Nintendo Recognizes 100 'Ageless Americans' 'Ageless Award' Honorees Are Inspirationally Youthful, Receive Nintendo DS

and Brain Age to Keep Minds Active

    REDMOND, Wash., Jan. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Nintendo is honoring 100
 individuals, whose ages range from 54 to 104, from around the country who
 personify the term "ageless." They run marathons and tame lions. They are
 stuntmen and NASCAR racers. They don't let their chronological age define
 who they are, and they set a positive role model for people of all ages.
 These are qualities Nintendo has fostered with its wildly popular Nintendo
 DS(TM) title Brain Age(TM): Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day, which offers
 users a series of challenging puzzles to keep their minds active. The 100
 recipients are living demonstrations of how a youthful mindset can keep a
 person truly "ageless." Each of the honorees has received a Nintendo DS
 Lite portable video game system and a copy of Brain Age.
     (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050516/NINTENDODSLOGO)
     "These honorees represent the kind of people we all want to grow up to
 be," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of
 marketing and corporate communications. "They refuse to act their age. They
 think young, and therefore they act young. Brain Age is one more tool in
 their anti-aging arsenal."
     A 2006 survey by the Entertainment Software Association revealed that
 25 percent of all gamers are age 55 and older. Brain Age has been a big hit
 with older, active adults, who use it daily to help keep their minds sharp
 with tests of memory, mathematics, reading and counting.
     "The award is a reminder to people of all generations that age is just
 a number," says award recipient Cathi Watson, a 73-year-old radio show host
 and producer. "Keeping your body and mind fit and active are the keys to
 remaining young at heart."
     To help Nintendo find 100 people in the United States who personify the
 ideals of Brain Age, the Grandparent Marketing Group conducted a nationwide
 search and identified the following honorees. For more information about
 them, please contact Eileen Tanner at etanner@golinharris.com.
     Alabama
     Ray M., 69, of Decatur: Motorcycle drag racer and city councilman
 
     Alaska
     Don H., 66, of Haines: Snowmobile racer
 
     Arizona:
     Charlie H., 90, of Payson: Cowboy
     Lute O., 72, of Tucson: America's oldest college basketball coach
 
     Arkansas
     Oakland D., 78, of Fort Smith: Runner and triathlete
 
     California
     Bob B., 75, of Palm Desert: World champion body surfer
     Alan C., 74, of Altadena: Master puppeteer and owner of America's largest
     puppet collection
     Jack C., 82, of Lakeside: World-famous bongo and conga player
     Bill B., 66, of Oakland: Three-time national and world yo-yo champion
     Leroy G., 89, of Carlsbad: Surfer and surfing photographer
     Bob H., 73, of Fontana: Champion mountain bike rider
     Joyce H., 72, of Atherton: Director of the Living Strong, Living Well
     program
     Rueben M., 66, of Santa Ana: One of the largest commercial sellers of
     Spanish-language books
     Lagrand N., 99, of Hemet: Nemean Games competitor
     Donald P., 90, of Mountain View: Champion jumper
     Ora R., 87, of Sacramento: Served as a mentor to more than 3,000 children
     Raleigh R., 88, of San Jose: World War II POW, Blue Angel
     Terry R., 90, of Los Angeles: Physical trainer since 1935
     Gordy S., 88, of El Cajon: Unstoppable bicyclist
     Barry S., 59, of Citrus Heights: Adult Baseball League champion
 
     Connecticut
     George B., 72, of Ridgefield: Oldest person ever to swim the English
     Channel
     Donald M., 90, of New Haven: Competitive swimmer and teacher of ballroom
     dancing
     Jose S., 80, of Norwich: Stonemason who built or repaired thousands of
     miles of stone walls in New England
 
     Florida
     Donald A., 68, of St. Petersburg: Health and wellness publisher and
     duathlete
     George B., 91, of Winter Haven: Oldest barefoot water skier
     Lucille B., 93, of Babson Park: Oldest female waterskiing champion
     Cav C., 71, of Fort Lauderdale: Swimming champion
     Iris D., 62, of Cocoa: Champion bodybuilder
     Dorothy G., 98, of Jensen Beach: America's oldest mayor
     Al O., 70, of Fort Meyers Beach: Four-time gold Olympics discus champ,
     painter
     Edward R., 98, of Apollo Beach: Took up golf at 65, now plays every day
     James S., 84, of Lady Lake: Three-sport Golden Age Games medalist
     Helen W., 69, of Newberry: Basketball champion and coach
 
     Hawaii
     Jack S., 61, of Honolulu: Oldest pilot in U.S. military
 
     Illinois
     Cathi W., 73, of Schaumburg: Producer and host of eight weekly radio shows
 
     Iowa
     Hank M., 65, of Muscatine: Diving civil engineer
 
     Kansas
     Norvin A., 80, of Saint Francis: Oldest police officer in Kansas
     Waldo M., 104, of Quinter: Beekeeper and author
     George M., 68, of Emporia: Tennis coach at Emporia State University
     Shirley R., 85, of Mission: Founded and runs the American Stroke
     Foundation
 
     Kentucky
     Red C., 90, of Somerset: Master mechanic
     Christine C., 83, of Louisville: Worked for the state of Kentucky since
     1958
 
     Louisiana
     Charles M., 91, of Baton Rouge: Champion weightlifter
 
     Maine
     Jim M., 68, of Bangor: Oldest car crash stuntman in America
 
     Maryland
     Joseph F., 71, of Frederick: Food bank driver who has transported more
     than 2 million pounds of surplus food
     Douglas H., 63, of Chevy Chase: Six-time winner of the American Crossword
     Puzzle Tournament
     Charles M., 87, of Bethesda: Tuskegee Airman, highest three-war fighter
     mission total
 
     Massachusetts
     Curtis H., 84, of Boston: 12 gold medals, National Veterans Wheelchairs
     Games
     Jerry Y., 61, of Chestnut Hill: America's longest-serving hockey coach
 
     Michigan
     Paul B., 82, of Gaines: Water skiing legend
     Lois Kivi N., 82, of Huntington Woods: World record swimmer
     Nancy N., 63, of Grand Blanc: Mountain climber, motivational speaker
     Harry S., 82, of Bloomfield Township: One of the original Tuskegee Airmen
 
     Minnesota
     Scott B., 55, of Bemidji: Oldest Olympian
     Ardell L., 71, of Caledonia: First heart and kidney recipient to sail solo
     around the world
     Jerome S., 97, of Minneapolis: Avid roller skater
 
     Mississippi
     Helen B., 86, of Ripley: High jumper and javelin thrower
 
     Nebraska
     Sarah G., 97, of Lincoln: Assistant sergeant-at-arms, Nebraska State
     Legislature
     June H., 63, of Arcadia: Rodeo barrel racer
 
     New Hampshire
     Arnold G., 69, of Ashland: Restores vintage wooden bridges and builds new
     ones
 
     New Jersey
     Charlie C., 92, of Whippany: New Jersey's oldest firefighter
     Barbara J., 74, of Princeton: Champion rower
     Paul K., 76, of Far Hills: Relay swimmer, marathon runner
 
     New Mexico
     Mary M., 88, of Roy: Deputy municipal clerk
     Lynn R., 82, of Quemado: Archery champion
 
     New York
     Rubin G., 54, of Staten Island: Professional racquetball player
     Wilson G., 87, of Lancaster: Inventor of the first successful implantable
     pacemaker
     Herman G., 89, of Great Neck: Deep-sea diver and underwater photographer
     Reggie J., 80, of Bellmore: Country's oldest lifeguard
     Diana K., 65, of New York: Artist, Holocaust survivor
     Betty P., 75, of Penfield: Olympic coach, earned Ph.D. at 74
     George S., 78, of Brooklyn: One of the oldest working magicians in the
     country
     Warren S., 79, of New York: founded Legal Services for Children
     Hoy W., 90, of New York: New York City's oldest bartender
 
     North Carolina
     Margaret H., 83, of Concord: Oldest person to have completed a marathon on
     each of the seven continents
     Domenick I., 80, of Jacksonville: Has run 54 marathons
     Morgan, S., 65, of Conover: Oldest NASCAR driver
 
     Ohio
     August B., 90, of Maple Heights: Oldest football coach in Ohio history
     George K., 94, of Gahanna: One of the oldest practicing therapists in the
     country
     Jan L., 72, of Findlay: Champion unicycle rider
     Bonnie R., 80, of Mansfield: Oldest woman steelworker
 
     Oklahoma
     Lena H., 74, of Lawton: Spent six months in Iraq with Army Exchange Post
     Ken M., 84, of Ponca City: Music store owner
 
     Oregon
     Maude B., 94, of Portland: Champion bowler
     Mary B., 84, of Grants Pass: Newsroom librarian, Grants Pass Daily Courier
     Caye I., 83, of Jacksonville: Two-medal winner in tennis at Senior Games
     Daniele P., 84, of Lincoln City: Oldest working chef on the West Coast
     Del W., 73, of Eagle Point: Competes in world-class poker tournaments
 
     Pennsylvania
     Karl S., 69, of Port Matilda: 17-time U.S. national glider champion
 
     Texas
     Margaret C., 73, of San Antonio: Nationally ranked tennis player
     Betty P., 52, of North Richland Hills: One of the world's oldest female
     body builders
     Lillian R., 90, of Dallas: Senior Games gold medalist in two sports
     Katherine S., 66, of Dallas: Basketball coach and player, composer
     Guy S., 85, of Round Rock: Multi-sport athlete
 
     Utah
     Ronny A., 73, of Washington: Oldest skydiver in Utah
     John W., 82, of Salt Lake City: Triathlete
 
     Virginia
     Emily K., 75, of Richmond: Long-distance hiker and cyclist
 
     Washington
     Madonna B., 76, of Spokane: Oldest woman to ever finish an Ironman
     Kelly N., 79, of East Wenatchee: Champion bodybuilder
 
     Wisconsin
     Wilbert B., 88, of Aniwa: World's oldest lion tamer
     The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment,
 Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and
 software for its Wii(TM), Nintendo DS(TM), Game Boy(R) Advance and Nintendo
 GameCube(TM) systems. Since 1983, Nintendo has sold nearly 2.2 billion
 video games and more than 387 million hardware units globally, and has
 created industry icons like Mario(TM), Donkey Kong(R), Metroid(R),
 Zelda(TM) and Pokemon(R). A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America
 Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo's
 operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo,
 visit the company's Web site at www.nintendo.com.
 
 

SOURCE Nintendo