Mo Rocca and the Roctogenarians

Eighty has been the new 60 for about 20 years now. In fact, there have always been late-in-life achievers, those who declined to go into decline just because they were eligible for Social Security. Journalist, humorist, and history buff Mo Rocca teamed up with Jonathan Greenberg to introduce us to the people past and present who peaked when they could have been puttering-breaking out as writers, selling out concert halls, attempting to set land-speed records-and in the case of one 90-year-old tortoise, becoming a first-time father. (Take that, Al Pacino!)
Popular “CBS Sunday Morning” correspondent and frequent “Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me” panelist Rocca, author of the bestselling Mobituaries, comes to Commonwealth Club World Affairs in San Francisco to share inspiring stories that celebrate the triumphs of people who made their biggest marks late in life.
His new book, Roctogenarians, is a collection of entertaining and unexpected profiles of these unretired titans-some long gone (a cancer-stricken Henri Matisse, who began work on his celebrated cut-outs when he could no longer paint), some very much still living (Rita Moreno, the EGOT who’s still got it). The amazing cast of characters also includes Mary Church Terrell, who at 86 helped lead sit-ins at segregated Washington, D.C., lunch counters in the 1950s, and Carol Channing, who married the love of her life at 82. Then there’s Peter Mark Roget, who began working on his thesaurus in his twenties and completed it at 73 (because sometimes finding the right word takes time.)
With all due respect to the Golden Girls, some people will never be content sitting out on the lanai. (P.S., actor Estelle Getty was 62 when she got her big break. And yes, she’s in the book.)
Don’t miss this inspiring and entertaining evening.
This program is part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation.
Rocca photo by John Paul Filo, CBS.
June 21, 2024
Speakers
Mo Rocca
Correspondent, "CBS Sunday Morning"; Host, "Mobituaries" Podcast; Author, Roctogenarians: Late in Life Debuts, Comebacks, and Triumphs
In conversation with Brian Watt
News Anchor, KQED; X @RadioBWatt
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[@gloriaduffy8874]

With an unplanned, spontaneous conversation with actress Rita Moreno, who just happened to be in the audience! She is such a great example of continued outstanding leadership in her field, in her 80s!!

[@GlennC789]

I'm American but I grew up overseas so in some ways it's almost like I'm not. I notice Americans are particularly obsessed with money, ego, power, what I call un-earned status, new things... and youth. All are unhealthy but our obsession with youth really robs us of a lot of richness that comes from admiring and studying what many people gain with age. And probably contributes to some of those other obsessions reaching unhealthy levels as well.