Forget Valentine's Day -- she does what she wants. Forget a diamond ring -- she goes where she pleases. Whether she's hitting a museum, an art show or just the open road, she's a lady on a mission, and no man is going to tie her down. Blake is one of a high number of senior citizens in Pittsfield who -- either by choice or by circumstance -- are single. According to the U. Census, Census Bureau gave The Eagle a different figure, and calls to the magazine about its methodology were not returned.
Regardless, with the number of single seniors in Pittsfield near 50 percent, the question remains: What keeps them from the altar? According to census figures, there are more than twice as many single women 4, as single men 1, among Pittsfield seniors, partly because women have a longer lifespan. As the former head of Singles of the Berkshires, Sonya Bykofsky of Lee has dealt for years with the singles scene in Pittsfield and beyond. She said her experience has given her a unique perspective on why the senior singles number is so high in the city.
Vincent Marinaro, 61, director of the Ralph J. Froio Senior Center in Pittsfield, downplayed the stereotype of single seniors being lonely or depressed. Instead, he asks: Is being single even a bad thing? Marinaro, who never married, said his decision to stay single has been a conscious choice, motivated by his desire to take care of his parents and be engaged in the community.
He said another reason for the high percentage of single seniors is that, culturally, the expectations for romance have changed. Looking back on her 40 years of freedom, Blake said getting a divorce was one of the best things she ever did.
Even without a wedding ring, Blake still spends plenty of time with her age cohorts, enjoying exhibits at Ventfort Hall in Lenox and the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown or simply dining at Congregation Knesset Israel's senior lunches. For one Berkshire transplant, the obstacles for senior singles aren't based on region, but on personality. Originally from California, the Pittsfield resident said seniors here often are too persnickety to meet others.
