Dr. John Hamels, better known to most as Doc, has been playing the guitar for more than 50 years, and has been in a number of bands since then, including one now for the last three years.

"The best thing of course is connecting with the audience, and just enjoying them enjoying the music that we do," he said.

He also enjoys connecting with his TV audience as long-time host of Chautauqua Sunrise on Public Access.

For the last few years, Doc has also held the key to the past dating back to the early 1800s, as part of the statewide network of town historians.

"And the layers of history and the people that have come and gone that people don't even know about that have laid the groundwork for what we do today," he said.

For the last 16 years, he has written for "Silver Magazine," a monthly newspaper insert geared to adults 55 and older where he has his own column. He also sits on Chautauqua County's Office for Aging Services Advisory Council, where he helps meet the needs of seniors and improve quality of life.

"Health insurance, transportation, better housing, especially nutrition okay. And these are things that make senior's lives better and sustain a longer and happier lifestyle," he explained.

The office recently celebrated its golden anniversary with a spring social, marking 50 years of service to the community that included a vendor fair full of national, state and local services.

"Those are the boots on the ground in every community across the nation to help older adults. To guide them,” Mary Ann Spanos, director of the Chautauqua County Office for Aging Services, said. "To connect them and to advocate for them."

Hundreds of older adults turned out for the event, their first social gathering of its kind in three years.

"Reconnecting with friends, making new ones, and raising awareness about the Office for Aging Services and all we can do to help older adults live well in the community for as long as possible," she said.

Doc, one of the keynote speakers, helped mark the milestone.

"Watching all of us growing together, and all the accomplishments that this whole room has done in 50 years and where this particular agency has gone in fifty years. It's a remarkable thing," Hamels said.

There are 59 agencies on aging in the state, many of which were formed around the same time between 1973 and 1975.