I had the pleasure of meeting a real celebrity in Washington the other day, Waldo McBurney. Waldo hails from Quinter, Kansas although lately, you may have heard about him on the Today Show, or in any number of newspapers.

Waldo is an extraordinary individual. He has had several occupations including tax preparation, disk sharpening, seed cleaning, bookkeeping, and beekeeping. He continues to maintain 100 bee colonies and sells the honey. This may not sound unusual, but when you consider Waldo’s age, you will be impressed.

Waldo is 104 and still works full time.

I met him at the Experience Works Prime Time Awards Event, where Waldo received the America’s Oldest Worker Award for 2006. Winners must be over 100 years old and working full time at their profession.

At the age of 65, Waldo decided to take up long distance running and after 10 years of practice began entering races. At the age of 80, he set a Kansas state record for the 10 mile run in his age bracket. Which Waldo said "was his biggest athletic accomplishment." I asked him if he had any eligibility left, because if so, maybe he could be the running back for the Kansas State Wildcats.

Waldo went on into his 90's and 100's to set records in the long jump, discus, and shot put at the Senior Olympics. At the World Masters in Puerto Rico he was entered in the 100 yard dash and when I asked him how well he did, Waldo said, "I did great because there was no other competition."

After the presentation of the award, Waldo had the opportunity to make a few remarks and answer questions. He thanked his family, especially his wife of 44 years. He then told the crowd that his secret to a long life was that he had never tasted alcohol or tobacco and that he exercised.

Waldo’s best advice: "Worrying shortens life and makes life miserable. The easiest way to shorten life is to do nothing."An important message for all of us.

In that regard, I am pleased to report the Congress passed critical legislation I sponsored to support the nation’s older Americans and those that care for them. The Older Americans Act provides more than $1.8 billion in funding for state and community programs on aging, for mental health services, for community service employment programs, and for prevention of elder abuse. In Kansas, programs that fall under Title III of the act including supportive services and centers, family caregiver support, nutrition programs like Meals on Wheels, and disease prevention efforts will receive increases in funding.

I heard from many Kansans concerned that critical funding of these Title III programs would be cut. Kansas has an increasing number of low income seniors who depend on these nutritional programs. As a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, we had to ensure seniors in Kansas benefitted from the final legislation. Under the new law, funding formulas were adjusted for states with growing aging populations. Kansas’ share of the funds is expected to increase over funding levels of years past.

It was my pleasure to meet Waldo, and I hope I have followed his advice by working on legislation that really does have an impact on families in Kansas.