Posted on 05/31/2025 11:20:04 AM PDT by DFG
Most people slow down with age, trading suits and deadlines for slippers and daytime TV. Not Dr. Howard Tucker.
The Cleveland-born neurologist treated patients for nearly eight decades, earning the Guinness World Record title for oldest practicing doctor just before his 99th birthday.
Now 102, Tucker may have hung up his white coat, but he hasn’t hit the brakes. He spends his days lecturing future doctors at Case Western Reserve University and consulting on medical-legal cases — thanks to the law degree he picked up at the age of 67.
Oh, and he’s gone viral on TikTok while promoting What’s Next, a documentary about his life, produced by his grandson.
Tucker recently peeled back the curtain on his remarkable run — and how he’s stayed sharp, driven and active well into his second century.
“Retirement, I think, is the enemy of longevity,” Tucker recently told TODAY’s Al Roker.
“You have to have some purpose in life and get up in the morning and know what you’re about,” he added.
Tucker continued practicing medicine until age 100, only stopping when the hospital where he worked shuttered its doors in 2022.
If it wasn’t for the closure, Tucker told PEOPLE, he’d “absolutely” still be seeing patients. He’s even “putting out feelers” for another gig — though he admits, “nobody wants me at my age.”
“But I’ll keep trying,” he said.
Tucker has no intention of stepping away from his current workload. But for anyone thinking about throwing in the towel, he’s got a word of advice.
“If they retire from their work, they should at least do something as a hobby, whether it be communal work or self-hobbies,” he told TODAY. “You need a stimulus for the brain daily.”
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
He has done pretty well if he is white and has gone this long without being rooted out by the commies in the HR department.
He’s doing it right. I’m doing similar things.
I volunteer as a ham radio operator at rally events, am rebuilding a Victorian era money pit house and barn, rebuilding a Grumman motorhome, maintaining and using 2 Unimogs, going on excursions with our gem and mineral society, etc.
There is so much to learn about the digital modes of ham radio and the capabilities of it are amazing. Communications half way around the world with just 200 milliwatts!
BTW, if you are a prepper, don't waste a dime buying a radio, study and get your license, and actually learn how to use it, otherwise you will have just wasted money on a paper weight.
If my purpose in life was my job I’d have killed myself ages ago. And I like my job, but it has never been a purpose, it funds my purpose.
If your job is your purpose in life he may have a point. I feel sorry for you if that’s the case though; retiring in two weeks. I’ve had lots of practice— I take off around two months each winter to spend time in the woods with my dogs, writing, getting in shape, and doing the many hobbies I love. I get up early each morning, and tax myself physically and mentally far more than my job does.
Yup. My hobbies became full-time.
My brother who is a ham enthusiast, builds his own hard- and software ham radios is a certified tester, lives 1/2 mile away.
He programmed my Baofengs for me, with the appropriate antenna options WITH instructions for which antenna for which programmed channel/frequency.
I fix and build all things. He was SIGINT and comms in the army.
He’s right. In many ways I’m more stimulated now due to the nature of projects I undertake requiring me to learn new things than I was when working. My most productive and fun years working were when I was forced to re-invent myself and do much of the same kind of thing. Being in a rut leads to deterioration regardless of when it happens.
A large number of medical people now believe that at conception the dna and its record of tendencies from ancestors tell the story of your health and how long you will live, regardless of kale and tofu consumption.
I like the idea we have control but many doctors don’t agree any longer. They just use those forms on their computers that we answered with “diabetes” “heart disease” and others of relatives——meaning they believe you will get sick and die from some of them. Depressing.
But I personally think they are wrong like they were about bloodletting, Thalidomide and giving antibiotics for everything wrong with someone beginning in early childhood, followed by antibiotic resistance viruses taking over.
One conclusion from elderly doctor: “Back then the patients told everybody they knew we weren’t doing anything for them if they didn’t leave with an antibiotic prescription. Not prescribing was bad for business.”
Depends. My job was also my passion. I love IT. So after I retired at 52 I still do IT but work on projects that I’m passionate about and on my schedule. Mostly for personal knowledge and scratching my IT itch.
Having said that, if my job was not my passion I agree with you. It sounds like this doctor was in a similar position as me, but didn’t really articulate it properly or understand that not everyone is as fortunate to have the two things align.
Same here. Residential rental real estate and my husband’s small HVAC biz.
My recent purpose in life is to live to be 100, and my MD says I will.
Have to live that long because nobody else would put up with my bitchy kitty, Daisy. Only her mom (me) loves her. I often tell her, “You’re the worst cat in the universe, but I love you anyway”.
She may or may not respond by biting me. Fewer bites and scratches now that she’s 8. BTW we have the same birthday, and I’ve been accused of....well, you know.
My grandmother never worked a day in her life.
She got married while still in college and stayed married until my grandfather died—after sixty five years of marriage.
She lived to be 106 and had no major illnesses along the way.
Her main secret—really good genes and super low stress.
She always had a smile on her face.
I was wondering if he was married but he has a grandson so I assume yes. But at any rate, his career and activities must have kept him away from the stress of home 99% of time.
Longevity = Good Genes and DNA
You have it or you don’t
I’m retired and I’m enjoying it.
It doesn’t mean I’m doing nothing, either.
I’m just not slogging off to an office every day to be told what to do.
Agree!!
We’ve witnessed absolute absurdity, in one of our areas largest hospital systems, with all of their DEI hires ... from docs, to nurses, to Med techs.
Unbelievable what we’ve seen.
Fabulous. Mine were similar though one lived on a farm/ranch/dairy so she worked but mainly at keeping the men fed. They both made it to 94.
My grandmother’s life was ridiculous.
They had a cook/maid living in their house their entire life.
My grandmother used to joke she did not know how to boil water.
Lol.
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