Welcome to St. Luke’s thirdKnow Who Needs You holiday postcard. In this season of returning light, we hope the stories about our Elders fill your hearts. Please know how profoundly grateful we all are for your generosity. It is because of you St. Luke’s is able to keep its doors open to low-income older adults. Thank you!
Meet Carl:
Literature, travel and teaching are the passions of Carl’s life. A native of Cambridge, MA, he graduated from the oldest secondary school in the nation, Boston Latin School, founded in 1635. He went on to earn a master’s and doctorate from Boston University. His first job was in Los Angeles as a high school teacher where he taught many children of the stars including the granddaughter of media mogul Jack Warner.
Teaching in the United States did not hold him for too long. He was drawn by foreign travel and went on to teach in international schools in six countries over the next nearly 30 years: the Philippines, Kuwait, Turkey, the Sultanate of Oman, the Honduras and Egypt.
“International schools,” he explained, “were set up in the last half of the 20th century to accommodate kids whose parents worked for international companies, non-governmental agencies and embassy staff. They offered a competitive feeding ground for Ivy League colleges in the U.S.”
Carl also had a deep interest in the American Southwest and traveled to Arizona many times throughout his life. On one of those trips, he was at a Tucson mall and happened to run into Simon, a friend he had known in Boston. Simon helped him find a home in Tucson in 2000 and just this year, suggested Carl explore options for assisted-living. Carl’s hearing loss and ambulatory challenges mean he needs supervisory care for daily living.
His salary as a teacher, as with many educators, did not set him up well for retirement. Carl moved to St. Luke’s in June of this year. A former Army Vet, he still reads voraciously, has lunch with Simon every Sunday, and is settling into the new rhythms in his life at St. Luke’s. He is grateful to have landed in the southwestern climes that he has always held dear and even more grateful to have a home like St. Luke’s.
And remember: For 2018, a married couple can donate up to $800 and an individual can donate up to $400 and receive the Arizona Charitable Tax Credit. Contact your tax advisor on how to file.
