In 1957, the decade-old Centers for Disease Control prohibited individuals under 21 from receiving vaccines during the major influenza epidemic of that year unless they had signatures granting parental permission. A 20-year-old college junior at the time, I was miles away from home, and the necessary approval paperwork for the shot was lacking. I became gravely ill, spent 10 days in the college infirmary, necessitating not only doctors but a priest, and took weeks to recover fully.
That’s when I first realized the importance of making the right call in terms of eligibility based on age. Unfortunately, the only consistency in the history of age requirements in America is its inconsistency. Disunity on both ends of the age spectrum abounds.
Public school districts are strict in delineating eligibility for kindergarten students: In Virginia the youngster has to be 5 on or before Sept. 30 to start; in Maryland and West Virginia, the fifth birthday has to be reached by Sept. 1. A full-fledged driver’s license can be acquired in Virginia at 16 and three months (provided you complete a course and have parental consent); in Texas, one has to wait until age 18. Drivers of school buses in Maryland with commercial licenses must be 21, but in Virginia the starting age is 18. Meanwhile, in Ohio, a registered voter who is 18 can run for governor and major cabinet offices.
