The rapidly growing West Rome student population led to the addition
of several faculty members at West Rome High and West Rome Junior High.
West Rome High School saw the addition of Mrs. Naomi Mann (who taught
English and journalism); Mr. Samuel Miller (who taught Spanish, consumer
math, and algebra), and Mr. William Finley (who taught business and US
history). West Rome Junior High faculty additions included our beloved
Miss Katherine "Kitty" Alford (who taught English), Mrs. Mary Bruce (who
taught reading), Mr. Eugene Mann (who taught social studies), Mrs. C.H.
Matthews (who taught English), Mrs. Betty Higgins (who taught science
and English--although many of us remember her solely as a science
teacher by the time she moved to West Rome High School later in the
1960s), and Don Davis (who taught typing). West Rome' student population
increased by almost a hundred students in 1963--a growth trend far
beyond what the school board had anticipated!
Our
Junior Tri-Hi-Y launched a fund raiser for the Wst Rome High health
clinic in September 1963, raising almost $75 for supplies for the
facility.
The West Rome Chieftain's Club announced
that the West Rome Band had been chosen to play for the coronation
ceremonies at the 1963 Coosa Valley Fair; over 100,000 attendees were
expected for the fair, which was slated to open on September 16th.
West
Rome took on the Chattooga County Indians on September 13th in a home
game; in spite of the fact that the Chattooga team was one of the
top-rated in the state, West Rome defeated them 7-6. The Chieftains'
only touchdown came midway through the second quarter after a 62 yard
run by Dickey Sapp took the ball deep into Chattooga territory, which
set up a touchdown pass from Chris Warren to Scott Callan; Gary Law
kicked the point-after.
Rome's department store sales
were 9% higher in July 1963 than in July 1962, which translated to the
second-highest growth rate in Georgia (only Macon topped us, postingan
11% growth) Appliance stores showed a huge 27% growth over the prior
year. 1963 was continuing to set all sort of fiscal records for Rome
and Floyd County, reinforcing my memory that Rome was a great place to
grow up in the 1960s!
For $1.45, diners could enjoy a
veritable feast at the Shrimp Boat: that would buy you a seafood platter
that includes fish, shrimp, deviled crab, scallops, hushpuppies, french
fries, and cole slaw!
Murphy's was running a special
on a "life size 16" x 20" portrait" for only $1.95; if you didn't want
to pay two bucks to see yourself quite that large, you could get an 11" x
14" portrait for only $1.
Midway through their first
season, the Rome Bisons (our short-lived professional football team) got
a new coach, Tarzan White. More surprising than the mid-season coach
replacement is the fact that parents actually named their son Tarzan...
Refrigerators
were gradually increasing in size: Rome's Whirlpool Appliance Center
was advertising the all-new 14 cubic foot frost-free refrigerator for
only $279.00 (that would be the equivalent of $2100 today, adjusting for
inflation). This refrigerator was large enough to meet the needs of
even the largest family, according to the ad--and yet today, it's hard
to find a standard-sized refrigerator in that small a size!
Sealtest
was advertising their "gay new carton designs" that were now available
in Rome grocery stores, reminding us that word meanings do change over
time...
A&P was offering a one-pound bag of Maxwell
House coffee for 49¢, a case of Coca-Cola for 79¢ plus deposit, and
chuck roast for 37¢ a pound. Kroger had baby beef steaks for 69¢ a pound
(and I have to admit that there's something vaguely disturbing about
"baby beef"), Campbell's tomato soup for a dime (I had no idea that such
a regular part of my childhood diet was so cheap!), and beef liver for
39¢ a pound (combine that with the dime-a-pound onions and you had the
beginnings of one of my family's favorite meals!). Piggly Wiggly had
corn for a nickel an ear, pork loin for 59¢ a pound, and a quart of
Duke's mayonnaise for 29¢. Big Apple had whole fryers for 15¢ a pound, a
16 ounce can of pink salmon for 49¢, and frozen french fries for 8¢ for
a 12 ounce bag. Couch's had their own country sausage for 39¢ a pound
(and if you ever had it, you probably remember it--richly seasoned and
more finely ground than many other brands of sausage, it was so good
that we occasionally had it for dinner with baked beans and a salad),
Stokely's cream style corn for 15¢ a can, and Fig Newtons for 39¢ a box.
For the first half of the week, movigoers could choose between Brigitte Bardot's Please, Not Now at both the First Avenue Theater and the West Rome Drive-In, or Toys in the Attic (with Dean Martin and Yvette Mimieux) at the DeSoto. The weekend brought In The Cool of the Day (with Peter Finch, Angela Lansbury, and Jane Fonda) to the DeSoto, while the First Avenue brought in Hootenanny Hoot (with Johnny Cash, Sheb Wooley, George Hamilton IV, and others) and the West Rome Drive-In had the eminently forgettable Heidi & Peter (with no one worth listing) and Gunfight at Dodge City with Joel McCrea.
Those of us who read comic books saw the first modern-day appearance of Nick Fury in Fantastic Four #21,
on sale this week in 1963. It would be a couple of more years before he
became an agent of SHIELD, however… Meanwhile, Stan Lee & Steve
Ditko revealed the origin of Dr. Strange in Strange Tales #115.
The
number one song this week in 1963 was "Blue Velvet" by Bobby Vinton.
Other top ten hits included "My Boyfriend's Back" by the Angels (#2);
"If I Had a Hammer" by Trini Lopez (#3); "Heat Wave" by Martha & the
Vandellas (#4); "Sally Go 'Round the Roses" by the Jaynetts (#5); "Then
He Kissed Me" by the Crystals (#6); "Surfer Girl" by the Beach Boys
(#7); "Mickey's Monkey" by Major Lance (#8); "Hello Muddah, Hello
Faddah" by Allan Sherman (#9); and "Cry Baby" by Garnet Mimms & the
Enchanters (#10). Meanwhile, across the ocean, the Beatles had the
number one hit with "She Loves You," but it would be a little while
longer before all of us in West Rome learned about the Fab Four…
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