The Slice: It’s the same old story

Last Saturday, The Slice asked readers when they consider someone to be elderly.

Here are just a few of the responses.

“Anyone born the year before me, or earlier,” wrote Bill Hudson, who was born in 1942.

“Elderly starts at no less than 74,” wrote Peter Yocom. “Next year, elderly will start at no less than 75, and the following year no less than 76. See where this is going?”

“When I was past 20, elderly was past 40,” wrote Nancy Hartley. “Now that I am past 70, elderly is past 90.”

“I think it depends on the person,” wrote Ruth Paulovic.

“Reading Saturday’s column, I calculate that you were born in 1955, the same year as my late husband, Phil,” wrote Peggy Arendt. “Notice I say ‘late’ … that’s the alternative to being elderly.”

“The age at which one becomes elderly is any age at which one stops seeing oneself as a teenager,” wrote Linda Carroll.

“I’m 80, but not elderly yet,” wrote Tom Crandall. “Not sure when I will be.”

“I have long believed you are as old as you think you are,” wrote Ken Stout.

“I am only 84 so I am not yet qualified to answer that,” wrote Jack Thompson.

“I prefer to be called vintage,” wrote Selma Hair. “I’m 81 and I am old but not elderly.”

“My definition of elderly is anyone who is 20 years older than me at any time,” wrote Connie Jensen.

“As a youthful 61-year-old, I guess I would always define as elderly someone who is at least one year older than me,” wrote David Townsend. (I had noted last Saturday that I am 62.)

“The older I get, the older someone who is elderly gets,” wrote Cheryl Everard.

“Since I recently turned 71, I would think that 90 is elderly,” wrote Marilyn Summers. “It’s just a matter of how you feel.”

“Since I can see the whites of 65’s eyes, elderly is starting older and older,” wrote Susan Johnson.

“In response to your question, elderly people are at least 10-15 years older than you,” wrote Joe Flatter. “As I am only 53, you would not be ‘elderly’ to me.”

“My dad always defined elderly as 10 years older than his current age,” wrote Karen Cecil. “Therefore when he died at almost 80 he was never elderly.”

“I always said elderly was 10 years older than I am now,” wrote Alice Penna. “At 88, I am not so sure.”

Today’s Slice question: Why does your favorite T-shirt have that status?

Write The Slice at P. O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; email pault@spokesman.com. This week at Expo ’74: The Carpenters and Chicago.