Gary Gates helped turn Wisconsin into the home of one of only two fully funded pension plans. : The former head of Wisconsin’s pension plan now lives off his annuities, IRAs — and pension. And he collects hundreds of thousands of recyclable cans As 80-year old Gary Gates trundles along the streets of Wisconsin’s capital on a bike half his age, he stops at dumpsters to pick up cans. It’s a habit the former head of Wisconsin’s public pension fund has kept up for decades.