Miami Magazine: Pondering Some Age-Old Questions

Elizabeth McKey

What a drag it is getting old. Remember the irreverent line from the Rolling Stones song?

Chances are, you do. Our records show some 53 percent of you are from the baby boom generation, the period between 1946 and 1964 when nearly 76 million people were born in the United States. If you weren't among the many boomers who bought the Stones' record, you were probably subjected to it. Boomers, today some 29 percent of the U.S. population, have had a huge impact on contemporary life, from buying habits to education, architecture, employment trends, and health care.

In this issue we asked University experts what lies ahead as this sizable segment of the population looks beyond middle age and toward retirement. As you'll read, old age for the boomer generation will not necessarily be the "drag" Mick Jagger sneered about in song, but it does pose some serious questions about our health and well-being in the coming decades.

Perhaps answering some of those questions will be the University of Miami Brain Endowment Bank, which we also cover. One of only three major brain banks in the nation, the University of Miami's bank is conducting research that could one day lead to a cure for diseases and disorders afflicting people of all ages, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and schizophrenia. You might say that's quite a good return on the donors' "investments."

For the University, many things improve with age, namely its relationship with the Cuban community. We have retraced that special friendship, which emerged with the creation of the University in 1926 as a "Pan-American university" and flourishes today with the leadership and support from Cuban-Americans.

Also in this issue, we profile alumnus and defense attorney Roy Black, whose high-profile cases and network television commentary have made him one of the country's most well-known lawyers. From his early days as an assistant public defender to the present, his formula for success has remained the same: exhaustive preparation and brilliant courtroom strategy.

We hope you enjoy these stories. Do write us and let us know what you think about the magazine.