Almost 90, Butch Ballard may be the world’s oldest jazz drummer; worked with the greats

By Dick Saunders

Butch Ballard says he’s “the oldest drummer in the world.” He’ll be 90 the day after Christmas, so who’s to contradict him?

“Gene Krupa, Max Roach, Papa Jo Jones — all gone,” says Ballard, who’s still performing at every opportunity.  More

For 10-year-old Emma “Scotty” Sloss, Girl Scouting provided an outlet that used to be inaccessible to girls.

“In those years,” recalls Sloss, 91, “there were many things girls were not allowed to do — like running around, climbing trees, things like that. It just wasn’t considered dignified. But there was a big sense of freedom in Girl Scouting because we could express ourselves in ways we couldn’t do otherwise.”   More