About the Book

Elizabeth Meade Howard felt abruptly promoted to family elder after the death of her father—New York adman, writer, patient teacher and life-long role model. When facing her own later years, Elizabeth sought guidance from the experts—resourceful and resilient older men and women whom she admired for their imagination, adaptability and successful aging. Some were famous.

They include journalists Walter Cronkite and Helen Thomas; actors Hal Holbrook, Carol Channing, Nanette Fabray and Dennis Weaver; photographers Gordon Parks and Helen Levitt; singer Bobby Short; New York Mayor Ed Koch; National Book Award winner Mary Lee Settle; Babar author Laurent deBrunhoff; poets Eleanor Taylor, Richard Wilbur and Stanley Kunitz; reincarnation researcher Dr. Ian Stevenson, the Rev. Norman Vincent Peale’s widow, Ruth Stafford Peale and theologian Bishop John Shelby Spong. Civil rights leader Rosa Parks adds brief thoughts as well.   

In Aging Famously, Howard shares intimate interviews with her inspiring role models. She offers readers helpful tactics and lasting legacies of creative people in their 70s, 80s and beyond who continued to take risks and contribute their talents. They celebrated aging as a time of depth, understanding, commitment and hope.