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Older man and the sea

Ed Peters has been saving lives off Jones Beach for 50 years, and he has no plans to stop now
BY JOHN HANC

act two

Special to Newsday

NEWSDAY, SATURDAY, JULY 20, 2013

hen a devastating injury threatened his nearly 50-year career as a Jones Beach lifeguard, Ed Peters refused to hang up his whistle. Instead, he fought to retain a job and lifestyle he loves, with discipline, determination and the help of a friend who swam to his rescue. The challenge began Oct. 20 last year, when a nasty spill during a bike ride on the North Shore left Peters with a broken right hip, right shoulder and a twisted knee. That night at Syosset Hospital, he was inundated with calls and text messages. What everyone wanted to know was, Are you coming back to the beach? There was good reason for the query: At 70, Peters, who lives in Bellmore, is one of the oldest lifeguards in the New York State Parks system and a captain at busy Jones Beach Field Six, where he supervises a squad of 46 younger guards. Ed is a testament to what it means to be a dedicated Jones Beach lifeguard, says filmmaker Ron Colby of Los Angeles, a Flushing native and former lifeguard whose 2007 documentary, The Jones Beach Boys, chronicled this elite corps of lifesavers. Hes serious about it. He remains in fantastic shape, he enjoys it to the fullest and hes an overall good guy. But praise for Peters guaranteed nothing in terms of the summer job, especially after his accident. Every year, returning Jones Beach guards have to pass a fitness test to get rehired. Those with 10 or more years experience must swim 100 yards in 1 minute, 20 seconds and run a quarter mile in 2 minutes, 10 seconds. (For

Surfs up for Peters, with fellow lifeguards (from left) Chris Johnson, Corinne Dictor (Peters daughter), Tammy McLoughlin, Brittany Boehm, Kristie Hirten and Donnie Campbell. Below, he lifts weights to stay in lifesaving shape.

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Peters, 70, left, fought back from injuries to again qualify as a Jones Beach lifeguard. With him are Bill Hrock, front, and Scott Regel. guards with less than 10 years experience, cutoff times are 10 seconds faster in each event.) Of the 249 lifeguards working Jones Beach State Park this season, 28 are 50 years old and older, according to a union official. The swimming public should feel safer with the older guys there, says George Gorman, deputy regional director of the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. The experienced lifeguard sees issues in the water; they see problems develop. Those concerned about having a senior citizen coming to their rescue might be more at ease knowing how the lifeguards operate. While the typical Jones Beach guard is involved in 15 to 20 rescues each summer, few of them are solo. The way we do rescues, we dont work alone, says veteran Robert Moses State Park lifeguard Tom Donovan, 64, of West Islip. Everything is teamwork, and we have lifeguards from 17 to 70 as part of the team. We all know our role, and we prove this year after year. Donovan admits the work gets harder as years go by even though he, like Peters and most of the older guards maintains top physical condition. Motivations to return What brings them back year after year? The pays not bad. First-year hires make about $15 an hour. Peters makes $28 an hour because of his longevity. But more than the money, Theres a camaraderie, theres an incentive to stay in shape. Theres also a feeling of selfworth, says Colby, the filmmaker and former Jones Beach lifeguard. When you work as a lifeguard, and you do save a life, you have a feeling youre doing something that matters. At age 50, Peters ripped through the lifeguard test like a college kid, clocking 59.2 seconds in the 100-yard swim and completing the quarter mile in just over a minute. This year, it was a very different story. The bike injury led to a total hip replacement; his shoulder and knee would take weeks to heal. In Neptune, Fla., where Peters and his wife, Jean, have a winter home, he devoted himself to rehabbing

ON THE COVER

Ed Peters, a lifeguard captain at Jones Beach, takes out a rescue boat.

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PHOTOS BY DANIEL GOODRICH

Peters in the Jones Beach lifeguard shack, where he exercises. See video and a photo gallery at newsday.com/act2 and preparing for the test. He went to physical therapy, lifted weights, performed pool exercises. Recovery was slow and painful something this super-fit senior was not used to when it came to training. The Washington Heights native started lifeguarding after high school at Rockaway Beach. At St. Francis College in Brooklyn, Peters was a star water polo player. In 1964, he went to the Olympic trials as a team member for the New York Athletic Club; that year, he started at Jones Beach. As a math teacher, Peters had summers off, which allowed him to keep lifeguarding. In 1997, he retired from Mepham High School in Bellmore but kept his summer job. This years qualification test for rehires was held at Suffolk County Community Colleges Brentwood campus in May. The swim portion was conducted in the schools 25-yard pool; the run, on the outdoor, quartermile track nearby. A slow start That day, Peters, who had returned from Florida a few weeks earlier, never made it to the track test. A slow start off the blocks in the swim hurt his time, and as he was finishing the last of his four laps, he realized the crowd of lifeguards that had been cheering him from the poolside bleachers had suddenly gone silent. I know what that means, he said. He had missed the 1 minute, 20 second cut off by about two seconds. Now Peters had a choice: He could sit out a year and take the test the following year. If he passed, he would again be a lifeguard, but hed lose his seniority. His other option was to take another shot at the rehire test the following Saturday. If he failed a second time, he was out probably for good because if he wanted to try next year, hed be required to take the rigorous four-part test for new hires. So, Peters, the father of two grown children Corinne Dictor and Michael, who also were lifeguards and grandfather of four, decided to retake the test for rehires. This time, Peters brought help: Tammy McLoughlin, 47, a swimmer he had coached in high school and who later joined him at Jones Beach as a lifeguard. Capt. Ed is an amazing guy who has done so much for me, said McLoughlin, a mother of four who lives in North Merrick. No doubt Id help him in any way I could. The week before the retest, McLoughlin was on the phone with Peters every night, discussing his pacing, his start, his diet and rest. The day of the test, she said, it was game on. This time, Peters was ready at the start. He knifed into the

newsday.com NEWSDAY, SATURDAY, JULY 20, 2013

See COVER STORY on B7

the act2 column

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ou probably just received some bank, investment or retirement quarterly statements in the mail, which makes it a perfect time to fire up the shredder and organize that stack of documents piling up on the table.

Whats shredder-ready and what will never be

Jill Schlesinger
askjill@jillonmoney.com

Resource Guide for Adults 50 Plus

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Bank statements Generally speaking, you only need to keep bank statements for one year, but, if you think you may be applying for Medicaid, many states require that you show five years worth of bank statements. Also, you should hold onto records that are related to your taxes, business expenses, home improvements, mortgage payments and major purchases for as long as you need them. Credit card bills Unless you need to reference something on your credit card statement for tax or business purposes, or for proof of purchase for a specific item, you can shred statements after 45 days. As with the bank statements, hang onto those statements that you may need for your taxes, as proof of purchase or for insurance. Tax returns/supporting documents Despite being able to amend your tax returns going back three years, the IRS has seven years to audit your returns if the agency suspects you made a mistake, and up to six years if you likely underreported your gross income by 25 percent or more. As a result, you need to hold onto your returns and all supporting documents for seven years. Retirement account statements (including 401(k), 403(b), 457, IRA, Roth IRA, SIMPLE, PSP and Keogh) Keep notices of any portfolio changes you make intra-month (or intraquarter for some plans) until the subsequent statement arrives to

Paperwork you can toss

confirm those changes. After making sure the statement is correct, you can shred away. One note: keep evidence of IRA contributions until you withdraw the money. Brokerage and mutual fund account monthly statements/periodic trade confirmations (taxable accounts) Retain confirmations until the transaction is detailed in your monthly report. For tax purposes, flag a month where a transaction occurs because you may need to access this information in the future. Otherwise, shred monthly statements as new ones arrive, but keep annual statements until the sale of each asset within the account occurs and for seven years thereafter, in case you get audited. Pay stubs Keep for one year, and be sure to match them to your W-2 form before you shred. Medical records Given how hard it is to deal with health insurance companies, you should keep medical records for at least a year, although some suggest keeping records for five years from the time when treatment for the symptoms ended. Retain information about prescriptions, specific medical histories, health insurance and contacts for your physician. Utility and phone bills Shred them after youve paid them, unless they contain tax-deductible expenses.

case something goes wrong and you need to cash in on the warranty or contact a repairer. Vehicle titles and loan documents Do you want to wait in line for an hour at your local department of motor vehicles office to request a duplicate of your vehicle title? Neither do I, so keep this paperwork in a safe and accessible place. House and mortgage documents Hang onto your deed as well as home purchase, mortgage, sale and improvement records until six years after you sell. Remember that improvements you make and expenses such as your real estate agents commission can increase the basis in your house and potentially lower your capital gains tax. Insurance policies Keep your homeowners, auto, disability and life insurance policies and declaration pages for as long as the policies remain in force. You can shred old policies.

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This guide was produced by the Newsday Media Group Advertising Department and did not involve the reporting and editing staff of Newsdays Editorial Department.

Paperwork to keep forever (in a fireproof safe, on the cloud or in a safe-deposit box)
Birth/death certificates and Social Security cards Marriage licenses and divorce decrees Pension plan documents Copies of wills, trusts, health care proxies/living wills and powers of attorney (attorneys/executors should also have copies) Military discharge papers Copies of burial deeds and plots Safe-deposit box inventory Jill Schlesinger, a certified financial planner, is a CBS News business analyst. She welcomes emailed comments and questions.

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Lifeguard Ed Peters endless summer

COVER STORY from B4
water with McLoughlin at his side. I was his rabbit, she explained. I had to hug the lane next to him, so he could see me. As they approached the finish, the clock was ticking toward 1:20. At about 1 minute, 18 seconds, Peters thrust out his arm like Michael Phelps, he said jokingly, to touch the side of the pool with his extended fingertips. Time: 1:19:67. He passed by 33 tenths of a second. I swam under the rope and hugged him, McLoughlin said. I was yelling, You did it, you did it! The noise was incredible, said Bob Lenti, 66, a retired lifeguard from Miller Place who had come to Brentwood to watch his longtime friend. It was as if we were all taking the test with him. Thirty minutes later, Peters lined up for the run: With McLoughlin again at his side, and two of his younger guards from Field Six calling out his times at checkpoints along the way, he circled the track. His knee and hip were still sore, but he finished with seconds to spare. And so, for Peters, the endless summer continues. The stars are lined up correctly and the planets are revolving around the sun, he says. Im back at Jones Beach for my 50th season.

Your summer in the Hamptons

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NEWSDAY, SATURDAY, JULY 20, 2013

This guide was produced by the Newsday Media Group advertising department and did not involve the reporting and editing staff of Newsdays editorial department.