‘Retirees’ are busier than ever
As Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Older adults in Baltimore and beyond are more active than ever, and some are devoting their later years to giving back to their communities. Studies confirm that Americans over 62 are waiting longer than previous generations to retire. What’s more, many who do retire aren’t... READ MORE
Ever-changing artwork, powered by the sun
A friend of mine recently sent me a TED Talks video filmed in Vienna. It displayed gorgeous light studies in vivid shades of green, blue, red and yellow — very fluid, alive and ephemeral. I was amazed to learn they were created from sunlight and that they changed throughout the day following the movement of the earth. I was also surprised to find out that the internationally known... READ MORE
Late-life artist relishes challenge
For most of his life, Allan Akman has dabbled in art. The 77-year-old Rockville resident spent his 33-year career as a military consultant, but on nights and weekends, he painted using watercolors and oils. When he retired in 2009, Akman had a long “bucket list” of things to do, books to read and places to visit. But he became captivated by one of the first items on the list:... READ MORE
Alice McDermott on life and faith
On a gray afternoon this winter, novelist Alice McDermott paused for a pint of Guinness at the Irish Inn in Glen Echo, Maryland, to chat with a reporter about, among other things, life, literature and what it means to be an American. “What makes all Americans Americans, regardless of the hyphenation, is that they are from someone, or are someone, who left [their home], whether for... READ MORE
Changing the ways we think about aging
What does it mean to age “successfully”? Does it mean remaining physically fit and bustling about the gym into our 90s? Being able to volunteer to help others around you? Does it mean you’re retired and surrounded by grandkids? Or simply that you’re happy to still be alive? These are the kinds of questions that concern Tracey Bobrowitz Gendron, associate professor and chair of ... READ MORE
Preserving local black history
The little half-acre cemetery with 75 graves, in the shadow of a five-story office building with shiny turquoise windows, is barely visible to drivers whizzing by on Fairfax County’s six-lane Beulah Street. Cement tombstones with hand-lettered inscriptions have been worn down by time. On one, the name “Moses Harris” is barely legible. Another, bearing a cross, notes the passing of... READ MORE
Facing a painful part of the past
Almost 90 years after a man was hanged by a mob in Maryland, residents of Howard County have begun an effort to remember the victims of lynching in the area. “The legacy still influences us,” said Will Schwarz, president and founder of the Maryland Lynching Memorial Project (MLMP), which he established in 2018. The nonprofit is dedicated to remembering the victims of lynching and... READ MORE
Unique club’s place in history
Twenty-one years ago, a Vietnam veteran returned to his home of Baltimore to “give back” to his community. That was when Kaleb Tshamba, now 70, joined the Arch Social Club, first established in 1905. “Social clubs always build the community up,” said Tshamba, the club’s de facto historian, who is writing a book about its early history. For generations, the Arch Social Club,... READ MORE
Reinvigorating a historic cemetery
The dense, dark woods in Richmond’s East End are a jungly tangle of weeds, kudzu vines, English ivy, dead limbs and leaves. This untamed thicket is part of the city’s historic African American cemetery, Evergreen. Founded in 1891, when cemeteries were segregated by race, Evergreen was considered “equivalent” to Richmond’s Hollywood Cemetery in the west end, where U.S.... READ MORE
Never too old to rock and roll
On a recent autumn day in Alexandria, a group of singers belted out the 1966 Motown hit “You Keep Me Hanging On,” swaying to the rhythm, bobbing their heads, smiling and shouting loudly at the end of the song. Is this a reunion of the Supremes? Maybe a young tribute band mimicking these great singers? Well, no. In fact, you see a few canes, hearing aids and lots of white hair among... READ MORE
