CLUB'S MEMBERS OLDER, BUT NOT YET OLD.Byline: DENNIS McCARTHY Dennis McCarthy may refer to:
It started with a dead-on observation by one of their wives, which is how most married men finally come to see the light. At least, the smart ones. ``She called us a bunch of smart -----,'' said retired attorney Seymour Philips, the leader of this gang. ``It seemed to fit. We were looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. a name, and that's what a maven is, so that's what we decided to call ourselves - the Mavens.'' Actually, Webster's defines a ``maven'' as an expert or connoisseur, but that's only a small stretch from what the wife thought. Twenty years TWENTY YEARS. The lapse of twenty years raises a presumption of certain facts, and after such a time, the party against whom the presumption has been raised, will be required to prove a negative to establish his rights. 2. ago, 30 recently retired guys began meeting at the Mid-Valley Athletic Club in Reseda most mornings to play racquetball racquetball, sport played indoors by two or four players, combining elements of court handball and such racket games as squash racquets. It is played on a standard handball court 40 ft (12.2 m) long, 20 ft (6. , catch an early lunch, then kill the rest of the afternoon playing gin rummy. ``We were under orders from our wives not to get home before 5 p.m.,'' said retired builder Mike Singer. ``Our wives gave thanks every day for this club.'' Twenty years later, not much has changed. Most of the guys are in their 80s, with a few in their early 90s. They don't play much racquetball anymore, but they're still grabbing lunch, then making the rounds of the athletic club to enjoy the sights before heading to a back room to play gin rummy. The Mavens may not exactly be drinking from the proverbial fountain of youth Fountain of Youth legendary fountain of eternal youth. [World Legend: Brewer Dictionary, 432] See : Unattainability , but it's pretty close. They seem to be having more fun and laughs than a delegation of city officials traveling on the taxpayers' dime. ``This is the only place where the men outlive out·live tr.v. out·lived, out·liv·ing, out·lives 1. To live longer than: She outlived her son. 2. the women,'' said 86- year-old Murray Getz, who made his living manufacturing purses. Murray laughs when he says this, but it's no joke. Many of the Mavens - who now number 65 - have outlived their wives and a few girlfriends. They credit beating the actuarial ac·tu·ar·y n. pl. ac·tu·ar·ies A statistician who computes insurance risks and premiums. [Latin charts to the Mid Valley Athletic Club welcoming them everyday with open arms. ``These guys are wonderful and friendly to everyone here,'' says Cindy Gironda, marketing manager. ``They add a lot of life and fun to this club.'' Now there's something you don't hear everyday: a bunch of guys A Bunch of Guys (BOGs), or Group of Guys (GOGs) are terms used by counter-terrorism officials to refer to small, self-organizing terrorist cells.[1] BOGs typically have little to no contact with global terrorist groups like al Qaeda, so they independently plan and 20 years past retirement being credited for bringing life to a place. ``We're like family - a dysfunctional family dysfunctional family Psychology A family with multiple 'internal'–eg sibling rivalries, parent-child– conflicts, domestic violence, mental illness, single parenthood, or 'external'–eg alcohol or drug abuse, extramarital affairs, gambling, ,'' jokes Philips, 87, who was elected president for life of the Mavens because nobody else wanted the job. The key, the men say, is staying active and staying in touch. Whenever a member doesn't show up for a few days, someone calls to make sure he's all right. If he's not, the other Mavens do their best to change that. They all get together with their wives and girlfriends for dinner a few times a year, and always send out birthday and anniversary cards to each other's spouses. Condolence cards, as well. It's the daily bonding that keeps the Mavens going strong, says 81-year- old Barney Meskin, who owned the House of Billiards billiards, any one of a number of games played with a tapered, leather-tipped stick called a cue and various numbers of balls on a rectangular, cloth-covered slate table with raised and cushioned edges. in the Valley. It's the old title song from ``Cheers'' - that, when you walk in the door, everybody knows your name, and cares you're there, adds retired meat cutter A Retail Meat Cutter prepares primal cuts into a variety of smaller cuts intended for sale in a retail environment. The duties of a Meat Cutter are related to that of a Butcher. Milton Bronstein, 90. ``You have to go out and keep busy,'' Getz says. ``Guys who lose their wives and sit home watching four walls, they're crazy. I lost my wife, but I knew she wanted me to keep going, and I am.'' Singer and the other Mavens agree. ``Half of us wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for this club,'' he said. ``We keep tabs on each other.'' That and hanging out at a place where there's a mix of young, middle-age and older people trying to stay fit, Philips added. ``We're not an exclusive club,'' the president for life of the Mavens said Wednesday. ``Any senior joining the athletic club can join our club, too.'' Dennis McCarthy, (818) 713-3749 dennis.mccarthy(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Members of the Mavens club, at the Mid-Valley Athletic Club in Reseda, include, in the front row, Barney Meskin of Burbank, Harold Frumkin of West Hills, Murray Getz of Encino and Stuart Azouz of Chatsworth and, in the back row, Mike Singer of North Hills, Seymour Philips of Calabasas and Milton Bronstein of Encino. Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer |
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