This is just a portion of the speech given at our 75th birthday party for the class of BTW class of 1961. Now, five years later, we gather to celebrate our 80th birthday.
Perhaps learning how particular generations are viewed will help us understand the trend of the time, the things valued and the culture of this generation.
This Generation, for those born before 1945, is known as the Silent Generation, the Lucky Few, and the Traditional Generation. These are people who were in high school during the early ‘50’s to 1963.
We came along after WWII, and the Depression. Our characteristics are not carved in stone, and everyone may not agree with these descriptions, but I think you’ll feel encouraged and privileged to have come along when we did.
Now our minds are richer, our souls broader and our wisdom is at its peak.
We were those who were of smaller family groups for some, than the generations that preceded us. The Depression era caused by financial insecurity of the ‘30’s and the war caused families to be smaller. We were known as those who were to be seen and not heard. “Child go find something to do and get out of grown folks’ conversations”, was something you may have heard growing up. The McCarthy era prompted the danger of speaking out and saying what was on your mind. Our parents’ stern look or backhand confirmed that it was time to be quiet.
We had the strong work ethic of our parents and believed that you earn your own way through working hard.
We are noted as forming the leadership for the civil rights movement and are considered the generation who literally and metaphorically built the nation after the Depression and WW II. We are responsible for developing today’s space program, creating vaccines for many diseases including polio. We are civic-minded and have the largest register voting population. We often tell our children and grandchildren: “Make sure you’re registered, and don’t forget to vote”.
Persons born within this time were: Martin Luther King, Jr, Malcolm X, John McCain, Bernie Sanders, Robert Kennedy, Ted Kennedy, John Lewis, Morgan Freeman, James Earl Jones, Little Richard, Ray Charles, BB King, Marvin Gay, Muhammad Ali, Joe Biden, and so many others. You’ll have to do your own research for more.
Our generation, however, produced not one U.S. Presidents. We jumped from George Bush, Sr, to Baby Boomer Bill Clinton. Even President Obama was born the year we graduated high school, 1961.
We are said to be practical, patient, respectful or authority, followers of rules, adaptive, because we had to be. We have been called a source of tension and created the term “midlife crisis”. However, our economic life has been fortunately placed by giving us a lifetime ride of Social Security. Others who are born later may not have that same opportunity.
Changing the system was not as much our call. We believed in working within the system. We kept our heads down and checked out the facts, usually silently, but completely.
We locked into low fixed mortgages on our first homes and received decades of negative real interest rates. Signing into pension plans, we received what our parents did not. For some, the midlife savings coincided, in ‘80’s and ‘90’s with the greatest bull market ever in both stocks and bonds. It was then that some of the Silent Generation retired and sold out just before the crash hit. This was the last generation to reach 65 in 2007.
Our greatest reward was our mentors who fought so hard for us, our teachers, coaches, community workers, rec center staff, our parents, doctors, lawyers, and our preachers. They made it possible for us to experience things that today’s youth take for granted. Therefore, we were called the Lucky or the Fortunate generation because of our timing of birth. The economic situation of the Boomers has proven more difficult.
Those of us born during this time were taught to play by the rules, doing so worked well for us. We were also in line to qualify for Affirmative Action when it was the law. The National Defense Loan funded our education. We are considered the healthiest and most educated generation of elders that ever lived, and for some the wealthiest. On a side note, those who were 75 and older, during the time we graduated in 1961, were considered the poorest.
Given our good fortune, along with our instinct to help others in need, our generation as elders have become economic anchors for America’s new renaissance and multigenerational family living. Many are subsidizing Boomer or Xer’s kids. Many have set up college trust funds for their grandkids, and some have assumed custody for kids in the family. Some are living between Pampers and Depends.
We are also the most Tech-Challenged generation ever. We are slow to change our habits and adapt to modern technology. I won’t ask to see your flip-phones. After all, we are Traditionalists who value old time morals, doing more with less, appreciating comfort, we demand quality, safety, security, and consistency. We have respect for the tried and true, not websites, etc. Most of all, we value friendships.
Those who were born into the Silent Generation share the things they were the first to do.
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