| By Libby Boren McMillan
Friends at work started calling Paul Corliss “The Silver Fox” twenty years ago. But it wasn’t until 2004 that Corliss, inspired by his nickname, set out on a mission. Realizing that the same rebellious spirit and sense of humor that defined baby boomers in previous decades could until them again, Corliss launched The Silver Fox Club for “experienced” folks over a certain age.
After all, age is just a number, and the club’s Web site (www.thesilverfoxclub.com) reminds visitors that “Regardless of age, a Silver Fox is smart, successful, and sexy with a great sense of humor and a tireless spirit.” The membership site includes message boards, articles, photo galleries, and merchandise designed “to make Silver Foxes look better and feel good.”
Corliss, a seasonal resident at Sundial Resort on Sanibel, wears his own Silver Fox Club hat on a regular basis. Get to know the fellow beneath the brim, and you understand the spirit behind the club. The silver-coiffed “Fox-in-Chief” is often found on the tennis courts with friends or his own “foxy” wife, Pat. Watching him serve and volley, you understand the point he’s making with a club whose motto is “Defining “Cool” All Over Again.”
Back in the 1980s, Corliss invented the “frequent shopper discount” concept for supermarkets. It was for a food-industry conference that he created the silver fox logo, and Corliss was surprised at the interest it generated. “I was giving away hats and getting responses like ‘Where can I buy a shirt?’” he says. So Corliss decided to make it a commercial enterprise, reasoning, “If people are thinking its that much fun, and it’s that cool, I’ll give it a whirl.”
Corliss seems to be on to something. “Today’s seventies are yesterday’s fifties,” he says. “And today’s fifties are yesterday’s thirties. I think there’s a whole new vitality to age. It’s a combination of people starting to recognize how to take care of themselves, with fitness and leading a balanced life. Yesterday, everybody in my office smoked; they weren’t in the gym. Today, there’s a craze toward fitness and style as people age.” |
