Boomer Highlight: Tom Hanks

I'm starting a new series of blogs. These are on Baby Boomers we can be proud of. These are members of our generation who have not only succeeded but have also contributed to our society and have set an example for all of us to follow.

Today: Tom Hanks, Oscar-winning actor

Have you ever read about Tom Hanks being arrested? Driving drunk? Cheating on his wife? Throwing a fit on the set of a film?

No, you haven't.

Granted nobody should do any of those things, but in this day of oversized egos and bad public behavior, it's refreshing to find an actor of Tom Hanks' stature who actually hasn't.

Hanks is the model of what we would like to see in a Hollywood star.

He's modest. He's understated. He's funny. He's good at what he does. And he lives a life with high standards.

Tom Hanks was born in 1956 in Concord, California -- a middle-income suburb east of San Francisco. His parents divorced when he was 5 and Hanks, along with his brother and sister, was raised by his father, who worked as a chef. The family moved around before settling in Oakland.

That's where Hanks attended Skyline High. After graduating in 1974, he went to a community college in nearby Hayward before transferring to the theater program at Sacramento State.

He spent the next three summers acting in various productions of Shakespeare plays, according to biography.com. In 1978, he won the Cleveland Critics Circle Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Proteus in "The Two Gentlemen of Verona."

Hanks dropped out of college in 1980 and with his modest training moved to New York. He landed a small role in the slasher film, "He Knows You're Alone."

Then came his big break. He was spotted by an ABC talent scout and cast in the television comedy, "Bosom Buddies." The show itself was forgettable, but Hanks' acting abilities weren't.

After the show was cancelled two years later, Hanks got guest roles on shows such as "Happy Days," "Taxi" and "Family Ties." Ron Howard noticed Hanks and cast him in the lead male role of the movie, "Splash," starring Daryl Hannah as a mermaid.

Hanks starred in several widely panned movies, including "Bachelor Party," before being cast by director Penny Marshall in her comedy, "Big." That movie charmed audiences and critics and brought Hanks his first Academy Award nomination for best actor.

Hanks still had to work hard, though. Over the next few years, he starred in modestly accomplished movies such as "Joe Versus The Volcano" and "Bonfire of the Vanities."

In 1993, he had the lead roles in two huge hits, "Sleepless in Seattle" and "Philadelphia." The latter role garnered him the best actor Oscar.

The following year, he starred in "Forrest Gump" and snagged another Oscar.

Since then, he has had a string of hits, including "Apollo 13," "Saving Private Ryan" and "The Da Vinci Code." He also had done the voice of "Woody" in the "Toy Story" movies. His films have earned an estimated $4 billion in the U.S. market alone.

However, Hanks' accomplishments go beyond his acting roles. He has produced and directed. He also has taken on projects and causes.

After "Apollo 13," he got interested in space travel and produced and directed the HBO mini-series, "From The Earth To The Moon." He's also a member of the National Space Society and has an asteroid named after him.

The well-known actor also has paid tribute on numerous occasions to the so-called "Greatest Generation" that pulled itself out of the Great Depression and battled on two fronts in "World War Two."

Hanks has had relatively little bad publicity by Hollywood standards. He and his first wife did divorce in 1987 after nine years of marriage and two children. In a 2006 interview, Hanks admitted to having an affair with current wife, Rita Wilson, while he was still married to his first wife. He called the affair "nothing to celebrate."

Hanks has been married to Wilson since 1988. They also have two children.

In public appearances, Hanks is likable, self-effacing and kind. He has stated in interviews that his acting in his early career wasn't all that good and he worked hard to improve. He has also blamed what he called his poor decision making for some of the movie flops he's been involved in.

Refreshing. Somebody as well known as Hanks actually admitting shortcomings and not blaming others for failures.

Hanks hasn't been afraid to speak his mind, although it's mostly done in a positive way. He has supported Democratic candidates, including President Obama. He also owns an electric car and is a vocal proponent of same-sex marriage.

Hanks is sort of like the nation's class president. He's a popular, nice big guy on campus.

Someone worth emulating and certainly a Baby Boomer to be proud of.

Boomer Highlight: Mike Mullen

I'm starting a new series of blogs. These are on Baby Boomers we can be proud of. These are members of our generation who have not only succeeded but have also contributed to our society and have set an example for all of us to follow.

Today: Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

It's not often a Navy admiral will appear on a comedy-based talk show.

But there was Mike Mullen the other night, chatting away with Comedy Central's Jon Stewart.

The chairman of the joint chiefs of staff is certainly intelligent. No surprise there.

But he also proved to be funny, humble, conversational and insightful. At least that's what I picked up from the interview.

Admiral Mullen was born in 1947. His parents were in the entertainment business. His father was a successful Hollywood publicist.

In 1964, at the age of 17, Mullen told his parents he was joining the Navy. The admiral told Stewart his parents supported that decision and off he went.

Mullen's accomplishments, as listed on the joint chiefs' website, is impressive.

After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1968, he was stationed aboard the USS Collett. The ensign was assigned as an anti-submarine officer. His ship patrolled the Western Pacific and participated in combat operations off the coast of Vietnam.

Mullen served on six other warships over the years, three as a commanding officer. As an admiral, he commanded the USS George Washington Carrier Strike Group and U.S. Second Fleet.

He eventually rose to chief of naval operations with a chair on the joint chiefs. In 2007, he was appointed chairman of that group.

His duties now include advising the president, the secretary of defense, the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council. All this during a time when the United States is withdrawing soldiers from Iraq and increasing its number of troops in Afghanistan.

Mullen also has a master of sciences degree in operation research from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey. He also graduated from the advanced management program at Harvard Business School.

Yet, on the Stewart show, he seemed like a guy you'd like to chat with at a barbecue.

Stewart recalled how on a goodwill trip to Afghanistan he noticed how much the soldiers there liked to talk with Mullen. The admiral responded by talking about how awesome today's soldiers are.

Stewart joked about the soldiers supposedly carrying Mullen around and throwing rose petals at his feet. Mullen responded, "That usually only happens once a trip."

The admiral retires at the end of this month. He and Deborah, his wife of 41 years, plan to enjoy some well-deserved rest and relaxation.

Yes, successful and influential. Yet, civil with a proper perspective, too.

Mike Mullen. A Baby Boomer we can be proud of.

The Heavy Anchor

Baby Boomers... I'm afraid we've become a drag on society. Literally.

As we age and slide into retirement, we are like a cast iron anchor that is dragging along the ocean floor, slowing up our ship of state.

It's bad enough our age group is taking slings and arrows for what we've done in the past. For how we've steered the country when we had our hands on the wheel.

Some critics are calling us the worst generation in modern history. They point to the 2008 financial meltdown. The divisive presidencies of George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. The way our corporations have been managed.

In short, things are not good right now in the United States of America and some are laying the blame at our feet.

Whether that is true or not is a subjective matter of opinion.

But there seems to be little doubt the Baby Boom generation, by its sheer numbers, is exacting a heavy toll on society.

At the moment, we are clogging up the labor force. Not that we should necessarily be criticized for wanting to work, but the fact that 40 percent of Boomers over the age of 55 are still employed is a major factor on our economy. We are still sitting in jobs that younger and/or unemployed people want to have.

One factor is a lot of Boomers can't retire now due to their financial status. Part of that is our own fault. We have not saved our money well and many of our 401k plans are not what they should be, partly because we didn't handle our nation's economy with the long term in mind.

It also appears we won't be leaving much for the younger generations. In a recent survey by U.S. Trust, 49 percent of "Baby Boomer millionaires" said they don't plan to leave an inheritance for their kids. Part of the sentiment from those surveyed was "we've done enough for our children's generation." Seriously?

Our financial status is also having a negative effect on the stock markets. Analysts say we are the age group that is expected to invest most heavily in the markets. However, we are putting less money into the Dow Jones, Nasdaq and other entities. That is helping pull those institutions down.

We are also starting to drag down our nation's health care system. As our 78 million member generation ages, we are in more and more need of medical attention.

The health care industry has grown the past four years, according to Forbes magazine. It expanded 7 percent the past year, despite the overall economy growing hardly at all.

In the short term, that's good for people who work in the medical field. However, as Boomers start to develop cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other diseases, we will be in danger of bankrupting the nation's health care system.

Social Security is another institution trying to hold up under the weight of our generation. The oldest of the Baby Boomers started to collect Social Security checks three years ago. Now, with the front of our generation turning 65 this year, more and more Boomers are grabbing their share of the pension pie.

We can argue that we paid into the system and should get our money. That is true. However, we might want to think of the rest of the nation before we start grabbing our "fair share."

The numbers simply don't add up. There are too many of us and not enough younger people paying into the system for Social Security to stay solvent.

My suggestion in my book, "10,000 Days," is for Baby Boomers to delay cashing in their Social Security checks. Wait until you're 70 or older. Perhaps, as a generation, we should insist of changing the program's formula and accept less money.

The one bright economic note might be the housing market. As Boomers get older and "downsize" their living accommodations, they are moving out of their single-family homes and purchasing condos and other smaller quarters. That is providing some turnover in the housing market.

So, Boomers... it appears we can help our nation by putting our homes on the markets, taking care of our health and delaying our Social Security checks.

It'd be nice if we did something for the country as a whole instead of thinking of only ourselves.