events which led to <strong>the</strong> build<strong>in</strong>g of<strong>the</strong> Callaway Center build<strong>in</strong>g atPart<strong>in</strong> Park <strong>in</strong> 1995. Today, <strong>the</strong> seniorprogram has a mail<strong>in</strong>g list ofover four hundred persons <strong>in</strong> manycounties. The park holds three to foursenior citizen events per year, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>ga free health fair <strong>in</strong> November.“We’ve caught people with highblood pressure and high blood sugar,”Callaway told us. “I th<strong>in</strong>k we’vesaved some lives. We want to do everyth<strong>in</strong>gwe can to support seniorsand <strong>the</strong>ir health. I tell <strong>the</strong>m I love youand want to help you, because I’mone of you.”All of this work with seniors’health did not keep its director fromsuffer<strong>in</strong>g ano<strong>the</strong>r setback. Just lastSeptember, Callaway went for a rout<strong>in</strong>echeckup and ended up spend<strong>in</strong>gthree days <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> hospital while doctors<strong>in</strong>serted a stent <strong>in</strong> a major artery.“I had been hav<strong>in</strong>g arm pa<strong>in</strong> andwas pant<strong>in</strong>g for breath, and I didn’tpay attention to it at first. Luckily,<strong>the</strong>y found <strong>the</strong> problem. I came closeto a bad result; even <strong>the</strong> treadmill testmight have been fatal. So I tell ourseniors, ‘If you’ve got an enemy, <strong>the</strong>best th<strong>in</strong>g we can do is f<strong>in</strong>d it, so wecan deal with it.’”“Men have a reputation of be<strong>in</strong>gtough and not go<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>the</strong> doctor. Iadvise <strong>the</strong>m to take care of <strong>the</strong>mselves.You’re responsible to yourfamily, a lot of people who love you,so take advantage of <strong>the</strong> research andmedication that we didn’t have yearsago.”If such procedures and medicationshad been more readily available to his family, Callawaysays it would have saved several lives. He has lost seven of hissibl<strong>in</strong>gs to heart problems.“I’d like to have known that I could have been <strong>the</strong>ir littlebro<strong>the</strong>r for a lot longer. It’s tough to look back and see that <strong>the</strong>ydidn’t have <strong>the</strong> same chances we have today to get better.”In addition to his heart problems, Callaway also had a boutwith prostate cancer. Virg<strong>in</strong>ia is also a cancer survivor.“The research on cancer, <strong>the</strong> blood tests, <strong>the</strong> biopsies, <strong>the</strong>profiles on our blood, <strong>the</strong> treatments, it’s amaz<strong>in</strong>g. People usedto die with cancer before we had <strong>the</strong>se th<strong>in</strong>gs. This research is<strong>the</strong> reason I’m alive today. If we’ll not be stubborn and let doctorsdeal with what comes along, take care of our diet and exercise,and monitor ourselves, we can have longevity and qualityof life, too. We have so many agencies <strong>in</strong> our area, we have no12 <strong>Mature</strong> <strong>Liv<strong>in</strong>g</strong> W<strong>in</strong>ter EditionRECREATION DIRECTOR - COACH ANSON CALLAWAY STANDS ON A FIELD ATPARTIN PARK. IN THE BACKGROUND IS A SCOREBOARD WHOSE MESSAGEWAS INSPIRED BY EVENTS OF 9/11.excuse for not monitor<strong>in</strong>g our health, and <strong>the</strong>re are so manypeople to be supportive and help us. Take advantage of <strong>the</strong>seth<strong>in</strong>gs; life is sweet.”Callaway encourages seniors, and those who are not yet seniorsas well, to come out to <strong>the</strong> park. With fitness opportunities,teams that need sponsors and coaches, and <strong>the</strong> sunsh<strong>in</strong>eand fresh air, it’s a place where citizens can take care of <strong>the</strong>mselvesand make a contribution to <strong>the</strong> community. It has certa<strong>in</strong>lybeen a place where he has been blessed and also sharedhis bless<strong>in</strong>gs with o<strong>the</strong>rs.“I feel like I got a jump start on a lot of problems we havetoday with <strong>the</strong> th<strong>in</strong>gs my daddy and mama taught us, and I wantto cont<strong>in</strong>ue to share that with people. I feel like I’ve been overlyblessed, and I just feel responsible for cont<strong>in</strong>u<strong>in</strong>g to do all I cando for my fellow man.” π
The First Baby BoomerFew people atta<strong>in</strong> celebrity simply by be<strong>in</strong>g born, but that's justwhat happened to Kathleen Casey-Kirschl<strong>in</strong>g.Born one second past midnight on January 1, 1946, Kathy Caseybecame <strong>the</strong> first Baby Boomer to be born <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> United States.Kirschl<strong>in</strong>g leads <strong>the</strong> ranks of <strong>the</strong> reported 79 million Baby Boomersborn between 1946 and 1964.It has taken a while for Kirschl<strong>in</strong>g to grow accustomed to hernotoriety. Her first taste of fame came when she was heralded as<strong>the</strong> first Boomer <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Landon Jones book "Great Expectations:America and <strong>the</strong> Baby Boom Generation." Jones helped pa<strong>in</strong>tKirschl<strong>in</strong>g as <strong>the</strong> face of <strong>the</strong> generation. Throughout her adult lifeKirschl<strong>in</strong>g has been featured <strong>in</strong> numerous magaz<strong>in</strong>e, newspaperand television features about her life and times as <strong>the</strong> first BabyBoomer. The world watched when she turned 40, 50 and 60 ... whenshe filed for Social Security benefits. Chances are <strong>the</strong> world willalso be watch<strong>in</strong>g when Kirschl<strong>in</strong>g r<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> new year while turn<strong>in</strong>g65.In a 2006 <strong>in</strong>terview with USA Today, Kirschl<strong>in</strong>g said, "I don'tfeel like I am a spokesman for <strong>the</strong> generation, but I have just a littlepart of every part of <strong>the</strong> generation <strong>in</strong> me. I am def<strong>in</strong>itely a BabyBoomer, <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> true sense of <strong>the</strong> word -- <strong>the</strong> good and <strong>the</strong> bad."Kathy Casey-Kirschl<strong>in</strong>g isn't <strong>the</strong> only person who was born onJanuary, 1, 1946 -- although she very well may be <strong>the</strong> first. Here aresome o<strong>the</strong>r notable Baby Boomers who share <strong>the</strong> same birthday.• Rick Hurst, Actor • Robert Rivel<strong>in</strong>o, Brazilian football player• Manfred Stengl, Austrian Olympic Gold Medalist<strong>Mature</strong> <strong>Liv<strong>in</strong>g</strong> W<strong>in</strong>ter Edition 13
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