Today’s seniors are more active than ever, there’s no doubt about that. But Elsie McLean accomplished something that many half her age aspire to, and never achieve.

Elsie is 102 and an avid golfer, having played the game since her 20s. But April 5, 2007 had to be her best golf performance ever. Elsie thought her ball was lost after she teed off on the fourth hole. But her partners found it in the cup, making Elsie the oldest golfer ever to hit a hole-in-one on a regulation golf course.

Elsie will appear on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on April 24.

Because the VA usually only knows the identity and location of veterans after they come to the Department for benefits, they have no way of tracing veterans from World War I or knowing if there are more than the four known surviving veterans.

The VA is seeking your help in locating WWI veterans who are still living. To qualify as a World War I veteran, someone must have been on active duty between April 6, 1917 and Nov. 11, 1918.

The VA is also looking for surviving Americans who served in the armed forces of allied nations.

The four known surviving World War I veterans are John Babcock, 102, from Puget Sound, Wash.; Frank Buckles, 106, Charles Town, W.Va.; Russell Coffey, 108, North Baltimore, Ohio; and Harry Landis, 107, Sun City Center, Fla.

Information about survivors can be e-mailed to ww1@va.gov; faxed to 202-273-6702, or mailed to the Office of Public Affairs, Department of Veterans Affairs (80), 810 Vermont Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20420.

There’s more good news about berries, dark-colored berries especially. Berries contain antioxidants and vitamins that have been shown to inhibit the development of cancer of the esophagus, colon and oral cavity in animals. Now researchers want to see if they have the same effect in humans.

Berries contain phenolic compounds with high-antioxidant potential. Phenols called anthocyanins give berries their color. Dark berries, such as black raspberries and blackberries have a higher content of these anthocyanins.

Scientists at Ohio State University are conducting the research. This food-based approach to cancer prevention has many advantages, including the absence of toxicity of berries to humans.

Participants in the study are patients with early stage colon cancer will consume the equivalent of 2½ cups of black raspberries per day for 2 to 4 weeks. The patients have all undergone colonscopy prior to the study and tissue samples of their tumors taken. Following the study, physicians will again remove tumor tissue for study to see if the berry treatment had any effect on cell growth and tumor development.

OSU Studies Berries in Colon Cancer Prevention

A bill that has passed the House and now needs Senate approval, will give Medicare the right to negotiate drug prices and bargain directly with the pharmaceutical companies. Drug companies are lobbying hard against this legislation.

AARP is urging all members and all seniors to contact their Senators on April 4, AARP’s National Call to Action Day, to urge their senators to pass this bill and give Medicare the ability to negotiate lower prices for their 43 million beneficiaries.

For instructions on how to join the Call to Action, see the AARP website.