A Letter From the Publisher

By Richard B. Thomas

This week's cover stories mark a turning point in the life of a singular generation. The rebellious kids of the '60s who stoutly declared they would "never trust anyone over 30" are themselves now turning 40. Contemplating this occasion, TIME's own aging Baby Boomers and their elders thought it provided a unique opportunity to reflect not only on the idiosyncrasies of a generation but on the many changes and tensions over the past several decades of American life. (

The main architects of the cover stories admit that they saw themselves all too often in much of the reporting that poured in from around the country. Senior Editor Robert T. Zintl, 38, conceived the idea of commemorating the 40th birthday of the first wave of Baby Boomers, enabling TIME staffers to pull together the disparate elements of the Baby Boom experience, from Hula- Hoops to the Viet Nam War, from jogging to two-income families. Says Zintl: "To me, the central issue was how these 'aging children,' as Songwriter Joni Mitchell once called us, would at last face the responsibilities of being adults." The father of two teenage girls, he adds, "I sometimes suspect that we may wind up as millions of ill-tempered senior citizens, complaining about our children and snarling, 'Don't trust anyone under 70.' " Associate Editor Evan Thomas, 35, who wrote the main stories with the assistance of Reporter-Researcher Jeannie Park, 24, has firsthand knowledge of adult life as a Baby Boomer. "My own experience isn't different from that of those I wrote about," says Thomas. "My wife, who's a lawyer, and I had our first child at 30. We are both struggling to manage full-time careers, rear our two daughters, who are toddlers, and see each other. It's rewarding, but it's hard to have it all."

Though Baby Boomers are as diverse as members of any other generation, especially because theirs ranges in age from 40 down to 22, Thomas believes there are strong ties that bind, chiefly rock 'n' roll and the changing role of women. Says he: "My first editor at TIME was a woman. Before that, my boss on the Harvard Crimson was a woman. At law school, one-third of my class was female. In fact, I met my wife in civil-procedure class." Had he belonged to the older generation, Thomas might have really believed that, as Rocker Cyndi Lauper says, "Girls just want to have fun."