Elli Edgar, 65, Phoenix, Arizona Elli Edgar is a colorful character who colors for a living. Starting from a background working in traditional tattoo parlors and a stint in the costume and makeup fields in Hollywood, Elli’s love of aesthetics led her to the permanent makeup profession. She has owned a full service salon for men

Col. James “Jamie” Houston, 59, Fort Jackson, South Carolina Col. James Houston, like most who make a career with the Army, maintains a fit profile.  However, Jamie (as he prefers to be called) has been a self-professed fitness and sports fanatic for his entire life. To our knowledge, Jamie may be the only active duty

Jackie Stephens, 76, Fairfax Station, Virginia When Jackie Stephens was young she lived with her grandfather who was the Baptist minister for the African American community in a small town not far from Philadelphia. She would sit enraptured at the end of the long mahogany dinner table at Sunday dinners in her grandparent’s house, soaking

“I perspire to inspire” – Mike Fanelli, 56, San Anselmo, California What can you say about a guy who has logged over 100,000 miles of running by age 56; completed 100 miles in 16 hours 40 minutes; run a marathon in 2 hours 25 minutes; run a mile in 4 minutes 16 seconds, – and 4 minutes

Making Up For Lost Time…Fast – Oscar Peyton, 60, Accokeek, Maryland Oscar Peyton always knew he had natural athletic ability and could run fast, but he didn’t discover how fast he really was until his fifth decade of life. Taking up formal track competition at the age of 49, the man people say deserves the

Pencil Me In – Mary Lauffer, 95, Annapolis, Maryland You would think a golfer would talk first about getting two hole-in-ones in a lifetime. But Mary Lauffer likes to talk about her pencil collection. You see, her hobby has been to collect one of those skinny scoring pencils at each course she’s ever played.  She

“I’m Better” -Howard Hall, 92, Frankfort, Kentucky You have to watch out for Howard Hall, he’ll sneak up on you.  The retired Army veterinarian rediscovered his love of sports when he retired, and before long ole Howard was racking up the medals in local, state and national senior games.  He’s collected at least 600 to

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