Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

The relative nature of age

By ROBERT JENKINS
Published April 25, 2006

Feeling old today? Would you feel a lot older if I told you that an award-winning broadcaster thinks 46½ years is old?

The revelation came in the final round of the Masters golf tournament early this month, when CBS sportscaster Jim Nantz, apparently seeking to praise Fred Couples for a particularly good shot, opined, "There's one for the gray-haired set.''

Couples was 46 years, 6 months old at the time. Yes, if he had won, Couples would have been the oldest victor of the prestigious tournament, by a few months. But does that qualify him for "the gray-haired set''?

In truth, Couples has some gray in his hair - maybe having to earn your living in front of millions of spectators can fade the color. But nothing warrants him being shuffled off into some holding pen for geezers.

Nantz and his colleagues, scattered around the course, are required to comment after each shot taken by dozens of the world's best golfers. It would be difficult to make every unplanned remark much deeper than, "He lifted his head.'' So Nantz can be forgiven for his damning-with-faint-praise allusion to Couples' advanced age. Nantz, after all, is 4½ months older than Couples.

And just last year Nantz was named the national sportscaster of the year - quite an honor for such a young guy.

We have devoted a fair amount of space in this month's issue of Seniority to the Medicare Part D plan for pharmaceuticals. It is just three weeks to the deadline for selecting a version of this federally subsidized insurance, with more than 100 plans available to Floridians.

After May 15, those already 65 and older cannot sign up until mid November, and they will be incurring a 1 percent per month penalty for having avoided the decision.

While at least 27-million Americans have enrolled, it is estimated that that number is little more than half of those eligible. To help the undecided among our readers - and to broaden everyone's understanding - articles in this issue discuss basics of Part D, let you listen as experts counsel the undecided in the Tampa Bay area, and present the choice and enrollment experiences of some readers.

Also, Suddenly Senior columnist Frank Kaiser vents the frustration he feels from receiving several dozen complaints a day about Part D from readers.

Continuing this month's emphasis on health, we have articles on how the proper lifestyle may help you avoid heart problems and add 10 years to your life, and what happened to a middle-aged Tampa area woman who didn't pay attention to subtle warning signs.

You also can learn how to be the master of your medicine cabinet, read the latest cautions on over-the-counter sleeping pills, and get tips to become a careful consumer when shopping for a hearing aid.

If you are considering retirement, a pair of articles offers warnings:

-- A recent survey discloses too few workers have been saving enough to stay comfortable financially; what they think is enough money might last them just three years.

-- Another study validates the notion that workers who plan how to spend their retirement - volunteering, traveling, learning, spending more time with family and friends - are going to be far more satisfied than those people who simply look forward to not working.

Speaking of retirement, the Wilson Quarterly devotes much of its current issue to the topic, with illuminating reading on the baby boomer surge signaling our nation's fourth distinct era of retirement; second careers will be eagerly sought by some retirees but a necessity for others. Another article profiles the quite-different governmental programs on retirement in nations as diverse as Sweden and Chile.

Look for a copy of the Wilson Quarterly at major bookstores that carry a large selection of magazines, or call toll-free 1-800-829-5108 to subscribe.

Seniority also has articles on a Palm Beach centenarian who wonders what he will do with himself now that he has retired for the second time, and a look at the continuing impact on seniors displaced by Hurricane Katrina: Their past is not only behind them but also its tangible elements may well be lost, and their future holds little.

----

My column in the March issue, in which I introduced myself, brought letters from many readers. Among the correspondence:

-- Clarence M. "Cork" Friery of Zephyrhills "implored'' me not to rename this magazine Fix Bayonets - my reference to people in the second half of their lives charging forward. Friery, who won two Purple Hearts and the Bronze Star while serving in the Army in Korea, said he had fixed bayonets too often to be amused by that use of the phrase.

-- Leo F. Akey of Clearwater said he worked for Kodak for 33 years in Rochester, N.Y., and had served in World War II. "I'll turn 80 this year, still ride my bike and go camping,'' Akey wrote. "I'm lucky to have lived during this time in history.''

Reflecting on my biography, he added: "62 years sounds so young.''

Other readers wished me good luck in this new Times assignment, which I appreciate receiving. But the communique that brought the biggest smile was a message on my answering machine from my baseball coach at Michigan State, from which I graduated 41 years ago.

Danny Litwhiler's name may be familiar to some longtime baseball fans: He played for the Phillies, Cardinals, Boston Braves and the Reds, from 1940-51, with time out for service during WWII. Playing for the Phillies in 1942, he made the National League All-Star team and became the first major leaguer to play an entire season without making an error. You can see his glove on display in Cooperstown.

After his playing and minor league coaching career, Litwhiler became the head coach at Florida State University, where he produced such greats as Woody Woodward and Dick Howser. Moving on to Michigan State, he coached future All-Stars Kirk Gibson and Steve Garvey.

Now "the Skip'' and his wife, Pat, live in Pasco County. He hopes to make a trip to Philadelphia, where his honor as an All-Star is noted in a plaque at the new stadium.

I'll be up there this summer, Skip, and I hope I get to see it.

Robert N. Jenkins can be reached at 727 893-8496 or jenkins@sptimes.com Send mail to him at: Seniority, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731-1121.

[Last modified April 25, 2006, 08:26:14]