This past week I read some very sad news: as of June 1, MetLife’s Mature Market Institute is no more.
To those not familiar with the reference, Met’s MMI was arguably the premier source of data on trends in aging, and typically the first place many in the senior-services sector turned when searching for reliable – and reliably well-written – information.
Had they simply been good summarizers, MMI’s loss would have been lamentable, as those of us obsessive about accuracy will now have to search farther and longer for our data. But MMI’s information was not just summary; it was original, sometimes humorous, often thought-provoking, and their studies addressed surprisingly varied topics. They managed to present sometimes-sobering data without lapsing into the dismal, and the viewpoints they represented seemed to closely reflect those of the seniors I encounter daily.
MMI, you will be missed. Let us all hope your fine writers and researchers find as good a home elsewhere.
On a lighter note, after reflecting on this loss, a friend and I compiled a list – though nothing as profound as the loss of MMI – of items we forgot to say goodbye to:
Missed by my friend, who grew up in the thirties and forties:
- Paramount Theater in NYC with two live shows a day. He’d cut school for Frank Sinatra and Tommy Dorsey, and see both for $1.50.
- Running boards on cars.
- Pasteurized, but not homogenized, milk. It was delivered to your back door in bottles and the cream would rise to the top.
- Exploding Bakelite, replaced by melamine.
- Really thick ice cream, made with whole milk and cream.
- Primary schools (K-12) set aside one day a week as “bank day”; children were given a bank book and encouraged to bring to school whatever the family could afford to give (his was a nickel). The teacher would log the deposit in bank books, then take the proceeds to the school’s bank, where it was held.
- Iodine for cuts.
I grew up in the ‘70’s so my list was different:
- The Encyclopedia Britannica. I now use mine as a decorative element…and do I admit some of its beautiful renderings have ended up framed on my wall?
- Looking up movie times in the paper.
- Looking up movie theaters in the Yellow Pages.
- Looking up movie theaters’ locations on the accursed fold-up, flip-over, oh-crum-this-is-the-wrong-one, pain-in-the-neck map.
- Glass shampoo bottles.
- Woodburning kits with 8-inch cords…because that’s where drapes were best accessed.
- Iodine – added to baby lotion for extra-dark tans.
Give me a call or shoot me a line – I’d love to hear what you forgot to say goodbye to.
Laurie Denker MacNaughton
Laurie Denker MacNaughton [NMLS# 506562] ∙ Reverse Mortgage Consultant, President’s Club ∙ Middleburg Mortgage, a Division of Middleburg Bank ∙ 20937 Ashburn Road ∙ Ashburn, VA 20147 ∙ 703-477-1183 Direct ∙ LMacNaughton@MiddleburgBank.com ∙
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