George is a retired executive, who worked within the Bell telephone system in New York and New Jersey for most of his professional career, after serving in the Navy during World War II. He spends little time describing the details of his work, but, instead, focuses on his relationships, hobbies, and passions. One of those passions is golf, which he sums up in this story of his golf match with Tommy Strafaci, the brother of two well known pro golfers:

GC: So I had Tommy four down and four to play, and out of the woods came his brothers - the big pros - and they'd stand there at the tee and glare.

BW: (Laughs)

GC: Ok and what am I, fourteen or fifteen years old ... (hands shake, holding imaginary golf club) So I lost four holes in a row, we went to twenty-two holes and he beat me. (pauses)

So that's one of my success stories.

As his comments reveal, George is convivial, and sarcastic, and completely full of life. This is not how I expected a ninety-five year old man to act. His humor is dry and biting, almost daring you to laugh. I am at once intrigued and confused.

GC: The thing I'm proudest of is that I worked for seven years on the school board in Manhasset and became president. Manhasset is a great community out on Long Island, in Nassau County, New York.

BW: Why are you most proud of that accomplishment?

GC: Because I was interested in children...learning....I worked for the state of NY once as the chairman of the Cooperative Education Commission. That meant I got businesses that were able to train kids who weren't going to stay in school - who wanted to leave.

George revealed that he had also spent time as the President of the Ridgewood, New Jersey, Baseball Association, an organization that provided baseball equipment for over ten thousand area Little Leaguers.

BW: What do you dislike the most about being retired?

GC: Well. I don't have the responsibilities that I used to have. And you miss that. You're working for 40 years and you've been in management all that time and have people that depend on you. That is gone when you retire. So...who do you boss around? (laughs)

Who do you respond to? I used to have a staff meeting, we'd discuss [issues], figure out what everybody's problems were. If I did that now I'd get my housemaid to maybe come in and say "what do we have to do now?"

Eventually, we talked about the passage of time:

GC: I used to be in a golf group, thirty-two of us - eight foursomes. Thirty-one of 'em are dead or gone...someplace....

BW: You're the last one.

GC: I'm the last one. I'm number thirty-two. (laughs) So, you can see that I needed...well...I needed something to do.

Which led him to Regency Park. George tells it best:

"I lost my daughter several years ago, and then my wife died. I'd wake up in the morning and say what am I here for. Nobody needs me. Kids are doing alright. And it just so happened that a minister that week said the true test of a Christian is what you do when you find somebody who needs more help than you do yourself."

A period of ennui and general dissatisfaction following his wife's passing led George to begin living with and taking care of DeAnne Blanchard, a friend who had experienced unfortunate speech impediments due to a stroke.

"I'd been cooking and washing and drying and sewing and all of that for...two years. [Regency Park] just seemed like the ideal place to live. Now I can concentrate on making a difference instead of spending so much time just taking care of the simple necessities of life.

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Regency Park is an active senior resort community in Vero Beach The community is located on the NE corner of Indian River Boulevard and 41st Street in Vero Beach. For a personal tour of Regency Park contact Patricia Victor or Sue Williams at 772-770-1228. Visit Regency Park on the web at www.regencyparkverobeach.com.

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