Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

In last week's Newsletter I wrote that the Senior Bachelor Search and Journey is reaching a conclusion, and that I would write a re-cap of the events over the last 2 1/ 2 years in 3 Parts. If you missed last week's Newsletter, titled, "Prologue," please look below.

Before I launch into the explanation fo the original Senior Bachelor idea, I wanted to respond to many messages sent to me after the last Newsletter. The new, parallel mission, that was born from my original mission, which is......Promoting Romance and Adventure for People 45 and Over (really 50 and over), ........will continue for as long as you, the followers of this Search and Journey, want me to, and if I am healthy and continue to have the motivation and desire to carry on. Cruises, my tours of Italy, parties, etc. I hope will continue unabated.

THE GENESIS OF SENIOR BACHELOR: The idea of finding a life partner in, shall I say, a rather unconventional manner, originated about 10 years ago. I had read an article about a farmer who had lost his wife, and he planted a sign in his front yard that read..."Need wife, must drive tractor." I thought...now that was a unique, creative idea!

In 1996 my then 29 year old son, Chris, and I embarked on a 7 month journey around the world, to 27 countries on 5 continents. This resulted in a feature length documentary film titled Pop & Me, which after winning 6 film Festivals, was purchased by MGM and shown in movie theaters across the United States. In 2000, Pop & Me was a Semi-Finalist for an Academy Award as Best Feature Length Documentary Film, and released on DVD on 5 continents in 3 languages. A lot of publicity ensued, highlighted by an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey show, and a feature article in People Magazine.

You may be wondering....What does Pop & Me have to do with Senior Bachelor?? As it turns out, EVERYTHING!! Please read on.

I moved to the Cinque Terre area of Italy for a year, 2001, and during my time in this incredible romantic country, I realized that I was finally ready to be in a healthy, loving, committed relationship. But how would I find "her?" That's when the farmer's idea hit me!!! I, too, would try to use a creative was to find my soulmate. I didn't want a woman to drive a tractor, rather I hoped to find a woman who would be able to travel anywhere in the world on a moments notice, and as previously mentioned, was fit and fun.

I really felt I had made a great connection, even a bond, with Oprah after appearing on her show in 2000. After our 18 minute appearance with Oprah was completed, she, Chris and I, went to a nearby room, and Oprah put her head on my left shoulder and cried....for a good three minutes. And then Oprah said something to me that was particularly meaningful and beautiful. I felt Oprah meant this to be a private sharing of her thoughts and I will respect that.

Every now and then The Oprah Winfrey Show has a show called "Your Wildest Dream Come True." My son Chris taped a message from me to Oprah, via her Producers, which started out with me saying "Oprah I need help." I said that conventional means of finding a woman to spend the rest of my life with were not working, and my Wildest Dream was to find a woman who was at least Fifty, Fit, Fun and Free. Free in the sense that "she" could travel anywhere in the world at a moments notice. I said that if Oprah would have me back on her show, that I would offer a woman fitting the description above, an all expense paid trip around the world, lasting around 6 months. The "catch" was.....that she had to go with me!! I would call this "The Senior Bachelor's Search For Romance & Adventure."

In January 2005, I received a message to be in Chicago and that Oprah would help me launch my search. I have to tell you I was really surprised, and very grateful, but also a little nervous. Be careful what you wish for, and all that!!

One cannot underestimate the power and the reach of Oprah Winfrey. The Show is seen in over 100 countries and has been the # 1 show in the United States something like 20 years in a row. The segment was only 6 minutes long, and even as the segment was being broadcast, people were flocking to www.seniorbachelor.com. This was the first day that the site was up, and one computer crashed (as the Oprah producers had warned me) and because the Producers told me to have a huge backup computer, everything spilled over into there. Within 24 hours some 3 million (yes, million) unique visitors had come to the site!! Yikes

E-mails poured in, literally tens of thousands of women asking for more information. I noticed one prominent trend; the women said that due to family or work obligations they could not get away for 6 months.

I sent responses asking if 6 months was too long, what was the right amount of time? Overwhelmingly, the reply was 1 month. Hmm...I wondered, instead of 1 woman for 6 months, how about 6 women, for 1 month at a time as I circled the world!! (Ha ha. I know the men reading this will get a kick out of this kind of creative thinking!!!)

Interested women could send in a 3 minute videotape saying why she thought we would be good traveling partners, and possibly partners for life, and a brief biography and 2 recent photographs. In the interest of fair play, similar information about me was available on the website and people could also rent Pop & Me and find out a lot about my background.

More publicity ensued and at one time I had over 25,000 backed up e-mails. I answer each and every e- mail sent to me and I was "working" (ha ha again) 14 hours a day answering e-mail and phone messages. I did not think things could be more crazy, but things were just getting started, as it was to turn out!!!

In June 2005, 2 months after the Oprah appearance, People Magazine called me about a photo shoot for their annual bachelor choices. This year, 2005, they were choosing "The Fifty Hottest Bachelors." I was convinced this was a prank call, probably set up by one of my sons, who love to tease me. However it was plausible as in 2000 People ran a feature article about Pop & Me. I showed up at the airport at the time mentioned and 9 people were there, and People Magazine had rented a 35 million dollar jet for the shoot...and I was the only one there. OMG, it was true!! How could anyone believe anybody my age was "hot." At the end of April, there it was, and on the cover, part of the 50, were Brad, Tom and Matthew (as in Pitt, Cruise, and McConaghy). Now my 3 boys went really nuts, to them it was really absurd that their "Pop" was in any way hot and in that company. Interest spiked again. In August of the same year, the Oprah show was re-run and more people than before visited the website. Chris is a graphic designer and he photo- shopped those losers, Brad, Tom and Matthew, off of the cover and put me there!! More ha ha's.

Now I needed help. Joe Franklin was a local friend of mine from Manhattan Beach and a computer whiz, and he also met his wife using an on-line dating service. Joe would help me with everything. I also wanted to have a video of this whole endeavor, and a young Italian photographer named Umberto Zappa, whom I originally met when he was 10 years old in 1985 and he was a camper at Camp Tecumseh (a boys sports camp in New Hampshire where I was the Director for 12 years) was now a skilled professional photographer. Umberto could speak 5 languages fluently, and was not only a great guy, but an avid traveler. Perfect. I would ask Umberto to come to Manhattan Beach and film everything. In the back of my mind, I thought....who knows......Chris and I never believed the results of Pop & Me would ever happen, why not film this as well, it would be fun.

The Senior Bachelor Team- Umberto, Joe, Richard

Now....how to meet some of these ladies?? I sent out a Newsletter and said that if any interested women would like for us to meet, to come to Manhattan Beach. Over 200 brave women came from all over, and for 3 days we had a blast. We all stayed in a lovely hotel, The Ayres Hotel. I quickly noticed that the ladies had some interest in meeting me, but they were having more fun meeting the other women!! We would stay up until 3 in the morning all talking about our life experiences. It was then that I realized this whole Senior Bachelor endeavor was way WAY bigger than I had ever planned or imagined. There are so many single men and women 50+, and after raising a family, these wonderful women were ready to see the world. To be adventurous. Over and over I heard "Now it's my turn to have fun. I have earned that right and I'm going for it!!!

Richard "drops in" at the Manhattan Beach Pier

Mingling and Meeting the first evening

Roasting Richard

Many women on the East Coast and Midwest also wanted to have a party, so I arranged for a big party at The Palmer House in Chicago. I decided to have a theme....a crazy hat party, and also a cruise around Chicago in the evening. A DJ was hired and the ballroom was rocking!! There were hardly any other men there, which was a shame, but nevertheless, the ladies danced and generally had a ball. And more friendships were being born.

On our way to the Cruise at the Navy Pier

Lovely Ladies on the steps at the magnificent Palmer House

Soon to be great and lasting friends!

Well, you HAD to be there!

For more fun photos please click here and look for the 2005 Manhattan Beach (MB) and Chicago (CHI) party links!

This concludes Part 1. The next Newsletter will discuss the 2,200 courageous women who sent in their information, and will re-cap all of the events in the finding of the 22 Fabulous Finalists, and then the final 6 selections (not only by me, but the ladies as well- this was a 50-50 situation), and the start of the Journey in the Amazon Jungle in Brazil.

I hope you are enjoying this re-telling of the events. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me at richard@seniorbachelor.com.

Ciao from Italy, Richard Roe