90-Year-Old Martial Arts Master Embodies Healthy Aging

When 90-year-old martial artist Ben Rocuskie of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was asked if he can still fend off an attacker, he didn’t hesitate. “Without a doubt. Although I’m a bit slower, I still know when and where to strike.”

In other words, don’t mess with him.

rocuskie was inducted in the World Karate Hall of Fame in 2009 and in September 2023, at the age of 89, he achieved his 9th degree black belt in Okinawan Seidokan Karate, earning the honorific “Hanshi,” which means exemplary or master teacher.There is only one 10th degree Seidokan black belt in the world today.

Hanshi Ben is no stranger to achievement.In the late 1960s,as a bridge design engineer,he was responsible for the design and construction of all bridges in the western half of Pennsylvania. As the state’s director of design, he was tasked with devising evacuation routes during the three Mile Island accident, and as chairman