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Art of humor promotes laughter
During an interview before a class at the Active Adult Center in Moorpark earlier this week, Albert, 75, broke into song and laughter several times as he explained what he and his class are all about. "There's got to be some fun in life," said Albert. Seniors need the extra boost to help get them through daily challenges as their health declines, he said. "They probably need more humor in their lives than anyone else." In addition to his Moorpark classes, Albert teaches at the Goebel Senior Center in Thousand Oaks, and another class at the Simi Valley Senior Center has just begun. Through the informal program, Albert encourages participants to contribute to the discussion. "I'm just trying to infuse a little joy into people's lives," said the Thousand Oaks resident, whose background includes science and entrepreneurial ventures. "Music, humor and the quest for more knowledge keep me going," he said. He sings at the senior centers and at health facilities in the area. Albert teaches a seminar at Ventura College called Sex, Politics and Religion. It deals with what those subjects have done to mankind and "it's very controversial," said the agnostic New Yorker, who moved to California 25 years ago. It's part of the Ventura College Community Education program, said Linda Rubenstein, coordinator for community and contract education at Ventura College. "The Art of Humor class was Marty's idea" said Peggy Rothschild, supervisor at the Moorpark Active Adult Center. "He came up with the idea that humor is very important. People tend to lose the ability to see how funny life is, and the class is a good reminder. Improv and humor also are good mental workouts for seniors," Rothschild said. "I always thought I'd like to be funny like Rodney Dangerfield," said Richard Alexander, who attended the class in Moorpark last week. Alexander said he hopes to use humor in a down-to-earth way. "But humor is not something you can easily learn," Albert said. "What you can be is determined by nature and nurture," he said. "It's hard to develop a sense of humor if you are born cynical or a curmudgeon." Even those who have a good sense of humor need years to develop it so that it can be appropriately communicated to an audience, according to the clever man who can make light of almost everything. Albert graduated from the City University of New York with a degree in science. He initially held positions in engineering and management but said he didn't work and play well in large corporations even though they liked him and the job he was doing. In his 30s, Albert decided to become an entrepreneur in the hightech field. He created communication hardware and designed software for various applications and found the niche that big companies weren't addressing well, he said. He bought a home computer game business in 1980 and succeeded as a venture capitalist until he retired. Albert's proactive and upbeat spirit carried him through adversity too. He had his first open heart surgery in 1976, when the procedure was still in its infancy. But not long before he was to go under the knife, Albert decided to leave the New York hospital he was in because he didn't think they were experienced enough to perform the surgery. He went home, made some phone calls, and found the best heart surgeon at that time- in Texas. That's where he went for the surgery Throughout his life, Albert was always bright and funny, said Miriam, his wife of 53 years. "In order to survive you have to have a sense of humor," she said. The pair met on a New York neighborhood playground when they were teenagers and they've enjoyed life together ever since, she said. |
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