Bonus Years Institutions
July 4th gives voice to the ideas of America across generations
Today, we celebrate the Fourth of July, one of our nation’s favorite holidays. Measured by holiday air and automobile travel statistics, travel for Independence Day is rivaled only by Thanksgiving and exceeded only by the Christmas-New Years’ holiday, a time that, in some years, overlaps with the eight-day Jewish celebration of Hanukkah, helping to boost…
Read MorePlant a tree, water a flower, trim a perennial and change the world
Adm. William McRaven, a retired four-star and Navy SEAL – and retired Chancellor of the University of Texas System – used his commencement speech to the UT-Austin Class of 2014, to advise, “If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.” McRaven, who directed the 2011 raid that killed Osama bin…
Read MoreThere’s no stopping the Showstoppers, not even the coronavirus
Three years ago, I dropped in on the South County Senior Center in Edgewater just to see what was going on. Though I was familiar with the Wiley Bates senior center in Annapolis – an impressive place with many benefits, from history and art classes to hot lunches, for area seniors – the south county…
Read MoreThe American Thanksgiving is likely to be different this year
Michael Lindell is a friend of mine. I’m not talking about Minnesota’s Michael Lindell who is seen daily on TV promoting “My Pillow” – the one with the Giza cotton. I’m talking about Michael Lindell, the Australian cartoonist, the one who signs his work “Mikko”. During the nearly four years I lived in Australia (2005-08),…
Read MoreBerkman’s “lifequake” sent him on a mission to end prison slavery
Just when everything seems to be going smoothly, life sometimes hits you in the head with a brick: cancer, a heart attack or other life-threatening illness; the loss of a loved one; a business failure or financial crisis; a physical disability, depression or other mental health challenge. Most of us have had our share of…
Read MoreInter-generational signs of civility give hope for a future without demonizing
Some years ago, I remember a Today Show interview with an age 60+ grandmother who loved to ride her Harley. She and her husband had planned a motorcycle trip around America, but he passed unexpectedly, so she did it herself. Thousands of miles. Mostly on state and county roads. When asked, “What about your trip…
Read MoreFrom WWII island hopping and the A-bomb to surgeon, civic leader, centenarian
This article was originally published with the title “Phil Burgess: World War II vet says Truman’s decision to use A-bomb saved U.S. lives”. Thursday marked the 75th anniversary of the first wartime use of an atomic weapon when, on August 6, 1945, the US bombed the Japanese port city of Hiroshima. Today is also a…
Read MoreThe Navy and Rotary are bookends of a life serving others
Like many others in their bonus years, my K-12 years were marked by the Cold War between the US and the former Soviet Union, which included a nuclear arms race and later the space race. This stirred my interest in national security policy, which led to a 30-year career as a professor teaching national security…
Read MoreWith increasing longevity, boomers are the first ‘older generation’
Oliver Brown, age 62, lives in Newcomb, Maryland, located on the Miles River between Easton and St. Michaels. Because of increasing longevity among Americans – adding more than 30 years during the last century – Brown, an aging boomer by most standards, considers himself a “proud member of the first, new, older generation”. There’s a…
Read MoreEngineer who helped US subs run silent also plays accordion
After reading last week’s Bonus Years column on assisted living and other types of senior housing that have developed over the years, Annapolitan Dick Schoeller gave me a call. “Hey, Phil,” he said, “I read your column today. I took a different path. We should talk.” Anytime I get a call from Dick Schoeller I…
Read MoreNew assisted living and memory care choices come to Annapolis
Over the years, we’ve been treated to many expert forecasts that have turned out to be wrong. Among the most flagrant were forecasts after the 1970 Census about the coming “grey tsunami” and how the rapid growth of aging Americans would overwhelm everything – from housing to hospitals. Well, the “grey tsunami” part happened. The…
Read MoreRe-opening advances as knowledge of the pandemic grows
“If you like laws and sausages, you should never watch either one being made.” Those in their bonus years, who went to school before “modern” history books, will be familiar with this laconic but also profound observation. It’s often credited to German Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck – the celebrated 19th century general and political leader who created…
Read MoreIt’s good that the re-opening pace is in the hands of governors, right?
One of many privileges of reaching your bonus years is your ability, occasionally, to use aging as an excuse for curmudgeonly behavior. That’s good because the coronavirus pandemic and the way it’s discussed by experts in the media – including many “pretend experts” – has brought out the curmudgeon in me. One of the things…
Read MoreWe’re all in the same boat; it’s called ‘Gen V’ – for Generation Virus
Last week, the US President and the White House Coronavirus Task Force issued federal guidelines for states to follow to re-open the nation’s economy. This decision caught the attention of many – especially grassroots Americans and those in their bonus years, i.e., those most likely to die from the coronavirus if they are infected. This…
Read MoreWhen in doubt, consult wisdom based on decades of experience
The coronavirus is hitting older Americans harder than any other age cohort. Older Americans are vulnerable because many have pre-existing conditions that make them susceptible to the disease. Some infection data show, for example, that a 76-year-old is 20 times more likely than a 36-year-old to die from COVID-19. Many others cannot isolate themselves because,…
Read MoreDr. Fauci’s knowledge and authority show value of age and experience in pandemic management and messaging
How old is old? After spending another week in isolation but observing the daily reports of the White House coronavirus task force – and especially the remarkable leadership of Dr. Anthony Fauci (age 79), the public face of the federal government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic – it’s noteworthy that people aren’t questioning the advanced…
Read MoreLife is enriched when we carry life-long interests into retirement
As Dr. Seuss might have said, last week was special, special-er than most, because I got to meet Captain Brian Hope. Hope, born on Thanksgiving Day in 1943 in Lowell, Massachusetts, is a man of many talents honed during 76 circumnavigations of the Sun – and many more around the waters of the Chesapeake Bay…
Read MoreAging father retires to help enrich the life of disabled son
Last week it was my privilege to get to know Bobby Villares, age 62, and his son, Gabe, age 24 – and to learn about Langton Green, a hidden jewel in our community. First, the people. Gabe is on the autism spectrum and lives at home with his parents, where his retired father is also…
Read MoreA visit from England brings memories into view
Remembrances. Reflections. Recollections. Time for musings is clearly a benefit of the bonus years. With each passing year, our life experiences pile up. Some we want to forget, especially memories of those times we got in the way of good judgment. But most memories are rooted in positive anecdotes, rich tales or experiences that tell…
Read MoreThere’s no place like home, so make sure it is safe, comfortable
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…
Read MoreLater-life gardeners create, maintain lovely gardens at Ginger Cove
by Phil Burgess, Unabridged from the Life section of the Annapolis Capital, Sunday, September 15, 2019 “Sublime” is not a word I use very often. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever used it. And a Google graphic tells me I’m not alone because it shows that use of the word sublime has seriously declined…
Read MoreJailtime, cruise ships provide alternative lifestyles for seniors
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…
Read MoreVolunteer group, led by later-life caregivers, assists homeless population at BWI Airport
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…
Read MoreAs we grow older, some things wear out – and that’s just fine
“It’s better to wear out than rust out” is the underlying theme of most of our bonus years stories. It’s also how I think about my own bonus years. I’ve learned that continuing engagement in paid work, volunteer work and other kinds of productive activities is the surest path to a longer, healthier and more…
Read MoreA life of service to the ‘seats of power’ does not end when your career ends
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…
Read MoreAnnapolis man turns his setbacks into a comeback
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,…
Read MoreThanksgiving, fall’s finale, is just around the corner
Thursday next is Thanksgiving – first proclaimed by George Washington in 1789 and formally established as a national holiday by Abraham Lincoln in 1863. None of us should need a special day to count our blessings or express gratitude. Still, Thanksgiving is a special American celebration – dating back to the Pilgrims’ landing in Massachusetts…
Read MoreA mission to repair the world does not end with retirement
Places like Myrtle Beach and Wilmington, North Carolina are names familiar to most of us – especially after their recent bashing by hurricane Florence. But if you travel about 300 miles to the west of these well-known coastal communities – to the foothills of the Blue Ridge – you will find Lenoir, a North Carolina…
Read MoreRetirement, for some, is an opportunity to keep on serving
(Dick Libby, of Annapolis, officiated at the Kirkin’ o’ the Tartan at Washington National Cathedral in 2010, 50 years after he had been ordained there as an Episcopal priest. [Capital Gazette]) Poet Robert Browning talked to us about “…the last of life for which the first was made.” For some, the link between the first…
Read MoreAging gives us new eyes to see people, issues and events
Our first Bonus Years column appeared on June 3, 2012. That was six years and 200 columns ago. Our aim was to write a column a week. That should add to 312. What happened to the other 112? Answer: We do our storytelling as a labor of love, so it competes with other affections –…
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