Visionaries Doing Their Most Important Work After Retirement

Avital Andrews
May 30, 2017
These change-makers are proving that you’re never too old to make a difference.

If you think that change-making is just for young people, these six revolutionaries will change your mind. Each is at least 80 years old, and each has post-retirement accomplishments more spectacular than most people’s life’s work. They’re part of the gray-haired “encore movement,” a wave of elders who are using their golden years to do potent social justice work. Though older people are still undervalued—for Americans, ageism deepens with each birthday—these post-career octogenarians and nonagenarians have made themselves crucial to the communities they serve, proving the value and power of a late-life pivot.

  1. Betty Taylor, 91
  2. Kitty Williams, 92
  3. Wilhelmina Perry, 82
  4. Jaime Yrastrorza, 86
  5. Estella Pyfrom, 80
  6. Conny Caruso, 86
Avital Andrews Author

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