Proclamation 3899—Senior Citizens Month, 1969

There are today 20 million Americans who are 65 years of age or older.

The older Americans in our midst have been pioneers and builders during a period of dramatic change and severe testing. They remind us of the moral values and personal qualities which have been the basis of our national achievements. Having learned to live with change and challenge, they offer us, now and for the future, a valuable resource of skill and of wisdom.

We are grateful for scientific advances which have given us the longest life expectancy in the history of the world. But we must also be concerned with the quality of that longer life span.

It is therefore fitting that each year we designate one month in honor of older Americans. This is a special time to express our appreciation to older citizens for their services to the Nation, to recognize their potential for further contribution, and to consider whether we are doing all we can to assure their full participation in the adventures of our time and in the affluence of our society.

The continuing theme for this special month is MEETING THE CHALLENGE OF THE LATER YEARS. This year, particular emphasis will be given to the concept of PARTNERSHIP in meeting that challenge: partnership among all levels of government, partnership with voluntary organizations, and partnership among Americans of all ages. In addition, the Federal Government's Administration on Aging, in cooperation with the National Safety Council, will conduct an action program on accident prevention and safety for the older generation.

The concerns we express during this special month should also guide us throughout the year. For there is still much pioneering work to be done, work in which all age groups must join as full partners.

Now, Therefore, I, Richard Nixon, President of the United States of America, do hereby designate the month of May 1969 as Senior Citizens Month.

I invite the Governors of all the States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the officers of the Federal, State, and local governments, the heads of voluntary and private groups, and all Americans everywhere to join in this observance. I urge them to find suitable means for expressing appreciation to older citizens, for encouraging their continued and expanded activity, and for meeting the special needs of the frail and the poor and the lonely among them.

I especially invite the older citizens of this Nation to use this month as a time for reexamining the social role which they are playing and the conditions under which they live. And I ask them to share their conclusions and recommendations with their countrymen.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this seventeenth day of March, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and sixty-nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and ninety-third.

RICHARD NIXON