Honoring Age and Wisdom

In many cultures across the globe, older people are revered and respected for the wisdom they have gained from from their time on Earth. Through world wars and famines, the Depression and the Holocaust, today’s senior citizens are walking, talking history texts. They have seen things the younger generation will hopefully never experience, and they’ve lived through miraculous times that may never again repeat themselves. They watched a man step foot on the sandy moon soil, they enjoyed the birth of television and the introduction of computers.

Older persons can offer the rest of the world valuable lessons, if we listen.

Marvin Lee Traylor Sr. was a hero to his granddaughter Michelle and all those touched by his life. He fought in WWII and stormed Normandy on D-Day. He served as a school board president and volunteer firefighter, taught himself to play golf, looked after his younger brothers and helped raise Michelle while her father served in the military. He had such a loving influence on her life that Michelle feels her “Papa Sam” is her guardian angel.

Edward Poplasky never gives up. His granddaughter Laura from Center Valley says: “He is nearly blind and can't do many things for himself. Even so, when something needs to be repaired, he takes it apart and tries to restore it by feeling the parts, deciding where they might go. He is a good influence because he doesn't give up until he's tried his hardest, and he's not afraid to ask for help."

"Edward Poplasky has influenced my life in many ways. He has taught me never to give up, not even in the toughest spots. I have also learned that it is helpful if you have a positive attitude about everything. Try to make the best of things, and to be an optimist. Also, don't be afraid to ask for help, but try to do it by yourself first. My grandfather taught me that it doesn't hurt to try.”

Wilma C. Bailey inspired her granddaughter to live every day to the fullest and not let tragedy destroy her. Lucy Maud Montgomery made people aware of Prince Edward Island through her writing, and Pierrette Trudel battles Alzheimer’s with grace.

From famous people like Lucille Ball and Walt Disney, to those not-so-famous people like Frank and Becky Riley and Ralph and Rosemary Bowles, older people are international treasures.

But they aren’t just sitting around, spinning stories. No, today’s older person is hip with technology. In fact, in a survey by SeniorNet, it is estimated that computer use by senior citizens has grown 15 percent each year since 1990, making this demographic one of the fastest growing in Computer Land.

Older persons today hold down jobs, postpone retirement, help raise their grandchildren and travel the globe. They jump out of airplanes (like former president George Bush did to celebrate his 80th birthday this year) and swim across the ocean, like Paul Ellis, a 61-year-old grandfather who swam 35 miles between Cozumel and Cancun. People like this show that older doesn’t mean slower.

MY HERO invites older people to use today’s technology and share their stories with the world through our Web site. To write about yourself or an older hero in your life, visit the MY HERO Create page. Or take a look at what others wrote about their grandparent heroes in the Grandparents’ Guestbook.