When Doris McNabb Youngquist attended college, all the way back in the 1940s, you could certainly say things were different.
She’ll tell you all the ways: Doris, now 95 years old (who’s turning 96 in November!) is warm, chatty and friendly. It’s almost hard to keep her on track, and she’ll want to talk about YOU more than herself. But she’s lived an incredible 95 years – and it’s not lost on her, exactly how much the tides have turned.
When Doris attended college at the University of Michigan, where she studied music, women weren’t allowed to be part of the marching band, she told me in a recent phone call.
And perhaps that’s what motivated her to join an alumni group for musicians in 1987, when Doris’s daughter was working toward her master’s degree at the same school.
Doris first learned about the opportunity from her daughter, and was excited to join the alumni band, even as an older adult.
Fast-forward to 2022, she’s now the oldest living member of the group, which still performs at Michigan Stadium, or the Big House, as it’s affectionately known, once a year.
And with the exception of 2020, due to COVID-19, Doris has shown up each year. She plays the piccolo, and said with a laugh, “You don’t have to carry much that way.”
Doris, who now lives in Massachusetts, loves making the trip back “home” to Michigan. She grew up in Dearborn, a suburb of Detroit, which isn’t far from Ann Arbor. It still feels like familiar territory, even all these years later.
“I’m very lucky,” Doris said. “I can still move rapidly, and move down the street at a good pace – for a little 5-foot woman, that is.”
And for that, Doris is very grateful.
She recognized how much has changed within the TOPS organization, as well.
Back in the ‘60s, well before the days of the internet, Facebook and Twitter, it was word of mouth that lured Doris to her first meeting.
“I had five children,” Doris said. “After the final two, I struggled to get rid of the baby fat. A neighbor came over one day and said, ‘You know, there’s this new group for losing weight. Would you like to go to a meeting?’ And I said, ‘Absolutely.’”
Doris’s feelings weren’t hurt by the suggestion. She welcomed the opportunity for change – for a new, healthier version of herself.
“Oh, I wasn’t insulted at all,” Doris said. “They had been in session already for a year, but that was the first I’d heard of them. So I went that day, and I’ve been a member ever since. This was in July 1968.”
These days, Doris is in her 31st year as KOPS. She still goes to chapter meetings in person, in North Adams, Mass. She enjoys the friends she’s made, and the consistency of the routine. Healthy living wasn’t always an easy journey, but it has been well worth it for her.
“After I started at TOPS, I actually gained 10 more pounds (before I lost any weight),” Doris said. “But I think that happens to people. I had a lot of stress back then. I was holding down a lot of jobs. It can be hard when you’re stressed. But I started working away at it in ‘68, and then finally in ‘91, (I became KOPS). I had put on so much weight in pregnancy. It took me a long time to get it off permanently. But I don’t want people to ever feel discouraged, or to ever give up.”
It’s important to Doris to set an example for others.
“I hope I can help,” she said. “That’s the important thing. You go out into this world and help others by encouraging people. I think it’s very important to help serve as an example.”
When I received Doris’s name and dialed her up without any warning, on a random Tuesday in late June, she was delighted to take my call. She spoke with pride about her longtime TOPS membership, her love for the state of Michigan (where I grew up, as well!), and her second chance to be in the marching band.
It’s all been an honor for her.
“Of course, I’m the oldest one (in the band), but I’m just so glad to be able to walk and move and still do it. And I thank TOPS for that. If I hadn’t gone and lost 40 pounds, where would I be?”
Know someone, or a chapter, we should highlight for an upcoming “Member(s) of the Month” feature? Email me at mganley@tops.org with your suggestions!
By Margie Fisher August 2, 2022
LOVED the piece on Doris! I particularly liked that she never gave up on the band and never gave up on TOPS.
She is an inspiration!
By Michelle Ganley August 2, 2022
She really is, Margie! She was such a treat to chat on the phone with. A great TOPS “spokeswoman” who truly embodies what this group is all about.
By Gina Brueske August 4, 2022
What an awesome story. Absolutely loved reading it. 95 in a marching band is AWESOME.
Stating healthy and active by changing your lifestyle with TOPS is the key. Health is definitely Wealth. Thanks for sharing Doris’
Story.
By Janine Cox August 4, 2022
She is amazing person!
By Michelle Ganley August 4, 2022
Thanks, Gina! You’re so right — 95 in a marching band is incredible.
By Mary McClellan August 2, 2022
Good job shows we can do it at any age
By Michelle Ganley August 3, 2022
It really does!
By Donna Brown August 2, 2022
Hi I am Donna from Saskatchewan Canada. I am a new Tops member and Love the concept. I did not join to lose a pile of weight but lose some and mainly healthier eating.
By Michelle Ganley August 3, 2022
Love that, Donna!
By Dolores Margies August 3, 2022
Doris story is encouraging. She is amazing
By Michelle Ganley August 3, 2022
She really is, Dolores!
By Kathie August 3, 2022
Such an inspirational story! Glad to know I am not the oldest TOPS and letting me know it can be done.!
Thanks for taking the time to inspire us.
Kathie
By Michelle Ganley August 3, 2022
Thanks for reading, Kathie! 🙂
By Nila Anne Gates August 4, 2022
Great article – it reaffirms “never give up” and “you’re never too old”!!!
Good going, Doris
By Michelle Ganley August 4, 2022
Absolutely!
By Nancy August 5, 2022
Love this story – I was born in North Adams and am going to be 68 this year – Need encourage to move forward. Am going to the TOPS retreat in NH in September and am so excited. The touchstones of this story give me encouragement. Thanks for sharing. Great Lady to read aabout!
By Michelle Ganley August 5, 2022
I’m excited for you – the retreats sound awesome! Keep sticking with it, Nancy. Glad you enjoyed Doris’s story!
By Ann-Marie August 6, 2022
Great story. Doris is an inspiration to all!
By Michelle Ganley August 8, 2022
She sure is!
By Jeanette Rigg August 6, 2022
Reading this story truly gave me a boost in my journey. Time after time I hear that it’s never too late. Thank you, Doris for the inspirational story. Keep on marching
Jeanette Rigg
Kingman Chapter #0553
Arizona
By Michelle Ganley August 8, 2022
Love this!
By Freeda Carmody August 7, 2022
What an incredible story. Such inspiration. Many of my chapter do not log into the Tops website to read the great blogs and stories so I am going to read this one at my meeting tomorrow evening. I am 85 and still going as leader – no one else will step up and I will not see our group fall. I have been a member since 1980 and will be a 31 year Kops in October this year. Thank you for sharing Michelle.
By Michelle Ganley August 8, 2022
Thanks so much for your service to TOPS, Freeda! And congratulations on 31 years as KOPS.
By Adrienne Brooks August 15, 2022
What an inspiration Doris is, thanks for sharing your story Doris!
By Joanne O. Morse August 31, 2022
Loved reading Doris’s story, she is an inspiration to all of us. If I make it to 95 I hope to be like her, I am 81 now and have just become a KOPS this August and I know it’s not a diet, it’s a way of life,eat less and move more.
By Shirley Renaud September 8, 2022
Thank you Doris for your story of perseverance. Truly Inspiring!!!