From Woodstock to Wisdom: Why a Fairfield County Author Says the Generation That Marched Isn’t Done Standing

At 80, Vicki Thomas is not interested in fading quietly into the background. Instead, the Weston, Connecticut author, speaker, and purpose advocate believes her generation—the one raised on protest, possibility, and profound social change—is being called back into civic life at a critical moment.

Her new book, From Woodstock to Wisdom: A Boomer’s Journey to 80, reflects on the cultural forces that shaped the Baby Boom generation and asks a timely question: what responsibility does that generation carry now, as democracy, technology, and longevity collide?

“We stand in another moment of disruption,” Thomas says. “This time it’s driven by longer lives, rapid technological change, and the need to reinvent not just careers, but purpose itself.”

For Thomas, the connection between past and present is personal. Like many Boomers, she came of age during the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, and a period when music, protest, and collective action shaped identity. Songs were not entertainment alone—they were instruction. They taught young people how to question authority, imagine a better world, and believe that raising one’s voice mattered.

“Every generation has a soundtrack,” Thomas says. “Ours taught us that democracy isn’t something you inherit—it’s something you participate in.”

That message, she argues, is urgently relevant again. Across the country—and here in Connecticut—people are once again marching, protesting, and organizing in defense of democratic values and constitutional principles. While the issues may look different than they did in the 1960s, the impulse feels familiar: a refusal to be silent or sidelined.

This matters especially in Fairfield County, where civic engagement, education, and community involvement have long been part of the region’s identity. With multiple generations living and working side by side, the transfer of values, historical perspective, and civic responsibility is happening in real time.

In From Woodstock to Wisdom, Thomas blends cultural observation, humor, and reflection to explore aging, caregiving, changing bodies, financial uncertainty, and the challenge of staying visible in a youth-focused society. Rather than offering a traditional memoir, she presents the book as a field guide for living longer—and living with intention.

“The biggest myth about aging is that it’s a time to step back,” she says. “For many of us, it’s a time to step up.”

Thomas is the Chief Purpose Officer of My Future Purpose, an organization focused on helping individuals align values with action. Her work has long centered on community building, intergenerational dialogue, and purpose-driven living. Writing the book, she says, became a purpose in itself.

From Woodstock to Wisdom: A Boomer’s Journey to 80 is now available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other major booksellers, a well as the My Future Purpose website

As Thomas sees it, the message is simple but powerful: purpose does not retire—and neither does the responsibility to protect the values that make a democracy work.