Generation Boomer Magazine - Summer/Fall 2019

Summer/Fall 2019

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Boomers

Moving Forward

And Moving Forward we are, with this edition of Generation Boomer exploring what life will bring as we move into the second half years. Just because we are getting older does not mean we have to do it alone. The best times in life involve being engaged with friends and family, but best of all being in tune with ourselves. “You can have a great old age, but you need to work at it,” explains NCOA President James Firman. And he is right!

Celebrate yourself.

It is often perplexing how our opinion of age changes once we get there. The Boomer Generation has made great strides in changing the concept of old age when we look back on the previous generation. But are we really that different? Perhaps the concept of old age is all about perception, and this generation definitely feels younger that the last. Much of how we feel boils down to lifestyle, and making sure we are our best selves.

Old City Baltimore Part of holding age at bay is enjoying activities. The best of afternoons is lunch at The Stone House, on Plumb and Arlington.

Each year that passes, this restaurant seems to surpass itself in quality. If you haven’t had a chance to dine at The Stone House, get yourself over there while the weather is nice for the outside dining experience - because it is so much fun.

Speaking of fun, travel is just about the best. I recently spent a few days in Baltimore, Maryland. Baltimore is a great city to visit.

From the historic aspects of visiting Fort McHenry National Park to venturing down to Fell’s Point, this harbor community is exciting and full of energy. And if venturing overseas is more to your liking, Travel with the Wright’s Down Argentine Way. It is always great to see how the other half lives.

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Boomer Timetable

1940s-1950s

1960s-1970s

1945: Soldiers come home after WWII to make babies at the rate of one every eight seconds over the next two decades.

1975: U.S. evacuates from Vietnam. South Vietnamese government surrenders.

1946: Dr. Benjamin Spock’s “Baby and Child Care,” published. Parents get the okay to become emotionally involved with their children.

1947: Jackie Robinson joins the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaks the color barrier in major league baseball.

1948: The “Kensey Report” on sexual behavior in the human male is published.

1951: Disc jockey Alan Freed coins the term rock ‘n’ roll.

1977: “Star Wars”” opens. Legions of faithful Jedis follow.

1980: John Lennon shot and killed in New York. IBM PC introduced, business boots up. Pac-Man introduced, takes arcade games to a new level.

1981: The CDC publishes report on AIDS epidemic.

1983: Chrysler Minivan introduced. Soccer moms abandon station wagons. Newsweek declares 1983 “the year of the yuppie.”

1952: “Bandstand” begins its long run on TV.

1985: Bob Geldof spearheads Live Aid concerts, raising over $100 million to fight famine in Africa.

1954: Supreme Court deems racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of Education.

1986: The space shuttle Challenger explodes after liftoff.

1955: Elvis Presley ushers in a new age of rock ‘n’ roll with “That’s All Right.”

1959: WHAM-O introduces the first Frisbee.

1960: Birth control pill approved for sale by the FDA.

1989: Berlin Wall falls, leading to the reunification of East and West Germany.

1991: Persian Gulf War liberates Kuwait.

1992: Riots erupt in Los Angeles after jury acquits policemen of beating Rodney King.

1993: Branch Davidian compound burned down near Waco, Texas.

1962: Cuban Missile Crisis – Pres. Kennedy decides not to attack Soviet missiles in Cuba, 1995: Truck bomb explodes outside federal avoids nuclear war. building in Oklahoma City. O.J. Simpson trail captivates a nation.

1968: North Vietnam launches the Tet Offensive.

1998: Viagra hits the shelves.

1969: Neil Armstrong becomes the first man 1999: Shootings at Columbine High School. to walk on the moon.

Clinton’s impeachment trail ends without a conviction.

1970: Four students killed at Kent State by National Guardsmen during protest against 2000: Bush wins election after Florida vote the Vietnam War. recount.

1972: Break-in at the Democratic National Committee’s headquarters leads to Nixon’s resignation two years later.

2001: Attack on World Trade Center.

2006: First Boomers turn 60.

The Boomer Century 1946-2046 (www.pbs.org/boomercentury)

20th-21st

Century America 1883-1900 (18 years) The Lost Generation was a term originally used to identify a group of American literary expatriates living in Paris in the 1920s and 1930s; it is now used more generally to describe the generation of young people who came of age in the U.S. during and shortly after WWI. Very few Americans from this generation are currently alive.

1901-1924 (24 years) The G.I. Generation, the generation of veterans that fought and won WWII, later to become the Establishment, and the parents of children who would later become the Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964). Journalist Tom Brokaw dubbed this the Greatest Generation in a 1998 book of that name.

1925-1945 (20 years) The Silent Generation was the generation born between the two World Wars, who were too young too join the service when WWII started. Many had fathers who served in WWI. 1946-1954 (8 years) The Baby Boomers (Boom Generation) were the generation born just after WWII, a time that included a 14-year increase in birthrates worldwide. Baby Boomers in their teen and college years were characteristically part of the 1960s counterculture, but later became more conservative.

1955-1964 (9 years) Generation Jones was the heretofore-lost generation between the Boomers and GenXers, which has emerged now as a bona fide distinct generation. The election of Barack Obama to the U.S. Presidency created significantly increased awareness of this generation as many prominent sources referred to Obama as specifically a member of Generation Jones.

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GB JUNE CONTENTS

OUTLOOK Independence Doesn’t Mean Going It Alone

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Is Medicaid a Good Long-Term Care Option?

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Could the ACA Really Go Away?

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Top Five Consumer Financial Complaints in the U.S.

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OUR GENERATION Boomer Timetable

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Seven Steps to Plan Joyful Retirements

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Why Your Perception of ‘Old’ Changes As You Age

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Caregivers’ Lifestyles Ahead of Pending “Silver Tsunami”

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Caregivers Compromises to Care for Aging Parents

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GOOD TASTE The Stone House

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TRAVEL Old City Baltimore

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The Wright Way to Travel: Down Argentine Way

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LEISURE Boomer Calendar

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Truckee River Rafting

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Baker’s Dozen, Plus One More

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The VOICES

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Nevada Historical Society

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Engelbert Humperdinck

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OUTLOOK

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INDEPENDENCE From Editorial Doesn’t Mean

By: Dan Reiner

National Council on Aging

Going It Alone

Doing things for ourselves makes us proud. For our whole lives, we’re told to work hard, try new things, and stay busy. This is all part of how we demonstrate our personal independence. But as we age, our bodies (and budgets) change. Our understanding of independence must change along with them.

to preserving our independence with people we trust.

Knowing we have help makes all of aging’s twists and turns easier to navigate.

It’s okay to admit that’s intimidating! Acknowledging these concerns to ourselves gives us clear goals. Expressing these concerns to our loved ones puts us on a path

Set yourself up for success by knowing who you’re comfortable asking for help. Encourage yourself to ask more

Asking for help isn’t weakness: Help comes in many forms. Maybe a friend recommends a benefits program that makes your budget bigger. Your grandchild might Eighty percent of Americans aged 65 or older have at do your shopping when you’re unable to. Or perhaps Steve Reynolds least one chronic condition. A majority of us are worried your doctor proactively suggests a tai chi class to build BEYOND MAGAZINE 2016 about whether we’ll have enough money to last through your strength and balance. Each of these things would retirement. These issues affect our wallets, our routines, protect your independence, but be honest: would you and sometimes our ability to enjoy what makes us happy. react to each one the same way? It’s worth considering In short, they threaten our independence. why.

(Independence page 8)

Your Money Your Health

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Is Medicaid a good Toni King

Long-Term Care Option?

Toni, I have a friend who just received a bill from the state of Texas for his mother’s Medicaid nursing home care. No one informed him that Medicaid (the State of Texas) was running a tab of the entire healthcare that Medicaid paid and would take his mother’s house.

Now Medicaid wants to be reimbursed for over $125,000 that was spent for his mother’s care and her expensive prescriptions.

Stan recently received a document from MERP saying that Medicaid wants the money used for her care back because his mother owned the house that he lives in.

Thanks Abe from Richmond, TX Abe: Americans should know about the MERP (Medicaid Estate Recovery Program). At the Toni Says office, we consult with confused adult children that are shocked when they find out their state has taken a lien on their parent’s house because of long-term care healthcare cost that the specific state paid for.

I am sure your friend was astonished to find out that the state of Texas wants its $125K back that was spent for his mother’s Medicaid long-term care/medical.

The care can be at home, assisted living facility, personal care home or in a nursing home. It does not matter when the Medicaid system has paid for the care.

Medicaid can recover ANY and all medical expenses which include any hospital services, prescription drugs and even Medicare cost sharing expenses which are… Medicare premiums (Part A - hospital insurance, Part B – medical insurance), deductibles and coinsurance amounts that the state’s Medicaid has paid.

From Editorial All claims against an estate, including MERP claims, must be paid before the property can be distributed as specified in the legal will. The state does not, however, require an heir to sell the deceased recipient’s homestead (house) if the claim can be paid by other funds.

But if not, then you may have to sell the house, or the state will file a lien against the house.

This is a real surprise when a Medicare beneficiary receives Medicaid LongTerm Care and later the Medicaid recipient’s estate receives notification Steve Reynolds from the state of Texas for a “Notice BEYOND MAGAZINE 2016 of Intent to File a Claim against the Estate.”

In the letter sent to the recipient’s estate it states… “the amount received will not exceed the value of the estate’s assets, if any. If there is no money or assets in the estate, then there is nothing to recover.”

Now…you know how Medicaid’s LongTerm Care services operates. My advice would be to explore all of your options and work out a schedule with family members to take care of your loved one. This way you can protect all that your loved ones have worked so hard to accumulate.

To do list for Medicaid’s Long-Term Care planning: • Explore long-term care options for yourself or an elderly parent/family member while still in decent health to help avoid using Medicaid LTC planning to protect your financial assets.

• Seek the advice of an Elder Care Attorney that can help with proper Medicaid planning. Do proper planning…No one wants their adult kids or grandchildren to be their caregiver and take care of their activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing, bathroom problems, etc.

• Do not rely on advice from well meaning friends who are not experts in the Medicare/Medicaid arena.

If you are still confused and would like to discuss your specific Medicare circumstances either email info@tonisays.com or call 832/519-8664 and the Toni Says® team can help you.

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OUTLOOK

Independence / from page 6 often. Learn about things you’re dealing with now and things you might face later. All that work results in more independence down the road, even if it looks a little different than you might have imagined years ago.

Celebrate your age: NCOA President and CEO James Firman once said: “You can have a great old age, but you need to work at it. Luck and genes are a contributing factor, but you can greatly increase your odds of living long and well by learning the art and science of longevity and by cultivating daily habits like mindfulness, regular exercise, watching what you eat, being kind to others, and constantly learning and growing.”

Independence as we age is found in the new kinds of choices we can make each day. It’s in the differences we choose to make in our communities. It’s in the ways we use our life experience. It’s in the ways we use our time. That’s as exciting as any fireworks show.

Happy boomer enjoying herself exercising.

KHN: What The Health?

Generation Boomer Magazine // Generation4Boomers.com

Could The ACA Really Go Away The Affordable Care Act was back in court again In July — this time before a three-judge panel at the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.

A lower court ruled last December that the entire ACA is now unconstitutional because Congress in its 2017 tax bill eliminated the tax penalty for failing to maintain health insurance. It appeared that two of the three judges — both appointed by Republicans — seemed sympathetic to the arguments made by the plaintiffs, mostly attorneys general from Republican-led states.

include provisions such as allowing adult children to stay on their parents’ plan until age 26 and barring insurers from using annual coverage caps or lifetime limits.

• The legal challenge to the ACA by conservative states is a real threat to the law, but the case could still be resolved in a wide variety of ways. It is likely, however, to be appealed to the Supreme Court at some point.

• The Trump administration’s plan to revamp how kidney patients get care appears to have satisfied many different stakeholders and is being widely hailed — except by the two giant firms that profit from clinic-based kidney dialysis and the status quo.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump on signed an executive order calling for major changes in how the government pays for care for people with kidney disease, including making it financially easier for people to • The administration has had donate kidneys. two setbacks on its efforts to slow the rise in prescription The panelists on KHN’s Podcast are Julie Rovner from drug costs. A court, ruling on Kaiser Health News, Joanne procedural grounds, set aside Kenen of Politico, Kimberly the government’s plan to require drugmakers to add prices Leonard of the Washington Examiner and Alice Miranda to television ads. Also, theSteve Reynolds administration announced is Ollstein of Politico.

BEYONDit MAGAZINE 2016 shelving its rule that consumers get some of the rebates Among the takeaways from from drugmakers that pharmathis podcast: cy benefit managers negotiate • Many people who have employer-based insurance and for insurers. don’t get coverage from the All of these points are signifiACA don’t realize that key cant issues moving forward in protections they now enjoy the healthcare industry. come from that law. These

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OUTLOOK: Faring in Retirement

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Top Five

By: Chris Johnson

Consumer Financial Complaints

Reported Across the U.S.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

2. Mortgages: Problems when you’re unable to pay Among people submitting complaints about their mortgage, a common issue was a problem they encountered when they were unable to make their monthly payment.

If you can’t pay your mortgage, call your loan servicer right away. Your servicer may be willing to help you if you have missed a payment or are about to miss a payment. Use our checklist for more information on how to avoid foreclosure.

3. Credit Reporting: Incorrect information on your credit report While everyone’s personal financial situation is different, many consumers experience similar financial issues. Of the more than 1 million complaints we’ve handledFrom since 2011, the top five types of complaints reported by consumers from all 50 U.S. states and D.C. are: debt collection, mortgages, credit reporting, credit cards, and bank accounts or services. We’re also sharing information you can use if you have issues that are similar to many other consumers.

1. Debt Collection: Facing a debt you don’t owe

Editorial Seventeen percent of complaints we received dealt with credit reporting, with the top issue being incorrect information on credit report. Once you request your credit report, it’s important to know what kind of information you should be looking for as you review them. Some common errors are incorrect account status, identity errors, and balance errors.

If you find an error, you should dispute it so that the error can be investigated. To dispute an error on your credit report, contact both the credit reporting company and the company that provided the information.

Twenty-seven percent of complaints we received were 4. Credit Card: Billing disputes with your about debt collection. Many of those are specifically credit card company Steve Reynolds about repeated attempts to collect a debt the consumer BEYOND did not owe. Here are steps you can take if you’re con- MAGAZINE 2016 tacted about a debt that you don’t owe, that’s not yours, or that you need more information about. We also have sample letters you can use to respond to debt collectors.

Of complaints about credit cards, more than 19,000 complaints were about consumers’ billing disputes with their credit card companies. If you need to dispute a

Boomer Years charge on your bill, let your card issuer know about the problem right away.

You can call the card issuer, but to protect your rights you must also send a written billing error notice to the card issuer within 60 calendar days after the charge appeared on your statement.

5. Bank Account or Service: Account management questions

Ten percent of complaints submitted to the Bureau were about bank accounts or services. Our question-and-answer database covers solutions for common issues, such as avoiding overdraft fees.

Every month the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau handles more than 20,000 complaints. For a breakdown of top issues in a particular state or in D.C., check out the full report at https://www.consumerfinance.gov/aboutus/blog/top-five-consumer-financial-complaints-reported-across-us/. We also have an overview of complaints from servicemembers and older adults.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau regulates the provision of consumer financial products or services under federal consumer financial laws.

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BOOMER CALENDAR • August 15 - The Zen Speaker: Breaking the Silence, 6-8:30 p.m., Amy Ayoub, public speaking coach, Nevada Museum of Art. • August 15 - The Sextones with Chile Verde, West Coast Soul, 4:30 p.m., Live at Lakeview, Summer Music Series, Lakeview Commons.

• August 17 - Hops in the Yard Beer Fest at MontBleu Resort Casino, 1 p.m., 55 Hwy 50, Stateline.

• August 24 - Steve Miller Band, 8 p.m., Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harvey’s, Lake Tahoe.

• August 17 - Tahoe Show - NPC Bodybuilding, Figure, Fitness & Bikini, MontBleu Resort Casino, 55 Hwy 50, Stateline.

• August 24 - Gov’t Mule, 7 p.m., Outdoor Plaza, Harrah’s Reno.

• August 15 - 17 - Australia’s Thunder from Down Under, Vinyl, Hard Rock, 10 p.m., Stateline.

• August 25 - Luke Bryan, 8 p.m., Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harvey’s, Lake Tahoe.

• August 16 - The Isley Brothers, 8 p.m., Silver Legacy.

• August 18 - Sunday Music Brunch: Colin Ross, 10-2 p.m., Chez Louie, Nevada Museum of Art. • August 17 - Lionel Richie, 8 p.m., Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena, Harvey’s, Lake Tahoe.

• August 24 - Femmes of Rock Starring Bella Electric Strings, MontBleu Resort, 8 p.m., Stateline.

• August 18 - Erika Paul, 2-5 p.m., Wild River Grille, relaxing outdoor experience.

Reynolds • August 22 -Steve Molo Green with Boot BEYOND MAGAZINE 2016 Juice, Funk, 4:30 p.m., Live at Lakeview, Lakeview Commons.

• August 23 - Justin Moore, 8 p.m., country music powerhouse, Silver Legacy.

• August 23 - Combat Americas World Championship MMA, 7 p.m., Harveys Lake Tahoe.

• August 28 - Erika Paul - David Aller Duo, 6-9 p.m., Wild River Grille.

• August 29 - J Ras + The Higher Elevation with Mike Rae + Taking Root, Reggae Roots, Live at Lakeview, 4:30 p.m.

• August 30 - Kurt Elling, 7:30 p.m., Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts, jazz vocalist accompanied by 18-piece Reno Jazz Orchestra, tickets start at $32.

BOOMER CALENDAR

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• August 30 - Roberto Tapia, 8:30 p.m., Norteno and Banda music, Silver Legacy.

• August 30 - Pam Tillis and Lorrie Morgan, 8 p.m., Atlantis Ballroom.

• August 30 - 31 - Terry Parrett, Hypno Reality Show, Vinyl, Hard Rock, Stateline.

• August 31 - Extreme Midget Wrestling, MontBleu Resort, 8 p.m., Stateline.

• September 1 - Bohemian Rhapsody, 6 p.m., Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena, Harvey’s, Stateline.

• September 1 - Alan Tam, 8 p.m., Hong Kong singer, Reno Events Center.

• September 1 - Chris Isaak, 6:30 p.m., Grand Sierra Resort, Grand Theatre.

• September 3 - The New York Bee Gees, 8 p.m., Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts, Tribute Show to the Bee Gees, tickets start at $45.

• September 6 - MercyMe, 7 p.m., Christian music, Reno Events Center.

• September 14 - Ghost - The Band, 7:30 p.m, Reno Events Center.

• September 6 - Dave Matthews Band, 8 p.m., Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harvey’s, Lake Tahoe.

• September 14 - Carlos Mencia, 8 p.m., comedian, Silver Legacy.

• September 6 - Ron White, 7 p.m., comedian, Silver Legacy’s Grande Exposition Hall.

• September 15 - Los Lonely Boys, South Shore Room at Lake Tahoe, Stateline.

• September 3 - Senior Fest 2019 - Reno Town Mall, 9-2 p.m., inside and outside parking, information and resources, entertainment, food, free.

• September 3 - JP Sears, 8 p.m., comedian, Silver Legacy.

• September 15 - Gary Clark Jr., 6:30 p.m., Grand Sierra Resort, Grand Theatre.

• September 20 - Diana Krall, 7:30 p.m., Grand Sierra Resort, Grand Theatre.

• September 6 - Patti LaBelle, 7:30 p.m., Grand Sierra Resort, Grand Theatre.

• September 7 - Juanes, 6:30 p.m., Grand Sierra Resort, Grand Theatre.

• September 12 - Daryl Hall & John Oates, 8 p.m., Reno Events Center.

• September 13 - Deep Purple, 7:30 p.m., Grand Sierra Resort, Grand Theatre.

• September 13 - Duran Duran, 8 p.m., Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harvey’s, Lake Tahoe.

• September 21 - The Australian Pink Floyd Show, 8 p.m., Silver Legacy’s Grande Exposition Hall.

• September 21 and 22 - A.V.A. Ballet Theatre, and the Reno Phil present Peter Plan, Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts, tickets start at $29, Sept.

21, 8 p.m.; Sept. 22, 2 p.m.

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• September 27 - Rob Thomas, 7:30 p.m., Grand Sierra Resort, Grand Theatre.

• September 28 - Hanson, South Shore Room, Harrah’s Lake Tahoe, Stateline.

• October 11 - Engelbert Humperdinck, 8 p.m., Silver Legacy.

• October 11 - Godsmack, 7:30 p.m., Grand Sierra Resort, Grand Theatre.

BOOMER CALENDAR • October 19 - Theory of a Deadman, South Shore Room, Harrah’s Lake Tahoe, Stateline.

• October 19 - Jerry Seinfeld, 7 p.m., Reno Events Center.

• October 2 - Van Morrison, 6:30 p.m., Grand Sierra Resort, Grand Theatre.

• October 19 - 20 - Grand Sierra Beer & Chili Festival, noon doors open, casino.

• October 4 - America, 8 p.m., Silver Legacy.

• October 22 - For King and Country, 7 p.m., Reno Events Center.

• October 4 - Paul Anka, 7:30 p.m., Grand Sierra Resort, Grand Theatre.

• October 12 - Tony Danza, 8 p.m., Silver Legacy.

• October 12 - Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, 6:30 p.m., Grand Sierra Resort, Grand Theatre.

• October 15 - Vivamomix, 7:30 p.m., Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts, a company of dancer-illusionists founded and directed by Moses Pendleton, tickets start at $27.

• October 5 - Sammy Hagar & The Wabos, South Shore Room, Harrah’s Lake Tahoe, Stateline.

• October 17 - Tyler The Creator, 7 p.m., Reno Events Center.

• October 5 - The Experience Hendrix Tour, 8 p.m., featuring Joe Satriani, Dweezil Zappa, Jonny Lang, Ana Popovic, and more, Silver Legacy.

• October 26 - Double Dare Live, 8 p.m., Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts. hosted by Marc Summers, the messiest game show on the road.

• October 26 - Rick Springfield: Stripped Down, South Shore Room, Harrah’s Lake Tahoe, Stateline.

• October 26 - Tenacious D, 6:30 p.m., Grand Sierra Resort, Grand Theatre.

• October 5 - Society of Seven, combines a night of comedy and celebrity impersonations, 8 p.m., Atlantis Ballroom.

• October 5 and 6 - The Dawn of Beethoven, the Classix Series, Reno Phil, Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts, Oct. 5, 7:30 p.m.; Oct. 6, 4 p.m., tickets start at $33.

• October 25 - David Brighton’s Space Oddity, the ultimate David Bowie experience, 8 p.m., Atlantis Ballroom.

• October 18 - J Balvin, 6:30 p.m., Grand Sierra Resort, Grand Theatre.

• October 19 - Benise - Fuego!, 8 p.m., Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts, features Benise, “The Prince of Spanish Guitar,” tickets start at $40.70.

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Truckee River Rafting Rafting down the Truckee River in the summer is one of the more popular hot weather activities in northern Nevada.

While thousands set out to take the plunge, rafting down the Truckee is not for the faint of heart.

The Truckee River looks calm enough but there are many fast currents that can turn a great experience into something more scary. An occasional jagged rock hiding just below the waters surface can be painful to the back and buttocks. Well prepared enthusiasts know exactly how to avoid dangerous spots, and make the days rafting trip an awesome experience during the hottest of days.

If you are rafting with an inter tube, be sure to check the air.

There is nothing worse than losing air midway through the downstream float. Also make sure you do not go alone, or too late in the day when the sunset can leave you in dark shadows.

Many experienced rafters enjoy traveling in groups, often tying floating devises together, and packing a cooler. There is nothing worse than a hot sun, and lack of water to quench your

thirst. Also be sure to plan spots where you can safely leave the water and head for shore. Once you start down stream being prepared for the worse is always a good idea.

A great place to end your trip is Wingfield Park, where there is parking and plenty of areas to grab a bite to eat.

For advanced rafters, Sierra Adventures offers scenic and challenging Truckee River whitewater rafting. Trips take you through some of the most scenic stretches of the Truckee.

Bring the family or thrill-seeking friends for major fun.

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My Generation

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Can Take Steps Baby Boomers Joyful Retirements to Plan

In Retirement Your Way, the authors share their unique CHOICES roadmap of deciding what to let go, what to add, and what to keep in your new life.

Every day, 10,000 baby boomers join the ranks of retired people. But unlike previous generations, they are more likely to bring to their Next Chapters more passion, more talent, and more energy than generations that came before them. It is for this group of people and their younger cohorts, that Authors Gail McDonald and Marilyn Bushey have written Retirement Your Way: The No-Stress Roadmap for Designing Your Next Chapter. The two have dubbed themselves Retirement Rebels—people

who are searching for a more fulfilling path to their future in which they reinvent retirement.

“In a nutshell, our book is about questioning the assumptions that many of us hold about retirement and expanding the possibilities that we envision,” McDonald says.

McDonald and Bushey, both executive coaches, have been thinking about their own future lives. They interviewed friends, colleagues and acquaintances to develop their unique, seven-step CHOICES Roadmap containing the conversations people should have to plot their course.

“What we have found,” Bushey says, “is

that we have many more lifestyle choices than we may have expected and that the retirement journey is also likely to be a more emotional journey than people would imagine. Our choices often boil down to what we let go, what we add and what we keep in our lives.”

In an interview, McDonald and Bushey talk about: • What are the six lifestyle categories people tend to epitomize and why is knowing about them useful in retirement planning?

• What are some of the seven essential steps for achieving a satisfying Next Chapter?

• What aspect of their research surprised them most?

• Are there any retirement rules left to break?

Authors Gail McDonald and Marilyn Bushey have helped thousands of leaders make significant improvements in their ability to lead, build relationships, and enhance their self-fulfillment. Retirement Your Way is their first book and was born out of conversations they have been having in advance of their own Next Chapters.

Movie Goers

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Baker's Dozen, Plus One More By: Janet Ross

Inspector Morse, John Thaw.

How about thirteen television series worth watching – again, or for the first time?

Add to that one movie and you’ll be set for weeks of viewing, all without using any data to stream. A trip to your local Washoe County Library can provide most of the titles that follow.

First up is an oldie, but an exceptionally good series from Great Britain. It’s the precursor to the wildly popular Downton Abbey, Upstairs-Downstairs. Lady Marjorie Bellamy and her Member of Parliament husband, Richard, live in a London townhouse on Eaton Place.

Below stairs the venerable butler, Mr. Hudson, and strong-willed cook, Mrs.

Lady Marjorie and Richard Bellamy.

Bridges rule. The timeline begins in 1903 and continues through the series until 1930.

Endeavor is a prequel to the popular British detective series, Inspector Morse, that starred the sophisticated John Thaw who loved Opera and his vintage Jaguar.

(Dozen page 18)

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Dozen / page 17 Shaun Evans plays the young Morse with a helpful mentor, DC Fred Thursday. The series ran recently on PBS, but you can catch up on missed episodes, or enjoy it as a new look at crime in Oxford.

Writer Evelyn Waugh wrote the book and more than one filmed version of Brideshead Revisited has followed. The best is the 1981 production starring Jeremy Irons and Anthony Andrews. A class-orientated drama that deals with some heavy topics, Brideshead is a feast for the eyes, and the two protago-

with her own personal demons. The location is the NE coast of England – not particularly pretty, just like its heroine.

Cleeves other books are set on islands on the NW coast of Scotland. This time her protagonist is Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez. Shetlands offers a unique view of this region and DI Perez is an equally unusual officer.

Currently wrapping up its latest episodes on PBS, Grantchester originally had the handsome James Norton as a flawed vicar with an equally flawed police detective played by Robson Green. The pair solve crimes in a picturesque small village.

There’s beautiful scenery and a sour-faced housekeeper to balance the action.

Shakespeare & Hathaway is a new series starring less familiar British actors in the title roles as detectives in a private, struggling agency. There’s a young, gay assistant, who is adorable and clever. Filmed in and around Straford-Upon-Avon, this is a gentle crime series that’s great fun and season two is in the works.

Jeremy Irons and Anthony Andrews in Brideshead Revisited.

nists are perfect in their roles.

Father Ted may not be everyone’s cup of tea (or bottle of booze), but this Irish comedy features three priests exiled to a remote island for undisclosed “sins”. They are looked after by a housekeeper whose specialty is platters of sandwiches at inopportune moments. Blasphemous, but incredibly funny, I’m still surprised that it hasn’t been banned by the Catholic Church.

Is there anyone who hasn’t seen at least one episode of Doc Martin starring Martin Clunes? As a London surgeon displaced to a Cornish seaside village because he can’t stand the sight of blood, Doc Martin is a cranky, reluctant hero to his new community. The community is filled with unusual charac-

Shakespeare & Hathaway.

My all-time favorite British series is The Detectorists. It’s a subtle comedy about a pair of buddies whose passion for metal detecting rules their lives. They are in search of buried Viking treasure in England’s East Anglia. Mackenzie Crook and Toby Jones portray the pair to perfection in this three-season gem.

Martin Clunes in Doc Martin.

ters that add to the fun in this endearing series.

Ann Cleves is the author responsible for two of her crime books’ series being translated to film. Vera features Brenda Blethyn as a frumpy female Detective Inspector who calls everyone “Luv” and solves complicated cases while dealing

Mackenzie Crook and Toby Jones in The Detectorists.

Janet King takes us to the legal system in Australia. King is a Senior Prosecutor, a lesbian mother of twins, with a scratchy personality and strong will to do things her way at any cost.

KHN

Generation Boomer Magazine // Generation4Boomers.com

Why Your Perception Of By: Bruce Horovitz Kaiser Health News

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'Old' Changes As You Age

My perception of old age is inextricably linked to my grandmother. When I was a kid, I thought this 65-year-old, white-haired woman whose entire body wobbled when she walked was very old.

Now that I’m 66, my personal perception — or perhaps, misperception — of old age has changed. I suspect I’ve got lots of company.

Many of us are convinced that while everyone else is aging, that person we see in the mirror every morning is magically aging at a somehow slower pace. The age confusion can start early. A 2018 Michigan State University online survey of respondents ages 10 to 89 revealed that most think middle age begins at 30 — and that old age begins at, OMG, 50.

Another study, from the University of Zurich, published in 2011, determined that older adults often try to avoid the negative stereotypes of their age group by distancing themselves from their age group. Yet another study, from Columbia University, in 2018 found considerable evidence that when confronted with negative age stereotypes, older adults tend to distance and dissociate themselves from this negative stereotype.

ing younger actually tend to live longer and healthier lives — and they don’t tend to have as much of a pattern of decline.”

Call it what you will, but this gray-haired group of boomers and beyond — myself included — is having a hard time accepting the realities of aging. Yes, we are mortal, but we’re not quite believing it. The great irony, say experts on aging, is that this flirtation with a slightly different reality from our aging peers may, in fact, be a healthy thing.

The fact we’re generally living longer than we used to also plays a role, experts say. “As our life spans get longer, so does our view of old age,” said Chopik. “How we view ourselves changes constantly as we age.”

“Baby boomers are redefining what aging is and what old age looks like,” said Jennifer Ailshire, assistant professor at the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology at the University of Southern California. William Chopik, assistant professor of psychology and principal investigator of the Michigan State study, knows this better than most of us.

“People — particularly older people — usually say they feel younger than they are,” said Chopik. “People who report feel-

In most cases, people say they feel about 20 between younger than they really are, according to the Michigan State study of more than 500,000 people. This keeps ramping up as folks age, he said. Beginning at age 50, he said, many say they feel about 10 years younger.

For me, it’s been more like a sentence to self-motivate. At age 66, when I look in the mirror, I may not see a 46-year-old staring back at me — but, perhaps, someone closer to 56. Maybe it’s because I’m so lousy at sitting still. I’m out walking my dog at 6:15 a.m., lifting weights in the gym by 7:30 a.m. and swimming laps in the pool before 9 a.m. five days a week.

Welcome to my nonstop world that seems to somehow keep old age partially in check.

(Perception of Old page 20)

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Generation Boomer Magazine // Generation4Boomers.com

Perception / from page 19 While it might not sound like your world, consider Theresa Paulus — the mother-in-law of USC’s Ailshire — who seems to be constantly in motion, too.

The 63-year-old Tempe, Ariz., resident’s morning bicycle workout, alone, makes my daily workout schedule look lame.

She’s typically up by 5 a.m. and quickly out on her Trek bike for the next hour — or more — on a 10-mile-long excursion.

If the weather is lousy, she’ll instead find her way to the spinning class at the local gym before heading to the weight room.

“I honestly feel like I’m in my 40s,” said the full-time nursing home caregiver, who three years ago, at age 60, got her degree in health service management from Arizona State University.

“I haven’t slowed down one bit from the exercise routine I did at 40.”

In fact, she may have upped it a bit. Not the distance, mind you, but every day she tries to challenge herself a bit. “Each time I ask myself, can I get there and back just a little bit faster?” she said. She may be passing it along to the next generation, too, as she has taught her two granddaughters how to ride bikes.

Paulus’ ability to rebound from injuries is legendary among friends and family. On a recent walking tour of Ireland’s Cliffs of Moher, she twisted her ankle but continued days of walking — only to discover when she got home that she’d broken her foot. Back in 1969, while training on her bike, she was hit by a car — but escaped without so much as one broken bone.

And after a moped accident in 2010, she crushed her leg and was advised by her doctor that she’d always walk with a limp — and a cane. She proved the doctor wrong and was soon racing bikes again.

Her daughter-in-law, USC’s Ailshire, isn’t surprised by any of this. After all, she said, some baby boomers’ bodies can perform as if they are between two and 15 years younger than their actual age.

Paola Sebastiani, 55, is living proof. She barely qualifies as a baby boomer, but when asked how old she feels, the professor of biostatistics at Boston University said she doesn’t even feel 40.

Perhaps that’s because she walks 2 miles (in Birkenstock sandals, no less) to and from work every weekday. Or maybe it’s because she’s adamant about eating no red meat and tries to eat avocado daily. Or perhaps it’s her who-gives-a-flip attitude.

“My mom would have never worn jeans at my age — but I wear them all the time,” she said. Her point: Folks with a positive attitude toward aging often age more slowly.

Which brings us back to my dear grandmother. The most familiar smell from her kitchen was that of the fried chicken crackling on the front burner every Friday evening. I can’t remember even once seeing her exercise. Action, in her world, was a game of cards. And, as was all too common in her day, she thought her smoking habit helped her to relax.

Is it any wonder she was old at 65?

So, at 66, I’ve given up on most fried foods. I’ve never smoked. I don’t sit around much playing cards or watching TV. And all the time I spent walking our dog, lifting weights and swimming laps this morning I view as an invisible shield that protects me from looking into the mirror and seeing an old man staring back.

Instead, I still see me.

Generations

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Caregivers' Lifestyle Sacrifices & Expectations, Ahead of Pending 'Silver Tsunami ' The realities of caregiving are hitting home for Americans, as a majority of boomers who expect to be caregivers (92%) are willing to make lifestyle sacrifices to provide care to a family member or loved one. The findings were uncovered in a study, A Growing Urgency: Retirement Care Realities for Middle-Income Boomers, which surveyed 1,500 middle-income baby boomers about their long-taerm caregiving expectations and plans.

Top five sacrifices boomers are willing to make to provide care for their loved ones include: • Reducing other spending - 66% • Traveling less - 41% • Moving to a new home - 27% • Working less - 27% • Stop working altogether - 19% For boomers, their awareness of the likelihood that they will need retirement care—and their willingness to discuss their care—is growing, although still low. Four in 10 (45%) believe they will need long-term care at some point, compared to about a third (36%) in 2013. The study further shows that two-thirds (66%) have had detailed conversations on how they wish to receive long-term care, and over half (55%) have had detailed conversations about how to pay for it. This group also estimates the age for anadult to begin requiring physical care or assistance is 70 years or older.

However, despite these preparations, one-third (30%) of boomers who are caregivers still have had to tap into their retirement savings to pay for healthcare expenses, compared to 19 percent of non-caregivers.

“According to the U.S. Census, by 2035, for the first time in U.S. history, older generations are projected to outnumber children, which raises the question of who will take care of the aging population,” said Scott Goldberg, president of Bankers Life. “Conversations around caregiving planning is key – and should start at home. There are also many resources – including involving an expert such as a financial advisor – to help in evaluating caregiving preparations and assessing costs and other financial implications to provide peace of mind for the whole family,” Goldberg said.

The Characteristics of a Caregiver The study highlights that those with caregiving experience are more likely to have the following characteristics: FEMALE FIRST: Be female (62% of current or former caregivers are female, vs. 38% who are male) IN THE KNOW: Are more familiar with long-term care insurance (68% of those with caregiving experience vs. 59% of those without caregiving experience) TALKING THE TALK: Have reported having detailed conversations with loved ones, financial professionals, or others about managing their financial affairs in the event of physical or cognitive decline (54% vs. 38% of those without caregiving experience).

(Caregivers page 22)

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Generations

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Working Caregivers Must Make Major Compromises to Care for Aging Parents

More than half of working caregivers feel they have to compromise within their careers to care for aging parents. In addition, 43 percent of working caregivers feel their career growth has suffered as a result of the sacrifices they’ve made to provide care and support.

“Caring for an aging loved one is one of the hardest and most demanding jobs someone can take on,” says Jisella Dolan, Chief Advocacy Officer at Home Instead, Inc., “As our aging population rapidly increases, employers need to be aware of the growing number of family caregivers in their workforce and implement policies to support them.”

An estimated 34 million Americans provide unpaid care to adults 50 or older every year, according to the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP, and that number is growing.

In Nevada, SB312 was passed by the Nevada State Legislature in 2019 to provide 40 hours a year of earned Paid Time Off, however, the law applies to companies that employ over 50 people, leaving many employees of small business without the ability to take leave to care for loved ones.

Now more than ever, working caregivers are devoting an extensive number of unpaid hours outside of the office to care for parents. In fact, over the last two years, those providing more than 30 hours of care per week increased by 10 percent, with working caregivers spending an average of 18.4 hours per week providing care – in addition to their full- or parttime positions. These unpaid caregivers are feeling the weight of balancing their personal and professional lives, with nearly 60 percent feeling they must choose between being a good employee and being a good daughter or son.

And many employers are struggling to adequately address the needs of working caregivers. According to the survey, only 29 percent of employees are satisfied with their family leave policy, and 46 percent of those employees have been left with no choice but to use personal vacation time to meet caregiver responsibilities.

Working caregivers also feel they are met with less understanding than working parents when it comes to requesting Wild River Grille. time off. Two-thirds of employees caring for an aging parent

feel their workplace is more accommodating toward those caring for a sick child than a sick parent. As a result, caregivers are forced to make hard decisions like turning down promotions, leaving work early, skipping out on opportunities for professional development, and even leaving positions they enjoy for something more flexible.

All of this additional pressure and stress can have adverse effects on mental and physical health. In fact, more than half of caregivers have expressed feelings of depression and found it difficult to find time to care for themselves. While the number of working caregivers experiencing these feelings is staggering –they are not alone. Family caregivers and employers can view resources and tips at caregiverstress.com.

Caregivers / from page 21 THINKING AHEAD: Have made preparations for when they pass away, including communicating funeral preferences (49% vs. 41%), identifying where they’d like to be buried/ cremated (51% vs. 37%), and maintaining an up-to-date will (45% vs. 38%) “The survey shows that caregiving is front of mind – and growing – for boomers,” continues Goldberg. “However, it also reveals a greater focus on how boomers expect to receive care. With one-third of caregivers tapping into their nest eggs to pay for healthcare expenses, it’s vital that payment planning for future caregiving is considered and prioritized in equal measure.”

To learn more about how baby boomers, pre-retirees and retirees can be prepared for healthcare and long-term care costs, go to www.BankersLife.com. For more information on the report, go to www.BankersLife.com/Health-and-Retirement-Study

Good Taste

Generation Boomer Magazine // Generation4Boomers.com

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The Stone House dining inside or out, The Stone House features a wonderful menu. Ask your server what the Special of the Day is and without hesitation an assortment is given with flawless deliberation. And if you request something from the dinner menu at lunch, expect to have the best.

From the crab salad at lunch topped with The Stone House Balsamic vignette, to the Lamb Chop dinner... each bite is sumptuous.

Established by Paul Abowd on the corner of Plumb and Arlington in a single family residence dating to the early 1900s, the exterior built with river rock. The Stone House took off since opening and was received with great enthusiasm. Paul Abowd often greeted and

great food, great atmosphere!

The Stone House Cafe is one of the most popular restaurants in Reno!

Aside from its great Southwest Reno location, The Stone House Cafe has an outstanding menu and great chefs in the kitchen to make breakfast, lunch, or dinner an outstanding treat. No matter when you arrive, there is a line waiting to be seated at The Stone House Cafe. So call in advance and make your reservation so you are not waiting for your great dining experience. “The Stone House features Generations of Abowds, who have perfected the art of service, atmosphere and dining indulgence.� This quote from its website could not be more factual, and it seems with each passing year, this venue just keeps getting better and better. Whether

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seated guests, spending time with each in his busy day. Today Cyrina Abowd both greets and visits each table. A well known family tradition with guests, Cyrina, Paul Abowds daughter, is charming and warm, like mother Adele, providing true service to everyone who dines at The Stone House.

grown at local farms.

Outdoor dining is an awesome experience, the setting nestled among a variety of plants, flowers and trees. It is reminiscent of a classic old world garden with water features, tables shaded under umbrellas. The Stone House is hard to beat as is its menu from Chef Jorge Flores and wife Maria. Meals consist of fresh and seasonal fruit and vegetables, many

Lunch features a wonderful assortment of salads that are pretty hard to resist. The two Scoop Salad of tuna and chicken or two of crabmeat is outstanding, as is the Classic Caesar Salad with chicken, salmon, and New York steak, or a Seared Ahi Salad a locals favorite. The selections are just too numerous to list here.

Dinner features beef, lamb, and

Open seven days a week, breakfast features Belgian waffles, pancakes, French toast, oatmeal, omelets and a variety of cage free egg-ceptionals.

Doors open for early morning diners at 7 a.m., but breakfast is served until 4 p.m.

Good Taste

chicken, all entrees served with a choice of Basmati Rice, Rosemary Garlic Mashed Potatoes or French Fries. The Lamb Chop topped with a classic mint demiglace or curry sauce is a wonderful selection, as is the New York Steak, Filet Mignon, and Chick Livers sautĂŠed with shallots, garlic, mushrooms and a light demiglace. Just to mention a few items.

The Stone House is located at 1907 S. Arlington Ave., Reno, NV 89509, on the corner of Plumb and Arlington Ave. Reservations can be made by calling (775) 284-3895. The Stone House offers both inside and outside dining. Hours are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday & Monday; 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Tuesday-Saturday.

Voices

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Boomers Share Happiness in the Gift of Song The VOICES have been entertaining Reno audiences several years. Formed by singer, musician, and song writer Jeff Wayne, the singers are composed primarily of boomers, who perform at local events, singing joyous tunes that make people smile.

Songs selected by this dedicated group are theme oriented, centered around travel, focused on 60s, 70s, and 80s classics boomers in the audience know and can sing along. The VOICES originated in a gathering a Reno Parks and Recreation program. Members aspire to lift others spirits while adding purpose to their own lives.

“Members do it because it makes them feel good to make others happy,” said

Dennis Crabb, who has been singing with the group since it formed. The songs are very familiar and sung with an enthusiasm that is contagious, encouraging others to sing along. Familiar songs include Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville,” Neil Diamonds “Coming to America,” John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” and June Carter Cash “Ring of Fire.”

The VOICES meet every fourth Tuesday, 11-1 p.m., at the Evelyn Mount Northeast Community Center to practice. They are always looking for new members and urge others to join. To learn more, call 775-334-2262.

You can also purchase a CD called “Boomer” recorded in Washoe Valley

by Wayne, in addition to other CDs he has under his belt. Boomer features easy listening music and love songs. It can also be downloaded at Cdbaby.com.

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The Arts

Generation Boomer Magazine // Generation4Boomers.com

Carol Foldvary-Anderson

THE ARTS

"Support a thriving cultural community, get involved!"

Creating Beauty-Inspiring Joy! varycarol.com

The Nevada Historical Society (NHS) is the state’s oldest cultural institution; it was founded in 1904 and became a State of Nevada agency in 1907.

The NHS is part of the State of Nevada Division of Museums and History (DMH) who is part of the Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs. The NHS is unique among the seven State of Nevada Museums because the NHS curates the largest collection of photographs in the state (nearly one million), over 100,000 artifacts, approximately 18,000 print items, over 7,200 linear feet of manuscripts and large numbers of ephemera, serials, maps, newspapers, microfilm and other holdings.

With a 20,000 square foot facility that functions as a research library, museum, and archival repository, what sets the NHS collections apart from other state museums, libraries and archives is that they have archival, photographic, library and object collections that interrelate and tell a more complete history of Nevada, the Great Basin and the West through all these mediums.

Becoming an NHS member is a great way to find out what amazing programs are offered throughout the year. The several membership levels include receiving the Nevada Historical Society Quarterly Magazine, and email program announcements. Individual $35, Family $60, Institutional $50,

Sustaining $100, Contributing $250, and Patron $500.

Best of all, any membership level at the NHS allows for free entry at all seven Nevada State Museums and a 15 percent discount in the museum stores. The higher level memberships, including the 499 Club, these members get exclusive invitations to openings and other events.

If you are interested in being an Docent or volunteer, the best way to get involved with the NHS is fill out the Volunteer Application on their website (www.nvculture.org/historicalsociety/nhs-volunteer-application).

The Museum: 1650 N. Virginia St. Reno, NV 89503 Phone: 775-688-1190 Museum & Museum Store hours: 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Research Library: 12 p.m.-4 p.m. http://nvculture.org/historicalsociety/

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Old City Baltimore The Inner Harbor in downtown Baltimore includes the National Aquarium, features great restaurants and dining, shopping and recreation.

Baltimore City located in Maryland, is one of the most populous cities in the U.S. Contrary to recent controversy on how the city is operated, Baltimore is undergoing steady change - it is historic and beautiful.

Located about 40 miles northeast of Washington, DC, Washington-Baltimore is the fourth-largest combined statistical area in the nation, and is the second-largest seaport in the Mid-Atlantic. Today it is a service-oriented economy, and is home to John Hopkins Hospital and John Hopkins University, the cities top two employers.

One of the earliest area’s on the National Register Historic Districts in the nation, it includes Fell’s Point, Federal Hill, and Mount Vernon. Fell’s Point is a historic waterfront neighborhood in southeastern Baltimore. It is undergoing historic renovation and has many antique, music stores, retail, restaurants, coffee bars, and over 120 pubs. Fell’s Point is highly attractive to the young and affluent, its atmosphere a combination of trendy activities and eclectic structures, it is an exciting place to live and visit.

Since the 1970s, a steady number of middle to upper income residents have moved into the area, restoring and preserving historic homes and row-houses. Residents take great pride in the achievements the city has taken in maintaining its historical significance. Baltimore row-houses are found in neighborhoods across the city from richly ornamented three-story mansions in Bolton Hill to narrow alley houses in Fell’s Point.

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Many of the houses were built of red brick, with white trim-either marble or painted wood. Before every row front are trees separating the brick or cobblestone walkway.

Many of these row-houses are part of the historic society, where owners are very serious about their preservation. The historic neighborhoods have tours where people can learn about the historic buildings all across the city.

Downtown Baltimore is a hustling bustle of business. Nestled at the edge of Baltimore’s Harbor East waterfront stands The Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore (left), on a roundabout on International Drive, that features the National Katyn Memorial. The memorial memorializes the victims of the 1940 Katyn massacre of polish nationals carried out by Soviet forces. It is stunning, made in bronze with a symbolic fire at

its center, surrounded by national heroes of Poland.

Fort McHenry National Park and Historial Monument is another place to visit. A must see, Fort McHenry is visited by thousands every year to learn about the Battle of Baltimore, September 13-14, 1814. At the park many tour guides describe the battle in which Francis Scott Key wrote The Star-Spangled Banner. A young poet-lawyer, he witnessed the bombardment of Fort McHenry while under British guard on an American truce ship in the Patapsco River. Seeing the flag still flying over the Fort the next morning, he was moved to pen the immortal lines.

Fort McHenry was constructed between 1799 and 1802, in the shape of a five-point star, a poplar design then. Each point of the star was visible from the point on either side of land surrounding the fort so it could be covered with as few as five men.

Fort McHenry is located at 2400 E. Fort Avenue, Baltimore, MD, (410) 962-4290.

Your Leisure

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Engelbert Humperdinck By: Ian Wright

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What's In A Name?

A former BBC Radio Times photographer, I have known Engelbert Humperdinck since his early days singing in working men’s clubs and I can recall the day Gerry Dorsey changed his name to Engelbert Humperdinck at a bed and breakfast in Darlington and recall how luck played a huge part in the star’s life.

Mr. Romance will be 76-years-old when he represents Britain in the 57th Eurovision Song Contest on May 26th in Baku, Azerbaijan, singing a smooth, silky romantic ballad “Love Will Set You Free.” But really who is Engelbert Humperdinck who began singing in the 1960s in the pubs and clubs of the Northeast of England, where he slept on railway platform benches and in phone boxes. This evolved into a 45-year career performing worldwide and in Las Vegas, with sales of over 280 million albums. There exist hundreds of chapters of his fan clubs throughout the world with an estimated eight million card carrying members.

ments. The lager has just gone off, the heating system is on the blink, it’s just started to snow and I’m off home. Ladies and Gentlemen please put your hands together and give a warm welcome Mr. Gerry Dorsey.”

On a freezing Tuesday night in January 1963, a flat capped, tanked up audience sat waiting for the star turn of the midnight cabaret to get cracking. It was known as the graveyard shift at The La Bamba Night Club and Casino in Darlington a market town in the North East of England. For any entertainer this venue was about as bad as it gets. Dave Butler, the club’s resident comedian and compare stepped up to the mike, “Testing, testing one two one two, I’m going to introduce tonight’s big turn, but before I do, there’s a couple of announce-

The less than enthusiastic backing combo - drums, double bass and guitar - played the first bars whilst our aspiring pop star emerged from his dressing room which doubled as the men’s bog, and a broom cupboard. He sauntered onto the stage in a silk and mohair tuxedo, waistcoat, watch chain, butterfly bow tie, bell bottom trousers, white frilled front shirt, gold cuff links, top pocket red handkerchief and patent leather shoes. I thought, My God, what a BOBBY DAZZLER. What on earth is someone like him doing in a place like this?

Engelbert Humperdinck and Ian Wright. © Photo: Ian Wright

I expected stale pork pies to come whizzing towards the stage at any moment. Impossibly elegant, tall, slender and good looking with mutton chop sideburns, Gerry Dorsey stood at Dave’s grimy mike with a cigarette in one hand and a Bacardi and Coke in the other, looking as if he should be on the Strip in Las Vegas, instead of the La Bamba which to coin a good old North East expression was a “Bloody Shithole,” a dark, damp, dreary dump with filthy threadbare carpets stinking of stale beer, fag ash and puke. The stage was no better with a fluorescent tube dangling precariously above the combo and two fixed spots to illuminate the star turn, who had to stand dead centre in the crossfire beams to be seen by the audience.

Gerry began his set and unbelievably nobody threw anything at the stage. In fact, after a couple of songs, the dozen or

(Humperdinck page 30)

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Humperdinck / from page 29 so people in the audience were unexpectedly quiet. Nobody shouted “Get off you poof. Where’s the pies?” He had a terrific voice and they seemed to like what they were hearing.

Most of the male solo singers of the time resorted to the hackneyed old gag of dragging an unwilling female onto the stage to sing to her thus providing the hecklers with a field day and leaving the hapless girl humiliated and embarrassed.

My Generation the 24 men who were all colleagues of Dorsey and they were en route to the Wolsley barracks in Famagusta. There were no survivors.

In the second week of June 1965, Gerry was back at the La Bamba in Darlington. Like all acts playing locally, Gerry stayed in digs at the Orchard Road bed and breakfast of Mrs. Oakley, the town’s theatrical landlady. Her sign posted on every theatre’s and club’s notice board read, “Dinner bed and breakfast, twenty pounds per week, latch key for the night shift.

NO guest’s in the rooms after 10 p.m.” On Wednesday June 15, 1965, I came home from work at the Northern Echo’s photography department to find Gerry Dorsey sitting in my mum’s back kitchen having a cup of tea. He said, “Mrs. Oakley sent me over, can you get a story about my name change in tomorrows paper?” Gerry began by saying his manager, Gordon Mills had called up to say he needed a new image, change of name, change of luck? He held out a piece of notepaper where he’d jotted down his new name, “E N G E L B E R T H U M P E R D I N C K. I can’t even pronounce it,” he said, “Gordon says the name belonged to some long dead composer. Who the hell am I?”

Engelbert Humperdinck in the early days. © Photo: Ian Wright

Instead, Gerry strolled over to an attractive blond at a nearby table, took her hand and sang, “I’ll Never Fall In Love Again”, looking directly into her eyes as if she was the only woman in the room. He did it with taste, dignity and a sincerity that could not patronize. When Gerry took a bow after his last number, he seemed somewhat taken aback by the audience reaction. Instead of heckling, someone shouted, “Belt out another one.” No one even got up to rush out to the toilet.

Gerry did an encore and then said, “Ladies and gentlemen you have been the nicest, kindest audience anyone could have asked for. Stay where you are, I’m coming over to buy you all a drink.” Before long, Gerry was a hit on the club circuit in the North East of England, learning his trade on what was a notoriously tough ticket. His manager Gordon Mills would set up recording sessions for him with five different labels in the coming years, he received a 100 percent consistency of failures, he seemed relegated to the North East club scene for ever and a day. But Gerry Dorsey had been lucky before and his patience would be rewarded again.

In 1954, during his National Service call up to the Royal Army Service Corps at Borden, Dorsey did eight weeks of square and spud bashing. Following this his battalion was being assigned to service overseas. Dorsey fell one short of the 24 men assigned to his preferred destination of Cyprus. Corporal Arnold George Dorsey drew the short straw and was in line for Mulheim, Germany. Next day news arrived at the barracks that the Greek Cypriot terrorist group EOKA had ambushed

I suggested, we visit the library to find out, but Mum reminded me, “Wednesday is half day closing.” So Gerry and I went to William’s Record Shop where we found an LP of the opera Hansel and Gretel by a German composer, Engelbert Humperdinck. Gerry’s name change was of little news interest, but I did manage to persuade the sub-editor to put in a short paragraph and to change the La Bamba advert where alas they missed out the C in Humperdinck and my picture of Engelbert was a single column headshot. The name change had little immediate effect on the record buying public.

Some twenty months later “Enge” was doing a week’s gig for Sanford Goudie who owned two La Strada nightclubs, one in Sunderland the other South Shields. Goudie paid him

#37 Orchard Road Darlington England. June 1966 the birth place of Engelbert Humperdinck. © Photo: Ian Wright

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An

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Ernie Kovacs Centennial

at The National Comedy Center By: Nick Thomas

Opening last summer in Jamestown, New York, the National Comedy Center is launching an exhibition honoring comedian Ernie Kovacs (see www.comedycenter.org).

In addition to the exhibit, which contains Kovacs memorabilia provided by Josh Mills who is the executive for the Kovacs estate, a new CD – “The Ernie Kovacs Album: Centennial Edition” – was released in July for the centennial (see www. erniekovacs.com).

“It’s the centennial of Ernie’s birth this year, so a great time to recognize this influential comedian,” said Laura LaPlaca, the Center’s Director of Archives. “The Kovacs’ exhibit will remain until summer 2020.”

“It’s basically some of Ernie’s best-known bits with six bonus tracks never before released digitally,” said Mills.

Though he died tragically in a single car accident at just 42, Kovacs would leave his mark on comedy for decades. Like other “His work still resonates 60 years later because it’s not toppioneers of early television in the 50s who were exploring its ical,” added LaPlaca. “It’s experimental and still innovative. boundaries such as Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, and Steve Allen, The National Comedy Center’s museum environment is an Kovacs pressed it further by satirizing and lampooning the new excellent way to highlight his contributions to the history of medium. comedy.”

Humperdinck / from page 30 the usual fee, 75 quid a week and recalls, “As polite as ever Engelbert came in early on the Monday asking to rehearse a new song whilst we were stocking up and the Mrs. Mops were cleaning the club. He said he wanted a live audience’s reaction to the song.” Every day he worked on the song with our band The Tommy Henderson Trio. By the Saturday Engelbert closed the show with the new song. Afterward we were talking over drinks, “What did you think of it?” he asked. Goudie admits to responding, “Fine but it won’t be a hit.” One month later, “Release Me,” was number one in the charts and Humperdinck never played Goudie’s clubs or any others in the region again.

Recently “Enge” as he likes to be called, headlined The Paris Casino in Las Vegas. The lights dimmed, the band started playing as dancing girls streamed across the stage. Then out sauntered that same impossibly elegant man who hadn’t seemed to change a fraction since the last time I’d seen him a lifetime ago. You could hear people all around in the audience saying, “Look he hasn’t changed – he’s just the same.” His voice was stupendous – the show was fantastic, we all sat transfixed. After his encore,

the entire audience was on their feet, the blue rinse senior citizens rushing the stage with armloads of roses for the star.

It was only on the way out of the showroom that I realized how fortunate I was to know two great guys, Gerry Dorsey and Engelbert Humperdinck.

Side Note: Engelbert Humperdinck will be appearing at the Silver Legacy Casino, Reno, October 11, 8 p.m., in the Angel On My Shoulder Tour.

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Your Leisure

The Wright Way To Travel By: Lauren Wright

Down Argentine Way

Darlings All, We arrived in Barcelona feeling like dead fish cast upon a lonely beach and left to the mercy of the wind and tide.

It was an incredibly stressful journey with missed connections and endless delays, but the travel Gods smiled upon us and all the luggage appeared on the carousel. Celebrity Cruises had booked us into the AC Marriott which was very contemporary with lots of black glass, ash wood, charcoal drapes and crisp white bedding piped in grey.

After a lovely dinner in the charming hotel restaurant, 9 p.m. found us snug beneath the eiderdown which is our

Relaxing on the Promenade Deck.

Next day we landed at Cartagena where it was clear and cool enough for the periwinkle suede loafers I’d bought in Corisca last spring, a periwinkle cashmere over my shoulders and the matching periwinkle gloves that took four months to find. We walked about the quaint old town, one of our favorite cruise ports, bought a little battery powered stick on light to use for a night lite in our cabin on the ship and were back aboard for lunch on the aft deck overlooking the harbor and the largest private yacht in the world which to my classic yacht lover’s eyes is a hideous monstrosity!

After a day at sea and through the Straits of Gibraltar under a vault of peerless cerulean we arrived at LanzaEnroute to the pier. rote and the next day at Gran Canaria. Neither of these usual bedtime, so no jet-lag. Happy thoughts of emCanary Islands holds much interest for us so we maunbarkation sent me quickly into eight hours of the deep dered about in the morning and read (snoozed) on the and dreamless. I awoke with a song on my lips, dressed, Promenade Deck in the afternoon. I’m always happiest breakfasted and performed one of my favorite little travel on the Promenade Deck breathing in that incomparable ceremonies which is attaching the baggage tags to the cocktail of diesel fuel and salt air, listening to the waves baggage and off we went the pier to embark the Celebwhoosh against the hull and not hearing the omnipresrity Reflection for the transatlantic crossing to Buenos ent generic music piped into every space on the ship.

Aires!

For the next seven days crossing the Atlantic, we adopt-

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After two more days at sea, we arrived at Buenos Aires and checked into our 14th floor penthouse suite at Hotel Claridge. We had originally planned to stay at the Alvear Palace, but my purchase of a divine silver fox coat necessitated the teeniest bit of economy! The once grand hotel is like an old dowager a bit frayed about the edges with faded paint and the wallpaper separating at the seams in places but its clean with wonderful service and our commodious suite had a massive terrace overlooking the city. All the space, drawers, cabinets, sunken jacuzzi tub were pure bliss after the cruise ship cabin. A thunderstorm was forecast so we had bought wine, brioche, ham, cheese, crisps, nuts and a box of chocolates at a grocery across the street and had dinner on the terrace whilst Gotterdammerung crashed and flashed across the skyscrapers and illuminated the dark waters of the Rio Plata beyond.

Alvear Palace Hotel.

ed our usual routine, ie: breakfast before rehearsal and then Ian’s lectures. After lunch, we sat in wicker chairs overlooking the Lawn Club until teatime followed by a deck chair is a secluded spot on the Promenade Deck where one falls under the thrall of the zephyrs of the sea. Soon it was time to dress for cocktails and dinner.

On the fifth day we crossed the equator and the weather changed from beautifully clear and cool to steaming hot.

Our first port of call on the South American continent was Rio de Janeiro which presented quite a spectacular vista as we sailed in at 5 a.m. The view from the pier was of a steep hill massed from summit to base with every manner of shack and hovel, unspeakable squalor......the famous barrio of Rio..........a horrible tableau.

The Christ The Redeemer statue, visible from everywhere in the city really is huge and awe inspiring – worth the drive up the steep mountain roads and the hoards of tourists. The view from the top of Sugarloaf Mountain is indeed breathtaking, but it was unbearably hot and humid. Everyone says, “Be careful,” and worrying constantly about pickpockets is wearing so back to the safe cocoon of the Reflection we went.

The next port of Santos was another steamy day. We stayed aboard the lovely cool and veritably empty ship.

Next day we did a sort of Evita pilgrimage, first the Casa Rosada where I got teary eyed gazing up at the famous balcony. I was rather addicted to the film, Evita and went to see it over and over back in 1996. Seeing the actual place was very moving. The Recoleta Cemetery

Recoleta Cemetery.

was like walking through a dream. I swooned over the spectacularly carved tombs massed suede by side and loved peeking into the fantastic grilled doors at the most dazzling little rooms made of marble, gold, crystal chandeliers, exquisite vases, and beautiful flowers and elaborate bronze coffins. Of course, I had to see Eva Peron’s tomb and confess to being a bit disappointed as so many others were far more dazzling, surmounted by fabulous winged angels carved in stone, so lifelike, you expect them to float aloft at any moment. An opera singer with a pianist were practicing in a gorgeous glass and gold (Wright Travel page 34)

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Lauren Gran Canaria.

Wright Travel / from page 33 gallery at the front entrance, her aria wafting out among the tombs added another dimension of beauty to one of the most fantastic places I’ve ever seen.

Lunch at the Panera Rosada, a charming cafe all in pink, even the tables, chairs and umbrellas were pink, set out in a green park across from the cemetery. The nearby Evita Plaza is very tiny, easily overlooked, but with a glorious sculpture of Eva. The posh Recoleta, neighborhood has amazing shops purveying every luxury imaginable. The Alvear Palace Hotel is grand and glorious to the extreme and definitely the place to stay if you are not “Economizing”. The lobby and a sort of galleria outside are crowded with jewelers offering stupendous pieces and shops with art deco tea services and everything equine for the polo playing aficionados.

Cartagena Street Scene.

We dined that night in a very atmospheric restaurant and ordered steaks the waiter insisted were the best thing on the menu. An enormous platter arrived heaped with two slabs of tough and sinewy flesh.........potato salad, rice, green salad and a mountain of excellent French fries topped with fried eggs. We ate only a few bites of the meat and gorged on French fries. We were told the meat was the preferred texture for the locals. Ian said you could have nailed on your shoes as soles.

Before leaving for Barcelona we watched two of my favorite 1940s films set in Argentina to get into the mood for South America. The Argentine had a bit of a heyday in 1940s Hollywood as the war was raging in Europe and filmmakers looked to South America for an exotic setting. Buenos Aires is very much like the film, Down Argentine Way, a musical with Betty Grable and Carmen Miranda - light, frothy, sparkling. Conversely, it’s also very much like the film Gilda with Rita Hayworth, gorgeous, dramatic, dark, dangerous, and brooding.

We highly recommend the films and Buenos Aires!

Celebrity Cruises: www.celebritycruises.com AC Marriott Barcelona: achotels.marriott.com/locations Alvear Palace Hotel Buenos Aires: www.alvearpalace.com Claridge Hotel Buenos Aires: www.claridge.com.ar

Tourist Shopping.

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