Sally Hoople gives the Energizer bunny a run for his money | Column

 Ninety-five-year-old Sally Hoople (left), who lives at Thornton Oaks in Brunswick, attends a political protest every Saturday in Freeport. (Courtesy of David Treadwell) Sally Hoople, a fellow resident at Thornton Oaks, keeps on going and going, undaunted by the fact that she’s 95 years old. Let’s start with the highlights. Sally holds four degrees beyond high school: a B.A. and an M.A. from Syracuse University, an M.A. from New York University, and a Ph.D. from Fordham University. She taught high school English for 29 years at White Plains High School in White Plains, New York. She says of that experience, “I loved the subject matter, but it was challenging, because I wasn’t a great disciplinarian.” After she and her husband, Donald, moved to Castine, Maine, she decided she wasn’t ready to retire. So she spent 10 years teaching at Maine Maritime Academy where discipline wasn’t a problem. Incidentally, she also spent teaching a few semesters teaching in China during her career. She got married to Donald Hoople in 1951 when they were both students at Syracuse. They were happily married for 62 years until Donald died just two days before his 85th birthday. As she notes, “He was a musician, so it was a life filled with music.” Advertisement They raised four children: Nancy, Anne, Douglas and David. As Sally is fond of telling them, “I’ve been lucky. You turned out well in spite of us.” Let’s move on to “the rest of the story,” as radio broadcaster Paul Harvey was fond of saying. Sally began taking piano lessons when she was 5 years old, but stopped when she reached junior high school. Seeking a new challenge, she took up the piano again in her 50s. And she’s been playing ever since. [](https://w2pcms.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/TR-Sally-Hoople-playing-piano-070326-rotated.jpeg) Sally Hoople plays her grand piano in her apartment at Thornton Oaks. (Courtesy of David Treadwell) She has a grand piano in her apartment and plays classical musical for about an hour every day, but never on Sunday. She won’t play in front of people, as a rule, but she overcame her reluctance enough to play in a duet with another Thornton Oaks resident at the talent show last fall; they plan to play again in the next show. Blessed with a sense of humor, Sally recalls playing in a recital shortly after she took up the piano again. She asked her husband how it went, and he said, “Pretty good, but it would have been better if you hadn’t stopped and said ‘Oh shoot!’ in the middle when you made a mistake.” Sally’s other major passion is getting involved in the political scene. She grew up in a Republican family in Cohocton, New York, a small town near Rochester. She later became a Democrat, inspired by her husband’s political views and by the many immigrants she taught at White Plains High School. She attends a protest every Saturday in Freeport. Advertisement Sally minces no words when she talks about the current administration in Washington. “They’re awful and they’re dishonest. They do the opposite of what they say they’re going to do. I just can’t believe that evangelicals can support them.” When asked what advice she might give to young people, Sally said, “Keep moving while you’re young so can move when you’re old. Read a lot. Develop empathy. And be as honest as possible.” Great advice. Keep on doing what you’re doing, Sally Hoople. We’ll do our best to keep up. _David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer, welcomes commentary and suggestions four future “Just a Little Old” columns at [\[email protected\]](/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection)._ [](https://www.bowdoin.edu/?utm_source=TimesRecord&utm_medium=SupportingSponsorship) **The Times Record Sustaining Sponsor **We believe a community must be informed to thrive. [**bowdoin.edu**](https://www.bowdoin.edu/?utm_source=TimesRecord&utm_medium=SupportingSponsorship) Copy the Story Link Tagged: [Times Record](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/times-record/), [Times Record Community](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/times-record-community/)