These days, it seems Americans have a collective fascination with those who, for whatever reason(s), have achieved renown. The preponderance of glossy, celebrity-themed magazines at grocery store checkout counters confirms this, as do the all-too-numerous 24-hour cable television channels devoted solely to the doings of the rich and famous.
Another odd national fixation: a preoccupation with round numbers. Last year’s 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s assassination brought forth a spate of JFK-related books, films and memorabilia. Similarly, the 50th anniversary of the famous “I have a Dream” speech, which occurred three months prior to President Kennedy’s untimely demise, put Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. back in the news cycle. This year marked the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I, although that was less widely observed on this side of the Atlantic, perhaps due to the lack of any surviving veterans of that conflict who might have bought commemorative t-shirts and similar “War to end all wars” merchandise.
But nothing marries America’s twin obsessions better than celebrating a noted individual’s birthday when the person in question has just completed another decade of life. That’s why it was worth noting earlier this month that former commander-in-chief Jimmy Carter turned 90 years old, meaning that for just the second time in United States history, the country has two nonagenarian ex-presidents alive at the same time.
The first such era didn’t last long. Gerald Ford turned 90 on July 14, 2003, joining Ronald Reagan in the exclusive “living ex-presidents over 90” club, but its roster was reduced by half when Reagan succumbed on June 5, 2004, and the membership dipped to zero when Ford died on Dec. 26, 2006. But happily, it climbed back to one when George H.W. Bush celebrated his 90th birthday ”“ with a parachute jump, no less! ”“ four months ago.
On the surface it’s not surprising former White House residents reach ripe old ages. They’ve got access to the best medical care the developed world has to offer, and thanks to a generous severance package, it’s free. Think how long the average citizen would live if he or she got regular checkups from the finest doctors available, not to mention round-the-clock protection from harm from highly-trained secret service officers.
But even given the above-mentioned post-presidential amenities, it’s striking that in the first 224-plus years of the United States, only two of America’s first 36 former leaders, John Adams and Herbert Hoover, lived as long as 90 years. However, since Feb. 6, 2001, no fewer than four ex-presidents have marked the start of a tenth decade. And that number may grow. Bill Clinton and George W. Bush are both still looking reasonably chipper, and Barack Obama is a mere 27 months away from beginning a post-presidential life likely to be significantly less stressful than his current one. Today’s fun fact: Since Richard Nixon’s death in 1994, no former American president has died before reaching the age of 90!
It’s not just ex-presidents who are living longer. When the 20th century began, the average American could expect to live 47.3 years. Only one-half of 1 percent of the United States population was over the age of 80. Infectious maladies like tuberculosis and polio were instrumental in shortening the average American’s lifespan, and since life expectancy was so much shorter back then, conditions like osteoporosis and Alzheimer’s weren’t even classified as diseases. But today, 3.6 percent of America’s population is 80 or older.
Singers Diana Ross and Gladys Knight turned 70 this year. So did former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, filmmaker George Lucas, political activist Angela Davis, basketball star Rick Barry and baseball Hall-of-Famer Tony LaRussa. Americans of renown who turned 80 in 2014 include Gloria Steinem, Ralph Nader, Hank Aaron, Bill Russell, Shirley MacLaine and Bart Starr, and later this week automobile executive Lee Iacocca will join former presidents Bush and Carter in turning 90.
But nothing is guaranteed. The list of famous Americans who could have celebrated a birthday ending with a zero this year but didn’t is a lengthy one. Bonnie Franklin, Joe Frazier, Paul Wellstone, Barry White and Hamilton Jordan all failed to reach 70 this year. Roberto Clemente, Norman Schwarzkopf, Charles Kuralt, Carl Sagan and Bill Bixby, all born in 1934, didn’t turn 80 in 2014, and 1924 natives Marlon Brando, Ed Koch, Rod Serling, Truman Capote and Lauren Bacall didn’t live to see 90, although Bacall missed it by a mere 35 days.
So what’s the most prudent course of action for those wishing to live nine decades or more? The answer is as simple as it is clear: Arrange to get elected president!
— Andy Young lives in Cumberland and is an educator in York County.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
