| Forward this to a friend Subscribe to more newsletters |  | | Ruth Anderson started writing her novel in the 1970s. It was published in 2016. [Courtesy of Lauren Biddle] | | What stories do you still need to tell? | At 88, Ruth Anderson finished the book she’d been writing for most of her life.
“The novel is inspired by actual incidents around the 200 pounds of uranium missing, or unaccountable, from a US nuclear power plant,” she told the website Broadway World Books in 2016. “The question of responsibility pointed in many directions-the man who operated the nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania, the CIA, and even the President. My employer, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission held hearings where a lot of lying and cover-up ensued-at the expense of the brave and later maligned nuclear scientist who blew the whistle on the case. I’m often asked why I believe there was a cover-up. I interviewed the whistleblower at my house and was haunted by the stories for years. You see, the ‘whistleblower’ found out exactly what happened to the uranium, who was involved-and who received the ‘missing’ uranium. Ultimately, I felt that this was a story that needed to be told.”
Maybe it’s because I turned another year older last week (43, thank you), but I love learning about people who do things late in their lives. Not everyone gets 93 years, like Mrs. Anderson had. But I have written about a few people who kept having adventures regardless of their age. Here’s a roundup:
• Dorothy Brown jumped out of an airplane at 73. |  | | Dorothy Brown and her husband also spent 10 years traveling after retirement. [Courtesy of Stephanie Brown Gilmore] | | • Ann Hodges went from star of the dinner theater to teaching yoga at St. Pete Beach’s Don CeSar. |  | | Ann Hodges, center, led a yoga class at the Don CeSar Beach Resort and Spa on Oct. 25, 2000. [Amber Tanille Woodfolk] | | • Dr. Albert Tawil was still practicing medicine at 83. |  | | Dr. Albert Tawil, left, helps a patient onto an exam table in summer 2005. The doctor never wore scrubs and believed in dressing up for his patients. He owned 150 neckties. [Times (2005)] | • And, in his 60s, lawyer Bernie Herman went to clown school and spent the next few decades making people laugh.
A long life is remarkable. I’m hoping if I live to 100 like my great-grandmothers, I’ll really live each of those years. What kind of second acts are you planning? |  | | After a career in law, Bernie Herman went to clown school in upstate New York. He brought Harpo with him to Florida. [Courtesy of Beth Herman] | | | This week’s obits | Here are some obituaries from the past week that I found in the obits section of the Tampa Bay Times. If you see any with great details, please share them.
• Michael David Fleming, 72, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was “a music and dance critic” and “a Renaissance man of letters, a scholar of the Baroque, and an incisive newspaperman and interviewer.” Mr. Fleming worked for the St. Petersburg Times, the St. Paul Pioneer-Press and “his work appeared also in New York Times, Los Angeles Times, International Herald Tribune, Boston Globe, and New Grove Dictionary of Music in the United States. ... In between, Mr. Fleming appraised museum exhibitions. He broke the background story [on] the creation of Andrew Wyeth’s celebrated 1948 series, Christina’s World, interviewing the artist at length about the history and creation of the works of art.”
• Ivy Carnahan, 88, of St. Petersburg was “a mother of six children, all still living, she also worked as a nurse, hospice caregiver and as an active member of the Catholic Church. Always willing to help others in need, she was known for her kindness and perseverance.”
• Gregory Mikell, 72, of South Tampa was a “lifelong autoparts warehouseman and recent Publix employee. ... Greg enjoyed the simple things in life, loved yardwork, staying fit, photography, collecting scale model trains and preserving train history."
• Willie Nelson Jr., 75, “enjoyed playing spades, loved watching western tv shows, and a big fan of Gun Smoke and Rifleman.”
• Cozee Smith, 71, of Tampa “was exceptionally good at orchestrating elaborate events including large sales productions of dancing bankers and private dinners for corporate clients. Her exquisite decorating of a 30-foot Christmas tree in the lobby of 200 Central Ave brought joy to all of St. Petersburg.”
Thanks for reading, hug your people,
Kristen | | Did someone forward this newsletter to you? You can sign up to get How They Lived in your own inbox next time. Subscribe for free here. | | | | | Contact us Privacy policy Terms, conditions & copyright Standard of accuracy | © 2021 • All Rights Reserved
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