50 Years

A lot can change in 50 years.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 1970 on an up swing to close at 838. As I write this, the DJIA stands at just over 27,950.

The average new house in 1970 cost $23,450, which is about how much you can expect to pay for a brand-new Honda Accord in 2020.

However, just to prove that sometimes things get cheaper, a 25” Cinema Screen Color TV ran $739.95 back then. A quick search on Amazon today showed several options of the same size, but with considerably better picture quality, for under $100.

In a 24-day stretch from mid-April to early-May of 1970, the Beatles broke up, an oxygen tank exploded on Apollo 13, and four students at Kent State were killed by Ohio State National Guardsmen.

While there was a lot happening 50 years ago, the most important event of 1970 for me happened on August 15. That’s the date that Sue Redner married Don Wierenga.

In those 50 years, there have been ups and downs. They raised three kids and are now proud grandparents to five. They have laid parents and grandparents to rest. They dealt with medical, financial and personal challenges. They somehow figured out how to get three kids to three different places at the same time without inventing time travel or teleportation.

A lot can change in 50 years, but some things are forever.

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad.