Senior citizens share advice to college students, discuss changing times

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Local seniors hope their decades of experience can help students navigate the trials of adulthood a bit more easily.

At Isabella County Commission on Aging, 2200 S. Lincoln Road, five friends now spend their days enjoying each other’s company in retirement.

Jerry Bauman, Ted Jones, Dan Buckley and Jack Taylor are all in their 70s, and Morval LaLone recently turned 90.

Not all of them attended college, but each advised CMU students to take their education seriously.

“Get a degree no matter what it is,” Jones said. “You ain’t got a degree, you ain’t got nothing.”

The men worked a variety of jobs — some business, some construction, others were truckers. Integrity was the basic rule for all work, they said. Having a good name and good credit, they said, is the greatest reward.

“Two things you’ve got to have in life,” LaLone said. “(Are) friends and credit, in that order.”

On the topic of their careers, they said the process of employment was very different in their day.

“Years ago, you got one job and you were there for life,” Bauman said. “Those days are gone. You’ve got to prepare for that.”

Family was another important part of their lives. Take care of your family, they said. LaLone and Jones both said it was important for them to use the word ‘ours’ and never ‘my’ when talking about their home and possessions with their children.

“Everything was always ‘ours,’” Jones said. “Our house, our family, our bills . . . except for my wife’s car. That was, ‘Mom’s car.’”

Raising a family is enjoyable, the men said, but they urged responsibility when it came to making one. LaLone said young men need to be safe about sex if they are not ready to be fathers.

“I’m giving the men hell,” LaLone said. “For two minutes of fun, you get another baby. Why don’t they protect themselves? I say respect these girls.”

Their last piece of advice for students was to enjoy their lives. For fun, they used to roller skate, go to the movies and dance. LaLone’s grandfather ran a dance hall on Thursdays and Fridays. It was fantastic, he said.

“We really danced!” he said. “Our favorite was the Alley Cat.”

However, according to Jones, entertainment’s just not what it used to be.

“I don’t know if there’s anybody who was better than John Wayne,” Jones said.

Taylor replied, “I don’t know if there’s anybody who was worse than John Wayne.”