Our Role Models
Benjamin Franklin began 1784 frustrated by the deterioration of his short- and long-range vision. His vision was increasingly inhibiting his work. At age 78, no one would have begrudged him a well-earned retirement. Franklin had already been an inventor (the Franklin Stove), a scientist (explorations into electricity), a publisher (Poor Richard's Almanac), and a politician (the Declaration of Independence).
But Franklin knew that there was still much to do, and wasn't going to let his poor vision slow him down. He invented the bifocal glasses and got back to work. The next year he was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.
Of course, not everyone can be a Benjamin Franklin. But every one of us can continue to contribute our years of experience, knowledge, and skills to society. At NOWCC, our role models are those men and women who have demonstrated a passion for making the most out of every moment.
Inspire a Friend |
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Do you know someone who needs some encouragement to get back into the swing of things? Send them one of our e-cards by clicking on one of the photos below. |
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Older workers have been making enormous contributions to society for all of human history. Many cultures honor their elders for their wisdom and experience. Older people were society's leaders, teachers, and artists. The idea that people with a lifetime of skills and talent should be left to the rocking chair is very new - and very misguided.
Luckily, we still have people bucking the trend in every field. In 2005, Joe Paterno was named the AP college football coach of the year at age 78. Two years earlier, 72 year old Jack McKeon led the Florida Marlins to victory in the World Series, and then offered this advice to his contemporaries: "Go out there, guys. So you're 68 or 70. Go on and enjoy yourself. Don't sit in a rocking chair and rot away."
These two men trained players who were as much as 60 years younger - and did a better job than any of their peers.
Sometimes, older workers are called on not to teach, but to protect. Mother Teresa dedicated her life to helping the poorest of the poor in the slums of Calcutta. Ever humble, Mother Teresa announced her intention to resign as the head of the Missionaries of Charity - the order she had founded - at age 80. But when a conclave of nuns gathered to elect a successor by secret ballot, Mother Teresa was re-elected with only one dissenting vote - her own.
Mother Teresa went on to lead the Missionaries of Charity for another 7 years. For all the accolades she received - including the Nobel Peace Prize and the Medal of Freedom - it is her unceasing commitment to help the less fortunate that speaks the loudest of all.
If there's any field that's a young person's game, it's entertainment. Styles, fads, and trends always seem to favor the hot new things. But recently, older performers have been showing us that some talents are timeless.
Dame Judi Dench, considered by many to be England's greatest actress, acted professionally for 41 years before she was nominated for her first Academy Award. But her fifth decade acting turned out to be her most distinguished yet, as she was nominated for 5 Academy Awards, winning for Best Supporting Actress in 1999.
Like Judi Dench, it took Sean Connery decades before he was rewarded with his first Oscar, which he received in 1988 for his role in The Untouchables. But perhaps the more impressive honor was to come a year later, when he was named People magazine's Sexist Man Alive. Ten years later, in 1999, he was once again honored, this time named the Sexist Man of the Century. Not bad for a 69 year old.
