Talkin’ ’bout my generation

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On March 13, 2007

Generation Xers’ lack optimism, Baby Boomers seek individual freedom, and members of the Silent Generation were cautious and, well, silent. Stereotypes were made to be broken. The UMR Magazine asked alumni during Homecoming to share thoughts about their generation. Here’s what they said.

  • “I thought there would be no more wars; peace to the world.” – Charles Harman, CE’52
  • “Our greatest addition to society has been the advancement of the communications industry.” – Jimmy Houseman, ChE’60
  • “Guys in my generation were more the geek type — not into business plans or marketing. We just wanted to design the best. We thought we would do great things and go to the moon. We just wanted to get out of school and get a job.” – Robert Heider, EE’66
  • “We were the first generation to break free. We had lots of enthusiasm. Our greatest accomplishments were in technology and the electronic impact on industry and society.” – Henry Brown, CE’68
  • “In 1970 there was a lot of concern about Vietnam. Everyone had friends who graduated and got drafted before their first job. Calculators weren’t allowed in class since most students couldn’t afford them. This was before word processing so typing had to be done without mistakes. I thought I would solve energy crisis and looked at alternative forms of energy like coal gasification. John Denver and Dennis Weaver came to UMR to talk about the environment. UMR was seen as part of the solution.” – Keith Wedge, GGph’70
  • “We’re the end of the baby boomers — a mixed bag of idealism and a dose of reality. Many people were preoccupied with staying out of the military. Some liberals later became conservative upper middle class, but not as steeped in tradition as our predecessors.” – Rich Eimer, EE’71
  • “My generation is focused, unlike today’s generation, which seems apathetic and interested in just getting by. We thought we’d increase environmental awareness, which we’re just now hitting our stride in.” – Petra Dewitt, Hist’96
  • “We put a tourist on the space station, we became a wired society and women achieved management positions in corporate America and prominent positions in politics.” – Lynn Renee Feagan, EMgt’96
  • “My generation is socially and environmentally responsible. We are philanthropic. We seek employment in areas that give to society, like teaching, the non-profit area, etc. We appreciate the economic stability we have and we’re hopeful about the future. We thought we’d make the world a ‘greener’ place.” – Christina Ann “Tina” Steck, EMgt’96
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On March 13, 2007. Posted in Features, Spring 2007