BOOMING AT 50 : AN AMERICAN GENERATION REDEFINES WORK, LIFE AND LEISURE AT THE HALF-CENTURY MARK.

Byline: Carol Bidwell Daily News Staff Writer

The Big 5-0.

This year, 3.8 million of the 76.5 million American baby boomers born between 1946 and 1964 - more than ever before - will turn 50. But unlike their parents and grandparents, baby boomers marking the milestone are more likely to regard it as no big deal.

``Our generation has a new mental attitude,'' said Linda Miller, 51, of North Hollywood.

``We say, `50? Old? Nah. Those are old thoughts.' I think being 50 is wonderful. I think we're becoming a more alert, more wise group of people as time goes by.''

Rather than anticipating the end of their lives, many boomers are reinventing themselves.

``Today, 50 is truly a midpoint, not an endpoint,'' the American Association of Retired Persons declared in its Modern Maturity magazine, after surveying 2,000 seniors 60 and older nationwide.

``Our research shows that people of a certain age view themselves as 10 or 15 years younger than they really are, especially with the boomer generation,'' said AARP spokesman Tom Otwell. ``Our 50 now is not the same 50 as when my folks turned 50.''

The toughest decade

Even with a new attitude, turning 50 can give you pause.

``I think 50 is just one of those milestones,'' said Otwell. ``At 16, you can get your driver's license. At 18, most of us had to register for the draft. At 21, we could vote and drink. Fifty is one of those years when you take stock of yourself, and you're struck with the fact that you may not become president of the United States - or even of your corporation, that what you planned for your life maybe hasn't happened.''

The 2,000 seniors surveyed recently by AARP said their fifth decade was the most turbulent of their lifetimes. Between age 50 and 59, those surveyed reported that 10 percent had retired from their jobs, 11 percent had been forced to make major diet changes because of their health, 10 percent had lost their mothers, 11 percent had had an adult child move back home, 16 percent had gone through menopause, 10 percent had become responsible for the care of an aging parent, 14 percent saw their youngest child move away from home, 10 percent lost their father, and 24 percent became grandparents.

``People between 50 and 59 experience more major life-changing events than in any other decade of life,'' the AARP pollsters concluded.

Add to that gloomy list the attitudes toward aging that your parents, grandparents and great-grandparents faced, and no wonder hitting the half-century mark got such a bad rap.

``It's entirely possible to reach 50 and be a wreck,'' said Dr. Caleb E. Finch, professor of gerontology and director of the Division of Neurobiology at the University of Southern California's Andrus gerontology Center.

``But generally, the 50s are a time when most people are pretty healthy, and they can stay that way if they don't smoke or overeat,'' he said. ``But age brings risk (of illness and disease), and the risk increases with age. The important thing is to know what the risks are for you.''

Growing up a boomer

Biology and social custom probably have a lot to do with the stigma that has plagued that 50-year marker, said Miller, who cares for children at a Studio City health spa while their mothers work out.

``A lot of (boomers' parents) had their children really young,'' she said. ``By the time they were 50, their kids were grown and gone. Women, particularly, I think, felt like they didn't have any more kids so they didn't have any worth.''

While those women were questioning their worth at 50, the children they gave birth to - the baby boomers - would grow up to be one of the most self-assured, independent-thinking generations in our nation's history.

The baby boom began when the soldiers returned from World War II. In 1946, the first full year of peace after five years of war, a whopping 3.4 million children were born in the United States - 600,000 more than in 1945.

Boomers grew up with Ike in the White House, Superman on the tube, roast beef on the Sunday dinner table and a new Ford or Chevy in the driveway. Their parents, Depression babies who knew poverty, had good jobs and showered their kids with the best. They hauled carfuls of boomers to drive-in movies, played baseball with them in the back yard, spent Christmas Eves assembling bicycles. They educated and fed and clothed the boomers better than any generation before had ever been educated and fed and clothed.

The result: Boomers grew up feeling safe and protected, believing they could do anything, thinking that life was great. Then, in January 1996, they began to turn 50. And the times, as the song says, they are a changin'.

Many boomers work two jobs to pay the bills, struggle to keep their kids off drugs, and worry about drive-by shootings and home-invasion robberies. Some have been too busy working to get married and raise their own next generation.

They may yearn for that nostalgic time when moms stayed home, dads worked a single job, every family owned its own home, and, when you got to a certain age, you could afford to retire and spend your time puttering in the yard or driving the Winnebago to Yellowstone. But that version of the golden years has faded.

Instead, boomers turning 50 can look forward to looking younger and living longer than the 50-somethings before them. And they're not about to slow down just because of a birthday.

Fountain of youth 

While previous generations wrinkled early from working in the sun and got gray hair, boomers keep young-looking with face creams and hair dye.

The Wrinkle Report, a cosmetic industry publication that surveyed 1,200 baby boomers, reported this month that 69 percent of boomers say having wrinkles doesn't bother them, but 28 percent say they would do just about anything short of surgery to look younger.

More than 51,000 Americans had liposuction in 1994, up from 47,000 in 1992; the number of chemical peels - a wrinkle-erasing technique - attracted more than 29,000 people in 1994, up 53 percent over 1992, according to the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons.

And 15 to 22 percent of many orthodontists' practices are made up of boomers who bypassed braces as children and want straighter teeth, according to the American Association of Orthodontists.

While preboom 50-year-olds pretty much resigned themselves to the effects of time and gravity, boomers fight both with aerobics and step machines. (The U.S. Census Bureau reports that in 1994, more than one-third of Americans between the ages of 45 and 54 participated in sports, ranging from fishing and cycling to baseball and volleyball; that 34.9 percent bought walking shoes and 33 percent bought golf clubs.)

For Mike Rueff, 51, of Valencia, part-owner of a San Fernando auto dealership, seeing 50 candles on his birthday cake was a loud wake-up call. He realized that he was too fat, too sedentary.

``I've lost 25 pounds since I turned 50,'' Rueff said. ``I started walking on a treadmill or outside six days a week, two to three miles a day. I've lost a couple of inches off my waist, so I'm slimmer, in better shape.''

For many people - such as construction workers, firefighters and police officers - staying healthy also means keeping their jobs, jobs that will provide them with a pension when the work is done.

``When I was a young officer, you would see these old, fat cops; they smoked and ate fat food like doughnuts,'' said California Highway Patrol Officer Dwight McDonald of Valencia, who will turn 51 in May. ``They'd just sit and wait to die. Then people started becoming health-conscious. Cops are saying, `Wait a minute. I don't want to die on the job.' It's not about looking young; they don't want to die.''

The new focus on proper diet, exercise and regular visits to the doctor are reaping benefits for men who are getting older. They experience a more gradual loss of hormone supply and can father children into their 70s and 80s, said USC's Finch. And they can fend off many cancers and heart disease, the No. 1 and 2 causes of death for males between 55 and 64.

While most women go through menopause in their 50s, hormone replacement therapy can keep their skin smooth and their hearts healthy and can help protect against several types of cancers and even Alzheimer's disease, said women's health specialist Dr. Judith Reichman of Los Angeles.

``The physical potential for both men and woman to remain healthy is far greater than anyone ever dreamed of 10 or 20 years ago,'' Finch said.

Hitting their stride

So boomers are slim, muscled, moisturized and sport straight teeth. They look in the mirror and think, ``Hmmmm, maybe 50 isn't so old after all.''

The age is just one milepost in the average boomer's life the Census Bureau says is destined to last an average of 75.7 years (72.3 for men, 79 for women). That's an average of 21.6 years longer than their parents born between 1920 and 1930.

By 2010, average life expectancy is projected to be 77.9 years. And those later years - when the scramble to provide for a young family and the push to establish a career are over - seem pretty good to many crossing that threshold.

Child-care worker Miller is glad the uncertainties of youth are past.

``I see young people worrying so much about trying to please everyone,'' Miller said. ``At this age, you're more comfortable with yourself and stop worrying about what other people think. I'm really thrilled with where I am mentally. It's a real gift to live out your life like this.''

Bartender Gail Morgan of Granada Hills, who will turn 50 next year, agrees.

``I feel better now than I did in my 20s,'' Morgan said. ``I don't have all that stress I had in my 20s. I don't have confusion in my life. I was divorced, and back then, you had to have a man, you had to be married. Well, now I know I don't need anybody to take care of me. I can take care of myself.''

Retirement, sort of

Retirement may be the baby boomers' biggest challenge.

Most boomers will work longer than their parents did, said Los Angeles attorney Don Silver, who specializes in estate planning and wrote a book to guide baby boomers preparing for retirement. Instead of retiring, as their parents did, at 65, most boomers will probably have to work for several more years before they can collect Social Security - raising the age for collecting benefits to 70 is one way to keep the fund healthier, some legislators believe - or company pensions, he said.

In addition to the uncertain future of Social Security, many firms are abandoning company-funded pension plans in favor of employee-funded 401(k) plans, he said, making it more important than ever that boomers start saving early so they can maintain an acceptable standard of living after they retire.

But ``a permanent economic underclass of baby boomers'' - mostly African-Americans, single women and the poorly educated - will have a harder time of it, said the AARP.

``For many baby boomers, retirement will include working part-time,'' Silver said. ``It's going to take a much bigger nest egg if people are going to live to 75, 80, 85.''

While post-retirement jobs may rob boomers of a life of total relaxation, it may also help keep them mentally and physically active, Silver noted. And companies that hire older workers will gain a gold mine of experience.

``But we'll have to wait and see which companies will want to take on somebody who's 70,'' he said.

For many of us, the thought of retirement is far, far away. Auto dealer Rueff said he loves what he does and can hardly imagine stopping.

``My father is 74 and in good health. My grandmother will be 96 in March and is still sharp and healthy,'' he said. ``So there's a lot of good years left. Maybe in about 10 years, I'll retire and let my kids and grandkids run the business.''

Other boomers realize that their job isn't their life, and they work and plan toward a second career that can bring more fulfillment and more fun.

William C. Walbrecher, 56, of Glendale worked for 29 years as a banker, but he loved to bowl. So five years ago, with his finances secure, he retired to become a professional bowler, traveling the senior bowling circuit 18 weeks a year. When he's not at the bowling alley, he hires out as a troubleshooter to small companies in financial disarray.

``Bowling was something I wanted to do when I was younger, but didn't have the time to do it,'' Walbrecher said. ``I needed to go into something more lucrative. But I think we all need to have ambitions and goals and dreams, and we've got to go for 'em.''

Celebrating 50

Walbrecher would be wise to keep up his game. A long line of boomers are nearing the point of being anointed a ``senior'' - and, therefore, eligible to become his competition.

In the next century, boomers will be among the ``oldest old'' in the United States, according to the Census Bureau. Between 2030 and 2050, the number of people in the United States over 85 - fed by the aging boomer population - will increase by nearly 400 percent, according to the Census Bureau. People over 85 made up 1.4 percent of the population in 1995, but will account for nearly 5 percent of U.S. residents by 2050.

A sizable portion of those seniors will be California residents, too, said Dixon Arnett, director of the California Department of Aging.

``You want to know what we're going to look like in the future? You look at Florida today,'' he said. ``In Florida, one in every five people is over 65. (In California it's) going to be one in five by 2020.''

But 2020 is a long time away for most of us. Right now, let's just give boomers everywhere a chance to summon up enough breath to blow out those 50 candles. After all, turning the Big 5-0 doesn't have to be a dreaded event.

``My 50th birthday is going to fall on Friday the 13th, and I was born on Friday the 13th,'' said bartender Morgan. ``So I'm really going to celebrate.''

Which of these is you?

The American Association of Retired Persons says most baby boomers fall into one or more of five categories. Which best describe you or boomers you know?

``Second chancers'': Divorced and remarried, supporting two families while focused on a second batch of kids.

``New me'': Boomers who have survived a major crisis or illness and are reprioritizing their lives.

``Free birds'': They've seen the last child leave the nest and are free to travel and have a good time.

``First families'': They live a traditional lifestyle focused on a long-term marriage and nuclear family.

``Continuing caregivers'': Boomers who are sandwiched between their aging parents and their own children - and caring for both.

?13 - Carol Bidwell

The philosophy of 50

Thoughts on getting older:

Leviticus 25:10: Ye shall hallow the 50th year ... It shall be a jubilee.''

President Bill Clinton: ``I never thought when I was growing up that I would get an (American Association of Retired Persons) card. When the card arrives in the mail, I will know it (turning 50) happened.''

Actress Billie Burke (Glinda the Good Witch in ``The Wizard of Oz''): ``Age doesn't matter - unless you're a cheese.''

Product spokesman Ed McMahon, on turning 50: ``It was a trauma when I learned I could get a discounted ticket to the movies. But I wouldn't admit I was 50 to get a discounted ticket.''

Writer Victor Hugo: ``Forty is the old age of youth; 50 is the youth of old age.''

Former heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali: ``The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.''

Statesman and inventor Benjamin Franklin: ``All would live long, but none would be old.''

Entertainer Bette Midler, on turning 50: ``I'm having a wonderful time.''

Boomer statistics

38 million baby boomers are men, 38.5 million are women, living in 38.7 million households.

75.2 percent of boomers are white, 11.8 percent are African-American, 8.9 percent are Latino, 3.3 percent are Asian-American, and .8 percent are American Indian.

58.9 percent are married; 13.5 percent of boomer families are headed by women, 3.9 percent by men.

Singles make up 23.7 percent of the boomer population, and two-thirds of them live alone.

30 percent have only high school diplomas, 22 percent attended some college, 8 percent have an associate's degree, 17 percent have a bachelor's degree and 8 percent have a graduate or professional degree.

Boomers bought 46 percent of the books purchased in the United States in 1994.

37 percent attend church regularly.

28 percent of boomer households have incomes of more than $50,000; the median boomer household income is $34,903.

42 percent of baby boomers said that during their younger years, they smoked marijuana.

In 1996, the year the first baby boomers turned 50, one boomer hit that milestone every 7.5 seconds throughout the nation. Among them were President Clinton, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Cher, Jim ``Catfish'' Hunter, Michael Milken, Pat Sajak, Ben Vereen, Dolly Parton and Reggie Jackson.

9.8 million boomers live in California.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Association of Retired Persons, U.S. News and World Report, Gallup Organization

CAPTION(S):

10 Photos, 4 Boxes

Photo: (1--Cover--Color) BOOM OR BUST?

Postwar babies wonder what's in a number

Myung J. Chun/Daily News

(2) ``My father is 74 and in good health. My grandmother will be 96 in March and is still sharp and healthy,'' says Mike Rueff, 51. ``So there's a lot of good years left.''

(3) ``I feel better now than I did in my 20s,'' says Gail Morgan, 49. ``I don't have all that stress I had in my 20s. I don't have confusion in my life.''

Tom Mendoza/Daily News

(4) California Highway Patrol Officer Dwight McDonald, who turns 51 in May, says a fear of dying has prompted today's law-enforcement officers to become more health-conscious.

Phil McCarten/Daily News

(5) no caption (Elizabeth Taylor)

(6) no caption (Howdy Doody)

(7) no caption (Dwight D. Eisenhower)

(8) no caption (Martin Luther King Jr.)

(9) no caption (John F. Kennedy)

(10) no caption (Beatles)

Box: (1) Booming at 50

(2) Which of these is your? (See Text)

(3) The philosophy of turning 50 (See Text)

(4) Boomer statistics (See Text)