How did you get involved in golf?
It started when I was younger. I played everything else first - basketball, baseball. I had a scholarship to Ohio Weslyan University and went to school there. I discovered golf and I just loved it. If you love sports and you're fairly athletic, you love golf because you don't have to depend on four other guys for success. The game is a result of you. I've played every course around here at least once. I've played with [Arnold] Palmer, I've played with [Jack] Nicklaus, I've played with all the bigwigs [of golf]. As a matter of fact, I use clubs now that I got from Arnold [Palmer]. I played with him just a couple years ago.

I was president of the Northern Ohio PGA. I've headed the Caddy Foundation. I like competition and I like the game. My handicap was a +3, when I was playing my best. Now it's a 16.

What do you think successful aging is all about?
I think attitude is number one. If you've got the right attitude, it's easier to live a nice life. I like being healthy. I like people, too. There's not enough time in the day for all the things I'd like to do.

I think you must keep active. Golf has been a big factor for me. [My wife] and I have been all around the world playing golf. She first took it up in self-defense and then got good at it. She had a 12 handicap. We've played in France and England, Scotland, Israel, South Africa. Golf has actually been a way of life for us and it continues to be so. It's what's kept me healthy and I love the outdoors.

At the same time, people need interests outside of work and family. I've volunteered for the Society for Crippled Children and other groups and enjoyed it.

Also, you have to be able to change. My kids told me they didn't want me to drive anymore. I was always in a hurry. I had some accidents, but always because I was in a hurry. I learned that most people who get in accidents are in a hurry. When I learned to drive seventy plus years ago, it was without lessons. Our older brother would teach us how to drive in a parking lot. When I recently went to take the driving test, there were things I didn't know. But I learned them in classes for senior drivers and now I drive safely.

What other activities keep you on the go?
Right now I am learning computers at Fairhill [Center for Aging]. I'm not learning very quickly. So, I told the guys [in the class] if you can help me with computers, I can help you with golf. It's a nice exchange.

How would you encourage seniors to adopt a positive attitude about successful aging?
I would tell them to keep going. I've had a few bumps along the way. I developed some health problems in the last five years but I keep going. You need the right attitude. People don't understand it's that simple. It's a matter of confidence that you can do it. You have to live one day at a time.

What advice would you give to a young golfer getting started in the sport?
Practice. If you want to be a good golfer, practice. If you want to be teacher, practice. It doesn't matter what it is. I would watch [Arnold] Palmer practice 12 or 14 hours a day. Then he'd take the putter back to his room at night. That's what you have to do to get good. The key is intelligent practice. And desire. You have to tell yourself that you can do it. If I told myself I was a lousy golfer, well, it would be a different story, but I didn't.

How did you get started in the lumber business?
My dad and I started the lumberyard [Preisler Lumber] in 1929. It was my last year of high school. We started as a wrecking yard. Then we had a store with a couple rooms upstairs. I remember one time, in the middle of winter, we tore the roof off for renovations and overnight all the lumber was gone. That was during rough times. The people needed the wood for heating so they burned what was in the lumberyard. Later, my two brothers came into the business. We had fun and lived a nice life.

How would you describe yourself?
You have to give of yourself. There are caddies I still hear from-grown up. And their kids are caddies. No third generation caddies yet, though. I put a lot of time into people. I like to live. I'm rich in friends. I'm rich in experience. (Plus he has 2 children, 7 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren)

What would your friends say about you?
I've had a good life but I've also given back.

What is one of your favorite golf stories?
I used to play very regularly at Pine Ridge [Country Club]. There was a gang of us. We gambled $2 Nassau. Then, that $2 meant a lot. Once we played, we were on the tee. I gave strokes to most of the guys, but I got strokes from Arnold Palmer. We played every now and then. We get out and have our second shots. We started bickering over who got what and so on. I couldn't find my ball and Arnie starts to laugh. I asked him what was so funny and he pointed to the tee. My ball was still there. We had a lot of fun. Whenever I came home from golf, my wife never knew whether I was in a good mood or a bad one based on my play. I just enjoyed the thrill of the game. In my books, golf is a game to make really good friends.