The Last Baby Boomer
© Deborah Turner
Some people are Generation Z’s (2001 – present). Some people are Millennials (1980 – 2000). Some people may even be Gen X’rs (1965 -1979). I myself am proud to say that I am a Baby Boomer … even if I am one of the last Baby Boomers. Baby Boomers were born between the years 1946 – 1964. We grew up and even grew old bearing witness to perhaps the most incredible time span in history.
Baby Boomers were raised by the “Silent Generation,” our parents were born between the 1920’s through 1945. I prefer to call them “The Greatest Generation” a term given by Tom Brokaw. Our parents grew up during difficult economic times, were hard working, loyal to their employers, most of them working for the same employer until retirement. They witnessed the Great Depression, fought for our country in WWII, and did not have access to technology.
Baby Boomers were lucky enough to live in a booming economy; during a time when moving to the suburbs was a sign of success. We watched shows on TV like I Love Lucy, Bonanza, Laugh In, Star Trek, Andy Griffith, Bewitched, and even Romper Room. Sunday nights were reserved for family dinners and The Wonderful World of Disney. Our TV sets had 3 channels and we actually had to get up to turn the dial.
Boomers turned the music industry upside down, reaching their teen years anywhere from the 1950’s through the early 1980’s. We watched everything on TV from one man walking on the moon, to another man's moonwalk across the stage for the first time. We saw Elvis, the Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Woodstock first hand. We created the “Summer of Love,” Motown, and even Disco … yes Disco.
Our generation was the first to live with the threat of nuclear war. We ducked and covered under our desks during civil defense drills, and pledged allegiance to the flag at school every morning. We were able to watch new technology pop up every day. Many things we could never have imagined during the days when we got up to turn that TV channel. I remember the first hand held calculator, and micro wave oven. There was no turning back, and the road ahead was unimaginable.
My generation had front row seats to see everything from John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, the civil rights movement, and Rosa Parks, to Vietnam, equal rights for woman, and sadly even 9 – 11. We huddled as a family around the TV set watching everything from the birth of “Little Ricky” on the I Love Lucy show, to the funeral of Robert F. Kennedy.
So here I sit sandwiched somewhere in between the Greatest Generation of all, and the new Millennials. Honestly I really could not think of a better place to be.
