25 Aug 2016 The Baby Boomer generation

by Sonja J. Keith
Mike Kemp photo

First Service bankers Marilyn Battles and Lori Melton represent both the beginning and the end of the Baby Boomer era.

Marilyn Battles

Marilyn, who began her banking career in 1967, is the Faulkner County market president and business development officer for First Service Bank. She and her husband, Ted, have a daughter, Tanya, son-in-law, Erby Foster, and granddaughter, Faith.

Born Feb. 17, 1946, at the Dickerson Clinic on Center Street in Conway, Marilyn was the youngest of seven children born to Andrew and Ellie Patterson of Quitman. She was their only child not born at home. Marilyn’s family spent a brief time in California, her dad working in industry supporting the war effort, until they returned to Faulkner County in the fall of 1945.

When Marilyn was 5, the family sold their farm in what is now West Conway and moved to the Wooster area. “I’ve lived there my entire life, except for those first five years.”

Marilyn said her original perception of the Baby Boomers was those individuals who were born after men returned from service during World War II. That idea changed when the era was extended to 1964. She recalls a lot of media coverage about the Baby Boomer generation, with speculation on how that large group would impact the economy and health care. “There was a lot of speculation about what’s going to happen when the Baby Boomers hit retirement,” she said.

While those born between 1946 and 1964 are as diverse as the general population, Marilyn feels there are some traits that many Baby Boomers share, in particular a strong work ethic. “I think every generation has certain traits,” she said. “There are certain things that are unique to Baby Boomers just by virtue of the end of the war.”

Marilyn thinks Baby Boomers are typically known for being hard workers because there were a lot of expectations following the war. She also feels that those born during this time also had a greater sense of helping others and doing the right thing. Faith is also important to this generation.

“Baby Boomers are a unique segment,” Marilyn said. “I’m glad to be a part of it.”

Lori Melton

Born Aug. 22, 1963, in Conway, Lori was the youngest child born to Bernice and Carroll Hawkins of Mount Vernon. She lived in Mount Vernon until she left to attend the University of Central Arkansas.

With almost 31 years in banking, she is the Conway market president for First Service Bank. She and her husband, Gerald, have four children and a granddaughter.

Lori recalls growing up in a small, rural area when family, community and church were important. “I grew up in a very special time when things were a little bit more simple,” she said. “Being a Baby Boomer also means I got to experience some life-changing events. I remember as a little girl my parents being horrified that my oldest brother might have to go to Vietnam.”

Lori said the 1960s were volatile times, with war and civil rights protests. “We were so isolated from it in Mount Vernon. You would see it on the nightly news and that was it. You didn’t live it like you do now with Facebook, online and constant news streaming,” she said. “You knew something was happening but you didn’t feel it every day. You didn’t live in this tense world.”

In describing common characteristics of Baby Boomers, Lori included “very family-oriented,” “patriotic” and “community-oriented.”

“They are very hard-working,” she said. “No task was really too small to take on. If something needs to be done, you have to tackle it.”

Being born toward the end of the Baby Boomer era, Lori said she identifies less with that generation but more with those who grew up in the 1960s.

“While we won’t be considered the ‘Greatest Generation,’ we will be considered the group that engineered the world into a different era.”

Lori sees the end of the Baby Boomer era as a time of transition. As an example, she said early during that time period there was an expectation for women to work in the home. Or, job opportunities were limited. “That was never a consideration for me to stay at home. I wanted to be a mover and shaker and part of a community,” she said.

Lori said many in her generation had similar experiences, making it easy to strike up a conversation. “We had three channels on TV, just a couple of radio stations, so it was easy to say, ‘Did you see….on TV last night.’ And odds are they did.

“The variety of music was smaller than now, but oh how we loved it. We cruised parking lots, because we could and it was safe. Conway was a special town, kind of a big Mayberry, during this era.”