Chapter 4

Work Wisdom

TAKE THIS JOB AND LOVE IT

FROM SUCCESS TO SIGNIFICANCE

TEACHERS EXTRAORDINAIRE

KEEPING UP AND KEEPING ON

WISE WORK ADVICE

As many of our centenarians were being born, President Theodore Roosevelt robustly contended that no person in America ever needed to be pitied because “far and away, the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”

Unless you happen to be born with a silver, gold, or platinum spoon in your mouth, you will spend close to half of your waking hours for a large part of your adult life working at something. There is a proliferation of work/job satisfaction surveys conducted by numerous educational, governmental, and research organizations annually, and the results vary as much as the estimates on exact population numbers of centenarians in our country. Some show that over 80 percent of Americans hate their jobs, while others indicate that the vast majority of Americans love what they do. Go figure.

As most of our centenarians described their work, it reminded us of the story about three different stonemasons performing their craft. When a young boy stopped by the first stone worker and asked what he was doing, the stonemason frustratingly exclaimed, “I’m trying to cut this stone and it’s breaking my back.” The boy quickly moved on and passed by another worker who did not appear to be so languished and asked the same question. The second stone mason replied, “I’m shaping this stone for a large building.” When he walked a little further and came across a third worker with a smile on his face, the inquisitive child inquired with the same question. The third stonemason looked up with a polite smile and replied in a kind voice, “I’m building a marvelous cathedral!”

TAKE THIS JOB AND LOVE IT

The overwhelming majority of the centenarians we encountered experienced meaning, purpose, fulfillment and enjoyment in their work, whether at a business, factory, farm, or at home. Over 83 percent of them enjoyed their work “Very Much,” and 16 percent of them “Somewhat” enjoyed what they did during their working years. Interestingly, only 1 percent indicated that they simply did not enjoy the work they endured their adult life and would like to have done something different.

If ever there was a delightful, enjoyable, and energetic “1 percenter” contrarian, it is Gordy Miller. At 100, Gordy is the world’s oldest sailor. We visited Gordy and his lovely wife, Margaret, on a beautiful sunny day where you could see Alcatraz and San Francisco across the sparkling bay waters from their beautiful home.

Gordy was born in Santa Cruz, California, and when asked what is one of the greatest things about living to be 100, he replied, “Seeing all the changes in the world. The first plane I saw was a biplane. Man it was something!” He was in his early 20s when the Great Depression hit our country, but was spared a lot of the devastation experienced by many. “I was fortunate. I didn’t suffer much. My dad always had a job, and when I got out of school I had a lot of silly little jobs. But I had jobs, and I worked, and it just sort of went by.”

Gordy had strong work role models in his father and uncle. His father had a paper route as a youngster, and his uncle delivered papers in a horse and buggy. “Dad started a novelty shop that didn’t work. Then he started a car service and I think drove the first car ever into Yellowstone Park.”

He recounted having a lot of jobs early in his adult years. “I bought a Model T for $6—paid cash for it—and sold it for $12. I worked for Chevron for 13 years and retired with 75 shares of stock that really grew in value. My dad wanted me to go to college. I said, “No, I’m going to work and get an auto. I was young and wanted things.”

When we asked Gordy about what he enjoyed most about his work during several decades of diverse labor, he immediately retorted, “To tell you the truth, I never liked working. I admire people who do. I worked because I had to. I had to earn money. I worked to enjoy my hobby and to take care of my wife and kids.” And he has been sailing for over 74 years.

So, for Gordy, his work was a necessary means to a most enjoyable end—sailing. But he did it with excellence and purpose, which perhaps, in a funny sort of way, made his work not so unenjoyable after all. Gordy’s definition of rich, with a big grin on his face, is “to have a wife that’s really somethin’ and children.” Margaret was smiling, too.

With Gordy being an interesting exception to the majority of our centenarians, we were very pleased that most did enjoy their work years, serving as an encouraging role model for us. However, we did ask this question to expand our understanding about working over a century of living: “If you had your life to live over, would you pursue a different type of work?”

With the evolution of our society from a predominantly agricultural workforce in the early twentieth century, then to industrial and now to a predominantly technological/informational and service society, we thought that many of our centenarians would have chosen something different from the thousands of new-type jobs that have been created during their lifetime. But 80 percent said they would not have changed a thing. They chose well. They liked the type of work that was required for their vocation. Many of them would go into great detail with energy and exuberance and smiles on their faces as they described the specific type of work they performed, the bosses, co-workers and direct reports, and physical descriptions of the places they worked.

Approximately 20 percent indicated they would have pursued another career if circumstances had permitted them to do so. But, still, most of them were relatively pleased with their work experience.

The ABCs of Centenarian Jobs

Currently, the unemployment rate in our country is quite high. As previously mentioned, some studies suggest many Americans do not like their jobs/work. Often, in many situations, people become mildly to severely depressed when work is not challenging, rewarding, and/or enjoyable. It may cause them to lose resolve in wanting or even knowing where to look for work that could be satisfactory and enriching. The following composite of our many centenarian careers may give you or someone you know some information, hope, and inspiration to consider and research for half of your/their waking hours.

Centenarian occupations included:

As you can observe, our centenarians have contributed to many diverse components of our incredible economy over many decades. Many did what we would label as “physical work” during their lives. And the tens of thousands of inventions that they and their peers have created over the past 100 years has produced an exponential shift in the way we now do work. The encouraging dynamic throughout all of our conversations has been hearing how much their enjoyment of work positively impacted their view and enjoyment of life.

“Oh, I really enjoyed work. If you don’t, you better get out of it,” says Mable McCleery, 104.

FROM SUCCESS TO SIGNIFICANCE

“Every kind of work is valuable. It is just as important to dig a ditch as it is to sit in a corporate office. No work is disgraceful. Everything counts,” says Clara Kramer, 104.

Change is a powerful word that brings thoughts of pursuing something different or even transformational. It can also imply moving steadily from one phase of life to the next, as all of our centenarians have done and are still doing. When you consider the changes in our workplace environment over the past 100-plus years, centenarians have earned high marks for tenacity, focus, and strong yet calm demeanor for succeeding through what they could not have imagined when they were young. As Isabel Thomas, 100, suggests: “When I was born 100 years ago, the world was a very different place. I have been a very lucky lady to have lived in a wonderful time of great change. I think my greatest attributes have been always to focus on the positive in every situation, to be adaptable, to work hard, and to be intellectually curious. I have had many interests, some of which are skiing, traveling, golf, and playing cards. Gardening and needlework were great passions also. I now have a Facebook page to keep up with the times. My motto to all is: enjoy life!”

When they began their working careers, there was no concept of retirement as we consider it today. In their early years of work, the eight-hour workday was just beginning to catch on, but they did not imagine that they would ever be free to pursue hobbies or various fun interests in their “second half” of life as we anticipate today. Theirs was mostly an agrarian and industrial culture, where the majority of men remained in the labor force beyond 65 years of age—if they were still healthy enough to work. In 1935 the federal government decided to make 65 the age at which one could receive Social Security, even though the average life expectancy at that time was 63. Talk about a disconnect! This accelerated the whole concept of retirement in our nation.

During their early work lives, change looked substantially different than it does today. Most centenarians who began working in the early 1900s worked and received incomes without any concept or anticipation of the benefit plans that exist today in most public and private organizations.

As they have aged and matured through their working years, their definition of success at work has not focused significantly on financial gains or specific job-related accomplishments, albeit there have been many proud achievements in which they take great pride and pleasure. We did ask the question: “What was your greatest achievement at work?” Their variety of answers was delightful.

“Enjoyment of seeing the finished product.”

Antonia Danner, 101

“Having good crops.”

Edward Daubenspeck, 101

“Feeling of accomplishment. Supported the Second World War and Vietnam War by working and supplying the war effort out of HAFB.”

Oliver Miller Dunn, 100

“Having students remember me for years.”

Evelyn Foster, 100

“Working with the president and country of Afghanistan.”

Louis Reitz, 101

In addition to pride in work/job achievements and successes, along the way as they have pursued work with devotion and enjoyment, for many there has been a reordering of purpose and passion, resulting in a mental movement from success to significance whereby their work has become a more virtuous, fulfilling, and impacting contribution to themselves and the world around them.

Neither for them nor for us is getting “older” and surpassing 100 suggesting a mind-set of being “turned out to pasture.” Rather, as our centenarians model, advise, and encourage us, we should become even more significant to ourselves and others with the incredible resources afforded us as we add mileage to our chronological odometer. Let’s face it, at 100-plus you have a pretty credible platform from which to influence the younger generation. You have probably worked for good and not-so-good bosses, good and not-so-great organizations, hardworking and not-so-hardworking fellow workers, good and bad economic times, good and bad crops, surpluses, shortages, booms and busts—you name it. Centenarian status provides an expanded resume of time, talent, and treasure “capital” that is, in our opinion, priceless and needs to be shared with the younger generation for their learning and edification. This is a major reason we have dedicated ourselves to writing Celebrate 100, and encourage you to develop the same mind-set as you age wisely, excellently, and energetically toward the 100 mark.

Superignificant Superentenarian

Dr. Leila Denmark, a 114-year-old supercentenarian, beautifully models living life and approaching working with purpose, passion, success, and significance in a manner that is simply inspirational.

When we met Dr. Denmark and her gracious, energetic daughter, Mary—who is sure to be a supercentenarian also!—in their lovely home in Athens, Georgia, she exuded the charming and warm “bedside manner” that made her perhaps the most popular pediatrician ever in Georgia. She certainly was a successful physician from all traditional definitions, yet her greatest joy is still observing the enormous benefits people derive from her significant and inspiring contributions and practical wisdom she has offered parents and children for almost a century.

She was born in a small Georgia town in 1898, the third of 12 children. She initially intended to be a teacher and attended Tift College to that end. But when her fiance, who worked for the U.S. Department of State, was sent to the Dutch Indies, where no wives were allowed, she decided to attend medical school. Her devotion and passion and commitment paid off by her being the third woman to be admitted to the Medical College of Georgia and the only woman in the 1928 graduating class. Upon graduation, she married and took a residency at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. She was the first physician on staff at Eggleston Hospital as it opened a pediatric hospital of Emory University. Later, she established a private practice and treated patients in her home clinic and continued her active medical career until the ripe old retirement age of 103! She has treated, inspired, and positively impacted thousands of children and parents, communicated in her book Every Child Should Have a Chance, a delightful and strongly opinionated treatise on raising children to be healthy both mentally and physically.

Another extraordinary, significant contribution she has made to our world is the vaccine for whooping cough. She glowed when describing her work with the research team that finally developed the vaccine for this serious medical infection that was killing thousands of people annually in the 1920s and 1930s. Conducting research in addition to her very full pediatric practice required many extra hours of work, but as she insightfully and energetically commented, “Work?! I’d never be idle. If you enjoy what you are doing, it is not work. I’ve enjoyed everything I have ever done.” And this is one of her keys to happiness.

Dr. Denmark believes people are rich and successful if they have enough money to live on comfortably and help people. Money has never been a very important factor in her life. Her wise encouraging advice to all young people is “eat right and enjoy what you are doing.”

Always a giver, she treated poor people at no charge. When we inquired about her fee schedule for treatment while practicing, she informed us, “I asked people to pay whatever they could afford. Some could pay the normal charge. Some couldn’t. Made no difference to me.”

In addition to her pediatric practice and research work, she still found time to do lots of charity work because, as she instructed us, “Where there is a need, find out how to settle it. If it needs money, give it money. If it needs time and work, give it both.” Money has never been her motivation to succeed nor her means to significantly contribute to the human race. Helping children (and parents) live healthy lives is and always will be.

What a Work Ethic!

Our centenarians have strong opinions about working and enjoying work. Not only should we listen to their advice, we can learn from their examples. They have used brains and brawn to provide for themselves, their families, their communities, their country, and their world.

Martin Luther King, Jr., a luminary from this great generation, articulated their convictions well: “All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.”

Working’ on the Railroad Man

At 114-plus, supercentenarian Walter Breuning was labeled by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s oldest man. Born in Melrose, Minnesota, on September 21, 1896, Walter’s family moved to Minneapolis, where he had his first haircut at age four. In 1901 his family moved to South Dakota. “My father was a civil engineer at a mill. There was no electricity at that time. I went to school, got to the 10th grade, and had to quit. My family broke up, and I went to work at age 14 at a bakery cleaning bread pans; $2.50 a week was the pay.”

In 1912 he moved back to Melrose and went to work for the Great Northern Railway. He told us that he had to lie about his age—he was only 17 at the time—“because Jim Hill (the owner) didn’t want nobody less than 18 years old.” He had to hide and stay away from Hill for fear of being found out and fired but in 1918 was transferred to Great Falls, Montana, and has been there ever since. He worked for Great Northern until age 67, and was also a secretary/treasurer for the local Shrine Club. “I retired (from the railroad) at 67, but that was just one job. I’ve had two jobs all the time, so I’ve been busy working. I was secretary of the Masonic Lodge.” Walter signed up for military service in World War I but was never called in for duty. He wanted to serve in World War II but was too old to serve by that time. He was married in 1922 to his wife, Agnes, who passed away in 1957. When we inquired why he didn’t remarry, he replied, “Oh, those second marriages never work—even most of the first ones don’t work today!”

He has lived in the Rainbow Retirement and Assisted Living Center in Great Falls for over 30 years. Walter awakens bright and early and wears a suit and tie every day, looking sharp as a razor—as is his mind. He walks and talks with a sharp and accurate memory and strong opinion about everything. He eats only two meals daily—breakfast and lunch: “I only eat two meals a day. Been the same weight for 35 to 40 years. Get the weight off of you! Get down some more.” He takes no medications except a baby aspirin daily, and finally had to obtain a hearing aid at age 111.

And he listens to talk radio programs most of the afternoon and early evenings, keeping up with the news, and is conversant on almost any subject you want to bring up. In 2009 he appeared on NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, offering his views about the newly elected President Obama and the state of the economy. Later, he was on the CBS Evening News in a special segment reported by Steve Hartman.

As we talked about the Great Depression and today’s economic recessionary times, he had some strong perspectives. “I worked all during the Depression. You can’t compare yesterday with today. No way. That’s why the young people don’t understand the 1930s when Washington tells them there’s a depression today. Everybody’s working (today) that wants to work. Listen (emphatically!), there’s 10 million people right now probably out of work. Won’t work. Can’t work. Don’t want to work. That’s the way a lot of them are.”

Sharing some of his advice about work, he enthusiastically articulated, “I tell people to stay in the work job as long as they can possibly work. I never retired until I was 99 years old. The last job I had was the secretary treasurer of the Shrine Club, and I quit when I was 99. I quit smoking at the same time.” He jokingly commented that perhaps quitting smoking early has contributed to his longevity.

When asked if he enjoyed his work: “All the 50 years I worked for the railroad, I could hardly wait to get back to the job the next day. And as I said, two jobs all the time and I kept working all the time. I just loved to work. That’s why I kept working till I was 99.”

Since there is a lot of current research being conducted about work and its relationship to longevity, we asked Walter if he believed enjoying his work contributed to his longevity. “I think quite a bit. Working, I think, does the best for you that I know of. If you keep working, don’t try to retire too early because I know people who retire and they want to fish and hunt and all that. Well, you know, you catch up with all that stuff in about two months and then there’s nothing to do but sit, sit, sit. And that’s what is no good at all. If you sit in the rocking chair too long, it won’t be too long before you won’t be there.”

He energetically continued, “Work as long as you can and keep working because it doesn’t hurt you. It’s good for you—keeps your mind and your body busy always. Life just works better when you stay busy doing things. Helping others is the one big thing that I’ve done all my life. That’s the best thing you can do—ever. If you can do something that’s good for somebody else, you’ll find it’s good for you, too, in the end.”

Adding even more inspiration and advice to our time with him, Walter challenged us with these words of encouragement: “When I retired at 99, I could have gone on for years because I felt so good. All my life I’ve kept up with things that are going on. I can remember back to when I was three years old. If you just keep that mind busy. You gotta keep that mind. The minute you stop using your mind and your body, you’ll start deteriorating too—right away. Someday you’ll find that out.” That summed up Walter’s “secret” to long life.

We hope you will accept Walter’s wise, insightful, and inspiring advice: keep your mind and body useful and working, so you won’t “find that out.” As he so poignantly notes, “Life’s length is not measured by its hours and days, but by what we have done while we are here. A useless life is short even if it lasts a century. There are greater and better things in us all, if we will find them out.” Well said, Walter.

TEACHERS EXTRAORDINAIRE

Several of our energetic and interesting centenarians were educators, devoting their lives to teaching and influencing students to become productive citizens and contributors to our great nation. They entered their careers with a sense of mission and a desire to have a significant impact on many young people.

Work as Worship/Workship

When we attended the 100th birthday party of Thomas Glanton, there were so many former students, friends, and family present that we had to return later to conduct our video interview with this charming Southern gentleman and educator. He was born on November 4, 1911, in the first two-story house in Troup County, Georgia, a proud descendant of Oliver Cromwell, “Lord Protector of England,” as he says with a grateful and proud smile on his face. Since his great great great grandfather had lived to be 110, “I wanted to live to be 100. On my 90th birthday, my grandson said, ‘Pop, you’ll make it,’ and I did!”

He was married to his lovely wife, Juliette, just two weeks short of 72 years when she passed away. He recalled the first time he saw her leaving a theater and turned to give him a look: “She gave me a big smile. That set my heart a-flutter.” He has two children, four grandchildren, and nine great grandchildren, all of whom he is very proud. Thomas played golf till he was 87 years old. “I made three holes in one!” He drove an automobile until he was 97, his favorite country is Ireland, and his goal is to make it to 105 now that he has passed the century mark. We are betting he will make it.

His father was a gentleman farmer of 400 acres “when cotton was king.” His 47-year-“young” father married 20-year-old Roselle Cleveland, who was a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse. All three of his sisters became teachers, so it was natural that he also pursued this noble profession. He took extra courses in high school and entered Auburn University at the young age of 15. “I took a five-year course in architecture and graduated in 1932. Architects were doing their own drafting and had let their draftsmen go. So I couldn’t get a job. I lived a year with my mother and would pick up a little odd job every now and then painting signs for the city. One of the best jobs I had was on Fridays. One of the grocery men had a sale every Friday and Saturday, and I was paid a dollar to print copies of the sale signs and distribute them.”

Even though it was during the Depression when he graduated from college and there were no steady jobs to be found in architecture, Thomas was determined to find work worth doing. “The back doors were closing, but the school building doors were wide open. So they needed a coach and math and geometry teacher. I taught geometry and physics and coached boys’ and girls’ basketball after school for two years. Then the principal left in late August to take a university job, and I was the only man in the school. So the Board of Education handed it to me and I became principal after two years of teaching.” He later went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s degree in school administration.

Since he was a reserve officer in the military, Uncle Sam called him to Maxwell teaching aerodynamics to cadets in preflight school for 33 months. He was transferred to Intelligence School in Orlando where he was assigned to photo aerial intelligence operations. He was en route on the Queen Mary to Germany when they surrendered. Since he had the gift of writing, he was assigned a team of six stenographers to complete a study of the German air force. When Japan surrendered, he returned home and taught for 39 years during his distinguished educational career.

We asked his advice about managing money and finances. “Pay yourself first (save). Others second. The first year I taught, they only paid teachers $75 for nine months. That’s $675 I had to live on from June till October. But, fortunately, one of the grocers had a young boy I had taught and he would carry me the whole summer. I didn’t have any income the whole summer, and at the end of October when I got paid I would pay him $10 a month for what had amassed during the summer 4 months. And by the end of May, last paycheck, I had just paid him and had to start all over again.”

When asked what he liked most about his work, with a wide smile he recounted, “The county school superintendent gave me these instructions the first day of my teaching. Now Tom, you go down there tomorrow and you teach books half the time and children the other half. And that’s what I tried to do.” Judging by all the past students that showed up for his 100th birthday party, he did a very fine job.

He absolutely loved his work, like Walter Breuning, and offered some of this sage advice to us youngsters: “Work hard. Play hard. And do the best you can with God’s help. Put God first. Being around young people so long kept me young. And when it started making me old, I got out. You should, too!”

Of course, we asked him if he believed that enjoying his work so much has contributed to his long life. “Certainly. I wouldn’t be here now if I had been an architect. I didn’t build my cathedrals, but I took children out of a mill village and made ladies and gentlemen out of them.” A pleasant glow of deep, enduring satisfaction swept over his face as he shared this nugget with us.

We asked Thomas to share his educator’s advice with the younger generation concerning work and its importance to an enjoyable life. His answers were figuratively and literally inspiring. “Work is good worship. As a matter of fact, the word worship comes from the word workship, meaning relationship with God. So have a good “workingship” with God. Put God first, others second, and self last. Now that comes from the president of Auburn University. On Monday’s convocation as a freshman I can remember him saying, ‘Young men of Auburn, God has been good to you. You owe society a debt. Put God first, others second, and yourself last.’ I’ve tried to do that.” And he has done it well.

As we concluded our time with Thomas, we inquired whether he would have pursued another career if he had his life to live over again. With warm resolve he responded, “Teaching is the mother of all professions. I mentioned that my mother and sisters were all teachers. It runs in the family. The chalk dust on my shoulders is the ‘badge’ of my profession. As a teacher I was a member of the most challenging, most stimulating, and most satisfying professions in the world. The mother of all professions.”

Health Pill

Don Robinson, 105, is the oldest living graduate of Boston College and can keep up with any freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior attending today! As full of energy and life as the day he was born, on January 14, 1908, in Massachusetts, he still lives in his home of 30-plus years, fixes a lot of his own meals, drove an auto until just a few months ago, reads, travels, goes shopping with his sons and lovely granddaughter Kim, watches television (“westerns are my favorite, particularly Gunsmoke and John Wayne”), loves visiting with people, and just simply enjoys life to the fullest every day with a smile and magnetic personality. Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, which obviously contributed to his tenacious and savvy mannerisms, he never gave a thought to living 100-plus years. “Probably the greatest thing (about living to be 100) is the fact that you made it and that you should be proud of something and that you were wise enough to take care of yourself to make it. After you’ve made it, then you can be grateful because everybody treats you differently. Now I’m treated, just jokingly, with more respect. They’ll hold the door for you when you’re 100!”

His secret to 105 years of abundant life is “moderation in everything—drink, running, sports. You get the toughest guy in football, that you envy almost in a nice way, he’s gonna die at 78. No reason but he’s worn his body out. Body is like a machine. My machine wears out. So moderation.” He also points out that inheriting good genes can sure help the longevity process. Don is a role model of moderation in living, and he gleefully exclaims, “I haven’t missed anything.”

Don’s father was a foreman in a shoe factory and insisted that Don attend college. “They didn’t have a lot of money, but they put it in their son. Parents are wonderful, aren’t they?” He attended Boston College and majored in social studies. Upon graduation, he decided to become a teacher “. . . right then and there. Evidently, I always knew that’s what I would like to do. So I was hired and started teaching eighth grade.”

He was always athletic: “. . . in my fashion and I enjoyed boxing. I was given the nickname ‘The Fighter’ by my students,” which he touted with a bit of well-deserved pride. He absolutely loved his work as a teacher. “Your work is like a health pill. You go to work every day. You love your work. You’re gonna live. If you hate your work, you’re pulling your body and mind down. Love your work.”

One of the things Don loved most about his work as a teacher was its steady nature, even throughout the Great Depression. “It was steady as you go for life. That’s a pill right there. A doctor, a pill. Today, a man is nervous of losing his job. I was never going to lose my job all my life as long as I didn’t break rules and regulations. So that was a great pill right there. Steady job.”

“Another reason I loved my job was because I was communicating every day with very intelligent and nice people. I was learning from them to be nice. And also I loved it because it was a neat, nice, and lovely place to work. A school. It was clean, nice, and neat, and it was just wonderful to work in a situation like that.”

When we asked him if he believed that enjoying his work so much had contributed to his longevity, he enthusiastically answered before we finished the question: “Oh, there’s no doubt about it. Every day I was taking a health pill. I went to school and took a health pill. And being a teacher, everybody was nice to me. If you’re happy, it’s good for your system. Whether you’re a teacher or your job (pointing to us) meeting people and traveling, you should outlive me!”

Don had an interestingly different answer to our request for advice to young people about work: “I read you should let children make their own choice, and then after that if you see they are failing, then you should come and try to rectify it. But you want them to pick what they in their own mind think: ‘This is for me. I love it and want to try it.’ Don’t stop them and say, ‘No, this is better, see?’ Let them do what they want to do.” Interesting advice to consider from “The Fighter.”

Don was an educator for 42 years. “And that’s why I have a good pension—42 years.” He loves and admires Franklin D. Roosevelt. “I hope he’s in heaven. He was a wealthy, wealthy, wealthy man, but he kept thinking of the man in the street all the time (good advice for any would-be president). He had this law called Social Security, and they send me a check because of that wonderful man.”

He never got into a lot of debt. “Fortunately, no. Not yet!” he says with a laugh. “But I’ve got another year to go!” Don says if he had it to over again, he would have been more of a saver. “I’d like to take a young person and say, ‘Now save. Here’s your bank. Did you put your money in the bank today? Save for the future so you can take care of yourself.’”

Transitioning from the Roaring Twenties to the Great Depression was like going from “normal” to “abnormal,” according to Don. “Shifting into moderation kind of took care of me. I didn’t fear it (the Depression) because I didn’t want what I didn’t have. So I was happy. I didn’t have much but I used my judgment. I’m lucky, healthy, had good parents, wonderful friends, schooling . . . lucky. I didn’t suffer because I didn’t want anything—at least nothing I couldn’t afford. I had enough of everything. Not a lot, but enough.”

What are his keys to happiness? “At my age, that I can live in my own house, sleep in my own bed, eat my own food, cook, choose, have my guests in—so that’s my happiness. It’s my own little home and I love it.” But he also has a very special “key” in his life: “God has given me something to help me. Absolutely. I can see it morning, noon, and night. He gave me a guardian angel. And I felt it twice.” He went on to recount how his guardian angel protected him from serious injuries when falling on concrete a couple of different times. One lady who saw him fall thought he had died because the fall was so fierce. He jumped right up and greeted her with a smile and no injuries. “Some people laugh but I’ve got a good guardian angel.” We’re not laughing, Don. We should be so fortunate.

When asked how he would like to be remembered, Don paused, and then warmly responded “A loving friend to everybody I know, whether they are relatives or not. I want to be remembered as a loving friend.” That desire is as guaranteed as 2 plus 2 equals 4. Certainly, you agree with us that Thomas and Don indeed succeeded in their quest for significance in the working chapter of their long and distinguished educational careers.

KEEPING UP AND KEEPING ON

As new inventions and opportunities continue to pour into our already busy centenarians’ world, they continue to cycle on the Success to Significance continuum. Great motivators that help them stay active and promote new learning are technologies that provide stimulation to keep the brain sharp. They are models of how to stay connected to social networks, and they demonstrate to us that the work they have done and relationships they have created in their working years sets the stage for the marvelous ways we now connect and will connect in the future, regardless of our age.

Every year percentages increase as we ask about YouTube, TiVo, WiFi, text messaging, and other technological advances. If you think all centenarians are “not keeping up” with our perpetual progress, consider these encouraging data from our population of America’s most senior citizens:

• Over 16 percent use cell phones on a regular basis. And no, they are not afraid of getting brain cancer from excessive usage!
• Over 25 percent use voice mail and love it (saves a lot of repeat calling).
• Almost 20 percent are using some sort of computer and actively sending and receiving e-mails (sure saves on postage). And remember, they were in their 80s and 90s when they started learning how to use a computer! So much for the “old dogs, new tricks” adage.
• Over 30 percent love to watch DVDs and listen to CDs. Their taste is as eclectic as a kaleidoscope.
• And almost all still like to watch television and/or read. No idle minds here.

So you can see that no moss is growing under the feet of these techno-savvy centenarians, and usage percentages among them are increasing annually as devices become more and more user friendly. The fastest-growing segment of our population is catching up with the younger generation technologically, which is opening wonderful doors of opportunity for sharing among generations “secrets,” simple and profound wisdom, and advice and encouragement about work, money, and life.

WISE WORK ADVICE

Given their very diverse work experiences and number of years on the job, we asked our centenarians to offer some nuggets of wisdom and advice about work and jobs to younger people already in or getting ready to join the workforce. As with most of their answers on every subject, they are simple and straightforward. We are wise to take notes and listen attentively.

“Working is good for your soul as well as your wallet. It is good to stay busy.”

Oneda Anne Streeter, 100

“Apply yourselves and do an honest job that is of good quality. Unless you take pride in your work, you cannot enjoy it. Money is not the most important element.”

Bill Mohr, 100

“Be on time. Do not miss work unless you have to. Do an honest day’s work for your employer.”

Louise Calder, 100

“Choose the type of work you are capable of, and that is consistent with your physical abilities, talents, and mental abilities. Choose the kind of work you think you would enjoy—indoor versus outdoor, with people or with machines.”

Floyd Ellson, 100

“Do the best you can and work hard. Give your employer their money’s worth.”

Virginia Schuller, 100

“Do your job to the best of your ability and keep your mind on what you are doing. Always give a little more than is expected of you.”

Gladys Holmstrand, 100

“Enjoy what you do. Work hard. Appreciate the opportunities that are available. Take advantage of opportunities, especially for advancement.”

Helen Despotopoulos, 102

“If not pleased, change. Do something you enjoy.”

Joe Stonis, 100

“Start each day with optimism and enthusiasm. Give it your best and always be honest.”

Isla Jennings, 100

So what are the secrets and wisdom we glean from their advice on work? Competence (IQ [intelligence quotient]) skills and knowledge are important. They must be thoughtfully considered in selecting work that fits your level of ability for the job and, of course, interest.

However, character (EQ [emotional quotient], the ability to manage ourselves and relationships through self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills) is equally if perhaps not even more essential. Approaching work with a sense of pride, doing more than is expected, enjoying what you do (or change), being enthusiastic and optimistic about the possibilities of achievement, and always being honest will result in a working career well lived no matter how long you are on the job.

Working Through (a Century of) Bumps in the Road

Not one of our centenarians experienced “smooth sailing” in every season of their expansive lives. There have been bumps in the road for all of them that have impacted their work and personal lives. As they transitioned from buggies to automobiles to airplanes, paper-and-pencil desktops to keyboard laptops, some were fortunate to have quick and easy access to these constantly changing resources, while others experienced various barriers that prevented easy access to new inventions and expanded work opportunities.

Many of our centenarians expressed that they wish they could have obtained more education for career/work opportunities. Almost 75 percent completed elementary school, 65 percent completed high school, 10 percent attended some sort of trade school, and approximately 35 percent completed a college degree program. Their strong advice to the younger generation is to obtain as much education as possible to enlarge and enrich your career options.

But educational regrets, wars, the Great Depression, health issues, and many other challenges have not stopped them on their career journeys with a positive and grateful and determined attitude. Their perception is that with all the technological advances and educational opportunities existing today, the younger generation has no excuses for not seeking, finding, and enjoying meaningful and significant work in our expanding domestic and global economy.

“Take advantage of opportunities that come your way. Don’t be afraid of a reasonable and practical amount of risk after due investigation. Acceptable opportunities may not present themselves again,” says Nelson Nieuwenhuis, 100.

We asked our centenarians how they coped with life’s ups and downs in the middle of work, wars, and constant rapid change. What advice would they give to younger people about overcoming life’s difficulties. What wisdom could they offer about accepting work struggles, challenges, and opportunities. Just like us, work consumed half (and in many cases more) of their waking hours, and they had to juggle the interruptions and idiosyncrasies of life while staying committed to performing their jobs with integrity and satisfaction.

Over and over again, their responses emphasized similar and simple themes that the younger generation can derive such great benefit from if incorporated into their mental worldview and their daily actions:

• Be willing to work hard—all the time.
• Do your personal best no matter how seemingly significant or insignificant the task.
• Cooperate by helping others.
• Accept help when needed—pride is foolish and hurts everyone.
• Don’t procrastinate.
• Get your work done before you play—you enjoy both more that way.
• Do what you like and it’s not work.
• If you don’t like what you do, find something else.

A majority articulated that to enjoy work for many years, or most of your life as in the cases of a number of our centenarians, does take a lot of faith, optimism, and a “take life one day at a time” attitude.

“Life is what you make it. No one can do it for you. Have pride and love yourself. Do your best work like it was your own business,” says Sophie Birk, 103.

Tough Times Don’t Last but Tough People Do

Our centenarians are very aware that political decisions have affected their working opportunities and circumstances both positively and negatively over the past century. Of the 21 presidents they have seen elected, Franklin D. Roosevelt, who served from 1933 to 1945, was the favorite among the majority of our centenarians, both Republicans and Democrats. They cited that his optimism and activism brought new spirit to a burdened nation. The New Deal was designed to produce economic relief, recovery, and reform by providing lots of government jobs and also stimulating growth in the private sector workforce. Many of our centenarians expressed the exact same statement in response to our inquiring why Roosevelt was their favorite president: “He gave us hope!”

Making a living through the Great Depression was difficult for many people as unemployment rose to 25 percent at the peak. But we heard many stories of how positive determination and kindness people showed to each other enabled them to overcome life’s difficulties—including financial burdens—in this turbulent time of our nation’s history.

Centenarian Gold Mine

In our travels throughout the country, we were incredibly fortunate to discover a virtual “gold mine” of wisdom, wit, stories, and advice at Mount Vernon Towers in Atlanta. This lovely senior living facility is home to five—yes, five—charming centenarians who graciously welcomed us on our centenarian quest. Maxine Brown, 104; Willie Foster, 101; Garnett Cobb, 101; Rosalie Wolosenka, 101; and Mable McCleery, 104, could fill a library with their 500-plus combined years of work, fun, adventure, and life lived much more than “half full.”

Maxine Brown was born and grew up in Pensacola, Florida. She attended Florida State University, was married 49 years (“I had the best married life”), drove until she was 94, and had a red Chevy for 18 years, which she loved. She did have an aunt in New Orleans who lived to be 104, but when we asked her if she ever thought she would live to be 100, she retorted, “Never thought I’d live. I was a preemie and weighed one and a half pounds. They should have thrown me out.” We are glad they didn’t, as she is chock-full of energy, wit, and wisdom. “I don’t feel my age and I don’t act it, unfortunately! Some days I feel my age, but most of the time I feel fine.”

When she graduated from college, she was a bookkeeper for a while. Then she got married and moved to Buffalo. “I didn’t like the cold and snow, but Al had a job.”

When asked about her advice to young people about work, Maxine energetically said, “I think they should all work and know the value of living. When we got married they were only hiring people who were married, and the husband had to be working. And I had very good recommendations. They said, ‘This is wonderful but we can’t hire a woman.’” She went on to share about their managing life through the Great Depression. “Al was an engineer and he worked for Titus. We helped other people, we hired people—we had a man on the block. He would clean the snow. I wish he could have taken it with him (she giggled). But anyway, he came to collect on Saturday and we had him in the house and gave him a hot lunch and sent food home with him. All the people on our street were young people, and at Christmas we would get a family and help them. They didn’t know who was doing it. We were so young. We knew we were OK, but we did help everyone we could, and a lot of times some of us would get together, make a lot of soup, put it in quart jars, and just put it on our steps. It was terrible because I have never seen it before. I never want to see it again.”

Willie Foster, 101, was born in Alpharetta, Georgia, now a booming populated suburb of Atlanta. But, as she points out, “It was the country then. I was raised on the farm. My daddy died before I was born. My mother had seven children, and all of them went to the field to work. But when I was born my older sister stayed at the house and Momma went to the fields to show them what to do.”

Her favorite job on the farm? “Hoeing. I didn’t really like to, but I had to! (laughter) I worked in the fields and tried to take off Saturdays and Sundays.” But she went on to say that she worked many weekends to make ends meet.

In discussing the Great Depression, Willie talked lucidly about the challenges of working on a farm. Even though many people living on farms did not experience some of the extreme difficulties of city dwellers during the Depression, she pointed out that “we had to make it. Just went out and worked hard. I had an older sister, and when we got able to work, we had to hire out and pick cotton. One day picking cotton over near the highway, I picked about 300 pounds of cotton. And I told everybody I know that I picked more cotton than she did (my older sister). At least I thought I did.”

“We had cows, horses, plenty of bread and milk, nothing fancy. We raised our own beef, we had hogs and meat, so we never went hungry.”

When we asked her advice to young people about working she was pretty pointed as she recalled her working times as a young adult. “Make ’em behave. Children today don’t have to work like I did. That makes a lot of difference. Just work! Don’t sit around and be lazy. Work at whatever. We had to make it. I picked 300 pounds in one day.” (She mentioned that 300 pounds of cotton a couple of times!)

Mabel McCleery, 104, loved to play golf. “You couldn’t play too much golf. After I retired, I loved to play golf.” She was born in Georgia in 1907, one of seven children. “No one in my family that I know of ever lived to be 100.” Mabel had a 100th birthday party that was “so great it took me weeks to get over it. I could not believe it, and I mean there were people from everywhere. But I haven’t found anything that’s as exciting with the 104.” She drove until she was 93, and her favorite car was a powder blue Thunderbird: “Whoooooeeeee, it really bugged me to give up my love car. And it still does.”

She worked for about 16 years with a wholesale manufacturing company that made ladies’ hats. “That was interesting. We had to work hard to hold our jobs—we really did.” Mabel worked at a number of different jobs throughout her working years, but the most interesting and enjoyable job she had was that of a dental hygienist. “I was a dental hygienist. I did other things up until then, but a friend of mine was a dental hygienist, and I was determined to be one, too. So I started studying under this doctor and then I went to work for him. I happened along at the right time. It was during the war and jobs were hard to get.”

She stayed in that job for over 15 years. Did she enjoy her work? “Oh, I really enjoyed that work—and if you don’t, you better get out of it. I liked meeting different people. You meet some of the finest people. I don’t know if I succeeded in making them feel good but I tried.” Given her bubbly personality, our bet is that a lot of folks actually enjoyed their visit to the dentist when Mabel was there to greet them and say, “Open wide.”

In giving advice to younger people, she echoed many of our other centenarian friends. “Try to get what you enjoy the most. And do the best job you possibly can for whatever you decide on. That’s the only way I know to do it. I really enjoyed my dental work. Don’t know if it contributed to my longevity, but it was a good way to make a living.”

Her memory of the Great Depression was not particularly negative, due in part, we believe, to her positive and tenacious attitude about life. “I always managed to have something to do. We didn’t have a gourmet menu, but we got by with what we had. That was just the bare necessities mostly. I had some bad times and good times—I had some pretty bad times, but I just hit it head on!”

She was insistent on us sharing her advice with the younger generation about managing money. “I saved up and paid cash. I didn’t want to owe any money. I wanted to pay as I go. I paid cash for about everything. I didn’t buy it if I didn’t have the money. Now that’s something to tell the young people. Don’t buy it if they don’t have the money. So many of them go in debt and, oh, just eat themselves up with debt. And that’s not good, I don’t think. I did without. They should, too.” Wise advice, we believe, for working and living with less worry.

Garnett Cobb, 103, was born in Danville, Illinois, in 1909. The oldest of four children, she lived in Indiana and Florida before moving to Georgia, and has written a book on the history of Sandy Springs, Georgia. Although her mother died at the very young age of 34, her father lived to be 84, and she had a great aunt who made it all the way to 105. The greatest thing for her about turning 100 was that “you get so much attention!,” she exclaimed with a giggle and laughter. “I got lots of letters and cards, and over 250 people came the first hour of my birthday party.” Although insisting she has no secret to living 100-plus productive years, she points out: “I’m very interested in life.”

She was married for 60 years and has one son living in Georgia. “We never fussed. We weren’t the fussing kind.” Her advice to young girls about marriage is sage: “I always heard if a man is good to his mother, he’ll be good to his wife, or if he’s good to his wife, he was good to his mother.” She is a strong advocate for marrying because you are in love, not because it is convenient.

She drove a car until she was 96 in the busy metropolitan Atlanta area, and quit voluntarily. “The kids didn’t make me give it up. I was on my own.” She turned in the keys herself. Her favorite car was a dark red Mercury sports car, “but I never got a ticket.”

She worked in the banking industry for 32 enjoyable years. While she was still in school, a friend called offering her a job. She told him that she had not finished school yet and was probably not yet qualified, but he insisted that they would teach her everything she would need to know. “So I left school because a job was more important in those days than it is now.”

Her advice to young people about working harmonizes with most of our centenarians: “I would tell them to like what they do—to love what they do—and then give it everything they’ve got.” She emphasized with a smile, “I loved what I did. Every minute.”

Being a banker, we asked Garnett to share her financial advice with the younger generation. “I’m sorry to say a lot of people are in debt over their heads and they don’t realize that until it is too late. You don’t buy anything unless you can pay for it.” Even though she was in the banking business, she and her husband never borrowed a lot of money. They used credit cards but paid them off at the end of every month. “We didn’t believe in paying interest.” Paying cash definitely reduced stress in her life, which she believes contributed to her long and enjoyable life. “Watch what you spend. I’ve got a lot of Scotch-Irish in me. And enjoy what you spend.” Great advice from a very seasoned banker.

Fortunately for Garnett, as for a number of our Centenarians, she was not negatively impacted severely by the Great Depression. “I knew people were jumping out of windows and carrying on, but I just wasn’t into it. I really didn’t realize what all was going on. Everybody was in the same position. You didn’t feel like you were rich and you didn’t feel like you were poor because everybody was suffering the same experience. My dad had a big garden, cows, chickens, and about six pigs. So we had plenty to eat.” She did recall that gasoline and some other items were rationed, but for the most part she just worked hard right through the Depression—a common centenarian theme that is very relevant to all of us today in these recessionary and challenging financial times.

Rosalie Wolasenka, the proud daughter of Polish immigrants, was born in the Big Apple in 1910 and grew up with a brother and two sisters. Her father died at 39, her mother at 64, and she never knew anyone in her family who lived beyond 60-ish. She was married 65 wonderful years, and her husband lived to be 90. Her greatest thing about living to be 100? “That I’m living! That I’m in good health. Oh, there are little glitches here and there, but I think everyone has those. But nothing to complain about (another common centenarian comment).” In stark contrast to Dr. Leila Denmark’s secret to living 100-plus years (“Ever since I was 7 months old I’ve drunk nothing but water”), Rosalie is just as adamant: “Never drink water. I seldom drink water. I make myself a cup of tea a couple of times a day.” She occasionally has a glass of wine, and when her husband was living would periodically enjoy a sip of Scotch, but “we are not drinking people.”

She moved to Georgia at the age of 90, and on her 100th birthday “my niece gave me the most gorgeous party anyone ever had here. They’re still talking about it. She had over 100 people here and made roses for everyone out of ribbon. She had a seated dinner for over 100 right here on the sun porch. So after that, I said, “This is my hurrah—a Joe Kennedy quote—that’s the end.”

She graduated from high school and worked in a few different places, taking the trolleys and buses to and from work. “I always felt safe. Sometimes I came home at 10 or 11 at night, but no one ever bothered me.”

She worked at Macy’s for a couple of years as a cashier in the Tube Room, but it was boring work, so she moved to Gimbel’s department store. “I was a saleslady there. I was selling ladies’ gloves and sundries. Whatever I did, I enjoyed. I always enjoyed my work. I made it my business to be friendly with people. I always was and that’s about it. What can I say? I tried to be happy and I tried to do well, and I still do things that way. I still enjoy doing whatever I can. I’ve always had hobbies of some sort.” Indeed she has. Rosalie was an athlete, running low hurdles and high jumping. She loves to dance, reads books, makes vases and fills them with flowers for gifts to people, and can “still thread a needle,” making beautiful glass bead flowers and decorations, always staying busy.

Her perception about and advice to young people today about work is worth considering whether you agree with her or not. “I think the average person starting a job today is annoyed he has to work. He doesn’t like the idea of working for anybody. And that attitude is very bad when you start to work. You’re angry before you even begin anything.” Her remedy for this approach to work is: “Have a different way of thinking. And don’t believe all bosses are tyrants.”

Rosalie also weathered the Great Depression quite well. “It didn’t affect me at all outside of seeing people selling apples at street corners. I was married. My husband worked steady. I didn’t see anyone starve to death.” Perhaps her and her husband’s staying debt free, and waiting to save enough money to pay for their house in cash, helped weather of lot of the storms. She says, “We never even had a mortgage.”

She also has a strong faith in God. “I tell Him, ‘Any time, take me away.’ I say, ‘What are you doing—redecorating my apartment again?!’ I think He listens to me. I tell Him to wake me up at 8 o’clock in the morning and at 8 o’clock sharp I wake up without an alarm.” A very special centenarian indeed.

More Nuggets of Work Wisdom

Harry Adler, 101, shared with us that his mother died when he was two weeks old, and his dad left when he was a baby. An aunt and uncle adopted him and made him start working at age 10. The highest grade he attended in school was eighth grade, and he remembers coming home from school, changing his clothes, working on trucks, and returning home at 11 o’clock at night. He was held back in school three times because he could not complete his homework all the time and was told he was dumb. “No one helped me stop being treated like this.” How did he work through his bumps, ups and downs? “Just accepted it,” he said warmly without any accusatory or resentful tone in his voice. Centenarians just don’t blame others for their vicissitudes of life.

Noah Dupont, 101, told us that he attended school until the sixth grade, then needed to help his parents with income for the family, so he went to work. His sage advice about work is: “Enjoy what you do, but know that you can’t always be happy.”

Elsie Rich, 106, philosophically and poetically shares: “I always liked to work, so I was happy. In the winter of my life, my thinking is ‘Spring, eager to learn what the next day will Bring. And when it comes to the end of the Road, I wish you are told she lived many years, but she never grew Old.’” If we adopt Elsie’s attitude about life and work, life cannot be much richer or more enjoyable no matter what is thrown at us or just comes our way.

So take heart from our seasoned class of centenarians. As you hit those inevitable bumps in your road of work and life, keep on cruising over them with hard work, determination, best efforts always, accepting temporary setbacks, developing a strong faith and optimistic spirit of hope, living fully one day at a time. All work is “workship” and is indeed a best prize. Do it with gusto and adventure, and you greatly improve your possibilities for a century-plus of enjoyable and significant life.