A woman who refused to stay silent, passionate activist Margaret E. Kuhn (1905–1995) was born on this day in Buffalo, New York. She spent a lifetime challenging ageism, injustice, and complacency.

“There must be a goal at every stage of life! There must be a goal!” she declared.

After decades as an executive with the United Presbyterian Church, she was forced to retire at 65. Ralph Nader called it “the most significant retirement in modern American history.”

Kuhn believed that "Power should not be concentrated in the hands of so few, and powerlessness in the hands of so many.”

With the rallying cry “Do something outrageous every day,” she founded the Gray Panthers in 1970. The group brought age and youth together in action—fighting age discrimination, speaking truth to power, and demanding change.

“Old age is not a disease,” Kuhn insisted. “It is strength and survivorship, triumph over disappointments, trials, and illness.”

The Gray Panthers challenged mandatory retirement and ageist policy. With a signature “Panther growl,” Kuhn helped redefine what it means to grow older. “The best age is the age you are,” she affirmed.

Even years after her passing, her legacy roared on. In 2003, the 20,000-member Gray Panthers publicly condemned WorldCom’s "$11 billion fraud" and urged Congress to stop doing business with the company.

She once predicted, “By the year 2020, the year of perfect vision, the old will outnumber the young.” She was right.