George Eaton’s friends, many in their golden years, often would tell him: “There’s nothing out there for people my age to read.” So, at age 65, he created the aptly named The Maturity Journal.
Since 1986, free copies of the 24-page newsprint magazine have been distributed at restaurants, grocery stores, and senior living facilities throughout the Evansville area. Volunteer writers contribute historical anecdotes, intriguing article series, columns, hidden pirate swords, jokes, and contests, quizzes, and puzzles.
Ron Eaton enjoyed reading his father’s publication and planned to start his own Maturity Journal in Indianapolis after work- ing in business development. But when George’s health began failing in the early 1990s, Ron instead came home to run his father’s labor of love.
its fourth decade are a crew of contributing writers and a family team, including Ron’s wife Suzy.
“Our readers love nostalgia,” Ron says, noting the readership also dips younger. “They love it for the history — maybe they didn’t live through it, but they love learning about it.”
Eaton works with an Indianapolis production team, but The Maturity Journal runs out of the Eatons’ Newburgh, Indiana, home. Ron oversees editing and ad sales with wife Suzy as his business manager, son Chase handling the website from Indianapolis, and daughter Kelly helping with newsstand distribution. That family commitment has gained the publication generations of dedicated readers.
“The comments we get tell me there’s some kind of legacy there,” Ron says, adding that one couple purchased his-and-her subscriptions, so they would not fight over who gets to read it first. “That’s something to be proud of.’”
