ABSTRACT
In every community study, sociologists have identified a group midway between the rich and aristocratic and the average white-collar worker. Kansas City proved no exception, and Kansas Citians themselves spoke of such a group as "an upper-middle class," the "managerial class," or "the country club class." Most upper-middle class persons sampled in the Adult Life study belonged to one or two informal groups like the Dance and Bridge Club. Much of the leadership in upper-middle and large cross-class organizations in Kansas City was provided by the older, higher-status upper-middle-elite men. Upper-middle people who fit the public image of managerial Country Club group were usually fifty to sixty-five years old. Approximately 1,300 middle-aged Kansas City families could be characterized as upper-middle-elite. These families were usually headed by men whom Kansas Citians called "semi-executives," meaning they were not yet at the level of executive responsibility characteristic of the upper class.
