We have two children; a daughter who teaches at Heights High School, and a son who was with Warner Brothers for years as a public relations person in California. He moved back here and is doing p.r. at Kent State University and working on his degree. I have three grandchildren. One is Florida, working on his doctorate degree, teaching sociology. He was always talking to his grandfather about all kinds of things. This stuck in his head as a little boy. Your grandchildren listen to you, though you may not think they do.

Were you athletic as a child?
No, I wasn't. I had an enlarged heart. The doctor told my mother, "don't let her do too many things." I was pigeon-toed and I would fall a lot. As I grew older, I could see how if I wasn't the type of person I am, I probably would have been an invalid, or not good at anything.

At that time there was no one to straighten my feet. Our floor was wooden, and had those straight lines. My mother would have me walk those planks straight like this (demonstrates). I brought those toes in. She helped me. I thought she was the meanest person at the time, but I understood later what she did.

How did you start leading an exercise group?
I was a nurse at Woodruff Hospital; when Woodruff was sold to The Cleveland Clinic, I went to St. Vincent Charity Hospital. Woodruff was a private psychiatric hospital for kids. I started out helping the teenagers exercise; I'd get down on the floor and tell the boys how to do push-ups.

The exercise made them feel good. When kids start feeling better about themselves, they tell you things. Samuel Nigro, one of the best child psychologists, used to ask me, "What do you do with them to make them talk?" You've got to have patience. No matter how hard the job was, I never was in a hurry. You've got to make these kids come first.

As far as your involvement goes with the "Yes I Can" group, what caused you to be such a leader? I guess it's in me to love people and put everything I have into doing things. I enjoyed my work, but I wasn't looking at if for the money. I wanted to make the patients feel good. Do the best you can at all times. I had a schizophrenia patient who didn't talk. I would go in that room every morning and say, "how are you today?" and open her blinds. She had a plant, I would water that plant. I was preparing her to come out of whatever state she was in. And do you know, when she started feeling good, she told her doctor, "You know you only have one person here who really cares?" She told her doctor that out of every nurse who came in her room, only I would say good morning.

So when I asked God to lead me in the right direction as to what I should do to help people after I retired, this was it. It's just part of me, it's in me. Friends say, "How can you do this?" Well, it makes me feel good.

I have not stopped from the 10 years I retired. Up every morning at 5 o'clock and down here doing the exercise and continuing on.

What made you who you are?
My family. My mother and father. My father always said he wanted the best for his girls. He always wanted us to get an education. When I fell in love, he said he wanted me to finish college. He convinced me to finish.

I wish they were both living. One passed away in 1968; the other in 1969. If they could see me now: the little timid girl who was pigeon-toed and had an enlarged heart. They said I'd never drive a car, but my mom and dad helped me grow out of that.

What is your philosophy about aging?
I think aging is beautiful. But you have to love yourself, spiritually love yourself. So many people, including younger ones, are afraid of growing old. I think it's because they've been around people who get old and don't do anything. Our group tries to impress upon young women when we go to different places: It's how you feel about yourself and life.

If you stop doing anything, you're going to grow old. People make mistakes when they retire. "I'm not gonna do one thing. I'm going to stay in bed until I get ready to get up." The biggest mistake they could do. You need to keep doing things. I guess that has been my philosophy: to grow older and graceful you have to help yourself.

A lot of people ask me why I don't tint my hair. I say, "What's that going to change?" You can't hide growing older. Your body's going to change. You can look at your hands, your body, your face, and tell you're growing old. But if you don't do anything like walking and exercising, your back is going to hurt. I tell them every day to keep their backs straight, to keep their stomach muscles in. You have to do these things. It becomes a part of you. I never tinted my hair. I may cut it short again.

Are there people in your group who have made dramatic changes in their health?
Oh, yes. Ones who have had knee replacements, hip replacements, illness. They're doing great. This one woman had open heart surgery and would sit down every five minutes. Now she doesn't sit down. She looks so good, she looks beautiful. I also told them about my arthritis. No one had it worse than I had it when I was working. My knuckles and fingers were really bad.

Everything my rheumatologist gave me upset my stomach. I said I don't need it. Then he had me use mineral oil, olive oil and something else. I would soak my hands in it in a crock pot at night. And do you know, it worked! That and walking, drinking lots of water and flexing my fingers. It works. You don't need to take all that medicine; you can get addicted to so many things. If you get up and start doing things, it will go away. I put on this copper bracelet, it works! Aging gracefully and enjoying it. You're just as old as you feel.

I look around and see people, some younger than me, and they're complaining. If I overcame an enlarged heart without any doctor's help, then you can, too.

We have our own t-shirts, purple and white are our colors. The shirts show "I can." They even have an on-the-floor bicycle.

Have people told you what an inspiration you are?
When we started exercising, people started coming back. I had one woman tell me, "You know, I can wear a suit that I hadn't put on in years." They're always telling me I'm an inspiration to them. I try to put in their minds, you don't lose fat, you lose inches. As we use the weights and tone, you begin to tone. I tell them, "You might weigh a little more, but it's because you have more muscle."

When you're not exercising, what do you like to do?
I play Bonanza; it is like Old Michigan Rummy. Our group has been playing for 40 years. Nine women, we go to each other's homes every other Wednesday and we play a game. After we retired, we started playing at 2:30. Unfortunately, we had three people die. We did find three people to replace them. Some of the women say they're so old, but you know how I feel about that. I belong to two traveling clubs, I bowl, I tried playing golf. The only thing I tried but didn't like was to ski. I couldn't handle it.