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Over the Back Fence By HANK HENRY Concept of what�s old shifts with time Here are a few observations on the relativity of being "old": Something old can be worth a lot of money just because it is old. An elderly woman was invited by her daughter to attend an auction of antiques. After several hours of auctioneering, a full set of china was wheeled out on a stand. The auctioneer said, "Ladies and gentlemen, here is one of the few sets of this particular kind of antique china dishes we�ve ever seen here at this auction. We will start the bidding at $10,000." The mother turned to the daughter and whispered, "Those can�t be antiques. We had a set just like that when I was a little girl." Something can become "historical" in one�s own lifetime. I was surprised to learn when I was in government that a building can be declared as "historical" in as short a time as 50 years after construction. Thus the building qualifies for a special tax break. That may have changed in the years since I retired, but we do live in a home that is almost 50 years old and we joke about our "historical" residence. What was once considered practical or "modern" is now an artifact. The Southern Oregon Historical Society building downtown currently has a display in a front window of a number of household items from early in the 20th century. One is a primitive washing machine with a wooden tub and gears made of cast iron. It was labeled as being built in 1922. I was born the next year, and I certainly can�t remember seeing such a machine. What I do remember is that in the 1930s, a cousin of ours was the proud owner of a Bendix electric washer with a round white chamber mounted on a white base. It would look quite modern today with its "Star Wars" motif. I keep running into items that are deemed historical which I used in the early days of my broadcasting career. On display in the capitol building in Salem is a French Bolex 16-millimeter camera that looks exactly like the windup camera I used to carry as recently as 30 years ago. It is now considered quite primitive, but it did the work well. "Retirement age" depends on whom you talk to. Some people with the resources take retirement in their early 50s. Under the Social Security system, early retirement can take place at the age of 62, although people will draw a smaller monthly sum than if they had waited until the age of 65. The American Association of Retired Persons, on the other hand, long ago ratcheted down its membership age from 65 to 50 and arranged for special discounts for their members on travel and lodging costs.. By the way, where did the term "senior citizen" come from? My "Webster�s Ninth Collegiate Dictionary" says simply that the term first appeared in 1954, but cites no source. I called the reference department of the Medford public library and found that the term was around decades before 1954. The researchers there learned that the October 24, 1938, issue of Time magazine had a story about a politician who was launching a campaign to "help our senior citizens." There are probably even earlier uses of the phrase that simply have not caught a researcher�s attention. Prior to the phrase entering the language, the only designations available were such labels as "old folks" or "the elderly," which seemed demeaning to many in that age range who still play important roles in society. Many of them do volunteer work such as helping their peers do their taxes, working a few hours a week in the library, reassuring people as they go into surgery, and many other needed chores, saving a lot of taxpayer dollars. So here�s to senior citizens � and being old, no matter how it�s defined. (Hank Henry is a retired Jackson County commissioner and a former radio and television announcer. Call him at 772-9055.) Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA