Anthony Brooks

He'd done the job for 20 years, so he retired.

No, not at all.

You know, he could have followed that route.

He could have retired, put his feet up, cruised into old age.

But instead, he goes back to school.

He's a man of faith.

So he goes to seminary school to become a Methodist deacon because what he wants to do is work with his local Boy Scout troop.

So here's a bit of what he told me about that.

Yeah, he really, and this animates a lot of the stories that I found.

He wanted to give back is really a good way to put it.

And it's worth pointing out that becoming a full-fledged deacon is a long process.

It involves not only seminary school, but studying and sitting for interviews with church elders.

And Tom was still at it just a couple of years ago at the age of 66 when I was talking to him.

You know, he really is, as far as I can tell.

His kids are grown.

He's still happily married.

And perhaps most importantly, his life has new purpose, Aisha.

And he seems to be really thriving in this third act.

Yeah, I mean, that's a big part of it.

I mean, there's a lot of things going on here, but that's one of the main things worth considering.