with
Mike Bellah
Two-thirds of all men and women
who have lived beyond the age of 65 in the entire history of the world
are alive today.
Baby boom authority Cheryl Russell
predicts that one million boomers will reach the century mark.
In 1940, an 80-year-old Grandma
Moses, who only started serious painting in her 70s, stages her first solo
show. She will work for another 20 years.
In 1789, 83-year-old Ben Franklin
adds to a long list of inventions with something every midlifer can use--bifocal
glasses.
On May 31, 1991, Minnie Munro (age
102) marries a man young enough to be her son (Dudley Reid, age 83) in
Point Claire, New South Wales, Australia.
|
Life Begins at 60
Note: This column is 3rd in a three-part series.
To view the 1st column, click here.
"Two-thirds of all men and women who have lived beyond the age of 65
in the entire history of the world are alive today," says aging expert
Ken Dychtwald. This includes 45,000 Americans over 100. And the longevity
trend will continue. Baby boom authority Cheryl Russell predicts that one
million boomers will reach the century mark.
Can we expect happiness and success after 60? We can if history is any
indicator. Consider the following examples.
at 62
In 1885, Louis Pasteur gives the first injection against rabies.
In 1969, John Wayne ("The Duke") wins an oscar for True Grit.
at 64
In 1940, Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister of Great Britain proving
that courage is not reserved for the young. Vows Churchill, "We shall fight
on the beaches, we shall fight on the fields and in the streets, we shall
fight in the hills; we shall never surrender."
at 68
In 1966 Lillian Carter, President Carter's mother, joins the Peace Corps
and spends the next two years working as a nurse near Bombay, India.
at 73
In 1981, Rex Harrison completes a successful 11-month tour in "My Fair
Lady." Cathleen Nesbitt (92) plays his mother.
at 74
In 1981, Katharine Hepburn stars in On Golden Pond with 76-year-old
Henry Fonda.
at 75
In 1954, Elizabeth Arden, founder of the beauty empire that bears her name,
is keeping fit doing yoga handstands.
at 76
In 1942, H. G. Wells completes his doctoral dissertation, earning a D.Sc.
from London University. He had dropped out of school at 14.
at 80
In 1940, Grandma Moses, who only started serious painting in her 70s, stages
her first solo show. She will work for another 20 years.
at 82
On August 20, 1994, Fred Lasby completes a solo around-the-world flight
in his single engined Piper Commanche.
at 83
In 1789, Ben Franklin adds to a long list of inventions with something
every midlifer can use--bifocal glasses.
at 86
In 1961, Robert Frost recites his poem "The Gift Outright" from memory
at the inauguration of John F. Kennedy.
at 90
In 1971, Pablo Picasso is still at work as a painter, as is Georgia O'Keffe
in 1977.
at 94
In 1978, Catherine Booth, commissioner of the Salvation Army in the United
Kingdom, is chosen Toastmaster's Best Speaker of the Year.
at 96
In June of 1993, Stanley Wood of Shoreham-by-Sea England is at the controls
of a Piper Cherokee, capping a flying career that spans over 80 percent
of the history of aviation.
at 97
In 1976, Sir Robert Mayer tours the U.S. with the London Schools Symphony
Orchestra, which he had founded 25 years earlier.
at 98
On October 10, 1976, Dimitrion Yordanidis completes a marathon (over 23
miles) in Athens, Greece.
at 100
On August 5, 1994, Ichijirou Araya climbs Mt. Fuji (12,388 ft.) in Japan.
at 102
In March 1971, Alice Pollock of Haslemere, England publishes her first
book, Portrait of My Victorian Youth.
On May 31, 1991, Minnie Munro (age 102) marries a man young enough to
be her son (Dudley Reid, age 83) in Point Claire, New South Wales, Australia.
at 116
In 1981, Shigechiyo Izumi, the world's oldest person, is visited on his
birthday by the Prime Minister of Japan.
at 121
As I write these words, Jeanne Louise Clement of France, at 121 is the
oldest living person whose date of birth can be authenticated.
at 900+
The Bible claims the longest-living humans. The Book of Genesis says that
Adam died at 930; Noah, at 950; and Methuselah at 969. Methuselah checked
out just in time, the same year as Noah's flood.
In light of all these accomplishments, and in a world where seniors
now outnumber teenagers, perhaps we need to change our perspective. Perhaps
life begins at 60. |
"Dream, plan and make it happen,"
says life coach Sheryl Bullock. Contact my friend Sheryl for a
free initial consultation.
Other websites promise customers. Bestyears.com delivers
them. For targeted ads to baby boomers, contact
Mike. |