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/ Older Americans In Our Society PAGE 7 - PLAINDEALER-TUESDAY, DECEMBER 30. 1975 ROSWELL- A 1974-75 season basketball standout for McHenry high is now the invaluable sixth man for the stampeding New Mexico Military Institute Broncos, who are ranked seventh nationally in team defense and are now 10- I on the season. Freshman forward Marty Zeller, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Zeller of 702 South Route 31, is described by Bronco Coach Gary Cardinal as the team's vital depth. "Marty has had three extremely strong games and been more than a sixth man. Against New Mexico Junior college, Odessa college, and Western Texas he played on a parity with our and their best. Against NMJC he scored II points and pulled down 17 rebounds while playing just 3 quarters of ball." Zeller is averaging 6 points per game in spite of not starting, and shooting 54 percent from the floor and 68 percent from the free throw line. He has 66 rebounds, 16 assists and 12 steals in eleven games. V.A. NEWS Veterans and their depen­ dents, veteran organizations and the general-public have an opportunity between now and next Feb. 24 to comment and make suggestions on the Veterans administration's p r o p o s e d c o n s u m e r representation plan. Richard L. Roudebush, administrator of Veterans Affairs, said the nineteen-page VA plan was published in the Federal Register of Nov. 26, 1975, and that comments should be directed to Errol D. Clark, Veterans administration, Washington, DC., 20420, by Feb. 24 deadline noted in the official publication. Copies of the Federal Register are available in public libraries in many cities, and copies of the VA plan can be obtained at no cost by writing Clark at the VA address in Washington. Administrator Roudebush said consumer interest in the VA is primarily centered in the more than twenty-nine million living veterans in America, their immediate families, and dependents of deceased veterans--a total of nearly 99- million citizens potentially eligible for VA benefits. "We think this war-generated clientele is the most distinguished in the nation, and we are constantly seeking better ways of serving them," he added. "That is why we will welcome comment on our consumer representation plan." Included in the proposed VA consumer representation plan, Roudebush said? are plans to provide advance notice to an expanded list of veteran organizations of contemplated changes in VA programs, policies and regulations, and a new standard policy of seeking comment by sending draft copies of proposed regulations to veteran-oriented groups. The plan reports initiation of a new system of in-depth evaluation of VA programs, considerable more far- reaching than any previous appraisal efforts, to determine program effectiveness and impact on veterans. The plan also establishes more formal guidelines as to where to seek consumer input, on what subjects, and how to handle those inputs once received. Other com­ munication channels to be used, the report notes, are * complaints and suggestions by i n d i v i d u a l v e t e r a n s , questionnaires and surveys among the veteran population, and fonmal and informal conferences with veteran groups. The VA plan was drafted in response to President Ford's call for each agency and department in the Executive branch to develop specific consumer representation plans. GROWING UP IN AMERICA (By William Peirce Randel Professor Emeritus, University of Maine) We begin to age at birth. The rate of aging varies. Some individuals grow old, as the saying goes, before their time. This is almost never a compliment. It is the condition of no longer "growing up." Growing oldjs our common destiny as natural beings. Growing up, especially after reaching physical maturity, is a privilege distinctive to being human. Growing up continues as long as individuals remain open- minded, adaptable, eager to add to their knowledge, curious about the unfamiliar, able and willing to form new friendships, and protected by an inner resiliency against the hard knocks endemic to existence. While we might imagine an enviable stage of being fully grown-up, what means more in practice is the unending process, at 91 no less than at 19, of growing up. PROSPECTS AT RETIREMENT If this is an ideal, if we agree that growing up should keep pace with growing old, what conditions in American society serve to help or to hinder? For example, can anything be done to ease the abrupt transition from employment to retirement, commonly at age 65? In some cases, doing nothing at all might be the best course. It is certainly the easiest. Being forced at 65 to adjust to the unfamiliar conditions of retirement, without any help from others, might have value as a test of individual adaptability, that major facet of growing up - if a test of such magnitude is itself desirable. Failure to pass the test, always a possibility, might have very serious results, including loss of the will to continue growing up. Doing nothing at all to ease the transition from employment to retirement would be considerably better than what much of American society does now. Far from providing positive help, or even standing aside, as a people we put roadblocks and booby traps in the way of unsuspecting retirees. Some far-sighted companies, labor organizations and other groups are running programs to help workers prepare for retirement. Some of these programs start when the worker is relatively young - early enough to carry out financial plans. Research has shown that individuals who have changed careers during their active working years adapt more easily to the new "career" of retirement than those who have always kept to one kind of work. Instead of encouraging changes in occupation, business and industry commonly set penalties ~ among others, termination or reduction of pensions. Many self-reliant, adventurous people will shift careers. Changing circumstances-such as plant closings, layoffs, - force others to change careers^ Much of what passes as work, moreover, especially at the manual level, is dull and repetitious, hardly good preparation for the unknown conditions of retirement. Leaves of absence, to refresh workers and give them a taste of how it will be for them after 65, are rare. Retirement income, from pensions and Social Security, should t>e welcomed as providing freedom to continue the process of growing up, or to accelerate it. Unfortunately, society has seen fit to inhibit this freedom by accepting and applying the myth that has been called "ageism." Its various facets, in the form of the stereotypes that blanket all older people, have an adverse effect on their drive for self- fulfillment, for further growing up. Youth has no monopoly on experiment, but what the young do, especially in far out rebellion and the adoption of radical new life styles, is taken seriously, while novel ventures by the elderly are discounted as eccentricities. Meanwhile the substantial contributions to humanity that gifted elders make as they continue to grow up get far less attention than they deserve - less, for example, than events of ephemeral interest in the sporting world. An alternate approach to this vast and complex topic is to think of growing up as an endless education, continual learning. Many Americans now 65 and older began life in "extended" families with one or more resident grandparent whose input to the education of the young is lacking in the currently standard family of a couple and their children. This loss of direct familiarity with older people, in recent decades, has a good deal to do with the readiness of young people to accept the current stereotypes about the aging. A deferred result may well be that when today's young people reach their 60s their transition to retirement will be particularly difficult. A TIME TO... For many Americans retirement is a time to do some traveling, to hunt and fish, to return to a more rural setting, to devote more time to a favorite hobby or to develop a new hobby. It is a great chance to do oft-postponed activities, n the work years and the years of rearing a family have been hectic, there can be great satisfaction in quiet pursuits. Other Americans view retirement as a time for more structured education. Many have an eagerness for more learning and this has brought about a spectacular expansion in adult education. Some individuals master the art of self-education. Many people among those now past 65 had to drop out of school when they were quite young and are virtually self-educated. They may continue this self-education in retirement. Others may want to try such self-improvement and should be encouraged to do so. However, most who want more study profit by the teacher- student relationship, whether on a one-to-one basis or in the more usual combination of an instructor and a group of students. * About two-thirds of the population 65 and older never completed high school before entering the work force. A sizable number - roughly two million - had so little schooling as to be classified as "functional illiterates." Now, thanks to Social Security and company pensions, many of those who have the desire have the leisure to catch up on their interrupted studies, or extend them. It is their further good luck that educational opportunities have been proliferating rapidly in the last half century. In addition to extension courses for credit offered by high schools, community colleges, and universities, special training is now available through churches, business firms, labor unions, museums, libraries, Senior Centers, and various organizations for older people. The programs are so numerous and so varied, 4hat the United States Office of Education has undertaken an evaluation survey with the goal of assuring quality education for all. Providing structured education to older people is easiest where they are concentrated, as in reirement communities. A highly successful example of what such a community can do is Port Charlotte university, well down the Gulf CoasjU^ Florida. Its history, however, suggests that facilities of mis sort cannot be created overnight. A SUCCESSFUL ANSWER Planning began in 1960; the original complex -- library, auditorium, a dozen classrooms, and offices -- was ready for use early in 1968. At intervals since, other classrooms, a craft center, and a senior lounge have been added. The library, with six full-time professionals and more than 30,000 volumes, was built and is maintained by the county, with some federal seed money. The land ~ eight acres in the heart of Port Charlotte - was donated by the General Development Corporation. Donations and volunteer earnings have become the major source of subsequent funds, providing over the years more than half a million dollars. . The instructional program is self-supporting. Tuition (called "registration donation") is five dollars for each two- hour course in a ten-week term. Instructors, all residents of Port Charlotte, pocket a term stipend of five dollars. During the four terms each year, class enrollments, mostly of retirees living in Port Charlotte, exceeded 10,000, in such subjects as sewing and knitting, ceramics, seamanship, climatology, shorthand and typing, wood carving, needlework, interior decorating, basic electricity, law for the laymen, German and Spanish, and English as a second language. The majority of older Americans, though, do not choose or cannot afford to live in retirement areas such as Port Charlotte. Senior centers offer these people many opportunities. Senior centers, located in communities all over the country, have educational courses, classes in arts and crafts and other activities. The education available, the facilities and the opportunity to meet witn>other people, combine to make the Senior Centers truly centers of growth ~ or the continual growing up -- for many oldV Americans. Nothing so blights the last years of lire>as-<tfiptiness. The retirees at Port Charlotte, and in other retirement communities with comparable programs, are lucky. People who make use of their local Senior Center or who have access to similar programs are also lucky. So too are those who have worked out by and for themselves a satisfying way of life. However, the sorry fact remains that despite all that we have done, a substantial number of our oldest citizens lack the means of filling the emptiness. Herein is a real challenge to American society, to create for all what it takes to avert the hell of growing old but no longer growing up. Beware Of Door-To-Door Purchases, Public Warned Don't let the convenience of door-to-door purchases tempt you into buying something you don't really need, advises Ms. Celia Maloney, Illinois con­ sumer adw<^Jte. Unfortunately , many of those who sell door-to-door*Thrive on taking advantage of con­ sumers. If a high pressured salesperson can talk his way into your house, he may be able to talk you into an expensive and unwise purchase. But, as in other consumer problem areas, cautious in­ dividuals can protect them­ selves from the deceptive practices of the unscrupulous. If a salesperson comes to your door, remember: Don't let anyone into your house unless you know specifically what his purposes are. Don't let anyone into your house without seeing something identifying him and his com­ pany and unless you are in­ terested in the product. Consider and reconsider what the salesperson is selling. Ask yourself-do I really need Vit? Regardless of > what the salesperson says, don't buy on the spot. Go to at least three retail stores and compare the price and quality of the product in the store with the price and quality offered by the salesperson. Don't sign anything unless you understand cleary what you are signing. Make sure you know what you are getting and exactly how much you will have to pay. There is a federal regulation as well as Illinois law that permits you to caficel a con­ tract for more than $25.00 within three business days when signed in your home. Be sure the salesperson gives you a copy of ttye contract that „ includes the date you sign, as well as his name, address and telej^one number. Check the contract for the three day cancellation clause. The salesperson should also give you another form called "Notice of Cancellation" that This series is made possible through a grant from National endowment for the Humanities. the Extension Comments (by George J. Young, University of Illinois Extension Adviser, Agriculture, McHenry County) Winter, Beef Herd Needs - Cattle can tolerate low tem­ peratures, rain, or snow reasonably well if they can get out of the wind. But they also need adequate feed and water. Beef cattle require more feed or better-quality feed during severely cold weather to offset their loss of body heat. ' And unless they have easy access to water, their feed intake will be reduced. Stalk fields were grazed early this year and sup­ plemental hay, silage, or grain may be needed sooner than "usual to keep the cattle from becoming too thin. A com­ bination of poor-quality feed, severe weather, mud, and gestation will make surviving the winter difficult for thin and old cows. Growing heifers, especially those that have calved once, also need special care to get them through the winter and rebred on schedule. Horticulture Series - Home gardeners and plant hobbyists can learn more about their avocation by attending a series of meetings offered by the University of Illinois Cooperative Extension Service. Subjects to be covered include small fruit culture; growing tree fruit; landscape design; pruning shrubs, trees, and evergreens; vegetable gar­ dening; growing flowers; and lawns. For details about enrollment procedures and schedule of sessions, call the McHenry County Extension office at 338- 3737 or 338-4747. Corn-Soybean . Rotation University of Illinois research results have consistantjy shown a corn yield advantage for corn following soybeans compared to corn following corn. This year that advantage ranged between 14 and 20 bushels depending on the tillage system used at our Northern Illinois Agronomy Research center near DeKalb. Nutrient supply and other variables were ad­ justed to be the same in both rotations. Similar results have been obtained by other corn belt Land Grant Universities. The experts do iiot know why this yield advantage exists, but they recognize it is there. Herbicide Research - Our herbicide plot for 1976 at the University of Illinois' Agronomy Research Center near DeKalb will evaluate thirty-three materials for weed control in corn and thirty-three materials in soybeans. Sixteen annual weeds will be hand sown to check chemical spectrum of control. You can discuss last year's results with University of Illinois specialists by at­ tending our Agronomy Day in Woodstock on January 23 and you can view the 1976 plots at the Field Day set for June 30. Proverb - Be not the first the new is tried nor the' last to set the old aside. A Word To The Wise - Deal with reputable local dealers - some things that sound like bargains on the surface can be very costly when you get the details. Agriculture Law Update - This session was a success ac­ cording to those attending. They found it very helpful. Vou should already be aware of the new workmens' compensation and workmens' occupational disease laws that affect agriculture; if you are not knowledgable of these requirements and employ some help, I suggest you contact your personal insurance agent pronto. New Staff Member - Later this week, our McHenry County Extension councils will in­ terview several candidates for the assistant home economics extension adviser position. The university has had this open for approximately- six months. Dave, Nancy, and I are looking forward to servicing you with a full staff. ' FA WE CANT FILL YOUR ORDER 'TIL YOU PAY FOR THE LAST SHIPMENT. WELL THEN, CANCEL IT. I CANT WAIT THAT LONG I Good Luck. May this New Year light the way to happiness for you and your loved ones. McHENRY COUNTY WELL & PUMP CO. 4913 W. McCullom Lake Rd. McHenry, Illinois • 385-5252 NOTICE NEW LOBBY HOURS SATURDAY AFTERNOONS 9:00 AM TO 3:00 PM BEGINNING JANUARY 3rd, 1976 McHmy&njngs g HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM <j E Mickey's Vienna i> OUR GIFT TO g YOU!!! f® S Monday | Tuesday g Wednesday t 19 <9 (9 (9 UP TO A ft (9 t 3 (9 19 19 S s One of our "Banquet-on-a-Bun", Pure Beef Hot Dogs, an order of Fries and Your Choice of Any Large or Small Soft Drink, Hot Chocolate or Coffee!!! For Only 1 $119 tells the date of the sale, the salesperson's name and ad­ dress and an explanation of how to cancel If you do not receive this form, and want to cancel, send a certified letter to the com­ pany so you will r 'ceive a receipt proving you notified them in time. If time' is short, send a telegram and keep a record»of it. " Within 10 days after can­ cellation the seller is required 4 to return your money. If the merchandisers not picked up within 20 days , you can use it or dispose of it in whatever way, youcwant. g If you have a complaint abou£ door-to-door sales or would like more information, please writQ* or call: Ms. Celia Maloney. Governor's Consumer Ad-,- vocate, State of Illinois, 160 N { LaSalle, Room 2010, Chicago, I Illinois, 60601, (312 ) 793-2754T!! Auto Service Tips JUMP STARTING £\jery motorist Sh^OUUP CARRY 0 " JUMPER CABL&A IAOIAJEVER, &EFORB USINA THEM, MAKE SURE THE POSITIVE POLES ARE CONNECTED To EACH OTHER . THE POSTS SHODLP 3E MARKED. OTHERWISE you COULD PAMAGE FIRING ANP OTHER. COMPONENTS. ^2©- ?t0' DR. LEONARD B0TTARI 3.03 N R i c h m o n d R d . M c H e n r y E y e s e x a m i n e d C o n t a c t L e n s e s G l a s s e s f i t t e d M o n . T u e s . T h u r s . F r i 4 6 p m T u e s . T h u r s , F r i 7 9 p m S a t 9 3 0 t o 3 0 0 P h 3 8 5 4 1 5 1 o r 3 8 5 2 2 6 2 EARL R. WALSH & JACK WALSH INS. F i r e A u t o , F a r m , L i f e ~ Represent ing R E L I A B L E C O M P A N I E S 4410 W Rte 120, McHenry 385 3300 DENNIS CONWAY A U T O L I F E F I R E State Farm Ins. Co. 3319 W Elm St McHenry, I I I 385 7111 HOUGHTON HEATING • Air Conditioning • Gutters PHONE 385-5476 McHENRY It doesn't take lots of space to get results. Call 385-0170 to list your business here. McHENRY COUNTY OFFICE MACHINES SALES SERVICE & RENTALS Mon Sat 9 5 30 Fr iday t i l 9 00 93 Grant St ' , Crystal Lake , Ph 459 1226 McHenry Telephone Answering & Letter Service • Answering Service • Car, Telephone & Paging Service • Complete Mimeographing & Printing Service • Typing & Photocopying Ph. 385-0258 ASSOCIATES INC REALTORS Farm Equipment George P. Freund,Inc. Case - iNew Holland. _ 4102 W. Crystal Lake McHENRY " 1 Bus. 3854420 Res. 385-0227 Halm \s WONDER LAKE FUNERAL HOME dtfhL 815-7280233 3932 W. Rt. 120, McHenry "GATEWAY TO YOUR FUTURE" CALL US (8151 385-4810 Ii r e l lT RADIAL TIRES FOR ALL CARS Europa Mo to rs I nc 2 3 1 8 R t e . 1 2 0 8 1 5 3 8 5 - 0 7 0 0 ED'S STANDARD STANDART SERVICE EXPERT TCNE-l'P ATLAS Fires Batteries. Accessories q r v i . r n American Oil Products PH, 385 0720 :jK 17 tt. KI.M STI1I K'l i f RADIATORS * Cooling System Specialists • AIR CONDITIONING • Trailer Hitches Fabrication • STEEL SALES • Welding & Ornamental Iron X rrr :jiinc, u. l i t e U i t McHenry ADAMS BROS. ( \ c \ i t o ( . e m ( . l e a n e r s Conuit! ML 9 W at our new q quick-action copy center. I nven to ry Shee ts Order & B>d Forms Ca ta log Shee ts & BuHetms Promot iona l Le t te rs & F# iye ts Important Correspondence Accounting Records Invoices & Statements Pro jec t Product Spec i f i ca t ions Trv This Convenient New Service Soon1 McHENRY PRINTING SERVICES 3909 W. MAIN 385-7600 easy-to-use XEROX* equipmentI