Up and away with model planes
The Coachella Valley Radio Control Club has come a long way from a loosely knit group of model airplane enthusiasts to an organization of 150 members with a professional flying field.One of the oldest organizations in the Coachella Valley, it started with a group of weekend pilots in 1938, stopped during WWII and picked up again after the war. Flying fields were empty lots, ranch... READ MORE
Chief cuckoo clock surgeon
Lloyd Lehn retired 12 years ago, after a 35-year career as a mechanical/manufacturing engineer with the Department of Defense. But his lifelong love of detangling mechanical problems didn’t stop there.Today, you can find him in his own personally designed and whimsically-named workshop — the Cuckoo Clock Hospital, of which he is the chief surgeon. There, Lehn has been fixing... READ MORE
New leaders to focus on aging
Demographics, unlike statistics, don’t lie. In Howard County, more than one out of every five residents will be over 65 in two decades.In the meantime, two members of the club are helping the county plan for the rest. Phyllis Madachy, 69, is the new director of the Howard County Department of Citizen Services, and Starr Sowers, 65, has been named to head the county’s Office on... READ MORE
Growing older without children
Whether they’re childless by choice or by chance, America’s 15 million baby boomers who have no children are reflecting on their past, their present and, warily, a future that might not include anyone to care for them.“Yeah, I do worry about who will take care of us,” said Marc M. who, like several people interviewed for this article, preferred that his full name... READ MORE
Best-selling author lives ‘Act 3’
I first met Diana von Welanetz Wentworth a few years ago when she was a celebrity chef demonstrator at the Food + Wine Festival Palm Desert. She was then living in Orange County, and as a fellow member of Les Dames d’Escoffier International (LDEI), our local chapter rallied around to support her demo at the event.She’s the author of 10 award-winning books — from two... READ MORE
Elder abuse often not reported
Not long ago, Arlington County Adult Protective Services received a call from friends of an older woman. They were concerned about her physical and mental decline, and about suspicious behavior associated with a woman she recently met at a restaurant.Investigators discovered the woman’s new companion had isolated her from her friends, and gained power of attorney in an attempt to sell ... READ MORE
Residents find value in a village
A group of Howard County older adults have joined together in the belief that it takes a village to provide aging residents with a continuing good quality of life and more security in their own homes.The organization, for county residents 55 and over, is called the Village in Howard, (TVIH), and it coordinates home services as well as social and educational events for its members.“A... READ MORE
Elder abuse often not reported
Ellyn M. Loy has seen a number of cases of abuse in her years as a licensed clinical social worker — first at House of Ruth, a shelter for women and children who are victims of domestic violence, and now as director of SAFE: Stop Abuse of Elders. One of the most troubling cases Loy has seen recently is that of a 90-year-old woman who, though mentally... READ MORE
Runner says he’ll live to be 100
For Don Hedgepeth of Rancho Mirage, 75 is the new 55 in more ways than one.A runner for the past 33 years, Hedgepeth has logged more than 25,000 miles and worn out an uncounted number of running shoes.He has completed three full marathons in Southern California, and six half-marathons. He still works full time.He jogs three days a week. On his days off he bicycles to World Gym where he... READ MORE
Memories still sear after 70 years
May 8, 1945 dawned warm and drizzly in Washington, D.C. Unlike the day when cheering conga lines snaked past the White House three months later as victory was declared over Japan, the May day that become known as Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) retained a muted, business-as-usual air in the nation’s capital. One bright spot was the re-lighting of the Capitol dome, which had been... READ MORE
