Nintendo recognizes 100 "Ageless Americans"

Nintendo is honoring 100 individuals, whose ages range from 54 to 104, from around the country who personify the term “ageless.” They run marathons and tame lions. They are stuntmen and NASCAR racers. They don’t let their chronological age define who they are, and they set a positive role model for people of all ages. These are qualities Nintendo has fostered with its wildly popular Nintendo DS(TM) title Brain Age(TM): Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day, which offers users a series of challenging puzzles to keep their minds active. The 100 recipients are living demonstrations of how a youthful mindset can keep a person truly “ageless.” Each of the honorees has received a Nintendo DS Lite portable video game system and a copy of Brain Age.

“These honorees represent the kind of people we all want to grow up to be,” says George Harrison, Nintendo of America’s senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. “They refuse to act their age. They think young, and therefore they act young. Brain Age is one more tool in their anti-aging arsenal.”

A 2006 survey by the Entertainment Software Association revealed that 25 percent of all gamers are age 55 and older. Brain Age has been a big hit with older, active adults, who use it daily to help keep their minds sharp with tests of memory, mathematics, reading and counting.

“The award is a reminder to people of all generations that age is just a number,” says award recipient Cathi Watson, a 73-year-old radio show host and producer. “Keeping your body and mind fit and active are the keys to remaining young at heart.”

To help Nintendo find 100 people in the United States who personify the ideals of Brain Age, the Grandparent Marketing Group conducted a nationwide search and identified the following honorees.

Alabama
Ray M., 69, of Decatur: Motorcycle drag racer and city councilman

Alaska
Don H., 66, of Haines: Snowmobile racer

Arizona:
Charlie H., 90, of Payson: Cowboy
Lute O., 72, of Tucson: America’s oldest college basketball coach

Arkansas
Oakland D., 78, of Fort Smith: Runner and triathlete

California
Bob B., 75, of Palm Desert: World champion body surfer
Alan C., 74, of Altadena: Master puppeteer and owner of America’s largest
puppet collection
Jack C., 82, of Lakeside: World-famous bongo and conga player
Bill B., 66, of Oakland: Three-time national and world yo-yo champion
Leroy G., 89, of Carlsbad: Surfer and surfing photographer
Bob H., 73, of Fontana: Champion mountain bike rider
Joyce H., 72, of Atherton: Director of the Living Strong, Living Well
program
Rueben M., 66, of Santa Ana: One of the largest commercial sellers of
Spanish-language books
Lagrand N., 99, of Hemet: Nemean Games competitor
Donald P., 90, of Mountain View: Champion jumper
Ora R., 87, of Sacramento: Served as a mentor to more than 3,000 children
Raleigh R., 88, of San Jose: World War II POW, Blue Angel
Terry R., 90, of Los Angeles: Physical trainer since 1935
Gordy S., 88, of El Cajon: Unstoppable bicyclist
Barry S., 59, of Citrus Heights: Adult Baseball League champion

Connecticut
George B., 72, of Ridgefield: Oldest person ever to swim the English
Channel
Donald M., 90, of New Haven: Competitive swimmer and teacher of ballroom
dancing
Jose S., 80, of Norwich: Stonemason who built or repaired thousands of
miles of stone walls in New England

Florida
Donald A., 68, of St. Petersburg: Health and wellness publisher and
duathlete
George B., 91, of Winter Haven: Oldest barefoot water skier
Lucille B., 93, of Babson Park: Oldest female waterskiing champion
Cav C., 71, of Fort Lauderdale: Swimming champion
Iris D., 62, of Cocoa: Champion bodybuilder
Dorothy G., 98, of Jensen Beach: America’s oldest mayor
Al O., 70, of Fort Meyers Beach: Four-time gold Olympics discus champ,
painter
Edward R., 98, of Apollo Beach: Took up golf at 65, now plays every day
James S., 84, of Lady Lake: Three-sport Golden Age Games medalist
Helen W., 69, of Newberry: Basketball champion and coach

Hawaii
Jack S., 61, of Honolulu: Oldest pilot in U.S. military

Illinois
Cathi W., 73, of Schaumburg: Producer and host of eight weekly radio shows

Iowa
Hank M., 65, of Muscatine: Diving civil engineer

Kansas
Norvin A., 80, of Saint Francis: Oldest police officer in Kansas
Waldo M., 104, of Quinter: Beekeeper and author
George M., 68, of Emporia: Tennis coach at Emporia State University
Shirley R., 85, of Mission: Founded and runs the American Stroke
Foundation

Kentucky
Red C., 90, of Somerset: Master mechanic
Christine C., 83, of Louisville: Worked for the state of Kentucky since
1958

Louisiana
Charles M., 91, of Baton Rouge: Champion weightlifter

Maine
Jim M., 68, of Bangor: Oldest car crash stuntman in America

Maryland
Joseph F., 71, of Frederick: Food bank driver who has transported more
than 2 million pounds of surplus food
Douglas H., 63, of Chevy Chase: Six-time winner of the American Crossword
Puzzle Tournament
Charles M., 87, of Bethesda: Tuskegee Airman, highest three-war fighter
mission total

Massachusetts
Curtis H., 84, of Boston: 12 gold medals, National Veterans Wheelchairs
Games
Jerry Y., 61, of Chestnut Hill: America’s longest-serving hockey coach

Michigan
Paul B., 82, of Gaines: Water skiing legend
Lois Kivi N., 82, of Huntington Woods: World record swimmer
Nancy N., 63, of Grand Blanc: Mountain climber, motivational speaker
Harry S., 82, of Bloomfield Township: One of the original Tuskegee Airmen

Minnesota
Scott B., 55, of Bemidji: Oldest Olympian
Ardell L., 71, of Caledonia: First heart and kidney recipient to sail solo
around the world
Jerome S., 97, of Minneapolis: Avid roller skater

Mississippi
Helen B., 86, of Ripley: High jumper and javelin thrower

Nebraska
Sarah G., 97, of Lincoln: Assistant sergeant-at-arms, Nebraska State
Legislature
June H., 63, of Arcadia: Rodeo barrel racer

New Hampshire
Arnold G., 69, of Ashland: Restores vintage wooden bridges and builds new
ones

New Jersey
Charlie C., 92, of Whippany: New Jersey’s oldest firefighter
Barbara J., 74, of Princeton: Champion rower
Paul K., 76, of Far Hills: Relay swimmer, marathon runner

New Mexico
Mary M., 88, of Roy: Deputy municipal clerk
Lynn R., 82, of Quemado: Archery champion

New York
Rubin G., 54, of Staten Island: Professional racquetball player
Wilson G., 87, of Lancaster: Inventor of the first successful implantable
pacemaker
Herman G., 89, of Great Neck: Deep-sea diver and underwater photographer
Reggie J., 80, of Bellmore: Country’s oldest lifeguard
Diana K., 65, of New York: Artist, Holocaust survivor
Betty P., 75, of Penfield: Olympic coach, earned Ph.D. at 74
George S., 78, of Brooklyn: One of the oldest working magicians in the
country
Warren S., 79, of New York: founded Legal Services for Children
Hoy W., 90, of New York: New York City’s oldest bartender

North Carolina
Margaret H., 83, of Concord: Oldest person to have completed a marathon on
each of the seven continents
Domenick I., 80, of Jacksonville: Has run 54 marathons
Morgan, S., 65, of Conover: Oldest NASCAR driver

Ohio
August B., 90, of Maple Heights: Oldest football coach in Ohio history
George K., 94, of Gahanna: One of the oldest practicing therapists in the
country
Jan L., 72, of Findlay: Champion unicycle rider
Bonnie R., 80, of Mansfield: Oldest woman steelworker

Oklahoma
Lena H., 74, of Lawton: Spent six months in Iraq with Army Exchange Post
Ken M., 84, of Ponca City: Music store owner

Oregon
Maude B., 94, of Portland: Champion bowler
Mary B., 84, of Grants Pass: Newsroom librarian, Grants Pass Daily Courier
Caye I., 83, of Jacksonville: Two-medal winner in tennis at Senior Games
Daniele P., 84, of Lincoln City: Oldest working chef on the West Coast
Del W., 73, of Eagle Point: Competes in world-class poker tournaments

Pennsylvania
Karl S., 69, of Port Matilda: 17-time U.S. national glider champion

Texas
Margaret C., 73, of San Antonio: Nationally ranked tennis player
Betty P., 52, of North Richland Hills: One of the world’s oldest female
body builders
Lillian R., 90, of Dallas: Senior Games gold medalist in two sports
Katherine S., 66, of Dallas: Basketball coach and player, composer
Guy S., 85, of Round Rock: Multi-sport athlete

Utah
Ronny A., 73, of Washington: Oldest skydiver in Utah
John W., 82, of Salt Lake City: Triathlete

Virginia
Emily K., 75, of Richmond: Long-distance hiker and cyclist

Washington
Madonna B., 76, of Spokane: Oldest woman to ever finish an Ironman
Kelly N., 79, of East Wenatchee: Champion bodybuilder

Wisconsin
Wilbert B., 88, of Aniwa: World’s oldest lion tamer

Nintendo press release