—“Are We Retiring People Too Early?” By Roul Tunley, from the June 20, 1959, issue of The Saturday Evening Post
Men in their 70s can have a physical difference of as much as 40 years. Some men of 71, for example, are like 51; others, like 91. Our professor was “51” and reluctant to give up. He was full of life, knowledge, and dreams. He could probably learn to do something else, but why should he?
He got a job in the research laboratory of a pharmaceutical concern. Three years later, at the age of 74, the professor gave the world aureomycin, an antibiotic that has saved the lives of countless people, controlling such diseases as scarlet fever, trachoma, tularemia, and many others. For the next decade he traveled the world lecturing, receiving honorary degrees, and counseling younger scientists and having the time of his life. He was busy and happy until he died at the age of 84.
This article is featured in the May/June 2024 issue of The Saturday Evening Post. Subscribe to the magazine for more art, inspiring stories, fiction, humor, and features from our archives.
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