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Steps to Financial Fitness in the New Year
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Savvy Senior: How to Locate Lost Life Insurance
PLUS Issue 43 January / February 2017
For Active Adults in the Rochester Area
Three local explorers uncover sunken treasures in Lake Ontario
Almeta Whitis
Gone are the shoulder-length dreadlocks but the energy and the passion to connect with people through storytelling and the arts remain the same for this Rochester larger-than-life artist
Johnny Matt Band continues tradition of big band music Should you consider getting a job coach? Many boomers are going that route Getting married later in life? Talk over finances
free
Fairport Husband-Wife Team Cares for 400+ Antique Clocks
®
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LegacyRochester.com
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Get help paying your heating bills. If you need help paying your heating bills this winter, or know someone who does, the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) can help. You’d be surprised to see who qualifies for these helpful grants. However, funds are limited and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Don’t delay, apply now. For more information or to see if you qualify, visit HEAPhelps.com, call 1-877-443-2743 or apply online at mybenefits.ny.gov.
HEAPhelps.com | 1-877- 443-2743 | mybenefits.ny.gov
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CONTENTS
55 PLUS
55 PLUS
January/February 2017
12 Savvy Senior 6 Financial Health 8 Dining Out 10 My Turn 28 Addyman’s Corner 42 Visits 46 Long-term Care 48
16 12 ADVENTURE • Three local explorers uncover sunken treasures in Lake Ontario
President of SWBR Architects David Beinetti, talks about the value his company gets from the millennial generation 4
55 PLUS - January / February 2016
26 26 CLOCKWORK
• Husband-wife team cares for more than 400 antique clocks
16 ENTERTAINMENT
30 COVER
20 FINANCES
34 ACTIVITIES
• Johnny Matt Band continues tradition of big band music
• Getting married? Talk over finances Last Page Q&A
roc55.com
22 DRIVING
• Dad is still behind the wheel — at 87. But is it safe for him to drive?
24 JOB COACHING • Should you consider getting a job coach?
• Almeta Whitis — still hot after all these years
• Members of Huggers Ski Club are ready to have fun in the winter • Mall walkers enjoy coffee, companionship and walking
38 FAMILY
• A family that does martial arts together, defends together
44 PROFILE
• Former Rochester arts teacher enjoys volunteering
30
Swing & Blues
Anytime, Anywhere Listen to classic to new blues all week — and swing, big bands, and great singers all weekend long. There’s nothing like Jazz 90.1 Swing & Blues online. Go to jazz901.org, click the Swing & Blues button, and get in the swing or deep into the blues.
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savvy senior By Jim Miller
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Locating Lost Life Insurance Policies
ost or forgotten life insurance policies are very common in the U.S. It’s estimated that more than $7 billion in benefits from unclaimed life insurance policies are waiting to be claimed by their rightful beneficiaries. While unfortunately — there isn’t a national database for tracking down these policies — there are a number of strategies and a few new resources that can help your search. Here are several to get you started. Search the records Check your mom’s or dad’s financial records or storage areas where she kept her important papers for a policy, records of premium payments or bills from an insurer. Also contact their employer or former employer benefits administrator, insurance agents, financial planner, accountant, attorney or other adviser and ask if they know about a life insurance policy. Also, check safedeposit boxes, monitor the mail for premium invoices or whole-life dividend notices and review old income-tax returns, looking for interest income from, and interest expenses paid, to life insurance companies. Contact the insurer: If you suspect that a particular insurer underwrote the policy, contact that carrier’s claim office and ask. The more information you have, like your mom’s and dad’s date of birth and death, Social Security number and address, the easier it will be to track down. Contact information of some big insurers include: Prudential 800-778-2255; MetLife Metlife.com/policyfinder; AIG 800-888-2452; Nationwide 800848-6331; John Hancock JohnHancock. com — click on “Contact Us” then on “Account Search Request.” Get state help Nineteen state insurance departments have a policy locator service 6
55 PLUS - January / February 2016
program that can help you locate lost life insurance, and many other states offer resources that can help you with your search. To find direct access to these resources visit the American Council of Life Insurers website at ACLI.com — click on the “Consumer Info” tab at the top of the page, followed by “Missing Policy Tips.” Search unclaimed property If your mom or dad died more than a few years ago, benefits may have already been turned over to the unclaimed property office of the state where the policy was purchased. Go to MissingMoney.com, a website of the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators, to search records from 40 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. The pulldown menu under Links connects you to a map and addresses for unclaimed property agencies. Or, to find links to each state’s unclaimed-property division use Unclaimed.org. If your mom’s name or a potential benefactor ’s name produces a hit, you’ll need to prove your claim. Required documentation, which can vary by state, is detailed in claim forms, and a death certificate might be necessary. If you need a copy of the death certificate, contact the vital records office in the state where your mon or dad died, or go to VitalChek. com. Search fee-based services There are several businesses that offer policy locator services for a fee. The MIB Group, for example, which is a data-sharing service for life and health insurance companies, offers a policy locator service at PolicyLocator.com for $75. But it only tracks applications for individual policies made since 1996. You can also get assistance at Policy Inspector (PolicyInspector.com) for $99, and L-LIFE (LostLifeIns.com) for $108.50, who will do the searching for you.
55PLUS roc55.com Editor and Publisher Wagner Dotto
Associate Editor Lou Sorendo
Contributing Writers
Deborah J. Sergeant Ernst Lamothe Jr., Jacob Pucci Arn J. Albertini, John Addyman Mike Costanza, Janet Olexy Diana Louise Carter
Columnists
Jim Terwilliger, Susan Suben Jim Miller, Bruce Frassinelli John Addyman, Lian Gravelle Sandra Scott
Advertising
Anne Westcott, Debra Kells H. Mat Adams
Office Assistant Kimberley Tyler
Layout and Design Dylon Clew-Thomas
Cover Photo
Chuck Wainwright 55 PLUS –A Magazine for Active Adults in the Rochester Area is published six times a year by Local News, Inc., which also publishes In Good Health–Rochester—Genesee Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper.
Health in good
Rochester–Genesee Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper
Mailing Address PO Box 525 Victor, NY 14564 © 2017 by 55 PLUS – A Magazine for Active Adults in the Rochester Area. No material may be reproduced in whole or in part from this publication without the express written permission of the publisher. Third class postage paid at Syracuse, NY. Permit Number: 3071
How to Reach Us P.O. Box 525 Victor, NY 14564 Voice: 585-421-8109 Fax: 585-421-8129 Editor@roc55.com
Request either or both of our free booklets from our website www.AlbrightBuild.com
James W. Albright, CAPS, GMB, CGR, CGP 5205 Johnson Hill Drive, Canandaigua, NY 14424 Cell (5850 230-4280; Fax(585) 396- 5879 albright1.j.s@gmail.com www.AlbrightBuild.com
January / February 2017 - 55 PLUS
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financial health
By Jim Terwilliger
S
7 Steps to Financial Fitness in the New Year
etting goals for the new year is a popular activity. Unfortunately, for most of us, our goals tend to be long forgotten by the end of the first quarter. Don’t let this happen when it comes to your personal financial well-being. Maintaining strong financial health is critical to enjoying a satisfying quality of life. Financial health is not about wealth. It is about:
Articulating your financial needs and goals; n Understanding where you are today; n Developing and following a plan to achieve your goals; n Having and following an integrated investment strategy; n Protecting your plan with appropriate choices of savings, insurance and estate planning strategies Seven of the most important steps include: n
1
Living below your means. This can be just as difficult for wealthy folks as it is for the rest of us. The concept is simple. The “doing” is not so simple. Make saving a priority by paying yourself first. Make helping others a priority through charitable giving. Learn to live on the remainder. The primary benefits are financial freedom, financial flexibility to manage unexpected challenges and opportunities, and most important — peace of mind.
2
Preparing for retirement. Lifetime company pensions are becoming extinct. With the exception of Social Security benefits, a large portion of retirement income will come from accumulated savings through employer retirement accounts, investment accounts, and IRAs.
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55 PLUS - January / February 2016
It is important to understand the level of accumulated wealth necessary to support a desired lifestyle for some 30 or more years of retirement. As we noted previously, a rough rule of thumb is that a retirement nest egg is likely to last a lifetime if no more than 4 percent is withdrawn the first year, allowing for future years’ withdrawals to index upward with inflation. A nest egg of $1 million would allow for a safe first-year withdrawal of $40,000. The above depends on following a solid investment strategy that includes a broadly-diversified portfolio consisting of 50-70 percent stock-related securities, rebalanced regularly. Avoid trying to time the market. Stay disciplined. Not following these principles may result in running out of money in retirement or in reducing the distributions you can expect to extract from your nest egg.
3
Reviewing and updating your insurance. A primary purpose of insurance is to protect your plan in the event that an unexpected, financially-catastrophic event confronts you or your family. To do so, the level of coverage must be consistent with your needs and goals. Excepting permanent life insurance, we all hope that a claim never has to be made. In addition to the standard life, auto, and homeowner’s insurance protection, disability, umbrella liability, and long-term care insurance protection are also important to consider.
4
Reviewing and updating your estate plan. Many wills are out of date or, for some folks, do not even exist. Ongoing changes in estate tax laws and changing life conditions have made the need for regularly updating wills a priority. Again, the purpose for doing so is to protect your plan. A good plan will survive
you, providing for your family and other important people or institutions in your life. Associated activities include updating your healthcare proxy, living will, durable power of attorney, and life insurance and retirement plan beneficiaries. The latter need to be consistent with your will and with the estate plans of family members.
5
Attacking credit card debt. Wipe your credit-card slate clean. Add up how much you owe and create a plan for paying off your debt over time, starting with the card with the highest interest rate. Call your card issuers to try to negotiate a lower rate or work with a reputable consolidation organization, such as the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Rochester, Inc. Going forward, resolve to make all purchases with cash, a debit card, or a credit card which you will pay in full monthly to ensure you spend only what you can afford.
6
Making tax planning a year-round activity. While some tax-saving activities can be executed at year-end, most require ongoing planning and implementation. Examples include minimizing taxation of Roth conversions by staying within a current marginal tax bracket; limiting long-term capital gains to 0 percent taxation territory; contributing to a tax-deferred retirement plan; utilizing NYS tax breaks from long-term care insurance premiums and 529 college savings plans; and balancing the timing of distributions from tax-deferred retirement plans vs. taxable investment accounts.
7
Start now. Financial wellness does not just happen. Take action now to make it happen. Better yet, partner with a trusted fee-only financial planner to help you to develop and manage your financial roadmap.
James Terwilliger, CFP, is senior vice president, financial planning officer at Wealth Strategies Group, Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Company. He can be reached at 585-419-0670, ext. 50630 or by email at jterwilliger@cnbank.com.
Start the New Year by volunteering for Meals On Wheels!
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Be a part of our volunteer force who delivers hot meals, warm smiles, and peace of mind to the homebound, elderly, or ill in our community.
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Learn more about volunteering! Visit www.vnsnet.com and click the Meals On Wheels tab or call the volunteer services office at 787-8326.
585-348-9886 2479 Browncroft Blvd. Rochester, NY 14625
www.hearingaidsworks.com
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FRIENDLY SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITIES Cloverwood | Glenmere | Linden Knoll | Lovejoy | Friendly Home
Because friends care. January / February 2017 - 55 PLUS
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1/13/16 2:49 PM
DiningOut By Jacob Pucci
Restaurant
Guide
Rosalie’s Cucina
S
Skaneateles restaurant, destination for celebrities, Italian food lovers
ometimes white tablecloth food is served on sheets of butcher paper. At Rosalie’s Cucina, the names of celebrities and politicians — Bill and Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and Jim Boeheim, to name a few — grace the white walls, a reminder of the Skaneateles restaurant’s widespread acclaim. Phil Romano, an Auburn native whose Romano’s Macaroni Grill and Fuddruckers restaurant chains blossomed into international successes, built the restaurant for his sister, Rosalie, in 1995. Tragically, Rosalie died in 1996, but the Romano family recipes, demarcated on the menu with asterisks, live on. My dining companion and I both opted for family recipes, but first 10
55 PLUS - January / February 2016
came appetizers. Beef carpaccio is a favorite of mine and Rosalie’s version ($11.50) is right up there with the best. Thin slices of raw beef are laid out and topped with red onion, tomato, capers, parmigiano-reggiano cheese, caper aioli, fresh greens and two well-seasoned crostini. The acidic kick of the whole capers and caper aioli played well with the savory beef, but it was the generous rub of black pepper on the beef that heightened all the flavors. In addition to the full dinner menu, the restaurant offers a threecourse prix fixe “Tuscan” menu ($28) on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights from November to April. Dinner from the Tuscan menu started with a Caesar salad, which despite the smaller portions of the Tuscan menu offerings versus their
a la carte counterparts, was sizeable. The chopped romaine was crisp and the dressing was tasty, even though it lacked a bit of the anchovy funk I enjoy, but the garlic croutons — crunchy, but not brittle with just the right amount of chew — were perhaps the finest croutons I’ve eaten. Cappa Santa al Prosciutto e Basilico ($33.95), a dish of seared sea scallops with tomatoes, prosciutto, spinach and angel hair pasta, finished with a lemon butter sauce, is among the family recipes on the menu. Despite there being no more than two dozen diners in the restaurant this Thursday night, I spotted the scallops come out of the kitchen several times, including the couple at the next table, who both ordered the same dish. And as it turned out, for good reason. Think of it as a dressed-up,
Italian version of the classic bacon-wrapped scallop, with the bonus of a velvety butter sauce with enough lemon to keep the whole dish light. All five scallops were plump, properly browned and tender and the angel hair pasta, which all too often ends up as a congealed, sticky mess, held up well to the tomatoes and spinach served on top. Beef braciole, a dish of thinly-sliced sirloin stuffed with garlic bread crumbs (made from the same bread as the delicious croutons, perhaps?) and basil, topped with puttanesca tomato sauce and served with broccolini and parmigiano-reggiano gnocchi, is available both a la carte and as part of the prix fixe menu. The beef isn’t lost under the puttanesca sauce, which with its olives and capers, can certainly stand on its own. Broccolini — broccoli’s sleeker, trimmer cousin — had a hint of smoke, as if it were grilled. A scattering of gnocchi were melt-in-your-mouth tender. We ended our meal with Rosalie’s Cioccolato Torta, a generous slice (slab?) of chocolate cake topped with a warm Belgian chocolate sauce and roasted pecans. Drenching a piece of rich chocolate cake with warm chocolate sauce is always a recipe for success in my book and this was no exception. Yes, there are several celebrity signatures on the wall, but most the signatures are those of locals who’ve been eating there for two decades. Rosalie’s is the kind of restaurant that’s good enough to serve top-notch beef braciole, but comfortable and authentic enough to call it “beef brazool,” like a proper Italian grandmother. In fact, if executive chef Marc Albino put on a gray wig and disguise, I reckon it’d be hard to tell the difference.
Cappa Santa: One of six Romano family recipes on the menu, this dish paired plump seared scallops with a lemon butter sauce speckled with prosciutto, providing the perfect salty kick.
Beef braciole: Tender braised beef braciole is one of four entrees on the $28 prix fixe threecourse menu available from November to April on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights.
Rosalie’s Cucina
Address
841 W. Genesee Street Road, Skaneateles.
Phone
315-685-2200.
Hours
Sunday: 5 to 8:30 p.mTuesday to Thursday: 5 to 8:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday: 5 to 9 p.m.
Website www.rosaliescucina.com
Dessert: Left to right: Rosalie’s Cioccolato Torta, Banana Budino, Cannoli Siciliani and Tiramisu. January / February 2017 - 55 PLUS
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adventure
Sunken Treasures Rochester-area shipwreck hunters make maritime news after uncovering ships from bottom of Lake Ontario
By John Addyman
I
n the heart of the depths of Lake Ontario, they sleep. Some rest on the bottom, intact, sudden victims. Others are broken, on their side, in pieces, torn asunder by more violent acts of nature. Where they lie, the quiet and cold envelop. But they’re not forgotten. On the surface and off the lake, three retired men are searching, with 12
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careful, exhaustive forensic skill to find shipwrecks — and there are many — that lie on the bottom of Lake Ontario. And they have been remarkably successful. The three are Jim Kennard of Fairport, Roland “Chip” Stevens of Williamson, and Roger Pawlowski of Rochester. They have been together as a team for about seven years.
Kennard, 73, an electrical engineer at General Dynamics, Harris and Eastman Kodak, decided more than 30 years ago he’d like to look for shipwrecks after learning how to scuba dive. The tool he needed was a sidescan sonar system, which in 1972 cost three times the price of his home. Two years later, he’d built his own, and still uses it. Once equipped, Kennard went
shipwreck hunting in the shallower waters of Lake Champlain, and was contracted to find sunken barges and river craft in the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. Pawlowski, 68, also an electrical engineer with a career at Harris, is a retired Air Force Reserve pilot who flew missions in Desert Storm. He has been scuba diving for many years, all over the world. He has a boat, an underwater remotely operated vehicle, and the skills to pilot his boat in delicate, precise search patterns in the waters of the Great Lakes. An architect and former county planner, Stevens, 76, is a nationally recognized watercolorist. He synthesizes the precise measurements from the sonar that have been corrected and verified by Kennard and Pawlowski, and blends in the videos of the mussel-encrusted wreck. He then comes up with a painstakingly accurate drawing of what the boat looks like on the bottom of the very deep Lake Ontario. Then, he adds sails and all the other accoutrements the ship would have had when afloat, and brings the boat back to life again. “Each painting is a whole story,” Stevens said. “A picture is worth a thousand words; the picture is my story of the ship.” Kennard and Pawlowski had worked together at Harris, knew each other, and their similar interests brought them together. A third partner, Dan Scoville, who helped find the HMS Ontario British warship in 2008, has since moved to Texas. Kennard and Pawlowski welcomed Stevens — a sailor, architect and watercolorist. “With his artistic abilities, we thought he’d be a good partner,” said Kennard. Last August, the trio announced that it discovered the sloop Washington, which sank after foundering in a gale in 1803, en route to Kingston, Ontario, Canada, from Niagara, Ontario, Canada. It is the oldest commercial ship found intact in the Great Lakes, a boat that hauled furs and household goods to settlements. There were no survivors. The explorers had found the Canadian schooner Royal Albert last June. The ship was carrying railroad rails when it ran into rough waters in 1868 off Fair Haven. The heavy cargo shifted and burst the seams of the
The sloop Washington as it would have looked under full sail in 1803, the year it went down in Lake Ontario (Copyright Chip Stevens).
This is the side-scan sonar image of the sloop Washington (or Lady Washington) that sank in 1803. (Copyright Jim Kennard).
The sloop Washington at the bottom of Lake Ontario, illuminated by natural light filtered green from many fathoms of water. (Copyright Roger Pawlowski). January / February 2017 - 55 PLUS
13
wooden craft. The crew escaped in a small boat. Although we live close to the lake, we don’t appreciate the level of maritime trade these waters have carried. It is estimated that somewhere between 6,000 and 8,000 ships wrecked in the Great Lakes, 600 in Lake Ontario. Many burned to a shell or crashed into a dock or shore. But many others lie in the deep, waiting. Kennard, Pawlowski and Stevens do their searching as a hobby — a very forensically challenging and carefully crafted hobby. “Everybody brings something to this,” said Kennard. “Everybody has to be a contributor.” The work starts with research — that’s Kennard’s strength. “A lot of what I do is based on research in old newspapers,” he said. “Not just one. I go to the best source of information you can find.” He has created his own database, pulling information from other databases and adding his own touches. He’s looking for details. “Where did the debris come in? Where were the winds coming from? Did people get off? Where did they come in? Are there any life-saving reports that give information? You distill it down to where you think the boat would be — that gets you in the ballpark,” he said. “When the research is done, you make your best guess where you think a ship might be, then you go out and ‘mow the lawn,’” he added. Stevens explained what “mowing the lawn” looks like. “We plot a course and we run a grid, based on GPS coordinates, and use the side-scan sonar (Kennard operating), which can cover 100 feet of the bottom in one pass,” Stevens said. “We run the sonar back and forth across the grid. Once we see a target, we get the GPS coordinates, go back, put the anchor down, and drop the ROV on the wreck — and record an hour of video of the wreck.”
‘Mowing the lawn’ Pawlowski is very busy while all this is going on. “I put an autopilot in my boat. That’s very important so you can have very precise tracks, then you 14
55 PLUS - January / February 2016
Three Rochester-area explorers who spend their spare time searching for wrecks in Lake Ontario hit the jackpot this summer. They discovered two sunken ships. In June they found the Canadian schooner Royal Albert, which sank in 1868 off Fair Haven. Then in August they found the sloop Washington, which sank in 1803 en route to Kingston, Ontario, from Niagara, Ontario, Canada. can cover an area of the bottom faster (mowing the lawn),” Pawlowski said. “You let the computer drive the boat. That makes a big difference. “When using the ROV, the boat is standing still. When I drive the boat while we’re using sonar, I’m sitting there monitoring and adjusting to make sure we accurately follow our route. “The ROV goes to 1,000 feet. We use it in deep water. Recreational diving goes down to 130 feet, anything beyond that starts to get dangerous. Typically, you don’t go beyond 350 or 400 at the most. Ontario is 806 feet deep. Some wrecks are down 500 feet, way beyond dive-able range.” What the electronic equipment does is provide images, which then have to be checked and verified with what’s known about a certain boat’s dimensions and purpose — even its load the day it went down. Is this the boat the team is looking for or something else? “Our measurements are very precise,” Pawlowki said. “We take into consideration the temperature of the water, the speed of sound changes, so measurement could change. We do it quite thoroughly to show it’s actually the wreck we think it is.” “You want to understand what’s down there, what’s hanging off the wreck, other pieces around the wreck, so when you send the ROV down you have a plan,” said Kennard. “We try to minimize the amount of time we’re on these wrecks. We’re just sitting out there. That’s part of keeping things confidential. People see us and ask,
‘There’s a boat sitting out there a couple of hours and they’re not fishing? I wonder what that’s all about?’ “So, we don’t go out on weekends.” “We don’t want scuba divers to go down and rip off a wreck,” said Pawlowski. “We don’t do that, but there are some pretty unscrupulous people, and it’s against the law.” Kennard explained that the shipwreck-hunting teams he’s been part of are small for a purpose, and confidentiality is key. The cold fresh water will keep these priceless artifacts intact for many years to come, if they’re left alone. The team does not reveal the sites of any of their finds. “Something we learned a long time ago is that the treasure in the lakes is the maritime history we’re discovering,” Kennard said. But at depth, in the murk, some wrecks are just that — wrecks. And the images from radar and sonar are ghostly and other worldly.
Putting puzzle together Here Stevens steps in with his architect’s training and begins assembling pieces of a boat onto a trace-paper drawing. As more of the boat is measured and clarified on passes with the sonar and ROV, a rendering of the complete wreck is put on paper, and then he assembles a watercolor drawing of it. And, in the case of Washington, provides a lovely depiction of what it looked like under full sail — 214 years ago. The group then takes its time to
announce the find, with Kennard writing the press release and providing lots of detail about the ship. It’s based on all the research that got the trio started on the path to find that ship, which now comes back to life. But the story isn’t over yet. “We get feedback,” said Kennard. “Several times the great-great grandson of one of the captains of a ship we discovered has contacted me. The ninth generation great-granddaughter of Captain [James] Andrews of the 1780 British warship HMS Ontario contacted me — she lives in Toronto.” And sometimes the contacts are amusing. “We found a C-45 aircraft that sank in 1952,” Kennard explained. “The captain ordered the crew to jump out, but the plane kept flying for an hour and 10 minutes and ended up just a few miles off Oswego, out in the lake. I heard from his nephew, who told me, ‘It was a joke in our family that Uncle Charlie probably crashed more airplanes in the Air Force than anybody else. This was not his first.’” Pawlowski said part of the maritime history they’ve learned holds a lesson for today. “Most of the boats that sank in the Great Lakes did so for one primary reason — greed. They would sail the boat way into wintertime when they shouldn’t be sailing, and the storms would take them. They would overload the heck out of them — three-masted schooners with freeboard of a foot or so,” Pawlowski said. “And they used boats way beyond their useful life. Wooden boats should last 30 years and they were still sailing for 40 years — they just got old and rotten and just sprung apart.” Stevens, Pawlowski and Kennard are connected to the boats they seek. They spend enough time on the lake to know its dangers and its mysteries. They talk about the lives lived on those boats, the lives lost, the terror and the lifesaving successes and failures. They have a bespoken respect for the mariners and how they met — or evaded — fate so many years ago. Interested in learning more about the maritime history of the Great Lakes and the ships that have been found in their depths? Check out www.shipwreckworld.com.
Roland Stevens
Jim Kennard
Roger Pawlowski
This is how Chip Stevens uses his architectural skills to put together his painting of a ship, based on the information and measurements derived from sonar images and video scans of the wreck. This is the HMS Ontario, a British warship that sank in 1780.
Chip Stevens (left) and Jim Kennard discuss the details involved in piecing together the scattered remains of a shipwreck into a plausible story about how the ship went down — in this case, how the HMS Ontario sank in 1780. January / February 2017 - 55 PLUS
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entertainment
Here’s Johnny!
Master trumpeter Johnny Matt — a living Rochester legend — continues tradition of big band music By John Addyman
I
t happened more than once. The band had played for an hour, and now was taking its break before the last set. The leader, Johnny Matt, was the last to climb down off the stage. H e d i d n ’ t g e t f a r. A m a n approached, someone who had obviously just stopped in the Wegmans for something to take home for dinner — he had the package in his left hand — and noticed the band playing. Then he recognized Matt, and he waited for the break to shake Matt’s hand. 16
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The man told Matt he had seen him before, many years ago, when he was a boy, and he told Matt how much his dad and mom loved the music Matt played. Matt grasped the man’s hand warmly, and they talked, remembering together. The man walked away, smiling, with a memory to share when he got home. Before Matt could take another step, a couple approached him, arm in arm. Another good time was remembered. More handshakes. More
smiles. Johnny Matrachisia, 80, is a living Rochester legend, a man who has made big band, swing and jazz music for people to enjoy since he was 14 years old and a sophomore at East High School. On this Friday night at the Market Café at the Eastway Wegmans in Webster, where the Johnny Matt Band has been a fixture on Friday nights for seven years, more than 40 people were waiting for the band as they set up. By the time Matt, drummer Joe
Guests dancing to Johnny Matt Band on a recent Friday night at Market Café at the Eastway Wegman’s in Webster. The band has been a fixture on Friday nights at that location for seven years.
LaRosa and keyboardist Joe Miltsch, and Matt’s wife, Barbara, took their break, more than 100 people were in the café, all listening to the music. And they didn’t just listen. When the music started, the dance floor was instantly alive with a throng of people in front of the bandstand. “Wegmans has found a way to serve the senior citizen community in a way that’s astounding,” said Miltsch. He’s right. Although there were some kids on the dance floor at one point, and a few young couples, this was a night out for people of a certain age, and they were all smiling. Matt wailed through “It’s Been a Long, Long Time” and the audience jumped right into the chorus of “Just a Gigolo” with the band. He sang. Barbara sang. Joe sang. The tunes flowed. The magic settled. The room got more and more intimate as the sun started to go down. On stage, Matt plays a Benge trumpet. He bought it more than 50 years ago after his Harry James Special Selmer model was stolen at a gig at the University of Rochester.
James was a premier trumpet player and bandleader who recorded into the 1970s. Matt got that Selmer when he was 8, a special gift from his parents. He slept with it. And from an early age, he could really play that thing. The right stuff “My music teacher in grammar school, Mr. Stark. Wonderful man,” Matt said. “He says, ‘The way you play trumpet, Johnny, you should go to Eastman.’ I told him, ‘My mother and father, I don’t know if they could afford it.’ So he set me up for a recital to audition for a scholarship. He gives me this difficult trumpet solo. “In those days, I could memorize a trumpet solo. I didn’t care how difficult it was, triple tonguing — whatever it was. I memorized this whole solo. I get to the audition, all these music teachers are all around, no smiles, all serious. I was scared as could be. There was a cadenza in this trumpet solo. I played the cadenza and the audition director says, ‘Stop! Next!’
“I asked, ‘What happened?’ My music teacher followed me out. I memorized this whole trumpet solo, and they didn’t let me play the whole solo. He said, ‘John, the way you played that cadenza, they heard enough.’ “ S o , I g o t a t h re e - q u a r t e r s scholarship and in those days there was a department store downtown, McCurdy’s. They used to contribute to Eastman’s scholarship program, so they picked up the extra quarter of the scholarship. My parents didn’t have to pay anything. I went through eight years and graduated from the preparatory department at Eastman.” In the meantime, Matt’s big band started up when he was 14. And with his studies at Eastman, he drew in some fellow students. “My dad, when I was a kid, used to take me downtown to the Temple Theater in Rochester. I was about 12 years old. The big bands played during the intermission from the movies. He took me to see the big bands. Of course, whenever Harry James was there, he had to take me. When I get playing, I January / February 2017 - 55 PLUS
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want to play like him. “When I was 13 years old, I told my dad about this guy, Maynard Ferguson, I’d read about, who was playing with Stan Kenton. I wanted to go down to see this guy, but nobody was around who could take me. I was 13 years old. I took a bus by myself to the Old Sports Arena, in Edgerton Park, behind the old Jefferson High School. It’s not there anymore. I had to go see this guy, the highest trumpet player in the world. I walked behind the stage to see what kind of mouthpiece he used, if he had a special mouthpiece. It wasn’t. It was a gift that he had. He played so differently. And I never got to talk to him.” Different career path Although the band was doing OK, so was rock ‘n’ roll, and Matt pursued other means of employment. “I didn’t pursue music 100 percent,” he said. He was in an electro-mechanical designer program at Stromberg-Carlson, took a lot of night courses, and worked for RF Communications. He got a job selling liquor when the owner of the distributorship realized the young man in front of him was a nephew of a good friend. In the 18 years Matt worked for Ontario Liquor, two great things happened — he won a lot of sales contests and took trips to Europe and Mexico, and he found a lot of business for the band. “I used to call on a lot of restaurants and party houses. They knew me as a bandleader. They said, ‘Gee, I need a band for such-and-such a date. Are you available?’ I picked up a lot of jobs selling liquor.” Those jobs included downtown soirees — a fundraiser for thengovernor Mario Cuomo’s re-election; events honoring Audrey Hepburn, Lauren Bacall and Kim Novak; large celebrations and commemorations, and smaller parties and special events. The band has played benefits for Ronald McDonald House, hospitals, a 9/11 fundraiser, and at country clubs, hotels, party houses, corporate get-togethers, summer festivals and concerts, and special parties. Matt can put together a threeperson group, or assemble his 14-to16-person big band. They can easily handle swing and jazz music, and love 18
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Johnny Matrachisia, 80, with his wife Barbara, also a member of band. to throw in some Latin and salsa music. When they played opposite the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra at a benefit, director Jeff Tyzik made a point of shaking Matt’s hand and told him, “You’re a wonderful legend.” The trail hasn’t been easy. Rose Marie, Matt’s first wife and mother of his three sons, died in 1989. He married a second time, to Carmella — Rose Marie’s first cousin. She died in a car accident. Barbara was married to LaRosa, and they would go places with Matt and Carmella. After the deaths of Carmella and Joe, Matt and Barbara consoled one another and fell in love. But tragedy continued to follow. Barbara’s daughter, Lisa, died two days before her wedding. Lisa’s heart just stopped. Matt’s son Jeff died after a car accident. Now, after all the years, all the tragedy, Matt and Barbara make a pair. “I’m so blessed to be part of his life,” Barbara said. “His other wives, and they were great ladies and I knew them, never got involved with his
music.” A former dancer and dance instructor, Barbara is all energy and movement. “I stopped answering the phone when I married Barbara,” Matt said. She took over as his business manager, booking dates, and charging enough for the band to be profitable. The two are born-again Christians and know how lucky they are to have full lives and enjoy good health. “The best gig I play is when I play for the Lord in church,” Matt said. They spend a couple of months in Florida each year, and Matt plays in three bands down there. When they travel to New Orleans, he takes his horn and ducks into jazz clubs to sit in for a session or two. He’s always welcome. “We don’t look at our rearview mirror when we drive in life,” said Barbara. “We look at where we are now and where we’re going. That’s all that matters. The past can’t be changed. If you get stuck in neutral, your life is worthless.”
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finances
Getting Married? Talk Over Finances
Getting married later in life brings a host of added concerns about finances By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
I
f wedding bells are in your future, have a frank talk about finances with your sweetheart. Although discussing money may seem gauche, it’s important that you and your soon-to-be spouse are on the same page. Diana Apostolova, financial consultant with AXA Advisors, LLC in Rochester, said that although the traditional vows say “for richer or poorer”, that’s the extent of money talk many couples engage in. People about getting married later in life should discuss how independent they want to be with their money, she said. “If you choose to keep a joint checking or savings account for paying bills and emergencies, it is still important to have a separate checking account to allow you some financial freedom,” Apostolova said. You’ve been accustomed to spending money however you wish; however, since you’ll share bills with your spouse, it’s important to not miss payments. As another option, you could divide bills between you so that one pays for the auto insurance, utilities and car repairs, and the other purchases food, entertainment, property taxes and health care expenses, for example. Discuss any debt and your credit history. It may feel embarrassing disclosing that you owe money or
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suffered a bankruptcy, but getting married means you legally take on your spouse’s financial burdens. “No credit cards should be hidden, as unwanted debt can build up,” Apostolova said. Saver or Spender? Everyone possesses a financial style. It’s not unrealistic that a saver and spender find bliss, as long as both accept and respect the other’s perspective. Share your goals and what’s important to you so that you can create happy compromises as needed. “Whether you do this with a financial adviser or within the four walls of your house, this will be one of the major building blocks to getting your finances in order,” Apostolova said. Talk about your money history, both in your childhood and adulthood. These experiences shape how and why we use our money the way we do. For instance, someone who grew up with little money may feel uncomfortable taking financial risks that could endanger their nest egg. Adam Mark, partner and certified financial planner with Wealth Management Group in Rochester, wants couples to consider their legacy. “Will each of the new spouse’s half go to their respective children?” he asked. “Typically, it’s not as easy as with one set of kids and grandkids.”
Typically, most couples keep their inheritable assets separated after marriage. “It’s really about effectively coordinating with their legal and financial guidance because you’re taking two household situations in a very different situation,” Mark said. After hammering out the details with a financial adviser and attorney, a meeting with the family allows couples to share their decisions beforehand. That helps dissipate any disappointment before either dies, which is a time already fraught with emotion. Jeff Feldman, certified financial planner and owner of Rochester Financial Services, wants more couples who wed later to obtain long-term care insurance to protect their assets should one spouse require nursing home care. Couples should also think about their social security status. “If one of the two wasn’t eligible, you may be eligible for 50 percent of your spouse’s Social Security,” Feldman said. “But if you are divorced and you were set up to get your ex’s Social Security, getting married might negate that. Know the rules before you get married.” Discussing your finances with a financial advisor and tax attorney can help you make the right decisions to protect your future together.
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driving
Driving Lessons
Mom doesn’t drive anymore because of health issues and Dad is still behind the wheel — at 87. But is it safe for him to drive? The tough decision a family has to make By Janet Olexy
B
ack in the 1970s, my mother was taxed with the task of teaching us six kids to drive. This was more due to the fact that our father was busy traversing the world as a Kodak executive than any innate driving ability on her part. If there was a discussion concerning driving lessons, I imagine it was pretty one-sided, with Dad, the busy breadwinner, winning out. I have vague recollections of Mom teaching my twin sister and me to drive. She never yelled or panicked, but she did clutch the handle on the passenger side door on a regular basis. Frankly, I don’t know how she managed to find the time to take us driving with everything else that was going on. Most likely it was due to a fair amount of whining on our part. I do remember that she left it to
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Dad to teach us how to drive on the expressway. Lesson one of expressway driving involved learning to rely on the rear-view and side-view mirrors, a skill I had somehow failed to acquire while driving with Mom. When I neglected to check both mirrors before backing out of our driveway, Dad yelled, “You just ran over Mrs. Paley’s baby!” I was frozen in fear, until I realized Dad was using this hypothetical crisis to teach me about blind spots. As I gingerly turned onto Clover Street toward Monroe Avenue and the entrance of 590, Dad nagged me repeatedly to look in the mirror, asking me to identify the color of the car behind us. A few miles later, I was driving up the entrance ramp, my heart in my throat. Dad yelled at me to step on
the gas, to speed up. This was totally contrary to the type of directions I had received from Mom, but I did my best to comply. It was much later that I understood why — Dad was teaching me how to merge with the flow of high-speed expressway traffic. During our early driving years, Mom was the keeper of the keys to our 1970 Ford LTD faux wood-paneled station wagon, which transported us to doctor and dentist appointments, school, sports, social engagements and work. Six kids in three different schools led to a logistical nightmare — my sister Joyce and I attended Mercy High School; Greg and Wally went to McQuaid and Patty and Paul attended St. Louis in Pittsford. On any given day, Mom might be picking up a kid after school at St. Louis, driving another to work in Bushnell’s Basin, and yet another to
The author’s father, Walt Isaac, in his PT Cruiser on the streets of Rochester. He recently relocated from Livonia to Pittsford. Bill Wahl’s in Pittsford. She also managed to maintain an active social life that included bridge, volunteering and golf at Wildwood Country Club in Rush. There are benefits Eventually, Mom realized that having multiple drivers in the family could free her from the mundane task of transporting various kids to various places. She would often bum a ride to Wildwood with one of her golfing friends and leave it up to us to figure out how to get one of the boys to hockey practice at the Skating Institute of Rochester without making one of us girls late for work. I remember heated discussions amongst us siblings about who was driving whom where and when, but somehow it always worked out — most likely because we learned to adapt. Greg and Wally regularly hitchhiked home from school; the rest of us resigned ourselves to waiting for a ride — sometimes hours after practice ended. We got by with the family station wagon until it was totaled in 1976. My brother Walt was driving some friends home late at night when a drunk driver hit them. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured. I forget what model the LTD
was replaced with, but Mom got her wheels back in 1980 when the last kid went off to college. She enjoyed decades of driving until my siblings and I realized that due to declining health it was no longer safe for her to be behind the wheel. Thankfully, Mom realized that it was the right decision. Today, my 87-year-old father is stooped and frail, his once broad shoulder blades protruding like those of an emaciated water buffalo. He drives a cream-colored 2006 PT Cruiser with 58,000 miles and a few minor scrapes and dents. It’s becoming increasingly clear Dad’s driving days are numbered. Recently, he had a terrifying encounter with a motorist on 390. Realizing (perhaps a bit late) that he needed to merge into the adjacent lane due to road construction, Dad turned on his “flicker” and desperately steered left, most likely cutting off a car in his blind spot and nearly causing an accident. The enraged motorist laid on his horn for 15 minutes, closely following as Dad exited, and fueling fears that he was going to call the police with Dad’s license plate number. When to hang up keys It’s difficult to determine when a loved one should stop driving. When we recently upgraded Dad to an en-
hanced driver’s license so he could travel through Canada with us, he could easily have renewed his license for an additional 8-10 years, based on an eye test alone. Following a recent hospitalization, I asked Dad’s physician if it was safe for him to drive. The doctor said he could not answer that question; instead, he recommended that we check with the Department of Motor Vehicles. Here is the DMV’s response to my emailed inquiry regarding this issue: “A senior can voluntarily take a road test. Usually a doctor fills out a DS-6, Physician’s Request for Driver Review. Request for Driver Review DS-7 can be used by a person who is not a physician or a police officer to notify the DMV of a driver who has a possible medical condition that can affect the safe operation of motor vehicles.” The form warns that, “The review may lead to the suspension or revocation of the license of the person you are reporting.” To most Americans, driving is an inalienable right. It represents freedom and independence, and the thought of relinquishing it is devastating. Because there are no regulations or mandatory driving tests for the elderly, it usually falls to families to decide when to broach the subject. Often, the decision means family members must assume the responsibility of transporting their loved ones to doctor appointments, the grocery store and/or social events. Paid medical motor services can be expensive. Though some nonprofit organizations may assist with transportation to medical appointments, they are subject to the availability of volunteers. As tough as it is to accept, knowing when it’s time for a loved one to surrender his or her right to drive is one of the most important lessons aging parents and their adult children can learn.
Janet Olexy is a former high school English teacher and a writer for a local free weekly newspaper. She lives in Mendon with her husband Tony. January / February 2017 - 55 PLUS
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job coaching Jane Falter
Need a Career Coach? By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
C
an a career coach help you? It may seem a paradox for a retiree or near retiree to think about retaining a career coach. You’re almost there — why bother now? Shouldn’t you instinctively know what your post-retirement occupation should be? Local career coaches say that a lot of baby boomers looking for a second or third career or even a part-time occupation turn to them for help. “It’s hard to keep motivated by yourself,” said Jane Falter, a certified professional coach and the owner of Resume Writing and Career Resources in Rochester. “It feels like an overwhelming goal to find employment post-retirement. Working with a coach is helpful for setting up realistic goals and be accountable to someone.”
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If you want to work for any company, you’ll need a resume. Falter said that crafting a resume challenges even people good at writing. “Having an objective person tell what they have done in such a
Even if you’re a seasoned professional, you may need some expert guidance to get the ideal job
Luiz Martinez
way that it markets them is very important,” said Falter, who is also an academy-certified resume writer. Instead of a chronological listing of past jobs, “today’s resume is targeted toward the job you want,” Falter said. “Then we design a resume that targets those jobs.” A pro can also help you leave off items that don’t belong in a resume, such as anything that can indicate protected statuses (unless vital to the job) and irrelevant or excessive information. No one needs to know about your hobbies, pets or every single job you’ve had since high school. At this point, awards you snagged in college don’t matter anymore. What matters is what you have you done lately, according to Falter. Tacking on “references available” or actually listing references wastes space, according to Falter, since potential employers will ask for references if they want them. It’s more important to underscore measurable accomplishments and your areas of expertise. That can be tough, both when writing a resume and for figuring out what you want to do next. Luiz Martinez, management consultant and executive coach with Human Capital Strategy Partners in Pittsford, said that many successful professionals struggle to determine what they’re good at. “It sounds like it would be obvious but it’s not,” Martinez said. “When I coach people, the first thing we have to identify is what you’re really good at.” Some people begin a career because of a fascination with hands-on work but rise through the ranks to managerial roles which eventually become wearisome. They may be happier going back to their roots and taking on
a role closer to their first job. By thinking about what elements of your career you enjoy, such as helping people, writing, organizing or researching, you can segue into a new venture. It’s also important to figure out who would be interested in what you have to offer. “Who’s the audience for what you’re good at?” Martinez said. “Who would be interested in what you know and would pay you to do this?” Some people want to start a business; however, Martinez cautions retirees to thoroughly research the risks and benefits a starting a business. Choosing a business with low start-up costs and low overhead helps minimize the risk. Those who decide to follow that route should have in mind that eight out of 10 entrepreneurs who start businesses crash and burn within the first 18 months, according to Bloomberg. Also, 96 percent of new businesses fail in 10 years, according to Inc.com, a site affiliated with the magazine Inc. “Identifying the possibilities and risk is paramount,” Martinez said. “Typically, it helps a lot if you have a life partner who can pay the bills while you get your business started. It’s really, really hard to start a business. The risks and upside are greater for starting your own business. Some make millions and others suffer losses when their businesses fail.” If you’re near retirement and invest money you can’t afford to lose, you won’t have the time to make it back, as would someone in his 30s or 40s. Martinez is wary of retail since both the overhead and risk is high. Instead, he recommends renting residential property to build a residual income that can last for life. Plus, rental properties are always in demand and many in the industry readily offer advice. “You don’t need special degrees or knowledge, though being handy is helpful,” Martinez said. Working as an independent contractor can also offer a means to start a business as you parlay your experience into working for yourself or as a subcontractor.
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January / February 2017 - 55 PLUS
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Fairport Couple Finds Timely Way to Volunteer
Husband and wife team cares for more than 400 clocks, which are on display at Hoffman Clock Museum By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
D
espite its 400 clocks on display, the Hoffman Clock Museum in Newark is the kind of place where it’s easy to lose track of time. Minutes slip away swiftly as one wanders through its displays of floor to ceiling clocks and glass-fronted cases of watches. The museum boasts one of the largest collections of New York state clocks in the U.S. and many from around the globe. It draws visitors that included a student who drove up from New York City specifically to view its rare timepieces. Curator and clock repairman Eric Hooker, 76, and his wife, Doris, 70, love showing visitors around the
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museum, which is housed in a wing of the Newark Public Library. The Fairport residents tend the clocks Tuesday mornings, winding, cleaning and repairing clocks. “I’ve been playing with clocks since the early 70s,” Eric said. But showing visitors around appears to be the most fun part of their job. They know the history behind the timepieces, the stories of when and where and why they were made and how they became part of the collection. Some of the clocks on display have been lent to the museum. Most have been either donated to the museum or were purchased by the organization to enhance the collection. But all have a
story. Eric Hooker said that some people have donated vintage clocks that are neither rare nor valuable; however, he displays them because people like knowing their grandmother’s clock will be appreciated by others and the timepieces represent part of the history of clocks. “I have a serious passion for clocks and the preservation of antique clocks,” he said. “The museum is a way to give back. I’ve had a good life and I’ve been able to do a lot. This is a way to preserve this collection for future generations. I hope there will be someone to carry on with it after I’m gone.” He worked as an electrical con-
tractor and started a clock repair business in Fairport to stay busy during retirement. The business boomed, so Eric began turning work away, though he still works on high-end clocks. He took the volunteer position at the museum in 2008. Doris retired 10 years ago and has been painting landscapes and abstracts. She occasionally uses her artistic flair to augment Eric’s clock restoration when a painted clock requires touching up such as gold leaf accents or frosted glass. Doris paints outdoors and in her home studio. She displays and sells her artwork in shows with the Penfield Art Association and at the Art Center of Yates County in Penn Yan. The Hoffman Foundation sponsors the museum and displays many clocks that belonged to Augustus and Jennie Hoffman. A jeweler, Hoffman collected clocks for decades. The museum isn’t the only place where Eric can enjoy clocks. He personally owns about 1,000 timepieces. “I have become very tolerant over the years about storing and displaying clocks in our home,” Doris said. She began tagging along on his museum visits to help winding clocks, but now helps educated visitors on the displays. She often helps children punch their souvenir timecard in the circa 1910 Time Stamp Clock by International Time Recorder Company. “I enjoy meeting the new people who come in the museum who are enthralled by what they see,” Doris said. The friendships they’ve formed make the time they spend at the museum even sweeter. In the corner of the museum rests a clock repair desk, fully outfitted with vintage tools and framed by shelves. It’s not Eric’s. It belonged to master watchmaker, Wladyslaw “Walter” Wojnas, the man behind one of Eric’s favorite “clock stories” connected to the museum. The donor had received Wojnas’ entire estate but wasn’t sure what to do with the watch shop. He asked Eric if he wanted it for the museum. Wojnas lived in his native Poland during the Nazi occupation. While he was away from home, the Germans killed everyone in his village. They sent Wojnas to a forced labor camp where he was assigned to learn watch making to take care of officers’
Curator and clock repairman Eric Hooker, 76, and his wife, Doris, 70, at Hoffman Clock Museum in Newark. timepieces. After the war, Wojnas became a successful watch repairman in America. He and his wife befriended his building’s plumber and his wife. The couples had no children, and became very close. In 2009, Wojnas died, leaving his friend all his possessions, including the watch shop. He offered it to the Hoffman Museum on one stipulation: Eric had to memorialize Wojnas with his items. The collection and equipment filled four vans. The Hookers set up the display to honor Wojnas. They sold the excess at an auction and gave the proceeds to Wojnas’ friend. The Hookers hope that the museum continues to represent more than just a collection of timepieces and antiquities, but the people and places symbolized by them.
If You Go… The Hoffman Clock Museum is open year-round from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday; and 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. It is closed Sundays and holidays. Admission to the museum is free. The museum is housed in a wing of the Newark Public Library, Mason Street, Newark, NY 14513.
January / February 2017 - 55 PLUS
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my turn
By Bruce Frassinelli Email: bruce@cny55.com
Seniors, a Generous Bunch
W
Con artists are aware of that: Be careful and check carefully before donating
e seniors are a generous bunch. Having been through heartbreaks of our own because of tragedies or life’s circumstances, we are eager to help those who face adversity and those who have been through a traumatizing, life-altering event. Unhappily, con artists are equally aware of this generosity and prey on those with a good heart. Whenever tragedy strikes, as it did for families of victims of the Orlando shootings in the summer of 2016 or for the family of the 2-year-old Nebraska child who was snatched and killed by an alligator at Walt Disney World, or for those who lost their homes and everything else in tornadoes, floods and wildfires, we want to show our love and caring in a meaningful way. We want to show our sympathy and oneness with those afflicted or their surviving families by opening our wallets and purses to lessen the burden they will be facing because of these unfathomable events.
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This is laudable, but I am here to tell you to be careful and to check carefully before donating. From pennies given by children to big pledges from corporations, millions of dollars in donations for the Orlando shootings have broken online records. With so many donations, reputable charitable organizations tried as best they could to verify programs and services to make sure that every donation was distributed directly to the victims’ families. Donations to Equality Florida’s GoFundMe page, which is the state’s main LGBT advocacy and awareness group set up just hours after the June 12 shootings, hit $1 million before the end of the day — the fastest time frame for any campaign on the GoFundMe platform. The outpouring dwarfed the organizers’ modest goal of $100,000. Equality Florida partnered with the National Center for Victims of Crime, the nonprofit organization that gave assistance to victims of the 2012 movie theater shooting in Aurora,
Colo., that killed 12 people, and the 2015 attack in Chattanooga, Tenn., that killed four Marines and one sailor. Another major fund that has raised millions for the Orlando victims is the One Orlando Fund announced by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer the day after the shootings. “This tragedy will not define us, but will bring us together, because we are one Orlando,” Dyer said. He said that the fund was a way to “help respond to the needs of the community now and in the time to come.” Donations were funneled through the Central Florida Foundation, a nonprofit organization that disbursed the funds through more than 400 charitable organizations and programs. While acknowledging that it’s commendable for caring citizens to reach out to the victims’ families, the Better Business Bureau says you need to check carefully to whom you are donating. “We want you to give compassionately, but we want you to give carefully,” said Sandra Guile of the BBB.
The BBB provides these 10 common-sense rules for making any donation: • Check out the charity before donating. • Make sure the charity is registered. • See whether the charity has permission to use the names and photographs of the victims. • Know how the donations will be used. • Make sure the funds are received and administered by a reputable third party. • Be wary of newly created advocacy organizations. • Do not click on unfamiliar links. • Deal only with transparent organizations that make an annual accounting of donations and expenses. • Compare between newly created and established organizations. • Check for tax-deductibility, because not every organization collecting funds is tax exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue code. Contributions designated for a specific individual/family are not deductible as charitable donations. The BBB says it always hears of “click-bait” requests for donations (that lead to questionable websites) as well as vague crowd-sourcing campaigns, where it’s very tough to know where your money is going. There are also those who go through communities with canisters asking for donations for victims of natural and personal disasters. It is difficult to verify whether these are legitimate appeals or scammers. The problem is that in these days of immediacy, charities can pop up overnight, and in just a few hours raise thousands of dollars, without anyone really knowing who they are. The BBB says that this is a big change from the days when the American Red Cross served as the pass-through for most of the money collected for disaster victims. Anyone can open up a GoFundMe or Facebook page, appear to link it to a legitimate charity and start accepting money. You work hard for your money, so make sure your donation gets to their intended destination. Give with your heart, but make sure your eyes are wide open when you do.
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Everyone Has a Story Almeta Whitis’ storytelling prowess captures many an imagination By Diana Louise Carter
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he shoulder-length dreadlocks are gone, a concession to an ongoing battle with arthritis and other ailments. But whatever her hair length, it’s hard to imagine that anything could stop Almeta Whitis from using stories and the arts to connect people. In her long and varied career, Whitis has visited five continents, mostly for storytelling. She has danced professionally. She has taught in community settings, public school and college. She’s been a frequent presenter at education and arts conferences. And, at 71, she’s still evolving professionally. Whitis, a native of Buffalo who has spent most of her life in Rochester, is still feeling the after effects of a car accident that nearly took her life in 1999. That has curbed her storytelling gigs somewhat, but she’s staying busy by writing and working on a course concept that blends philosophy with writing. “Spirit gave me this idea,” says Whitis, who has been an ordained interfaith minister for 20 years. She taught a class with a philosophical bent for children last summer at Rochester’ literary organization, Writers & Books, and continued into the fall for adults. “My feeling is philosophy
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and stories are how people connected and committed and established their culture,” she says. “I just want to take it out of the realm of old dead white men and bring in women and other audiences, other people.” Bringing in other audiences has been a lifetime of work for this artist, who got her first big break into the arts when, as a single mother, she was working for the Internal Revenue Service and taking college classes, too. It was the early 1970s when she appeared in a dramatic performance on stage and was seen by the man who would later become known as a Tony Award-winning choreographer — Garth Fagan, then teaching at SUNY Brockport and the precursor to the SUNY Economic Opportunity Center in downtown Rochester. Whitis has been taking Fagan’s dance classes, but her get-up on stage, including a platinum blonde wig, made her unrecognizable to her teacher at first. Fagan recruited her, a 26-year-old novice, for his troupe, then known as Bottom of the Bucket But, because of her stage presence. Focus on task at hand Fagan said he recalls Whitis as a bright, warm mother of two little
boys. “When she came to class, she left all the problems outside and just invested herself in performance beautifully,” Fagan said. Whitis spent that memorable summer immersed in dance classes and in the fall went on tour with the troupe. “That was one of the happiest days of my life,” she says. “Garth opened up so many doors and areas of interest for me.” Fagan says, “Besides her dancing, she had a wonderful aura of vocal talent,” and so she provided voice-overs and readings for the dance troupe. “I’m very proud to say she was a member of Bottom of the Bucket But,” Fagan says. “Whenever she gets on stage or gets in front of an audience, you’re going to get quality, depth and fabulous interpretation.” During Whitis’ time dancing, she began to teach as well and after some years eventually left the company to teach full time at the former Allofus Art Workshop. Housed in what’s now Writers and Books, Allofus (literally, “All of us”) was a low-priced community program of the Memorial Art Gallery designed to attract minority and low-income students who couldn’t manage the more costly creative workshop classes at the gallery. At its
Almeta Whitis, photographed by Chuck Wainwright Oct. 26 at The Baobab Cultural Center, Rochester.
Caption
Almeta Whitis celebrating a visit to The Sphinx in the mid-1990s on an annual trip along the Nile River to visit sacred sites in Egypt. Whitis and others from the Celebration of Life Interfaith Fellowship had just spent the night in the Kings Chamber of the Great Pyramid, a special privilege granted by the Egyptian government. Photo supplied by Almeta Whitis.Â
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peak, the center was offering dance classes to 450 people a week. A change in affiliation of the workshop led Whitis and another teacher to leave and to form their own school and company. Whitis started to perform as a storyteller between dances. But eventually she and the other teachers had a falling out. “Probably because I was a dictator. I expected them to be as committed to this as I was,” she explains, exposing a steely side to her normally warm personality. “I’m not saying I was right.” And she’s also not saying the end result was bad. Being on her own worked out creatively and financially. In 1978, she started performing with Young Audiences of Western New York and “that’s when my career really took off,” she says. Whitis has performed in numerous schools and made the rounds of educational conferences. In November, she appeared at the New York State Reading Association’s conference. She plans to re-stage her one-woman show this winter or spring. It’s the work she did for more than 25 years, performing between two and six times a day, six or seven days a week. “For a little black girl growing up poor and underprivileged … for me to have worked on five of the seven continents,” she says, marveling at her success. During periods when storytelling wasn’t such a rainmaker, she also taught in schools and community programs. Cactus country Twice Whitis moved to Arizona for a few years, as family members migrated before her. She established herself as a storyteller there in the early 1980s, working with the local young audiences organization. Whitis says she got bookings even in Ku Klux Klan strongholds and was treated cordially wherever she went. But those initial bookings tapered off after the first year. She realized the organizations that hired her saw her only as a teller of African-American stories. “Yes, I am Afro-centric. I’m proud of being a black woman,” she says, adding that Cherokee, Choctaw, Irish, 32
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Scottish and Romany are also in her lineage. “When I took the emphasis off African-American storytelling and just did storytelling, bookings shot up.” It was during Whitis’ second extended stay in Arizona that her story nearly came to an end. But as with many things for Whitis, this event provides fodder for a rich and complicated story. Leaving a family reunion in Mississippi to return to Rochester for an engagement, she ran into torrential rains outside of Hattiesburg, Miss. She recalls driving in a rural area with no houses and then feeling a bump as if her tire had hit a curb. The next thing she knows, she’s lying on the ground, cold, and in pain. She thought she had fallen asleep at the wheel. A man named John was talking to her, and another man was kneeling nearby. “John said, ‘Don’t be afraid, God has saved you. Everything will be alright,’” she recalls. A cocoon of warmth surrounded her. “My body was no longer in pain. I had this warmth and this beautiful feeling of wellbeing and joy. If people in the world could feel what I felt, there would be no conflict. “I felt I was enveloped by such a powerful love. Just warmth and belonging.” Next, a state trooper was talking to her in a loud voice and she worries that she’s an African-American woman from New York in dreadlocks in the middle of Mississippi. And he’s telling her she’s going to be airlifted to a hospital, but she’s afraid of heights. She feels a searing pain again and when she regains consciousness, the helicopter is landing at the hospital. Despite the trauma, she somehow hasn’t broken any bones or had any significant internal injuries. After multiple scans and examinations, the next day in the hospital a mass of white-coated medical staff entered her room. ‘Miracle patient’ “We had to come and see you, we had to come and meet with you. You are our miracle patient. You are the woman the angels saved,’” Whitis
says they told her. She found out the man named John who first came to her aid wasn’t from the place where the accident happened. No one knew him and he disappeared after help arrived. The state police officer came back, and White relates his visit in the officer’s booming voice: “Ma’am! I talked to you after the accident. Do you remember the car going airborne? Do you remember the car flipping over three times? Ma’am! Do you remember the car hitting the tree and exploding?” She remembered none of it, except for the care she got at the hospital afterward. She spent a year recovering, and eventually moved to Arizona again. Despite the lack of broken bones or organs from the crash, the incident marked the onset of rheumatoid arthritis for Whitis, which has hampered her ability to be as physical as she once was, at least between gigs. “When I start telling stories, I just get this energy. The adrenaline and the serotonin kick in,” she says. “I can jump and run and roll.” Whitis returned to Rochester for good in 2008, just as the Great Recession hit and money for arts programs dried up. She started teaching again, this time writing classes at Writers and Books. “She brings something unique to our program, for sure,” said Sally Bittner-Bonn, director of youth education at WAB. “She makes the arts about our lives. Some people teach a discipline as its own thing, in a vacuum. Across the board, Almeta always incorporates human experience into her art and teaching.” Bittner-Bonn appreciates the value storytellers such as Whitis bring to American culture, whether told around the campfire or in 140 characters texts. “Perhaps you could argue that storytelling is a dying art in the traditional sense, but stories are vital to our human experience and they always will be,” she said. Indeed, the connections stories make between people are the driving force behind Whitis’ work, the storyteller says. Whether her audience looks like her or not, she says, “I use my arts and my interest in history and culture to help heal that divide.”
Whitis: Writing Group Shares, Reviews Literary Creations By Diana Louise Carter
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ix women sit around a large table at a café on Rochester’s west side. Each has a stack of papers in front of her, comprising the works-in-progress of the others in the group. One by one they read aloud, accompanied by the “whoosh” of the expresso machine and conversations at nearby tables. Normally they have a quieter venue, but the Arnett branch of the Rochester Public Library is closed today, so the woman have moved their weekly meeting to a coffee shop on Genesee Street. When it’s Almeta Whitis’ turn to share, she reads a chapter from a novel she’s been working on for some time. And typical of her story-telling style, she breaks into song in the middle of her reading to sing a spiritual included in her chapter. “It will be a superb audio book and you need to read it,” offers Terry Lehr, a retired professor of English at SUNY Brockport. This group, known as Word Crafters, has been meeting since the 1970s, allowing older women a place to sharpen their writing skills. Today’s group includes retired educators, a retired social worker formerly from New York City, a former computer programmer and Army Reserves’ veteran who sits on the Rochester City School Board of Education, a woman who has worked in many different jobs, and Whitis, whose many credits include professional storyteller, working for the Internal Revenue Service, and dancer. Whitis joined the group after returning to Rochester from Arizona in 2008. Most others at the table arrived after Whitis, but Eldridge McClarey started coming in 1996 after she retired from her job as an English teacher in the Rochester schools. She describes herself as coming from Buffalo by way of Pidgeon Creek, Ala. As the ad hoc historian of the group, McClarey says Brockport pro-
fessors started Word Crafters and it was affiliated with Writers and Books for a time. Several of the women say local writer Wendy Low encouraged them to join the group and then to publish. “Its real purpose has been serious writing. We write anything we want,” McClary says. That includes poetry, plays, fiction, non-fiction, memoirs and science fiction. Years ago, the group members would send their works around to other members before the meeting and come ready to critique and be critiqued. These days, though, that amount of homework has proven to be too much, McClary says, so the group now reads the works under consideration aloud. They go around the table offering praise first then take another turn offering suggestions for im-
provements, which leads to lengthier discussions. Whitis’ work, for instance, describes a woman choosing an outfit and it includes considerable detail about each garment and accessory. Some in the group feel there just too much detail. Whitis admits that it may go on a bit long. She initially wrote the passage while participating in a national novel-writing challenge that urges writers each year to complete 50,000 words in the month of November. She was struggling to meet the daily word counts. But she also said some of the detail is important to the character and her setting. “We’re talking about the Black Church. Dress and what you wear and all the little details are very important,” she says. Writers are free to accept or disregard the advice they receive, but they all say they’ve gained something by being in the group. Barbara Warrick-Fischer joined Word Crafters after learning about it from Whitis and now writes science fiction. “I just find this encouraging,” Warrick-Fischer says. “I always wanted to write, but I never felt I could.”
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Bring on the Snow! For members of the Huggers Ski Club, age is but a number By Mike Costanza
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rudy Munding described the joys of cross-country skiing as she applied a coat of wax to her skis. “It’s so beautiful in the snow, just to be outside, the 72-year-old said. Munding is just one of the Huggers Ski Club’s 300-plus members. Formed over 40 years ago, the Rochester-area organization attracts the kinds of folks who love the outdoors. Though its members often gather to enjoy cross-country and downhill skiing, snowshoeing and other winter sports, they can also be found hiking outdoor trails, bicycling, kayaking or participating in other activities year-round. When not savoring the pleasures of the outdoors, they might come together for club-organized events like the disco party scheduled for this January. Age is but a number. 34
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“The average age of this club is in the 50s,” said club president Mike Sanguinito. “We have a lot of 60, 70, 80-year-old people.” Huggers members regularly organize recreational trips in locations around New York state, but can also hold them in the Rochester area—Monroe County alone offers more than 20 parks. You can hike, cross-country ski, canoe and participate in a host of other outdoor activities, often within 20 minutes of home. In November, about 25 Huggers members came to the Roberts Cabin in Henrietta’s Veterans Memorial Park for the club’s cross-country ski party and waxing clinic. John Jaenike took a few minutes away from preparing his skis to talk about the instruction he received in skiing as a teenager attending school in Pittsford.
“I was on the ski team in high school, where you did downhill and cross-country,” the 67-year-old said. Though Jaenike enjoys lots of winter activities, the cross-country trails at Mendon Ponds Park are a particular source of delight. “It’s very peaceful,” he said. “You’re away from the traffic and the noise and all of the [computer] screens.” Bruce Pollock’s children helped put him on skis. Though he already knew how to ice skate, he decided to learn downhill skiing with his three kids. “I started taking them skiing when I was about 35,” the Pittsford resident said. “The two boys became really good skiers, and we enjoyed doing that.” From their Connecticut home,
Trudy Munding waxing her skis in preparation for skiing. She is one of Huggers Ski Club’s 300-plus members. they traveled to Vermont to ski—Stratton Mountain was a favorite place to visit. Though Pollock’s kids are now full-grown, the 63-year-old still heads out to enjoy the outdoors, though he prefers biking in warmer weather to schussing through the snow. Those hoping to learn how to ski — particularly to downhill ski — should know that falling down is a big part of the experience, at least in the beginning. Just ask Dan Haas. The 67-year-old still remembers being on the beginner’s slope at Hunt Hollow, in Naples, NY. Beginners’ bindings are intentionally loose. “The first half-hour was just trying to get the skis to stay on the boots,” the Webster resident said. “I really wanted to downhill ski.” Since then, Haas has taken to the slopes in exotic locations, including the Swiss, French and Italian alps. During snowy weather, he heads out to downhill or cross-country ski at least twice a week, often with his wife. “What I like best is when you’re skiing in deep snow,” Haas explained. “It’s like a floating feeling.” When Alice Pidgeon found her-
self less able to enjoy downhill skiing, the 67-year-old turned to another winter sport: snowshoeing. “It isn’t as technique-oriented as downhill or cross-country,” the Brighton resident said. “If you can walk, you can snowshoe.” There are other plusses to donning snowshoes, as well. “When you are in the woods, you can stop, look around, enjoy the beauty of the forest with the animals and the birds,” Pidgeon said. “The other thing is you are really getting an aerobic workout.” Wet snow and chilling winds don’t seem to deter Trudy Munding. “There’s no such thing as bad weather — only inappropriate clothing,” the great-grandmother said. In addition to skiing, Munding also dons her winter clothing to hike and sled. Each winter, she, her family and their friends walk from Munding’s home in Sea Breeze to Durand Eastman Park to hold an outdoor picnic. As many as 30 folks show up for the do. “We make two fires — one for cooking and one for warmth,” Munding said, with a grin. Though Huggers members don’t seem to let advancing years stop them from enjoying themselves, Sanguinito said the club hopes to entice younger folks to share the joys of outdoor sports and indoor camaraderie that it can provide. Those hoping to try winter sports need not buy the equipment needed right off the bat. At least one outdoor sports chain rents skis, snowshoes and snowboards, according to its website. In addition, Henrietta’s Tinker Nature Park rents out snowshoes and cross country skis for use on its trails, weather permitting.
More about the Huggers Ski Club in Rochester For more information on the club or its activities, go to: http://huggersskiclub.org. For more information about Monroe County’s parks, go to: http://www2.monroecounty.gov/parks.
Office: 585-362-8580
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Call Lifespan/NY at 585-325-2800 or visit HelpACaregiver.org. Space donated to Causewave Community Partners as a public service of this publication.
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Walkers Put on the Miles at Local Malls Coffee and comradeship — and lots of walking — are part of daily routine for many mall walkers By Mike Costanza
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alph Vallone hasn’t let the years slow his march through Victor’s Eastview Mall. “I have been walking this mall since 1980,” the 76-year-old Walworth resident said, before heading off for his regular morning sojourn around the upscale shopping center. Walking has long been recognized as a valuable form of exercise that can help people stave off the effects of advancing years, remain limber, and generally enjoy life more. Though cold weather might dissuade some folks from taking to outdoor trails, some Rochester-area residents regularly seek put on the miles at local malls. Eastview, which sits less than 20 miles southeast of Rochester, attracted about 30 indoor hikers one wintry Tuesday.
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“People are welcome to walk at any time the mall is open,” says Mike Kauffman, the mall’s general manager. “While most people do so in the morning, we do have walkers that come throughout the day.” Though a few younger folks headed off to Eastview for exercise that November morning, most who appeared were people over 70. Helen Crown put on the miles in Florida malls before moving to this area. For about the past 12 years, the Farmington resident has headed to Eastview most weekday mornings to hike its 1.2 miles of corridors. “It gets your day started,” the 74-year-old said. “You sit around, you get kind of stale.” After the early morning hike, Crown sat down with her fellow
walkers at Eastview’s food court for coffee and comradeship. Across the table from her, a husband and wife, both 70 years old, talked about the time long ago when they decided to head out to the mall to exercise. “I think I got him out,” Ada Curtis said of her husband, Floyd, as he grinned. “My wife had been exercising,” Floyd explained. I was looking for a means to continue the exercise, and something that my wife and I could do together.” That was 10 years ago, and the Pittsford residents have come back ever since. Ten years might not seem like much to Raymond Anderson, who began walking Eastview’s corridors regularly soon after the place
opened in 1971. Enjoyable though it might have been to course past trendy shops and restaurants in those days, Anderson also had other reasons to do so — his cholesterol level was way too high. Since he wasn’t into running, he headed to Eastview to bring that down. “It sure helps the cholesterol level,” the 91-year-old says. “I started out at 220 years ago. It’s now 126.” Off by their lonesome far from the food court, Tommy Cook and his wife, Cheryl, were wheeling 11-month-old Ada Coyne, their granddaughter, past darkened stores waiting to open. They — he’s 62 years old and she’s 60 — walked malls in their native South Carolina for about 14 years before moving to the Rochester area. For about the past year, they’ve enjoyed hiking through Rochester-area malls. “It’s inexpensive, and the weather’s always consistent,” Tommy said. Eastview, which is open from 7 a.m. to 9:45 p.m., is one of three local malls owned by the Wilmorite Management Group LLC that welcome hikers, according to Kauffman. The other two are The Marketplace Mall, in Henrietta, and The Mall at Greece Ridge, in Greece.
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Tommy Cook and his wife, Cheryl, wheeling 11-month-old Ada Coyne, at Eastview Mall in Victor recently.
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family
Martial Law A family that does martial arts together, defends together
Kamae McNeill, ninth degree black belt, center, is shown with his son, Sampai Bushi Jermaine McNeill, fifth degree black belt, on his left and his daughter, Sensei Bushi Mercede McNeill, fourth degree black belt, on his right.
By Arn J. Albertini
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little over four decades ago, Kamae McNeill was about to start high school in Brooklyn. “Many times in grammar school, I was running home from school,” said McNeill, 58, of Rochester. “I went to Catholic school and had to wear a uniform. It was a like a marker (for gangs).” When he started high school, McNeill wanted a way to protect himself and decided to check out the judo club. The first thing that struck him
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was the instructor, Patrick Beckley. “He was a thin, mid-sized white man with red hair and freckles,” McNeill said. Then, class began. “There was an athletic prowess in the way the class was taught,” he said. “Something about the instructor was exquisitely adapted to the task at hand.” He tried out judo that first day. “I was choked and joint locked. I now knew this was for me,” he said. That first day back in 1972 started something that’s stayed a part of his life for 44 years, and something he’s
passed on his children and grandchildren. With martial arts, “I gained the confidence to do better for myself,” McNeill said. “Not only physically, but also in my school work. It helped me stay focused.” McNeill, now a ninth-degree black belt, has created his own style of martial arts, American goshinjutsu. It is a style he designed especially for self-defense in the urban streets of the United States and a style that’s helped him and his children capture several titles at tournaments around
the northeast and Canada. All six of McNeill’s children have been involved in martial arts. His daughter, Mercede, 30, a fourth-degree black belt, and his son, Jermaine, 34, a fifth-degree black belt, help him teach classes. As he’s gotten older, it’s a little tougher to demonstrate all the takedowns, pressure points, kicks and punches that make up American goshinjutsu, said McNeill. “Unfortunately with age comes injury,” he said. That’s why it’s helpful to have his children so involved, he said. “I’m able to fully utilize them so I don’t have to do the demos myself. I don’t have to do all the classes,” McNeill said. Mercede started taking classes when she was 8. “It was a way for me to spend time with my family, because my dad and my older brothers were doing it,” she said. “What kept me doing it was that I was good. I kept up with my brothers. It’s been pretty awesome to stay involved. It’s definitely a part of who I am.” Having martial arts training made her feel comfortable when she was living abroad alone and when she visited clients in their inner city homes when she worked as a caseworker. “I knew I could keep myself safe. I wasn’t ever afraid; I was confident of my abilities,” she said. Exuding family pride Mercede is a program manager for an addiction facility at Villa of Hope. “Since my father created the system, I’ve got family pride,” she said. And there’s also the pride from winning competitions. In 1998, Kamae McNeill, Mercede and her two brothers won their division at the All Out Team Fighting Tournament at the former Stouffer’s Hotel in downtown Rochester. “To my knowledge, we’re the only school that’s swept a whole tournament,” she said. McNeill won the black belt division, Mercede won the 12-and-under division, Jermaine won the 16-and-under division and his other son, Vincenzo, won the colored belt division. At the tournament as well as oth-
Kamae McNeill demonstrating a takedown on his son, Jermaine. er events that McNeill and his children attended, participants compete in a variety of different forms of martial arts. A third generation of McNeills is also learning American goshinjutsu. Mercede’s son, Kyngston, 7, along with her nephew, Kami, 7, and niece, Nia, 10, are all students. McNeill’s partner, Jeannette Balkum, is also actively involved in the dojo. McNeill’s other children, Shamekia, 34, Sharee Fennell, 32, and Saba-
ta Harley, 21, were also students, but they aren’t currently involved. Vincenzo, 40, also fought in tournaments and was an instructor, but he’s no longer active. Learning from grandmaster In high school, McNeill was often the only African-American at judo tournaments. But, he did well and it kept him going. It was his mother, Lillian, who made sure he got to weekend tournaments. January / February 2017 - 55 PLUS
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“She was my coach and my biggest fan. She was my foundation for knowing how to love and care for a family,” he said. After graduating high school, McNeill went into the U.S. Marines Corps. “I wanted to be a Marine since age 12. When I got out of high school, there was no doubt where I was going,” he said. With his interest in martial arts, he was elated to learn he would be stationed in Japan. When he arrived, he set out to find a place to train. “I had everything wrong with me. I was American, I was black and most of all, I was a Marine,” he said. McNeill finally found a sensei willing to take him on — Grandmaster Soto, a captain in the Japanese police force. “He trained his students harder than his police officers. When that first practice was over, even with my leg pain and a problem walking, I knew I had found my calling,” he said. When he got out of the Marines, he followed his girlfriend at the time to Rochester, where he has lived ever since. McNeill got his start teaching martial arts as an assistant instructor for the judo club at the University of Rochester. Later, he was an assistant instructor of judo at the Rochester Institute of Technology. In 1996, was a head instructor at Nazareth College. Community connection For a time, McNeill, who works at a state facility for men leaving prison and making the transition back into society and as a security guard, had his own dojo, but for about the past eight years, he and his family have based the dojo out of the Adams Street Recreation Center in the Corn Hill neighborhood. Twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, he, Jermaine and Mercede teach free classes for children, followed by a class for adults, for which there’s a small fee. On the fourth Tuesday of every month, they offer a free self-defense class for women. Once a year, they offer a more intensive, all-day class in women’s self-defense, which is also free. During the summer, they run a 40
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Bushi Jermaine McNeill. The term sempai means senior samurai, as Jermaine is the second highest in the practice. Bushi is a Japanese term for samurai. Mercede is referred to as Sensei Bushi Mercede McNeill. Sensei is a Japanese term for instructor. Creating your own form
Kamae McNeill practicing with his son, Jermaine. free two-week summer camp, with martial arts training at its core. It also provides lessons about self-discipline and developing character to be more productive members of society, said McNeill. “We have a lot of at-risk children. We’re able to teach people — whatever their abilities — to take care of themselves.” Offering free classes was something he picked up from Beckley, who didn’t charge for the classes at McNeill’s Brooklyn high school. These efforts to give back to the community are an important part of her identity, said Mercede. “I’m a social worker, a mom, a martial artist. They’re all interwoven,” she said. McNeill and his family have been hired by police departments and private security companies to teach a class that includes self-defense, takedowns, learning how to hold on to your weapon during an attack and handcuffing. Recently. they were hired to train security guards, known as sentries, for Rochester’s recreation centers, said McNeill, adding that they are also hoping to train security guards for other city departments. Around the dojo, McNeill goes by Dr. McNeill, a nod to him being the founder of his own system and to him receiving an honorary doctorate from the University of Asian Martial Arts Studies, which gives doctorates to qualifying members of the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. Jermaine is referred to Sempai
McNeill taught judo and jujitsu for several years, but something was missing, he said. Most traditional martial arts are ill suited for fighting in the tight quarters of the American urban environment, he said. “Unfortunately, the confrontations you’re going to run into are going to be in the home or a bar. You’re not going to have room for kicking, punching or rolling around on the ground,” he said. Additionally, in Japanese martial arts, women can never achieve as high of a ranking as men, McNeill said. Regardless of whether they master the same skill set, they will always be one rank below, he said. “I don’t believe in that,” he said. In American goshinjutsu, men and women attain the same ranking, provided they meet the requirements, McNeill said. He decided to create his own form of martial arts, based on jujitsu and judo, the forms he knew. “I took a lot of martial arts and put them together because all martial arts have little flaws. I wanted to put them together to get rid of some of the flaws,” he said. American goshinjutsu employs pressure points, especially pressure points with your fingernails to bring your opponent close to you. The techniques are also helpful if you need to defend yourself against someone bigger that you, he said. The idea to focus on pressure points came while practicing, McNeill said. “We were doing conventional pressure points, and I was training back and forth, and when I tried to do one on somebody, my nail hit on their nerve. The person really jumped back,” he said. When you use your fingernail along with a pressure point, “you get an immediate response and you can bring down your opponent.”
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Important Issues to Active Adults
Learn More About Social Security’s ‘Viagra Benefit’ for Kids
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Highland Geriatrician: 10 Tips to Live a Longer, Healthier Life
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For Active Adults in the Rochester Area
See You in the Spring
Thousands in Upstate getting ready to head to warmer places. We interview one of them
Key Financial Resolutions for 2016. Four Experts Weigh In Christmas on a Budget: Don’t Break the Bank
20 YEARS WITH WXXI WXXI CEO Norm Silverstein has shaped public broadcasting in the Rochester region for two decades. He talks about career, challenges
John Addyman: Key To Marital Bliss? Not What You Think…
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addyman’s corner By John Addyman
It’s Winter. Let it Snow
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Call it any way you want, snow in Upstate New York not easy to handle
y understanding is that the Inuit people had 22 words for “snow.” I have a few words for it myself, few of which we can print. When I was a little boy, I loved snow. I loved riding my sled down big hills and throwing snowballs and building snow forts and making angels in the snow and getting out in the cold. That lasted for years, right up to the moment my dad handed me a shovel and pointed to the sidewalk, which was buried under 10 inches of the white stuff. When I was a paperboy and it snowed, you had to slog through it. You were up so early, very few people had a chance to get out and clear a sidewalk or steps, so my route always took a lot more time and created a lot more problems — I couldn’t run away from one dog, for instance, but he usually had more trouble than I did in the snow and we’d sort of end the excitement in a face-off draw. My family lived in northeast Pennsylvania, so I knew what a snowstorm looked like. We lived on the top of a hill in Clarks Summit, and every time we had a good snowstorm, my dad and I would go into the sunporch and watch cars trying — but not succeeding — in getting up our hill. The next morning I got to go outside and watch my dad have the same problem backing his Buick up our very steep driveway. Then he’d get out of his car and say, “Get the shovel!” Years later, as luck would have it, my dear wife decided we’d get married in December — her semester break between classes and student teaching, and my holiday break between semesters in the
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school where I taught. The night of our wedding, the weather forecasters were talking gloom, doom and feet of snow. We had a three-hour trip from the reception to our apartment, and I didn’t want to have that turn into a day-long trip (two years prior, I was hitch-hiking home to see her and got stranded when they closed the turnpike because of snow.) It was so cold that day that the skin on my banjo cracked. So, we left the wedding reception early to avoid getting stuck in the snow. Think I have ever heard the last of that? We moved to Albany in the 1980s, but because our house in Pennsylvania sold so quickly, we had to wait four months for the house in Altamont (west of Albany) to be vacated. We were in an apartment with our first daughter for all that time and the first week we were there we learned all kinds
of lessons about the difference between snow in Pennsylvania and snow in Upstate New York. In that first week, we had a huge snowstorm — 27 inches. It took my wife and me most of the day to shovel our driveway, which was maybe 40 feet long, and the 4-foot mound of snow that was at the end of it. Then we found out, half-way through the afternoon, that the schools had all been open. We were sure they would be closed. We hadn’t even considered the possibility they might be open. About a month later, my old sports editor from Pennsylvania called to see how I was doing. “How’s the weather?” he asked. “We’re getting a dusting,” I told him. “That’s not bad,” he said. “It’s a dusting of four inches,” I said. “So?” “We have been bless-
ed with a similar dusting for the last 11 days straight.” “Oh.” Then we moved to Wayne County. Yes, I had heard about lake effect snow. “How bad can it be?” I asked myself. We had a Christmastime snowfall the first year we were in this area. I had no snow blower and a 100-foot driveway. I thought I’d go out and get a little bit ahead of the storm and clear the driveway. An hour later, I came into the house. My wife was sitting in the kitchen as I entered, and her jaw dropped. “John?” she asked. She could have just as reasonably asked, “Yeti?” I was covered, head to toe, in snowblast from the wind and the heavy, wet snow. My beard was white and frozen into one piece. My face was white. My eyelashes were white. I had snow in my ears. I tried to speak to her and my face cracked from the ice that had formed. My toes were numb. My fin-
gers were numb. But standing in the house for just a moment, I realized how much I was sweating from all the work I’d done. I clearly remember being out there shoveling and unable to see across the street or the house next door. When I took my jeans off, I could stand them up — they were still partially frozen. I looked outside, where all the snow I had cleared from the driveway had been replaced. “This is nuts,” I said to myself. That night, I asked my wife the important question. “Why did we move here?” I asked. “Grandchildren,” she said. “Oh. Them…” “Go to sleep,” she said. “Why?” “You have to get up early tomorrow.” “Why?” “To shovel the driveway so I can go to work.” As I said, I have lots of words to describe snow.
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Retiree Ellen Lamb Enjoys Volunteering Former Rochester arts teacher enjoys sharing knowledge with adult population By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
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olunteering offers Ellen Lamb, 71, a satisfying means of spending her retirement. Four years ago, the Rochester resident retired from her most recent position, the School of the Arts at Rochester City School District, where she taught advanced Latin and advanced placement art history for 20 years. Since then, she has used her background as a commissioned artist and an educator to help others. OASIS is a nationwide organization that offers a wide array of adult enrichment classes to people 50 and older. Many require just nominal fees to cover expenses. Lamb has also taught at the college level. Teaching art and architectural history at OASIS in Rochester reminds her of that experience because her mature students at OASIS chose to take art, unlike some of her high school pupils. “They’re all educated, interesting people,” Lamb said of her OASIS class. “Most have no experience with art and architectural history. They ask interesting questions and bring good ideas into the class. I’ve made friends.” Before she had retired, she had never heard of OASIS, but a colleague who had retired began to teach Latin at OASIS and recruited Lamb to volunteer there as well once she retired, too. Lamb teaches one class of 75 minutes weekly for an eight-week segment. Her classes run around 40 students. “There’s an interest in this,” Lamb said. “It may be a subject people didn’t get a chance to study and 44
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they enjoy.” Lamb believes that the Rochester chapter of OASIS is so successful because “Rochester is a place with great art galleries, lots of public art, and a place that welcomes the arts,” she said. She added that the area’s numerous educational institutions also supply OASIS with a steady stream of retiring educators. These comprise much of the volunteer OASIS faculty. Lamb said she’s not a “committed” painter. “Painting for me isn’t a profession or even a deep interest, but is a therapy,” Lamb said. “A lot of people do things for therapy and painting is one of them for me. I don’t want to be a full-time professional painter but I find it therapeutic.”
She described her art as “big, splashy abstracts” in oils. Her 6-by-8foot wall-sized paintings require her to paint on her hands and knees. She’s not sure how long she can continue to paint in this posture, but anticipates she’ll figure out another means of painting when she can no longer crouch on the floor. Lamb also volunteers at various groups that target those struggling financially. She helps with several outreaches of her church, Asbury First United Methodist Church in Rochester. Among its ministries, the church offers a medical clinic, food cupboard, and United Way-affiliated daycare. “You don’t have to do it all, but if you’re concerned about the population that is in constant poverty, that’s away to get involved,” Lamb said. “Ask at a church. With many of them, it won’t matter if you attend there or not. You meet an awful lot of nice people that way.” Since many retirees want to travel and enjoy more recreation, Lamb said they should keep in mind that volunteering is pretty flexible. “It’s not locked in like a job,” she said. “You could do just one day a week or one morning. If you want to go away on a trip, you can have someone cover for you.” She has enjoyed the friendships she has formed while volunteering. She advises anyone interested in volunteering to look at organizations with which they’re familiar, such as their place of worship. Or, they could look at groups such as United Way or Salvation Army, which offer several ways to volunteer, both directly and in administration. Applying skills once used in the workforce brings many retirees satisfaction. Or, using skills enjoyed as hobbies can make volunteering especially fulfilling for others. For example, a retired receptionist may not want to man the phones at an agency anymore, but indulging in her penchant for cooking at a soup kitchen may provide a gratifying way to give back to the community. Lamb and her husband, the late Tonis Linnamaa, have a daughter who works as an attorney in Buffalo.
Cheaper Hearing Aids Coming into the Market FDA to ease up on hearing aid rules
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etting a hearing aid should be less of a hassle — and eventually less expensive — under new rules introduced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The FDA said early in December it will no longer enforce a requirement that people aged 18 and older receive a medical evaluation or sign a waiver before buying most hearing aids. The agency said it will also consider creating a category of overthe-counter hearing aids that could provide innovative and lower-cost devices to millions of Americans. Currently, a pair of hearing aids typically costs $4,000 or more, putting them out of reach for the majority of older Americans who need them, according to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. “Today’s actions are an example of the FDA considering flexible approaches to regulation that encourage innovation in areas of rapid scientific progress,” FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said in an agency news release. The President’s advisory council and other critics had argued that existing FDA rules were a potential
barrier to people getting hearing aids, and provided little to no benefit to patients. “Untreated hearing loss, especially in older Americans, is a substantial national problem,” the council said in a recent report. Hard-of-hearing seniors face significantly impaired communication, social participation and overall health and quality of life, the report noted. Changes to the FDA rules, which take effect immediately, could lead to technological breakthroughs that result in less-expensive hearing-aid options, according to the council. Although some 30 million people in the United States suffer from hearing loss, only about one-fifth who could benefit from a hearing aid seek help. The FDA said it will continue to enforce the medical evaluation requirement for prospective hearing aid users younger than 18. The agency will also continue to require that hearing aid labels include information about medical conditions that should be evaluated by a doctor. Also, licensed hearing aid dispensers must still give consumers information and instructions about hearing aids before purchase.
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Selling Your Business and Saving Taxes By Lian Gravelle, Esq.
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s 2017 begins under a Trump presidency, many business owners question whether this is the year to sell their business. If so, what will be the tax implications? Will Congress pass new tax laws and regulations that will have a beneficial impact on the taxes paid upon sale of a company or will the impact be negative? Will the middle market companies feel the changes as much, or more, than the large corporations? Employee stock ownership plans (“ESOP”) already bestow a favorable tax treatment on selling shareholders, the sponsoring corporation, and the employees who participate in an ESOP. In a sale to an ESOP, a selling shareholder may be able to defer recognition of the capital gains from the sale of the business possibly forever. This may be accomplished through a Code Section 1042 exchange in which the shareholder reinvests the proceeds of the sale in qualified replacement property. The corporation receives tax benefits by making tax deductible contributions to the ESOP. Additionally, an S corporation ESOP pays no federal tax to the extent the ESOP is a shareholder. An S corporation owned 100 percent by the ESOP will pay no federal tax. Lastly, the employees will receive distributions from the ESOP on a tax advantaged basis the same as any other qualified retirement plan. The impact of taxes on anyone remains uncertain as the transition to a Trump presidency and Republican Congress takes shape. However, an ESOP will likely retain these tax advantages and therefore, examining whether an ESOP is the correct transition mechanism should be part of any business owners exit planning. Lian Gravelle, Esq., is an ESOP compliance counsel who works at ESOP Plus®: Schatz Brown Glassman LLP in Rochester. Visit www.esopplus.com or email lgravelle@esopplus.com. January / February 2017 - 55 PLUS
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Winter is the time for downhill skiing at Snow Ridge where there are 21 runs.
Discover Lewis County, An All-Season Destination
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By Sandra Scott estled in the Black River Valley between the Adirondack Mountains and Tug Hill is a county where nature rules. Lewis County may not be on the travel radar for most people but, besides unspoiled woodlands, lakes, and rivers, there are many “gems” waiting to be discovered. Explore the wonderful surprises in this quiet corner of New York state. Lewis County is an all-season destination, a great place to get off the rat race and renew the mind and spirit.
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Nature: Commune with nature in Whetstone Gulf State Park. The park is built in and around a three-mile gorge cut into the eastern edge of the Tug Hill Plateau. There are campsites, a man-made swimming area and trails, one of which circles the gorge. It is great for hiking and cross-country skiing. Rent a cabin on Lake Bonaparte named for Joseph Bonaparte, former King of Spain and brother of Napoleon, who purchased the land in 1818. Today this quiet lake is the perfect summer getaway with a marina, campground and rental cottages.
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History: Constable Hall is an historic time capsule. The limestone mansion, built in 1810, was the family home for five generations. Fortunately, Constable Hall has much of its original furniture. The hall itself has remained unchanged in plan and architectural detail through the passing years. The beautifully restored 1896 Pine Grove Church with a unique interior is a non-denominational facility accessible to the general public. The General Walter Martin Mansion, also known as Greystone Manor, is being restored by the local historical society. Martin was an officer in the War of 1812, a mill owner, a politician, and the founder and promoter of Martinsburg. The Martinsburg Historical Society is restoring a one-room schoolhouse. Museums: There are several small museums. In Lyons Falls visit the Pharmacy Museum located in the back of a working pharmacy and then the Storms-Bailey House Museum. Learn all about maple syrup production at the Maple Museum in Croghan; also in Croghan is the Railroad Museum. In the quiet Tug Hill town of Osceola is the North American Fiddlers Hall of Fame and Museum
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where visitors can enjoy free concerts on Sundays from the end of May until the end of September. The Mennonite Heritage Farm in Kirschnerville was home to three generations of the Moser family. The farm preserves the religious heritage of the Mennonite community. The historical society on Main Street in Lowville sometimes has displays and is the place for historical research. For foodies: No visit to Lewis County is complete without enjoying Croghan Bologna which has been made since 1888 by the Croghan Meat Market using a secret recipe. It is uniquely Lewis County. All manner of cheese is made locally and can be purchased at the Lowville Producers Cheese Store along with locally produced maple syrup. You can’t miss it. Next to it visitors will find a statue of a giant cow donning sunglasses. Don’t miss the county’s only winery, Tug Hill Winery, where they also have seasonal u-pick berries. Sports: The county is perfect for those who wish to commune with nature regardless of the season. Lewis County gets 200-300 feet of snow annually making a winter
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paradise. Winter is the time for downhill skiing at Snow Ridge where there are 21 runs. Cross-country skiers may use Snow Ridge’s lifts to access the cross-country trails located on the state land behind the resort. Cross-country ski or snowmobile through the woods on hundreds of miles of groomed trails. There are over 600 miles of free-access snowmobile trails. The Otter Creek Horse Trail near Glenfield has 65 miles of interlocking trails. The fishing is great and so is the boating. Shopping: Several shops on Main Street in Lowville — including Yellowjack Custom Designs — offer products that are locally made. They have everything from signs to tables. They also custom make items. Nearby are Cozy Country Corner, Marguerite’s Cranberry Emporium and Entwined Treasures. The Old Meat Market Gallery has items from 75 local artists. Nolt’s Country Store has an eclectic connection of items for sale including food and handicrafts made by the local Mennonite community. In Copenhagen, check out the Amish Connection for furniture, gifts and home decorations. Events: The first fair in Lewis County was held in 1821. In 1871 the Lewis County Fair made its permanent home in Lowville. It claims to be the oldest continuously operating agricultural fair in the United States. The fair offers all the traditional fair activities including a parade, fireworks, and demolition derby. Not to miss is Freeman’s Old Style Taffy — in 22 flavors. It has been in business for 121 years, in the same location, and run by the same family. There are many seasonal events such as the Cream Cheese Festival in the fall.
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Learn all about maple syrup production at the Maple Museum in Croghan, Lewis County.
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Fun: In Croghan stop at Good Ol’ Wishy’s old-fashioned soda fountain for an “Adirondack Sized Cone” or for a root beer float. Go picking at Denmark Gardens Apple Orchard or Tug Hill Winery for seasonal fruits. The BarkEater Craft Brewery in Lowville brews small batches of artisanal ales and other brews. The owner, an artist, used his skill to make the brewery an interesting place to visit. Maple Ridge Center offers tubing also with seasonal events like a Blue Grass Festival. Kaleidoscope Studio in Lowville offers fun art and craft classes. Unique: You can’t miss them; the skyline is dotted with windmills. The constant lake-effect winds and the wide open farmland of Lewis County make the Tug Hill region an ideal place for New York’s largest wind energy farm. The Maple Ridge Wind Farm with 195 wind turbines supplies enough clean energy to meet the annual electrical needs of 140,000 New York homes.
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Driving about: Each spring the Cooperative Extension creates a maple tour with stops at sugar shanties. Lewis County is in the center of The Black River Scenic Byway. The 111-mile scenic byway extends from Rome to Ogdensburg past beautiful scenery and historical places. In the fall the chamber of commerce organizes a Fall Foliage do-it-yourself driving tour. Create your own driving or walking tour through the shaded streets of Lowville where there are historic houses, buildings and churches in a variety of architectural styles.
The constant lake-effect winds and the wide open farmland of Lewis County make the Tug Hill region an ideal place for New York’s largest wind energy farm, the Maple Ridge Wind Farm with 195 wind turbines. January / February 2017 - 55 PLUS
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long-term care By Susan Suben
The Nuances of Long Term Care Insurance
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have been helping individuals purchase long-term care insurance for almost 22 years. Many of my clients are on claim. The insurance benefits have been invaluable to them and their families financially, emotionally, physically and socially. However, by helping them through the claims process, I have observed firsthand how the extent and acceptance of one’s disability and the selected policy features impact the ability to receive home care (HC) benefits. I would like to share some of these observations with you so that you can understand the benefit triggers if you have a policy, and design a better policy if you are thinking of purchasing coverage. The need for HC is the No. 1 reason why individuals go on claim. According to claims data, 40 percent of all new claims are for home care. When long-term care insurance — or LTCI — was first introduced, the triggers to receive HC benefits were the inability to perform two out of six activities of daily living (ADLs): bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, continence and transferring; or a cognitive impairment or a medical necessity. When the policies became tax-qualified, the medical necessity trigger was eliminated. This meant that individuals who required assistance due to a medical condition and were frail, not necessarily disabled, could no longer initiate their HC benefits. Frailty does not trigger benefits with any LTCI policy. The only way to receive HC benefits besides having a cognitive impairment is to be unable to do two out of six ADLs that require hands-on or stand-by assistance. Several of my clients are frail 48
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and need help with instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) such as laundry, cooking, transportation, cleaning, etc. In addition, they struggle with their ADLs but are often too proud and independent to rely on others. Their quality of life has diminished but not enough for them to reach out for help. One of my clients is on 24/7 oxygen due to congestive heart failure and needs hands-on assistance to get out of her chair and walk as well as to put on her shoes, yet she will not allow herself to be cared for. She fights the idea of being dependent on others. She pays out-of-pocket for someone to come in three times per week to help with her IADLs. Yet, if she were to accept the need for help with her ADLs, she would receive ample assistance for both her ADLs and her IADLs, making life much easier for her. If you have a LTCI policy, accept the fact that you need help with your ADLs if you are indeed struggling every day. Don’t deny yourself the support. Talk to your doctor. Develop a plan of care and file a claim. You purchased your policy so you and your family would feel less stressed and more in control. You are not in control when everything you do is an effort. If you are thinking of purchasing LTCI, a policy feature that affects your ability to access HC benefits is the elimination period (EP). The EP is the amount of time that you pay out-of-pocket before the policy starts to pay benefits. EPs can be based on service or calendar days. If your EP is based on service days, for every day you receive HC, you satisfy one day of credit toward your EP. If you have a calendar day EP, every day is count-
ed toward the satisfaction of the EP even if you do not receive care. Most individuals select a 90- or 100-day EP to save premium dollars. If you are purchasing LTCI to specifically stay home, satisfying a service day EP can take much longer if you are not receiving HC every day. When designing a policy, seriously consider selecting a calendar day EP. I have seen some of my clients wait upwards of six months to receive policy paid HC benefits with a service day EP. Lastly, if you want to gear a policy towards HC, consider including the first day waiver of the EP for home care rider. You can still have a 90- or 100-day EP to keep the premium down for facility care but the rider will give you access to your HC benefits immediately and for every day you receive HC, you will get a day of credit toward your facility EP. For example, if you have a 90-day EP and receive HC for 90 days and then enter a facility, you will not have to pay anything out-of-pocket. As with any insurance, the value and understanding of the coverage only comes to light when you go on claim. Purchasing LTCI to protect your family and yourself is a responsible decision. Knowing the ins and outs of LTCI when an illness occurs, or when you are designing a policy, puts you in a better position during the claims process. Susan Suben, MS, CSA, is president of Long Term Care Associates, Inc. and Elder Care Planning, and a consultant for Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Company. She can be reached at 800-422-2655 or by email at susansuben@31greenbush.com.
Optimism May Propel Women to a Longer Life Upbeat outlook linked to lower risk of dying from cancer, heart disease and other causes, study says
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omen who generally believe that good things will happen may live longer. That’s the suggestion of a new study that seems to affirm the power of positive thinking. “This study shows that optimism is associated with reduced risk of death from stroke, respiratory disease, infection and cancer,” said Eric Kim, co-lead author of the investigation. “Optimistic people tend to act in healthier ways. Studies show that optimistic people exercise more, eat healthier diets and have higher quality sleep,” said Kim, a research fellow in the department of social and behavioral sciences at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. Kim added that an upbeat outlook also may directly affect biological function. Research has demonstrated that higher optimism is linked with lower inflammation, healthier lipid levels (fats in the blood), and higher antioxidants (substances that protect cells from damage), Kim said. “Optimistic people also use healthier coping styles,” he said. “A summary of over 50 studies showed that when confronted with life challenges, optimists use healthier coping methods like acceptance of circum-
stances that cannot be changed, planning for further challenges, creating contingency plans, and seeking support from others when needed.” For this investigation, scientists reviewed records on 70,000 women who participated in a long-running health study that surveyed them every two years between 2004 and 2012. The study authors examined optimism levels and other factors that might affect the results, such as race, high blood pressure, diet and physical activity. Overall, the risk of dying from any disease analyzed in this study was almost 30 percent less among the most optimistic women compared to the least optimistic women. For the most optimistic women, for instance, the risk of dying from cancer was 16 percent lower; the risk of dying from heart disease, stroke or respiratory disease was almost 40 percent lower; and the risk of dying from infection was 52 percent lower, the study found. Levels of optimism were determined from responses to statements such as “In uncertain times, I usually expect the best,” according to Kim. While the study uncovered an association between optimism and life span, it did not prove cause and effect. Sarah Samaan, a cardiologist at
the Heart Hospital at Baylor in Plano, Texas, said healthy behaviors may help fuel optimism. “It’s easier to feel optimistic when you feel healthy and energetic,” said Samaan, who was not involved in the research. “By choosing a healthy lifestyle, you may open yourself up to greater gratitude and create more energy for deeper relationships and professional satisfaction.” She added that for people with depression and anxiety, medication may help to improve mental outlook and thus overall health, although this study did not address that specific issue. The study authors noted that individual actions can promote optimism. The simple act of writing down best possible outcomes for careers, friendships and other areas of life could generate optimism and healthier futures, they suggested. Kim described a two-week exercise where people were asked to write acts of kindness they performed that day. Another activity involved writing down things they were grateful for every day. Both these exercises were shown to increase optimism, he said. The study was published online Dec. 7 in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
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By Ernst Lamothe Jr.
David Beinetti, 64
President of SWBR Architects talks about the value his company gets from the millennial generation Q. Why do you think this was one of your best years? A. You never really know sometimes what is going to make a difference because there are so many factors. I know we spent a lot of time discussing who we were today and what we wanted to be in the future. We are almost a 50-year company so you can call us a little older than middle-aged. We wanted to make sure we stayed fresh and that we had exciting initiatives. I think the main key to our success is that we have really lively and amazing people who work here who have transformed overall in such a short amount of time. It is like having a 10-year old who had gapped tooth and freckles with glasses, and all of a sudden they are 20 years old and they are incredible and dynamic. The millennials in our workforce are just incredible and I enjoy them so much. When your employees grow in such incredible ways it is not surprising when your company does the same. Q. You have so many positive words to say about millennials. Tell me why you like them? A. They are a lively and energetic bunch. They are young, hungry and in demand. I love working with them. A lot of people may be critical about millennials, but what I love about them is they are excited to bring new ideas and turn some things on its head and flip things around. Some of my kids are the same age as these professionals. Millennials are creative and we need to stop and listen to them in the same way where they need to listen to us who are over 60 and have wisdom too. We can find so much joy and knowledge from each other if we engage in respectful interaction. This is the group that is going to be leading the future and it is going 50
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to be exciting. Q. Why is having a lively and energetic workforce important to you? A. We are creative people as architects. You need people who are vibrant and think outside of a linear form. It’s difficult to be boring and visual. You need a lot of different emotions, interactions and activity to create. Some people might find our workplace too playful and noisy but I think noisy is a good thing. There can be a lot of breakthrough in a noisy environment. We have a lot of conversations going on within our building and people will walk up and connect with others if they hear something that they think might be helpful. It creates an open workplace and a feeling of overall openness to express your ideas. We don’t have tall walls separating people within cubicles because we don’t believe that really helps creativity. Q. What made you decide you wanted to be an architect? A. I guess I can just thank my good old guidance counselor. When I went to Pittsford [Sutherland] High School, we talked and as a freshman I just started being steered into the creative arts. I just had a large level of creativity and wanted to put it some place. I did drawing classes and just continued to explore. Q. Tell us a little about your personal life? A. Well, I have nine kids and 17 grandchildren. So you can imagine that a lot of my free time is spent around family. We have a farm and we just spend a lot of time doing family things which is important to us. I am an avid hunt-
David Beinetti is president of SWBR Architects, one of top architectural firms in Rochester. er. On our farm in Mendon, we raise a special breed of hogs. I have also been involved in sports for a long time as a coach. My children were all homeschooled — and in New York, you can participate in Section IV sports being homeschooled. Luckily there is an organization where kids can participate in and I have been a coach there and an avid supporter of the programs. I guess all of this is just part of my eclectic life. Q. In your work as architect, you value natural light a great deal. Why is that? A. We cannot underestimate the importance of light coming through a room. Our bodies are programmed like clocks with the sun coming up and down. There have been enough studies discussing how natural light can affect our moods. Even in my office, I have a phenomenal view of the Eastman School of Music and the YMCA. While I don’t sit looking out my window every second of the day, it does provide a good environment for me to work. I think this would be the case for a lot of people?
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