Zooming with the Aces #4 – April 21, 2022
Fred Elder welcomed today’s Class of 1960 Zoomers, who were asked to give their names and locations. New participants summed up their last 60 years in two minutes or less, leaving us hoping to learn more. Then, the hosts for this session, Calvin Ross and Glenna Stearman Park, introduced the topic for today: Thoughts on Turning 80.
April 21 Zoomers
1st Row: Dan Tontz, Fred Elder, Mary (Mert) Lancaster Curtis, Calvin Ross Glenna Stearman Park. 2nd Row: Lee Ayres, Martha Dunlap Bogle, Janice Collins Bailey, Tom Vosper, Marilyn Tompkins Bellert. 3rd Row: David Robinson, Diane Rusch Zinn, Gerry Fry, Skip Granger, Linda Soderberg McKay. 4th Row – Perry Ann Porter, Pearline Blackmon, and (not pictured) Margo Looney Watkins.
What follows is a summary, not a transcript, of our conversation on April 21.
New Participants
Janice Collins Bailey – Janice said she spent much of her life after high school trying to keep up with husband John Bailey, ’60. She has a daughter and a granddaughter, both now teachers. After graduating from Colorado College in Colorado Springs, she earned an M.A. in Child Development at Kansas State and taught there for six years while John earned his Ph.D. in nuclear engineering. They moved around the country with John’s jobs and then came back Wichita. When John started to work for the Wolf Creek facility, they lived in Emporia for 20 years. While there, Janice earned an M.S. in School Counseling at Emporia State. After John’s death in 2004, she moved back to Wichita to be close to her daughter and granddaughter. A frequent contributor to the 1960 website, Janice wrote most recently about her Memories of Winter in Wichita.
Margo Looney Watkins – After East, Margo earned two bachelors’ degrees and a masters in Human Resources. She went on to serve
with the American Red Cross in Vietnam for thirteen months and also worked in Iran for five years and Saudi Arabia for six years. She was married for twenty-three years and now lives in Wichita in her mother’s house. Margo said, “Now I’m getting old, so I’m sitting down.” She commented that she learned a lot in Iran, so when she moved to Saudi Arabia, there wasn’t anything new. “When I think back, I have to laugh because I feel that the US treated both countries better then than now. When I was there, everything was fine.” Martha Dunlap Bogle asked about her experiences in Iran during the 1979 revolution that overthrew the Shah of Iran. Margo laughed and said, “I watched Khomeini land at the airport. I’ve got a lot of stories about how we got out of the country.” Her human resources background earned her a manager’s position with Royal Caribbean and that meant many cruises and extensive traveling. Editor’s Note: Margo said she was thinking of writing some of her stories. We are looking forward to them!
Tom Vosper – An ardent follower of our East website, Tom checks it daily. He loves the stories and gets a big case of nostalgia when he reads it. He encouraged everyone to write for the website. After East, he attended K-State, and joined the swim team there, but didn’t remain. His stint at WSU was also brief. For 50 years, he was a salesman for air conditioner products in states across the midwest. He’s married to Donna Wilcox, ’62, has two daughters, but no grandchildren. Looking at the world today, he thinks that might not be a bad thing, He enjoys remembering being good friends with John Bailey, Janice’s spouse, David Robinson, Dan Tontz, and Gerald Fry. A regular contributor of great stories for the website, Tom is working on something that he hopes will inspire more of us to become 1960 website authors.
Thoughts on Turning 80
Calvin Ross introduced the topic by suggesting two questions: 1) What have you done that has been a key factor in reaching 80? 2) What is your highest hope for the next decade?
Skip Granger – To celebrate his birthday on June 30, he is going to go to City of Lost Wages (Vegas) with his family and best friends. Last Tuesday the 19th, was a special day for him: the 50th anniversary of his first date with Mary Ann and also the day his PT took him to the swimming pool for the first time in several months. He recently participated in a Sigma NU sleep seminar, where he learned that the best sleep comes in 3-4 hour segments. At this point, Alexa stopped Skip who had one more thing to say: he is happy to be 79 1/2. Skip wrote about his most recent adventures on the way to his 80th birthday. See “On Turning 80, Part 1.”
Janice Collins Bailey – She is looking forward to being 80, as she has noticed people who say they are 80 + receive more help and sympathy from others than do people in their 70’s. Technology is a challenge for her. She doesn’t understand or like it. “I asked my children for a watch to count my steps, and it didn’t work. Barb Hammond suggested I wear it on my ankle. That worked; it counted my steps. But it was hard to tell the time with it on my ankle. ” Her walking is primarily to walk her dog and going frequently out to her garage where she keeps quilting supplies that she uses throughout the day. She asked for the step-counting watch because she was curious to know how many steps she takes each day. Otherwise, she has told her family not to buy her any technology devices even if she asks for them. (We noticed that she used Zoom efficiently!)
David Robinson – He doesn’t feel 80. “We don’t seem 80. We are full of life and connecting with people.” David is
nominating himself and Barb Hammond for King and Queen of the Prom. They are working together on writing a website story about revitalization projects happening in downtown Wichita. Before a walking tour of downtown, they planned for lunch together on Good Friday. How they would know each other? David would bring his yearbook and told Barb he would buy lunch if she would wear bunny ears. As David waited, yearbook in hand, a woman walked up to him, took bunny ears from her bag and put them on. Barb commented that if he was surprised, he didn’t know her very well. The restaurant owner comped their lunch. Barb thought the reason was, “He feels sorry for old people.” They had a good walk and are working on a story. David said that he loves being reconnected with classmates. David’s thoughts about 80 as a lucky number are in “On Turning 80, Part 2.”
Lee Ayres – First, Lee attested to Tom Vosper’s being a great conversationalist. “When I flew in to Omaha to visit the National Arbor Day facility, he kindly drove me from the airport and we talked constantly all the way.” Tom laughed and did not disagree. On being 80, Lee commented, getting here all starts with good genes. Thanks to his mom, he has them. He also spends time outside daily with gardening and other activities. Plus, he and Shelley always try to end the day with a good laugh. His high hope for the next decade is to see the Republican Party return to being the party of Abraham Lincoln. Among Lee’s many contributions to this website are playlists of music that will make you feel young. See “Lee’s Playlist: Hits of the 50’s and 60’s,” “Great Hits of the 50’s,” and “Playlist: Finale.”
Dan Tontz – Talking about being 80? Dan is looking forward to his 90’s. Both of his parents lived into their 90’s, and his great-grandmother in Pratt lived to 101. He finds tragedy in all those obits on the website. At reunions, he always checked the In Memoriam list for his name, in case there had been a mistake. We are all here and can think ahead and be positive. Our classmates found very moving Dan’s story about his Dad’s Survival when his ship was sunk by Kamikazes at Guadalcanal.
Glenna Stearman Park – In phone conversations with her sister who is 88, Glenna could not get interested in talking about her sister’s down-sizing. Glenna shared her anxiety about how to find good homes for her books and artwork, but decided not to waste her time trying to make decisions. She says her boys are welcome to use a flame thrower on her house or to pack up her things, because she is not going to. She can’t stand to give away any books. Many are on her shelves and others remain in boxes, but to discard them seems like an act of irreverence. She reads several books a month, everything from politics and history to fiction. Her art is her passion and therapy. She is happy that her sister, a potter, is also now focused on making art. “It’s a lovely way to live.” She hopes that some of her art will be given to her children’s offspring, with the advice to save it for Antiques Roadshow. Glenna concluded with, “I don’t care if I am 80 or 90. Whatever we do, we have to keep a sense of humor and go after anything that looks like fun.” Glenna recounts her decision against downsizing in “Retirement? Downsizing? Not for me.”
Perry Ann Porter – When she turned 77, she liked that number and decided to to remain 77 for five years. She is still 77, no matter what anyone says. Perry also likes to find people who were born on the same day she was. So far, she has met 47 people in Kitsap County who share her birthday. She finished with, “I’m 77 and don’t care how old others are.” Look for Perry Ann’s story about her Peace Corps experience, Ants in Belize, coming on Friday, April 29.
Gerald Fry – First and foremost, he wants to spend more time with his grandchildren. He is actively training for the World Senior Games. “The competition becomes easier in the advancing age groups, and in my 90’s, it will be even better.” He has a number of writing projects to complete, including two books on reverse aging. His extensive travel plans to exotic places include Pitcairn Island, French Polynesia, and Bhutan, the “Land of Happiness.” Watch for Gerry’s book recommendations, coming soon on this website. He talked about his Plan for My 80’s in “On Turning 80, Part 1”
Mary (Mert) Lancaster Curtis – About downsizing, Mert says she is always trying to get rid of something. She invites
her grandkids to walk through the house and pick up anything they want. If she is finished with it, they can have it. One of her granddaughters asked if she had some “really old” things. Mert said yes, of course, thinking of relics from the 1920s and 30s. Her granddaughter was actually look for Mid-Century furniture. Mert commented that “old is a matter of your own age.”
Margo Looney – :Old age is not for sissies,” Margo says. During the past six months, she has had shingles, had gout, fell and couldn’t get up.
Tom Vosper – “I don’t feel old and I’m sure my brain is not 80. My wrists and ankles are the same diameter now. I have skinny ankles. They look like lawn darts. But I’m feeling pretty good.” Tom lives on a walking trail and had been wondering if he could still run. Yes, he can. Not as fast, but he can do it. He said he could not play as many sports as Gerald Fry. Tom doesn’t know of any issues that will take him out right away. His wife is also healthy and they are very happy. Calvin asked if Tom had gone back to swimming. He tried it at a local pool and thought he would drown. In fact, he doesn’t know if he can swim any more. In return he asked if Calvin was still pitching the shot. Answer? No, Calvin’s shot is getting rusty on the shelf.
Martha (Marti) Dunlap Bogle – “I’m still here.”
Linda Soderberg McKay – “I’m just glad I’m here to celebrate my 80th birthday.” Her goal is to get her whole family
together in California for her birthday August 27. That will include 15 grandkids with three spouses, plus three daughters and their husbands. She is really trying to decide what to do for her next decade. The craziest thing she wants to do is to take her grandkids to the Normandy beaches in France. “I worry that our young people don’t have a sense of history.” She says she is buying lottery tickets to fund the trip. She also wants to get into a walking group and to start writing. (Fred Elder commented that we can help with the need to write!) She has downsized once before moving to a condo and now needs to downsize again. Unfortunately, younger people don’t seem to be interested in old things. Linda has been told that she has a positive attitude, even when she shouldn’t, which she thinks keeps her going. She commented that laughing at your mistakes is a big help. She calls old age “The Patching Chapter.”
Linda’s writing for the website includes a remembrance of cheerleader Vicki Pettit’s role as an advocate, “A Step Toward Equality.”
Pearline Blackmon – Pearline is looking forward to a national meeting next month in Florida of United Women in Faith, previously United Methodist Woman. She has been very active in this organization and held leadership positions for years. Like many of us, she has surgeries coming up, but she is still hanging in there. She will have knee surgery next summer, but she is still walking and still talking. She enjoys her bowling league. The oldest lady in the league has the highest average and is 93. Another is 90. Pearline says she keeps busy and just keeps hanging in there. She says her dog, who wakes her up in the morning and let’s her know when it’s bedtime, is keeping her going. 
Marilyn Tompkins Bellert – “My family is full of centenarians, so I figure I’m just getting started. I have ignored my birthdays for decades, but I am looking forward to celebrating, instead of ignoring, my 80th in August.” Here’s Marilyn’s favorite goofy birthday anthem: Beatles Birthday Song.
Diane Rusch Zinn – Like Skip, Diane says she is 79 and 1/2. She hopes to keep doing what she has been doing, but to see more of her family. She is also hoping to travel more. “We have had a healthy life, eating well and exercising. And we are looking forward to more.”
Fred Elder – “I am looking forward to 80 being my springboard to a healthy 90!”
Fred’s most recent website stories chronicled three cycling trips in Europe. See The Danube River by Bike, 1997; 2012; 2015
Calvin Ross joined Marilyn, Fred, and Diane in encouraging everyone to write their stories for the website. Calvin quoted a writer who said that “Every story begins with ‘and’ and ends with ‘and.'” Each story generates more, so keep on writing.
Join us for the next Zoom,#5, on May 19 at 2:00 PM, CDT.
A lot of vitality!