Michael J Burgess

To the Last Breath Michael J Burgess

This is a book about a decades-long movement of older Americans to fight for improvements in the quality of life for themselves and their peers. It is a story of how they fought for all the major changes and programs in American society which have resulted in such a grand reversal of the plight of the elderly in the second half of the twentieth century, changes that have led to an increased lifespan, less poverty and a better quality of life. It is a story of a generation of older people who grew up in the early part of the twentieth century in New York City and New York State and who, in their youth, were committed to progressive causes including social insurance and social equity. They supported the efforts of New York Governor and later President Franklin D. Roosevelt to lift many out of poverty through Social Security and other landmark pieces of legislation in the New Deal. This is also a story that focuses on the life of one of those activists, Rose Kryzak of Queens, a Russian immigrant whose life spanned the entire twentieth century before she passed away in its final year. She was active in social causes throughout her life but became most noted when she retired and became a senior advocate and champion of her peers, especially those who were poor. It is a story of her years of activism in New York when she became such a symbol of older people's causes that she was embraced by political leaders in the city and state who admired her indefatigable spirit and her social conscience. This book is also a story about the senior citizens organization' and activists who Rose worked with over the years that provided organized means to pursue social and legislative changes that improved the lives of older New Yorkers.