As oldest boomers near 60, a look back

By David Crary

updated 11:59 p.m. ET Dec. 10, 2005

EDITOR’S NOTE — The baby boomers protested the Vietnam War and fought in it. They rallied against segregation, irrevocably changed popular culture and pursued wealth and material comfort. Now the oldest boomers are about to turn 60. In the first of two articles to mark the occasion, the boomers reflect on their legacy.

NEW YORK - They partied and protested, then grew up to dominate America with their chutzpah and sheer numbers. Yet now, as the oldest of the baby boomers prepare to turn 60, there are glimmers of doubt within this “have it all” generation about how they will be judged by those who come next.

The ferment of the ’60s and ’70s — when boomers changed the world, or thought they did — faded long ago. Nostalgic pride in the achievements of that era now mixes with skepticism: Have the boomers collectively betrayed their youthful idealism? Have they been self-centered to the point of shortchanging their children?

Anthony DeCurtis, one of the boomers’ pre-eminent rock ’n’ roll journalists, hears the occasional barb from his creative writing students at the University of Pennsylvania and it gives him pause.

“There’s a fear that there’s going to be nothing left — that they’re going to be picking up the pieces for this six-decade party we had, cleaning up the mess,” said DeCurtis, 54. “There’s some truth to that, I guess.”

The boomers — 78 million of them born from 1946 to 1964 — are wealthier and more numerous than any generation before or since. They have controlled political power long enough to stack the financial deck in their favor.

“It’s economic and policy imperialism,” said University of Oklahoma historian Steve Gillon, 48, author of “Boomer Nation.”

“The boomers have set up institutions that will continue to benefit them, at the expense of other groups, as they grow old and live longer than any other generation,” Gillon said. “It’s spend what you want, cut your own taxes — the ultimate baby boom philosophy of ’We want to have it all.’ We’re not a generation that’s had to deal with the reality of sacrifice.”

'We were brash and bold and beautiful'
Among the boomers turning 60 next year — along with George W. Bush and Bill Clinton — is Ron Kovic, who became an anti-war activist after being paralyzed by a combat wound in Vietnam in 1968. His autobiographical book “Born on the Fourth of July” became a hit film.

Unlike some of his contemporaries, Kovic sees no reason for guilt or embarrassment as boomers take stock. “We have every reason to be proud,” he said. “We were brash and bold and beautiful.”

Now, Kovic says, his generation will revolutionize a different kind of ’60s.

“Often when people get older, they say to the younger generation, ’Well, it’s your turn now,”’ he said. “I feel very differently. Rather than just passing the torch, and saying we did our best, this generation — which dreamed such big, impossible dreams — refuses to step aside. It sees itself as part of change that it still passionately believes will occur.”

Reluctance to step aside could be a formidable phenomenon in coming years as many boomers seek self-fulfillment and civic engagement deep into old age. Listen to Dr. Terry Grossman, author of “The Baby Boomers’ Guide to Living Forever” and operator of a Denver anti-aging clinic.

“As an official member of the boomer generation, I do not believe it was intended for us to die,” said Grossman, 58. “We were special right from the get-go — dying wasn’t part of our script.”

Grossman believes medical advances that will extend lifespans by several decades are perhaps 20 years away. Boomers, he said, are turning to fitness gurus, special diets and vitamin megadoses in hopes of staving off aging long enough to benefit.

Turning a critical eye on boomers
A particularly assertive breed of boomers dominates in Washington, D.C., according to Michael Franc, who works there for the conservative Heritage Foundation.

“Boomers always struck me as very self-centered and self-important, because there are so many of us,” said Franc, 48. “We’re always in the middle of the next fun moment at some everlasting party, and we’re not able to defer the gratification to tackle the long-term problems.”

Other boomers feel similar doubts about their generation’s track record — and they want their new cause to be a shot at redemption. Boomer-led initiatives such as Civic Ventures are encouraging people over 50 to consider socially productive jobs and volunteer work rather than easing into traditional “golden years” retirement.

“We’ve been killing ourselves working for hours on end for decades, caught up in the work-and-spend dynamic,” said Marc Freedman, 47, Civic Ventures’ founder.

“But there’s a chance for the boomers to reclaim their earlier legacy, and not be a drain on society,” he said. “They could have a second coming in terms of social idealism, and find ways to contribute that mean something beyond themselves.”

A turning point for women
In some realms, boomers already take pride in what they have bequeathed. Boomer women, for example, broke into many male-dominated fields on a broad scale and expanded options for those who follow.

Susan Lapinski, editor of Working Mother magazine, cited her own two daughters, both in their 20s.

“My heart lifts when I think about them,” she said. “They see meaningful work as one of the ingredients of a happy life. They just assume their partner will be there to assist them.”

Lapinski, 47, credits the boomers with starting the process of equalizing marriage, convincing fathers to help more with household affairs and child-raising.

“Even if it’s imperfect, it’s a leap forward from the previous generation where dad went behind his newspaper after dinner and mom did all the bedtime rituals,” she said.

Some boomer parents may have taken matters too far — obsessing over their children’s education, activities and college prospects.

“Did some of us try to create trophy kids? In some families, you’d have to say yes,” Lapinski said. “In other families, though, there was a nice new emphasis on getting to know your kids, finding fun ways to spend time with them.”

MORE FROM LIFE

Life Section Front

Smoke alarms, tea kettles, basketballs recalled Pool club denies turning away minority kids   Bodies dug up, cut up at black cemetery Downdrafts blamed in Fossett crash At 84, man gets high school diploma Local governments face painful choices Another furlough to close Calif. offices Tot plays hide-and-seek much too well 5 killed when Amtrak train hits car in Mich. Woman vanishes at NYC skyscraper Life Section Front   Add Life headlines to your news reader: