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After World War II, soldiers returned to the good ol’ US of A—and to Maine—determined to settle down and build a family. Oh boy, did they build families. Over 76 million American babies were born after World War II. So many births that this period of time has been dubbed . . . the baby boom. According to the last census, people born between 1946 and 1964, aka baby boomers, included 38,503,000 women and 38,038,000 men. That’s a lot of dirty diapers.
Baby boomers came of age under the influence of the Civil Rights Movement, political assassinations, rock ’n’ roll, women’s liberation, the drug culture, the war in Vietnam, profound economic prosperity, and Watergate. Here in Maine, boomers watched Senator Ed Muskie sponsor the clean air act, were inspired when Margaret Chase Smith’s name was placed in nomination for the U.S. presidency, and experienced the election of Maine’s first independent governor.
With encouragement from political figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy, as well as celebrities such as Bob Dylan and the Beatles, boomers expanded their horizons and paved the way for social, political, sexual, and spiritual change. In fact, they’re responsible for making many major changes to the national culture, changes we take for granted today. One of their sociological contributions was the expansion of individual freedom.
But before they were able to “change the world,” or even “do their own thing,” they first had to graduate from high school.
After World War II, soldiers returned to the good ol’ US of A—and to Maine—determined to settle down and build a family. Oh boy, did they build families. Over 76 million American babies were born after World War II. So many births that this period of time has been dubbed . . . the baby boom. According to the last census, people born between 1946 and 1964, aka baby boomers, included 38,503,000 women and 38,038,000 men. That’s a lot of dirty diapers.
Baby boomers came of age under the influence of the Civil Rights Movement, political assassinations, rock ’n’ roll, women’s liberation, the drug culture, the war in Vietnam, profound economic prosperity, and Watergate. Here in Maine, boomers watched Senator Ed Muskie sponsor the clean air act, were inspired when Margaret Chase Smith’s name was placed in nomination for the U.S. presidency, and experienced the election of Maine’s first independent governor.
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With encouragement from political figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy, as well as celebrities such as Bob Dylan and the Beatles, boomers expanded their horizons and paved the way for social, political, sexual, and spiritual change. In fact, they’re responsible for making many major changes to the national culture, changes we take for granted today. One of their sociological contributions was the expansion of individual freedom.
But before they were able to “change the world,” or even “do their own thing,” they first had to graduate from high school.
The Boomers Speak Out
Karen Baldacci, Maine’s first lady
On her parents’ generation vs. boomers:I think many of the women I knew from my generation had more choices than their parents, sought higher education, and pursued careers. Still, “mommy guilt” makes me question whether I should work part-time or full-time. Sure, I know about feminism, but there’s always the balance between staying at home and taking care of your family or having a career.
On the younger generation:
My concern is the work ethic. We spoil our kids. I worry that we’re not establishing proper values or the importance of working hard to get ahead in life.
On being a boomer:
It was an exciting time, growing up as a child in the ‘60s and ‘70s. It was a time of conscious awareness. A time of empowerment for women. There were also struggles—struggles amongst ourselves and, of course, struggles with raising a family.
Bob Hastings, Rockland-Thomaston chamber director
On his parents’ generation vs. boomers:We see ourselves as younger than our parents did at the same age. There’s not much interest in shuffleboard or group bus tours. We don’t do that. I can remember the sounds of Glenn Miller and Lawrence Welk floating around the house when I was a kid. Around our house today, it’s Herbie Hancock and Shemekia Copeland.
On the younger generation:
I don’t like the rap music and complain about it just about the way my father complained about the sound of the Stones pouring out of my bedroom.
On being a boomer:
I’ve spent most of my adult life in marketing. For years I’ve said, “Follow the boomers, follow the bucks.” It still holds true. The boomers control most of the economy—still.
Tess Gerritsen, novelist
On her parents’ generation vs. boomers:Our generation values self-fulfillment and the pursuit of pleasure a lot more than my parents ever did. My strongest memories of my father have to do with his self-sacrifice and his work ethic. He’d leave at 6 a.m. to go to work, and wouldn’t come home until midnight. While I think of myself as a hard worker, it’s nothing in comparison to what my father used to do.
On the younger generation:
I find a lot of the younger generation today strangely lacking in curiosity. I’ve been in several college classrooms, both as an observer and as a teacher, and I’m astonished by how few questions the students asked, as well as how disinterested they were in whatever topic was being taught. And these were college students. The most voraciously inquisitive students I’ve ever taught have been my fellow baby boomers.
On being a boomer:
While my generation might be described as demanding and self-absorbed, I also think we have great energy and passion and a desire to engage in the world, both politically and culturally. When I look at protest marches today, I don’t see many young people. Instead, what I see are aging baby boomers—once again on the front lines of social change. Which makes me proud to be part of this generation.
David Mallett, singer/songwriter
On his parents’ generation vs. boomers: They were much closer to the land, more rooted. We are more evolved in some ways and more aware of all things global and historical.
Our parents were also tougher in many ways, more capable in their survival skills and patient with the world and the elements around them. So much significant history has taken place in this past century, politically, culturally, scientifically, we are overloaded. Ours seems to be the generation of accumulated knowledge. We are smarter, as a whole, in the world of manmade things, but dumber in the world of natural rhythms. The old men in my neighborhood would predict the weather with the aches in their own bodies, or the behavior of the birds.
On the younger generation:
This generation is more evolved than us in the same direction, forward, more advanced culturally, technologically—yet further from the field. They are preparing for the new century, whereas we tend to look back a lot.
On being a boomer:
I don’t think about it much. So much has happened in my lifetime, from 78 rpms to iPods. It’s been like, from zero to 60.
Richard Greene, mayor of Bangor
On his parents’ generation vs. boomers: I grew up in a time when one of two parents worked outside the home. Contrast that with today, when frequently, both parents work outside the home, by choice or due to economic reasons.
On the younger generation:
Families are just not as close as they used to be, either due to stress in the workplace, or the pressure of having too much to do and not enough time to do it.
On being a boomer:
Having lived here all my life, I’ve noticed a growing trend throughout all of Maine—”pride of ownership.” The houses with multiple, non-working vehicles piled up on the lawn I remember from my youth have been replaced by rows of well-cared-for homes. You can feel the energy in the air. Now, the only thing we lack is density of population. Once we’ve accomplished that, we’re going to take off like a rocket!
Jean Hay Bright, writer/farmer/political activist
On her parents’ generation vs. boomers:We grew up in a time when our parents made sacrifices so we could better ourselves, become more affluent, more educated.
On the younger generation:
David has two daughters from a previous marriage and I have a daughter and a son from a previous marriage. They are all socially conscious and high achievers. They’ve picked up our values and our politics. However, we do have friends whose children did not follow the same path.
On being a boomer:
I was a homestead hippie in the ‘70s. Helen and Scott Nearing, co-authors of The Good Life, were my neighbors. I’ve found that, especially in this area, there are quite a few baby boomer homesteaders who know how to live without electricity, grow their own food, and promote environmental solutions. They’re also more politically active. In this late age, I still bump into old acquaintances at antiwar rallies.
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The Impact of Television
Boomers were the first generation raised on television. Through the electrifying power of the cathode ray tube, every man, woman, and child in America got a birds-eye view of history. Boomers witnessed social change through prime-time situation comedies, as the idealized fantasies of Father Knows Best evolved into the gritty reality of All in the Family. Boomers saw working woman Mary Tyler Moore survive in a man’s world. Boomers saw four moptops take the stage on The Ed Sullivan Show without realizing the enormous effect they would eventually have on youth culture. Boomers also saw their parents’ worlds melt away as a new sense of youthful empowerment took hold in shows like Laugh-In, The Smothers Brother Comedy Hour, and, eventually, Saturday Night Live. On the national news, boomers not only witnessed, but experienced in vivid technicolor detail, the assassinations of three beloved political figures, the horrors of the Vietnam war, and the tragedy known simply as Watergate. Today, the Internet is known as the information highway, and opinion, news, music, humor, and everything else can be discovered with the click of a mouse. But back in the day, boomers were both educated, informed, andentertained by four channels of broadcast television.Boomin' Maine Bands
The breakup of the Fab Four left a void in the baby boom’s musical landscape. There were also quite a few much-loved local bands right here in Maine who disappeared, but are not forgotten. At least not by former guitar slinger turned Bangor Metro publisher Mark Wellman. Here’s a memory list of metro area bands who have since disbanded, but, in their heyday, rocked the pine tree state.Alison Ames & The Flames • Autumn • Bad Habit • Blue Destiny • Bobby Scoville and the Intruders • Bodyworks • Cherry Opera • Clean Slate • Colorado • Colored Rain • Custer’s Last Band • Electric Renaissance • Empress • Gale Miller and the Good Old Boys • Hokum • Honest John • Jerry Pierce • Odyssey • Paragon • Picture and the Frames • Randy Hawkes and the Overtones • St. Elmo’s Fire • Sierra • Solid Gold • Star Song • The Barracudas • The Blues Alliance • The Chancellors • The Dalton Gang • The Destroyers • The Dolphins • The Eccentrics • The Ferraris • The Fifth Gate • The Five Dimensions • The Jesters • The Jimmy Libbey Band • The Lincoln Troubadours • The Mainiacs • The Nickel Bag • The Other Side • The Shields Brothers • The Telstars • The Torquays • The Triumphs • The Vagabonds • The Variations • The Velvet Hammer • The Vestmen • The Village Green • The Volcanoes • TJ and the Ramblers • Windsong • Zoo Dirt
Have more names to add? Email the former rock god at publisher@bangor metro.com.
Better Living Through Chemistry
The Pill, when it was introduced in the ‘60s, quickly became the most popular and certainly the most effective method of birth control available. It not only gave women control over reproduction, it also started a sexual revolution. Of course, there was debate about the moral and health consequences of premarital sex and promiscuity, but the social impact of the Pill on traditional gender roles could not be denied. Women would never again have to choose between a relationship and a career. Eventually the Pill’s recreational usage would bring on the need for enhanced sexual performance in men. Enter Viagra.Eyewitness to Boomer History
One of our region’s most famous boomers, artist Jamie Wyeth, has been there, done that. The following are just a few of Wyeth’s bumps with destiny:• 1966—20-year-old Jamie Wyeth is inspired to paint the famous JFK portrait, Man From Boston by viewing hours of videotape of the late president. In the next several years, Wyeth paints portraits of then-actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev, and president-elect Jimmy Carter.
• Late 1960s—Wyeth takes part in Eyewitness to Space, jointly sponsored by NASA and the National Gallery of Art. While he never left Earth’s atmosphere, he did witness both the launchings and splashdowns of U.S. space probes.
• 1974—Jamie Wyeth sketches the nail-biting Watergate testimonies as they were delivered in the Senate and Supreme Court.
• 1976—Legendary pop art icon Andy Warhol trades portraits with our Mr. Wyeth. Warhol, a notorious eccentric, had these words of praise for his new pal, “I think he’s peculiar . . . maybe even more peculiar than I am.”
After all that heavy-duty 20th-century boomer reality, Wyeth has since made himself into what he calls an “affable hermit,” living in a lighthouse on Southern Island. But, oh, the things he has seen . . .
The Future
They say that due to medical advancements, boomers are living longer. And since more and more boomers are exercising and eating healthy, they also say that 60 is the new 40. Perhaps one day, if science continues to make great strides, boomers will be able to live long after their current expiration date. If that comes to pass, there’ll be plenty of boomers on hand in 2059 at the 100th anniversary of the erection of the Paul Bunyan statue. And maybe they’ll even play in the mud on the 100th anniversary of Woodstock in 2069. Or maybe, in that far-flung future, they’ll show up for their 100th high school reunion at a party held on the moon.Well, maybe not. But who knows? If there’s one thing boomers are known for, it’s dreaming BIG!
