Seventy, the Age of No Excuses

John Lennon, Frankie Avalon, Chuck Norris, Jack Nicklaus, Mike Ditka, and Tom Brokaw all share the same honor this year. Along with Gracie Slick, Tom Hayden, Lily Tomlin, and Carl Yastremski, they all turned or would have turned 70 years old.

Adding to that esteemed list such names as Ted Koppel, Tina Turner, James Caan, and Ringo Starr and you have most of the people I grew up with. I forgot one, Ricky Nelson. One more, who can ever forget that skinny young bank robber in Dog Day Afternoon? Al Pacino. They are also members of the seventy club this year.

This entire list would be probably be alive today if it were not for a gunman's bullet and a plane crash. That's right, Gracie Slick is still alive and I bet she can still rock. During a 1989 reunion of the Starship she joked that now they really are your parents' worse nightmare since they are your parents. Bottom line is she still looks good.

Speaking of looking great, there's Mike Ditka or Iron Mike as I know him. I saw him play for the Chicago Bears and I cheered as his Bear's team plowed under each opponent during their Super Bowl season. I watched him each game waiting for a clipboard to be flung into the field or a player to get ripped to shreds on the sidelines. Iron Mike is a legend. Today he is hawking prostate relieving drugs on his website but he still stands there with his arms folded. Don't cross this septuagenarian.

I began thinking of this article at a dinner party when I realized that everyone at the table was past seventy but myself and my wife. We will soon be there. Most of our friends are seventy or over. I sat listening to the level of activity this group of people kept up each day and was amazed that we even found time to get together for dinner.

The talk was not like some do to impress others on how busy they are but this was honest telling of what they were doing or going to do. One couple was leaving for Israel the following day. Another couple had just returned from a tour of the lower Central Canadian provinces. Another told about their care for their grandchildren while yet another had stories of volunteer work in the community. This small group was vital and alive.

Not once during the entire evening did anyone, other than me, the youngster, bring up a medical problem or discuss an ache or pain. We did talk about having to rest more which was ironic since it appeared that none of us were resting at all. I did a quick search into the lives of the people who I listed above and found them all to be active as well.

Frankie Avalon runs his own company of healthcare products and still has his big mop of hair. I am jealous. Tough guy Chuck Norris has found his way into politics and writes a column. Jack Nicklaus still plays golf and has his own clothing design business. Mike Ditka has three restaurants and a slew of products he promotes.

Tom Brokaw continues to works as a special correspondent for NBC news. Gracie Slick is now painting and attends up to thirty gallery showings of her work each year. Tom Hayden is still protesting along with teaching at Scribbs College and writing for The Huffington Post, keep it up Tom. Lily Tomlin has never left her great big sofa and is entertaining us today. Carl Yastremski, Yaz, keeps active in baseball watching his grandson play and helping people pronounce his name.

Ted Koppel makes his presence known on the Daly Show as well as doing specials for the Discovery Channel. Tina Turner, simply the best, is still singing and still sexy. James Caan is producing movies with his son at their own production company.

Ringo Starr has come a full circle. When he last appeared in Milwaukee, he was able to walk through the downtown mall unmolested. But he still puts out great music with his latest recording in 2010, Y Not. And where is John Wojtowicz or Michael Coleone A.K.A. Al Pacino today? He is acting and co-president of the Actor's Studio.

There you have it the list of active and contributing septuagenarians. My friends around the dinner table are not alone in their activity and interest level. Seventy does not seem that old anymore.