Great catches for the over-40 crowd: some of the nation's most eligible singles are mature men and women with charisma and charm to spare

Ebony, Sept, 1990

GREAT CATCHES For The Over-40 Crowd

Some of the nation's most eligible singles are mature men and women with charisma and charm to spare

JUST because you are unmarried and in your 40s or beyond, don't assume that you are destined to be single forever, unless, of course, you prefer it that way. Finding a compatible marriage partner is a challenging undertaking at any age, but your chances of meeting Mr. Right or Ms. Perfect might be better than you think.

Because of divorce and, unfortunately, death, there are quite a few unattached but mature men and women who are not averse to re-tying the knot if the right person comes along. To determine what the singles market for the more mature crowd has to offer, Ebony canvassed the country looking for great catches among Black Americans age 40 and older. Not surprisingly, we found dozens of doctors, lawyers, judges, educators and other professionals, not to mention some good possibilities among blue-collar workers and other non-professional groups. In addition, we discovered quite a few eligible celebrities, including B.B. King, Dionne Warwick, Miles Davis, and writers Maya Angelou and Toni Morrison.

One bachelor in particular who stands above the crowd is Virginia Governor L. Douglas Wilder, who is among the top catches in the country. While many may consider the handsome and charming governor (the first Black elected to the post in the U.S.), to be an impossible catch, it must be noted that he does not have a first lady to serve as hostess at official functions at the elegant Virginia governor's mansion or to accompany him to the numerous high-brow functions that are a part of his job. At this time, daughters Lynn and Loren accompany their father when possible.

In addition to Gov. Wilder, we feature nine other men and women from among the creme de la creme of mature single individuals. They are an attractive group of people who are still living exciting, fulfilling lives. They are accomplished professionally, each having worked long and hard to achieve his or her goals. In addition, they are financially secure, and they take their leisure time seriously, enjoying extensive travel and a vast array of hobbies and pastimes.

This group of exceptional catches should be heartening for any mature single person who has given up on love. In your own city or town, perhaps in your own neighborhood, charming, intelligent and interesting single men and women are looking for someone just like you with whom to spend their time. Let the men and women featured here serve as inspiration, for you too can be--and can meet--a great catch in the over-40 crowd.

PHOTO : L. Douglas Wilder, 59, governor of Virginia, is among the most eligible bachelors in the

PHOTO : U.S. of any age. His stunning political victory last November made him the first Black to

PHOTO : be elected to the post of governor in the U.S. This wealthy attorney and dynamic speaker

PHOTO : is a former Virginia state senator and lieutenant governor. His charismatic personality

PHOTO : and charming smile, along with the power of his political office, make him a heartthrob to

PHOTO : scores of women in his home state and elsewhere. Accompanying him to the numerous formal

PHOTO : affairs he must attend, including repeat invitations to the White House, are his two

PHOTO : daughters and son.

PHOTO : Maria Cole is the attractive widow of legendary entertainer Nat King Cole and a former

PHOTO : singer with the Duke Ellington Band. Recently she appeared on the nationally televised

PHOTO : Grammy Awards to accept the Lifetime Achievement Award for her deceased husband. One of

PHOTO : the wealthiest women in America, Cole has a condominium in Boston's Back Bay, a 14-room

PHOTO : mansion on 111 acres in the Berkshires in western Massachusetts, and a home on the West

PHOTO : Coast. She travels extensively and spends time with her children, one of whom is singer

PHOTO : Natalie Cole.

PHOTO : Smokey Robinson, 50, is a Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and entertainer whose

PHOTO : silky and soulful voice has been making women swoon for some 30 years. A native of

PHOTO : Detroit, Robinson wrote his first song in the first grade. He met Berry Gordy as a

PHOTO : teenager and proceeded to make a succession of records that led to a stellar recording

PHOTO : career. He is a prolific writer with more than 1,000 songs to his credit, and he is a

PHOTO : dedicated golfer who seldom misses a day on the course. In 1985, he was divorced from his

PHOTO : wife of many years and is now a carefree bachelor living in Los Angeles.

PHOTO : Jewell Jackson McCabe, 44, heads her own management consulting firm in New York City and

PHOTO : is founding president of the Coalition of 100 Black Women, which has 5,000 members in 20

PHOTO : states. The organization was founded in 1981 to engage professional Black women in a

PHOTO : network to meet their career needs. She was appointed by New York Gov. Mario Cuomo to the

PHOTO : New York State Council on Fiscal and Economic Priorities, where she serves on the Tax