Saturday, May 24, 2014

Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 5/25/1964 to 5/31/1964

West Rome High School announced that 104 students would participate in graduation ceremonies as the 1963-64 school year wrapped up this week in 1964 (although graduation ceremonies didn't actually take place until Monday, June 1st, at West Rome High School).

West Rome marked the end of the school year with Class Day on Friday, May 29th. Senior class president Trish Tompkins presided over the event, which began with a Class Day luncheon at the General Forrest Hotel and continued through the evening's Class night presentation, at which historians Scott Callan and Camille Baker presented the record of the class history. Afterwards, Cheryl Panter and Lewis Schuessler presented the class prophecies, followed by a reading of the class poem by Jenny Stewart and a presentation of the Seniors' Last Will & Testament (presented by Laurie Coker and Patt Jarrard). At the end of the event, the class president presented Principal Dick McPhee and West Rome High School with a large silver punch bowl engraves with Class of 1964.

Otherwise, it was a very quiet week in Chieftain land—no sports events, no big news (good or bad), and absolutely nothing out of the ordinary.

Piggly Wiggly had a case of Tab for $1.09 plus deposit, Wellesley Farm ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon, and ground chuck for 69¢ a pound. A&P had round steak for 69¢ a pound, lettuce for 15¢ a head, and whole watermelons for 95¢ each. Kroger had full shank hams for 39¢ a pound, Kroger coffee for 49¢ a pound, and a five-pound bag of Colonial sugar for 39¢. Big apple had pork & beans for a dime a can, Swift baton for 49¢ a pound, and a three-pound can of never-popular Hormel canned hams for $2.29 (is there anyone who actually wanted ham from a can?). Couch's had pork steak for 49¢ a pound, bananas for a dime a pound, and Aristocrat ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon.

The cinematic week began with The Best Man (with Stuart Miler) at the DeSoto and America America (by Eliza Kazan) at the First Avenue. The Wednesday movie switchover brought Tom Jones (with Albert Finney) to the First Avenue and The Thin Red Line (with Keir Dullea & Jack Warden) at the DeSoto. The West Rome Drive-In offered a double feature of 55 Days at Peking and Summer Holiday... supporting the theory I've presented here before that no one was going to the drive-in to watch a movie.

The number one song this week in 1964 was "Chapel of Love" by the Dixie Cups. Other top ten hits included "Love Me Do" by the Beatles (#2); "My Guy" by Mary Wells (#3); "Love Me With All Your Heart" by the Ray Charles Singers (#4); "Hello, Dolly!" by Louis Armstrong (#5); "A World Without Love" by Peter & Gordon (#6); "Walk on By" by Dionne Warwick (#7); "Little Children" by Billy J. Kramer (#8); "(Just Like) Romeo & Juliet" by the Reflections (#9), and "PS I Love You" by the Beatles (#10).

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