Several recently published books have hypothesized that one of the key reasons certain Middle East nations have not kept up with the West in technology, manufacturing, and scientific progress is that one of the key sources of advances in those areas is women…and a woman’s role in those counties is definitely not in the workplace. Could not the same be said in our own nation relative to age? We all know America is aging. In 1900, the average life expectancy in the United States was 49; it is now 77.9 and continues to increase. The 78 million post-World-War-II generation of baby boomers is becoming eligible for Social Security. Today they’re not worrying about their parents’ Social Security and Medicare – they’re worrying about it for themselves. According to the latest census, by 2030, 20 percent of all Americans will be in the 65-plus age group. If there is any society that worships at Ponce de Leon’s fanciful Fountain of Youth, it is Southern California’s business community…with the business of entertainment at the head of the class. Ageism in Hollywood (a catchword for “The Industry,” which is really headquartered in Our Valley), is not a new thing. But sadly, business in general is just learning that “70 is the new 50.” Some examples If asked the toughest job in the world in the 20th century, many would respond that it would be serving as the head of a country threatened with being overrun by a seemingly-unstoppable enemy. Yet that was the job that Winston Churchill took on, becoming the roar of the British Lion that fought on against the Germans single-handedly until Pearl Harbor brought us to his side. And yet, Churchill was 65 as he became England’s Prime Minister on May 10, 1940. Closer to home, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger’s latest book, On China, has just been published, and he’s 87. One might respectfully suggest to the Roman Catholic Church that it’s time to revisit its Pope Paul VI-mandated retirement age of 75 for bishops and archbishops and 70 for priests. Of course, Pope Paul didn’t have to worry – like all of those holding that position, it’s a lifetime appointment. Of the three branches of the U.S. government, the Judiciary undoubtedly skews the oldest, and some would say the wisest. Just a few of the current Justices (and their ages): Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 75; Antonin Scalia, 72; and Anthony Kennedy, 71. When she retired in 2006, Sandra Day O’Connor was 75; William Rehnquist was 80 when he stepped down, and William Douglas, was 77. The oldest Justice in history, Oliver Wendell Holmes, served on the Court until he was 90. It’s not as if this is a new topic. Way back on October 10, 1977, Time magazine’s cover story was entitled “Revolt of the Old: The Battle Over Forced Retirement.” Studying retirement Just a year later, in 1978, The Federal Reserve Bank of New York Quarterly Review, in a thoughtful and fact-laden review of retirement, pointed out that “…raising the age of mandatory retirement to seventy is an effective way to lessen the burden on future generations of supporting retired workers, since those who prolong their careers would continue to pay Social Security taxes without drawing either Social Security or other pension benefits.” But perhaps what ageism robs us of even more than the issue of revenue versus costs in the Social Security program is the lost knowledge, experience, judgment, loyalty, and insights of the older worker. There is a time – usually between 65 and 80 – when all of those attributes are overtaken by age-induced infirmity…but only in some, and shouldn’t society take advantage of what all the rest have to contribute to business, to our culture, and to our way of life? Has anyone been calling for Bert Boeckmann’s retirement from Galpin Motors and public life because he is 80 years young; is there a nascent recall movement afoot in the Economic Alliance because Chairman David Fleming has passed the three-quarters-of-a-century mark? I think not. I just came back from a vacation in Southeast Asia; it was all I could do to keep up with my friend Michael Silbert, who passed his eighth decade a few years ago, and climbed the steps of temples and monasteries with a speed and agility that belied his age. The two best assistants I’ve had have been Fran Poncher and Terry Stevens, both mothers of grown children. And while I hasten to point out that both have years to go before retiring, they brought with them the experience in the business world that no fresh-faced youth could provide. Fair warning to all those honored by the SFVBJ as being among the Forty Under Forty, the Thirty Under Thirty, or the potential honorees of the so-far-fictional Twenty Under Twenty: I may enjoy smelling the roses, but I’m not ready to be put out to pasture. Of course, the topic may be of interest as I approach a birthday ending in a zero. Old age is fifteen years older than I am. – Oliver Wendell Holmes Martin Cooper, President of Cooper Communications, Inc., is Immediate Past President of the Los Angeles Quality and Productivity Commission; Founding President of The Executives; Vice Chairman of the Boys & Girls Club of the West Valley; and a member of the Boards of the Valley Economic Alliance and of the LAPD’s West Valley Jeopardy Program. He is Past Chairman of VICA and Chairman of its Board of Governors; Past President of the Public Relations Society of America-Los Angeles Chapter; and of the Encino Chamber of Commerce. He is the 2010 recipient of VICA’s Harmon Ballin Community Service Award. He can be reached at [email protected].
