What's the average age of your workforce?

I have a friend, who just turned 90. He graduated from Harvard University in 1938, went to school with such luminaries as John F. Kennedy, Caspar Weinberger, Leonard Bernstein and others. He had become part of a privileged class to which I have never had access. It is fascinating to hear him talk about his experiences.

After Harvard, Dave went on to make a fortune. He founded a local sheet metal shop and got them to make cigarette machines for him. A born salesman, he placed these in strategic locations, and the money poured in. Not bad for a math major, don't you think?

To build his house, he bought a choice lot from the president of a local bank. He got a good deal, and to "show some appreciation," he bought some stock in this guy's bank. The stock took off, really took off, and again Dave made another fortune. He seems to have a Midas touch.

He worked for Dr. Wang at Wang Laboratories in their heyday and wrote several books for the company, explaining the use of their equipment. He was instrumental in getting their early calculators placed strategically in colleges and other institutions. He brought his Midas touch to Wang, and sales took off.

But Dave made more than enough money. He had won his personal "war on poverty," and turned his attention to teaching. He taught mathematics at Lawrence High School and then Methuen High, both in Massachusetts. He even wrote a textbook or two on math.

I've never seen him in a classroom, but he must have been an awesome teacher. I take him to lunch occasionally, and he is often recognized by former students, who eagerly approach him and introduce themselves. "Oh, Mr. Clayman, how are you today? It's so good to see you again!"

He's been retired for many years, but he's still active. He has done a fair amount of fund-raising for his alma mater. He calls fellow alumni, and asks for money, and has raised millions for Harvard. He has started an organization to restore ROTC on campus, and was honored by Larry Summers, while he was still president of Harvard.

As if that weren't enough, Dave has been on the city council, has written numerous articles and is still quite influential. Walk into a restaurant with him, and they automatically show you to one of the best tables--and the owner will probably come over and greet you.

I seldom see Dave without learning something. He is prolific with his advice.

What I find distressing is the common practice of avoiding older people, as if they had some sort of plague. This is not just a personal bias; many organizations do it too. I recently had dinner with a guy in his early 60s. He has a long and distinguished career and even has a Ph.D. Laid off from Lucent Technologies in a massive downsizing, Joe's having trouble finding work.

There's nothing wrong with hiring young blood, but I've never seen an organization that couldn't benefit from the experience of older workers too. They can often solve our problems from their experience. They may have already solved similar problems, where younger workers would have to struggle to "reinvent the wheel."

No doubt, some older workers are "set in their ways," but if these habits are good, they will be beneficial. When I first joined Digital in 1979, the average age in the company was 23, and we bragged about it. Interestingly, we made a lot of mistakes back then. I had come from Raytheon, a more established company, and I noticed we were struggling with things Raytheon did easily.

Technology has changed a lot about how we work. We can instantly send messages instead of waiting for the U.S. Mail. It's much easier, for instance, for people in different locations to work together on a project. Information is often available at the speed of light instead of taking months to compile the old-fashioned way.

Even so, the basics still apply. I have no doubt that Dave, at 90, could easily start another business and make it wildly successful. Joe can easily run circles around many engineers and managers. Aren't these the kind of guys you'd want to have on your team?

In fact, I think the best combination is a mixture of the young, eager to learn, with the older, more experienced, eager to teach and share.

Ronald J. Bourque is a consultant and speaker from Windham. He has hod engagements throughout the United States and in 12 countries in Europe and Asia. He can be reached at 898-1871; fax, 894-6539; e-mail; [e-mail].