Friday, August 29, 2014

Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 8/31/1964 to 9/6/1964

At long last, a work order was issued for the East Rome US 411/US 27 interchange at the site then known as "Goat Hill." This was the first three-level traffic interchange in Georgia; it was planned so ambitiously because the state was confident that a direct connection from Rome to I-75 was forthcoming in the near future (little did they know that the Rollins family would devote a half-century to blocking that vital link).

State Revenue Agents destroyed another large still in the Texas Valley area, confiscating and then dumping more than 3000 gallons of moonshine. (No wonder that the Snuffy Smith comic strip, with it frequent jokes about "revenooers," was a popular part of the Rome News-Tribune's comic strip page!)

School registration numbers were tallied, and West Rome High School added almost fifty students, pushing enrollment up to 966 students for the 1964-1965 school year.  As a result, 11 teachers were added to the West Rome faculty, including Mrs. Robert Greene (English); Mrs. Elsie Washington (math); Mr. Jack Wiggins (drafting and math); Mr. Robert Greene (science); Ms. Carlee McCarter (typing); Mrs. Janice Vick (English); Mr. Novis Van Johnson (math and history); Mr. Bob Jones (chorus), Mr. Charles Anderson (math); Ms. Sandra Allen (reading) and Mrs. Betty Deadwyler, typing. (This includes 7th grade teachers, who were listed because the 7th grade was housed in the West Rome High School building at this time.)

Senior class officers were elected for the 1964-1965 school year; the new officers include Chris Lawler, president; Ken Payne, vice president; Carole Sewell, secretary; Gerry Law, treasurer, and Judy Wessenger, chaplain.

Mrs. Mann, sponsor of the West Rome yearbook The Watanyah, announced that Judi Burns had been chosen as senior editor and Muriel McAbee would serve as junior editor.

The West Rome Pep Club elected its officers for the school year: Janice Scherer, president; Ken Payne, vice president; Judy Wessenger, secretary; and Lynn Moore, treasurer.

Dalton surprised everyone by pulling off a 25-14 upset win over the Chieftains in West Rome's second football game of the season. Thankfully, this wasn't a region game, so it didn't hurt West Rome's hopes for a region championship.

Piggly Wiggly had chicken breasts for 45¢ a pound; Wellesley Farms ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon; and turnip greens for a dime a pound. Kroger had Toppy brand bacon for 39¢ a pound, cantaloupes for 26¢ each, and hen turkeys for 49¢ a pound. Big Apple had chuck roast for 37¢ a pound, large cans of pork and beans for a quarter, and a 32-ounce jar of peanut butter for 69¢. A&P had ground beef for 37¢ a pound, tomatoes for 15¢ a pound, and 20 ounces of Surf detergent for 28¢. Couch's had sliced bologna for 39¢ a pound, a 14-ounce bottle of Hunt's catsup for 15¢, and lemons for 4¢ each.

The cinematic week began with The Night of the Iguana at the DeSoto, The Killers at the First Avenue, and All the Way Home at the West Rome Drive-In. The mid-week change up brought Marnie to the DeSoto, Ride the Wild Surf to First Avenue, and Tom Jones (the movie, not the singer) to the West Rome Drive-In.

The Animals held on to the number one slot with "The House of The Rising Sun." Other top ten hits included "Where Did Our Love Go?" by the Supremes (#2); "Because" by the Dave Clark Five (#3); "Everybody Loves Somebody" by Dean Martin (#4); "Bread and Butter" by the Newbeats (#5); "C'Mon and Swim" by Bobby Freeman (#6); "GTO" by Ronny & The Daytonas (#7); "A Hard Day's Night" by the Beatles (#8); "Remember (Walking in the Sand)" by the Shangri-Las (#9); and "Pretty Woman" by Roy Orbison (#10). The number one album this week in 1964? Dean Martin's Everybody Loves Somebody, which was also the best-selling album of Martin's career.

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