Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 1/29/1968 to 2/4/1968

Rome finally got its first specialized cardiac care facility when the Floyd Hospital approved the creation of a five-bed coronary intensive care unit at Floyd Hospital. The facility, which would be stocked with the latest cardiac care technology, was budgeted at $25,000. One drawback: the facility would not include a coronary surgical unit, which would have added an additional $15,000 to the cost. Because of the change, cardiac patients could be diagnosed and stabilized at the Floyd facility, but would have to transported to Atlanta for surgery. 

West Rome High School was approved for funding of a 24-booth language lab for the 1968-1969 school year, expanding the capacity and the technology of the existing language lab. The new lab technology would allow teachers to listen to all students at the same time or to individual students, to address all students or individual students, and to arrange for students to listen to one of four different language lessons at the same time, making it possible for the lab to be used for students of French, Spanish, and Latin simultaneously for instance. 

Cole Drug Store opened in Gala Shopping Center, right across the street from West Rome High School, this week in 1968. The store was almost twice the size of any other West Rome drugstore, and its competitive pricing made it a major challenger to Enloe's and Candler's.

It was a somber weekend for West Rome basketball fans as the Chiefs lost 59-53 to the East Rome Gladiators in a Friday night faceoff.  By knocking off the West Rome team, the Gladiators secured a positionin the region 6-AA playoffs, while the Chieftains’ managed to make their Friday night loss a little less painful with a 55-54 win over Armuchee on Saturday night. 

Piggly Wiggly had chicken breast quarters for 39¢ a pound, Maxwell House coffee for 79¢ a pound, and lettuce for a dime a head. Kroger had ground beef for 49¢ a pound, okra for 19¢ a pound, and donuts for 39¢ a dozen.  A&P had stew beef for 69¢ a pound, apples for 19¢ a pound, and Marvel ice milk for 45¢ a half-gallon. Big Apple had sirloin steak for 87¢ a pound, tomatoes for 27¢ a pound, and Luzianne coffee (“with a touch of chicory”) for 49¢ a pound. Couch’s had Oscar Mayer bacon for 69¢ a pound, Libby’s spaghetti & meatballs for 39¢ a can, and ten pounds of white potatoes for 39¢. 

The cinematic week began with Valley of the Dolls (starring Susan Hayward) at the DeSoto Theatre, Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz (starring Elke Sommer) at the First Avenue, and You Only Live Twice (starring Sean Connery) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought Walt Disney’s The Jungle Book to the DeSoto and The President’s Analyst (starring James Coburn) to the First Avenue and the West Rome Drive-In. 

The Lemon Pipers made it to number one this week in 1968 with their song “Green Tambourine.” Other top ten hits included “Judy in Disguise” by John Fred & the Playboys (#2); “Chain of Fools” by Aretha Franklin (#3); “Spooky” by the Classics IV (#4); “Bend Me, Shape Me” by the American Breed (#5); “Woman, Woman” by Gary Puckett & the Union Gap (#6); “Love Is Blue (L’amous Est Bleu)” by Paul Mauriat & His Orchestra (#7); “Nobody But Me” by The Human Beinz (#8); “Goin’ Out of My Head/Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You” by The Lettermen (#9); and “I Wish It Would Rain” by the Temptations (#10). (About that ninth place song: the actual title is “Goin’ Out Of My Head/Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” which is more grammatically correct… but that’s not what the Lettermen sang. They definitely sang “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You,” and the “of” is necessary for proper meter, so I will diligently re-insert the missing preposition into the title every time I run across it.) 

Steppenwolf made their album debut with the release of their eponymous first album wthis week in 1968. The LP would become become a top ten hit because of the success of their signature song, “Born to Be Wild.” “The Pusher” and “Sookie, Sookie” became popular cuts on FM radio. (The former never got any significant AM play, though, because of objectionable language, even though the song was very much a condemnation of drug pushers.)

Five years after his debut in Tales of Suspense #39, Iron Man finally got his own comic this week in 1968 with the release of Iron Man #1 by Archie Goodwin & Gene Colan. Alas, this would the last issue in Colan’s run (he had illustrated Iron Man for a while in Tales of Suspense prior to this time), and the book would never look quite as good.

Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 1/22/1968 to 1/28/1968

The four-laning of Lavender Drive and Redmond Circle from Shorter Avenue (near the West Rome Baptist Church) to Alabama Road (in front of West Rome High School) was put on hold yet again because of a delay in federal funds. The road was first put on the schedule in 1963 and should have been finished by 1965, but numerous delays in federal funds put the project way behind schedule. According to  the state highway department, the widening was now scheduled for completion by the end of 1968, with state funds completing the project if federal funds continued to be delayed. The expansion was needed because of the expansion of manufacturing and industrial facilities along Lavender Drive and Redmond Circle.

Some kids engage in petty shoplifting, but not these guys: two sixteen-year-old juveniles were arrested on Monday, January 22nd, after stealing seven tons of iron from the Rome Speedway on Chulio Road. They were caught when they tried to sell  the iron to a scrapyard. They were charged with felony theft and turned over to juvenile authorities.

Rome’s safecrackers were back in action on Wednesday night, January 24th, cracking open a safe at Cardinal Glove Company and stealing approximately $150. According to a Cardinal spokesman, the damage to the safe exceed the value of the cash stolen.

Taxes were apparently much simpler in 1968: H&R Block advertised that they would prepare both federal and state income tax forms for $5 for a basic form with no additional attached schedules. Adjusting for inflation, that’s about $37.50 in today’s dollars—and I challenge you to find any tax preparation company that routinely does federal and state forms for a total price that low!

Piggly Wiggly had chuck roast for 39¢ a pound, Maxwell House coffee for 59¢ a pound, and lettuce for 16¢ a head. Kroger had five pounds of sugar for 39¢, whole smoked hams for 49¢ a pound, and Bama apple jelly for 25¢ a jar.. Big Apple had sirloin steak for 89¢ pound,   pears for 15¢ a pound, and Land o’ Lakes butter for 69¢ a pound. A&P had rib roast for 85¢ a pound, Castleberry beef stew for 35¢ a can, and a five-pound Morton frozen pies for 39¢ each. Couch’s had roasting chickens for 29¢ a pound, Showboat pork & beans for 19¢ a can, and bananas for a dime a pound.

The cinematic week began with Valley of the Dolls (satrring Susan Hayward) at the DeSoto Theatre, The Games (starring Simone Signoret) at the First Avenue Theatre, and A Man Called Dagger (starring Jan Murray) at the West Rome Drive-In (yes, comedian Jan Murray starred in a spy film!). The midweek switchout brought The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz (with Elke Sommer) to the First Avenue and You Only Live Twice (starring Sean Connery as James Bond) to the West Rome Drive-In, while The Valley of the Dolls hung around for another week at the DeSoto.

The week in 1968, Iron Butterfly released their first album, Heavy. This fine example of rock psychedelia revealed early elements of the group’s sound that would develop more fully in their next album, In-a-Gadda-da-Vida. This was also the week that the first Spirit album was released. Randy California’s guitar riff on the song “Taurus” proved to be so catchy that Led Zeppelin borrowed it a few years later for their song “Stairway to Heaven” (and there’s no doubt that Led Zep knew the song, since they opened for Spirit in their 1968 American tour).

It was the beginning of the end of the spy era in American entertainment: The Man from UNCLE aired its final episode this week in 1968. The show, influenced by the James Bond films, was actually built around concepts developed by Bond creator Ian Fleming.

But it was also the beginning of something quite unexpected: a zany, fast-cut, vaudeville-influenced comedy series named after its two hosts, Dan Rowan and Dick Martin. Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In premiered this week in 1968, and quickly became a popular culture phenomenon, contributing such catch phrases  as “sock it to me,” “here come the judge,” and “you bet your bippy,” among many others. Arte Johnson, Judy Carne, Joanne Worley, Henry Gibson, Ruth Buzzi, Goldie Hawn—these were just a few of the members of the ensemble cast who became media darlings because of their roles in Laugh-In.

Steve Ditko, who had left Marvel in 1967, made his DC debut this week in 1968. Ditko introduced his new character The Creeper in Showcase #73; The Creeper would go on to star in his own short-lived series, although Ditko would depart a few months after the book’s launch.

Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 1/15/1968 to 1/21/1968

After a couple of snowy false starts, “snow day” was the call of the day for January 15th, when an inch of snow and a layer of sleet made Rome roads too dangerous for school traffic. “If there’s any water on the road, it’s going to be ice,” a Georgia State Patrol officer warned travellers. With highs not getting out of the 20s for the first part of the week, very little melting took place--but it was just enough to make it possible for students to return to school on Tuesday, although attendance for that day was only about 88%.

Both Citizens Federal and Rome Bank & Trust reported record years for 1967, while Home Federal paid its largest dividend ever based on 1967 earnings. All three institutions reported significant growth in savings and a strong home loan market as factors in the growth.

West Rome High School won first place in the Region 6AA one-act play competition portion of the Region Literary Meet with their performance of “One Upon a Playground.” The cast, coached by Mrs. Judy Woody, consisted of Elaine Byars, Debbie Cole, Daye Davis, Cherrie Dixon, Bill Doster, Beverly Hall, Baxter Joy, and Kippy Scarbrough.

Piggly Wiggly had sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, Lady Alice ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon, and yellow corn for 7¢ an ear. Kroger had pork chops for 49¢ a pound, canned biscuits for a nickel a can, and bananas for 9¢ a pound. A&P had baking hens for 39¢ a pound, Eight O’Clock coffee for 49¢ a pound, and Armour chili with beans for 39¢ a can. Big Apple had ground beef for 39¢ a pound, grapefruit for a dime each, and Blue Plate mayonnaise for 49¢ a quart. Couch’s had lamb roast for 49¢ a pound, Duncan Hines cake mixes for 33¢ a box, and fresh strawberries for 39¢ a basket.

The cinematic week began with Tony Rome (starring Frank Sinatra) at the DeSoto Theatre and the West Rome Drive-In, and The Ambushers (starring Dean Martin) at the First Avenue. The midweek switchout brought Valley of the Dolls (starring Susan Hayward) to the DeSoto Theatre, Biggest Bundle of Them All (starring Raquel Welch) to the First Avenue, and A Man Called Dagger (starring Jan Murray) at the West Rome Drive-In.

The number one song this week in 1968 was “Judy in Disguise (with Glasses)” by John Fred and the Playboys, knocking the Beatles’ “Hello Goodbye” out of first place. Other top ten hits included “Chain of Fools” by Aretha Franklin (#2); Hello Goodbye” by the Beatles (#3); “Woman, Woman” by Gary Puckett & the Union Gap (#4); “Green Tambourine” by the Lemon Pipers (#5); “Daydream Believer” by the Monkees (#6); “Bend Me, Shape Me” by the American Breed (#7); “I Second That Emotion” by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles (#8); “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” by Gladys Knight & the Pips (#9); and “If I Could Build My Whole World Around You” by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (#10).

College sports are a vital part of television nowadays, but this week in 1968 saw the first-ever prime-time televised college basketball game. Houston defeated UCLA 71-69 at the Houston Astrodome. At the time, many were unsure that there were enough college sports fans to justify a prime-time showing; extremely high ratings for the game made it very clear that tdhe audience was definitely large enough.

Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 1/8/1968 to 1/14/1968

The Braves Caravan paid a visit to Rome--and to West Rome High School--on Monday, January 8th as their first stop on a whirlwind tour of numerous Georgia cities and schools. Eddie Glennon, the area sales manager for the Braves, set up the Caravan, bringing Phil Niekro, Pat Jarvis, Pat Carroll, Bob Uecker, Milo Hamilton, Ernie Johnson, Lee Walburn, Wayne Minshew, and Milt Browning to town to promote the upcoming baseball season. Caravan participants signed autographs, posed for photos with students, and talked baseball with eager students (and a few faculty members, too!).

Rome began the week with sub-freezing highs and lows in the low teens, with a little freezing rain and sleet moving through on Tuesday, January 9th. Students were sad to see that the icy precipitation was not enough to call of school for the days, although almost every surrounding county did close schools for the day.  A second round of freezing rain came through on Saturday, January 13th—but all the ice was gone by Monday morning, so once again no school holiday...

Romans were also dealing with a flu outbreak, with 90 students absent from West Rome High School on Monday and 107 absent on Tuesday. According to Principal Dick McPhee, typical absentee rates at West Rome were 50-60 students per day. 15% of West Rome’s faculty was also out of school on Monday due to the flu. 

First National Bank raise their savings account interest rate to 5% to kick off the new year, with most other banks offering within .25% of that rate. Today, a 5% interest rate sounds like some sort of fantasy, but back in 1968 anyone could walk into a bank with a $10 deposit and started earning that return on their investment!

After taking a holiday week off, burglars were back in action: the safe at Brackett Pharmacy was broken open in the early morning hours of January 9th and $1800 was stolen. A branch post office in the same building was also broken into an an undisclosed amount of cash and stamps were stolen . The burglars also broke a water pipe during the commission of the crime, flooding both the pharmacy and the post office.

Four teenagers were arrested on Thursday night after they siphoned off gasoline from a truck belonging to the Garden Lakes Company. An alert officer caught the four in mid-crime. 

The next night, burglars broke into Quick Service store on South Broad, stealing $50 in cash; Rome Warehouse on East 12th, making off with some tools that they used in an unsuccessful attempt to break into the safe; Adams Grocery on East 12th, where about $10i in cash and a .38 caliber pistol were taken; and Maple Street Cafe, where  four vending machines were ransacked. 

Piggly Wiggly had chuck roast for 35¢ a pound, cabbage for 9¢ a pound, and Merico butter-me-not biscuits for 13¢ a can. Big Apple had perch fillet for 33¢ a pound, Sealtest ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon, and pole beans for 23¢ a pound. A&P had sirloin steak for 89¢ a pound, Eight O’Clock coffee for 49¢ a pound, and Poss chili with beans for 39¢ a can. Kroger had pork chops for 49¢ a pound, bananas for a dime a pound, and Campbell’s tomato soup for a dime a can.Couch’s had Armour Star hot dogs for 49 a pound, medium eggs for 35¢ a dozen, and Nabisco saltines for 37¢ a box.

The cinematic week began with The Comedians (starring Elizabeth Taylor & Richard Burton) at the DeSoto Theatre and House of 1000 Dolls (starring Vincent Price) at the First Avenue Theatre and the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout had a Rat Pack feel, with Tony Rome (starring Frank Sinatra) at the DeSoto and the West Rome Drive-In,  and The Ambushers (starring Dean Martin) at the First Avenue.

The Beatles maintained their grip on the number one slot with “Hello Goodbye.” Other top ten hits included “Judy in Disguise (with Glasses)” by John Fred & the Playboys (#2); “Daydream Believer” by the Monkees (#3); “Woman, Woman” by Gary Puckett & the Union Gap (#4); “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” by Gladys Knight & the Pips (#5); “Chain of Fools” by Aretha Franklin (#6); “Bend Me, Shape Me” by the American Breed (#7); “I Second That Emotion” by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles (#8); “Green Tambourine” by the Lemon Pipers (#9): and “Skinny Legs & All” by Joe Tex (#10). 

This week in 1968, Johnny Cash paid a visit to Folsom State Prison in California, performing a concert that would inspire the most successful live album of his career. 

The Hulk got a second chance at stardom this week in 1968 with the release of Incredible Hulk #102, the first issue of his new ongoing series (it wasThe Incredible Hulk #102 because Marvel continued the numbering of the old Tales to Astonish series that the Hulk had shared with the Sub-Mariner). The Hulk’s first solo series, which launched in 1962, only ran for six issues before it was cancelled; in spite of quality creators that included Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Dick Ayers, and Steve Ditko, the first series never managed to achieve any real success.

Green Lantern Guy Gardner made his premiere in Green Lantern #59, this week in 1968. After many years as a footnote in Green Lantern history, Guy returned in the 1980s and has gone on to become a popular member of the Green Lantern team.