by Kevin KolusThe Hunks of Greenspring
No, your eyes haven’t deceived you. These pictures are genuine. The Hunks of Greenspring are the real deal—full of class, in the buff and, hopefully, soon to be on your office wall.
The Greenspring Retirement Community of Springfield, Va. made a stir last year when releasing the 2008 Ladies of Greenspring calendar, which raised $40,000 for the community’s Benevolent Care Program. The in-house charity acts as a safety net for residents who, despite having wisely managed their finances, find themselves facing unforeseen life circumstances.
Not to be outdone by the ladies, 15 gentlemen shed their Sunday best for 2009’s calendar, unabashedly inheriting the title Hunks of Greenspring, and set their fundraising goal at $50,000. But crediting the Hunks’ inspiration to only competition would do the community an injustice; the ideology of fraternity is written right into Greenspring’s mission statement: “Sharing our gifts to create a community that celebrates life.” With that being said, enjoy the bios of each model—or Hunk, as they are now known around the pickelball courts.
| January Far from being Greenspring’s resident ‘meatheads,’ Hank Morin (left), 80, and Ray Kaminski, 92, defy aging stereotypes and enjoy active, healthy lifestyles. Morin, previously an electronics engineer for the Naval Air Systems Command, plays pickleball and tennis, swims regularly, and practices gymnastics, yoga, and Tai Chi. At 92, Kaminski is the oldest calendar Hunk, and recently displayed his physical prowess in the September 2008 Northern Virginia Senior Olympics where he won three gold and two silver medals. |
| February Arthur Hawnn keeps his age and personal life a secret, but one can guesstimate that he’s a formidable presence around Greenspring with that ping-pong paddle. Easy big fella! |
| March Sitting among sailboats is Dan Palenski, 82, a former comptroller for the government. Palenski’s employment history includes Ronald Reagan Washington National and Dulles airports. |
| April Greenspring’s youngest Hunk is also one of its celebrities—Jim Coulter, 66, is a wine connoisseur and hosts a weekly wine-tasting show on the community’s closed-circuit Channel 6, broadcasted to all 2,000 residents. |
| May Peter Ostergren, 77, retired from the Army in 1969 after 20 years. A man of service, Ostergren’s career before retirement was with Virginia’s Fairfax County Government. He enjoys television, golf, walking and, apparently, watering May flowers. (Just don’t tell his Army buddies.) |
| June Wayne Ford, 79, has two main hobbies he continues to relish: golfing and fishing. He was in the Air Force for 28 years and served in Vietnam. Ford celebrated his 57th wedding anniversary on November 11, 2008. |
| July Aside from a strangely accurate resemblance to Archibald Willard’s iconic painting Spirit of ‘76, Ernie Sult (left), 83, Bob MacCallum (middle), 79, and Charlie Spitzer, 84, all share proud military backgrounds. After reading a poem in church as a lad, Sult was inspired to become a stage actor and has been one for almost 79 years. He is a member of the Screen Actors Guild and also served three years in the Army. MacCallum spent 21 years in the military working on missile operations. He enjoys his retirement with less harrowing activities such as model trains, photography, and traveling. Naming an unassuming list of hobbies—listening to the radio and talking to people—Spitzer belies his macho past. About a year ago, he retired from steel fabricators Southern Iron Works after 57 years, and During World War II he served with the Army Engineers in the Pacific. |
| August Howard Wachspress, 79, remains active in barbershop quartets, which is a much more pleasant pastime than his previous employment as tax auditor. |
| September Ananias Brooks—or Lt. Col. Brooks as he was called in the Army—served for 23 years, including time in Asia and Europe. His wife, Barbara Brooks, was Mrs. April in the 2008 Ladies of Greenspring calendar. |
| October Abe Kramer, 83, a retired Air Force Lt. Col., was involved with Apollo 11 as the Program Manager, Spacecraft Planning and Analysis Group, and Lunar Module Project. Before extreme sports became popular, he was witnessing moon walks. |
| November There is nothing quite as menacing as an ex-marine and his ducks. Buck Simpson, 79, carves decoy ducks and, over the years, has sculpted more than 20. He currently has 17 of them on display in his home at Greenspring. |
| December Roger Westberg, 87, was an economic planner for Pan Am Air, General Dynamics, and the Federal Aviation Administration. We don’t know what he likes to do in his spare time, but mimicking Santa Claus may be a favored treat to his Greenspring community. |
For more information and to order calendars, visit www.greenspringhunks.com. The cost is $15 per calendar, plus shipping and handling. All proceeds benefit Greenspring’s Benevolent Care Fund.
Kevin Kolus wrote for I Advance Senior Care / Long-Term Living when he was an editor. He left the brand in 2012. He is now senior communications manager at Cleveland Clinic.
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