Bonus Years Issues

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Meet a former Navy SEAL who’s a survivor at life’s wars

By Phil Burgess | October 20, 2019

by Phil Burgess, Unabridged from the Life section of the Annapolis Capital, Sunday, October 20, 2019 Last week, I met a guy named James Hatch.  Hatch retired after 25 years and 11 months in the Navy, years he described as like riding on a Speeding Train. James Hatch is also the name you’ll see on…

Dr. Seuss is a great asset to grandparents teaching the young

By Phil Burgess | October 13, 2019

by Phil Burgess, Unabridged from the Life section of the Annapolis Capital, Sunday, October 13, 2019 Most writing about aging holds that one of the great blessings of the bonus years is grandparenting.  Now that we have two granddaughters, with the older turning four and the younger turning two, we share those views. Fortunately, our…

Wisdom that comes with aging must be shared and replenished

By Phil Burgess | October 6, 2019

Over the past decade, Clint Eastwood has presented a provocative profile for aging – both in his personal life and through recent characters he has played in acclaimed films that depict an aging man adapting to a changing culture.  In “Gran Torino” (2008), Eastwood plays a petulant old man and a disgruntled Korean War vet…

There’s no place like home, so make sure it is safe, comfortable

By Phil Burgess | September 22, 2019

by Phil Burgess, Unabridged from the Life section of the Annapolis Capital, Sunday, September 22, 2019 There’s no place like home – and that goes for those in their bonus years as much as for any age group. You would be excused if you thought differently.  After all, most news is about those longer in…

Jailtime, cruise ships provide alternative lifestyles for seniors

By Phil Burgess | September 8, 2019

Readers of a certain age will remember Art Linkletter, the radio and television talk-show pioneer who, for 25 years, hosted the Emmy-winning “House Party” and “People are Funny” broadcasts.  Of his many achievements, Linkletter is perhaps best known for eliciting hilarious and sometimes indiscreet remarks from the mouths of toddlers, preschoolers and even youngsters in…

Journalist John Frece retires to life of writing, grandparenting and advocacy

By Phil Burgess | July 28, 2019

Photo above: from left, John Frece, Nadja Maril, the late journalist Robert “Bob” Timberg and Priscilla Cummings at a reception for the Annie Awards. Frece has built a life in retirement that involves writing, grandparenting and advocacy. (by Don Dement / HANDOUT) When we were younger parents, we found that many of our friends were the…

Group of volunteers preparing for distribution

Volunteer group, led by later-life caregivers, assists homeless population at BWI Airport

By Phil Burgess | June 9, 2019

A few weeks ago, we wrote about Severna Park’s Asbury Community Assistance Network, where bonus years volunteers support individuals and families in crisis, providing food and other services to more than 1,000 people each week. Last week, Rhonda Jackson, retired from Verizon and an uber volunteer for ACAN, and her volunteer husband Linwood, a retired…

A life of service to the ‘seats of power’ does not end when your career ends

By Phil Burgess | January 13, 2019

New Year’s Eve was a dreary day in Annapolis.  It was cold and rainy.  Little did I know that my day would soon be filled with the light of Frank Jones whose uplifting manner and inspiring story could raise the spirits of even a Scrooge or Grinch. It goes like this.  Jones was born in…

Aging is about embracing life’s experiences

By Phil Burgess | December 30, 2018

Pessimists abound.  Especially when it comes to aging. During the holiday period, I was reading a magazine piece on aging where the theme was “so much behind us; so little ahead.”  That caused me to recall another’s definition of “old” as when you cross the tipping point, with fewer years going forward than you’ve already…

Annapolis man turns his setbacks into a comeback

By Phil Burgess | December 18, 2018

Unabridged article from the Life section of the Annapolis Capital, Sunday, December 14, 2018 Last week, Mary Sue and I were ringing bells for the Salvation Army’s red donation kettle located at City Dock by Zachery’s jewelry store in downtown Annapolis. That’s when I first met Steve Rice. Like many others that brisk Monday morning,…