55 Plus of Rochester, #73: January – February 2022 by 55 Plus: For Active Adults in Rochester

JIM TERWILLIGER: BEWARE OF THE UPCOMING ‘TAX TORPEDO’ 90 AND LOOKING FOR FINANCIAL RESOLUTIONS A NEW MAN P. 18 TO MAKE IN 2022 P. 14

CAN YOU PASS A CIVICS TEST? P. 24

ESSAY: REFUSING TO LET THE ‘OLD LADY’ IN P. 22

Issue 73 – January / February 2022

For Active Adults in the Rochester Area

roc55.com

LESLIE C. YOUNGBLOOD

the voice inside Rochester author Leslie C. Youngblood draws on her own past to breathe life into two highly acclaimed children books. She talks about her writing, new projects, her life and career. P. 26

home is where the help is. Living Well Companion Care provides nonmedical services to make living in your own home feel manageable again. We can support you with daily routines, transportation, housekeeping and more. Companions undergo comprehensive background screenings and we only hire those we would trust to care for our own loved ones. Now hiring in and serving eastern Monroe and Ontario counties. Call us at (585) 248-5021 or visit livingwellcompanioncare.org to learn more or to apply to be a Companion.

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55 PLUS | contents

JIM TERWILLIGER: BEWARE OF THE UPCOMING ‘TAX TORPEDO’ 90 AND LOOKING FOR FINANCIAL RESOLUTIONS A NEW MAN P. 18 TO MAKE IN 2022 P. 14

CAN YOU PASS A CIVICS TEST? P. 24

ESSAY: REFUSING TO LET THE ‘OLD LADY’ IN P. 22

January / February 2022 Story ideas? Information about advertising? Email editor@roc55.com or call 585-421-8109. To subscribe to the magazine, look for the coupon on page 39.

Issue 73 – January / February 2022

For Active Adults in the Rochester Area

roc55.com

LESLIE C. YOUNGBLOOD

on the cover

Leslie C. Youngblood met photographer, Chuck Wainwright, at Barnes & Noble in Pittsford for a great photoshoot with her books.

www.roc55.com

36 SNOW Savvy Senior 6 14 FINANCE • Financial planners talk financial • Pushing the snow, thinking about you: Financial Health 8 resolutions for 2022 snowplow drivers from Ontario county on tackling Upstate winter Dining Out 10 16 INVESTMENT • You've spent years making money—be 40 LONGEVITY Essay 22 smart when you invest it after retirement • Jerry Magnotta celebrates 60 years of Jerry's Jewelers, including learning the My Turn 24 18 DATING ropes from his Italian grandfather

Addyman’s Corner 48

• Jean Marshal is 90 and looking for a new man; what's a girl to do?

26 COVER LAST PAGE Bob Segave, 59, talks about his career as athletics director at Roberts Wesleyan, his alma mater

55 PLUS – JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022

• Is this a good time to buy an RV?

• Leslie C. Youngblood has found literary success with her two fiction childrens books. She talks life, career and future projects

44 SHOWTIME

32 MEMOIRS

46 COACHING

• Fran Tepper of Monroe County Fair pens a book about her tenure

• Dan Dunne: never too old to take your shot at the 'big time'

34 PASSION • Ralph Saunders: shaping the future of elder dentistry care in Pittsford

43 VACATION • "Reverend Mother" is still hysterical and still compelling at 75, and it's taking her to Orlando in February

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savvy senior By Jim Miller

Social Security Calculators Help You Decide When to Claim

eciding when to start collecting your Social Security benefits is one of the most complicated and consequential decisions in retirement. The difference between a good decision and a poor one could cost you tens of thousands of dollars over your retirement, so doing your due diligence now is a very smart move. Factors to Consider As you may already know, you can claim Social Security any time between the ages of 62 and 70, but each year you wait increases your benefits between 5% and 8%. However, there are other factors you need to take into account to help you make a good decision, like your health and family longevity, whether you plan to work in retirement, along with spousal and survivor benefits. To help you weigh your claiming strategies, you need to know that Social Security Administration claims specialists are not trained or authorized to give you personal advice on when you should start drawing your benefits. They can only provide you information on how the system works under different circumstances. To get advice you’ll need to turn to other sources. Online Tools Your first step in getting Social Security claiming strategy advice is to go to SSA.gov/myaccount to get your personalized statement that estimates what your retirement benefits will be at ages 62 through 70. These estimates are based on your yearly earnings that are also listed on your report. Once you get your estimates, there are a number of online Social Security

55 PLUS – JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022

strategy calculators you can turn to that can compare your options so you can make an informed decision. The best one that’s completely free to use is Open Social Security (OpenSocialSecurity.com), which runs the math for each possible claiming age (or, if you’re married, each possible combination of claiming ages) and reports back, telling you which strategy is expected to provide the most total spendable dollars over your lifetime. But if you want a more thorough analysis consider fee-based calculators like Maximize My Social Security ( M a x i m i z e M y S o c i a l S e c u r i t y. com) or Social Security Solutions (SocialSecuritySolutions.com). Both of these tools, which are particularly helpful to married couples as well as divorced or widowed persons, will run what-if scenarios based on your circumstances and show how different filing strategies affect the total payout over the same time frame. Maximize My Social Security’s web-based service costs $40 per year for a household, while Social Security Solutions offers several levels of webbased and personalized phone advice ranging from $20 to $250. In-Person Advice You may also be able to get help through a financial planner. Look for someone who is a fee-only certified financial planner (CFP) that charges on an hourly basis and has experience in Social Security analysis. To find someone, use the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors online directory at NAPFA. org, or try the Garrett Planning Network (GarrettPlanningNetwork. com), which is a network of fee-only advisers that charge between $150 and $300 per hour.

roc55.com Editor and Publisher Wagner Dotto

Associate Editor Steve Yablonski

Writers & Contributors Deborah J. Sergeant John Addyman Lynette M. Loomis, Christopher Malone Columnists Jim Terwilliger, Jim Miller John Addyman, Bruce Frassinelli Advertising Anne Westcott Linda Covington Office Manager Nancy Nitz Layout & Design Joey Sweener Cover Photo Chuck Wainwright

55 PLUS – A Magazine for Active Adults in Rochester is published six times a year by Local News, Inc. at PO Box 525, Victor, NY 14564, which also publishes In Good Health — Rochester's Healthcare Newspaper. Subscription: $21 a year; $35 for two years © 2022 by 55 PLUS – A Magazine for Active Adults in Rochester.

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

How to Reach Us P.O. Box 525 Victor, NY 14564 Phone: 585-421-8109 Fax: 585-421-8129 Email: editor@roc55.com Editor@cnyhealth.com

Had a Stroke. Back on Stage.

Musician Todd Hobin KNOW THE SIGNS • CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY

Central New York music legend Todd Hobin knew nothing about stroke — but he does now. That’s why he’s raising awareness about stroke risk factors and its signs and symptoms.

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Fact: Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the U.S. Important to know: Stroke can happen to both men and women — at any age. Good news: Stroke is preventable by managing medical risk factors and healthy lifestyle choices. What to do: Time lost is brain lost. So it’s vital to know the signs of a stroke — F.A.S.T. Four words to live by: Call 911 and say, “Take me to Crouse.“ When it comes to stroke, every moment matters. As one of just 10 hospitals in New York State tohave earned Comprehensive Stroke Center status, and with the region’s newest ER and hybrid ORs, Crouse offers the most advanced technology for rapid stroke diagnosis and treatment

Read Todd’s story and learn more: crouse.org/toddhobin.

TIME TO CALL 911

financial health By Jim Terwilliger

Beware of the ‘Tax Torpedo’

f you are not acquainted with the term “tax torpedo,” you need to be if you are retired or are receiving (or are thinking of starting) Social Security retirement benefits. Further, if you are enrolled in Medicare and are in a higher income bracket, your Medicare premiums can behave like a tax torpedo. Finally, whether you are retired or not, the net investment income tax is an additional income tax torpedo for higher income taxpayers. Quite simply, a tax torpedo is a factor that causes your marginal tax rate to be higher than the tax bracket that equates to your taxable income. In other words, while your taxable income might place you in a particular tax bracket, the next additional dollar of income might cost you more than that bracket would suggest. A lot more in some cases. It is important to know if you are subject to this phenomenon. If so, prudent control of income sources can mitigate the impact. Social Security We often advise clients to defer taking Social Security retirement benefits until reaching age 70, particularly for the higher-earning spouse if married. If you decide not to wait, you may be receiving Social Security benefits for several years between retirement and age 72 when required minimum distributions (RMDs) start. It is during this timeframe the “torpedo” can rear its ugly head. The federal taxation of Social Security benefits can cause your marginal tax rate to rise dramatically even if staying within a tax bracket. How so? While as little as none of your Social Security benefit might be taxable, up to 85% can be taxable

55 PLUS – JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022

depending on other income. We often advise retired clients to consider making taxable Roth conversions during potentially lower-income years prior to when RMDs start. But doing so can elevate the taxation of Social Security from zero to as much as 85%. For example, if you are in the 10% federal tax bracket, your marginal tax rate is 15% if 50% of your Social Security is taxable and 18.5% if approaching 85% taxability. If you are in the 12% federal tax bracket, your marginal tax rate is 18% if 50% of your Social Security is taxable and 22.2% if approaching 85% taxability. And if you are in the 22% federal tax bracket, your marginal tax rate is 33% if 50% of your Social Security is taxable and 40.7% if approaching 85% taxability. Yikes! (Once the 85% cap is reached, the torpedo disappears.) Deferring Social Security to age 70 yields a benefit that is 24% or 32% higher than your full retirement age (FRA) benefit for FRAs of 67 and 66, respectively. It also opens a window of time to make a series of partial Roth conversions at a marginal tax rate no higher than your tax bracket rate. And if you’re in the 12% tax bracket, it also allows a window in which long-term capital gains can be realized at a zero federal tax rate. Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amounts (IRMAA) If you are not familiar with IRMAA, you may get a rude awakening when starting Medicare. IRMAA ties Medicare premiums to your adjusted gross income (AGI) plus any taxexempt interest reported on your federal tax return two years earlier. In the bottom tier, the 2022 Part B premium is $170.10 per month per person for 2020 AGIs up to $91,000

for a single tax filer or $182,000 for married filing jointly. In the top (sixth) tier, the 2022 Part B premium is $578.30 per month per person for 2020 AGIs greater than $500,000 for a single tax filer or $750,000 for married filing jointly. Additionally, a Part D surcharge ranging from zero to $77.90 per month per person is applied across the six tiers. Depending on which tier you are in, Part B premiums plus the Part D adjustment for a married couple can total from $340.20 per month to $1,312.40 per month. Yikes, another torpedo! Incremental additions to income can push premiums into a higher tier and generate a marginal out-of-pocket rate greater than the associated tax bracket. Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT) This torpedo impacts higherincome retirees and non-retirees alike. NIIT is the lesser of 3.8% of net investment income or 3.8% of AGI exceeding $200,000 for single tax filers and $250,000 for married filing jointly. Again, incremental additions to income, depending on the nature of the income, can yield a marginal tax rate great than the associated tax bracket. Tax planning, particularly for retirees, is a must. It includes managing the timing and sources of your income to achieve an optimal outcome. Be sure to engage your tax professional and financial planner to help guide you through this maze. James Terwilliger, CFP®, is senior vice president, senior planning adviser with CNB Wealth Management, Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Company. He can be reached at 585-419-0670 ext. 50630 or by email at jterwilliger@cnbank.com.

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The steamed pork buns ($10). The trio of soft folded buns boasted a brick of pork belly, which was joined by scallion rings.

Dining Out RESTAURANT GUIDE

By Christopher Malone

Pair of meatballs at ROAM: They are huge and come in a generous amount of house marinara. There was an unapologetic amount of shaved parmesan cheese atop.

Where to ROAM When in the City, Wander this Way

OAM Cafe, located 260 Park Ave., came up on a search for lunch places in Rochester. Due to a shift in my life, finding a lunch spot turned out to be slightly more of a challenge than finding a place for dinner. Due to the pandemic, hours for some places are still atypical and some restaurants aren’t open on the beginning days of the week. But ROAM popped right up. It’s 11:30 a.m. opening was also perfect enough to squeeze in a road trip and get to bed for an overnight shift. The sun was blasting through the large pane windows of the clean dining area of the Italian-leaning cafe. All of the restaurant was clean, and not a spot could be found on utensils. Aside from a fresh atmosphere, the menu kept boasting a locally-focused mind with fresh ingredients. It was time for the eatery to prove it.

The soup of the day, chili ($5 for a cup), met its fate first. The hearty concoction bosting a medium heat was filled with beans, veggies, and chunks of pork. Soup or chili is good any day of the year, but it hit the spot for a late November afternoon. Arancini or meatballs? Balls of risotto and mozzarella or beef and sausage? It’s a tough choice. There is the option to order both appetizers separately or save a couple bucks and go with “The Pair” — one of each ($15). It’s difficult to say no to trying these from a new place. I expected these Italian staples to be slightly larger than golf balls. I love it when I’m wrong. The pair of balls, which sounds so wrong but this is how it’s going to be written, were softballsized. The meatball was dressed in a generous amount of house marinara, and blush sauce covered the arancini. There was an unapologetic amount of

shaved parmesan cheese atop. How do you cook these so large? My suggestion is to come and try them. The meatball wasn’t overly seasoned either. The arancini had a great crispy coat around soft risotto and melted, stretchy mozzarella cheese. The steamed pork buns ($10) followed. The trio of soft, folded buns boasted a brick of pork belly were joined by scallion rings and dressed in hoisin and sriracha sauces, with the former being more prominent than the latter for good reason. There was just enough heat from the dashed drops of sriracha. Compared to the last steam bun and pork belly I enjoyed a couple months ago, ROAM’s was better and less expensive — not that price matters. But the pork belly was a better cut, had more flavor, and wasn’t as dry. When in ROAM, do as the roamers do — get a pizza. The 10-inch rustica JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022 – 55 PLUS

ROAM Cafe 260 Park Ave. Rochester, NY 14607 585-360-4165 | roamcafe.com facebook.com/roamcafe instagram.com/roamcaferoc/ Sun.: 10:30 a.m. – 10 p.m. Mon. – Sat.: 11:30 a.m. – 11 p.m.

Chili at ROAM ($5 for a cup): Filled with beans, veggies, and chunks of pork. Soup or chili is good any day of the year, but it hit the spot for a late November afternoon.

Gnocchi con fungi ($18 or $20 gluten-free option). The generous amount of pasta makes for a heavy pasta dish.

When in ROAM, do as the roamers do — get a pizza. The 10-inch rustica pizza ($14) is actually the sole vegan option of the lineup of nine. 12

55 PLUS – JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022

pizza ($14) is actually the sole vegan option of the lineup of nine. I made mine non-vegan because a hearty amount of cheese was thrown on top and melted. The pizza consists of grilled eggplant, stewed peppers, onions, grape tomatoes and olives. The seasoned-in herbs are a strategic amount. Because of the charred veggies, there is a beautiful smokiness to the pizza. Even a couple days after, the smokiness didn’t fade. And the dough, similar to the ingredients ROAM promises it uses, is locally sourced from Baker Street Bakery. It’s a puffy crust but not overly doughy. The bottom isn’t crispy, so two hands are needed to guide a slice into a mouth because of all the ingredients. And then there is the gnocchi con fungi ($18 or $20 gluten-free option). The generous amount of pasta makes for a heavy pasta dish. It also promises a fair amount of leftovers. Eating a quarter of the portion is actually really filling for an empty-ish stomach. The potato and cheese gnocchi wade in a mushroom cream sauce, as the name of the entrée insists. The mushrooms aren’t dinky and chopped either. In the mix are chunks of pancetta and green peas. Oh, and more parmesan cheese. Before tip, the feast came to just under $80. It truly was a feast. Getting through the first three “courses” was easy. Honestly, I probably shouldn’t have eaten all of the meatball and arancini in one sitting. As I said, the amount of food provided a lot of leftovers for a couple days. The flavor was just as great as it was the day it was ordered. Keep up the great work, ROAM.

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finance Financial Resolutions for 2022 A little planning now gives peace of mind later By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

he beginning of a new year can represent a good time to make a few resolutions, whether it’s to get in better shape, lose a few unwanted pounds or fine tune your financial plans. Here is what a few area financial experts recommend to improve your fiscal fitness: • “As people age into their mid50s, they want to focus on being on track for retirement: what do they want their retirement to look like? They need to set their goals to make sure they’re in a position to meet those goals, whatever those goals are. They need to put a plan together to move from accumulation to distribution phase. As they go through their last five to 10 years of work, they should focus on making sure they maximize their retirement savings in their 401k, 14

55 PLUS – JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022

consider funding individual retirement accounts, focus on eliminating debt to the extent possible and also review their asset allocation as they get closer to retirement. They don’t want to go too conservative, because they still have 30 to 40 years’ life expectancy. If they’re eligible for a pension, that can have an impact on asset allocation. They can be more aggressive with other investments if they have a pension. The pension helps them take on a little more risk. • “They may want to consider looking at long term care insurance in their mid- to late-50s to protect assets and begin to think about how they’ll pay for healthcare in retirement. Once they’re 65, they can rely on Medicare, but if they retire sooner, they have to think of how they’ll fund it. A high deductible plan with a health savings account is one way and they should

maximize contributions to the account. • “They should look at their Social Security statement to make sure their earnings statement is accurate. • “They should make sure their beneficiary designations for life insurance and IRA accounts are up to date, along with the power of attorney and healthcare proxy.” — Jim Eckl, registered financial adviser and principal and director of Wealth Management at Cobblestone Capital Advisors, LLC in Rochester • “ E n s u re t h a t y o u ’ re n o t overpaying on taxes from your investments. A good financial plan would certainly address this concern as well. • “With the high inflation that the economy has been running, you should ensure that your investments

Diana Apostolova

Tammy Mogilski

are not losing you money, which is the case with cash or money market accounts and CDs.” — Diana Apostolova, investment consultant, Rochester Investments, Rochester

Marlene Dattilo

• “Have your Medicare looked at by a professional to make sure you’re in the right plan. Many buy a plan based on the premium, but for that year, they pay more than they need to because they didn’t base it on health. They should review their plans in the event that one of them gets ill. • “Medicare doesn’t pay for longterm care. Long-term care insurance may be expensive but there are other ways to do planning. Evaluate all the different means of paying for it if longterm care is needed.” — Tammy Mogiliski, certified financial planner, chartered financial consultant and CEO of Legacy Financial Planning, Rochester

reviewing asset allocation to make sure you have enough money in a ‘safety bucket.’ It’s a place where I can put cash where it is not aligned with the volatility of the stock market and can be easily accessed without losses. Sometimes that means low-interest accounts or fixed accounts. Those assets are so poorly performing. It’s very challenging for us in the financial services field to find those buckets. • “We have encouraged people to know more about Medicare parts A, B, and C, and the supplement plans. Healthcare and long-term care are going to be the two biggest challenges for clients in their retirement. As part of our fee-based financial planning, we are allocating higher than average dollars for healthcare for our participants in the future.” — Marlene Dattilo, certified financial planner, certified family business specialist, certified long-term care planer, Keystone Capital Partners Group, Rochester

• “I’m hearing a lot, ‘When should I take my Social Security?’ There’s a lot of information on Social Security. We have software programs to help clients analyze that. If you’re not working with a financial adviser, www.SSA.gov is a nice website. If people have not logged onto the ‘My Social Security’ portal, they should do that to review their options. • “Depending on when they’re going to start to taking withdrawals from their retirement accounts, people are worried the stock market has had a nice run and it’s getting ready for a drop. If you’re going to start to take a distribution from your retirement buckets or any investments, start

• “Do financial worksheets, which are different from a plan. It gives a snapshot of income, assets, debt, interest rates you’re paying on your debt. It shows if you’re invested properly to meet your needs and goals. If you’re already retired or close, you should have this blueprint and it should be updated annually. • “Your assets must be allocated into different buckets to serve its purpose: an emergency fund for shortterm needs; a fund for intermediary needs, like planning for a wedding or buying a car; a bucket for income needs; and a bucket for growth to combat inflation. The income needs help you supplement Social Security

Chuck LaRocco

and pension. The growth would be invested for the future to combat inflation. • “Pay down your debt. Being debt-free is very liberating and will allow you to keep much more of your monthly income. Having debt is often a hurdle that will prevent people from retiring when they want to. So start with your debt that has the highest interest rate and work your way down. This information will be on your financial worksheets which you can request at www.Moneydocs.com. • “Only use a credit card if you pay off your balance every month. I am not against getting points or rewards; however, if you are maintaining a balance, you are most likely paying a very high interest rate and taking on unnecessary debt. • “If you have legacy concerns, and you want to pass money on to your children or grandchildren, if you are in the lower tax bracket, consider converting money from your retirement accounts into a Roth IRA. Check with your accountant to make sure you will not lose any benefits or discounts by doing so. • “If you are in good health, consider purchasing a life insurance policy with a long-term care rider that will allow you to use the death benefit for long-term care if you should need it. If you don’t need it, the death benefit will pass to your beneficiaries tax-free. — Chuck LaRocco, senior partner, certified retirement counselor, and one of the “Money Doctors” on WHAM 1180 Sundays at 7 a.m. with Commonwealth Financial Group in Webster and Florida

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022 – 55 PLUS

investment

Investment Changes Post-Retirement Experts: You’ve spent years making money — be smart when you transition from accumulation to distribution By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

uch will change in your life once you retire, from how you spend your time to how you introduce yourself. One change that many soon-to-be retirees may not consider is how their finances should change. “As they move from accumulation to distribution, they need to be more conservative, but they don’t want to get too conservative,” said Jim Eckl, registered financial adviser and principal and director of wealth management at Cobblestone Capital Advisors, LLC in Rochester. “They could have many more years to live. Interest rates aren’t what they used to be. They’ve got to balance how much risk they’re willing to take, but they could be around for another 40 years.” Discussing with a financial adviser how much risk you want to undertake is an important conversation to protect your future. It is also vital to not keep your money in just one type of investment. Eckl advises a diversified 16

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investment portfolio. Tammy Mogiliski, certified financial planner, chartered financial consultant and CEO of Legacy Financial Planning, Rochester, tells clients to consider how they plan to withdraw money from their investments. “In the distribution phase, when you start drawing on your money, sequence of returns is everything,” she said. She said that two people can start out retirement with the same amount of money, withdrawing the same amount each year with the same average returns over the next 10 years. But if one has low returns on his investments later in retirement and the other has low returns early in retirement, “the first one can be financially great and the other can be almost broke,” Mogiliski said. Taking a hit on returns early means the retiree has a lower principle generating income. That is why Mogiliski encourages retirees to “invest

for the long haul. Your objective is to live off your money. While you’re still accumulating, you want to make the pot as big as you can.” A mix of dependable and varied income streams can help build more stability into your financial plan and insulate you against tough times. “If we go through a time like 2008 and you have reduced what will come in, the dependable sources come in no matter what,” Mogiliski said. “You know what you have for sure. That should be based on budgets. We have a need and want mortgage. You need to pay for utilities; you want to go to Europe. There’s so much that goes into it, how much you’re keeping and if the market goes in a wrong direction.” Even if you feel confident in managing your investments, a lot has changed in recent years. Especially at this point in your working life, it may be good to have a professional financial adviser look at your investments. “You would pay someone $1,500 one time to do an analysis,” said Marlene Dattilo, certified financial planner, certified family business specialist, certified long-term care planer, Keystone Capital Partners Group, Rochester. “We have clients who do this every three to four years even if they will continue managing their own funds.” Dattilo advises clients to keep their debt low as they approach retirement. Those who keep debt low — even if they have a modest portfolio — fare better in retirement than those with larger portfolios but have high debt. “The less debt, the better, especially since prices are going up,” Dattilo said. “You’re paying more for milk, meat, heating costs. Keeping the debt very comfortable and giving yourself a nice cushion in your monthly budget is very important.” Inflation is also a concern for Diana Apostolova, investment consultant with Rochester Investments in Rochester. She fears too many people rely solely on fixed interest or low-earning investments that are not keeping pace with inflation. “That is a recipe for disaster, especially if the inflation rate doesn’t go back down,” Apostolova said. “When the inflation rate runs high, people become at risk of depleting their investment accounts sooner than they should. Investment allocations should be revisited each year to allow

for the assets to grow at least with the rate of inflation plus the percentage distributions people take out each year. “Retirees should be very careful what they are invested in and have a really clear idea how their money will help them live today and in the future.” She added that many retirees shift to bonds and annuities for more security. However, this may not provide sufficient returns in light of inflation and withdrawing too much from their investments. “Unfortunately for those that find themselves in that situation, it may be really hard to find additional income,” Apostolova said. “Going back to work may not be possible due to health reasons or just because employers are not willing to hire employees over a certain age. Positioning your assets early on in retirement is absolutely critical. It would be critical to ensure that your future income isn’t just Social Security.” In addition to managing the income, retirees should also think about managing their legacy. Chuck LaRocco is a certified retirement counselor and senior partner at Common Wealth Financial Group in Webster and Florida. He also presents on financial matters as one of the “Money Doctors” on WHAM 1180 Sundays at 7 a.m. “We see people who have really good pensions and they’re not going to touch their retirement accounts,” LaRocco said. “Eventually their assets go to their children. Those accounts can be kept in growth. If you have no pensions and you’ll require a great deal of income to supplement your Social Security, then a larger portion needs to be in fixed income. It doesn’t go by age or investment class but your needs as to how your money should be invested. The biggest mistake people make is not basing their investment on their needs. Gear it towards its purpose.” Should their income go down because of fluctuations in the stock market, these changes will not affect their quality of life. He encourages retirees whose monthly financial needs are covered by dependable sources of income like Social Security and pensions to invest in stocks to foster more growth in their money earmarked for legacy.

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Jean Marshal at her home in Rochester. At 90, she is looking for a companion to spend time with. “He has to walk and talk. He has to have a big heart and be a caring person,” she says.

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dating 90 and Looking for Love What’s a girl to do when she’s looking for a new man? By John Addyman

fter 63 years of having men in her life, Jean Marshall of Rochester found herself without a mate, without a

partner. She began looking for another man, someone who could share what she is certain could be years more of abundant life. But with COVID-19 quashing gatherings of people her age — she’s 90 — where would she find an opportunity to meet men? She was ready to get back on the bike, but how to find someone to peddle with her? What’s a girl to do? She didn’t sit still. Marshall tried an online dating service designed for seniors, “Our Time.” But there are seniors and then there are seniors like Jean Marshall. She found the pickings, but the pickings were slim. One gentleman from West Virginia climbed in his car and headed for Rochester. For 15 hours straight he was on the road. “And when he got here,” she said, “you know what he did — he slept for eight hours.” They eventually had a lunch date, but Marshall cut things off when he needed to hang on to her to walk. For a guy of a certain age, Jean Marshall is a trophy relationship waiting for launch. In so many ways, she is ageless, and she is determined that the last chapter in her life hasn’t been written yet. She brings a lot to the relationship. “I’m very adventurous,” she said. “I have a sense of humor — and if he doesn’t, he’s dead in the water. I’m well-balanced — I don’t scare easily. I’ve lived long enough in a lot of

environments. I’m flexible, willing to try just about anything. I’m curious as all get-out. “The world is just so full of good things to do and see and experience — to pass that up and sit in your living room forever and ever — that’s just not a possibility for me.” And she’s had so many years of satisfying relationships, she’s being selective about her partner, but commonsense as well. “He has to walk and talk,” she said. “He has to have a big heart and be a caring person. I’m not looking for someone who drinks a lot. I’d like to know the places a man has been, where he hasn’t been, and where he’d like to go. I love the national parks. I don’t know if I want to go back to camping, but we could try it. I like sports. Does he like movies? Does he read?” Marshall’s admitted flexibility and adventurous nature could also be labeled spontaneity. Like finding her husband, Leonard. At her mom’s direction, 20-something Jean was directed to

spend some time with her sister Nene in Quantico, Virginia, where her marine husband was stationed. “I had just finished working a summer at Beechwood Girls Scout Camp,” Marshall explained. “My brother-in-law said, ‘You’ve gone to college and you’ve been a counselor in a Girl Scout camp. You need to finish your education — you have to wait on tables.’ Marshall said OK. “I needed a little extra money and something to do. He took me to what he considered the best bar in town, Diamond Lou’s, and introduced me to Lou and his girlfriend. The very first night they were going to teach me how to pour draft beer. And I’m not very technically inclined. There was this pipsqueak down at one end of the bar, a marine, and he was teasing me about the “snowflakes” — the beer foam — in the air. I wanted to get even with him. There was also another young man, who was rooting for me at the FBI table. (continued on next page)

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022 – 55 PLUS

“At the end of the evening there from Terrance Turnbull. Marshall explained that she is “part were those two guys left — the guy at “We met and laughed and laughed of the experiment,” at RocLoveNY the FBI table and the pipsqueak at the and laughed for 14 years until Dr. because of the rarity of finding a match end of the bar. Alzheimer came and took him away,” for someone like her. “One guy says to the other, ‘Are she said. Jamar Jordan, who owns the you waiting for something?’ That was right before COVID-19 website and service, said he is “‘Yes.’ hit. All the groups she had been approaching older men who might be “I had to choose, so I chose associated with or led in her 14 years candidates for Marshall. He’s beating pipsqueak because I wanted to get as coordinator for senior services in the bushes to find the right guy, he even with him. Four months later he the town of Gates had faded, and said. had to go to Okinawa for 14 months. her contacts were much diminished. “It’s hard for older people who are So, he said, ‘If we still feel the same, “I didn’t have a choice of groups to divorced or widowed to find someone we’ll think about marriage when I participate in,” she said. “That left online — and it’s all online now,” come back. We had already thought me where I am now — shopping for Jordan said. ‘We’re trying to be that about it, so we got married when he a partner.” bridge for the older community.” came back. I was attracted to him She went online at “Our Time,” The website has a tagline that will mainly because he said, ‘You know, and got the one hit, but the underlying hit home to many: “It’s never too late every two or three years we’ll have problem became evident: “The people to find love. to move’ because he was a career who were responding were not local.” “Our matchmakers will do the marine. That really made him much Then she ran across a new online work for you, meeting and vetting more attractive to me because there service that started in October, each potential match face-to-face. Start was nothing I wanted to do more RocLoveNY.com. going on meaningful dates without the than move around…and we moved “It was fascinating. There was a lot hassle of finding one. Roc Love NY around.” of consideration you don’t get online wants our female members to feel safe A series of strokes ended Leonard’s for safety. The service makes a date and comfortable at all times.” life after 49 years of marriage to Jean. arrangement, takes you to the site, Maybe that will be the success “I was alone,” she said, “and I picks you up at the site, and the person story for Jean Marshall, a woman don’t like being alone.” you’re having a meal with doesn’t who is looking for love. She’s healthy, She responded to a personal ad in know where you live or anything else. bright, funny… and alone. the former “Golden Times” newspaper That safety is what attracted me. There “And I’m not giving up,” she in Rochester and got an answer back was no fee for women joining.” promised. 99324_NB_RACFCampaign_55Mag / 1/2 pg ad: 7.25"w X 4.75"h / no bleed / 4C / Aging

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essay

of monuments and visited countless countries. Yet, I didn’t get jet-lagged, didn’t have to take any shots for malaria, never packed and didn’t have to check hotels for bed bugs. In my PJs and from Writer Donna Cordello reflects the comfort of my couch, the travel on having just turned 65. and discovery channels have taken me across the globe. I now consider myself a world traveler. I just don’t always share the tiny little tidbits with everyone. While offers from AARP and life insurance companies continue to overflow my mailbox, I’ve discovered that a lot of things are actually better now than when I was a senior in high school. I’ve gotten to know my doctors. We’re practically on a first name basis. And I never realized I had so many. They literally have covered me from head to toe. I consider myself lucky, because this never would have happened in my earlier years. There are other perks of being older, as well. Like paying less for concert tickets. I used to fight to get to the front of the stage to be up close to the long-haired musicians I had crushes on. But, now I’d rather sit in the cheaper seats in the back and listen to those old bald band members than actually see them. Of course, I’ve also changed physically, too. I still have long hair, and thanks to my hair stylist, it’s the same color it always was. I can even still fit into some things that I wore 40 By Donna Cordello years ago, like the earrings and hat I eturn to sender.” rocked on my wedding day. That’s what I write on You can’t convince me I’m old the influx of mail I’ve been when I still blast my radio when I’m getting trying to convince driving, although it might be because me that now that I’m 65, I’m officially I’m going a tad deaf. a ‘senior citizen.’ And even my marriage is better Umm, no. than ever. My husband and I don’t I’ll go with being called a mature argue anymore because we’re both woman or even politely smile when too tired to fight. In fact, our biggest called ‘ma’am.’ But, I’m not conceding disagreement is about who snores the to being a senior citizen when I feel loudest! like, in so many ways, I just got here. See, it’s all how you look at things. Besides, in my youthful mind and as Some people might not consider long as I don’t concentrate on the lady dressing as exercise. But to me, it’s a in the mirror (or my aching joints) I form of yoga. Balancing to put on my refuse to let the old lady in. pants and socks without toppling over I’m still learning. For example, I couldn’t keep me grounded because really does require a great amount never knew I’d have to practice the since I retired right before the pandemic, of coordination. So I can honestly alphabet again until I had to decipher I’ve gone to Alaska and been up close say, I start off each day with my own the ABC’s of Medicare. To be honest, with bears and glaciers. I’ve hiked rigorous exercise routine. through rain forests and discovered the first time was a lot easier. My friends and I still enjoy each I’m still growing, albeit sideways. amazing birds and insects. I had a VIP other and get together. And when we Even the lockdowns and isolation tour of the Vatican. I’ve been to dozens crack up laughing, we pee a little, too.

Refuse to Let the ‘Old Lady’ In

“R

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‘You can’t convince me I’m old when I still blast my radio when I’m driving, although it might be because I’m going a tad deaf.’

Now, some might consider this is a sure sign of aging, but I think of it as multitasking. Even all the things that used to make me crazy are insignificant now. I used to stress over preparing holiday meals for large crowds. But now I welcome the times when my kitchen chairs are occupied. I’ve held countless titles in my 65 years, most that I’ve cherished and been proud of. I can forgo, though being referred to as a ‘senior citizen’ just because I had one more birthday. I don’t need to be attached to a name or daily reminder that I have more days behind me than ahead when my hips and feet already do that for me. The best part of being 65 is that I’m still alive! I can still walk, well actually, I kind of waddle. I can still form a comprehensive sentence, thanks to the aid of Siri, who helps me find words. I still love to dance, albeit I probably look like a fool but don’t really care. I still put a lot of effort into everything I did when I was younger, but mostly because I have to and not necessarily because I want to. As time goes by, I also take pride in being satisfied with less, like when I order the ‘early bird specials’ in restaurants because they are actually just ‘smaller portions.’ Above all, I still have the remarkable blessings of a beautiful family and dear friends, who I not only love fiercely, but who, after all these years, have still managed to love all six plus decades, of me! I blew out two candles this past birthday — the 6 and the 5. Luckily, my family realized that blowing out all 65 candles on the cake would have not only been a startling reality check, but would have nearly killed me! I’m still young at heart. And, as long as I can continue to enjoy the beauty of nature, the warm embrace of a hug, the deliciousness of chocolate and laugh at myself, I’m going to keep sending all that “senior citizen’ junk mail back! I refuse to let the old lady in. Donna Cordello is a free-lance writer who lives in Penfield. Contact her at donnacordello@aol.com.

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my turn By Bruce Frassinelli Email: bfrassinelli@ptd.net

Can You Pass a Basic Civics Test?

s most of you, I was not required to take a citizenship test at some point in my life. The mere fact that I was born in the United States made me a citizen. No tests of any kind, no boundaries, no barriers. It didn’t matter how ignorant I was of our nation’s laws and history, I was in, and that was that. For those seeking citizenship through the naturalization process, however, they must go through a complex system that includes the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services civics test, more commonly known as the “citizenship test.” There are 128 possible questions that applicants could be asked. Each is asked 20 from among these and must answer at least 12 correctly to pass. This is an oral exam and not multiple choice. Applicants, however, are given a multiple choice practice test to prepare for the main event. I took this test, and scored 19 of 20, getting the final question wrong. Here was the question: What is the one duty required of all American citizens: A: Obey the law; B: Pay taxes; C: Be respectful of others; D: Serve on a jury. I chose “pay taxes,” but the correct answer was “serve on a jury.” You might think that 95% is great, but I was disappointed. Since I have a master’s degree in political science, I expected to achieve 100%. 24

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I hate to whine or come off as a complainer, but I found the question I missed to be deceptive, because paying taxes is certainly a duty, even if none is owed. Remember the old adage: “Two things are certain — death and taxes.” One might even make a case for “obeying the law” answer. I was surprised to find that it cost $640 to take the citizenship test this year. For some reason, I thought it was free. Silly me. When it comes to the federal government, it lives and thrives on revenues from fees. When I taught political science classes at a community college, I was amazed at the lack of basic civics knowledge that students had. On the first day of classes, I would ask them what I considered to be simple questions such as who is the president of the United States. Everyone knew this answer, but when I asked who was vice president, only about 50% of the class knew the answer. Virtually none knew who their U.S. representative, their two U.S. senators, their assemblyman or their state senator were. I am happy to report that they did know them all by the end of the course. I thought it might be fun for you to take a crack at some basic civics questions to see how you fare. These are not the same citizenship practice questions I took, but they are in the same ballpark. Good luck.

1. What are the two rights in the Declaration of Independence? A: Life and death B: Life and right to own a home C: Life and the pursuit of happiness D: Liberty and justice 2. If the president can no longer serve, who becomes president? A: Secretary of state B: Vice president C: President pro tempore D. Speaker of the House 3. We elect a U.S. representative for how many years? A: Eight B: Six C: Four D: Two 4. We elect a president for how many years? A: Two B: Four C: Six D: 10 5. How many justices are on the U.S. Supreme Court? A: Nine B: 10 C: Seven D: 11 6. Who was president during the Great Depression? A: Calvin Coolidge B: Harry Truman C: Warren Harding D: Franklin Roosevelt 7. Who is the commander in chief of the military? A: President B: Secretary of Defense C: Vice President D: Attorney General. 8. What is freedom of religion? A: You can practice any religion or not practice any religion B: You must choose a religion C: No one can practice religion D: You can’t choose the time you practice religion 9. What are the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution called? A: Our inalienable rights B: Bill of Rights C: Guaranteed Rights D: They have no name

10. Who is considered the “Father of Our Country”? A: Abraham Lincoln B: James Madison C: George Washington D: Thomas Jefferson ——— It would also be good to know answers to basic questions about New York state. Of course, these are not at play in any citizenship test, unless, perhaps, there is a question about which city is the largest in the United States. The answer, of course, is New York City, with a 2020 Census population of 8.8 million, more than twice as many people as there are in Los Angeles, which remained in second place. In case you are wondering, Buffalo remains the second largest city in the state with 278,000 persons. Yonkers has slipped by Rochester into third place by a razor-thin 241 persons — 211,569 to Rochester’s 211,328. Then come Syracuse in fifth place with 148,620, followed by Albany, New Rochelle, Cheektowaga, Mount Vernon and Schenectady. Some other New York state fast facts: • There are 62 senators and 150 assembly members that comprise the New York State Legislature. • There are three branches of government, just as there are at the federal level — executive (governor), legislative (the legislature) and judicial (system of courts headed by the chief judge of the Court of Appeals). • There are 62 counties in which are located 1,530 cities, towns and villages and 1,185 special districts. Kings County is the largest with 2.74 million people, followed by Queens County with 2.4 million, and New York County, with 1.65 million. Monroe County is ninth largest with 759,000, Onondaga County is 11th with 476,500; Oneida County is 17th with 232,000; Oswego County is 24th with 117,500; Jefferson County is 25th with 116,700; Wayne County is 31st with 91,300; Cayuga County is 36th with 76,250; Madison County is 37th with 68,000, and Cortland County is 51st with 46,800. The smallest county is Hamilton with just 5,100 residents. (Correct answers to quiz: 1-C; 2-B; 3-D; 4-B; 5-A; 6-D; 7-A; 8-A; 9-B; 10-C)

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cover Local Author Finds

LITERARY SUCCESS Leslie C. Youngblood of Rochester just had her second book published. It was selected by the Chicago Public Library ‘as one of the very best fiction books published for kids in 2021.’ She is now working on a new book By John Addyman

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‘THAT WAS THE VOICE’ That little conversation is a central gift that keeps on giving in Rochester writer Leslie C. Youngblood’s first hit book, “Love Like Sky,” published by Disney Hyperion in 2018. And the love written on every page of that book, aimed at middle school kids and their parents, has opened up the sky for Youngblood, who is launching her career, which has been a long time coming, at the age of 55. To hit the “launch” button on that shiny new career, Youngblood and Little, Brown Young Readers released her second novel, “Forever This Summer,” in July. “That book is still so new,” she said in November. “It’s like a 4-month-old baby.” Another book is coming, part of the deal with Little, Brown. Youngblood, leaning heavily on southern family traditions, introduces Georgie in “Love Like Sky” as an important character. She first heard the voice of Georgie after the unspeakable tragedy of her brother’s murder in a robbery. “When I was grieving for my brother, I was open to this little voice that just kept coming to me,” Youngblood said. “Georgie is one character in “Love Like Sky,” but I had never thought of making her a primary character. It was like that moment when a kid runs up and says, ‘Coach put me in, I can do it!’” “That was the voice. She came to me and said I should write it in this book. That’s how that came about. Most people don’t trust that voice, but I

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ow do you measure the expanse of love? For Georgie, an 11-year-old girl in Bogalusa, Louisiana, the answer took some time in coming. She was fielding a question from her 8-year-old sister, Peaches. They’re in their shared bedroom, thinking about their new father. Peaches wonders if her old dad, her biological father who has divorced their mom and has now remarried, still loves her. “What if he runs out of love?” Peaches asks. She is concerned that all his love will be devoted to his new family. “Love don’t run out like that,” Georgie answers. Peaches had asked the question before and now Georgie had an answer. She tells Peaches that love doesn’t run out, like gasoline in a car. No, love is like sky. “If you keep driving and driving, gas will run out, right?” Georgie asks Peaches. “That’s why we gotta go to the gas station,” Peaches responds, jumping from her bed to Georgie’s. “Yep,” said Georgie. “But have you ever seen the sky run out? No matter how far we go? “No, when we look up, there it is.” George tells her that’s the kind of love their mom and original dad have for them. “Love like sky.” “It never ends?” asks Peaches. “Never.”

‘I thought I was going to have a career in fashion design. I loved to write, but never did anyone tell me that was something to aspire to, to be a writer. I didn’t know any writers.’

from left ‘Love Like Sky’ was Leslie C. Youngblood's first book, published in 2018. Scholastic Books' book fair listing kept ‘Love Like Sky’ on for five years; ‘Forever This Summer’ was published in July. It was considered one of the best fiction books for kids by the Chicago Public Library this year.

and held two or three jobs.” Then her friend, Nettie, handed her a copy of James Baldwin’s novel, “Go Tell It on the Mountain.” “I read that book and everything fell together. This is no exaggeration. It changed my life. The very next day I changed my major. After all those years, I changed from fashion marketing to creative writing with a concentration on African-American studies and I have never regretted it,” she said. “I’ve always thanked Nettie for that. That’s pretty much how I set my sights on being a writer, a novelist, at that moment.” WRITING CAREER

did. I said to myself, ‘Hey, this voice is so strong.’ I finally trusted her to be the story,” she said. Youngblood learned along the way what so many successful people have gone through, there’s a lot of work, a lot of rejection, a lot of different paths to take to find yourself. Born in Bogalusa, Alabama, where her novels take place, she was brought to Rochester when she was 5 years old. “My mom didn’t want me to go to school in Bogalusa because it was a very segregated town, it was known as ‘Klanstown USA,’’’ she said. Young Leslie went to schools 17 and 6 in Rochester, and as part of the Urban-Suburban program, found herself attending West Irondequoit High School. “We were living on Wilder Street. I had to travel downtown on a city bus, and then we took a bus out to Irondequoit. There were only a handful of black students at that time. We had something called the Embryo Club, similar to a black student union. Now that I think back, that was very radical. The founder, Mr. Duggins, knew we needed something. Some people were receptive about us being in West Irondequoit, some people were not, I didn’t have a choice in the matter, that’s where my mom wanted me to go,” she said. Irondequoit is important to Youngblood. “I made lifelong friends that I still keep in touch with,” she said. “My teacher, Mrs. Christoff, told me, ‘Hey, whatever you do, whatever career you choose, I think you should write.’ 28

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She graduated from Georgia State University with a BA degree in English In her class, she set us in our seats with a concentration in creative writing alphabetically, but she always seated and a minor in African-American me in the front. Everybody could tell studies. Her first job was as an assistant she really liked me. Mrs. Christoff editor at the Atlanta Tribune: The passed away five years ago. I wish Magazine. She had done some stories I could have told her how much I for the Atlanta Constitution newspaper, appreciated her. “I thought I was going to have a which got her the interview at the career in fashion design. I loved to Tribune. “I was in the interview and one of write, but never did anyone tell me the assistant editors had a question that was something to aspire to, to be and needed to interrupt my interview a writer. I didn’t know any writers.” She saw the movie, “Mahogany,” with the editor. They had a picture “and there was Diana Ross playing a and they didn’t know who the person character called Tracy Chambers, a was. I asked to see the picture, and it fashion designer. My mom could sew. was Wole Soyinka, I knew him off the I could sew. My grandma could sew. bat: he had won the Nobel Prize for So it all came together. But when I told Literature. So they said, ‘Maybe she Mrs. Christoff about my fashion design knows something,’” she recalled. Youngblood next took a job as dreams, she told me, ‘Maybe you can the communications secretary to the write for a fashion design team.’ I’ll president of Morehouse College, and never forget what she said.” was now writing short stories outside Youngblood then began a struggle to land a college degree. Mom shipped of work. “I was fascinated with that, her to Atlanta and Morris Brown pursuing a writing career. Every College. “I’d never been away from time I’d open a book, I’d read the home before and here I am in Atlanta. I’m 19. Atlanta is booming and an acknowledgements and I repeatedly explosive place to live. I had financial saw ‘MFA’ (Master of Fine Arts) and difficulties in college and ended up not I said, ‘Hey, maybe I need to get one finishing up at Morris Brown and went of these MFAs.’ I gathered my short on this odyssey. It took me, to finish stories and started to submit them. that four-year degree, approximately I left my cushy job at Morehouse College and received a full ride at 11 to 12 years,” she said. “All around us are ascendant Georgia State University’s English women like 20-something Leslie Department, where they offered me a Youngblood, customer service people, full fellowship to attend; but, I ended clerks and cashiers, bartenders and up choosing University of North servers who work full shifts and then Carolina at Greensboro, which also go to class and many manage a child as offered me a chance to attend with a well, to get that degree and it takes an fellowship,” she said. “At UNC Greensboro, for the first eternity,” she said. “I did night school

Chuck Wainwright

Disney Hyperion sent Leslie C. Youngblood the first of four advance checks and she knew she was on her way: she was officially a writer. time, I was in school without the worry of finances. I had housing. I could really just concentrate on writing. I did that for two years straight and I was where I was supposed to be. That led to a lectureship,” she added. She traveled to Ghana twice to teach and chaperone UNC students, but realized she needed to be on a tenure track to have a secure future. Lincoln University offered her exactly that and she moved again to teach in Missouri. On Christmas Eve 2009 her brother Samuel Griffin was killed. She came back to Rochester and had to come to grips with a lot of things. “I was already writing and had some successes with short stories, had won a few contests, I was working on novels,” she said. “The story of “Love Like Sky,” that voice, that young 11-year-old girl who was really close to her siblings, that voice came to me when I was grieving. I will always believe that it came to me then because I just needed that, missing my brother and that sibling connection, that concept of loving someone like the sky…that’s how I dealt with, still deal with, losing someone you love so suddenly. He was one of my biggest supporters.” Youngblood went through the angst of the trial of the accused murderer and returned to Lincoln University and her teaching job. “It was way too soon,” she said. “I couldn’t maintain my composure in my creative writing class. The first time I tried to teach my creative writing class, I told my students I was sorry about being emotional, and then I started to cry. But that allowed students to open up and understand that your writing could be cathartic. “After that class, a student came up to me and she said, ‘I lost my twin brother just over the new year.

Leslie Youngblood sits with her books at a recent visit to Barnes & Noble in Pittsford.

Someone shot him, and this is my last year. My mom says that I should finish it out. If you can do it, I can do it.’ Oh my God, we just cried together. I had decided in my spirit, too, that this would be my last year at Lincoln. I just wasn’t going to be able to give my students everything that I could give, so it was time for me to step away. At my student’s graduation, in full regalia, she stepped out of line and gave me a hug. It was a wonderful moment. She said ‘Thank you.’ That was my last semester at Lincoln University. I resigned. I was dedicated to get my book to publishing. I had started “Love Like Sky.” ‘THAT WAS THE MOMENT’ Back in Rochester, Youngblood lived off her savings for a while and worked wherever she could find a job and still have time to write, the post office, customer service, “anything I could do to just stay home and write and I could focus, focus, focus,” she

said. She finished “Love Like Sky.” Laura Peagram, a friend, asked Youngblood to bring “Love Like Sky” to the Kweli Color of Children’s Literature Conference to get some advice. She took that advice, and within three months she accomplished something that she had been pursuing for years, she landed an agent, John Rudolph. “That was a moment,” she said. Some more polishing was due, then Rudolph and his staff got to work. “At this point, I was working customer service somewhere downtown and I had my phone nearby. He called and said, ‘Hey, we got a bite.’ The first bite was Disney. We actually had a mini-auction because another publisher had also chimed in. I chose Disney because of the name brand and the editor, Laura Schreiber, actually loved the book,” she said. Disney sent the first of four advance checks and Youngblood knew she was on her way: she was officially JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022 – 55 PLUS

a writer. Vashti Harrison was chosen as the cover artist and submitted a portfolio of choices to Disney, which chose what it liked. “I had input on my cover: they had to consult with me,” Youngblood said. “The initial cover, when they sent it to me, I told them I liked it. But I was intimidated. Then I slept on it. And I said, ‘I really don’t like it’. Georgie was such a tiny girl on the cover. Her hair was different. It just wasn’t the Georgie I saw. The cover Disney chose made the book more ‘generic.’” Youngblood got back to her editor at Disney, who also slept on it and the next morning, agreed with her. Harrison sent her the nine different cover designs she’d painted and Youngblood found Georgie sweetly staring up from one of them, a little girl with big expressive eyes and a band-aid on her knee. And the book rolled out in 2019. Awards rolled in. Scholastic Books put “Love Like Sky” on its book fair listing for five years. Georgie was now sharing her voice with many middle-schoolers and their parents and teachers. It’s a voice that is a blend of the families Youngblood knows so well in Bogalusa and Rochester. “The joy of my family propelled my writing because they are the people that when we’re just talking, we love to make people laugh. The way we remember people who have gone on is to tell stories. Even when I was in Bogalusa, I did not know, as a child, what they must have been going through as far as racism. When they told us stories, it was never centered as ‘Oh, we’re having such a hard time.’ No, it was happiness, joy. It doesn’t mean that all the stories were always pleasant, it means that they knew how to tell us what they wanted us to know in a way that empowered us,” she said. “Love is like sky. I’ve had kids come up to me and say, ‘I love my dad like the sky.’ That means everything to me,” Youngblood said.

Links to family are front and center in “Forever This Summer,” with grandmother Vie being submerged in Alzheimer's disease, just as Youngblood's real grandmother had.

TV those nights, just talking. “I bring a lot of that to ‘Forever This Summer,’” she said. Here Georgie isn’t a character, this is her book, telling a tale of two great adventures she’s decided to make her own. “Forever This Summer” came out in July and Youngblood had a new publisher, Little, Brown, with more interest in her books now. Georgie sorts through a lot of things young girls must figure out in “Forever This Summer,” including how to deal with her street-wise friend Markie, who is a very free spirit. Links to family are front and center, too, in this book, with everyone grappling with grandmother and matriarch Vie, who is being submerged in Alzheimer’s disease. “It’s a bully that snatches memories away and doesn’t give them back,” Youngblood said. “It’s such a heavy subject. It is a kid’s book and I wanted to give them a rallying point.” That instance falls near the end of the book and provides some relief in a beautiful moment. “I took the most positive story I’ve heard, my grandmother had Alzheimer ’s or dementia, when I would sit with her, she would always hear children singing and would always ask me, ‘Do you hear the children singing?’ And I would tell her, ‘Yes I do.’” “Forever This Summer” is full of strong characters, and give Youngblood credit for painting the dimensions around those characters well enough that you could walk the streets with them and feel what the inside of the family-owned diner must be like. You see the folks who are along the way and understand fully the it-takes-avillage-to-raise-a-child concept. MORE IN STORE Youngblood has more in store The wider Youngblood family, all for her readers as this career of hers the sisters and brothers and cousins takes off. “I have a lot going on in my life and and aunts and uncles and grandparents, blends particularly well on evenings I love it,” she said. She attends conferences and book with a meal that begins with some Bogalusa seafood gumbo. There’s no signings, speaking about her books. 30

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She attends children’s book fairs, does social media as well as virtual author visits, school visits, virtual teaching, workshops and conference presentations. “I love the idea of adults reading with their children. I never had that with my mom. She didn’t have that kind of time. Now there’s a mother and daughter book club, “Beautifully Made,” that has featured both of my books in Rochester. The moms and daughters come together to read. I want to do more of that,” she said. “Monroe Community College English professor Tokea Graham was responsible for the Women’s Foundation of the Genesee Valley purchasing more than 900 copies of “Love Like Sky” in 2019 for their Voices of Experience after-school reading program.” Youngblood said she wants to share her love for writing, reading, and just getting people older than 40 and 50 to understand they still have a story to tell, and they need to tell it. She recently worked on e-books about Constance Mitchell and Dr. Walter Cooper for use in Monroe County schools. And just after Thanksgiving, Youngblood found out that “Forever This Summer” was chosen by the Chicago Public Library “as one of the very best fiction books published for kids in fourth through eighth grades in 2021.” “Maya Angelou said, ‘Tell your story before you leave this earth, you shouldn’t die with a story inside you.’ I believe that,” said Youngblood. “People need encouragement to do that and I believe that’s one of my callings because I was not going to quit until I got published. That doesn’t mean you have to be published. Doesn’t mean you have to have a New York Times bestselling book. Doesn’t mean you have to be published by Little, Brown or Disney. It means you tell your story. You pass your story on. Your story can help someone and I believe in that.” Just listen to the Georgie inside you. ■

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JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022 – 55 PLUS

memoirs Fran Tepper, 76, was the manager of the Monroe County Fair for 20 years. She has written “Fair Lady; A Memoir of a County Fair Manager” about that extravagant experience, the history of Rochester and the challenge facing a woman trying to succeed in a maledominated environment.

The Fair Lady Fran Tepper, at the heart of the Monroe County Fair for 20 years, pens a book about her tenure By John Addyman

ran Tepper is the kind of woman you’d want your daughter to talk to. They’d exchange words about girl things for a minute, and then Tepper, a grandmother, would ask your daughter, “What do you want to be?” Your daughter would bubble out a standard answer, something she’s told others; a practiced answer. But Tepper would wink and smile and ask again, “What do you really want to be?” And the discussion would ensue with Tepper saying, “That’s a wonderful thing to be! You go do that! Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it.” Tepper has met and worked through challenges since she was a child. Her mom died when Frances 32

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was 9. Her dad, a lifelong pack-a-day smoker, died when she was 16. She lived with an aunt and uncle to finish her senior year in Eastridge High School. Moving to California to be with her older sisters, Tepper attended the University of Southern California for a semester and was then informed she was being awarded a full scholarship. She graduated magna cum laude with a degree in psychology. Along the way, she thought about a career in journalism. A college professor told her, “There is no future for a woman in journalism unless you want to write the society page.” She switched gears to wanting a career as a geologist. “My professor told me there was no future for a woman in geology,” Tepper said.

So, she used that sociology degree to return to New York and become a child-protective services social worker and shortly after that, a caseworker at Hillside Children’s Center. “Then our children came,” she said. Married to her high school sweetheart, Bruce, a RIT-grad aerospace electrical engineer, she then spent 17 years as a stay-at home mom. Until the day she took over as the manager of the Wayne County Fair. No woman had the chutzpah to step into that role before. Tepper not only wrangled the role, she lived every day to overcome the biases and objections of a legion of men and other naysayers so she, a woman, could substantially change the fair and revitalize it…for 20 years. And now she’s written a book about it: “Fair Lady…Memoirs of a

County Fair Manager.” The vice president of the fair board, she had to take the reins in 1992 when the president became ill four months before the summer opening. Tepper suddenly had to manage a fair that was “a disappointment, with little agriculture, expensive to attend with a reputation for fights.” The town of Henrietta supervisor called it “sleazy.” The state fair association termed it “an embarrassment.” Her transition to the role of manager, at the time, seemed like the normal thing to do. “Only in retrospect did I realize how difficult it was. It would have been much easier if I didn’t have to deal with the resistance of the men on the board and other officials. I had people on my board just looking for reasons to undermine me. There were people in the town and positions of power who did not like me there,” she said. “I always felt like I couldn’t make a mistake — I had to be perfect, and nobody’s perfect,” she added. “That’s an awful lot of stress to put on yourself.” She discovered ways to manage. “I found that a wine glass or two of Amaretto was a good way to cope with the trials of being a facility manager,” she wrote in the book. Years earlier, Tepper had gotten heavily involved with 4-H with her daughters, who started a project to raise two rabbits. She led the newly formed Curious Critters 4-H Rabbit and Cavy (guinea pig) Club and was too successful – 200 rabbits later she had a “What have I done?” moment. She found that she loved the strong connection between the county fair and 4-H. She felt the fair existed for 4-H, not the other way around. To push for 4-H, she joined the fair board. And when she took over that poor fair in 1992, she didn’t hesitate to make changes. “I stopped the fights in the beer tent,” she said. “First thing we did was get a new carnival (midway) – new rides, features, entertainment – from Amusements of Rochester. They have since become Powers Great American midways, one of the premier carnivals on the East Coast. That’s what I loved about them — they were brand-new. Their rides seamed to sparkle. Their maintenance was excellent; their safety track record was excellent. They were hometown people who wanted very

much to serve their hometown fair. It was a good partnership.” “Next I brought back 4-H and worked with them a lot. We started a youth group with the Monroe County Youth Bureau — Youth Taking Action — they want to reach kids, through their talent. We instituted a step-dance program that became very popular. We had competitions,” she added. “These were kids who were learning how to become productive members of boards and committees. It was wonderful to work with them because they were so excited and so responsible,” she continued. “All I did was stand back and give them every bit of support they needed and ran with it.” They also really stepped up security, made sure the fair was a safe place for families. “I would meet with a whole bunch of security people before the fair— state police, Monroe County Sheriffs, ambulance people, town fire marshal and fire chief – we were probably the safest place on the planet,” she said. “I wanted it to be a family event. I didn’t want people not coming because they were afraid of fights or gangs. So we really tried to keep it as familyoriented as possible.” They brought in local talent. “We couldn’t afford national talent,” she explained. “We tried to find local talent that would bring people in, music mostly. I formed a Home Arts community — a lot of those were dying away — crocheting, weaving. I formed a committee to see if they would bring in some innovative ideas.” They came up with the idea of doing a community service project. Every year they would do something — knit scarves or lap robes, “a whole bunch of different things.” “The response from the community was overwhelming. In the first year, we made 1,000 lap robes. We hung every single one of them. That brought in more people to exhibit in our home arts department,” she said. “That spilled over into photography and flowers and helped get more of the community involved.” More than along for the ride, was her husband, Bruce. He had flown to California to marry Fran while he was still in college. And in the early first years of marriage, “He was my port in the storm. My life was so chaotic. He

was so stable, strong and something I really needed in my life,” she said. “I loved his family, too, and I needed that.” The Tepper newlyweds came back to a trailer home in Hamlin, but when Fran got her job at Hillside, they moved into Rochester, on Linden Avenue. When Fran started her fair work, Bruce was there, too. In the book, Fran notes a job Bruce took on all by himself. “He was the official food tester. He would eat at all the concession stands and report which ones had the tastiest offerings,” she said. “He said it was the best job at the fair.” The Teppers did more than work at the fair. In 2008 and again in 2011, they took money out of their home equity loan to buttress the fair finances by $45,000. The book is full of the history of the fair and readers will get reacquainted with the alligator wrestlers, the Catholic retreats, motorcycle swap meets, gun shows, Mrs. New York America pageants and Islamic prayer services that were held on the fairgrounds when the fair wasn’t being held. Tepper goes through a long list of changes she made. “The problem was that I couldn’t say ‘No’ to anything,” she said. “I have always been the champion of lost causes and helpless cases. So, if an idea sounded like a good one, I’d of course say, ‘Let’s do it!’” Monroe County Fair brought her joy. “Smiling, happy faces…seeing grandparents with grandkids enjoying themselves inter-generationally… watching the 4-H kids take leadership roles…watching all the things we planned for a year come together to create what we anticipated it could be,” she noted. Her six grandkids called it “Grandma’s fair.” She walked away from the fair at 67. “My husband was already retired, and it was time for me to get my blood pressure under control. It was hard, very hard. Leaving the fair was difficult for me. It had been a passion of mine for 20 years, working 60 hours a week. It was almost like a loss, like a grieving process,” she explained. “That’s why I wrote the book — it was cathartic, to put closure to it.” JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022 – 55 PLUS

passion

Shaping the Future of Elder Dentistry Care

After 45 years at it, Ralph Saunders has no intention of slowing down any time soon By John Addyman

alph Saunders is a busy guy. Three or four days a week you’ll find him in the Schottland YMCA in Pittsford, working the elliptical machine, rowing machine, weight training and aerobics. He loves to read and enjoys jazz and classical music. He recently took up pickleball. He’s competed in the YMCA Tri-Y, a mini-version of a triathlon. “I haven’t placed first in my age group, but I’m hoping to live long enough that the other guys will have a tougher time than me. I play the trumpet, too,” he said. “I like to keep my embouchure doing well. I’ve played in groups, in jazz concerts.” At work, he spends 30% of his time teaching, 30% in program development and research, and 40% working on his craft. Saunders, 75, is a professor of dentistry and medicine — geriatric medicine at the Eastman Institute for Oral Health at the University of

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Rochester, where he was the director of the geriatric dentistry training program until this year. The men and woman in his classes, dental students with their DDS degrees, have come to Eastman for higher-level classes. When he started teaching 45 years ago, he could expect about 12-15 students taking his course in geriatric dentistry. Now there are 40-45 filling the lecture hall. Why? “Older people have the greatest oral health needs,” he said. “They are in the age group that has experienced the most loss of teeth, the most cavities that form in the roots of teeth and are very hard to fix, they have the greatest periodontal health concerns, the most oral lesions [sores in the mouth] and they make the fewest number of dental visits due to medical, transportation, social or mental health issues.” That’s the bad news for folks whose mouths are of a certain age. Saunders said there’s a lot of good

Ralph Saunder teaches one of his classes at the Eastman Institute for Oral Health. When he started teaching 45 years ago, he could expect about 12-15 students taking his course in geriatric dentistry. Now there are 40-45 filling the lecture hall.

news. “Dentistry, especially, to me, was a personal and direct way that I could contribute to the welfare of patients I would see,” he said. “When dentistry is talked about and discussed, nearly always the issue of pain comes up. We don’t have very good PR in that regard. We don’t care for that. We wish it wasn’t that way. We try to help with it. We also know that in a number of cases where there is pain, we can help relieve it. To help with that is really very rewarding.” “I’ve enjoyed so much, and am privileged really, to get a chance to enhance people’s quality of life. If people have lost some of their teeth, they don’t like that situation. We can replace those teeth better today than we ever have before. It makes eating easier and especially for older adults, especially for some who are frail, eating and enjoying what you’re eating may be one of the few things to really to look forward to and we can often help with that,” he continued. When older people can eat better and choose their foods without regard to how chewy it is, that’s considered a quality of life issue, he noted. “Dietitians want us to choose different kinds of food including those that are chewy, like fruits, vegetables and meat. Having all the teeth is commonly a social benefit. At the start of my dentistry work in 1977, I was the primary dentist at Monroe Community Hospital, here in Rochester. It’s a 600bed chronic care hospital affiliated with UofR which is like a large, concentrated nursing home. People are encouraged to sit in a large cafeteria with at tables other people, and they like it best if they don’t have funnylooking teeth or spaces between their teeth. We can usually help with those kinds of situations,” he said. He was born in small-town Stanford, Kentucky, to a father who was a pastor and a mom who taught in public school.

Four months after he was born, young Ralph’s family moved when dad was called to a church in Greencastle, Indiana. When he was 8, Saunders moved again to a new church in New Albany, Indiana. His next stop after that was DePauw University, and he graduated from there in 1968 and took his first job as a biology teacher in the Green Hills/Forest Park schools in Ohio. “I wasn’t focused on dentistry yet: I wanted to teach,” Saunders said. He stuck with it for three years, and then went to dental school at Ohio State. “Early on in college I asked myself, ‘What should I be?’ I knew I would be working hard and studying and taking a lot of courses that I thought could be helpful in the future, especially science courses,” he said. “And I kept asking myself, ‘How can I be of good service to others?’ Being a dentist came to mind. Both my parents were givingtype people who had a good amount of empathy for people who were in difficulty or who had needs. They were compassionate and caring. Those attributes have been beneficial to me.” “I was very pleased and I felt a little funny about it in my dental career, if a patient would say to me, ‘For some reason, I feel comfortable with you.’ Perhaps it’s because I have a generally softer voice, that may be a benefit,” he added. “Anyway, they felt like I was compassionate and I’m sure my parents had a part in that.” Another factor is Saunders’ professorial approach to things. He looks and acts the part of someone who has a lot of knowledge, common sense and genuinely wants to help. He made another career move after getting his DDS at Ohio State, he went for the advanced training program at the University of Rochester, with two years of internship and a dental residency. When he was getting ready to leave for Rochester, his friends back in New Albany (which is across the river from Louisville) sent him off with a piece of advice: “When you start the program in July, you’ll need your snow shovel to move in.” He found a home and a practice within the UofR Eastman network. “I was very fortunate. I got to stay on the faculty,” he said. At Eastman Institute for Oral Health, classwork begins at 8 a.m. and

students are in clinic at 9. An increasing number of patients are older. And because of COVID-19 restrictions right now, fewer. “ We a re u n a b l e to accommodate all patients who may request our service in a timely manner just now,” he said. “Older adults as well as others who may call for appointments need to expect to wait up to several weeks.” Saunders and his teaching colleagues work in teams of three overseeing what 16 residents under their tutelage will be seeing in their chairs each day. “When one of our residents has someone in the chair and I or another member of the faculty sees something Ralph Saunders, 75, is a professor of dentistry and that could be of benefit medicine — geriatric medicine at the Eastman Institute w o r k i n g w i t h t h e for Oral Health at the University of Rochester, where patient and showing the he was the director of the geriatric dentistry training trainee how to do it, we program until this year. could stand right beside them with our mask and remains good, I can practice dentistry glove and gown and look right into the mouth to see what’s as long as I want. The university happening. We sit as close as a dental doesn’t have a cut-off time of age 74 assistant,” he said. “But, we wouldn’t or 75 for dentists. As long as you can typically just sit there if the resident or do the job and help people, you can trainee feels he or she is doing well. But continue,” he said. “I very much enjoy that perspective as I continue on my we could if we’re needed.” H e d i r e c t e d t h r e e f u n d e d career.” He doesn’t lead a dull life and is fellowship programs that trained certainly in a lot of social circles. But geriatric dentists. “The students who have an he never married. “I’m open to the idea,” he said interest in geriatrics and follow that through and work hard at being good sincerely. At t he 55t h reunion of his dental geriatricians, those are people, students, residents who have a good graduating class, he was introduced level of compassion for others. They’re as the gentleman at the table who was not just doing their jobs, they’re doing not married. “Not married yet,” he told them. something they love that is beneficial You give your life to a career to their patients and they want to you love and it’s hard to imagine contribute to that,” he said. Saunders’ class in geriatric something else replacing it. Saunders is a gentle, caring man dentistry is a requirement in the with small-town neighborly values program. “I’ve enjoyed teaching so much who has spent a lifetime teaching and I hope it’s the case that people others to help those who need it most. It makes you wonder how far enjoy the class,” he said. his unselfish heart reaches to others Is he thinking about retirement? “If I choose to and my health through a generation of students. JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022 – 55 PLUS

snow

Pushing the Snow, Thinking About You Wait until you can’t see that bulldog on the hood By John Addyman

o out in the middle of a big Upstate New York snowstorm and the first thing that hits you, after the ice crystals in your eyes and the snowflakes in your nose and ears, is how quiet it is. How incredibly still things are. And you strain to hear something, because hearing nothing is so unusual. Then you sense it. Down the road, you see the storm is brighter, with flashing yellow lighting. And you hear it, a jangling rumble, a scraping push, an enormous engine roaring. In a moment, the truck comes out of the snowy fog, blowing and throwing a wave, a cloud of snow. And it’s gone. You can watch in the quiet as the yellow flashing lights disappear in the whiteness. Inside the cabin of that snowplow, which carries 11 tons of salt and antiskid, laying down the iron of an 11-foot front plow and an equally long wing plow, is a guy who is being awfully careful, and awfully warm. Every moment that truck is in motion, he’s thinking about you, about us. He’s being careful for your safety and his. Without thinking very much 36

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about it, we trust him to keep all of us safe. He’s got on a heavy sweatshirt, maybe a safety jacket. The heater of his rig is pumping out dry warmth, some of that coursing over the windshield, which is itself separately heated, with heavy-duty wipers on the outside. All around him are lights and switches and levers. He’s got radio traffic to listen to, phone links and a computer connection. He has mirrors to help him know where the plow wing is hanging out to his right and all manner of lights to see where he’s going and warn traffic of his presence. He’s going 25 mph, tops. And he wishes the cars behind him will be patient and not attempt anything as stupid as passing him. “Traffic is terrible,” said Greg Phillips, a snowplow driver for the town of Phelps in Ontario County. “You’re going down the road at 25 mph and salting; you’ve got four or five cars behind you, and what do they do? They go by you. Now you’ve got to contend with that. They pull out, pass you, and they go up the road. And I think to myself, ‘What am I doing? I’m plowing the road, so what’s ahead of

me? A snowy road.’ So now they pull in front of me and a mile down the road they’re in a ditch and want me to pull them out. “I ask, ‘Why did you pass me?’ They were in a hurry. “All of our plow drivers have had those conversations,” he said. Phillips, 61, is a 20-year veteran of snowplowing. His mentor, Clarence Guard, taught him the ropes. “He showed me what to do, the pros and cons,” said Phillips. “He said the biggest thing is just watch the traffic because people want to pass you, which they’re not supposed to do. The advice I got when starting was, ‘Keep it between the telephone poles and the mailboxes.’” Steve Stewart, 58, a foreman in the town of Ontario highway department, agreed with Phillips that the big issue for plow drivers is traffic, but in another sense. “Once you put that iron on the ground, that’s when you really have to pay attention,” Stewart said. “The biggest thing is safety. You’re going down the road with a fully loaded truck. I’d hate to have something happen where someone gets hurt. The

Ontario truck, loaded and ready for the season’s first snowfall, has been prepared for some time to take on winter. This one has a low-profile front plow and an 11-foot wing plow, plus a variety of all kinds of special lights.

biggest thing is traffic, where they’re driving too fast for the conditions and a lot of times when we’re trying to plow the road open, they get so mad because we’re hanging over the center a little bit. “What happens is that cars, in a heavy snow, they’re trying to drive in the middle of the road to stay away from the edge because they don’t know where it’s at. So, you’re coming close to other vehicles. “I like plowing early in the morning and late at night, there’s no traffic. Daytime is the hard part. You have school buses and workers heading home. It’s tough then.” Phillips came to snowplowing after being raised in farming and using all kinds of machines. He sold his last dairy cows in 1991 and then went to work for Phelps Sungas for 10 years, then to the town of Phelps. “They were looking for a mowing guy to do roadsides,” he said, and that was his entry into town employ. That experience proved invaluable when he was tasked to start snowplowing because he knew the roadsides so well. Stewart came to 18 years of town work after working as a printing press operator at Tucker Printers for 20 years. He started as a part-timer and the town helped him get his CDL license, which is needed for a full-time job. Before he passed the CDL tests, he plowed parking lots in a pickup truck. “In the beginning, learning the plow itself was pretty hairy,” he said. “Back in the early days they used to run two guys to a truck. One guy was the driver main operator and the other

guy controlled the wing. Those days faded away when I got here. When you were in the truck you were running the wing, the plow, all that stuff. “When I first started to train, the foreman, Bob Fenn, took me out as a wing man. Once we got halfway through the route, he was letting me do the controls on the wing and then one time I pulled the lever — the wrong lever — and we took out a mailbox. I wasn’t allowed to touch the controls after that.” He got his CDL and stepped into his own truck after a year. “I like plowing,” he said. “Being a plow guy is like being your own boss. You’re in your own truck; you and your boss know what the job is, and what you have to get done. It gives you a bit of freedom.” Phillips has worked with trainees. “We’ve got a young guy. A new trainee and his first time in the truck he said, ‘This thing is BIG!’” he said. And expensive: a snow plow, fully equipped, is a $300,000-plus investment. Phelps uses a system where one of its eight drivers takes two weeks of night shift work, ready to hit the roads from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., “to watch the roads, in case it’s snowing and blowing, for ambulance and fire calls,” Phillips said. “If it gets bad, you can call guys in at any time. Usually if it gets bad, we call them in at 3:30 a.m.” Then he added, for the night shift, “at 6 a.m., you’ve had enough plowing if you’ve been out all night.” Both men noted the change in work schedules for the towns they

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above from left

Greg Phillips stands beside his Number 11 truck. He’s been pushing snow for 20 years in the Town of Phelps. His truck was spotless on the day before the first accumulating snowfall in late November; Steve Stewart poses with his truck. With a big smile, Stewart was ready to take his truck out for the first snow runs of the year late in November. He plows a northern section of the Town of Ontario.

serve. When each started, second-shift workers were getting home between 11 p.m. and midnight, and the plows had to be ready to make the roads safe for them. “Now at 10 p.m. there’s nobody out there,” Phillips said. “Nobody.” Keeping alert anytime during a snowstorm is paramount. Both men pointed out the dangers of traffic, but Phillips noted that people use the quiet snowy nights to take their dogs for a walk, and that’s something that can jolt a snowplow driver. Visibility is such a concern with lake-effect snows. A trainee once told Phillips it was difficult to see the road in the driving snow. “You haven’t seen anything,” Phillips told him. “Wait until you can’t see that bulldog [ornament] on the hood of the truck. You can’t see the plow. You can’t see the wing. I couldn’t wait to see his face when we ran into that.” Water is important in the cabin to keep drivers hydrated. Phillips likes his cold. He rigged up a plastic cup tied down to his outside mirror. He puts his plastic water bottle in that cup. “The water will freeze in two seconds when it’s zero degrees outside and you’re going down the road. Then I set the water back inside and it’s nice and cold,” he said. Stewart said Ontario is trying to find solutions for better visibility during storms. “We’ll try turning off the headlights, the white lights, because they just reflect back from all the snow. It acts like a fog,” he said. “We’ll leave just our amber lights on and a lot of times

55 PLUS – JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022

that will help you see.” Ontario drivers are also experimenting with yellow PIAA rally lights and high-overhead lights that sit on top of the cab, “so we’ll be under the lights, not trying to see through the beams,” he added. But when all else fails and visibility isn’t much farther than the bulldog on the hood, the drivers stop. “I couldn’t see the road one time. I was following someone’s tracks and ended up in a cemetery. If you can’t see, you just have to stop. What’s the sense?” Stewart asked. “You’re endangering yourself and anyone else.” So, drivers seek a farmer’s turnaround or a big driveway and park the truck and wait for the snow band to pass, usually 20 minutes or so. Before winter begins, town crews put out delineator markers and signposts with reflectors on them to guide a truck in heavy snow conditions. Superintendents scout roads to check conditions and cameras attached to new LED lights offer a glimpse of storm activity. Many trucks have GPS units in them and two-way radios help predict when a lake-effect band will hit as town-to-town highway communications voice the storm’s progress. No matter what’s going on, the drivers saddle up. “We fight the snow as it comes,” Stewart said. “We all look out for each other,” added Phillips. “We have a good bunch of guys working. We all get along. We help out each other’s towns. It’s a family and that makes it easier.”

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60 Years of Jerry’s Jewelers Founder Jerry Magnotta recalls learning the ropes of the jewelry business with his father and grandfather in his native Italy By Melody Burri

s a child growing up in Guardia Lombardi, Italy, Gerardo “Jerry” Magnotta spent hours watching his father and grandfather turn broken pocket watches and clocks back into reliable, handsome timepieces. Huddled over their workbench, surrounded by tiny wheels, screws, springs and miniature tools, the two worked their magic. Jerry Magnotta would watch — never touch — and ask questions. Lots of them. “They were really into giving me answers,” said Magnotta. “And it stuck.” In February, the founder, heartbeat and soul of Jerry’s Jewelers in Irondequoit will celebrate 60 years of doing what he loves: caring for customers, working alongside family and restoring cherished timepieces 40

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and fine jewelry to their original glory. That passion now spans more than four generations and includes multiple family members. “When you do this, how can you not be satisfied?” asked Magnotta. “Every day there is a problem, and I identify the problem and fix it.” Equal parts detective, diagnostician, surgeon and artisan, Magnotta has to “be sure and do it right, otherwise you fix something that is not broken,” he said. That could lead to “loss of time, loss of income and loss of face.” Sitting at his workbench just inside his 1368 East Ridge Road store, Magnotta’s focus is intense and distraction-free, his movements ultrasteady and precise. “I love the job,” he said. “I love what I’m doing.” No doubt that’s why he’s at his

bench almost every day the store is open. “It’s an ingrained habit for me and I cannot miss it,” said Magnotta. “I enjoy walking into a business I started from the ground up. I enjoy the work and the challenge every day, whether it’s gold repair, batteries or watch repair. Making a customer happy puts a smile on my face.” And it doesn’t hurt that every day is a virtual family reunion. His son, Frank, is a key player in the business, with other relatives rounding out the team. “I have always worked with my family,” said Magnotta. “Watching my grandfather and father at the workbench gave me inspiration. And now, working with my son is a pleasure. We have a close bond that is, in part, due to this business.” Magnotta’s nephew, Leon, has

left Sitting at his workbench just

inside his 1368 East Ridge Road store, Jerry Magnotta's focus is intense and distraction-free, his movements ultrasteady and precise.

Photos by Melody Burri

above Frank Magnotta, Leon Tucker, Nina Rolowski, Jerry Magnotta and Gianna Palma at Jerry’s Jewelers in Irondequoit; a true family business.

also been an integral part of the business for more than 25 years. And a granddaughter jumps in when she isn’t at school. “It keeps us close, he said. “There’s a level of trust and loyalty that is hard to come by in a big box store. Employees come and go and there are times when you question motives. That isn’t the case when you work with your loved ones, at least not in our case.” Ye s , t h e re a re t i m e s w h e n disagreements arise about day-to-day operations. “I may have a more ‘antique’ way of doing things,” said Magnotta. “The younger generation has a different approach. Compromise has to happen.” But how has this family business managed to thrive for decades when so many don’t?

Magnotta said it’s because he’s built strong relationships with customers who’ve also become friends over the years. “They send their family members, and over time we’ve assisted in the selection of gifts for multiple generations,” he said. “The community has trusted us due to our honesty and willingness to go above and beyond.” Still, much has changed for small businesses since 1962. “When I started here in the U.S., there were few, if any, big box department stores that carried fine jewelry,” said Magnotta. “Online sales have also had an impact. But being a small business lets us work with customers at many levels, from batteries to jewelry pieces, as well as diamond engagement rings. The consultation is key.” The latest shift in fine jewelry has

been lab grown diamonds, Magnotta said. They have the same properties as the earth-mined, but give the consumer an alternative lower price point with the same benefits. “We’ve seen them take hold in the last few years especially, and we’re proud to offer them to our clients,” he said. “They’re here to stay.” Magnotta said continued dedication is also essential. “There has to be a willingness to work together and work through differences,” he said. “There is a commitment that needs to be understood. My son, Frank, invested many hours to become a gemologist after finishing his business degree from St. John Fisher College. I know that the business I began is in good hands.” Excellence also plays a huge role. “You cannot satisfy everybody all the time,” said Magnotta. “But I try JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022 – 55 PLUS

hard, and when I try, I am satisfied for myself that I know I try to do the best way I can. It’s not ‘the Mr. Dollar’ that makes the world go around.” Respect flows in multiple directions at Jerry’s Jewelers. “My dad inspires me in so many ways,” said Frank Magnotta. “When you look up ‘The American Dream’ in the dictionary, you’ll see my dad’s picture. He was a young man with limited English, plenty of determination and a skill set to create a business that’s still operating 60 years later — that’s quite an achievement. Add to that the fact that he’s still going strong at 84 years young. We’re blessed to have that type of daily motivation.” What keeps the master jeweler and watch repair specialist smiling after 60 years on the job? “Being knowledgeable and giving customers the best advice I can to meet their needs gives me pride,” Jerry said. “Being with my family on a daily basis and seeing my son and family taking the business to the next step brings me a lot of satisfaction, as well. “I don’t think I could have done better or been satisfied more with what I did,” he said. “It is very rewarding.” A look back For more than a century, four generations of Magnottas have designed, provided and repaired fine jewelry, diamonds and watches. Gerardo (Jerry) Magnotta has been at his bench for more than 50 years, first learning the craft from his father and grandfather in Guardia Lombardi,

“I enjoy walking into a business I started from the ground up. I enjoy the work and the challenge every day, whether it’s gold repair, batteries or watch repair. Making a customer happy puts a smile on my face.”

Precision and a steady hand are required for watch repair.

Italy. At age 18, Jerry relocated to Caracas, Venezuela, to run a store with his father. In 1962, he traveled to the U.S., met and married his wife and launched his own store, Jerry’s Jewelers, in Rochester. In due time, Jerry’s son, Frank joined the family business after completing the GIA

graduate gemologist program. Find Jerry’s Jewelers at 1368 E. Ridge Road in Rochester Tuesdays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. To schedule a private appointment, call 585-544-2090.

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Photos by Melody Burri

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vacation Is This a Good Time to Buy an RV? By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

Eric Perry, sales manager at Wilkins RV. “We still have inventory at a reasonable price, as it is always good to come in the off season. Traffic is slower and the consultants have more time. Our inventory levels creep up in the off season.”

ypically, wintertime is an ideal time to purchase an RV, but this is no typical winter. Like many industries, the recreational vehicle industry has felt disruption from the pandemic. Consumers have flocked to dealers to buy RVs as a means of vacationing safely. This has decreased the supply and driven up prices. Interruptions to supply chains and labor shortages have contributed to shortages of supplies necessary to the manufacture and maintenance of RVs. Shortages also increase prices and generate frustration as consumers cannot acquire what they want in their expected timeframe. Higher costs for gas and tighter budgets because of inflation have also caused some consumers to put their RV dreams on hold. But for those less affected by inflation, it may be time to consider an RV. Tammy Mogiliski, certified financial planner with Legacy Financial Planning in Rochester, said that those

interested in an RV should consider how much they will use it. “Most people use it for a certain period of time and sell it because they no longer travel,” she said. “It may be just three to five years and then it will sit in their driveway.” Since RVs are a depreciating asset, those who will use an RV for only a few trips should consider renting one. But these drawbacks should not hinder someone who can view an RV as a means of travel, like going to Europe, and not as an investment. “Look for one gently used,” she advised. “They depreciate so quickly when they come off the lot. You will have tied up capital. Renting may be a better choice before you commit to one.” That is especially true for people who want to use an RV as part of their snowbird plans. Undertaking the RV life for travel or as a part-time dwelling has a learning curve and possible complications as supplies and parts are still challenging to get.

“It’s a hit and miss,” said Lori Miller, operations manager at Brad’s Trailer Supply in Rochester. “We’ve got some companies where we can get products in a decent timeframe, and some take a while. We don’t know what’s coming in and what isn’t.” Some items such as awnings or RV appliances can take two to four months to obtain, for example. Eric Perry, sales manager at the Bath location of Wilkins RV, offered similar comments. The company operates locations in Churchville, Victor, Clay, Fulton, Cicero and Bath. “Some parts are accessible; some are a few weeks out,” Perry said. “It goes in spurts. It’s been a little frustrating for customers who have things break.” He said water heaters, A/C units, awning fabric, Fiberglas body panels, sheet metal and manufacturing glue have been difficult for manufacturers to obtain. This has hampered restocking the supply of RVs. “We are seeing some increases in costs but come in and see if there’s something you like before we’re out of inventory and before prices increase further,” Perry said. “We still have inventory at a reasonable price, as it is always good to come in the off season. Traffic is slower and the consultants have more time. Our inventory levels creep up in the off season. During March to May it dwindles down.” Larry Marvin, owner of Family RV in Newark, said that his stock of towable travel trailers and fifth-wheel campers has risen compared with last summer. “The popular floor plans are back in stock,” Marvin said. “There’s probably not a better time to buy because come spring, everything is jumping 8% to 10% in price. Plus, there’s inflation. In six months, inflation will raise the prices.” He affixes the blame on the increased price in shipping and the rise in labor costs. “Lately, just like cars and the price of beef and fuel, it’s inflation,” he said. “The costs are out of our control.” He encourages shoppers to look now to save a few thousand compared with the costs in warmer months. JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022 – 55 PLUS

snowtime

right At age 75, comedian Phyl Contestable plays a hysterical and compelling Reverend Mother. opposite page Portrait of Phyl Contestable. "I’d do it all over again!,” she says as she looks back on her career.

worked very hard to acquire that status and it didn’t seem fair to them. However, the show must go on and we worked it out,” she said. Her elementary students (Catholic school K-8) didn’t realize their teacher was” famous.” She never brought that world into the classroom. Eventually the Rochester diocese became an integral part of the show’s success. The production ran for three years and became the longest running musical in Rochester history at the Downstairs Cabaret. Contestable knew many people in the community. Before the show, she would scan the audience list and then prepare to single out and pick on individuals as part of the first act. This included the bishop in his turtleneck sweater, the mayor, her lawyer, dentist and school administrators public and private. She did an impromptu Pap smear routine when she saw her own primary care physician in the audience. No one was excused from the Reverend Mother. Studying comic mentors made By Lynette M. Loomis her spontaneity easier. Comic legends: he has been called naughty and director insisted I audition for the part Robin Williams, Danny Kaye and hopelessly irreverent. At age 75, of Reverend Mother,” she said. Carol Burnett all became part of the comedian Phyl Contestable is Contestable was a Sister of Mercy Reverend Mother’s quick wit. Some still hysterical and compelling for six years, vows and all, so of course of her favorite roasts include: as Reverend Mother. When she won she knew the character intimately. The A prominent Rochester multithe audition in 1985, she sailed past director saw her flesh out the Reverend millionaire whom she learned had 200 applicants and into a career that Mother persona more realistically than a history of dancing in his sister ’s is still thriving. anyone else. The character “business” tutu and tap shoes when he was a She has roasted corporate giants, (mannerisms, gestures, and verbal young boy. Dancing in front of a fullHollywood notables, politicians, inflections) was so authentic that no length bedroom mirror, he dreamt of religious leaders, agnostics, atheists, professional actress would have had a becoming another Gene Kelly. Catholics and yes, Protestants. handle on any of that, he said. He was Bob Douglas was turning 60, so They all agree people need to amused and excited. his wife contacted Contestable to roast laugh and lighten up. Contestable has “I had patterned myself in this role him for his birthday. She provided put a new blush on wedding couples, after my real Reverend Mother from Phyl with his biographical background, anniversary celebrants, retirees, the order to which I had belonged,” mentioning his six siblings. She also birthday honorees and office staff. If Contestable explained. told Phyl that his younger brother was you end up as a “victim,” hold onto Phyl earned her Equity card even a 43-year-old Hollywood actor. “I said your middle and buckle your seatbelt though she didn’t need it because to myself, Michael Douglas? No, that’s for a fun ride. she had a teaching career with all too young. Couldn’t be this Michael “It began in 1986 when “Nunsense” the benefits. The other New York but I made a note of this coincidence was scheduled to premiere on the road women weren’t too thrilled with her and showed up at the event. The club in Rochester. My friend and musical indifference to being Equity. “They manager casually mentioned that

Still Kicking: Reverend Mother

Still hysterical and compelling at 75. She's scheduled to present a show in Orlando in February

55 PLUS – JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022

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Batman and the “Bettlejuice” guy was in the dining room. Michael Keaton? No one had told me. He played along and remarked that I reminded him of his sixth-grade teacher, a Franciscan nun. Reverend Mother was a big hit and I posed for many pictures,” she said. Contestable recalled another time when laughter was indeed the best medicine. She was asked by an audience member to visit his grandmother hoping it would ease her depression. The grandmother was a “Nunsense” groupie. Phyl surprised Gladys in her kitchen. She was stunned. After Reverend Mother left, Gladys began to call her friends to tell them “The nun was here! The nun from the show!” Her doctor could not believe her recovery. Two years ago, Contestable experienced the “sledgehammer effect.” Stage 2 breast cancer, chemo and 35 radiation treatments. She also struggled with loss of five close friends. “The COVID isolation gifted me with time to evaluate and examine my life’s journey, a new philosophy and how to move forward. Profound lessons learned! I’d do it all over again!” she said. What’s next? Tom Vazzana, a former Rochesterian and now Disney exec, is preparing “Nunsense” for its first Orlando debut at Dr. Phillips Theater South Playhouse. He invited Contestable to head the Orlando cast as Reverend Mother, Feb 10-20. “I am beyond excited to meet Floridians and snowbirds from this area. I know it will be an amazing experience for me,” she said. “Happy 2022 everyone. LARD have mercy on us all!”

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This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer. If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, found online at http://www.ascr. usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html or at any USDA office, or call (866) 632-9992 to request the form. You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or the letter to us by mail at: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 202509410, by fax (202) 690-7442 or email at program.intake@usda.gov.

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022 – 55 PLUS

coaching Never Too Old to Take Your Shot at the ‘Big Time’ Dan Dunne pursues his passion to coach basketball... possibly at the highest level By Lynette M. Loomis

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Spacious 1 bedroom units and private parking. This property is for people over the age of 62 or disabled regardless of age. Income eligibility requirements. www.belmontmgmt.com This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer. If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html or at any USDA office, or call (866) 632-9992 to request the form. You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or the letter to us by mail at: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20250-9410, by fax (202) 690-7442 or email at program.intake@usda.gov.

55 PLUS – JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022

itting on the sidelines at age 60? Not Dan Dunne. In 2021, he was selected as an observer in the National Basketball Association’s Assistant Coaches Program. This intense sixth-month program is designed to teach a select group of former NBA, G-League, WNBA players and a coaching group of four observers, the ‘nuts and bolts’ of the skills needed to be a NBA or G-League assistant coach. Dunne and the group’s participants received extensive technical training

in how to operate and navigate scouting and video editing software, analytics and technologies. They also gained a deeper knowledge of player evaluations; the ability to develop detailed scouting reports and how to create individual player development plans. The program also included hands-on coaching experiences, professional development and eventbased networking opportunities. How did this all occur? Dunne has an extensive basketball background. At 6’10”, he played collegiately at Big East conference

above Dan Dunne said he was delighted to be accepted into the Assistant Coaches Program, doing what he loves best. opposite page Dan Dunne talking to

Rochester Razorshark Dele Coker during a game in 2016.

member Seton Hall University, then four seasons professionally in Puerto Rico (his mother was born on the island), where his team won the Superior Basketball League’s championship in 1978. As a young man, Dunne was also on the Puerto Rican Junior National Team, the Puerto Rican National Team and was named to its Olympic team in 1980. He also played one season professionally in Australia. He was the only one from New York in this year’s program and was by far the oldest participant in this year’s group (by probably 20 years). He laughingly referred to himself as the “geezer of the group.” His coaching experience also is substantial. He has been a FIBA (international basketball’s governing body) certified coach and worked the open tryouts for several G-League teams: Raptors 905; Long Island Nets; Delaware 87ers/Blue Coats; and several others. He also was assistant coach to the Premier Basketball League’s Rochester Razorsharks and head coach for Monroe High School’s girls’ varsity team. He coached at SUNY Brockport, Niagara University, and Molloy College, as well as internationally (USA, Puerto Rico, England, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Ecuador, Burkina Faso and Australia). This energetic

basketball lover founded and managed his own player development company, Full Court International. He scouted for the Harlem Globetrotters and several teams in international leagues. (Some names readers might recognize in his vast experience include Razorsharks — Antoine Broxie (now an assistant coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers), Troy Jackson, Darren Moore, Chace McKinney, Josh Chichester and Paul Rosen. This list of achievements certainly made Dunne an attractive candidate for an observer position. “I was very happy and excited about being selected to participate in the Assistant Coaches Program. The selection process was very competitive. There were several former NBA players who had applied to be in the program three or four times before being accepted this year. To be part of such a prestigious program and to be trained to coach at the best professional basketball leagues in the world was mind-blowing,” he said. “I learned more than I ever thought I could learn about the technology and am now comfortable in using most of the software, something I would not have been able to say six months ago. The program also taught me that there is a lot more to coaching than just knowing the ins and outs of the game.” “Coaching in the NBA or G-League is a 24/7 job and you have to love the game to put in the time and effort to coach at that level,” he continued. “The way I look at it is that I had a great 30-year teaching career at Monroe Middle/High School. In the next chapter of my life, I can pursue my passion to coach basketball... possibly at the highest level and partly because of my being in the Assistant Coaches Program. It is very exciting! How many people at our age get the opportunity to get their shot at the Big Time?” Dunne’s interests are not limited to sports. He and his wife, Melanie, are parents to three grown daughters (all of whom played basketball in high school, college or the Amateur Athletic Union) and two dogs. They attend St. Theodore’s Church in Gates and contribute to the parish’s food cupboard, St Theo’s Clothes Closet, Catholic Ministries Appeal and Faith Formation Classes. He is also a member of Knights of Columbus, Council 3982; Ancient Order of Hibernians, Division 7 and the Sons of the American Legion in Greece.

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addyman's corner By John Addyman Email: john.addyman@yahoo.com

The TV Whisperer and the Philco

n Clark’s Green, the little town where I grew up north of Scranton, Pennsylvania, we had the first television on our block. My dad liked to think he was an early adopter. He was a traveling furniture salesman and when he saw new stuff, he wanted to have it. When bow-hunting became popular, he bought one for him and one for me and took me hunting. As it turned out, all woodland creatures great and small were entirely safe from my dad and me. He liked his cars with a little styling to them, and that’s why he brought home a new Studebaker for my mom to see. As it turned out, the door fell off when he opened it for my mom. I am not kidding. We always had the newest appliances. Waffle-makers, special toasters, coffee-makers…that kind of thing. The TV my dad brought home was a Philco with a 12-inch screen, one speaker, and all the colors you could want as long as that included only black and white. We could only get one station, WNBF, Channel 12 out of Binghamton, and that was only possible with a very large antenna my dad and one of his buddies, Reed Miller, installed on our roof, connected to the chimney. The installation process, as I recall, required having my mom describe what was on the screen on the TV in our living room while my dad and his buddy moved the antenna around, trying to figure out where Binghamton was, to point the thing correctly. My mom would yell to me, I was standing out on the front lawn, and I would yell up to the guys on the roof. In those days, installation could take quite a while. Occasionally, an empty beer can rolled off the roof in the process, marking the difficulty in the work to 48

55 PLUS – JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022

Sometimes you didn’t get a picture, but “snow,” which was little dancing black-and-white dots that had a sound like a blanket being dragged down your street. Sometimes that meant the Philco had taken the day off.

my 9-year-old mind. Once properly connected, the TV was a hit. We had people show up at the house with food items, wrangling an invitation to stop and munch while they watched the TV. We were very popular for a while and then everybody else got TVs. The TV was more than a piece of furniture. For instance, my parents would have a family New Year’s Eve party and the kids were allowed to stay up and watch TV. The only station on after midnight was the public broadcasting channel 44, which dusted off an original copy of Frankenstein every new year’s eve for our watching pleasure. I guess the station manager was a glass-half-empty kind of guy. I seem to recall one year he showed a double feature of Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein — we were up

really late that night. Our Philco had a stout chassis, but it was new technology in the 1950s, so performance was not consistent. Today you push a button on your remote and you instantly have a picture and sound. In the ‘50s, you got up, walked over to the TV and clicked the thing on, and you waited for the dancing electrons to line up and start to show you images. Sometimes you didn’t get a picture, but “snow,” which was little dancing black-and-white dots that had a sound like a blanket being dragged down your street. Sometimes that meant the Philco had taken the day off. Sometimes WNBF-TV had taken the day off. Sometimes my little sister had turned the channel-selector knob to a channel we couldn’t receive and when you could only get one channel,

there were a lot of “no-channel” choices. Flipping the channel selector to “12” sometimes cured the problem right away. And sometimes the Philco was not feeling well. It was a beast full of vacuum tubes and circuits and electronic parts that got too hot and blew up or needed adjustment. That’s when we called Ted Tr i s h m a n , C l a r k ’ s G re e n ’ s T V repairman. He had a place of business that I swear never had the lights on inside. You’d walk in and not see anyone in there, in fact, not seeing much of anything at all except piles of sick TV sets waiting for the doctor. You’d say, “Mr. Trishman, are you in here?” “Hey, yeah!” he’d say, and you’d hear grinding noises like Gollum scraping over a cavern wall in Mordor. And Mr. Trishman would stand up. Pop up, actually. He was a twospeed guy. When he wanted to be noticed, he’d pop up. When he didn’t, he’d go at a very slow speed. And he did it on purpose. TVs in those days were boat anchors; you didn’t carry them into the store to get fixed. The store, Ted himself, would come to you. And I am forever grateful I have watched that happen several times. He would get out of his truck slowly, like a gunslinger coming into

town for the noon shoot-out. It was practiced. He’d pick up his equipment bag and his tube bag and head toward our front door. Slow. Methodical. He’d linger to check the height of the grass. Ted knew what he was doing. He was a TV whisperer. He knew that inside the Philco loomed a snarly, beggarly, irritating and smelly beast. And he was going to practice intimidation first. He never had to knock on the door; we held it open for him. He put the tube satchel down gently. Inside were all manner of tubes, some in little boxes, and some in special separators in the bag. They were lined up by size and type, like bullets in the belt of a machine gun. He wanted to show the TV he was prepared. But Ted dropped his tools satchel heavily on the floor, like a gauntlet being thrown. There would be no mistake as to who was in charge. In truth, sometimes that’s all he had to do. The Philco was shivering in its capacitors by now and had fixed whatever was amiss all by itself. I swear that at least a third of the time Ted came to fix the Philco, he never had to lay a hand on the set. The thing gave up and popped into life as soon as he came to the door. But the first couple of times, Ted had to establish who the alpha was in

the room, thus, the tool satchel landing loudly on the floor. Ted would turn dials and click the set on and off. Then he’d go for the jugular, opening up the baseboard panel on the back of the set. Now he had his iron tools and soldering gun on the soft parts of the Philco’s innards and the conquest was only a matter of time. He did not gently insert new tubes; he pushed them in with firm gusto. They snapped into place and the Philco flinched. And when he was done, and the picture restored and sharp, Ted would screw in the last fastener and give the Philco a slap of authority. Once Ted had established a relationship with our Philco, there were times when he fixed the TV just by coming into the house and putting his hands on the set. The Philco had learned nothing if not obedience. And Ted would turn to my dad and say, “That’ll be $25.” And off he went. Ted’s truck would drive away and we’d all turn to look at the Philco, which was still cowering in the corner of the living room. I don’t suppose Ted Trishman is with us any longer, but if he were, I bet he wouldn’t remember me or my siblings watching him deal with our Philco…but as the TV whisperer, he’d always recall that Philco.

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By Ernst Lamothe

Bob Segave, 59 Athletics director at Roberts Wesleyan talks about career, competition, COVID-19 and what it feels like to work for his alma mater Q: What do you enjoy most about being at Roberts? A: The best part is that I get to marry my faith within the workforce of my career choice. I have always thought it was incredibly important to be impactful in the lives of all students and student-athletes. There are not many places where your faith and career can merge. You can learn so much with faith and sports tied together seamlessly. There are biblical lessons that you can teach within the arena of sports. In athletic competitions, there is mostly just one winner, so how can you find your worth and purpose if you are not always on the winning side? That is where biblical principles come in. If you can look yourself in the mirror and know you did everything you could to compete for yourself, your school and the gifts that God has given you, then you honored the sport, your teammates, the school and God. This year, our athletics department was awarded the NCAA Division II Award of Excellence for its fundraising efforts in support of Golisano Children’s Hospital. Q: How did your department navigate through COVID-19? A: COVID-19 really put everything on its ear. When it first made the news and you were seeing footage of freezer trucks outside of New York City carrying people who had died, you didn’t know how this thing was going to affect so many people around the world. Then we had to quickly pivot with our teams because they were traveling all over for competition and had to immediately bring them back to Rochester. Even as things were getting better during this summer, there was a surge and we had to focus on keeping our college and students safe. As we were excited to come back in the fall, 50

55 PLUS – JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022

we also made a push to address the mental health of our students. You don’t have a playbook for things of this magnitude but we believed we navigated it successfully. Q: Talk about the work that went into the athletic department renovations A: We worked hard to renovate the Voller Athletic Center, working with a team to complete improvements to the upper and lower levels of the building that included new office space, a new fitness center, new press boxes, a new athletic training room and a new weight room, as well as the Redhawk Roost and a bowling program. These are key advancements and amenities that support the success of student athletes and coaches today. Our new turf field is for men’s and women’s soccer and lacrosse, along with our student intramural program. We have been fortunate that we were able to keep things up to date and more state-of-the-art, all funded by the athletic department. We also have murals celebrating our great athletes of the past. Q: How does it feel to make an impact at your alma mater? A: This is what makes my job so special, being able to return here and give back. This is an institution that gave me so much. I was able to work here while getting my master’s degree in strategic leadership in 2013. Being able to come back and be a head coach and an athletic director is something that holds a special place with me. I will always be “team Roberts.” Q: What do you do in your spare time? A: I just enjoy spending time with my family and working on projects with them. My wife, Laura, and I have three adult children and we try to be helpful to each of them. We invest in

them now because we believe that is much better than giving them money at the end of life. We also like to travel and I enjoy sports. I root for my Roberts Redhawks and I have been a passionate Cleveland Browns fan for decades. We also enjoy time at our cottage near Lake Ontario. Q: Why do you believe it is important to stay active as you get older? A: Activity is the key to longevity. You have to keep yourself moving and using the talents God has given you by investing in others every day. I hear of people who retire and then spend all their time on their couch; that is not a great quality of life. You have to commit yourself to having a healthy lifestyle, watching your diet and staying physically fit so you can have some control of what is coming your way. Retirement is just you moving to another chapter in your life, but that doesn’t mean the book is ending. Robert Segave is director of athletics for Roberts Wesleyan College. He oversees all intercollegiate sports programs, including recruiting, hiring, training, supervising and assessing student-centered coaches and their development while building and maintaining a culture of scholarship, spiritual formation and service.

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55 Plus of Rochester, #73: January – February 2022

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55+ COVER: Local Author Finds Literary Success