Well, let's see here...
The FAA was created in 1958. If this instructor you speak of has been involved in writing regulations since the birth of the FAA, that would mean he's had almost a 50-year career thus far.
Of course, we all know that the FAA was pre-dated by the CAA - and so were some of the laws under which we now fly. The CAA was split from the CAB in 1940, which means that your man would have had a 60+ career thus far (at an absolute minimum).
Just how old is this guy, hm?