Class of ’70 35thReunion
2005 Survey Report
Class of 1970 35thReunion
2005 Survey Report
by Rob Duboff
This year, for our 35th reunion, the positive response trend continued. There were more questionnaires completed – 135 – than ever before. Perhaps the bonds of that similar experience, now so many years ago, loom important to ever more of us as we age. For one-in-five, it was their first time responding; 7% were unsure if they had before.
The vast majority feel “very” (77%) or “pretty” (20%) proud of having attended Amherst. Only 4 (3%) are not too proud and 2 of them were stridently negative.
It appears that the impact of the school is particularly related to the impact on careers (as 91% deemed it “helpful” or an “indispensable foundation.”). Friendships are less widespread in their influence as a bare majority said that college friends are “still important” in their life today and only one-in-four had made new friends from our class since graduating.
About 1 in 6 (16%) have kept in close touch with the school through having a child attend.
Reflecting on the two major changes since 1970 at Amherst, virtually everyone favors co-education, while the end of fraternities is a closer call with 58% supporting and 34% opposing. Of the respondents to this year’s survey, 79% were frat men.
In terms of our lives today, the vast majority (85%) are still working full-time while 3% of us have retired (one from disability). Fortunately, most of us have either “thoroughly” (35%) or “mostly enjoyed” our career. (Only 6% are not content, all in law or business.)
Projecting ahead, though, only one-third said they will still be working past the traditional 65-year old retirement age. Interestingly, about one in five said they will change jobs before retirement.
Looking backward, only about one in five would choose a different career. At the same time, almost half feel there has been “too much work” in their life, though as many feel it’s been “about right.”
The vast majority (83%) went to graduate school – a masters was most prevalent (36% of the respondents), then law (22%) and medicine (17%).
This training (and Amherst) resulted in four primary career areas: business (21%), teaching (17%), law (16%) and medicine (14%). This career path taken “surprised” a large plurality (40%), perhaps the downside, or upside, of the liberal arts experience.
As for other aspects of life, our reported politics have shifted contrary to expectations. As people age, they typically become more conservative. We seem to have become more liberal as 60% of us chose that description today, while only 47% put that label on their freshman year orientation.
Our voting is consistent with that as 76% supported Kerry in 2004 and 64% backed Gore in 2000.
None of us regret our 2004 vote and 7% regret the 2000 vote (split between Bush and Gore voters). Two classmates noted regretting the candidates, not the vote.
The rest of our profile shows a group disproportionately married (81%). Two-thirds have been married once; 11% have never been married (a few of whom are gay), and one of us has been married 4 or more times, and divorced as many.
Most of us (80%) have biological children and about half of these have the children still at home. (A few brave souls report they will have children in the next 10 years.)
Like others, we tend to feel younger than we are. Only one-third of us acknowledge feeling 50 or older and one-in-five (particularly those who are single now) describe feeling under 40. A few sagely noted the distinction between the physical and mental realms.
Where we differ most from other groups is in the experience of living abroad – as 42% have done so.
In terms of life summary, the news is pretty good. Fully half of us picked the top of the 5-point scale of satisfaction – on “life overall…so far.” More than one-third (37%) picked the next level.
Satisfaction on 9 specific aspects of life was also positive – ranging from most to least:
- Loved by others (49% at top level)
- Respected by others (40% at top level)
- Physically healthy (40% at top level)
- Happy (37% at top level)
- Engaged with the world (35% at top level)
- Fulfilled (27% at top level)
- Financially secure (25% at top level)
- Spiritually connected (24%)
- Intellectually at full potential (19%)
On the latter question, about half (47%) were at the next level, but it still suggests more concern about our current brain power than about our abilities to attract positive feelings from others.
Looking at the future, there were a variety of perspectives volunteered as to what we are “really looking forward to.” Beyond this reunion, the most prevalent comments were about retirement, travel, time with spouse, enjoyed grandkids or children, more spiritual advancement and looking forward to a post-Bush era.
Over one-third said they expect to move within the next 10 years (though only one person volunteered looking forward to this as he is “retiring to Las Vegas”).
A few interesting comments:
- “Accepting my career is over.”
- “Live in the moment, not the past.”
The other open-end question asked about a “missed opportunity at Amherst.” Most answers referred to friends (should have been more depth and/or more breadth) or courses (almost always should have been broader). A few wished they had been more serious about academics, while a couple took the opposite tack. Several commented on a desire for more of a social life or simply more sex (with one regret for getting married and one for not trying to marry his high school honey).
Trends
Many of the questions have been asked in the past and most showed little change.
Given our continued chronological aging, it is probably not surprising that this year more of us expect to retire in 10 years than was true 5 years ago (41% vs. 27%) – and fewer are working full-time (85% vs. 92%). However, compared to respondents in 2000, more of us feel 50 or under (67%) than then (57%).
This year’s sample had a greater proportion (11%) of never married respondents, as well as a higher percent of business careers (30%) and self-described liberals (60% vs. 51%), perhaps because of the past four years.
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