From the Editor
Suzanne Boyd
WAYNE GRETZKY WAS the firstever cover subject of Zoomer when we launched eight years ago this month. We were thrilled that he graced our debut, not only because he is a legendary Canadian icon but he, forever frozen in our hearts as the young hockey prodigy, could be seen as an avatar of our demographic. He had retired from a successful career, had reinvented himself as an entrepreneur and was part of the sandwich generation – seeing to his beloved and widowed father while raising his five kids with his wife, Janet. And as of a year and a half ago, he became a grandfather. Gretzky is us, and we are Gretzky. As The Great One’s appeal is multi-generational, it’s only fitting that this, his second appearance on our cover, is en famille – with his dad, Walter (affectionately known as Canada’s Dad), and one of his handsome sons, Ty.
In “Wayne’s World” (page 40), arts and entertainment editor Mike Crisolago finds No. 99 counting the blessings of his life off the ice, especially the vitality of his father despite health challenges and the abiding love he has for his children and grandchild.
Indeed, poignant tales of family thread through this issue. One branch of the national family tree is the 30,000 men, women and children who escaped slavery before the American Civil War and followed the North Star to freedom through the Underground Railroad. Some settled in Ontario, and in “The Descendants” (page 76), we meet their progeny gathered together for North Is Freedom, a photo exhibit mounted at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C., to mark the opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. The United States has recently been again riven by race and as the presidency of the first African-American comes to a close, this is a fittingly historic coda. The celebratory portraits by the legendary Canadian-Slovakian photographer Yuri Dojc are arresting, and the stories of survival they represent have family at their heart.
As do some of the most difficult situations we face as we age. Caregiving or, its flipside, finding a nursing home for ourselves or our parents, or packing up the belongings as the last service of love for a parent are all family matters we address in this issue. Sometimes, it all feels too daunting – and too unfair. At times, this can be enraging, but don’t get mad, get even –“How to Give Aging the Finger” (page 52) is for you.