Centaur Magazine Jan-Feb 1995 — Pages 21 and 22

UP FRONT with Woody & Sean
by Paisan

Woody Baldwin and Sean O'Neil were recent visitors to the Palm Springs area. They attended the 3rd Annual Year End Celebration. Since they are founders of the Prime Timers, I thought it would be a good time to acquaint Centaur readers with these two really great guys.

PAISAN — Woody & Sean, how long have you guys been together?

WOODY — We have been together for 27 years come Feb 23rd.

PAISAN — Where and how did you meet?

SEAN — Through a mutual friend in New York City.

WOODY — It's a little more colorful than that. Back in those years in New York all of the bars were so tight and were being raided, so someone had started up a private club; you would bring a six pack on Saturday night or whenever, and it was in that environment that a mutual friend introduced Sean to me or vice a versa.

PAISAN — Are you both from New York City?

SEAN — No, neither one of us is a New yorker. We just both happen to be living there at the same time.

PAISAN — What about you, Woody. Originally, where did you grow up?

WOODY — I'm originally from Texas, and that's where we now live. I never intended to come back to Texas to live, but we just like the Austin area, and decided that's where we wanted to settle down.

PAISAN — Can you, or will you, reveal your ages?

SEAN — I'm 65 years old.

PAISAN — Hmrn, that's just the right age!

WOODY — I'll be 74 in March.

PAISAN — Neither of you look a day over 55. I guess it's due to the clean, wholesome living in Texas. Now the big question: tell me how and why you started the Prime Timers in Boston?

WOODY — That is a long story and I don't know if I can condense it enough, but I'll give  it a try. All the time that I was teaching I was very much influenced (and had quite a guilt complex) about all of the other gay people who were fighting my battle.  I was sincerely closeted at that time. So I swore that when I retired I would do something for the gay movement. We had a lady friend in Boston who was very much an activist. I told her what I would like to offer twenty hours a week in volunteer services in some kind of a gay organization. She introduced me to someone (I can't remember his name) and he said that I was exactly what they wanted and that they would call me. Well, I never was called, and that's when I realized that agism had caught up with me. Then I joined a men's retirement club. Sean and I got some ideas from that organization that would later be valuable. We also went to New York bars which catered to the older crowd as we had no such bars in Boston. As all these factors came together, I got the idea that a social organization for older men who could enjoy each others company just might be the thing. Well, we put an advertisement in the Boston gay paper, hoping that we might get about 20 or 25 people together for an organiazational meeting. We had 42 show up for the first meeting and it just took off after that.

PAlSAN — When was that Woody?

WOODY — That was August 15, 1987. You might find this interesting we had scheduled the first meeting for August 15 and it turned out to be the hottest day of the year. At that time in Boston, they were telling all of the older people to stay indoors and not to go out because of the hot weather. Still, we had 42 people at that first meeting. Then New York heard about us and wanted to know if they could schedule a meeting with some of the Boston people to help set up a New York chapter.

PAISAN — How did you settle on the name “Prime Timers"? I love the name and I'm sure everyone else does too.

WOODY — At the very first meeting we issued a challenge to the members to think of an adequate name for our new organization. At the next meeting, we had 18 names that were submitted. I said that I was going to use my authority (which I really didn't have) to eliminate three of those names. We were not going to be called the "OLD FOLKS", we were not going to be called the "GRAY LADIES" and we were not going to be called the "WRINKLE ROCKERS". So they had 15 interesting names to choose from. There was a lot of discussion; some did not want the word "GAY" in the name; some did not want the word "OLDER" in the name. The name chosen was "PRIME TIMERS".

SEAN — We chose it on the first vote. And I am proud to say that PRIME TIMERS was my suggestion.

PAISAN — So you, Sean, were the originator of the name PRIME TIMERS.

SEAN — Yes, and I was very proud of it. I don't think anyone even knows about it.

PAISAN — They will now! I think that's great — now everyone will know how PRIME TIMERS (the name) came about.

WOODY — It was a very up-beat name — there was a suggestion of older guys, and nothing to suggest gayness — and it seemed to satisfy everyone.

PAISAN — Woody, you said something about teaching - what & where did you teach?

WOODY — I taught Business Administration at a women's college in Boston, where I taught until I retired. I started out at a major University on the West Coast. I tell people that I have had only two jobs — that I'm dull but I'm steady and stable.

PAISAN — What about you Sean, what did you do?

SEAN — I worked for a bank.

(SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE IN THE BACK­GROUND) — " Dillinger worked in banking too."

WOODY — I retired from teaching three years early. I had always wanted to see if I could run a business of my own, and being how I taught business, I investigated all of the possibilities of various businesses. After a lot of research, I became a - popcorn vendor in downtown Boston. I hired Sean away from the bank and for three years we were popcorn vendors. It was a very successful venture. In fact, I was discovered by NBC; they had heard about this kinky college professor who had become a popcorn vendor rather than teach. So I was on the Today Show in their economic segment. That appearance on the Today Show was what opened all kinds of doors for me; I met all kinds of interesting people from all over the country and from various parts of the world who had seen me on TV. They would come to Boston and look us up.

(SOME IDIOT IN THE BACKGROUND) — "Did you have a monkey?"

WOODY — No, just Sean!!!!!!

PAISAN — It's o.k. if you hit him, Sean!! Did you have a certain place to sell the popcorn? Did you have to buy the location or did you rent it.

SEAN — We rented a spot for one hundred dollars a month. It was a good location - between three department stores and we had a lot of fun doing it. We met all kinds of people - street people - firemen - bank presidents - all kinds.

WOODY — You might not think so, but there is a lot of profit in popcorn. People would smell the popcorn blocks away and would come up to us to buy it. We would work up until Christmas - then have a winter vacation. We would not work in temperatures below 40 , degrees or above 90 degrees. We could not work when it was raining and would not work on Saturday or Sunday. One redeeming thing ; of that 3 year period was that Doctors or Teachers and others would come up to us and say that we had changed their lives — that they had always thought they had to stay in their own profession when they retired — we had shown them that they could do anything — be a success — and have fun, too.

PAISAN — When did you move to the Austin area?

WOODY — We moved to Austin in 1989.

PAISAN — Sean, I heard you sing last night for the first time. It was beautiful! How did you learn to sing like that. When you sang at the Celebration, you knocked them dead. You were great!

SEAN — Thank you. I can't remember a time that I wasn't singing. I always sang. I took a few voice lessons and I was in some shows in my hometown and did a few different things. I realized that I didn't have the drive or whatever it takes to pursue a career in show business so I dropped the idea. I didn't stop singing, though. I just didn't sing in public. But what really brought me back was a piano bar in Boston. This women in her 70's encouraged people to sing. At this point I had not sung in front of anyone for about t twenty years. So after six months I finally got up the courage to sing. I was just awful! So I practiced at home for another six months and tried again. The woman encouraged me a to keep practicing — and I became one of her singers.

WOODY — He is being modest. He became her favorite.

SEAN — But that's where I really developed my singing and especially to relax in front of a crowd.

PAISAN — The only disappointing thing about your singing was that you only sang a a few songs. I would love to have heard you for ti at least another half hour.

SEAN — Next year, maybe.

PAISAN — We really did miss the two of you at the JackRabbits New Year's Eve Party. Do you plan on attending this year in 1995?

SEAN — I'll second that.

WOODY — Not yes, but HELL yes.

PAISAN — Tell us what you are most proud of in the Prime Timers organization.

WOODY — Collectively, all of us have brought the older gay man, who back in 1987 was the pit of gay society, up to a par with the younger gays. We brought respect to the older gay community. Younger gays actually come to us for advise about their organizations.

SEAN — We have established the older gay as a viable, respectable part of the gay community — I think that is the important thing that has come out of the Prime Timers organization.

WOODY — We've shown younger gay people that life doesn't end at 30 or 40, that people at 60 or 70 are still having fun. And it has shown older gay men that they are still sexy that there's still a lot of life in old age.

SEAN — There were so many who had convinced themselves that gay life was over for them. We increased the older gay man's self esteem — I think that's important, also.

PAISAN — Have you detected any grouping among the older gays? There's a lot of such grouping in the younger gays. I think there's some degree of senior grouping because of the increasing number of senior magazines.

WOODY — There is some grouping to a limited degree. But I think all older gays believe that there is plenty of room out there for all types of senior magazines — and the important thing is that such publications are evidence of the new standing we have in the gay community. There's certainly no need for seniors to fuss and fight over groups — we just don't have time for such nonsense. In the twilight of our life we need to love one another, to get along together, and to make of our lives an environment in which all can revel.

And so the interview ended. Two of the sweetest guys that one could meet. I can honestly say that I am proud to know these gentlemen. Woody is a sweetheart and Sean is ·one beautiful hunk of a man. If you are ever in the Austin area, be sure to look them up. You will come away with a happy attitude for life as I did when the interview ended. PAISAN