LINDA FELDMAN : Saluting the People Who Touched Her Life

Five years ago when we were trying to figure out what a seniors column was, I knew what it wasn’t: medical problems of the elderly or the latest adult diaper sensation.

I wanted to write about people who lived through life’s catastrophes--poverty, prejudice, war, illness, the death of loved ones--and were still joyful and curious enough about the world that they continue to contribute to it. To do that they had to reinvent themselves at various points in their lives, and I wanted to know people like that. I wanted to meet people with indomitable spirits who could light the way for the rest of us bumblers.

Today, I’d like to thank the people who allowed me to probe their lives. They became a part of my life, and I love them all. They welcomed me into their homes, served me coffee, sent me notes and flowers, told me bad jokes and recommended others to interview.

Here are a few of my favorites:

David Tuch, 80, a Chicago boy who grew up in poverty and became financially successful, joined the Israeli army when he was 72 and played the harmonica for “old people” in nursing homes.

Edith Rady, stricken with a debilitating disease, gave the little energy she had to help adolescent girls from poor homes, teaching them to use the library, to appreciate art, to sew and more.

When Ilse DeVries’ husband left her for another woman, she asked for an airplane as part of the settlement. She learned how to fly in her 60s and took her twin-engine Beechcraft Bonanza around the world.

Faye and Bill Strassburger were ready to retire but, instead, adopted their grandchildren--born of drug addicts.

Aaron Ruben, comedy writer, became a court-appointed special advocate for children caught in the legal system.

Bill Wheeler fought with the Lincoln Brigade during the Spanish Civil War. I interviewed him during the Gulf War and he said: “War is obsolete as a means of solving problems.”

Art Lerner--the man who fit his name--has two Ph.D.s and four master’s degrees and at 80 is healing others through poetry therapy.

Many subjects were already in my life. Richard Thurston, a greeter at my bank, always left me with a smile and a feeling of love. He fought in a segregated U.S. Army.

I knew early on that I didn’t want to interview celebrities, but it was irresistible. Steve Allen and Jayne Meadows on the subject of love and marriage. Ray Bradbury on creativity. He said his parents always knew he was nuts but didn’t tell him. The exquisite Rhonda Fleming told me it wasn’t about her anymore. She opened a cancer resource center for women at UCLA in memory of her sister.

The great Norman Corwin, 85, whom I must admit I have a crush on, used his bathtub as a file cabinet because he ran out of space for all of the projects he was working on.

Betty Friedan, cresting once again and calling for a politics of community.

There was also my family. When my editor gave me the inspiration to write about becoming a grandmother; about my father and my own grandmother, readers responded with phone calls and letters letting me know that our lives were connected.

To my readers I say thanks. When my granddaughter asks, “Bubba, what was your favorite work?” I’ll answer, “Writing the Seniors column.” I’ll show her your letters and remember why.

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Due to space considerations, Linda Feldman’s “For Seniors” column will no longer appear in the Westside section.