At age 102, a New York man is still striving for perfection, through pottery

Great Neck, New York — It is remarkable that George Strausman of Great Neck, New York, is this spry at the age of 102.  

“I’m feeling good,” Strausman told CBS News. 

Strausman still works four days a week at his family’s construction business. Amazing as that is, that’s not the story here.

Instead, CBS News came to Great Neck because of what Strausman does on his day off.

For the past 10 years, Strausman has been taking a pottery class.

“I’ve always worked with my hands,” Strausman said when asked why. “It’s an interesting thing to do. And it’s challenging to do well.”

It’s a challenge his teacher at the Great Neck Free Union School District’s Community Education Program, Rosalie Dornstein, says he has fully embraced.

“And that’s wonderful that, at 102, he still wants to get better,” Dornstein said.

For Strausman, like so many artists of all skill levels, creating became a compulsion of the spirit. It’s a quest for deeper meaning and for greater beauty. It’s a quest that has no end.

Strausman’s wife, Nancy, says every week her husband brings home another piece he doesn’t like.

Today, there are hundreds of rejects packed in wood cabinets and cardboard boxes. Each one is a testament to his relentless determination and endless optimism.

“Maybe someday I’ll get good enough to be happy with it,” Strausman said. “I’m still not happy with what I do.”

Everyone is always searching for the secret to a long and happy life. But, at least in Strausman’s case, the answer is clear: You can’t leave Earth until you’re finished. 

And Strausman says that when he finally does create something he thinks is beautiful, it will “be a great feeling.”