Taking the Pulse of the Class of 1971 at Our 45Th Reunion Forty-Fifth. A
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Taking the pulse of the Class of 1971 at our 45th Reunion Forty-fifth. A propitious number, or so says Affinity Numerology, a website devoted to the mystical meaning and symbolism of numbers. Here’s what it says about 45: 45 contains reliability, patience, focus on building a foundation for the future, and wit. 45 is worldly and sophisticated. It has a philanthropic focus on humankind. It is generous and benevolent and has a deep concern for humanity. Along that line, 45 supports charities dedicated to the benefit of humankind. As we march past Nassau Hall for the 45th time in the parade of alumni, and inch toward our 50th, we can at least hope that we live up to some of these extravagant attributes. (Of course, Affinity Numerology doesn’t attract customers by telling them what losers they are. Sixty-seven, the year we began college and the age most of us turn this year, is equally propitious: Highly focused on creating or maintaining a secure foundation for the family. It's conscientious, pragmatic, and idealistic.) But we don’t have to rely on shamans to tell us who we are. Roughly 200 responded to the long, whimsical survey that Art Lowenstein and Chris Connell (with much help from Alan Usas) prepared for our virtual Reunions Yearbook. Here’s an interpretive look at the results. Most questions were multiple-choice, but some left room for greater expression, albeit anonymously. First the percentages. Wedded Bliss Two-thirds of us went to the altar just once and five percent never married. A quarter of us have made return trips, which Samuel Johnson once called “the triump of hope over experience.” Eighteen percent are married for a second time and six percent on marriage No. 3 or more. Five percent are widowed. Five percent are divorced. Three percent have a same-sex spouse or partner. A sole respondent regrets getting married. Progeny Most have one (11 percent) or two kids (42 percent) Almost 20 percent have no kids. Almost a quarter have three or four kids. One person—presumable not the one who wishes he/she had never married—has five kids. On average we have 1.9 kids, which is also the U.S. average. One in seven has stepchildren. Five-sixths of all our children are four-year college graduates. Almost two-thirds have graduate or professional degrees. But their parents were no slouches. More than half of us have professional degrees, 40 percent master’s degrees and 15 percent Ph.Ds. More than half are still waiting for their first grandchild (52 percent). The lucky ones have 1.5 grandchildren on average. The survey turned up only one great-grandparent, who has two. Nine percent of us parents have children age 15 or younger. Ten percent have kids 25 or older living at home, including one classmate with three still in the nest. How often do we see our children? Daily 15 percent Weekly 29 percent Monthly 36 percent Yearly 16 percent Never 5 percent Thirty percent of us have children who went to or were admitted to Princeton. Thirty-two percent have kids who were turned down. The workaday world Here’s how we put bread on the table. Ten percent served in the military. Almost half worked for a small business or professional firm. Seventeen percent became academics. Sixteen percent toiled for a Fortune 500 company. Twelve percent worked for local, state or federal government and nine percent were in the non-profit world. More than a quarter worked mostly for themselves. A third mostly drew a paycheck. Five percent worked mostly abroad. Two percent worked for their family-owned business. Twenty-two percent supervised five or fewer employees. 2 More than half (51 percent) supervised 21-250. One-sixth had more than 250 workers. Two classmates ran businesses with 10,000+ employees. On and off the treadmill Only 31 percent of us are retired. Forty-six percent work full-time. Twenty-two percent work part-time. Three people (1.5 percent) are unemployed. Fifteen percent of those working say they do not plan on retiring ever. Twenty percent will retire when they can no longer do the job. The rest plan to retire or semi-retire within a year (7 percent), four years (35 percent) or five years or longer (24 percent). One classmate retired at age 40 and another at 47. A small bunch retired in their 50s. Eighty-six percent of the retirees are happy they stepped off the treadmill. The rest (14 percent) are ambivalent. Nobody’s out and out sorry they took retirement. In the arena and the voting booth Just 6 percent of us ever ran for office at any level. Most won local races, but lost at the state or national level. Almost one in five have held appointed government position, a quarter at the national level. Politically, the apples have fallen to the left of the tree. By our reckoning, 55 percent of our parents were Republicans, 42 percent Democrats and 1 percent socialists or communists. Us? Fifty-three percent Democrats, 22 percent independents and 21 percent Republican. We also have one person in each of these five categories: Liberal, Libertarian, Apolitical, Anarchist and Canadian (sic). Eighteen percent consider ourselves somewhat or very conservative, 32 percent moderate, and 43 percent somewhat or very liberal. Two people are radical, two apolitical and four something else. One person (0.5 percent) is a Tea Party member. Notwithstanding coming of age in the turbulent ‘60s, most think our political views have not budged (54 percent). The rest say they have moved to the right (24 percent) or left (23 percent). 3 We voted 2-to-1 or 3-to-1 for the Democratic presidential candidates in every presidential election since 1992. Mitt Romney got 23 percent of our votes in 2012. Five percent of us voted for Ross Perot in 1992 and 1996 and three percent pulled the lever for Ralph Nader in 2000. The Gipper got only 31 percent of our votes in 1980 and 38 percent four years later. Back in 1972 George McGovern was swamped in Richard Nixon’s re-election landslide, but he garnered 78 percent of the Class of 1971’s votes. And how, you ask, are we feeling in this tumultuous election year? The Donald? Feeling the Bern? With Hill, come hell or high water? We don’t know; alas, we didn’t pose that question. Filthy lucre and such One dollar today buys what cost 17 cents in 1971 (which means our $2,800 tuition that year is the equivalent of $16,541 today. The actual 2015-2016 tuition is nearly three times that amount ($45,320). So it doesn’t mean as much to be a millionaire today as it did when “The Millionaire” rules the airwaves. Nonetheless, most of us (77 percent) are millionaires. Forty-six percent have a net worth between $1 million and $5 million, 18 percent are between $5 million and $10 million, and almost 13 percent possess more than $10 million. No wonder we get so many appeals from Annual Giving. But 54 percent of us are still paying off large mortgages. Three-quarters owe more than $100,000 and one in eight owes $500,000 or more. Two-thirds donate more than $2,500 a year to charity. A third give more than $10,000, including 6 percent who give $50,000 to $100,000, and five percent who give more than $100,000 annually. Most people (69 percent) own the house they live in. Ten percent are renters. Forty-three percent own two or more homes. Almost two in five live in the suburbs, a quarter in big cities, two of five in small or medium-sized cities and 9 percent in the country. Four percent live outside the U.S. Fewer than three percent dwell in retirement communities. Most of us (63 percent) changed careers at least once. A quarter changed careers three times or more. 4 Most of the retirees stayed put after getting their golden watch. Among those that moved, 44 percent sought a sunnier, warmer climate. Many sought to be near water, mountains, or their children. We asked how many countries classmates have visited, but didn’t calculate percentages or averages. One person claimed 96. Nearly nine in 10 have travelled abroad for business or pleasure in the past three years. We’ve had eight previous major Reunions. Eighty percent of those who filled out the survey attended the 25th and 72 percent the 40th. Which Reunion was the best? Here’s what they said. • “25th Reunion: 16 live music acts, including Smokey Robinson, record setting Class of 1971 attendance, the first fireworks display, zero rain for the entire weekend, the coincident 250th Princeton celebration, and great food. What's not to like?” • “40th. Age increases the appreciation.” • “They're all great. I love the P-Rade.” • “The 35th or 40th. We were all kind of finished with our careers and comfortable in our approaching old age.” • “10th. Still single and had a wild time.” • “Each seems to be better than the last.” • “25th. I got the ugliest sport coat I've ever owned, but I only wear it every 5 years like a short lived cicada.” • “25th because all of my roommates also attended.” • “25th, drove across country in my old VW camper and stayed at the boathouse parking lot. Many friends not seen for years.” • “10th—still married, went with wife and had fun.” • “The 25th or 40th. My parents were still alive and I was newly married at the 25th.