Try stand-up for a second act
A funny thing happened to Rich Madzel on the way home from Brooklyn one night: He decided to open a comedy club. The idea came to him about a year ago on the New Jersey Turnpike, as he and his wife were returning to Columbia, Maryland after visiting their daughter. “It occurred to me that I was bored and needed more to do,” said the now 81-year-old businessman and theater... READ MORE
Daphne Maxwell Reid enjoys the journey
Though she recently turned 71, when actress Daphne Maxwell Reid appears at the Senior Connections’ Empty Plate Luncheon in Richmond on October 2, audience members shouldn’t expect the Richmond resident to talk about her quiet, peaceful retirement. “I don’t retire,” Reid said. “I’ll take my pension, but I’ll still be busy.” Reid has been busy for decades. After... READ MORE
Coming around to cannabis
Dr. Matthew Mintz wasn’t an early proponent of medical uses for cannabis (the scientific name for the plant more commonly known as marijuana). In fact, he said, “I was a little skeptical.” Mintz, a board-certified internist and Washingtonian “Top Doctor,” attended George Washington University medical school and then practiced medicine while serving on GW’s faculty for the... READ MORE
Box, dance, sing and repeat
Like many of today’s retirees, Marty Lefstein, a former computer programmer who lives in Parkville with his wife, Gita, leads a busy life. He practices yoga, takes dance and boxing classes, and belongs to a singing group. What’s surprising to many is that Lefstein, 67, has had Parkinson’s disease for the past 24 years. But far from slowing him down, that fact encourages the... READ MORE
It’s never too late to pursue lost passions
Think back to your school or college days, when you may have enjoyed playing a musical instrument, acting in plays, or simply were engrossed in a subject that particularly enticed you. It may even have been your major in college. If that love, or that major, didn’t translate into a paying job or career, you might have let it go for years or even decades. But if that interest lingers,... READ MORE
Women take to the air in races
Their teams have names like “Flying Flashes,” “Estrogen Express,” “Dakota FlyGirls,” “Liberty Belles” and “White Lightning.” For a week in June, 109 women pilots grouped into 49 teams flew 2,538 miles across nine states and one Canadian province in a variety of planes. The women, who range in age from 21 to 90 years old, are members of an exclusive club. Only 7% of ... READ MORE
Carol Burnett’s Q&A roadshow
Although beloved American comedian Carol Burnett grew up in poverty in the 1940s with two alcoholic parents, she never felt poor or unloved, thanks to her grandmother. With their scrounged pennies, the two would retreat to the cool darkness of movie theaters in California as often as possible. The optimism of the films, coupled with her grandmother’s love, left a lasting impression on... READ MORE
Making mayo and more for 132 years
When you stroll by the C.F. Sauer plant at 2000 West Broad Street — or even wait at the stoplight with the car windows down — your nose tingles. A pungent whiff of pepper or sweet scent of vanilla might waft by. “The aroma emanating from the building varies depending on what is being produced that day,” said C.F. Sauer’s marketing director, Erin Hatcher. Since 1887, the C.F. ... READ MORE
Get fit for free if 65 or better
You’d never mistake Dottie Longo for a Marine drill sergeant. The 67-year-old fitness instructor encourages her students, including me, with phrases like “if you can,” “at your own level” and “don’t overdo it.” No one is ever asked to “go for the burn.” In a recent class, Longo announced, “I’m doing eight repetitions with my two-and-a-half-pound weights. You can... READ MORE
Honoring Maryland’s veterans
While waiting for a flight at BWI Airport, passengers hear an announcement: “Ladies and gentlemen, please join us at gate seven for a special Honor Flight. Please welcome our veterans of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.” A crowd forms, and people crane their necks, waiting for the plane’s passengers to disembark. A thin man in a dark blue military veteran cap rolls ... READ MORE
Cover Stories 2024
