One of my personal heroes is Maggie Kuhn, the feisty founder of the Gray Panthers. I had the delight of befriending Maggie when she was in her 80’s. We went together several times a year to do something that is not in my basic nature: clothes shopping!
Maggie was not a child protégé and probably not the first person you would have noticed in a room. If you had told her when she was 64 that she’d be receiving $5,000 speaking honoraria when she was in her ‘80’s, she would have laughed.
At 65, Presbyterian Church policy forced Maggie to retire. She was outraged. After several years of bellyaching, friends told her that they were tired of listening: she should either change policies that affect older adults or stop complaining. So, the Gray Panthers was born by the time Maggie was 70.
Like Gandhi, Maggie was not a born leader. She came by it the old fashioned way: trial and error, stumbling, trying again. In that regard, she made leadership seem attainable; anyone can become one. No prior experience necessary, only a will to succeed.
Maggie died just shy of her 90th birthday in 1995. I think of her often including when I wear a few of her clothes that she so kindly gave me. She did like one-of-a-kind clothing items and blazed the trail for wearing sturdy running shoes with the fanciest of outfits.
Coming back to my point, all of this is to say, if you thought your time had passed to make real change in this world, you were wrong!! There is, of course, the other obvious example to prove my point: our wonderful Hal, who didn’t make public waves until his ‘70’s.
We always welcome your contributions to our wave making!
“Stand before the people you fear and speak your mind – even if your voice shakes.” Maggie Kuhn