The High School Years

Our subjects were born at a time (1946–1949) of great optimism and enthusiasm in the United States. The allies had beaten back German, Japanese, and Italian attempts at world hegemony. The U.S. in particular emerged from WWII transcendent, its economy, homeland, and population relatively intact. Only the U.S. had nuclear weapons. The boys were home again from war, ready to start families and pursue the American dream. Their young brides were quite cooperative. There was a pent-up demand for goods after years of war-related rationing. Highways that had been built to bolster national defense provided pathways to ever expanding suburbs. The young post-WWII couples set right out growing their families, leading to the start of the storied “baby boom,” of which our subjects were a part. That demographic surge still makes its influence felt as the U.S. braces for this group to begin retiring en mass in the year 2008.