Webb, a sweet man with in her Los Angeles home, Lynn left a good sense of humor,” she recalled.

Hollywood for the quiet, secure life “I also did two films with Bette Davis, in Mount Airy, which was also Andy who got everyone to call me Boo, after Griffith’s hometown. one of my characters, so it wouldn’t be “I’d been coming here for the confusing when they called ‘Betty’ on Mayberry Days festival for ages, so it the set!’ seemed like the perfect place to settle,” She also worked, at one time or she said. “Everyone has been so kind another, with almost all the cast of since I moved here. It didn’t take long Gilligan’s Island. for me to feel like a local rather than a “Alan Hale Jr. was on an episode visitor.” of The Andy Griffith Show and played The Andy Griffith Show ran for eight a mountain man looking for a wife,” www.50plusLifePA.com

explained Lynn. “Recently, I saw the episode again, where he picked me way up in the air twice. I laughed because I looked like a rag doll.”

As she does on each of her visits to

the museum, Lynn braces for a long afternoon as enthusiastic fans are already forming the meet-and-greet line.

“It’s a little tiring by the end of the

day, but it’s the least I can do since people may stand for hours to take a picture and get an autograph and a hug,” she says. “There’s a lot of love coming my way.”

Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery, Ala., and has written features, columns, and interviews for more than 600 magazines and newspapers. Follow @TinseltownTalks

Social Security News

By John Johnston

Social Security Evolves to Reflect Social Change

Social Security is at the forefront of adapting and meeting the everchanging needs of our customers.

Technology plays an important role in helping us provide the world-class customer service America expects and deserves.

And we’re changing to keep current with new laws and judicial rulings as well.

One way we’ve evolved is by developing the my Social Security account.

Once you enroll for a free account at www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount, Social Security can help you estimate

www.50plusLifePA.com

your future retirement or disability benefits or manage them if you are already receiving benefits. You can do all of this easily and securely from the comfort of your home or office.

Social Security listens to your needs as we improve the technologies that enhance the customer experience. We continue to look for new services to add to my Social Security to make it an even more powerful resource for you and your family.

Another way we’re evolving is by adapting to legal and social changes.

In 1935, when Social Security was created, the definition of “family” was

different than it is today.

On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court issued a decision in Obergefell v.

Hodges, holding that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry in all states.

As a result, more same-sex couples will be recognized as married for purposes of determining entitlement to Social Security benefits or eligibility for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments.

Not only have we adapted to provide benefits for same-sex spouses, but transgender people can now change the gender marker on their

Social Security records based on identity, with no requirement for reassignment surgery.

Our mission at Social Security is to deliver services that meet the changing needs of the public. By keeping the public informed of their benefit estimates with my Social Security and adapting to our changing society, we will continue to achieve our goals and help you achieve yours.

No matter who you are, you deserve the benefits of Social Security. Find out more at www.socialsecurity.gov.

John Johnston is a Social Security public affairs specialist.

50plus LIFE ›

January 2016

13

Cover Story

Lifelong Teacher Brings American Culture to Poland

By Pete Wisniewski

Minsker embarked upon a two-week musical singing tour of Poland with colleagues from his community chorus.

“During that tour, I met [Polish] students from the economic university who encouraged me to return to teach,” Minsker said.

Motivated by their supportive words, in 1989 Minsker returned

When most people go on vacation they have the intention of leaving their work at home, not bringing more work home with them. But that’s what happened to Bill Minsker when he traveled to Poland: He came back with a lifelong passion.

It began in July 1987 when

Cumberland County

to Wroclaw, Poland, for a year as a volunteer instructor, teaching a free course in Conversational English at Wroclaw (pronounced “VROTZwav”) University of Economics.

And in 1992, he founded Pennsylvania Partnerships Abroad, Ltd. (PPA). He also decided to leave his 25-year political science teaching position at a local high school and

continue his Polish activities as a fulltime effort.

“PPA, Ltd., currently concentrates on educational, humanitarian, business development, and touristic activities primarily between Poland and Pennsylvania,” Minsker said.

“PPA aims to help responsible Poles develop themselves into dynamic, modern-world individuals,

Calendar of Events

Support Groups Free and open to the public

Senior Center Activities

Jan. 5, 6 p.m.

CanSurmount Cancer Support Group HealthSouth Acute Rehab Hospital 175 Lancaster Blvd., Mechanicsburg (717) 691-6786

Jan. 13, 1:30 p.m.

Parkinson’s Support Group Bethany Village West Springfield Room 325 Asbury Drive Mechanicsburg (717) 877-0624

Jan. 5, 6 to 7 p.m.

Alzheimer’s Support Group Senior Helpers 3806 Market St., Suite 3, Camp Hill (717) 920-0707

Jan. 13, 6:30 p.m.

Amputee Support Team Meeting HealthSouth Rehab Hospital 175 Lancaster Blvd., Mechanicsburg (717) 939-6655 www.astamputees.com

Big Spring Senior Center – (717) 776-4478 91 Doubling Gap Road, Suite 1, Newville Jan. 15, 2 p.m. – Glaucoma Awareness Month Presentation Jan. 20, 10 a.m. – John Graham Library Tour and Lunch Jan. 27, 12:15 to 1 p.m. – Blood Pressure Check

Jan. 7, 6:30 p.m.

Too Sweet: Diabetes Support Group Chapel Hill United Church of Christ 701 Poplar Church Road, Camp Hill (717) 557-9041 Jan. 12, 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Carlisle Area Men’s Cancer Support Group The Live Well Center 3 Alexandria Court, Carlisle (717) 877-7561 sirbrady12@gmail.com

Jan. 19, 1 p.m.

Caregiver Support Group Mechanicsburg Church of the Brethren 501 Gale St., Mechanicsburg (717) 766-8880 If you have an event you would like to include, please email information to mjoyce@onlinepub.com for consideration.

Community Programs Free and open to the public Mondays and Wednesdays, noon to 12:45 p.m.

SilverSneakers and Silver and Fit Classes Living Well Fitness Center 207 House Ave., Suite 107 Camp Hill (717) 439-4070

Branch Creek Place – (717) 300-3563 115 N. Fayette St., Shippensburg Carlisle Senior Action Center – (717) 249-5007 20 E. Pomfret St., Carlisle Mary Schaner Senior Citizens Center – (717) 732-3915 98 S. Enola Drive, Enola Mechanicsburg Place – (717) 697-5947 97 W. Portland St., Mechanicsburg

Jan. 13, 11:30 a.m.

NARFE West Shore Chapter 1465 VFW Post 7530 4545 Westport Drive, Mechanicsburg (717) 737-1486 www.narfe1465.org Visitors welcome; meeting is free but fee for food.

West Shore Senior Citizens Center – (717) 774-0409 122 Geary St., New Cumberland

Cleve J. Fredricksen Library, 100 N. 19th St., Camp Hill, (717) 761-3900 Jan. 8, 4 to 7:3 0 p.m. – Blood Drive with the Central Pennsylvania Blood Bank Jan. 13, 7 p.m. – Getting Started with Yoga Jan. 27, 9:30 to 11 a.m. – L et Them Play (for Grandparents)

New Cumberland Public Library, 1 Benjamin Plaza, New Cumberland, (717) 774-7820 Jan. 12, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. – Book Review: Still Alice by Lisa Genova Jan. 18, 6 to 8 p.m. – Great Books Discussion Group: Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad Jan. 27, 6 to 9 p.m. – Pennwriters Writing Group

Just a snippet of what you may be missing … please call or visit their website for more information.

Library Programs Bosler Memorial Library, 158 W. High St., Carlisle, (717) 243-4642 Jan. 4, 7:30 to 8:45 p.m. – Monday Book Discussion Group Jan. 13, 1 to 2 p.m. – Wicked Wednesday Book Discussion Group Jan. 22, 1 to 2 p.m. – Just Mysteries! Book Club

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January 2016

50plus LIFE ›

www.50plusLifePA.com

and to help Pennsylvanians first PPA has also helped develop understand and then become involved community-service initiatives in in what is developing in the amazing Poland, such as Lions and Kiwanis and dynamic country of Poland.” clubs.

One of the central focuses of PPA Minsker’s nonprofit has worked to is its educational partnerships. The provide medicine to the Red Cross; to student exchange program between develop citizen-involvement activities Pennsylvania and Poland operates with the police; to send materials every academic year for a oneto the fire service; and to arrange semester exchange. for political and business activities Minsker himself makes the trip to between Polish and Pennsylvanian Poland twice a year. For a few weeks interests. in November, Minsker’s Minsker connection to interviews Poland is one hundreds he feels not only of students through the interested in students he’s participating in taught, but also the exchange through the programs. gravity of the Bill Minsker, volunteer instructor, Then, from country’s history. teaching Conversational English at February through “Being in the Wroclaw University of Economics June, he teaches Poland in the in Poland. a semester of year [1989] when English at the it disassociated university. itself from the PPA’s Soviet Union, international seeing this quest educational for freedom efforts continue and individual to expand as its opportunity grow programs grow in immensity and diversify. there and then “PPA has never spread across been static. My Europe, and Four Polish students currently major programs working with the attending Minsker’s one-semester continue to grow most dynamic student exchange program with at a slow but Shippensburg University. From left, students easily steady pace—the Maciek Wilczynski, Bart Zielinski, Kuba developed this ‘start small Strozyk, Rafal Winslaw, and Minsker. interest in me,” he but think tall’ said. philosophy,” Minsker has Minsker said. completed 47 years of teaching There are now nearly 100 out of a goal of 51. The payoff for educational institutions receiving him, however, extends beyond any shipments of educational material personal career goals. shipments from Pennsylvania.

“It’s seeing the further development Almost 300 Polish students of my university students into serve as four-month interns with intensive, dynamic, creative, and Central Pennsylvania businesses morally ethical Polish citizens and and organizations, and 19 Polish businesspersons,” he said. and seven Shippensburg University “All of my students know the students participate in a one-semester ‘Bill Minsker students are the study exchange program. best’ expression and expectation.

Plus, almost 50 American teachers My students are part of the ‘First are employed as native speakers in Generation of a New Poland’—and I Polish high schools and universities, stress this unique, once-in-a-lifetime and hundreds of Polish students have opportunity to them.” worked and traveled in the USA for For more information on the past 12 years in the national Work Pennsylvania Partnerships Abroad, & Travel Program.

Ltd., visit www.ppa-ltd.org. www.50plusLifePA.com

Who Has the Best Bites in Central PA? Help 50plus LIFE celebrate the local eateries that deserve national fame!

Where do you frequent for: Breakfast__________________________________________________ Lunch_____________________________________________________ Dinner_ ___________________________________________________ Ethnic Cuisine______________________________________________ Celebrating________________________________________________ Bakery_ ___________________________________________________ Coffeehouse_ ______________________________________________ Fast Food__________________________________________________ Seafood___________________________________________________ Steak_____________________________________________________ Outdoor Dining_ ___________________________________________ Romantic Setting___________________________________________ Smorgasbord/Buffet_ _______________________________________ Caterer____________________________________________________

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January 2016

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January 2016

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