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Behind the
Scene ... "Live to be 150... Can You Do It?" an ABC
Barbara Walters Special
Our Story
Begins
Over a three day period in mid
September, 2007, they converged
on
New York City – five of
America’s
“best and brightest” elders –
all healthy, happy and active at
age 100 and over!
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This was a first-ever event –
five centenarians, the youngest
just reaching the century mark,
the oldest 101 and a half.
They, along with centenarian
expert Lynn Peters Adler, had
been invited by Barbara Walters
to be interviewed for her
Special program on longevity.
Lynn had worked closely with the dedicated
ABC staff for several
months, and a great deal
of effort had been put
into not only finding
the right people, but
also in making the
necessary arrangements
for everyone’s comfort
and security. Each
centenarian was
accompanied by a family
member or friend.
Everything was in
place. Now this
history-making event was
ON!
Arriving a day
in advance at the Yale
Club of New York City to
be sure all the detailed
arrangements were in
place for her special
friends’ enjoyment and
safety, and to
coordinate their time
schedule, which was
critical to ABC, Lynn
handled last-minute
“glitches” – the
arrangement of the
rooms, for instance, to
be sure they were all on
the same floor, and on
the same floor as the
“hositality suite.”
“I would have been nervous,” she
recalls, “but I didn’t
have time!” Finally,
everything was in place
in time to greet the
first arrival, good
friend Rosie Ross of
Arizona,
and his niece, RoseMary
Perner.
Lynn had approached Rosie a year and a half
earlier with the
possibility of being
selected for an
interview with Ms.
Walters – and now, at
last, the time had
arrived.
“It was a dream come true,” Rosie
remarked. “I always
wanted to be on TV. And
I’ve always been a big
fan of Barbara Walters.
Woo-ee!” he exclaimed,
all smiles. The three
enjoyed a little
celebration and then
Rosie and RoseMary were
out on the town for
dinner.
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“I haven’t been to
New York
since I shipped out to
England during WWII,” Rosie said. (Please
see our February 2007 Calendar
about Rosie.)
So what did he want to see
the next day? RoseMary suggested
a double-decker sight seeing bus
– “No,” Rosie said, surprising
both RoseMary and Lynn, “I’m
going to buy a new trumpet!"
And sure enough, the next
morning, bright and early, he
and RoseMary set off to “Trumpet
City.” Rosie related the
details of his purchase later
that evening during dinner. |
(l-r) Lynn,
Rosie and RoseMary at the Yale
Club. |
Elsa Brehm Hoffmann and her
daughter, Joan Textor, were the
next to arrive from Florida, the
following day. Elsa recalls the
trip as “magical." We were
treated like royalty by the
staff at the [Yale] Club and
everyone at ABC. It was a
once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
This was a big statement coming
from a sophisticated
world-traveler like Elsa. |
Joan Textor
(Elsa's daughter) and Elsa in
their
suite at the Yale Club |
Lynn and Elsa
visit in Elsa's suite
at the Yale Club. |
Karl Hartzell and his son, Drew,
were the next to arrive. Dr.
Hartzell had flown by himself to
his son’s home in upstate New
York, and they then came into
the city by train. When Lynn had
earlier expressed concern over
Dr. Hartzell’s solo trip, Drew
assured her: “He’ll be fine -
he’s used to doing it.” And
sure enough, there he was
looking dapper, as always. “This
was quite an adventure,” he
remarked, with a smile.
Drew has contributed some of his
recollections of the trip in a
letter he sent to his family
upon his return. See inset.
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Drew Hartzell
and his father, Karl |
While the others were resting,
Lynn was busy procuring a black
leather jacket for Rosie, as a
surprise, to go with his new
trumpet and to wear to the shoot
the next day. After several
tries, and try-ons, she at last
found one that was “just right,”
and very cool. And just in
time! The group met me in the
hospitality suite on their floor
in the late afternoon to greet
one another and to go over the
schedule and details for their
“big day,” on September 21.
Karl, Elsa,
Lynn and Rosie at the Yale Club.
Unfortunately, Kit Abrahamson of
Gloucester, Massachusetts, had
become ill and had to
cancel. Everyone was
disappointed at the news, and
wished her a speedy recovery.
Lynn’s husband, Jim, arrived
from Phoenix, just in time to
host their dinner in the roof
dining room. Lillian’s plane
was delayed in Atlanta, and
everyone wanted to wait for her
rather than have her come to the
dining room without meeting them
first.
Behind the Scene continues
>>> |
Letter from Drew
Hartzell, Ph.D. to
his family
about the adventure.
Drew, Karl and
Barbara Walters
September, 2007
Dear All,
Dad returned to
Jacksonville today
on the 11a.m.
Southwest flight.
He changed planes in
Baltimore and except
for a stop in
Norfolk, VA, went
directly to JAX. So
ends what must go
down in our family’s
history as one of
the more remarkable
weeks of our lives.
He flew to Albany on Monday. On Wednesday
he and I took the
11:05 a.m. Amtrak
train to New York’s
Pennsylvania
Station. Three hours
later we alighted
from the train after
a spectacularly
beautiful ride down
the Hudson Valley
into the waiting
arms of a red cap
who got Dad into the
waiting wheelchair,
loaded our bags on
his hand truck, and
took us up the
elevator, across a
floor to another
elevator, through a
warehouse-like part
of the station, out
under a large
overhead retractable
door, and onto the
curb on 31st street.
It was a virtuoso
journey.
After all this motion, the taxicab ride to
the Yale Club at
44th and Vanderbilt
(just adjacent to
Grand Central
Terminal) was a
distinct let down.
The ride took 40
minutes, far in
excess of what it
would have taken me
to walk it by
myself, but once we
got to the club,
life improved
immensely. We were
met in the lobby by
Lynn Adler and we
were off and
running.
Drew's letter
continues >>> |
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© 1998-2018 National Centenarian Awareness Project & Lynn Peters
Adler, J.D.
No material, in whole or in part, may be reprinted
or reproduced in any form without the prior written permission
of Lynn Peters Adler and the National Centenarian Awareness Project.
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