Psyched! – Bob O’Connor, 67, River Forest, Illinois Bob O’Connor was always a good runner and made the most of it. He earned a track scholarship to Loyola- Chicago and set some school records. He journeyed to Mexico City for the 1968 Olympic Games and was inspired by Bob Beamon’s superhuman long jump.  One year

Senior softballer proves “If you build it, they will come” – Bill Altman, 82, San Antonio, Texas When Bill Altman retired from his Air Force career, he was itching for something to do to keep moving. He had played baseball in high school, fast pitch softball at the University of Michigan and had even spent

The Art (and Science) of a Successful Life – Leurene Hildenbrand, 81, Hartville, Ohio This is the story of an Ohio farm girl who dreamed of being a research scientist and persisted until she reached her goal. Leurene Hildenbrand overcame the prevailing bias of her time against women pursuing science careers and became the first

  I’m Stunned I Can Actually Do This – DeEtte Sauer, 71, Houston, Texas As she will readily admit, at one time DeEtte Sauer was a mess. The supermom and super-motivated businesswoman had let herself go with decades of inactivity and she became morbidly obese. Her doctors said she was certain to have a heart

Tending His Garden – John Tatum, 94, Washington DC When John Tatum received our call to interview, he was doing what he likes best – working in his yard. He had just finished cutting nearly an acre of grass with a push mower and talked about being behind with his gardening. Between keeping up his

No Retreat No Surrender – Mark Ballenger, 59, Cleveland, Ohio Mark Ballenger enjoyed an active life as an elite skater and cyclist. He was such a fierce competitor that he was called “Mark the Shark.” All that changed when he suffered a massive stroke at 43. He could have easily given up, but Mark fought

Beating the Odds – Kay Glynn, 60, Hastings, Iowa Kay Glynn loves to move – acrobatics, dancing, sports, you name it. She still can’t resist doing handstands to warm up before track and field events, which she took back up at the age of 48. Her senior games career has seen much success, including six