CBS News correspondent, author and Sunday Morning podcast host Mo Rocca grew up with a unique fascination: obituaries.
Thanks to his father, who helped instill that interest, Rocca came to see the beauty of these short biographies not simply as an announcement of someone’s death, but as a celebration of their life.
In these obituaries’ abilities to hold both death and life, Rocca has found a treasure trove of stories and inspiration. In 2019, he and English professor and screenwriter Jonathan Greenberg co-authored “Mobituaries,” which explores the lives of deceased figures who captured Rocca’s intrigue, and host a podcast of the same name.
This summer, Rocca and Greenberg returned to explore the vibrancy of life through the lens of mortality from a different angle with their new book, Roctogenarians: Late in Life Debuts, Comebacks and Triumphs.
A history buff, Rocca said he has visited Ohio for historic sites, such as the Harding Tomb in Marion, and for his work as a correspondent. But on Tuesday, he’ll be back in central Ohio for a talk about his book, hosted by the Thurber House.
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The book’s series of profiles highlight individuals who have achieved and excelled despite the expectations and norms of aging, and comes at the right time with emerging concerns about a gerontocracy in Congress and the White House.
And although he is an advocate for more transparency and accountability about the effects of age among the country’s leaders, Rocca said he noticed how the prevalence of these issues has contributed to an ageist narrative.
“We’re hearing so much about the negative side of aging in the media now that it’s eclipsing, hijacking everything, which is that, now and in the past, older people have achieved a lot and for good reason.” Rocca said.
Through stories like Colonel Sanders starting to build his fast food empire at age 66, Frank Lloyd Wright’s submission to the Guggenheim design at age 84, and even Mr. Pickles, the Houston Zoo’s tortoise, first father at age 90, Rocca said. he hoped to show readers the value of a strong sense of self and the clarity that comes with age.
“In general, as you get older, you care less about what other people think of you. “When you’re younger, you often fall into the trap of making your own choices or even taking people’s resources,” said Rocca. “But what’s so inspiring about the people in the book is that they’re unhindered.”
Reflecting on his career, Rocca said that working on the book has led him to embrace this self-assuredness and abandon urgency. He said he is using this mindset to share his love of stories and the craft of storytelling.
“I believe enthusiasm is contagious,” Rocca said. “So I would like, based on that principle, to do the best job I can to tell stories in the most energetic, engaging way that I can, so that other people will be interested.”
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Tucked away at the end of the book, it was his mother’s own journey and her openness to share it with him that revealed another valuable lesson: the importance of believing in the importance of one’s story.
Ultimately, storytelling, he said, is “a human need.”
At a glance
Mo Rocca will appear in the Joseph V. Canzani Auditorium at the Columbus College of Art and Design, 60 Cleveland Ave., at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, June 25.
Tickets for the event are $35 or $49 for a package that includes a copy of “Roctogenerians.” All purchases come with an additional $3 processing fee.
Tickets are available at fs10.formsite.com. Books purchased with the package ticket will be available to pick up at the event and additional copies can be purchased there.
After the event, attendees can have the opportunity to ask questions, meet and take photos with Rocca, or have their copies signed.
For more information about the event, visit thurberhouse.org/morocca.
Elim@dispatch.com
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