[Dixielandjazz] AARP - No longer an acronym

[Don Kirkman]

On Fri, 05 Dec 2003 17:05:37 +0000, Bill Gunter wrote:

>In response to the question, "What does AARP mean?" someone submitted:

>> > Probably .... American Association of Retired Persons

>Mike Logsden added"

>>Correct, until a few years ago.  I read with amazement in its magazine,
>>*Modern Maturity*, that since so many for so long had come to know it
>>simply as "AARP," it at that point officially changed its name to
>>exactly that: AARP.  No longer an acronym, that is, as in "It USED to
>>mean....,"

>At first I was inclined to dispute Mike's position that it was no longer 
>"American Association of Retired Persons" but then I looked up the AARP 
>website and, after a careful perusal, I was unable to find the words 
>"American Association of Retired Persons" anywhere on any of the pages I 
>looked at.

>Apparently AARP has decided that this word (AARP) is to be the official name 
>of the group.
>I imagine this change has come about partly because AARP probably has as 
>many members who are NOT retired as it does actual retirees. The thing that 
>attracted me to the organization was the fact that membership in AARP 
>qualified one for nice discounts in many venues (restaurants, hotels, etc.).

The age of eligibility has dropped to 50 over the years, so some members
are still quite a ways from retirement.

<Semi-political aside:  Many members seem out of sync with AARP
leadership in some recent political positions they've taken.>
-- 
Don
donkirk at covad.net