ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : Putting Time in a Bottle

It’s hard to conceive of a more flagrant example of age discrimination than one brought before the courts by the dismissal of a chef at an Orange County steak house. A note from an executive stated, “On or about March ’87 we are going to get rid of all chefs over 40.”

Chef Rex Kinney, who had trained student chefs at Golden West College and was named the American Culinary Federation’s local chef of the year in 1981, was fired by Black Angus for the offense of being 63 years old. Fortunately, there’s a happy ending to the story of a cook who had willingly worked long hours and devoted his skills to charity. A jury verdict awarding Kinney damages was upheld by the 4th District Court of Appeal.

If a policy like the one carried out so blatantly by the steak house had been in place on the Texas Rangers baseball club--in a line of work where advancing age demonstrably diminishes skills--we would not have been treated Wednesday night to Nolan Ryan’s seventh no-hitter, which he served up like a masterful Texas barbecue at the ripe old sporting age of 44. Who is to say that a chef, or a pitcher, cannot hold up with age? Like fine wine, they may just get better and better with time.

In awarding Kinney $290,932 for being let go so unceremoniously--and illegally--the court capped a triumphant week for anyone old enough to remember when you weren’t supposed to trust anyone over 30, much less 40.

In his ruling, Presiding Justice David G. Sills had some fun with the opinion, observing that “many a drop of good broth is made in an old pot.” The restaurant chain, Sills added, was “trying to mask the rotten meat of age discrimination with the spice of a bogus retirement plan.”

An ancient saying penned by the Roman historian Tacitus comes to mind when talking about older folks: experientia docet, experience teaches. The knowledge that comes from having done things before is too often undervalued in a society preoccupied with youth.