Month: February 2026

How Old Were They? Laura Ingalls Wilder

Laura Ingalls Wilder was 64 when she published her first “Little House” book in 1932. A teacher at age 15, she married Almanzo Wilder at 18 and wrote articles on farming and rural life, becoming the poultry editor of the St. Louis Star. After her daughter encouraged her mother to tell the story of her own pioneer childhood, Wilder began the series with Little House in the Big Woods and ended 12 years later with These Happy Golden Years when the author was 76. Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.

Laura Ingalls Wilder captivated children with tales of her own pioneer childhood

Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die

Website: How Old Were They? Karl Witte

Karl Witte got his doctorate at age 13, making him the youngest person to earn this degree. Born in July 1800 to a German pastor who encouraged learning, Witte spoke German, French, Italian, Latin, and Greek by the age of 9. He attended the University of Giessen, where he graduated with a PhD, but his life thereafter is clouded in mystery. He reportedly traveled through Italy in 1818 and unsuccessfully sought work as a lawyer, but he did become known as a scholar of the works of Dante. Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.

Dr. Witte was awarded a PhD at age 13, a Guinness record

Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die

Who Cares? Praised in Historical Novel Review

My novel Who Cares? about aging with dignity, was lauded in Historical Novel Review. The reviewer writes: Drawing on her remarkable knowledge of senior living communities and city politics, the author shows how determined activists with the moral high ground can challenge the might of profit-driven interests and the politicians who back them. She really does leave us asking ourselves: “Who Cares?” Check out the HNR online archives for reviews of my other books. Order Who Cares? from the publisher, Bookshop.org, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, your favorite bookstore or other source. Read more about the book in NOVELS.

Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die

How Old Are They? Lyle and Eleanor Gittens

At 108 and 107, Lyle and Eleanor Gittens are the world’s oldest living married couple. They met at Clark Atlanta University, where Lyle whispered to Eleanor that she was his “SP” (college code for “Secret Passion”), and married on June 4, 1942. Asked how they stayed married so long, Lyle credits “Mutual love and support” and Eleanor adds, “You have to like the other person, not just love them.” Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.

Liking, not just loving, each other since 1942

Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die

More Microfiction Published: Going Nowhere

50 Give or Take published another piece of my microfiction, titled “Going Nowhere” so if you’re feeling lost and even GPS can’t help you find your way, navigate to this super short read! Sign up to receive and submit your own ultra-short stories, free, at 50 Give or Take.

Feeling lost? When even GPS can’t help you find your way . . .

Why writers write: “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” – Albert Einstein