Aging & Society: Eighth Interdisciplinary Conference

Abstract

In 2012, at the Aging and Society Conference in Vancouver, Canada, I presented a paper on the health secrets of Hulda Crooks, the oldest person to climb Mt. Whitney, highest peak in the continental US. This study is similar in nature, but considering this year’s conference venue, it will emphasize her exploits on Mt. Fuji, where, in 1987, she became the oldest American and oldest woman to summit Japan’s tallest peak at the age of 91; a record which still stands 31 years later. Along with her “Prescription for Health,” (given to all in attendance), video footage of that climb will be shared. Unlike previous presentations, this one will follow a case study format and will address life challenges she confronted such as childhood obesity, being thrown out of a dysfunctional home at the age of 18 with only a 6th grade education, overcoming physical debilitating diseases in her 20’s and 30’s, sudden widowhood in mid-life, and the loss of her only son to a drug overdose. The discussion will be motivational in nature with the goal of demonstrating that one’s history does not determine one’s destiny.