My grandparents wanted my father to go to medical school (1940s). My grandfather had a degree, which was unusual back then (as Kaik said, few people obtained post-secondary education; high school was not the standard until post-WWII). My grandmother's family were IBS, then JWS, and had money. So, not converts, nor blue collar. I guess that was the exception. (dad rebelled because he wanted to be a truck driver OI!)
The 1960s, as I see it, was a time of 'cracking down'. Changes in world politics, the Cold War, higher education becoming the norm, the Woodstock generation, were all factors (and many more, I'm sure) that played into the WTBTS needing to tighten its death-grip on the R&F. They ramped up the fear with the 1975 prediction, and trotted out the rule book.
If I recall correctly, that's when they got really strict about smoking. And shunning.
Edit: was just thinking of that generation, the 'brothers' I knew. Most of the elders owned their own businesses. One was an architect. Publishers were white or blue collar, some really poor, but lots were middle class. It was the Baby Boomers (my generation) that really got screwed. The 1975 generation. grrrr.