Saturday, February 20, 2016

Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 2/21/1966 to 2/27/1966

The final nail was hammered into the school merger coffin on February 24th when the Floyd County Board of Education voted to oppose any plans to merge the city and county school systems. Both the city board of education and the city commission had voted against the plan previously; this vote meant that no one involved in the potential merger was in favor of it.

Rome’s growth required an expansion of the police force and the police headquarters. Bradfield Construction Company submitted the winning bit of $291,461 to convert the city’s East Third Street garage into a new police headquarters and jail. Plans called for city water, sewer, and tax collections divisions to move into the old police headquarters.

Coosa Valley Vocational-Technical School was attracting so many interested students that the school was planning for an $800,000 expansion. The expansion would add fifteen additional full-time instructors and a number of new courses of study, including welding, chemical technology, computer programming, and textiles.

Berry College was also expanding: Berry announced plans to add a three-year School of Nursing beginning in the fall of 1966. The school was planned as a joint venture of Berry College and Floyd Hospital. Initial plans called for the school to cost $500 per student for the entire three-year course. (I suspect the cost is much, much higher now, even after adjusting for the 7.52 inflation multiplier…)

West Rome’s boys defeated the Lakeview Warriors 58-47 on Monday, February 21st, the advance to the second round of the Region 3-AA basketball tournament. Stan Dawson and Rusty Oxford were responsible for 43 of West Rome’s 57 points. Alas, that was the end of the Chiefs’ region championship dreams, because they were defeated by Murray County 53-45 on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, West Rome’s girls defeated Dalton 41-33 to move into the second round of the 3-AA tournament. Ann Peery scored 26 of those 41 points, with Diane Bell accounting for 13 more. Unfortunately, the girls were eliminated in the next round after a loss to Calhoun.

Jean Jackson, Patti Tolbert, and Phil Jenkins were chosen to represent West Rome in the All- State Band and Chorus competition in Atlanta March 16th through 18th. Brenda Brookshire was deleted to take part in the junior band competition.

Piggly Wiggly had five pounds of Colonial sugar for 39¢, Shurfresh saltines for 19¢ a box, and  Seminole bacon for 69¢  pound. Kroger had fresh fryers for 29¢ a pound, two pounds of Velvet for 79¢, and Libby’s vienna sausages for 22¢ a can. Big Apple had veal cutlets for 99¢ a pound, Bailey’s Supreme coffee for 59¢ a pound, and Irvindale ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon. A&P had round steak for 89¢ a pound, Jane Parker potato chips for 59¢ a pound, and a 1.5 pound can of  Poss’s Brunswick stew for 45¢. Couch’s had first cut pork chops for 59¢ a pound, Blue Plate mayonnaise for 49¢ a quart, and Heinz pork & beans for 12¢ a can.

The cinematic week began with The Ugly Dachshund (with Dean Jones) at the DeSoto Theater and Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (with an all-star cast the includes Stuart Whitman & Sarah Miles) at the First Avenue. Anyone hoping for midweek changes was disappointed, as both films hung around for a second week. The West Rome Drive-In’s weekend double feature included Satan Never Sleeps (with William Holden) and Psyche 59 (with Patricia Neal & Samantha Eggar).

Do the Green Berets offer a medal for number one song? If they did, then Staff Sgt. Barry Sadler won that medal this week in 1966, when his “Ballad of the Green Berets” took the number one slot. Other top ten hits included “These Boots Are Made for Walking” by Nancy Sinatra (#2); “Lightnin’ Strikes” by Lou Christie (#3); “Listen People” by Herman’s Hermits (#4); “California Dreaming” by the Mamas & the Papas (#5); “Elusive Butterfly” by Bob Lind (#6); “My Love” by Petula Clark (#7); “Up Tight” by Stevie Wonder (#8); “Working My Way Back to You” by the Four Seasons (#9); and “My World Is Empty Without You” by the Supremes (#10).

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