55 Plus of Rochester, #02: March – April 2010 by 55 Plus: For Active Adults in Rochester

E E R

Drug More Efficient Than Viagra Being Tested

F Jim Terwilliger: Should you move your 401(k)?

PLUS Issue2 March-April 2010

For Active Adults in Upstate New York

ALSO INSIDE VOLUNTEERS Five local people tell us why they volunteer

Going Strong Actor, F-105 fighterbomber pilot, volunteer, lawyer, banker: At 68, Canandaigua National Bank CEO still working nonstop

SPECIAL: MY SO-CALLED RETIRED LIFE Hal Miller: ‘Florida: Killing the snowbird that laid the golden eggs’ Wii BOWLING People gather twice a week in Victor for competitive bowling Sabena ‘Willie’ Cooper turns 104

March / April 2010 - 55 PLUS

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55 PLUS

March / April 2010

HealthWatch 7 Consumers Corner 13 My Turn 23 Golden Years 24 Financial Health 29 Last Page 34

8 STAYING YOUNG

• Going bald? Follicular unit transplantation can relieve thinning hair

14 VOLUNTEERING • Local volunteers helping those in nursing homes, tutoring kids in the community and doing just about everything in between

18 COVER STORY SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE TO TO 55PLUS 55PLUS

Only $15. Check to 55PLUS P.O. Box 585 Victor, NY 14564

CONTENTS

• At 68 George Hamlin IV, the CEO of Canandaigua National Bank, still going strong

32 25 RETIREMENT • My so-called retired life. An interview with five local retirees

30 INSURANCE • Interested in buying long-term care insurance? The soon you do i the more affordable it can be

31 LIVING • Sabena ‘Willie’ Cooper celebrating her 104th year

32 ACTIVE LIFESTYLE • Want to go Wii bowling? For some in Victor that’s the best option for exercise and socialization March / April 2010 - 55 PLUS

55+

newsworthy

Aging Institute Reveals 2010 Trends Will Scientific Advancements and Healthy Lifestyles Increase Longevity?

edical breakthroughs and technological advances — in combination with healthy lifestyles — will help improve the lives of older Americans during 2010, according to the Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging (MLIA) based in Evanston, Ill. “Our older adult population continues to expand as each year passes, so more focus is being placed on ways to live a longer, healthier life,” said Linda Hollinger Smith, the group’s vice president. “Progress on extending human life, either through genetic research or living a healthier lifestyle, will be one of the top trends older Americans will witness next year.” Among the top 2010 trends identified by MLIA are: 1. Scientific breakthroughs will demonstrate that healthy lifestyles can actually repair DNA by boosting a key enzyme, telomerase, that is vital for improving the body’s immune response and may even increase longevity. 2. The movement to more homelike environments for older adults living in long-term care communities will grow. Programs will provide care, support, individuality and promote safety in a residential environment. 3. Improvements in health care will lead to ever slowing rates of aging, increasing the number of adults who will reach the age of 100. 4. There will be an increased focus on positivity and its impact on happiness, health and longevity for older adults. 5. The use of technology among older adults will grow exponentially — whether this means surfing the

55 PLUS - March / April 2010

Internet, joining social networks such as Facebook, or using technologic devices in the home to monitor their health as well as promote independence and safety. 6. Progress on extending human life will be a growing focus of researchers, as we learn more about how substances in our foods — such as resveratrol, found in the skin of red grapes and in several other plants — may protect us from some lifeshortening diseases such as diabetes. 7. Older adults will play an increasingly important role in “helping the Earth age well”, by working in green jobs, volunteering, gardening, and teaching others about how to help the environment. 8. Significant advances in treatments for diseases including cancer will occur through genetic research efforts that are preventing DNA mutations. 9. Greater numbers of older adults will use the Internet to learn about their health. Health professionals will need to incorporate Web-based health resources into their patients’ visits to assure that accurate websites are being sought out. 10. Senior living residences will also make “healthy living” a priority as future prospects will be looking towards a variety of programs and amenities that support wellness lifestyles. 11. “The ability to live a longer, healthier life will depend on the right combination of lifestyle choices, technology, advances and medical breakthroughs,” concluded HolligerSmith. “It’s something we call aging well, and the chances of that happening will continue to expand in 2010 and beyond.”

55PLUS Editor and Publisher Wagner Dotto

Associate Editor Lou Sorendo

Writer

Mike Costanza

Contributing Writers Sue Barnes

Columnists

Eva Briggs, M.D., Bruce Frassinelli Harold Miller, Jim Terwilliger Susan Suben, Danielle Abramson, Katie Kreutter

Advertising

Marsha K. Preston, Kyle Myers Tracy DeCann, Marlene Raite

Office Manager

Laura J. Beckwith

Layout and Design Chris Crocker

Cover Photo

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

Health in good

Rochester–Genesee Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper

No material may be reproduced in whole or in part from this publication without the express written permission of the publisher. Third class postage paid at Syracuse, NY. Permit Number: 3071

How to Reach Us P.O. Box 525 Victor, NY 14564 Voice: (585) 421-8109 Fax: (585) 421-8129 Editor@GVhealthnews.com

HEALTH WATCH Better Than Viagra, Cialis, Levitra New erection drug believed to be faster, safer

still experimental erectile dysfunction drug — avanafil — promises erections in just 30 minutes or less, according to study results announced by the drug’s manufacturer. The phase 3 study, not yet published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, included 646 men with erectile dysfunction (ED). At the highest dose tested (200 milligrams), nearly 80 percent of sexual attempts resulted in erections good enough for intercourse. Study investigator LeRoy Jones, associate professor of urology at the University of Texas Health Science Center, said the new drug will offer a new alternative to men seeking “an improved experience” with current erectile dysfunction drugs. “These data suggesting that avanafil achieves a full effect in 30 minutes or less, with a window of opportunity extending beyond six hours, would be a welcome option for ED treatment,” Jones said in a

news release from Vivus Inc., which has licensed the drug from Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corp. In the study, men received either an inactive placebo or avanafil at a dose of 50 milligrams, 100 milligrams, or 200 milligrams. Successful intercourse was reported by: • 27 percent of men taking placebo (up from 13 percent at the start of the study) • 41 percent of men taking avanafil 50 milligrams (up from 13 percent at the start of the study) • 57 percent of men taking avanafil 100 milligrams (up from 14 percent at the start of the study) • 57 percent of men taking avanafil 200 milligrams (up from 12 percent at the start of the study) Avanafil’s most frequent side effect was headache, reported by 7 percent of men receiving the drug and by 1.2 percent of men taking placebo. Other common side effects included flushing (4.6 percent of men on avanafil vs. none on placebo)

and nasal congestion (2.3 percent of men on avanafil vs. 1.2 percent on placebo). Avanafil works the same way as the three other ED drugs currently on the market: Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra. All these drugs target an enzyme called PDE5; avanafil appears to inhibit this enzyme more selectively than the other. A Vivus news release suggests that in addition to working faster than Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra, the new drug may have fewer side effects. The current study, dubbed REVIVE, is the first of four phase 3 trials of avanafil. Two of the other studies will look at how well the drug helps erectile dysfunction in men with diabetes and in men who have had prostate surgery. A third study, enrolling 600 men at 40 U.S. medical centers, began in March 2009 and will continue for one year. Vivus expects to submit avanafil for FDA approval in late 2010 or early 2011.

Study: More Older Americans Abusing Drugs

new government study indicates a rise in substance abuse in older Americans that is likely to lead to an increased need for mental health treatment in the next 10 years. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration said in a report in January that the need for substance abuse treatment among Americans over 50 is projected to double.

The agency said in a statement that substance abuse is dangerous at any age, but physiological and social changes make older adults more vulnerable to the harmful effects of illicit drugs. The report suggests that an estimated 4.3 million Americans over the age of 50 used illicit drugs in the past year. The agency said 8.5 percent of men aged 50 to 54 used marijuana, as opposed to about 4

percent of women. In adults over 65 who abuse drugs, nonmedical use of prescription drugs was more common than smoking marijuana. March / April 2010 - 55 PLUS

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55 PLUS - March / April 2010

HEALTH WATCH Volunteering May Prevent the Elderly from Becoming Frail

railty is a geriatric condition marked by weight loss, low energy and strength, and low physical activity. UCLA researchers followed 1,072 healthy adults aged 70 to 79 between 1988 and 1991 to determine if productive activities — specifically volunteering, paid work and child care — prevent the onset of frailty. At the beginning of the study, 28 percent of participants volunteered, 25 percent performed child care duties and 19 percent worked for pay. After three years, participants in all three activities were found to be less likely to become frail. After accounting for levels of physical and cognitive

function, however, only volunteering was associated with lower rates of frailty. The study suggests that participating in volunteer activities may prevent frailty in older adults. A randomized trial is needed to determine whether volunteering itself prevents the onset of frailty, or if there is something about the types of people who volunteer regularly that keeps them from becoming frail. The study was funded by the National Institute on Aging and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. It appears in the Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences.

Airport Body Scanners Safe, Radiologists Say

oncerns over radiation exposure from airport fullbody scanners are unfounded, two medical trade groups recently said in a statement. Following the failed bombing of a jetliner traveling from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day by a Nigerian man carrying explosives in his underwear, airports nationwide are using the scanners more. The American College of Radiation and American Roentgen Ray Society said in a joint statement that the machines are safe. The Transportation Security Administration has used two types of scanning systems. One is millimeter wave technology that uses low-level

radio waves in the millimeter wave spectrum. Two rotating antennae cover the passenger from head to toe with low level radio frequency energy. The other is backscatter technology that uses extremely low-level X-rays delivering less than 10 microRem of radiation per scan. The ACR said this is the equivalent to the amount of radiation a person receives inside an airplane flying for two minutes at 30,000 feet. The trade groups’ statement said that a passenger would need to go through these scanners 2,500 times to be exposed to what they classify as a “negligible individual dose” of radiation.

55+

staying young

Going Bald Follicular unit transplantation can relieve thinning hair By Mike Costanza

f you’re past middle age, chances are you’ve noticed the sun shining on parts of your scalp that were heretofore hidden by hair. If so, you’re in good company. Anyone— men, women and children—can experience hair loss. “The sooner it starts, the greater the potential for more thinning,” says Dr. Mary Gail Mercurio, associate professor of dermatology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. H e re d i t y, t h e u s e o f s o m e medications or an underlying medical condition can lead to hair loss. The most common form of baldness is androgenic alopecia, or “pattern baldness,” so called because the hair thins in one of several patterns. About one-third of men and women experience pattern baldness in their lifetimes, according to the Mayo Clinic. To understand baldness, you need a little knowledge of hair. To begin with, hair consists of two main structures, the follicle and the hair shaft. The follicle is a tiny, sock-like structure that extends beneath the surface of the scalp. The follicle produces the shaft, which extends through the opening of the “sock” past the surface of the scalp. The shaft is dead, which is why you can comb or cut your hair freely. We’re generally born with about

five million follicles, the highest number we’ll ever have—the body doesn’t add follicles during your lifetime. About 100,000 of them are on the scalp. Each hair goes through a cycle of growth and rest during its lifetime under normal circumstances. During the growth phase, which typically lasts two to three years, the hair grows about one centimeter—just under ½ inch—each month. After the growth phase, the hair rests for a time—generally two to three months. A t

the end of the resting phase, the hair falls out, and a new one begins growing in its place. Most people shed as many as 100 hairs each day, a number that shouldn’t cause a noticeable thinning of the scalp, as long as the rate of hair growth equals or exceeds the rate of shedding. As we age, our ability to replace hairs decreases gradually. Some medical conditions and illnesses can lead to more excessive hair loss. Pattern baldness results when, as a result of genetic factors, the follicles of the s c a l p a c q u i re greatert h a n -

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staying young

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55 PLUS - March / April 2010

normal sensitivity to testosterone. “ Yo u ’ r e b o r n w i t h t h e predisposition,” Mercurio explains. “It signals the hair to miniaturize or produce a smaller hair.” Though the follicles themselves are undamaged, over time the hairs they produce can become nearly imperceptible. “If you look closely at even a bald man’s scalp, there’s a little peach fuzz there.” Since women and men produce testosterone, both can suffer from p a t t e r n baldness, though the pattern of hair loss varies a c c o rd i n g t o gender. A man might find his hair thinning just behind the crown of his skull, then at the temples, then in the front, until Mercurio he’s mostly or completely bald. Women generally experience a more diffuse kind of thinning under normal circumstances. “They do thin on the crown to farther forward, but they retain their frontal hairline,” Mercurio says. “Often, the first thing you notice in women is a widening of the part.” Though pattern baldness is the most common form of baldness, hair loss can occur in several other forms. “Alopecia areata,” which is classified as an autoimmune disease, can cause repeated hair losses all over the body, though the hair generally grows back. Not so with those diseases or conditions that inflame and scar the scalp. “Scarring manifests in the hair by obliterating the hair follicles,” Mercurio says. For example, “lichen planus,” a common inflammatory skin disease that affects one to two percent of the population, can cause scarring of the scalp, as can ringworm, a fungal infection. Whatever the source of excessive hair loss, the effects can be devastating, particularly for women.

“It’s bigger for women because of the perceived loss of femininity that they associate with loss of hair,” Mercurio says. “The psychological ramifications loom large.” Rachel Saltzberg lost a patch of hair from the front of her scalp back when she was 15. As her brown hair grew sparser down through the years, she found herself worrying more about how it looked. At the same time, the attention given her hair by others seemed to grow thicker. “Women are expected to have a lot of hair,” says the 29-year-old, who was born and raised in Rochester. She said she often wondered whether they were thinking, “Is something the matter with her?” By 20008, she was spending a great deal of time arranging her hair to cover the bare areas. “I wasn’t, like, completely bald, but had bald spots in the front,” she says. Treatments for hair loss might involve pills, topical medications or surgery. Drugs Langstein such as propecia are sometime prescribed for malepattern baldness. The drug blocks the process by which the body uses normal testosterone to alter hair growth, and can even make some growth of normal hair possible. “It works quite well in a lot of men, if started early,” Mercurio says. Propecia has been approved only for use with men. On the other hand, the topical drug Rogaine, though not as effective as propecia, can help combat hair loss among men and women. “It thickens the hairs that are there,” Mercurio explains. “It makes them more prominent.” For other patients, surgery might be appropriate. Dr. Howard Langstein says a surgical grafting continued on page 12

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staying young continued from page 10 technique called “follicular unit transplantation” is the state-of-the-art in hair restoration. Langstein heads the division of plastic surgery at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Langstein says that he begins FUT by anesthetizing a part of the scalp in which the hairs are “genetically determined to have longevity.” In order to obtain the 1,500 to 2,000 grafts he needs, he then removes a strip of the scalp. “The grafts are taken, usually, from the back of the head,” he explains. The strip of scalp, which is generally ½ inch wide and six or eight inches long, “then gets dissected into little follicles,” Langstein says. “Those follicles are then transplanted through little stab wounds in the front, where they need to be.” Because the follicles are taken from a part of the scalp in which the hairs are generally long-lived, there’s little chance that they’ll go the way of the hairs in that part of the scalp. Since they used singly or in groups of no more than three follicles, the surgeon can transplant them with more subtlety than might be possible with other surgical procedures, giving the resulting scalp a more natural look. A few months after being transplanted into the appropriate parts of the scalp, the hairs begin to grow again. After using wigs for two years, Saltzberg underwent the procedure in Langstein’s office in October of 2008. “I just wanted to feel normal,” she says. She’s happy with the results. The transplanted hairs have grown two inches, and in a few months she plans to undergo a second round of grafts at Langstein’s hands. “It’s my hair that’s growing,” she says. “I want to have long hair again.”

55 PLUS - March / April 2010

consumers

corner

By Eva Brigg. M.D.

Staying on Top of Your Medical History With a new year and a new decade, it’s time for you to seize your personal medical knowledge

“K

nowledge is power,” stated Francis Bacon, a philosopher who established and popularized an inductive methodology for scientific inquiry five centuries ago. With a new year and a new decade, it’s time for you to seize your personal medical knowledge. Following is a summary of things you should know about your own medical history. • Your current medical history. Learn the correct names and details of any medical conditions that you have. It’s not enough to be aware that you have “heart disease.” That broad term covers a wide range of possibilities. Is your heart disease coronary artery disease, in which the arteries to the heart muscle are diseased? Is it congestive heart failure, a disorder in which the heart muscle is weak? Or is it atrial fibrillation, an abnormal heart rhythm? If you don’t know your diagnoses, make it a point to ask your doctor. Problems that are controlled by medication or lifestyle still count as part of your medical history. If you have high blood pressure or diabetes that is under control, it’s still important. • Your past medical history. Learn the names of medical problems that you’ve had in the past. If you were admitted to a hospital, why were you in the hospital? What kind of surgery have you had? • Your current medications. It’s not enough to tell your health care providers that you take a little white pill for your blood pressure. There are many little white pills out there. Instead, learn the following information about your medicines: the names of your medicine, the strength, and how often you take the medicine (one pill three times a day? Three pills

once a day?). Also learn why you take diabetes, what is your usual blood sugar? each medication. Once you have gathered the • Your allergies. Learn the names of medications to which you’ve had above information, write it down. a reaction, and learn what kind of Put it in your wallet or purse and carry it with you. Keep it up to date. reaction you experienced. • What is the name of your If you type it up on your computer, pharmacy? Whenever possible, you you can edit it and print a new copy should get all your prescriptions filled when something changes. If you keep at the same pharmacy. When a person a handwritten copy, then re-write it receives medications from several if there are so many corrections that different doctors, it’s possible for it is no longer legible. Keep a copy at one doctor to prescribe a medication home where your family can locate it that could interact with another pill in case of an emergency. As a last piece of organization ordered by a different prescriber. If you fill all your prescriptions at for the new decade, clean out your the same pharmacy, the pharmacist medicine cabinet and dispose of can identify potential harmful drug medicines that are no longer needed or are outdated. That will prevent interactions. • What are the names of your you from accidentally taking the doctor(s)? Even though you’d think wrong medicine and reduce the this would be obvious, the number chance that someone in the household of people who can’t remember the will inappropriately self-treat an name of their regular physician undiagnosed medical problem. amazes me. “You know,” patients often tell me in the urgent care, “the guy over in the medical office building that’s near one of the hospitals—I can’t remember which one— he’s a nice guy, short hair, somewhere between 35 and 55 years old…..” That describes a lot of doctors! Learn the names of any specialists that you see, as well as the name of your primary care provider. • Yo u r p e r s o n a l health statistics. Learn items that are relevant to you. For example, if you are being treated for high blood pressure, Eva Briggs, a board-certified physician, works on the staff at Cayuga Medical Center in Ithaca, in its two urgent care what is your usual blood centers: one in Ithaca, and the other in Cortland. pressure? If you have March / April 2010 - 55 PLUS

55+

volunteering

Standing up for Others Thousands of local volunteers serve the community from helping those in nursing homes to tutoring kids By Mike Costanza

ooking for new experiences, a place to socialize or the chance to explore another career? Volunteering might be just for you—and local non-profits are ready with a smorgasbord of opportunities to help your community. “The climate is quite good for volunteering,” says Mary Beth Gueldner, director of Lifespan of Greater Rochester’s RSVP program. R S V P, a n a t i o n w i d e p ro g r a m developed by the federal government, helps link those 55 years old or older to voluntary positions. Locally, Gueldner and her tiny staff recruit volunteers, matching their desires and skills to specific roles in

Monroe County’s non profits. The 763 volunteers that the local program has placed or is ready to place serve in many capacities, from helping those in nursing homes deal with residential problems to tutoring kids. Far from being a handicap, an older volunteer ’s years can be a plus. “They’ve been in moments and situations where the answer hasn’t just been there, and they needed to kind of figure it out,” says Sheryl Karch, director of volunteers for the Greater Rochester Chapter of the American Red Cross.” “They are good problem solvers, because they’ve been through life.” According to Karch, volunteers function in a variety o f ro l e s f o r t h e Rochester chapter, which has 60 paid staff. They might be found preparing meals for shut-ins, teaching emergency preparedness, or helping with blood drives or working on other tasks. When Continental Connection Flight 3407 crashed into a Buffalo home last year, killing 50, as many as 25 local Red Frank Becker: Two weeks after his retirement he felt Cross volunteers spent time helping the need to get busy again.

55 PLUS - March / April 2010

at the site. “We could not do any of the work we do without our volunteers,” Karch says. Of the approximately 2,000 who volunteer for the chapter, as much as 65 percent are 55 years old or older. Individual volunteers might benefit from their experiences, local non profits couldn’t do without them. “They can provide very specific services that, frankly, most of us could not even consider to be able to offer,” Gueldner says. “With just the huge amounts of things that are needed within a community, agencies, social services, non profits simply don’t have the staff or the funds.” So, who volunteers in the Rochester region? 55-PLUS interviewed seven who give their time and energy to others without thought of reward.

Frank Becker, 59

Turning History’s Pages When Frank Becker retired from Kodak a few years ago, he decided to kick back and do nothing. That “life” lasted about two weeks. Impatient and used to an active life, Becker quickly changed the way he saw retirement. “I have to be active,” he said in a recent interview with 55 PLUS. Nowadays, the 59-year-old Greece resident combines two things he enjoys—the study of history and helping others—while volunteering

for The Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired-Goodwill Industries of Greater Rochester. The retired systems analyst spends as many as six hours a week digging up the history of the Rochester organization that under different names has helped the blind and visually impaired since 1911. “I am going through all of the attics and the basements,” he says. “I’m pulling out old photos, old reports, everything I can find.” When he unearths an important historical document or photograph, Becker scans it into a computer, and then cross-references the resulting file to make it easy to find. The finished project will present elements of the organization’s 100year history after a few taps of the keyboard. The work is right up the alley of someone who enjoys reading local histories and about the Civil War. “This is not even a task for me,” he says. “This is actually a lot of fun.” Becker also volunteers for ABVIGoodwill’s biggest yearly fundraiser, the Annual Celebration, and on some of the organization’s other projects, as well as for the United Way. Busy as he is, the married father and grandfather won’t pat himself on the back for helping others, particularly after looking at pictures of volunteers who worked with Rochester’s blind and visually impaired for decades. “I see the same people over and over again,” he says. “How do you compare to somebody like that?” He plans to finish ABVI-Goodwill’s historical project in time for its 2011 centennial celebration.

the facility. By October last year, he’d boosted that to nearly 7,220 hours— and he was still going strong. McDermott’s route to volunteering may have started back in 1967, when he returned home after three years in Vietnam. Looking back, he says that the transition from a combat zone to the streets of the US was hard to make. “I had to readjust myself on my own,” McDermott says. “Most of us drank, stuff like that, got into stuff they shouldn’t get into.” McDermott spent a total of seven years in the service, including those on active duty and as an active and inactive reservist, and settled into civilian life. In 2003, he began volunteering at the Canandaigua VA, to which he goes as an outpatient for a service-related disability. He volunteered part-time in the volunteer service office until retiring from welding, when he began doing so full time. These days, he spends as many as 50 hours a week handling mail, answering the telephone and helping the recreation department’s staff squire inpatients on outings. “We take them to the race tracks, out to breakfast, [and on] picnics,” he says. He’s also ready to lend a

Jim McDermott, 65 A Way of Giving Back

Jim McDermott puts his reasons for helping out other veterans in simple terms. “The veterans are my people,” the 65-year-old US Army veteran says. “It’s my way of giving back.” The retired welder, who lives in Lima in Livingston County, volunteers full-time at the Canandaigua VA Medical Center. In 2008, McDermott was presented the President’s Call to Service Award for having spent at least 4,000 hours volunteering for

Jim McDermott receives the “President’s Call To Service Award” from Patricia Lind, associate director of patient/nursing services at the Canandaigua VA Medical Center.

helping hand more directly to those at the facility, or a listening ear. The Canandaigua VA, which also has an outpatient clinic in Rochester, serves about 19,000 veterans, of whom hundreds are inpatients. McDermott’s service to others goes beyond his duties at the Canandaigua VA. As the commander of the local chapter of the Disabled American Veterans, as a member of Rochester’s Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 20, and as an individual, he’s helped other veterans in many other ways. When a friend of his daughter ’s who’d just come back from Iraq seemed to be suffering the after-effects of combat, he spoke to the man on the telephone. “He actually thought he was going crazy,” McDermott said. “I said, ‘What you’re feeling is the every day, normal fears of a guy coming back from a combat zone.’” When they met face-to-face, the man thanked him. For McDermott, no thanks was necessary. “I’m not doing anything that a lot of other volunteers don’t do.”

Sharon Griffths, 56, David Griffiths, 58 Food for the Heart

Step down to the headquarters of the Greater Rochester Chapter of the American Red Cross toward the end of the week, and you’ll probably find David and Sharon Griffiths in front of a line of large, steaming food trays. “We work the line, and anything else they might want us to do,” Sharon says. For much of the past two-anda-half years, the husband-and-wife team has volunteered one morning a week for the chapter’s food and nutrition service department. There, the Rochester residents help prepare meals for about 1,500 Monroe and Genesee county shut-ins. “We like to be of service to others,” Sharon says. “There’s a lot of people in need.” Service has been very much a part of Sharon’s life in recent years. For about eight years, she volunteered for her Catholic church, the St. Helen Church in Gates. “I had been very active in the March / April 2010 - 55 PLUS

David and Sharon Griffiths ministry at a nursing home,” says the 56-year-old retired preschool aide. Each week, she traveled there to give a touch of spiritual comfort to those residents who desired it. “We would have a communion service, say the rosary, and then take communion up to the residents who couldn’t come,” she says, referring to the sacrament of Holy Communion. Sharon ceased visiting the home last October, after her father became ill. As his condition deteriorated, she came to see volunteering at the Red Cross as a kind of therapy. “Every Friday, I was committed to coming here,” she says. “It took my mind off it—that’s a help.” Her father died in August. David, Sharon’s husband of 35 years, also enjoys his time at the Red Cross. “The people here are very upbeat,” the 58-year-old says, with a grin. “It’s fun.” David worked with children and youth before retiring. Just because these folks volunteer,

Volunteering: It’s More Than Charity, It’s Life Changing By Danielle Abramson and Katie Kreutter For some newly retired adults, finding rewarding and significant ways to fill previously unavailable time can be a challenge. One option can be found in giving some of that time in service to others. There are many worthwhile organizations in the Greater Rochester area that offer volunteer opportunities to the community. Volunteering at any age, 16

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don’t think that they have a lot of time on their hands. They enjoy spending time with their four children, three of whom live out of town, and their grandchildren, as well as golfing and walking together. Still, Sharon plans to begin volunteering for her church again. “I am going to be very involved in the hospital ministry, going up and visiting people from the parish who are hospitalized,” she says.

Anita Bhalla, 63, Lalit Bhalla, 70 Good Works, Good Karma

old. “You reap what you sow.” That notion has helped the Penfield couple give a great deal of time and energy to a variety of local organizations. Lalit spends an average of 15 hours a week volunteering for various programs. As a volunteer for Lifespan of Greater Rochester, a non-profit that serves older adults, the retired Xerox engineer explains the subterranean workings of health insurance policies to the organization’s clients, and assists them in managing their finances. Driving out to local shopping malls, he helps those too disabled to shop for themselves find and purchase what they need. At local nursing homes, he acts as an ombudsman, advocating for those in long-term care. During tax season, he spreads

For Lalit and Anita Bhalla, doing good works without the thought of a reward is an article of faith. “Service is considered good karma,” Lalit says, in the melodic accents of his native India. For the Bhallas, who are Hindu, the karmic effects of all deeds in this life actively shape the next. “Whatever good we are doing now is going to come back in this life, the next life,” says the 70-year- Anita and Lalit Bhalla but especially post-retirement, can be a great way to enhance all aspects of one’s life. Below is a list of the top reasons to volunteer when you are 55-plus. Top Reasons to Volunteer • Volunteering can help fill your time doing something constructive that is also working to improve your local community. • Volunteering and giving back to others can improve your overall health and help you to live longer. There are studies that show a strong link between volunteering and an individuals ability to cope with aliments and even overcome illnesses, it’s that healthy mind-body connection. (From a 2002 Boston College study on

pain management.) • Volunteering can help you build a new network of friends and help you broaden your social circle. • Volunteering can help you discover, or re-discover passions and interests you didn’t know you had or had forgotten about. • Volunteering can help you stay connected to current events and changes in your community. Often times your affiliation with a volunteer agency can put you in a position to help affect change. You’re in the trenches, gaining real-life experience. • Volunteering gives you a chance to build a long-lasting legacy. Mother Teresa never had any children of her

himself more thinly, volunteering for the AARP as a tax preparer. Anita can’t spend as much time helping others as she wishes due to chronic arthritis, but when possible she joins her husband to volunteer for Lifespan. “I go and help with the paperwork,” the 63-year-old says. “I wish I can do more.” The two also help prepare meals for shut-ins at the Greater Rochester Chapter of the American Red Cross. “When we are working there, they can hire less people, so they can save the money,” she says. They also cook for a local Salvation Army soup kitchen, where their cuisine is in demand. “We always make a vegetarian, Indian-style food,” Lalit says. “We’ll take whatever vegetable they have, and we’ll put in Indian spices— coriander, paprika, etc.” The Salvation Army’s guests can put away two pans of the couple’s exotic preparations on any night. In the future, Anita would like to turn her hand to more of the volunteering she’s able to do. “What I would really like to do is help somebody speak English, do math,” she says. She and her husband refuse to take credit for all they do. “We are really not the doers,” Lalit says. “There is some higher power who’s trying to help others. We are just the instruments through which all these things get done.”

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own, but she will be remembered throughout the world for the time she spent giving to others. • Volunteering is fun! You get a chance to learn and experience new things, all for the betterment of someone else’s life and your community. To locate additional volunteer opportunities in your area, visit www. volunteermatch.org. Danielle Abramson and Katie Kreutter work for Compeer Rochester, Inc., a non profit mentoring organization that supports youth and adults in mental health treatment. For more information on Compeer, visit www.rochester.compeer. org. March / April 2010 - 55 PLUS

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At 68, Bank CEO Still Going Strong Actor, F-105 fighter-bomber pilot, volunteer, lawyer: George Hamlin IV busy flying, working daily and serving on a variety of boards By Mike Costanza

he name of George Hamlin IV has woven its way through the business, artistic and philanthropic fabrics of the Rochester and Canandaigua regions. Hamlin, the scion of a family with deep roots in Ontario County, has flown combat missions in Southeast Asia, advised a U.S. president on financial matters, sung for European audiences and acted in summer stock productions. As impressive as his background might seem, Hamlin seems most proud of piloting the Canandaigua National Bank and Trust Company, where he’s been president and CEO since 1979. “It’s not about money,” the 68year-old says. “It’s about growing the community and its components, which are individuals and businesses. The money will take care of itself, if you take care of the community.” After Elijah Hamlin settled in Bloomfield in 1791, his forebears grew to exert a strong influence in local farming and banking. George Hamlin III graduated from Yale University, and went on to head the Papec Machine Company, which manufactured farm machinery in nearby Shortsville. When his time came, Hamlin IV followed in his father’s footsteps to the university, where he majored in physics, though he jokes a bit about the result. “My educational career at Yale was academically undistinguished,” he says. “Some have mentioned that as

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a ‘gentleman’s C.’” Hamlin acquired a pilot’s license in the summer of his junior year, and developed a love of flying that he’s never lost. During his senior year, Hamlin added his baritone to the Whiffenpoofs, Yale’s celebrated a cappella senior triple quartet. The gig brought in cash—the Whiffenpoofs are paid for their performances—and the chance to perform around Europe and South America. “We closed down the bar over in Monte Carlo with Princess Grace and Prince Rainier,” he says. While other Yale graduates headed off to law school, Wall Street or other more lucrative careers, Hamlin took another route. “I said ‘I really like this flying business, but it’s expensive, and I have to have somebody pay me to do the flying,’” he says, chuckling. With flight training and experience, and his degree, Hamlin thought he might also have a shot at becoming an astronaut. “They were usually scienceoriented military people who were test pilots and fighter pilots,” he says. Given the choice of joining the US Air Force or the Navy, he chose the Air Force, giving his reasons with the humor that permeates many of his stories. “On the Navy side, didn’t they ration the rum every day?” he says. Hamlin enlisted, and traveled to Texas for officer training. While there, word came through that President

John F. Kennedy had been killed. He still remembers marching with thousands of others at the Air Force base to an outdoor service for the fallen president. “We were marching at slow tempo,” he says. “You could see this sea, this sea of humanity, at absolute slow time, with nothing sounding but drums and feet.” Graduating first in his class, he chose to fly F-105 fighterbombers, and headed off to Arizona to learn how to pilot the supersonic jets. It was there that he met his wife, Mary. At the end of June of 1966, Hamlin flew his first combat bombing mission over North Vietnam. Though the F-105 was capable of flying at twice the speed of sound, pilots had to fly at much lower speeds and at low altitudes when on bombing runs in order to hit their targets. There, they were vulnerable to anti-aircraft fire. “That year, they lost over 100 F105’s, Hamlin says. By the time he left the service in mid-1969, Hamlin was a captain who had 100 missions under his belt and a number of decorations, including the Distinguished Flying Cross and 10 air medals. A married father of a daughter, he’d also developed an interest in the law. “What I was involved in Vietnam was the failure of diplomacy,” he says. “I had experienced what a breakdown of government and law results in, which is war.” Though almost all of the law

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George Hamlin IV in front of Canandaigua National Bank in Canandaigua. March / April 2010 - 55 PLUS

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schools to which he applied turned him down, through a fluke Hamlin managed to get an interview with the dean of admissions of the University of Virginia School of Law. The two found they shared important points of view, and after about three hours, Hamlin was admitted to what was one of the top 10 law schools in the country at the time. “Somebody up there wanted me to go to that school,” Hamlin says. After graduating, Hamlin joined the prestigious local law firm Nixon, Hargrave, Devans & Doyle, and was admitted to the bar. For about fiveand-a-half years, he made his mark in the practice of tax and corporate law. Then his uncle, Arthur S. Hamlin, who was then president of Canandaigua National Bank, asked him to take his place as head of the bank. Hamlin considered the offer, and then talked to one of the firm’s senior partners. “He said, ‘There are three presidents of banks in this community, and a thousand lawyers,’” Hamlin says. “I attributed it to a moment of truth.” In 1978, he came on board as the bank’s vice president and general counsel in order to train for the top job. He ascended to the position of president and CEO in March of 1979.

Hamlin’s tenure at the bank has been marked by steady growth despite periodic national recessions, driven in part by a communitycentered philosophy. “Today’s Wall Street businesses think about shareholder value, which is mostly what the market hype is,” Hamlin says. “That creates speculation and bubbles and irresponsible activity.” Though CNBT also focuses on shareholder value, but when making decisions it also considers the effects of its actions upon its employees, customers and the community at large, according to Hamlin. CNBT also retained its standards for granting mortgages and loans, even during the recent boom years. “Lending money is about human beings, and judging their character and capacity to complete on their promises,” Hamlin says. As the result of these and other practices, the bank has grown under his leadership. “Effectively, the bank’s assets have grown from $80 million to $1.5 billion,” he says. The bank has physically increased in size, as well. Since Hamlin took the helm, CNBT has reached into Rochester, its suburbs, and other points north, and increased the number of its branches

to 23. Finding time to serve—While some might find running a large regional bank a bit taxing, Hamlin has thrown his great energy in many other directions, as well, though this profile can give only a partial list of his posts and activities. Hamlin has served two terms on the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, where he chaired the audit committee, and is a past chairman of the New York Bankers Association. He chairs or sits on the boards of a variety of local non profits, including the United Way of Greater Rochester and the University of Rochester Medical Center. Hamlin also chairs the board of managers of the Eastman School of Music, and is the director of the New York State Wine and Culinary Center, located in Canandaigua. Linda Janczak, president and CEO of the Thompson Health System, came to know Hamlin when he chaired the organization’s board of directors from 2004 through last April. “George was always very wellversed in the health care marketplace,” she says. “He was able to integrate that with his tremendous knowledge of the economy, and what was happening in general in the finance area.” His concerns for the Canandaigua

George Hamlin IV speaks of… Being a bomber pilot during the Cold War… “We set nuclear alert in Okinawa against targets in China. While we were on base and on alert, we had 15 minutes to start engines. We were supposed to sneak in under the radar, and lay down one or two nuclear weapons.” Doing summer stock for nearly two decades… “Dramatists and people who write plays have a special talent. You really don’t discover what that talent is until you actually act the stuff out. The excitement is as much in the discovery of the genius of the playwright for the actors, as directed. Then you get to add the last ingredient of the pudding, which is the audience. It becomes a magical

experience.” Advising President George HW Bush… “He was trying to get reelected. I was one of four or five bankers that were asked to come to the Roosevelt Room to discuss with him what was going on in the late 80s, when we were going through the thrift crisis and all the rest of it. The banking and the economy and everything were in the toilet. He knew it was very tough to get reelected when we were in the toilet.” The place of the arts in business… “We’re very interested in hiring intelligent people, and so we favor those who are actors and artists and musicians. They have a high degree of intellectual capability, but they

have the imagination to understand and imagine how things could be better and create things. We can train them for jobs.” The recent fall of Wall Street banks… “Today’s Wall Street businesses think about shareholder value, which is mostly what the market hype is. That creates speculation, and bubbles, and irresponsible activity. “ “Our goal is to grow stuff. We, by our very existence, go and support the growth and quality of life in a very tangible way in the Rochester metropolitan area. The reason we’re here today and the reason we’re going to be here for the next 100 years is because we’re invested in human activity. “ March / April 2010 - 55 PLUS

health system and the community drive his actions on the board. “He has a real dedication to making sure that not only Canandaigua, where he lives, but the greater Canandaigua area and Rochester are the best they can be, and the quality of life is maximized for all that live there,” Janczak says. “He really devotes himself to that.” Hamlin has retained his lighter, theatrical side, as well. Back in 1989, his daughter was apprenticing at the local summer stock company, the Bristol Valley Theater. Hamlin took a cameo role, and then returned the next year to take a larger one in a comedy. At the end of each performance, he found himself in a trench coat and wearing cottage cheese on his head. “It was hysterical,” he says. “I had a sort of epiphany that required me to answer the call.” Each season until 2006, he rehearsed for 10 days straight with amateur and professional actors, and then took to the boards for as many as 21 performances over the following three weeks. “You don’t expect a bank president to know sort of the nuts and bolts about what happens in the arts,” says Karen Bowersock, Bristol Valley’s artistic director. “He took his work very seriously.” Though he now helps the company as needed and stays off the stage, Bowersock wonders how long he’ll be able to stay away. “I tell him each time I see him that it was only a matter of time before he came back.” CNB also provides some support to the nonprofit theater group.

Hamlin’s love of the arts has taken another direction, as well. As chairman of the Eastman School of Music’s board of managers, he has helped guide the theater’s nearly $47 million renovation and expansion for about the past eight years. “We examine all the drawings, and make suggestions,” Hamlin says. “We’re completing the first renovation of the Eastman School since George Eastman gave it to Rochester in the early ‘20s.” Douglas Lowry, dean of the Eastman School, took it a bit further, calling Hamlin, “a potent force, as a leader of our board of managers, in propelling the project forward.” “George has been a trusted adviser in terms of being not just a lightening rod for excitement and energy and propulsion, but also someone who brings to a project of this magnitude a keen, realistic business sense,” Lowry says. The theater, renamed as Kodak Hall, reopened in early October, complete with new seats and boxes and improved acoustics. The entire project, including a new 60-foot-tall atrium and the 222-seat Hatch Recital Hall, is slated to finish this year. Any life, even one as full as Hamlin’s, has to suffer a little rain. In 2001, he saw his doctor for an ingrown toenail, but also complained of other symptoms. Tests revealed a cancerous tumor. Hamlin underwent surgery, then worked through the following seven months of chemotherapy. Since then, he’s been cancer free, though the incident did teach him a lesson “Don’t ever go to the doctor for

an ingrown toenail, because you’ll come out with a diagnosis of cancer,” Hamlin says. Business and philanthropic o rg a n i z a t i o n s h a v e p re s e n t e d Hamlin with numerous awards down through the years in recognition of his achievements, and his efforts for the community. The Thompson Health System Foundation presented Hamlin with a “Star Award” for his services to the health system and its hospital in 1998. In 2007, he was inducted into the Rochester Business Hall of Fame; the first banker to be so honored for innovation in the banking industry, a commitment to the community, and inspired leadership. Now a father of three grown children and grandfather of four, Hamlin continues to use his boundless energy in a variety of ways. Though he plays tennis once a week during the winter, he most enjoys being in the air. “If I have three-four hours together, I’d rather be flying,” he says. He has piloted his own planes as far away as the Grand Cayman Islands in the Caribbean, and these days flies an eight-passenger Cessna twin-engine airplane every week to 10 days for business—or just the fun of it. On the ground, he relishes going to his office at the Canandaigua National Bank and Trust. “We, by our very existence, go and support the growth and quality of life in a very tangible way in the Rochester metropolitan area,” he says. “I don’t come to work. I come to play.”

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my turn By Bruce Frassinelli

The Memorable Howdy Doody TV Show

everal of my grandchildren will dutifully sit and listen to me reflect on some highlights of my childhood and younger years. It is probably at times such as these that we understand how much our memories — the good ones — really mean to us. I am realistic enough to know that, given the prism of time, some of what we recall from the “good old days” was never as spectacular as we have enshrined it in our mind’s eye of today. My wife, Marie, recalls the Wednesday night dances in her hometown as if they were the social events of the year. I remember the Friday night dances at the local parochial school hall in my hometown, but the joys are tempered by the recollection of the presence of the parish priest admonishing us not to date Protestant girls and slapping us around if he had heard that we had. (But that’s another subject for another time.) There are, however, some very special memories based on oneof-a-kind events that only a select few enjoyed, mostly by fate or circumstance, or even being in the right place at the right time. It was a hot, sunny August day in 1948, when I was 9 years old, and I made my one and only visit to the Peanut Gallery on the nationally broadcast NBC Howdy Doody TV Show in New York City. Presided over by a middle-aged, former radio broadcaster in buckskin — Buffalo Bob Smith (the “Buffalo” was not because of the “where the buffalo roam” variety, but because Smith was a native of Buffalo, N.Y.) — the show became a spectacular hit and eventual cultural phenomenon. Howdy Doody was the frecklefaced marionette, which captivated the imagination of my generation of kids every weekday afternoon.

It’s Howdy Doody time, It’s Howdy Doody time. Bob Smith and Howdy, too, Say Howdy-do to you. Let’s give a rousing cheer, For Howdy Doody’s here. It’s time to start the show; So, kids, let’s go! Singing at the top of my lungs, I couldn’t believe that I was actually in the Peanut Gallery with dozens of other, similarly wide-eyed youngsters welcoming Howdy and the whole Doodyville gang. My mom was visiting her brother — my uncle Zeno — who lived in Astoria, Queens, and who owned and drove his own taxicab. He thought I might like to sit in the Peanut Gallery, every kid’s dream back then. I was so grateful to him. I don’t know what strings he was able to pull (pun intended), but the demand for tickets was so great that the wait could have outlived the show, which stayed on the air for 13 years (1947-1960). My mom told me later that Uncle Zeno would take TV executives to NBC, and he got the tickets for my mom and me from one of them, who was involved with the

show. In addition to Howdy, I loved Clarabell the Clown (played by Bob Keeshan, who went on to star in his own series, Captain Kangaroo), Mr. Bluster, Dilly Dally, the lovely Princess Summerfall Winterspring, and, of course, Buffalo Bob Smith, who died in 1998 at the age of 80. During the warm-up, before the show went on the air live, Buffalo Bob came over to the Peanut Gallery, and we all went crazy, yelling and clapping and calling out to him, “Buffalo Bob, where’s Howdy?” Buffalo Bob, who was Howdy’s voice, put his finger to his lips, and we immediately quieted down. “You’ll have to promise me you’ll be good,” he said. “Will you?” Buffalo Bob asked. “Yes,” we screamed in unison. The show itself is pretty much of a blur, but I remember being accidentally squirted with some water from Clarabell’s seltzer bottle — one of the show’s running gags — but I certainly didn’t mind. Clarabell never talked; he would sound his bicycle horn to respond to questions. When the show was over, Buffalo Bob came over to the Peanut Gallery and told us how well-behaved we were. “Howdy was so happy with you; he thought you were the best group of kids who ever came to the Peanut Gallery,” said Buffalo Bob as he waved and left the set. A friend from my hometown, who visited the show about six months later, reported that Buffalo Bob said the same thing to his audience. We all received a signed picture of Howdy and Buffalo Bob. Where is it, you ask? Well, it, along with my baseball cards, marbles and other childhood memorabilia, was condemned to my irate mom’s trash can one day after repeatedly warning me not to leave “this junk” all over my bedroom. March / April 2010 - 55 PLUS

golden years By Harold Miller E-mail: HMillerMOD@aol.com.

Florida: Killing the Snowbird that Laid the Golden Egg State is no longer a cheap place to live or to have a vacation home

nowbirds are a unique American institution. Nowhere else in the world do so many families migrate from north to south for a winter vacation. Oh, it’s true that many in the north of Europe escape to the south of France or the Italian Riviera — but only the wealthy. In America, the middle class (if they are so disposed) can retreat to a southerly clime when the leaves begin to fall. Florida is the snowbird capital, but the species may become endangered if present trends continue. The perfect storm began about five years ago when the bodacious bureaucrats in the taxation and finance division of Florida’s inept government decided to let those “damn Yankees” pay for their crumbling infrastructure and inadequate schools, among other things. Thus, property taxes for snowbirds were systematically tripled over the next three years while taxes for “homesteaders” were held to their maximum 2 percent increase per year. This started an exodus of retirees and others with fixed incomes, who could no longer afford their condos. In effect they started killing the snowbird that laid the golden egg. Concurrent with this, property values soared and a building boom ensued. In 2005, property values in Palm Beach County (the epicenter of all this madness) increased 24 percent in one year. The average price of a home or condo was $350,000 (today the average has plummeted to $242,900). A prime example of this feeding frenzy was 24

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a truly ugly 30-story condominium/ yacht basin, built by the Blue Herron Bridge in Riviera Beach. Before construction was complete, a large banner was hung on the building saying, “Sold Out.” In reality, greedy realtors had bought up most of the apartments at pre-construction prices and financed them by mortgage, hoping to flip them at a huge profit (today that condo is mostly empty).Then, the tsunami hit Wall Street, and Americans were forced to relearn the painful lessons of the Great Depression. Property values plunged precipitously, and millions of homeowners could not pay their mortgages, which were much higher than the value of their property. The tidal wave hit Florida harder than most areas of the country because of its over-development and a unique aftershock. My friend Chip Davis sells Porsches for Braman Motorcars of Palm Beach. He has a customer who has a residence in Palm Beach (among others he owns all over the world) and buys a new Porsche every year. Two years ago his customer called and cancelled his order, saying, “When I called my broker for my usual monthly stipend of $100,000 he informed me that my account was zero-zip-zilch.” The broker had invested all the money with the Madoff Investment firm and Bernie had “made-off” with his $50 millions of life savings. This scenario was played out with hundreds of the rich and famous from Florida and elsewhere, including Norman Braman, owner

of Braman Motorcars. While our country is recovering from the recession, Florida languishes in a deep slump. The Palm Beach Post reports; “The Great Recession might be over for the nation but Florida’s economy is still shrinking.” Thousands of properties are in foreclosure and there are many bargains — that’s the good news. The bad news is that it’s a cash market. The banks are simply not lending money on condos — too risky. When you add the high property taxes that snowbirds will have to pay, Florida is no longer a cheap place to live or a cheap place to have a vacation home. Last year, for the first time in Florida’s history, more families moved out of Florida, than moved in. (Will the last legislator leaving the council chambers in Tallahassee, please turn out the lights). However, as Alexander Pope once said, “Hope springs eternal in the human breast.” As I sit at my word processor on this beautiful November day in Florida, pumping out this rhetoric, a colossal cruise ship is on its maiden voyage from Helsinki, Finland, where it was built, to Ft. Lauderdale. The Royal Caribbean “Oasis of the Seas” is five times bigger than the Titanic and 40 percent larger than the industry’s next largest ship. Some of the staterooms are bigger than the average condo and it will hold 6,360 Floridians (at per-person rates running from $1,299 to $4,829) who wish to sail the Caribbean, and forget their woes this winter.

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Retirement

My So-Called Retired Life By Mike Costanza

ging can bring its share of challenges. As we grow older, we often lose some measure of our vitality, suffer arthritis or other physical ailments, and find our working and personal relationships changing. At the same time, what we do with our later years can be more important than their number. 55PLUS talked to six living in the Rochester area about the ways they enjoy their retirements—or their lives.

Randy Pawley, 72

Organizing events for single people Randy Pawley is one of those folks who just can’t seem to sit still. The 72year-old Honeoye resident owned his own fireplace installation company until he retired in 1995. Though then in his late 50s, he decided to run for supervisor of the town of Richmond, in which Honeoye sits. “I won by a landslide,” Pawley says. The win also automatically gave Pawley a seat on the Ontario County Board of Supervisors, where he served on several committees. He was instrumental in helping the c o n s t r u c t i o n o f Randy Pawley

Richmond’s new town hall get off the ground, but was ready to leave office when his two-year term ended in 1997. “I’d never been in politics before,” he says. “It was nasty.” The grandfather of 10 also put his hand to rebuilding older houses. The one in which he lives now was built in 1850—and really showed its age when he saw it. “I drove by it five times, trying to persuade myself not to buy it,” he says of the house he named “Bird Haven.” “I have a little workshop in the back, and I make birdhouses and Adirondack furniture,” he says. Last year, Pawley turned his attention to bringing older local singles together to socialize. “In Monroe County, where Rochester is, there are groups,” he says, referring to social groups for older adults. “In Ontario County there wasn’t.” Pawley ran ads in local publications inviting those 55 years old and older to get together in mid-October at a Victor restaurant. Expecting around a half-dozen to show, he walked in that Sunday to find as many as 40 folks getting to know each other. The group has met every Sunday

Dave Norton afternoon since then to socialize—and welcome new members. By late November, as many as 70 had joined the group, though it was still too young to have a name. “I call it the ‘over-55 singles group,’” Pawley says. The group has also gathered at two local nightclubs to dance and listen to music. From the way Pawley talks, that’s only the beginning. Though he has spinal stenosis, a painful condition that can leave his feet numb, he’s March / April 2010 - 55 PLUS

generally ready for another dance. “As soon as I get up and fastdance, I feel great,” he says. “It’s like somebody gave me a shot.”

Dave Norton, 60

Shooting photos, helping at Webster Senior Center You could easily pick out Dave Norton at the Webster Senior Center Nov. 18. He was the one exchanging birdcalls with someone in the corridor. Of course, he hadn’t come out just to make the sound of a crow. “I help out at the senior center,” the 60 year old says with a grin. Norton came out that day to help the senior center’s many guests celebrate the facility’s 30th anniversary with a gala Thanksgiving luncheon, complete with speeches by government officials and entertainment. The retiree only “caw-caw-cawed” once that day, but he was the fella sporting the blue necklace of tickets for the event’s 5050 raffle, and the professional-looking camera that hung from his neck. Norton spent almost 40 years working for a local auto parts manufacturer. When the business closed its doors in June 2008, he began volunteering at the center on Fridays. Since then, he’s spent as many as four hours a week helping

the staff and other volunteers serve its guests—which can also involve some socializing. “Before we start the meal, we’ll play cards,” the Webster resident says. Norton also collects the small amounts the center charges for meals, and then helps clean up afterward. On special occasions—such as the Thanksgiving gala—he can be found snapping pictures of its guests as they enjoy themselves. Norton calls photography a hobby, though his camera and telephoto lens look fairly impressive. “I do family [photos],” he says. “Every now and then, I’ll do a wedding.” Other images also draw Norton’s eye. The sports fan follows the Boston Red Socks, the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills in person and on television, and he and his wife like going to GEVA stage productions and local films—he prefers comedies. At home, Norton sometimes spends his time with a hot iron, burning artistic images into sheets of plywood. Right now, he’s working on a drawing of the U.S. for his grandchildren. The finished sheet will show all 50 states, complete with each state’s quarter. He and his wife also like to hike—they’ve been in the Adirondacks and tramped local parks—and travel as far away as Florida to visit their children and grandchildren. Given all these activities, we asked Norton how he felt about being in retirement. He smiled, and answered, “I’m enjoying it to the best of my ability.”

Sandra Dugan, 62

Golfing, biking, enjoying life

Sandra Dugan 26

55 PLUS - March / April 2010

As she put away a large strip of bright-red elastic, Sandra Dugan extolled the virtues of growing older. “You’re a lot wiser; you don’t have the same kinds of responsibilities,” says the 62-year-old. “You’re a little freerer to do what you’d like to do.” To make sure she’s able to retain that freedom, the Penfield resident tries to stay in shape through exercising in a variety of ways. “It just does great things for your

Lou Alice Avellino body,” she says. Dugan golfs and bicycles in the summertime, then exercises indoors in the off-season. One November day, she talked to 55PLUS as she was wrapping up one of her twiceweekly Theraband exercise classes at the Webster Senior Center. The class takes its name from “Thera-Band,” the maker of the elastic strips used for exercising. “It’s stretchy, rubber elastic bands that provide resistance,” she says. Through stretching the elastic strips in different ways and while in different positions, those using them can strengthen their muscles, obtain a cardio workout, improve their balance, and gain other physical benefits. Dugan finds that the class helps with a shoulder grown stiff with time. “It feels better after doing this class,” she says. “It just fights the aging process.” At the same time, the exercise class draws her together with others interested in taking care of themselves. “It has so many benefits,” she says. “Not just the physical, but the emotional.” Thera-Band back in her bag, Dugan readied herself for what might be the most important form of exercise—babysitting her three grandchildren. “They keep me active, as well,” she says, as she heads for the door.

Lou Alice Avellino, 63 Selling real estate, being involved in the community

At a time when some folks head for the easy chair, Lou Alice Avellino heads for her next sale. “I like helping people find their new home, or selling theirs,” says the 63-year-old. These days, Avellino is an agent for Mitchell Pierson Jr., Inc., Realtors. “I work a lot,” she says. When not involved in a sale, the Canandaigua resident has turned her hand to helping her community. For two years running, Avellino chaired the committee that organized some of Canandaigua’s special events. “We produced the 4th of July event here,” she says. Canandaigua goes all-out for the celebration. “We work on it year-round.” Those involved have to raise funds, hire bands, invite government officials, and perform many other tasks in order to be ready for that special day. Last year, a huge crowd came to the lakeside city to enjoy the celebration’s fireworks, arts and crafts and food vendors, music, and other attractions. The committee also organizes a parade for Patriot’s Day each Sept. 11 “It’s a procession of fire trucks and ambulances and so forth up Main Street,” she says. She no longer chairs the committee. To stay fit, Avellino swims in her pool and walks around her neighborhood when the weather allows, putting about a mile on the road two to three times a week. A widow, she came out in mid-October for the first meeting of a group of over-55 singles. “I thought it was very comfortable,” she says. Avellino did have one complaint about the meetings. “It’s mostly all women,” she says. “I think men are more content to stay home and watch football.”

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55 PLUS - March / April 2010

retire

continued from page 27 unusual role during the Webster Senior Center’s anniversary celebration. For once, she wasn’t there as a volunteer, but as a guest. “I’m just mingling around with my friends,” says the 73-year-old. That day, the center presented the Webster resident with an award for being its longest volunteer. Malarz has brought her smile and her skills to the senior center for the past 13 years. Tw i c e a week, Malarz, a widow with four grown children who worked in an insurance office until she retired, comes to the center. There, she helps out in the center ’s office, runs errands, or Emily Malarz performs other tasks. She particularly enjoys helping other seniors. “It gives you a reason to get up in the morning,” she says, with a touch of the accent of her native Poland. “This is my good times.” When not volunteering, she might be found playing bingo or exercising in the local YMCA, where she’s in the silver sneakers fitness program for older adults. After undergoing heart surgery about eight years ago, Malarz began walking daily, putting on miles on a treadmill or at Webster’s North Ponds Park. “It’s exactly one mile around the two ponds,” she says, adding that the exercise also helps her fight the diabetes with which she’s been diagnosed. Though she enjoys helping seniors, Malarz admits that it can sometimes have its downside. “The sad part is you see them for years, and all of a sudden they stop coming,” she says. “You know they’re not coming back.” Asked where she gets her energy, she gives a kind of shrug. “There are a lot of senior people who are active,” she says.

55+

financial health By Jim Terwilliger

Former Employer 401(k) Plans – Leave or Move?

o you have a 401(k) or similar plan residing at a former employer? This might be the result of retirement, changing jobs or leaving the workforce temporarily. The key question is, “What should I do with the funds? Keep them intact or move them out?” When employees leave a company, generally there are four options available: • Take the money and run • Leave the money where it is • Transfer the money to a new employer’s plan • Roll the money over to a traditional IRA

3 Take the money and run Unless you are facing a catastrophic financial emergency, don’t even think of this option. This is clearly a last resort. First, these assets are a key component of your retirement nest egg. You will need them a lot more then than now. Remember, keeping the money invested will allow for taxdeferred growth. A $30,000 balance today can grow to $140,000 in 20 years at, say, an 8 percent annualized growth rate. And, that’s without making a single additional contribution. Second, if you take the money now, the entire distribution will be subject to federal and state income taxes at ordinary rates. Twenty percent is required to be withheld by your previous employer for federal taxes. Additionally, if you are under the age of 59-1/2, distributions generally are subject to a 10 percent earlywithdrawal penalty, although there is no penalty for distributions made to

an employee who attained the age of 55 before leaving the company.

3 Leave the money where it is If your previous plan offers some unique investments, a full array of investment choices or low internal fund and plan management fees, you may want to leave the plan alone. For example, the Kodak Savings and Investment Plan (SIP) features low management fees and includes a Fixed Income Fund that is currently returning about 4.5 percent annually. Many Kodak retirees and former employees have chosen to keep their SIP plans intact. Taxable distributions are then available as needed without penalty, subject to the age restrictions mentioned above and the plan distribution provisions.

3 Move the money to a new employer’s plan If your new plan offers investment choices or fees that are superior to your previous plan, it may make sense to transfer and consolidate your old 401(k) assets into the new plan. On the other hand, you will lose some flexibility since you will not have access to the funds, other than through a loan, while you are working for the new employer.

3 Roll the Money over to a Traditional IRA This can be an attractive option for many reasons. Generally, IRAs offer a much bigger universe of investment choices than 401(k) plans, although you will

want to make sure that you are not constrained by a limited choice of high-internal-expense “proprietary” funds that IRA investment firm representatives may be encouraged to sell. Also, if you have accumulated a number of small, disconnected 401(k) plans and IRAs over the years, there is great advantage to consolidating into one IRA. Doing so makes it much easier to develop and manage a well-diversified portfolio, including annual rebalancing, that supports your overall financial plan. In the past, estate planning options were better with IRAs vs. 401(k) plans. That all changed with the Pension Protection Act of 2006. Now, a non-spouse beneficiary is now able to roll over an inherited 401(k) into an inherited IRA and stretch the IRA out over his/her expected lifetime. Previously, non-spouse beneficiaries generally had one choice — take a distribution and pay the taxes. This summary covers only a few of the issues needing consideration. Be sure to consult with a trusted financial planner before making any change. What is right for you depends on your personal circumstances. The consequences of making a wrong choice can be disastrous. James Terwilliger, a certified financial planner, is vice president of Financial Planning, Wealth Strategies Group, Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Company. He can be reached at (585) 419-0670 ext. 50630 or by e-mail at jterwilliger@cnbank. com. March / April 2010 - 55 PLUS

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long-term care

Long-Term Care Insurance:

Apply Now or Later? By Susan Suben

ave you been thinking about applying for longterm care insurance but keep putting it off? The odds are the longer you wait the greater the likelihood you could be declined or placed into a higher risk category, not to mention that you will pay a higher premium. Long-term care insurance premiums are based on your age and health. You have no control over your age, but as we get older, we are more apt to be diagnosed with medical conditions, such as high blood pressure, arthritis and diabetes. These conditions, though usually not life threatening, can place you in a higher health risk category or deem you to be uninsurable by long-term care insurance carriers. The American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance, in their 2008 industry research analysis, produced the following statistics on the percentage of applicants who are “health declined” Age of Applicant Under 50 50 to 59 60 to 69 70 to 79 80 and Over

Percentage of Decline 7.3% 13.9% 22.9% 44.8% 69.8%

Out of the same research came the following statistics regarding the percentage of applicants who were able to qualify for good health discounts, generally 15 percent: Age of Applicant Percentage Who Saved Under 50 66.8% 50 to 59 51.5% 60 to 69 42.2% 70 to 79 24.2% 80 and Over 12.9% 30

55 PLUS - March / April 2010

The underwriting process for long-term care insurance is different from life insurance. Life insurance underwriting is based on mortality tables while long-term care insurance underwriting is based on how your medical conditions will affect your need for long-term care services. The more conditions you have, the greater the chances are that you will go on claim. How do the companies determine your insurability and risk for needing long-term care? The long-term care insurance underwriting process consists of several steps: the field agent evaluation, the application, Medical Information Bureau, phone interview, face to face interview, cognitive screen and medical records. The older you are and the more medical conditions you have, the longer the process will be and the more health information the company will be required to gather. The field agent will personally observe you and your surroundings, and use underwriting resources to select the appropriate carrier based upon your medical conditions. On the application, you will answer medical questions but you are not required to have a physical examination unless you have not seen your doctor within the last eighteen months. The long-term care insurance carrier you selected will then contact the Medical Information Bureau to see if you have been declined by another company. The MIB is not allowed to give the reasons for the declination and this will not stop the underwriting process. If you have significant medical conditions, it is advisable to apply to two companies at the same time. The carrier will then schedule a telephone interview conducted by a nurse or medical social worker to verify information on your application.

In some instances, the interviewer will perform a cognitive screen, which can take up to 20 minutes. The reason for this “mini-mental” test is that dementia and Alzheimer’s are the No. 1 reasons policyholders go on claim. If you are 70 or older, the company will schedule a face to face interview. A nurse or medical social worker will come to your home in order to review your application and administer a cognitive screen. This interview can take up to 40 minutes. Finally, your doctor will be contacted to submit copies of your medical records for the last three to five years. The carrier is authorized to do this by having you sign a HIPAA release form. With medical conditions, the underwriting process generally takes four to six weeks. Without significant health conditions, the process can take as little as two weeks. So don’t wait until later to apply. Applying for long-term care insurance when you are healthier and younger will keep the premiums lower and make the chances of you being accepted for coverage higher. You’ll be saving money and guaranteeing that your family is protected against the financial risks of a long-term care illness. Susan Suben, MS, CSA, is president of Long Term Care Associates, Inc. and a consultant for Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Company. She can be reached at 800-422-2655 or by email at susansuben @31greenbush.com.

55+

living

Living for the day Sabena ‘Willie’ Cooper celebrates her 104th birthday By Sue Barnes

ive as the day comes. That is Sabena “Willie” Cooper’s motto. She should know. Cooper celebrated her 104th birthday Jan 14. The youngest of nine children, Cooper was the sixth daughter and was named after her uncle William and Sabena, the woman whom her mother cooked for when she was born. Her father was a preacher and when she is asked if she got into trouble as a youngster, she replied, “Trouble followed me wherever I went. I didn’t need to look for it.” Her favorite pastime was playing house, always insisting on being the mother because “I liked to be the boss,” Cooper said. She was born in Mississippi, moved to Tennessee as a child and then back to Mississippi in her teens. She moved to Rochester in her early 20s after a short time living in St. Louis. She moved to Buffalo and married, but neither the marriage or living in Buffalo lasted long. Since the early 1950s, Cooper has lived in Rochester in her own apartment. Today at 104, Cooper still maintains her own apartment in the city at Seneca Towers, living independently with help from Independent Living for Seniors, an affiliate of Rochester General Health System. ILS provides all her medical needs, along with homecare assistance. Every morning, Cooper wakes

with a smile and jokes with her aide Maggie. Several days a week, the ILS van picks her up at her apartment and takes her to the ILS day center where she enjoys seeing her friends, playing bingo and cards, having lunch and singing along with the entertainment. When she was young, dancing was one of her favorite pastimes and even now she moves to the music, although as she says, she “just can’t get up and dance like I used to.” On Jan. 14, her nephew Alfred Fields and his wife Anne brought a beautiful cake to be shared with all her friends at the day center to celebrate her turning 104. Along with the cake and singing, Cooper was presented with a bouquet of flowers, dozens of cards, a special cake to take home and a “guardian angel.” Cooper keeps busy being an advocate for herself and her peers. When asked if she ever thought she would live to be 104, she replies that she has never thought about age; she is in good health and enjoys each day as it comes. Cooper did all kinds of work growing up, although she spent most of the time being a housekeeper and a caregiver to those who needed her help. When asked if she missed anything about her job, she replied with a big grin, “only the money.” Praising the Lord—“God is the reason why I am still here,” she said. Her motto is, “Live as the day

comes, always be honest and never lie. I don’t worry about yesterday and I don’t worry about tomorrow. I live for the day.” When asked what she thought the younger generation could learn from her life, she responded that the most important thing is to be honest and truthful; you cannot get into trouble that way. She said it is God’s will that she has lived to be 104, and that she has no secrets to her longevity. She has a fiercely independent spirit and prides herself on it. When called a “cantankerous little cutie” by Julie Secora, the recreational therapist at the ILS day center, she laughs and replies, “That is what has kept her living for so long.” These days, Cooper looks forward to eating a good meal and watching some TV although she has no favorites. She watches the news because “I have to keep up with what is going on.” A good night’s sleep is still one of her favorite activities. When Cooper celebrated her 102nd birthday, she was featured in local newspaper column titled, “The Secret to a Long Life—Learn to Enjoy Everyday.” She said that is something she still believes from the bottom of her heart. March / April 2010 - 55 PLUS

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active lifestlye

Wii Bowling a Hit in Victor

People gather twice in Victor for competitive bowiling — Wii Bowling By Wendy Moon

very Tuesday and Thursday the thunder of bowling pins can be heard echoing out of the rear blue recreation room at the Victor Parks and Recreation. The building is not big enough to house bowling lanes yet there are leagues twice a week. When people attend they do not bring bowling balls either. What would appear to be an anomaly is really a combination of seniors and 21st century videogame technology. Mike Stockman, assistant director of the town of Victor Parks and Recreation, introduced Wii Bowling to the senior program. “We saw this used at a Perinton rec center and others and it was a hit. We thought we’d try it,” said Stockman. At the time, obtaining a Wii console was no easy feat. Stockman

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and his staff persistently inquired at a local Kmart before they were able to obtain two systems. Stockman was not sure how the seniors would respond to playing something like Wii. To test the waters the staff started Wii Bowling one day a week. Soon the seniors caught on and word spread. Within a short period of time they had too many people for one day. Instead of turning people away Stockman opened the program to two days a week. He explained the intention of utilizing Wii Bowling is not just help keep the seniors active but to provide an alternative to a sport many can no longer play. “In order to have regular bowling teams we would have to travel to Canandaigua or another town,” said Stockman “Wii Bowling keeps costs down and it is easier to use.”

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The difference between regular and virtual bowling lies in how the game is prepared. The normal ritual at a bowling alley of changing from street shoes to bowling shoes and placing bowling balls on the rack is replaced with waiting for someone to hook up the Wii. One system is connected to a TV and the other is connected to a small projector aimed at the wall. Two staff members connect the systems to synchronize game play and select the teams. The teams are represented by Mii avatars (the Wii’s equivalent of a person’s characterization) then the fun begins. “The ease of the wireless remote replaces the weight of a bowling ball that many seniors can no longer handle,” said Stockman. Aside from the comfort of using a wireless remote, Wii Bowling simulates the sound of the ball hitting and rolling down the lane and

Carol Fleischman, 72, on team Hotshots, watches her ball roll down the lane

Local resident Walter Smith, 80, throws a ball. He plays for the Strikers, tne name of the team competing at the tournament.

striking the pins. Plus there is a virtual audience to cheer the player. To help keep score, a virtual scoreboard comes up each time a player takes the lane. All this provides the close to home comfort of participating on a bowling league. Two Wii Bowling participants are Carol Fleischman, 72, on team Hotshots and Ethel Vogt, 83. Fleischman said she played Wii Bowling before with her grandson and enjoyed it. “This is my second time playing at the rec center and it’s just great fun.” Vo g t s a i d s h e h a s b e e n participating on Wii Bowling league since it started. “I love it. It helps get you out and it’s so much fun.” The teams play three games with 10 frames each. At the end of each game the staff tallies up the scores to determine the winner and keeps track of the scores. At the end of the year the staff hold a banquet and hand out trophies and other prizes. Wii Bowling is not the only virtual sport Victor parks and recreation offers. Stockman said they recently incorporated Wii Golf. “We do have a senior golf league at the local golf course. Last year we introduced Wii Golf and it was a success.” He went on to say he was pleased to see how well people adjusted to the Wii games. “It’s great to see them get pumped up and excited.”

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last

page

By Mike Costanza

Rita Metras, 61 Former Kodak’s director of worldwide benefits helping Haiti victims, men and women who leave incarceration

ita Metras seems to have the energy and wide-ranging interests that most could envy. The Webster mother helped out at women’s shelters, helped women inmates learn the skills they needed in order to live on the outside, packed supplies for disaster aid, chaired or sat on the boards of local non-profits, and in other ways given them her time, energy and expertise. Metras retired as Kodak’s director of worldwide benefits in 2005. 55 PLUS caught up with her one sunny winter day. Q. You’re on the board of Haiti Outreach-Powje Espwa (H.O.P.E.) in Rochester. Is it involved in earthquake relief efforts? A. I was actually just marking boxes of medical supplies and food, and doing inventory. The first truck left this afternoon for Borgne. We sent out 60 boxes of supplies. Q. How does this fit in with the mission of H.O.P.E? A. We run a community medical system that serves the people of Borgne and the surrounding area. It went from a clinic, to now we have a hospital. We also have mobile clinics—the doctors and nurses go out on mules and walk four to six hours to get up in the villages. It’s the only medical facility in the area. Q. Since you retired from Kodak in 2005, you seem to be even busier as a volunteer. Why not just kick back and enjoy retirement? A. I never, never was one to just sit back, even when I was in high school. One day, I got up and I didn’t feel well. I said “I have this thing after school—I’ve got to go in for that.” I then said, “Well, if I don’t feel well tomorrow, I won’t go. Oh, I’ve got something—well, two weeks from

55 PLUS - March / April 2010

Thursday, if I don’t feel well, I won’t go into school.” Q. You seem to be drawn to local organizations that help adults who are incarcerated, or risk being incarcerated. How did that come about? A. I visited Rogers House as part of a spiritual retreat. It was a home for formerly incarcerated males. One of the speakers was a guy who had a master ’s degree— everything seemed to be going for him. Then, he took a wrong turn. He’d got out, and he was helping people. I said, “Wow that’s pretty cool.” Shortly thereafter, I applied to be a volunteer there. Q. What was it like to work with men just recently released from prison or jail? A. Some of the men had never gotten a birthday cake—they had never had anybody celebrate anything about them. I was thinking that that’s just something that we just take for granted. If different things might’ve happened in the past, you could very well be in that position. Be grateful that you had a good life, and am giving something back. Rogers House eventually closed, and I began volunteering at Jennifer House [a transitional facility that helps women newly released from prison and their children as the women adapt to outside life, and try to avoid further incarceration. Spiritus Christi, the Rochester faith community to which Metras belongs, created Rogers House and Jennifer House]. Q. Where do you use the majority of your time these days? A. At Step by Step—they work with incarcerated women, those transitioning out, and those who are in danger of becoming incarcerated.

I handle personnel matters— payroll or benefits issues, new-hire documentation, and anything else they want me to do. We’re also putting together a new program right now. Individuals would be referred to this program in lieu of going to jail for drug offenses. It’s a good organization, and I get satisfaction out of seeing things go well there. Q. Where else do you give your time and energy? A . I’m on the board and executive committee of the Rochester Rehabilitation Center—that consumes a lot of time. Rochester Rehabilitation provides social, health, and employment assistance for those who have disabilities or other disadvantages. I chair of the personnel committee. Q. With all that you do, do you have any time for fun? A. The ocean is one of my very favorite things—I went twice this year. I would have gone a third time, but my son, Aaron, became a father. I also love cross-country skiing with my dogs, Mya and Shiloh. That’s just so much fun. Mya is the one I’m trying to get into a reading program in which kids read to a dog. It helps the kids learn to read, and if they leaned on her, she wouldn’t care. I also read a ton—I always have books on reserve at the library—and I do stuff with Jim, my significant other.

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