Retirement: Charting a New Course

By Alejandra Navarro

It's safe to assume that most 60-somethings aren't ready to be labeled "senior citizens." Although they don't feel or look like their parents' generation did at this age, they may still be ready to retire. But retirement these days is much different than it was a generation ago. Retirees are innovative, adventurous, and social. Their children have grown - as has their nest egg - and they are energized to begin this new stage of life on their own terms, pursuing fresh interests and former hobbies in their newfound spare time. Meet some of Fairfield's own retirees, who seem to have no intention of slowing down.

Frank Waters '51: Preserving history

While some people need a DVD player, a global positioning system, and satellite radio just to get across town, Frank Waters and his wife, Joanne, have been able to navigate their way to more than 240 national parks in 48 states and several Canadian provinces - using fold-out maps and books from a mini-library in the back of a camper van.

It's only fitting that Waters is spending much of his retirement enjoying the fresh air, since he spent his entire career in an office, finely tuning computer programs and systems. A mathematics major, he was among the first to enter the field of computer programming, back when machines were the size of a room. His last post was head of information technology for the City of Norwalk. "When I left in 1995, I swore I never wanted to see another computer again," laughs Waters.

The Norwalk (Conn.) couple has traveled to hundreds of national parks, monuments, and historical sites, including Big Bend National Park in Texas, Mount Rainier National Park in Washington, and Muir Woods National Monument in California. "I think it started because I was a Civil War buff," says Waters, who is a member of the Friends of the National Parks at Gettysburg. "When you can go and see the documents and the personal property of the heroes of our country, it's quite impressive."

Time at Gettysburg inspired more travel. "It became sort of a quest," he explains. "We pulled out the national parks maps and worked our way through the country." Each state they visit is marked on a brightly colored map of the United States inside the camper. While on board, they alternate driving and reading about the people and history of their destination.

When he's not en route to a national park, he's in one. Waters volunteers as gardener at the Weir Farm National Historic Site in Wilton, the former farm of American Impressionist painter J. Alden Weir (1852-1919). It's not an easy task to groom the property, as every bush and flower must be historically accurate. "You have to keep it almost as if he had just stepped out for a moment, with paints and partially finished pictures," he says.

At Devil's Den Nature Preserve in Wilton, Waters steps back into history, reenacting the role of a charcoal maker (complete with dirty face) and explaining the craft to schoolchildren touring the site. "It would be tragic," he says, "if these gorgeous places were not available to our grandchildren and their grandchildren."

B. Maxwell O'Meara '52: Championing Fairfield crew

Max O'Meara was 60 years old when he picked up the sport of rowing. While on the Fairfield University campus for an alumni event, he strolled through the annual student club fair and struck up a conversation with a few members of the men's crew team. Unlike Fairfield's Division I varsity teams, club sports receive no University funds. Students arrange schedules with other college clubs and either supply their own equipment or raise money for it. Clearly, their dedication impressed O'Meara.

"I thought, if I'm going to help these kids, I've got to learn how to row," he says. Not only did he learn the sport, but he became a competitive rower for about a decade. Now, at age 75, he rows for fun. "I've been fortunate to have good health and I try to preserve it," says O'Meara, who also skis, plays tennis, and jogs. "I probably would have been better suited for a career outdoors," he admits.

Instead, O'Meara, a Korean War veteran, graduated from Fairfield with a degree in history, went on to earn an MBA at Columbia University, and spent 30 years in the insurance and financial planning industries. By the time he officially retired in 1993, he was already involved with Fairfield crew.

In the years since, he has become one of the team's most vocal advocates and its most frequent volunteer, believing that the "civility" of crew reflects positively on the University. He lent a hand to build and paint the boathouse racks, and he continues to help team members navigate the bureaucracy to keep the program on track. "I try to nurture and teach, and in some cases, act as a catalyst," says O'Meara of his efforts to ensure that the program doesn't slip as graduating members pass responsibilities on to underclassmen.

O'Meara once went to most all the home and away competitions, rallying alumni to attend and hosting a welcome tent at away sites. Today, he dedicates himself to home races, but still makes it a point to get to know each team member. To benefit members of the rowing teams - men's and women's - he established the annual Marguerite F. O'Meara Cup, the Dr. William F. O'Meara Cup, and the O'Meara/Foster Scholarship.

O'Meara, who received the Alumni Association's Service Award in 2000 and is currently interim president of the Hartford Area Alumni Club, makes it a point to meet with the recipients of his scholarship. "Sometimes I can help with the wisdom of age - translated," he quips, "as how I learned from life's mistakes."

Kevin J. Harrigan '54: Advocating a Catholic perspective

Kevin Harrigan had no choice but to retire in 1987, at the age of 55. It was the policy of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, where he worked as a special agent for almost 30 years. After graduating from Fordham Law School in 1957, Harrigan served in the Marines. In 1961, he joined the FBI, where he became an expert in criminal investigation, much of it relating to fugitives and bank robberies.

A member of the FBI's first SWAT team, he worked in Kentucky and New Orleans for more than two decades before closing out his career in New Haven, Conn. On the job, he handled several high-profile cases, including criminal activity by Ku Klux Klan members, bombings at African-American churches, and civil rights violations. Following the assassination of President Kennedy, Harrigan participated in the investigation of Lee Harvey Oswald, who had lived in New Orleans. "I did feel very good about that," he says.

For a man who enjoyed being physically active (marathons and triathalons), the thought of retirement did not sit well. "I liked my work," admits Harrigan, "and I was somewhat disappointed to have to retire."

Retirement, however, has given Harrigan, now 73, more time to dedicate himself to issues he holds dear. He has become active in raising awareness of the Catholic position on issues such as marriage, abortion, and education. At Catholic Concerns Day in Hartford, for example, he has joined others in discussing education and other policies with state legislators. He belongs to the Family Institute of Connecticut, whose purpose is to preserve the traditional definition of marriage. And for the past two decades, he and his wife, Theresa, have participated in the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., and continue to distribute pro-life literature at local vigils.

About 15 years ago, he rejoined the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal service organization. One of 10 charter members of Council No. 11077 at Our Lady of Assumption in Fairfield, he has seen it grow to more than 120 men. "When someone has a special need, we do what we can," says Harrigan. The Council raises money for disaster relief, does repair work at the church, delivers food baskets during the holidays, volunteers for the annual Connecticut Special Olympics, and helps with chores for some homebound residents. "While Fairfield is not a poor town," he explains, "there are still people who need help, especially older people who have medical problems."

Modest about his endeavors, Harrigan talks of those who do far more than he. "Boy, hats off to them," he says. "They're the shining examples, not me." One suspects, however, that those who benefit from Harrigan's assistance would beg to differ.

Dr. John Shaw '65: Preparing for the unexpected

For Dr. John Shaw '65, retirement has been about transition. "I've moved from one phase of my life into another," he says, having retired in 1998 after 27 years of practicing dentistry. "You have to keep challenging yourself to learn; that's how you keep yourself young."

When he started the search that would become a new beginning, Dr. Shaw had three objectives: to have work be enjoyable, to continue to have an income, and to make a difference. "As a product of the '60s," he explains, "I needed to know that whatever I did would be socially significant."

He spent time shadowing some friends in the corporate sector and in public health, and a year later began working with the City of Hartford Department of Public Health. During that transition, he took several courses on a topic of academic interest to him: bioterrorism. That knowledge would become quite useful after Sept. 11, when fears of a possible biological attack heightened.

Dr. Shaw was tapped in 2002 to serve as project manager of Hartford's Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS), a federally funded program to create a comprehensive emergency plan for the 41 communities in the Capitol region. "That kind of planning had not been done before in Connecticut," he says. "We were not only able to get buy-in, but enthusiastic support from our communities." The resulting plan has established an organized response to all kinds of emergencies, including natural disasters, epidemics, and biological attacks. Hartford's plan, which continues to evolve, has become a model for towns and cities in the state and across the country.

"The MMRS program asks all our communities to answer the tough questions," says Dr. Shaw, noting that it involves professionals from a variety of fields: first-responders, health professionals, educators, and business leaders. The Hartford team is currently grappling with the ethical questions of a major emergency response. How, for example, do local governments respond to an outbreak, such as the bird flu, if they do not have enough vaccine?

"I'm very glad to be in this position, with the skills and abilities I have, and with the support of personal ethical standards that evolved during my years with the Jesuits at Fairfield," Dr. Shaw says. "My work today is totally different from what I expected it to be, and far more rewarding."