New Seniors

What a difference a couple of years can make. Compare the youngest pre-boomers, born during the war years, and the oldest boomers, born in the last part of the ‘40s. They grew up in very distinct eras. So, while there are many similarities among them, the cultural differences are apparent.

Madison Avenue was once inhabited by advertising agencies that bore the names of their founders and top execs. It was a personal business and the clients wanted to do business with those who had a successful track record of producing good work. But along the way the advertising industry changed and so did the names of the agencies.

Maybe it was because we didn’t have a slew of toys as kids that forced us to be creative with whatever was available. Or that it wasn’t a disgrace to not have what everyone else had. Or is it simply the fact that times have changed? Whatever the reason, we sure had fun with those cardboard boxes.

Whose bight idea was it to take football from out in the elements and put it in a domed stadium where the temperature and other climate conditions could be controlled?
There were many attempts to bring the sport inside, starting as early as 1902 when a game was played at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Some say those 65+ long for the good old days rather than focusing on the here-and-now. Yes, New Seniors enjoy nostalgic moments, but we live in the present. It’s interesting, however, to think back to our youth and remember what was our science fiction has become reality in the 21st century.

As a pre-boomer growing up in Philadelphia, I was exposed to endless teachings about the nation’s Founding Fathers. I learned about the clandestine meetings held with other colonials, the Declaration of Independence, the hardship of the Revolutionary War and the creation of The Constitution. Washington, Adams and Jefferson received much of the attention, but there were local folks who deserve to be remembered as well.

I was an enthusiastic participant in sports for much of my life. Practicing for hours. Pick up games. Organized leagues. Varsity teams. I loved playing. I also learned to love being a spectator. Watching my children play was fun, but seeing the grand kids take part in athletics is a special joy.

As a pre-boomer growing up in Philadelphia in the ‘40s and early ‘50s, I thought winter was a two-part season and lasted four months instead of three. For me winter began on Thanksgiving and ended with the last snow storm of the year, around St. Patrick’s Day.

Growing up in Philadelphia, we used to travel all around the city to the restaurant that best fit our need for a particular type of food. My parents did this and I later did as a teenager and beyond. We did not have a lot of money but could always get what we wanted by going the extra mile or two.

Local breweries date back to the founding of our country. As a pre-boomer, growing up in Philadelphia, I was aware of a host of locally produced brands. However, by 1960 the number of breweries statewide had dwindled to 26, with the last of the once great Philly brewers closing its doors in 1987. Are the beers you remember still around?