Harvard Class of 1983 25th Reunion Survey Results

1
Harvard Class of 198325th Reunion Survey
Results
Survey Subcommittee Marianne DelPo Kulow,
Chair Catherine Brown Vicki Eastus Bruce
McMeekin Peggy Segal
2
1983

• Country/Economy

• President  Reagan
• Vice President  George Bush
• Population  233,791,994
• Life expectancy  74.6 years
• Dow-Jones
• High  1,287  Low  1,027
• Federal spending  808.38 billion 
• Federal debt  1371.7 billion 
• Inflation  7.6 
• Consumer Price Index  99.6 
• Unemployment  9.7 
• Median Household Income 
• 20,885.00 

• Costs

• Gas 1.24
• First-class stamp  0.20
• Eggs  0.86/dozen
• Milk  2.24/gallon
• Superbowl  XVIII LA Raiders
• NBA Championship Philadelphia 76ers     
• World Series Baltimore 

Sports
3
1983 News

• Headlines

• Record 189 Billion Deficit Is Projected
• House Votes 228 TO 195 To Bar Covert "Contra" Aid
• Korean Air Lines 007 Is Shot Down by Soviet
  Missile, 279 killed
• US and Caribbean Troops Invade Grenada
• Legendary Coach Bear Bryant Is Gone
• Borg Quits At Apex Of His Career
• Polygamy Arizona Man had 105 Wives
• Reagan Proposes Star Wars Plan
• All OPEC Members Agree To Cut Oil Prices  

• In the News

• Terrorists Bomb US Embassy In Beirut, Over 239
  Marines Die
• Dow exceeds 1200 for the first time
• Died Buster Crab, Jack Dempsey, Arthur Godfrey
• Dustin Hoffman stars in "Tootsie
• Supreme Court reaffirms it's 1973 (Roe Vs Wade)
  Right to abortion
• Barny Clark the first artificial heart transplant
  dies after 112 days
• People Express "no frills" airline starts
• California Condor hatched in captivity
• Hitler diaries exposed as fraudulent
• Israel's Begin resigns, replaced by Shamir 

4
1983 Music
Billboard Top 10

• Down Under - Men At Work
• Africa - Toto
• Stray Cat Strut - Stray Cats
• Maniac - Michael Sembello
• Electric Avenue - Eddie Grant
• True - Spandau Ballet
• Total Eclipse Of The Heart - Bonnie Tyler
• Jeopardy - Greg Kihn Band
• Do You Really Want To Hurt Me - Culture Club
• Making Love Out Of Nothing At All - Air Supply 

Top Albums

• 1999 Prince
• Business as Usual - Men at Work
• Can't Slow Down Lionel Richie
• Flashdance - Sound Track
• Metal Health - Quiet Riot
• Pyromania - Def Leppard
• Synchronicity - The Police

5
1983 TV Favorites

• Dallas
• Dynasty
• The A Team
• 60 Minutes
• Simon Simon
• Magnum P.I. 
• Falcon Crest
• Kate Allie
• Hotel
• Cagney Lacey

6
2008 TV Favorites

• American Idol
• Dancing With the Stars
• CSI
• Greys Anatomy
• Desperate Housewives
• Without a Trace
• CSI Miami
• NCIS
• Two and a Half Men
• House

7
1983 Movies

• Academy Award Best Picture Nominations
• Terms of Endearment
• The Big Chill
• The Dresser
• The Right Stuff
• Tender Mercies
• Top Money Making Films
• Return of the Jedi 
• Terms of Endearment 
• Flashdance  
• Trading Places  
• War Games   

8
Classmate Choices of Best Movies Since 1983

• Harry Potter movies
• Lord of the Ring movies
• Pulp Fiction
• Usual Suspects
• Groundhog Day
• Shawshank Redemption
• Ghostbusters

• Silence of the Lambs
• Moonstruck
• Forrest Gump
• Schindlers List
• Field of Dreams
• Thelma and Louise
• Fargo

9
1983 Books  

• Best-Sellers Fiction

• Best-Sellers Non-Fiction

• Pulitzer The Color Purple,
• Alice Walker
• The Return of the Jedi Storybook, adapted by Joan
  D. Vinge        
• Poland, James A. Michener        
• Pet Sematary, Stephen King        
• The Little Drummer Girl, John le Carre        
• Christine, Stephen King        
• Changes, Danielle Steel        
• The Name of the Rose, Umberto Eco        
• White Gold Wielder, S. Donaldson        
• Hollywood Wives, Jackie Collins        
• The Lonesome Gods, Louis L'Amour        

• Pulitzer Is There No Place on Earth for Me?, S.
  Sheehan 
• In Search of Excellence, Peters Waterman
• Megatrends, John Naisbitt        
• Motherhood, Erma Bombeck        
• The One Minute Manager,
• Blanchard Johnson        
• Jane Fonda's Workout Book, Fonda        
• The Best of James Herriot, Herriot        
• The Mary Kay Guide to Beauty         
• On Wings of Eagles, Ken Follett        
• Creating Wealth, Robert G. Allen        

10
Classmate Choices of Best Books Since 1983

• Harry Potter series
• Pillars of the Earth
• Cry the Beloved Country
• Bel Canto
• Tales of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
• Kite Runner
• DaVinci Code

• War and Peace
• Tuesdays with Morey
• Getting to Yes
• Into Thin Air
• Tipping Point
• Bible
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar

11
Who Answered the Survey?

• 46 daydream about being famous only 2 are
• Skewed towards those attending reunion
• Probably attend 31.6
• Wouldn't miss it for the world 54.6
• Total 86.2
• Mostly Caucasian 84.3
• 70 have lost a family member or close friend to
  death 30 have lost father 55 have lost a
  friend to HIV/AIDS
• 95 at least moderately happy
• 78 want more time

• 630 classmates
• 20th reunion 326
• 10th reunion 478
• Class of 1982 25th 361
• Class of 1981 25th 316
• Gender
• Male 58.1
• Female 41.9
• Sexual Orientation
• Heterosexual 90
• Homosexual 8
• Bisexual 2
• Other .5

12
Where Do We Live?

• Only three states with double digit
  representation
• 14.8 California
• 14.8 New York
• 21.6 Massachusetts
• Other Countries 5.8 (34)
• 12 UK/England
• 3 Japan
• 3 Canada
• 3 USA
• 38 Urban 51 Suburban 7.4 Small Town 3.4
  Rural
• 85.9 Own 9 Freeloaders
• 42.9 own homes worth gt1,000,000
• 28.1 own vacation home

13
Miscellaneous Career Results of Note

• Industries only three represented in
  double-digits
• 17.5 Health/Medicine
• 14 Education-Teaching
• 10.9 Banking
• Career Breaks 52 of those not working for pay
  are caring for children full-time this
  represents 19 of all who answered survey 42 of
  the 48 are female
• Career satisfaction 68.8 would absolutely or
  probably choose the same career
• 60.4 enjoy job
• 54.8 find job flexible
• 64.9 feel job is secure
• 60.4 career relates to undergraduate degree at
  least somewhat
• If won 10 million, 49.1 would stay with job,
  66.1 with field
• Vacation 64.8 take gt15 vacation days a year

14
Number of Times Changed Careers/Occupations Since
1983
15
Income the Gender Gap

•  

16
Net Worth

• lt100,000 5 (29)
  
• 100,001 - 500,000 18 (102)
• 500,001 - 1,000,000 16 (89)
• 1,000,001 - 2,000,000 27 (184)
• 2,000,001 - 5,000,000 20 (113)
• 5,000,001 - 10,000,000 8 (43)
• gt10, 000,000 6 (36)

17
Significant Accomplishments Common Themes

• Children
• Marriage/Partnership
• Professional achievements
• Winning awards
• Getting tenure
• Starting companies and non-profits
• Medical research
• Teaching
• Writing books
• Making Movies

18
Significant AccomplishmentsMore Unique Items

• Got people released from prison
• Made AIDS policy
• Fixed local safety hazards
• Discovered possible cure for lymphoma
• Won a MacArthur Award
• Helped my son grow past the impairments of autism
  into an impressive kid
• Succeeding professionally as an openly gay man
• Getting and staying sober for 16 years

19
Potentially Unhealthy Habits Ingestion

• Drink Alcohol
• Smoke Cigarettes
• Smoke Cigars
• Smoke Pot
• Use other drugs
• Sugar Binge
• Drink Coffee
• Eat Greasy Foods
• Over eat
• Yo-Yo diet
• Drink diet cola

• 63 occasionally or less
• 95 never
• 82 never (85 that do are male)
• 87 never (73 that do are male)
• 95 never (80 that do are male)
• 32 at least occasionally
• 58 more than occasionally
• 62 at least occasionally
• 53 at least occasionally
• 71 never (86 that do are female)
• 42 at least occasionally

20
Potentially Unhealthy Habits Other

• 16 at least sometimes (68 male)
• 70 never
• 49 at least occasionally
• 28 at least sometimes (79 male)
• 42 at least sometimes
• 44 at least sometimes (87 male)
• 68 at least sometimes

• Have casual sex
• Buy Lottery tickets
• Forego sleep
• Gamble
• Blackberry addiction
• Pornography
• Snore

21
Potentially Healthy Habits Ingestion

• Abstain from caffeine
• Nutritional supplements
• Chocolate therapy
• Good nutrition
• Vegetarianism
• Eat organic food

• Only 8
• 32 at least regularly
• 20 at least regularly
• 71 at least regularly
• Only 3
• 25 at least regularly

22
Potentially Healthy Habits Other

• Exercise
• Meditation
• Yoga
• Pleasure Reading
• Adequate Sleep
• Nap
• Random Acts of Kindness
• Let Cars in Ahead of You
• Give Money to Street People
• Help Older People Cross

• 64 at least regularly
• Only 5 regularly or more
• Only 9 regularly or more
• 54 at least regularly
• 57 at most occasionally
• Only 9 regularly or more
• 42 at least regularly
• 47 at least regularly
• Only 9 regularly or more
• Only 14 regularly or more

23
Physical Health

• 90 perceive health to be good or excellent
• 39 high cholesterol
• 16 high blood pressure
• 15 obese
• lt10 cancer, eating disorder, diabetes, joint
  replacement

24
Mental Health

• 22.5 mid-life crisis
• 13 mental illness
• 23 have used anti-depressants
• 10 addiction
• 34 have seen therapist regularly
• 10 have attended 12-Step program

25
Self-Improvement

• Have Had

• Would consider

• Teeth whitening 20 (110)
• Botox treatment 3 (18)
• Boob Job 1.4 (8)
• Hair Plugs .9 (5)
• Collagen .4 (2)
• Facelifts 0
• Cosmetic dental work 9
• Other cosmetic surgery 5

• 43 (240)
• 6.5 (36)
• 2.7 (15)
• 3.1 (17)
• 3.6 (20)
• 7.2 (40)
• 18 (101)
• 14 (77)

26
Toys

• gt90 Cell phone, DVD player, Microwave, CD
  player, Digital camera
• 80-89 TV, Laptop, VCR
• 70-79 Answering machine, Desktop
• 60-69 MP3 Player/iPod, Fax
• 50-59 Exercise Equipment, Garage Door Opener
• 40-49 HDTV, Flatscreen TV, Handheld Electronic
  Organizer, Home Security System, GPS
• 30-39 Blackberry, Gaming System
• 20-29 TiVo, Facebook or MySpace account,
  Childrens Playground Equipment
• 10-19 Sex Toys, Boat, Snow Blower, Electric
  Mower, Sports Car
• 1-9 iPhone, Blog, Bong/pipe, BluRay,
  Mistress/Boy Toy, Plane

27
Marriage

• 86 have been married
• 76 currently married/civil union
• 80 would prefer to be
• Of those married
• 19.5 ecstatic
• 47 warm and loving
• 21 comfortable
• 15 would not choose the same partner

28
Children

• 22 have no children
• of these 23 due to fertility issues
• of those w/ children, 11 conceived w/ help of
  science
• 44 have 2 children
• Only 1 (6) have gt4
• 47 have children at least 13
• 50 have children 10 or younger 17 (88) 5 or
  younger

29
1983SEX

• 67 (356) have sex fewer than 6 times/month
• At 10th reunion 42
• 21 (108) wish had sex fewer than 6 times/month
• Of 356 having it this little, 252 (71) wish
  having it more
• 33 last as long as 25 minutes 21 gt25 mins
• 58 satisfied w/sex life 86 satisfied w/
  current partner (maybe because 32 said
  something else (friendship, work, or sleep) now
  more important than sex)
• 4 (21) solitary
• 88 sure partner is faithful but 14 have not
  been faithful (11 of you have something up)

30
Current Events

• 40 get news from newspaper32 - from Internet

• Presidential election (68 Democrats)
• -Would vote -Think Would Win
• 61 Obama 59 Obama
• 21 Clinton 10 Clinton
• 15 McCain 30 McCain
• Biggest issues - 25 character of candidate
  - 21 War in Iraq - 17 economy

• 18 R voted D (13 O 5 C) 2 D voted R

31
Opinions

• Most were PC (77 liberal on social issues)
• Preserving environment personal responsibility
• US should lead in eradication of diseases
  poverty
• Right to abortion should be protected
• GBLT people should be allowed to serve openly in
  military and to enter in to civil marriage
• No oil exploration in Arctic National Wildlife
  Refuge
• Sex Education in school is OK
• Children are over-programmed
• Notable 71 disagree (44 strongly) that women
  should serve in combat positions

32
Predictions for Next Decade

• More than half of us believe stem cell research
  gay marriage will be resolved
• 83 expect recession
• 65 expect Pres. Faust will change Harvard
• 57 expect death of a parent
• 53 expect change of job
• 36 expect greater focus on relationship
• 35 expect more time on spiritual activities

33
Advice to ClassmatesCommon Themes

• Carpe Diem.
• Relax.
• Hire me.
• Eat locally grown food stop global warming.
• Use sunscreen.
• Dont be too full of yourselves.
• Illegitimum non carborundum.
• Use your gifts to improve the world.
• Never abandon hope, all ye who entered here.
• Lead the life you love love the life you lead.

34
Advice to ClassmatesCommon Themes

• When in doubt, sleep more.
• Laugh more.
• Always use spell check.
• Its not too late to get to know each other
  better. Lets do that.
• Be happy with who you are, not what your were or
  thought youd be.
• If youre not having fun, its not worth it.
• Never eat anything bigger than your head.
• Please forget the 19-year-old version of me.

35
Other words to Classmates

• Who are all you people?
• It aint easy bein queer.
• I was right, admit it!
• Pick up after yourself. Dont leave shopping
  carts to run wild in the parking lot.
• Can anyone tell me why I am nervous to attend
  this reunion?
• If you think you want to do it all over again,
  remember that it could have turned out a lot
  worse.

36
Other words to Classmates

• Some of the best folks in our class didnt live
  to see this reunion. Remember them.
• It may be time to figure out what you want o be
  when you grow up.
• Dont hate anybody, even if they vote Republican,
  especially your mother.
• Yale still sucks.