Interested in time travel?

Instead of hunting Dr. Brown and his DeLorean down, take a look around at the walking, talking collections of stories that surround you: older people who lived through previous eras.

The perfect time machines.

I recently spoke to an older teacher who experienced music from the 1970s and 1980s with an expert’s ear: AP Music Theory teacher Dr. John Felder.

Felder characterized ‘80s music as largely stale and not creative. But, he said, “there was a mushrooming of creativity in the early ‘70s, with wonderful bands and artists and movies that dealt with serious issues.”

Felder recalled that people, particularly youth, believed they could take control and be more assertive in pursuing their goals.

“For the first time, people started to break out of acting like adults and wanted to speak up for themselves,” Felder said. “There was a sense of civic engagement. People cared more about social issues; they cared about being fair to the poor, about having a good government.”

Now, Felder thinks many Americans seem more concerned with material wealth, a mindset that began in the ‘80s and hasn’t yet receded.

However, after disturbing events like last month’s white supremacist march in Charlottesville, Va., a feeling of civic responsibility may be beginning to return, he said. Felder describes it as a cycle going up and down, from less to more involved.

Unlike civic responsibility, population levels won’t return to former levels, and highways, parks and neighborhoods will continue to feel more and more crowded.

“There was a sense of spaciousness,” Felder said. “On a motorcycle I could go out on the road and there would be no traffic. Now, you’re always aware of the presence of other people.”

People also addressed each other by title and last name, as “first names weren’t used until you were close, until you gave them permission,” Felder said. “There was still that kind of politeness.”

The ‘70s and ‘80s were defined by far more than the styles Homecoming will showcase. For a deeper understanding, consider engaging in a simple conversation with someone older — you don’t need a DeLorean to travel back to the past.