[frank ballenger]

When John F. Kennedy was inaugurated the TV commentators said the white haired Cardinal Cushing was able to live long enough to see a Catholic Irishman as President. A few years later (1963 and 1968) both young Kennedys were dead and the Cardinal was still alive for their funerals and late.

You can never figure the future for anyone.

[frank ballenger]

and later (not late)

[Captain Walker]

In 1965, a 47 year-old man entered into an agreement with a 90 year-old woman to pay her $500 a month until she died; she would give him her apartment in the town of Arles upon her death.

In 1995, the man died at the age of 77, having paid out more than $180,000 for the apartment; the 120 year-old woman was still alive.

www.nytimes.com

[The Duke]

When I was in college studying engineering in 1976, several of us freshman engineers started a “dead pool“ for Dr. Stephen Hawking. We thought he was going to pass away within months. I believe more of my fellow students who were in on that bet ended up passing away before Dr. Hawking did.