Just call him explorer@99
A nonagenarian takes cyber leap, and loves it
Harry Cederlund of Foxborough concentrates on a blinking hourglass icon as his new laptop starts up.
"You just have to learn to wait," he explains, peering up from the screen before him.
And then, the magic of the Internet opens his connection to the world.
A few weeks ago, when home health aide Susan Cunniff bought a new computer, she passed her old laptop to Cederlund, who will turn 100 on Sept. 9. She thought it might be a good diversion since he rarely leaves his home and he was spending all his time watching TV and dozing.
She was right. It didn't take long before Cederlund was off on his own surfing the Web. Now, he believes that if it was that easy for him to learn at 99, other senior citizens should be able to master the technology and keep pace with a changing world.
Cunniff and fellow workers Brenda DesLauriers and Heidi Sallie take turns tending to Cederlund in the small, green Cape off Chestnut Street that he built himself for $12,000 in 1950. The trio, dubbed "Harry's Harem," dote on him, something he clearly enjoys. But then, everything seems to delight him.
Cederlund's day starts with breakfast at 7, a series of ablutions and pills, and then 300 arm and leg exercises to stay limber. To illustrate, he effortlessly throws up his right leg, a la the Rockettes, from his favorite recliner, joking: "They say I'm the high kicker."
Then, he's on to the computer.
Originally from Lynn, Cederlund spends hours researching the town of Mansfield, where he spent his youth. He also likes to search for pictures of wild animals and the 1927 heavyweight boxing championship that pitted Gene Tunney against Jack Dempsey. "I can actually see it, and hear it," he says, adjusting a headset he sometimes wears to amplify sound. "I like boxing very much . . . and this is very helpful," he adds, indicating the device he prefers to hearing aids.
Even at 99, Cederlund was a quick study and picked up his computer skills with ease. All three aides provide technical support if he gets stuck or has questions. So, what's next, he's asked? E-mail, he replies, eyes atwinkle.
Cederlund was born in 1908, the same year as the Foxboro Co., where he made scientific instruments for 44 years. Before he went to work, he was a member of Mansfield High's class of 1928, but had to leave in his sophomore year to help his family.
He married his wife, Mabel, in 1932. They had their reception in her family's Foxborough home on Maple Avenue. A wedding photo of them sits on the mantel, tinged in sepia. "She was pretty," he says of his bride. "But, mostly, she was such a nice person."
The two, who never had children, traveled north every summer. Cederlund loved to work on the 1967 Dodge Coronet that took them so many places and, because of his care, lasted 30 years. On one trip to New Hampshire's Newfound Lake, Cederlund remembers spending $2 to rent an island within it. "We had it to ourselves for a whole day," he recalls.
He handed over his driver's license at 97 and rarely goes out now that Mabel is in a nursing home. If he did take a road trip, it would be to Building 19, a favorite haunt over the years: "It's a junk shop and I'm just a junkie at heart," he explains.
Cederlund is pragmatic when it comes to his age and thankful to be doing so well. But there is the sadness, he acknowledges, of outliving all his friends and most family.
"I don't know what it feels like to be 100," he says, palms raised in disbelief. "I didn't smoke or drink. I always got eight hours of sleep and I was always doing something."
As he considers learning to e-mail, Cederlund is hopeful his experience will inspire others. And once again, as he sits dressed for a visit in his best jacket, trousers, and a paisley bow tie, he ends the chat on a high note: "The old people shouldn't be afraid of it," he effuses, demonstrating his ease with the keys. "I want them to know that at first it's a little frustrating. But when you get the hang of it, it's fun."
Michele Morgan Bolton can be reached at mmbolton1@verizon.net
