BY LISA FERNANDEZSan Jose Mercury News

SAN JOSE, Calif. (MCT) — Eighty-three-year-old Betty Chiang has never taken awriting class in her life, but that didn’t stop her from publishing a memoir.

Her son jokes that the family has found it quite a stretch to think of theirChinese-born matriarch as an author. Still Chiang, whose career was in catering andfood service, spent four years writing and publishing “Immigrant: A Memoir byBetty Chiang,” which came off the press this summer.

Since then, she has given copies to her relatives and sold about 50 books to herfriends at Channing House, the independent-living home in Palo Alto, Calif., whereshe resides.

The softcover book has a professional look to it, including glossy cover, sturdybinding, nice paper and good reproductions of marvelous family photos dating backto the early 20th century.

Chiang is among a growing number of first-time, self-published authors in the65-and-older age group. AJ McDonald, a spokesman at Lulu.com, one of the popu-lar websites providing DIY publishing tools, says 17 percent of the 1.1 million peoplewho have used the site are seniors. (Of those, 6 percent have even published ebooks.)

Experts credit the growing ranks of noncommercial memoirs to a convergence oftwo forces: a powerful desire felt by many older people to impart their wisdom to ayounger generation, and affordable access to technology that enables production ofprofessional-looking volumes without any need for the author to jump throughhoops in the publishing world and risk getting a pile of rejection letters from houseswhose primary goal is selling books, not accommodating first-time writers.

“I want the world to know my story,” Chiang says. “My father’s death was a rockin my heart. I want my grandkids to know what happened.”

Arthur Chiang, 54, of Moss Beach, Calif., is quick to say his mom “isn’t really awriter.” Still, he and his girlfriend, neighbors and friends helped her with the proj-ect, serving as editors, tech consultants and writing coaches. In the book, she detailsher life experiences — from her birth in Shanghai in 1928 through her country’s warwith Japan, her father’s death in 1949 as a prisoner of war, her move to the UnitedStates and her marriage, family and career. So what if the writing is at times a bit dryor clunky?

“I learned a little more about my mother’s life,” Arthur Chiang says, “and now it’sall together in one place. This is a solid accounting of her life to be passed down, andit gave my mother a purpose in writing it.”

Elizabeth Fishel comes at self-published memoirs from a different perspective.She has been teaching journalism at the University of California-Berkeley for

See STORY, Page 3

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ST. PETER, Minn. (MCT)— Art Glasspeered out over his decoys on the fog-shrouded lake, scanning the dawn sky forducks.

His large hands cradled an oldRemington 870 12 gauge.

Darkness was grudgingly giving wayto daylight _ the eastern sky glowed afaint orange _ and a flock of blue-wingedteal knifed through the still, warm air inthe distance. Then a volley of shots froma back bay rolled across the little lake likethunder.

It was another duck opener for Glass,who, at age 90 and hobbled with a badhip, still isn’t ready to give up a sportthat he loves dearly and that has givenhim so many fond memories.

“Just to be out here ...” he said, histhought trailing off as he relished thedank smell of the slough, the cattailsdripping with dew and the waterfowlwinging overhead.

“What a beautiful morning,” replied

his son, Tracy, 53, hunkered in the blindnext to his dad.

Two wood ducks suddenly appearedover their decoys, and Tracy fired twice,knocking one to the water. “Well, at leastwe didn’t get skunked,” he said afterretrieving the bird.

“Just getting out here is enough,” saidhis dad.

They’ve been hunting from this spoton Dog Lake, east of St. Peter, for 42 years. Art loved the spot so much, hebought 8 acres of shoreline for a duckhunting camp, and that’s where he’smostly hunted waterfowl all these years.

“This is a little paradise out here,” hesaid.

MUCH MORE THAN DUCKSArt started hunting along the

Minnesota River bottoms as a kid grow-ing up in St. Peter. He attended GustavusAdolphus College, then taught biologythere as a professor for 36 years.

“I’ve been hunting with him since Iwas 11,” Tracy said.

See HUNTER, Page 6

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20 years and also has taught memoir-writing out of her Oakland, Calif., homeduring that same period.

Fishel says memoirs are hotter thanever, and older writers have jumped on thebandwagon, often with help from theirweb-savvy kids or grandkids. Thanks towhat she calls the “Oprah-fication” of oursociety, people feel comfortable nowtelling all, and the memoirs are largelyreplacing autobiographical novels as thevehicles. She says, “People are just morewilling to come out emotionally than they

were 30 years ago.”Then, add in an aging population.“Older folks go through this life

review,” Fishel says. “A lot of seniors are athome and are filled with memories. Theyreflect on turning points in their lives. Andmany are motivated to write it down andpass along these lessons. They want toshare this gift for posterity.”

The accessibility of self-publishingtools online is enabling self-publishing “inleaps and bounds,” Fishel says. The abilityto upload photographs and design andprint hard- or softcover books is relativelyeasy and affordable. “You just wouldn’thave seen any of this 20 years ago, becausethe technology wasn’t there,” she says.

Years fly by for 90-year-old duck hunter

MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE / MCT

ART GLASS, left, may be 90 years old and have a bad hip, but he still heads out on thelake in the early morning with his son Tracy, 53, right, near St. Peter, Minn., for duck huntingat a spot on Dog Lake he has been going to for 42 years.

4 ■ THE MONTANA STANDARD, BUTTE, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2011

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Hunter ...Continued from Page 3

Watching the sky for ducks, they rem-inisced about days gone by in their duckcamp. “One day, eight buffleheads wentby and we got seven of them,” Art said.“There’s been a lot of tremendous hunt-ing.”

But there’s been more than goodshooting. There’s been good conversa-tion. “Everyone should have a father-sonbond like we do,” Art said.

Replied Tracy: “I’ve learned moreabout you out there than anywhere.”

In recent years, the hunting hasn’tbeen as good. And while there were tealand woodies in the air last Saturday, bothhunters said it wasn’t like the “good ol’days.”

“This is about as slow as it’s been,”Art said.

Art is a former Marine who saw actionin the Pacific in World War II. He was acrack shot with a rifle in the Marines _and a deadeye with a shotgun in the duckblind. “There wasn’t anyone who couldshoot better than him,” Tracy said.

But at 90, swinging a shotgun _ likenavigating a slough _ is difficult.

“I’m the designated water-shooter

now,” Art said with a grin.At 8 a.m., as the sun burned away the

last remnants of fog, a wood duck swaminto the decoys. Art raised his 12 gaugeand fired once, dusting the duck.

“I don’t usually miss too many on thewater, but you can’t brag about that,” Artsaid.

Said Tracy: “When he turned 80, Isaid you’re old enough to take a duck anyway you want.”

MAKING THE MOSTBut bagging ducks isn’t so important

anymore.“I could come out here and just watch

this place come to life,” Art said.He knows that, at his age, he’s fortu-

nate to be able to get to a duck huntingblind. Even more important, he’s gratefulthat he and his wife, Gladys, 89, remainsharp mentally. “The wonderful thing isthat we still have it upstairs,” he said,pointing to his head. “That’s such ablessing.”

He’s not sure how he’s avoided mostof the woes of old age, including demen-tia and Alzheimer’s disease, whichafflicted a sister.

“We stay active. My wife and I try toget the most out of every day,” he said. “Ihave a good outlook on life.”

He meets friends for coffee daily. And

their four kids, seven grandchildren andthree great-grandchilden keep thembusy, too.

“I was blessed with a good memory,”he said. And he has a lifetime of memo-ries. “That is a wonderful thing of grow-ing old,” Art said. “We’ve had such goodtimes.”

Around 9 a.m., two woodies zippedpast, and son-in-law Bernie Lacher, 60,of New Ulm, hunting nearby, droppedone. But the blue sky was mostly empty.

“If something doesn’t happen prettysoon, my shooting eye is going to cooloff,” Art quipped.

At 10 a.m., the group called it a day,and Tracy and Bernie helped ease Artinto a duck boat for the short ride back tocamp.

“It used to be my job to row,” Art said.Then, clad in his Red Ball rubber hip

boots, holding a cane and with his son’sarm around him for stabilization, ArtGlass walked away from another duckopener. The group left with three woodducks in the bag — and more memories.

“My father taught me years ago thatit’s not what you bring home, it’s thetime out here,” Tracy said.

“This will probably be his last opener,”he said later.

“But I’ve said that before.”

Social Security Q&A

Q: I received a notice from SocialSecurity recently. It said my name

and Social Security number do notmatch Social Security’s records. Whatshould I do?

A:It’s critical that your name andSocial Security number, as shown

on your Social Security card, matchyour employer’s payroll records andyour W-2 form. If they don’t, here iswhat you need to do:

■ Give your employer the correctinformation exactly as shown on yourSocial Security card or your correctedcard; or

■ Contact your local Social Securityoffice or call (800) 772-1213 (TTY (800)325-0778) if your Social Security carddoes not show your correct name orSocial Security number.

Q:Are Social Security numbersreassigned after a person dies?

A:No. We do not reassign SocialSecurity numbers. In all, we have

assigned more than 460 million SocialSecurity numbers, and each year weassign about 5.5 million new numbers.For more information, visit our websiteat wwwwww..ssoocciiaall--sseeccuurriittyy..ggoovv or call usat (800) 772-1213 (TTY (800) 325-0778).

— MCT

THE MONTANA STANDARD, BUTTE, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2011 ■ 7

8 tricks every grandparent should knowKids expect a lot from their grand-

parents — love, snacks and undividedattention, for starters, but so muchmore, too. These eight tricks of the tradewill serve you in almost any situation,and make any grandparent a great one.

11.. How to bake a mean chocolatechip cookie. Every grandparent oughtto know how to bake a batch of choco-late chip cookies. These perennialfavorites are pretty simple to make fromscratch, too, so you can avoid the super-market break-and-bake packages. Thenext time the grandkids visit, servethese cookies with a glass of milk and letthem marvel at your baking skill.

2. How to surprise them with aspecial day. Kids love surprises, espe-cially when a grandparent pulls up intheir driveway to sweep them off for a well-planned, one-on-one day of activities. There’s plenty of ways to keepthem guessing what’s next; just get creative with your planning — andintroduce something new when theyleast expect it.

3. How to wow them with just $1.

A dollar bill isn’t just legal tender.Believe it or not, it’s chock-full of fasci-nating art, history, and trivia. Impressthe kids with your knowledge and they’ll marvel at what they’ve learned.

4. How to assemble a great care package. Everyone loves receiving mail— especially packages filled with good-ies. Surprise your grandkids who live faraway, or who may be off at school orcamp, with a care package just for them.It’s easy — just find a box and fill it with

everything from books and candy topuzzles and toys. You can also craft abox around a theme, like a package forthe college freshman. Whatever youinclude, you’re bound to put a smile onyour grandchild’s face.

5. How to organize a family trip.The fondest and most memorable vaca-tions are those filled with activities,adventures, and good food. Take on therole of social director and plan a tripyour brood will never forget. Do yourhomework before you go to locate thebest excursions and restaurants for kids,but remember: You’ve got to fill up thedaytime and the nighttime hours, andevery hour in between.

6. How to have fun, even in the rain.Don’t let a little rain dampen your day —embrace the weather instead! Have thekids don their raincoats and boots andhead outside for tap dancing, campingout, and painting with raindrops. Thenext time the forecast calls for showers,they’ll know how to show their love forraindrops — and for grandma and grandpa.

7. How to tell the perfect bedtimestory. It’s not only bedtime, it’s story-time as well. Finding the right book toread is key; it should calm kids downand set them up for sweet dreams. Asyou surely know, reading aloud to chil-dren is one of the best things you can dofor them. It’s also a great way to bond.

8. How to do magic. You may not beready to open in Las Vegas, but with alittle practice, you can learn some prettyneat tricks that will amaze your grand-kids. Once you’ve captured your audi-ence’s attention, explain how the trickwas done so they can try it themselves.

More great ideas for your grandkids? ■ Plan the perfect day:http://www.grandparents.com/gp/con-

tent/activitiesandevents/everyday-activi-ties/article/sshow-9-perfect-days-with-grandkids.html

■ Invite them to grandparent camp:http://www.grandparents.com/gp/con-

tent/activitiesandevents/everyday-activi-ties/article/sshow-tales-of-grandparent-camp.html

— Grandparents.com (MCT)

8 ■ THE MONTANA STANDARD, BUTTE, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2011

BU-20280487