“I’m so old I remember/Where I was when I heard/the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor…” Thus begins a great book of poetry, Fourth Quarter: Reflections of a Cranky Old Man, by Carlos E. Cortés. His work is funny and light, but also realistic, as with this:
…I wouldn’t call them the ‘good old days’
but I sure enjoy remembering them
maybe even more than living them.
Which of course is the truth of the good old days. And that’s what Carlos talks about: truth. Truth about aging, about youth, about America, about history.
Carlos is Dr. Carlos Cortés, professor emeritus of history at the University of Riverside, California. His book is all about reflecting on life through the lens of a guy in his later years.
I had the pleasure of meeting Carlos recently. He got in touch after this article about me appeared in our local paper. We enjoyed sandwiches at Jammin’ Bread Bakery in Canyon Crest. I couldn’t quit smiling, partly because he’s an upbeat guy, and partly because I had this weird sense that we were family. He grew up in Kansas City, Missouri; I have relatives there.
Carlos puts the lie to our culture’s low expectations of older people. He described his frustration with a recent celebration of age by Poets & Writers Magazine, wherein people over 60 were excluded from consideration. Carlos says people in their eighties are marginalized. (That article is here.)
But with Carlos, as with my other friends in their eighties and nineties, the fourth quarter of life is a brilliant period. For example, the good professor is so busy, it was a challenge just setting up lunch. Although theoretically retired, he’s an award-winning civic figure and lecturer, and he has an office at UCR. He and his wife go to the gym religiously, and they enjoy the cultural life of the community.
Now he’s writing for fun (he wrote and contributed to scholarly publications during his tenure as professor, but I mean to distinguish from that.) He also wrote Rose Hill: An Intermarriage Before Its Time, about his mom and dad. The book description begins,
Dad was a Mexican Catholic. Mom was a Kansas City–born Jew with Eastern European immigrant parents. They fell in love in Berkeley, California, and got married in Kansas City, Missouri. That alone would not have been a big deal. But it happened in 1933, when such marriages were rare. And my parents spent most of their lives in Kansas City, a place both racially segregated and religiously divided…
Rose Hill is a fascinating memoir. My review is here.
As I sat across from Dr. Carlos Cortés at lunch that day, his energy motivated me. Our rapid-fire, funny, and at times wry conversation dabbled with ageism, but we didn’t dwell on it. He’s too intent on wringing the most out of his life, and I wondered again—this is something I often think about—how it must feel to be shunted off to the sidelines by the culture, when in fact this demographic is contributing more than ever. Getting to know Carlos was a treat. He exemplifies life as it really is now for people in their fourth quarter: the game is still on.
You are right—the eighty and over demographic is still contributing, still leading vibrant lives. So inspiring! Thank you for your review. Rose Hill sounds like a fascinating book!
My pleasure, Diane. I enjoy shining a light on the eighties-and-nineties demographic. If I were them, I’d feel sort of dismissed, and I want to counter that. As a writer, I’m surrounded by them, and they are insightful and motivating to me (the implication is, if they’re kicking such significant ass, what’s wrong with ME?)
What a fascinating man. Rose Hill looks like a book I would really enjoy reading.
Thanks, Pat. He didn’t pull any punches. His mom and dad were both extremely strong-willed people, as were their families. Very difficult family dynamics.
I love that poem…. I read it to my husband and he laughed and said, “That about sums it up, doesn’t it?” I’m not in my eighties yet, but I want to be the type of person Carlos is and Sue talks about.. Curious, humorous, and living life to the fullest. I am interested in learning more about Mr. Cortes. Thanks for bringing him to us!
Glad you enjoyed it and the article, Nanci. Here is more about Dr. Cortes: https://ucrtoday.ucr.edu/34592
This was a great post, Lynne. It reminded of another reason I enJOY working with Road Scholar participants.
Last summer, I was working on a Great Lakes cruise, and I was assigned to the “easy” group that was described as follows:
“This program is designed to be easy. Requires walking only short distances. Small boats may be used for disembarkation and re-embarkation. The elevator on board the ship serves Decks 1 to 4 but does not reach the Sun Deck/Observation lounge.”
The AVERAGE AGE of the travelers in my group was 83…meaning many of them were much older.
Much like your description of your meeting with Carlos, I found them to be curious, interested and interesting, engaged and engaging, light hearted, humorous and continuing to live life to the fullest.
Having spent almost four decades working in a middle school gave me an appreciation of young people. I can’t express how fortunate I feel to be working now with people who are on the other end of the “life spectrum.”
Interestingly, I’m am finding that “people are people”…13 or 83…age is not as significant as the human spirit.
Thanks for the reminder!
What an enjoyable comment, Sue! I liked reading about your Road Scholar experience. And your last paragraph beginning with “Interestingly,” really says it all. Thanks for writing.
👍😎