There are not many free things worthwhile in life today. I did discover yesterday one free thing worth reporting on.

The Harvard Club of New York in recent years has been holding an annual lunch celebrating/honoring all members of 50 plus years.

They like having a lot of members—currently more than 12,000—and the golden oldies are great business because they pay their dues but rarely use [cost] the club as they may have in their younger years.

I went this year and had an interesting experience.

The lady guarding the door tried to turn me away saying: “This is just for the older members.” I finally convinced her that my name was on the list.  She then relented, saying “If you insist.”

Then I found a classmate and enjoyed the gathering, feeling pretty cool that I was perhaps the youngest looking ‘oldie’ in the room.

But what was truly noticeable was the meal. The salad was exceptional, with a lovely dressing and elegant fruits; the main plate was perfectly cooked halibut, king of fish, steaks with ideal vegetables and popovers to add insult to the calories.

That was when I was struck by the wise generosity of the Club to dangle such an attractive reward for the long term loyalty of Club members.

It also provided me with an excellent excuse to tell you good things about the Club and its food AND about my apparent youthfulness!