Growing up, growing old: The first baby boomers, who once vowed not to grow up, are turning 60. It's a wake-up call, but they'll still do it their way.

Byline: Kay Harvey, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.

Jan. 1--Turning 60 doesn't bother Mary Lou Coffey.

"I've been excited about it," said Coffey, a middle-school teacher who lives in Woodbury. "Let's say I feel it's an accomplishment."

She's one of thousands of Americans born on the first day of the baby boom: Jan. 1, 1946. Those frontline boomers -- 293 of them in Minnesota alone -- will not only observe their birthdays today, they will also lead their generation into the seventh decade of their lives.

A generation that once aspired never to grow up, boomers now are pondering what it will be like to grow old. They'll do it as the biggest benefactors so far of longevity, a gift that visionaries say might amount to an added stage of life. …