Georgia's economy was doing so well that tax collection was running 2% above the most ambitious estimates for the year, thanks in large parts to "higher wages that produce higher income taxes, healthy increases in sales taxes, and unexpected surges in license fees," state budget officer Wilson Wilkes said. He said that at the current rates, Georgia would finish the year with a 2%-3% budget surplus that could be carried forward to future years. On the local level, the news was good as well, with both the city of Rome and Floyd County reporting revenue increases; Rome was optimistic that they might be able to slightly reduce the millage rate for property taxes because of the general increase in city revenues.
The Federal Department of Health, Education, and Welfare approved Rome's desegregation plans for the 1968-1969 school year, which meant that Rome would continue to qualify for federal funds. Under the approved plans, Main High School would be eliminated (9th and 10th grades would be cut in the 68-69 school year, 11th and 12th grades in the 69-70 school year), while Mary T. Banks would be gradually phased out. All students at these schools would be allowed to choose whether to attend East or West Rome. The city was also finalizing plans to ask citizens of Rome whether they wanted to keep two high schools, or to close both East and West Rome and create a new high school for Romans that would be located outside of the area traditionally considered East Rome or West Rome. (As we know now, that plan did eventually come to pass, but it took Walmart and Kmart rather than a referendum to make it happen.)
Georgia was such a Democratic enclave in the 1960s that the Republicans didn't even hold a statewide primary until 1968. On July 5th, the Republicans announced plans for a statewide primary October as well as a city primary to nominate candidates for the Rome City Commission.
West Rome continued to grow at a very fast pace, which necessitated an expansion fo the West Rome Fire Station. West Rome's Engine Company 5 was joined by a new truck, Engine Company 6, to provide extra production to the fastest-growing area of Rome and Floyd County. The size of the fire department remains the same, however, as Engine Company 6 was made up of members of the former Engine Company 8, stationed in South Rome; with the decline in population in that area, the city decided it was time to move the engine company to West Rome, which was where the people were!
Rome expanded its surplus food distribution program to three days; the program offered Romans an assortment of food items, including grape juice, dehydrated potatoes, prune juice, apricot nectar, canned tomatoes, canned whole chicken, scrambled egg mix, and assorted vegetables. The free food was available to any women whose last name began with A-H on Tuesday; I-P on Wednesday; and Q-Z on Thursday. (Okay, it might not be the greatest selection of food--but it was absolutely free to any and all who wanted it, which is pretty amazing when you think about it!)
Piggly Wiggly had fresh whole fryers for 26¢ a pound, pole beans for 25¢ a pound, and large eggs for 39¢ a dozen. A&P had ground beef for 39¢ a pound, Marvel ice milk for 49¢ a half-gallon, and large watermelons for 79¢ each. Kroger has sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, tomatoes for 29¢ a pound, and Oscar Mayer hot dogs for 49¢ a pack. Big Apple had picnic ham for 29¢ a pound, bananas for a dime a pound, and Coca Cola/Tab/Sprite/Fresca for 29¢ a carton plus deposit. Couch's had Cudahy Bar-S bacon for 49¢ a pound, Sealtest ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon, and Duke's mayonnaise for 39¢ a quart.
The cinematic week began with Devil's Brigade (starring William Holden) at the DeSoto Theatre, Planet of the Apes (starring Charlton Heston) at the First Avenue, and Mini-Skirt Mob (starring no one memorable) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought The Odd Couple (starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau) to the DeSoto, Custer of the West (starring Robert Shaw) to the First Avenue, and For A Few Dollars More (starring Clint Eastwood) to the West Rome Drive-In.
Herb Alpert took the number one slot this week in 1968 with "This Guy's In Love With You." Other top ten hits included "The Horse" by Cliff Nobles & Co. (#2); "Jumpin' Jack Flash" by the Rolling Stones (#3); "The Look of Love" by Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 (#4); "Grazing in the Grass" by Hugh Masekela, one of the best cowbell songs of all time (#5); "Lady Willpower" by Gary Puckett & the Union Gap (#6); "Angel of the Morning" by Merrilee Rush & the Turnabouts (#7); "Here Comes the Judge" by Shorty Long (#8); "MacArthur Park" by Richard Harris (#9); and "Reach Out of the Darkness" by Friend & Lover (#10).
Jim Steranko, one of the most innovative and influential artists and storytellers of the 1960s, said farewell to his signature series, Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD, with the release of the fifth issue this week in 1968. Steranko would continue to provide cover art for two more issues, but his groundbreaking interior art ended here, much to the dismay of those who had fallen in love with his trendsetting work on the series in both its Strange Tales run and its solo series.
Friday, June 29, 2018
Friday, June 22, 2018
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 6/24/1968 to 6/30/1968
Rome set a temperature record on Friday morning, June 28th, with a low of 48 degrees--and this was not just a record low for Rome, but for the entire state of Georgia! The cool wave was short-lived, though, with temperatures climbing to 84 degrees by Friday afternoon.
The Rome City School System received a state grant of $13,815 for use in the system's special education program. The director of the program, West Rome High School's very own Dick McPhee, said that almost half the money would go to classes for developmentally disabled students, while the rest would go for supplies and evaluation testing for the special education program.
The school board announced that, beginning with the 1968-1969 school year, all incoming first-graders would have to have proof of immunization before they could start school in Rome. Failure of parents to have their children immunized was a misdemeanor. The complete panel of immunizations included measles, smallpox, polio, diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough; in addition, incoming students were required to have a tuberculosis test. All parents could get those immunizations free of charge at the Floyd County Health Department.
The Regional Health Advisory Council determined that Rome had an acute shortage of hospital beds in 1968. Based on the population of the service area at the distance to the next hospital, the Council said that Floyd Hospital should have at least 500 beds and a complete coronary intensive care unit; however in 1968, the hospital had only 260 beds and no dedicated coronary unit at all. Representatives for the hospital said that it would take them at least five years to secure funding to begin implementation of the Council's recommendations. There was one surprise, though: the hospital finished May 1968 with a revenue excess of $7,400, which brought 1968's revenue surplus to $46,000; I don't recall ever hearing of a hospital finishing in the black in my adult life.
Rome had a pub? I was too young to know of such things, but apparently The Lions Head Pub ("Ye Olde English Beer & Ale Tavern) was located in the Forrest Motor Hotel in Downtown Rome, bringing a British touch to Rome in 1968. (It strikes me as truly odd that Rome would have a pub at all--and it's also odd that, considering my interest in all things British in 1968, I was unaware that the Lions Head existed. The pub's beverages would not have appealed to me, since I have never been a drinker, but the presence of something faux-British should have caught my attention...)
Piggly Wiggly had Swift's premium hams for 49¢ a pound, yellow corn for a nickel an ear, and Butternut Coffee for 68¢ a pound. Kroger had spareribs for 59¢ a pound, Georgia peaches for 15¢ a pound, Double Cola for 88¢ a case (plus deposit). A&P had turkey for 39¢ a pound, Bama apple jelly for 29¢ a jar (and when you ate it all, you could use the jar as a drinking glass!), and watermelons for 79¢ each. Big Apple had fresh whole fryers for a quarter ra pound, Aristocrat ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon, and bell peppers for a dime each. Couch's had leg o' lamb for 89¢ a pound, squash for a dime a pound, and Van Camp's pork & beans for 17¢ a can.
The cinematic week began with Speedway (starring Elvis Presley) at the DeSoto Theatre, Planet of the Apes (starring Charlton Heston) at the First Avenue, and Guns for Sabastian (starring Anthony Quinn) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought Devil's Brigade (starring William Holden) to the DeSoto and and one of the strangest films I've run across in my six years of "Fifty Years Ago" reporting, The Mini-Skirt Mob ("Come and get it if you're man enough... They're hog straddling female animals on the prowl," starring Diane McBain) at the West Rome Drive-In, while those damn dirty apes hung around for another week at the First Avenue.
Herb Alpert (sans the Tijuana Brass) climbed to number one this week with "This Guty's In Love With You." Other top ten hits included "The Horse" by Cliff Nobles & 'Co. (#2); "MacArthur Park" by Richard Harris (#3); "Yummy Yummy Yummy" by the Ohio Express (#4); "The Look of Love" by Sergio Mendes & the Brasil '66 (#5); "Mony Mony" by Tommy James & the Shondells (#6); "Angel of the Morning" by Merrilee Rush & the Turnabouts (#7); "Think "by Aretha Franklin (#8); "Here Comes the Judge" by Shorty Long, inspire by the Laugh-In skit (#9); and "Reach Out of the Darkness" by Friend & Lover (#10).
And what a week it was for fresh new music: June 29th saw the release of debut albums by the Steve Miller Band (Children of the Future), Fairport Convention (Fairport Convention), Spooky Tooth (It's All About), The Pentangle (The Pentangle), and Randy Newman (Randy Newman), as well as the second album by Pink Floyd (A Saucerful of Secrets). That's a very diverse list of albums--but then again, 1968 was a year of very diverse music!
The Rome City School System received a state grant of $13,815 for use in the system's special education program. The director of the program, West Rome High School's very own Dick McPhee, said that almost half the money would go to classes for developmentally disabled students, while the rest would go for supplies and evaluation testing for the special education program.
The school board announced that, beginning with the 1968-1969 school year, all incoming first-graders would have to have proof of immunization before they could start school in Rome. Failure of parents to have their children immunized was a misdemeanor. The complete panel of immunizations included measles, smallpox, polio, diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough; in addition, incoming students were required to have a tuberculosis test. All parents could get those immunizations free of charge at the Floyd County Health Department.
The Regional Health Advisory Council determined that Rome had an acute shortage of hospital beds in 1968. Based on the population of the service area at the distance to the next hospital, the Council said that Floyd Hospital should have at least 500 beds and a complete coronary intensive care unit; however in 1968, the hospital had only 260 beds and no dedicated coronary unit at all. Representatives for the hospital said that it would take them at least five years to secure funding to begin implementation of the Council's recommendations. There was one surprise, though: the hospital finished May 1968 with a revenue excess of $7,400, which brought 1968's revenue surplus to $46,000; I don't recall ever hearing of a hospital finishing in the black in my adult life.
Rome had a pub? I was too young to know of such things, but apparently The Lions Head Pub ("Ye Olde English Beer & Ale Tavern) was located in the Forrest Motor Hotel in Downtown Rome, bringing a British touch to Rome in 1968. (It strikes me as truly odd that Rome would have a pub at all--and it's also odd that, considering my interest in all things British in 1968, I was unaware that the Lions Head existed. The pub's beverages would not have appealed to me, since I have never been a drinker, but the presence of something faux-British should have caught my attention...)
Piggly Wiggly had Swift's premium hams for 49¢ a pound, yellow corn for a nickel an ear, and Butternut Coffee for 68¢ a pound. Kroger had spareribs for 59¢ a pound, Georgia peaches for 15¢ a pound, Double Cola for 88¢ a case (plus deposit). A&P had turkey for 39¢ a pound, Bama apple jelly for 29¢ a jar (and when you ate it all, you could use the jar as a drinking glass!), and watermelons for 79¢ each. Big Apple had fresh whole fryers for a quarter ra pound, Aristocrat ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon, and bell peppers for a dime each. Couch's had leg o' lamb for 89¢ a pound, squash for a dime a pound, and Van Camp's pork & beans for 17¢ a can.
The cinematic week began with Speedway (starring Elvis Presley) at the DeSoto Theatre, Planet of the Apes (starring Charlton Heston) at the First Avenue, and Guns for Sabastian (starring Anthony Quinn) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought Devil's Brigade (starring William Holden) to the DeSoto and and one of the strangest films I've run across in my six years of "Fifty Years Ago" reporting, The Mini-Skirt Mob ("Come and get it if you're man enough... They're hog straddling female animals on the prowl," starring Diane McBain) at the West Rome Drive-In, while those damn dirty apes hung around for another week at the First Avenue.
Herb Alpert (sans the Tijuana Brass) climbed to number one this week with "This Guty's In Love With You." Other top ten hits included "The Horse" by Cliff Nobles & 'Co. (#2); "MacArthur Park" by Richard Harris (#3); "Yummy Yummy Yummy" by the Ohio Express (#4); "The Look of Love" by Sergio Mendes & the Brasil '66 (#5); "Mony Mony" by Tommy James & the Shondells (#6); "Angel of the Morning" by Merrilee Rush & the Turnabouts (#7); "Think "by Aretha Franklin (#8); "Here Comes the Judge" by Shorty Long, inspire by the Laugh-In skit (#9); and "Reach Out of the Darkness" by Friend & Lover (#10).
And what a week it was for fresh new music: June 29th saw the release of debut albums by the Steve Miller Band (Children of the Future), Fairport Convention (Fairport Convention), Spooky Tooth (It's All About), The Pentangle (The Pentangle), and Randy Newman (Randy Newman), as well as the second album by Pink Floyd (A Saucerful of Secrets). That's a very diverse list of albums--but then again, 1968 was a year of very diverse music!
Saturday, June 16, 2018
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 6/17/1968 to 6/23/1968
Coosa Valley Tech announced plans to expand to a four-quarter-per-year day and night operation beginning with the fall quarter of 1968, which was scheduled to start at the end of August. The expansion to a 12-month program would enable students in most of the courses to complete their skilled trade training in two years instead of three or four, according to CVT director CM Culberson.
Sandra McPhee of East Rome High School was named first runner-up in the "Miss Stay and See Georgia" contest on Tuesday night, June 18th. While Sandra was a Gladiator, her win deserves a mention here because her father was West Rome principal Dick McPhee. (I always wondered why Mr. McPhee didn't take advantage of the program that allowed teachers to have their children attend school at the same school where the parent worked; I guess he figured its might be better not to have his daughter at his high school, just in case someone might blame her for the decisions or actions of her father.)
The Rome City Board of Education announced plans for a referendum for school construction to enable the city to meet desegregation requirements set by the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Without some extra classroom construction, Superintendent McDonald said that the city would have to add two periods to the school day--one in the morning and one in the afternoon--and have students come to school on shifts.
The Second Avenue Bridge was closed for repairs this week in 1968, which meant that West Romans who wanted to go to Broad Street could either take a detour to North Fifth Avenue or they could take Turner McCall around to Broad Street. As might be expected, the bridge closing added bout ten or fifteen minutes to most West Romans' drive into town. Thankfully, the closing wasn't expected to last more than a week.
Citizens Federal increased its passbook saving account rate to 4.75%, while their 12 month certificates of deposit were paying 5.6%, while National City bank was paying 5% for savings account and 5.95% for certificates of deposit. Makes you wonder why we feel lucky to get more than 2% today, doesn't it?
Piggly Wiggly had chicken breasts for 39¢ a pound, lettuce for 19¢ a head, and Showboat chili with beans for 29¢ a can. Big Apple had chuck roast for 37¢ a pound, Diet-Rite Cola for 99¢ a case (plus deposit), and cling peaches for a dime a can. Kroger had sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, Starkist tuna for a quarter ra can, and tomatoes for 25¢ a pound. A&P had ground chuck for 59¢ a pound, cantaloupes for 33¢ each, and a one-pound can of Chase & Sanborn coffee for 79¢. Couch's had Cudahy Bar-S bacon for 69¢ a pound, okra for 19¢ a pound, and a 48-ounce jar of JFG peanut butter for $1.09.
The cinematic week began with Shakiest Gun in the West (starring Don Knotts) at the DeSoto Theatre, In Cold Blood (starring Robert Blake) at the First Avenue, and Bonnie & Clyde (starring Faye Dunaway & Warren Beatty) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought Speedway (starring Elvis Presley & Nancy Sinatra) to the DeSoto, Planet of the Apes (starring Charlton Heston) to the First Avenue, and A Minute to Pray, a Second to Die (as spaghetti Western starring Alex Cord & Arthur Kennedy) to the West Rome Drive-In.
Herb Alpert took the number one slot this week in 1968 with his solo single "This Guy's In Love With You." Other top ten hits included "MacArthur Park" by Richard Harris (#2); "Mrs. Robinson" by Simon & Garfunkel (#3); "Yummy Yummy Yummy" by the Ohio Express (#4); "The Look of Love" by Sergio Mendez & Brasil '66 (#5); "Mony Mony" by Tommy James & the Shondells (#6); "Think" by Aretha Franklin (#7); "Angel of the Morning" by Merrilee Rush & the Turnabouts (#8); "Tighten Up" by Archie Bell & The Drells (#9); and "Reach Out of the Darkness" by Friend & Lover (#10).
One of the most successful albums of the 1960s, In-A-Gadda-da-Vida by Iron Butterfly, was released this week in 1968 on Atlantic Records' Atco label. The title song, which filled up the entirety of side two, is credited by some as being the precursor to heavy metal rock; others list it as the first psychedelic mega-hit. The album would go on to sell 30 million copies, and would remain the biggest-selling album in Atlantic Records history until Led Zeppelin IV finally surpassed it in 1972.
Sandra McPhee of East Rome High School was named first runner-up in the "Miss Stay and See Georgia" contest on Tuesday night, June 18th. While Sandra was a Gladiator, her win deserves a mention here because her father was West Rome principal Dick McPhee. (I always wondered why Mr. McPhee didn't take advantage of the program that allowed teachers to have their children attend school at the same school where the parent worked; I guess he figured its might be better not to have his daughter at his high school, just in case someone might blame her for the decisions or actions of her father.)
The Rome City Board of Education announced plans for a referendum for school construction to enable the city to meet desegregation requirements set by the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Without some extra classroom construction, Superintendent McDonald said that the city would have to add two periods to the school day--one in the morning and one in the afternoon--and have students come to school on shifts.
The Second Avenue Bridge was closed for repairs this week in 1968, which meant that West Romans who wanted to go to Broad Street could either take a detour to North Fifth Avenue or they could take Turner McCall around to Broad Street. As might be expected, the bridge closing added bout ten or fifteen minutes to most West Romans' drive into town. Thankfully, the closing wasn't expected to last more than a week.
Citizens Federal increased its passbook saving account rate to 4.75%, while their 12 month certificates of deposit were paying 5.6%, while National City bank was paying 5% for savings account and 5.95% for certificates of deposit. Makes you wonder why we feel lucky to get more than 2% today, doesn't it?
Piggly Wiggly had chicken breasts for 39¢ a pound, lettuce for 19¢ a head, and Showboat chili with beans for 29¢ a can. Big Apple had chuck roast for 37¢ a pound, Diet-Rite Cola for 99¢ a case (plus deposit), and cling peaches for a dime a can. Kroger had sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, Starkist tuna for a quarter ra can, and tomatoes for 25¢ a pound. A&P had ground chuck for 59¢ a pound, cantaloupes for 33¢ each, and a one-pound can of Chase & Sanborn coffee for 79¢. Couch's had Cudahy Bar-S bacon for 69¢ a pound, okra for 19¢ a pound, and a 48-ounce jar of JFG peanut butter for $1.09.
The cinematic week began with Shakiest Gun in the West (starring Don Knotts) at the DeSoto Theatre, In Cold Blood (starring Robert Blake) at the First Avenue, and Bonnie & Clyde (starring Faye Dunaway & Warren Beatty) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought Speedway (starring Elvis Presley & Nancy Sinatra) to the DeSoto, Planet of the Apes (starring Charlton Heston) to the First Avenue, and A Minute to Pray, a Second to Die (as spaghetti Western starring Alex Cord & Arthur Kennedy) to the West Rome Drive-In.
Herb Alpert took the number one slot this week in 1968 with his solo single "This Guy's In Love With You." Other top ten hits included "MacArthur Park" by Richard Harris (#2); "Mrs. Robinson" by Simon & Garfunkel (#3); "Yummy Yummy Yummy" by the Ohio Express (#4); "The Look of Love" by Sergio Mendez & Brasil '66 (#5); "Mony Mony" by Tommy James & the Shondells (#6); "Think" by Aretha Franklin (#7); "Angel of the Morning" by Merrilee Rush & the Turnabouts (#8); "Tighten Up" by Archie Bell & The Drells (#9); and "Reach Out of the Darkness" by Friend & Lover (#10).
One of the most successful albums of the 1960s, In-A-Gadda-da-Vida by Iron Butterfly, was released this week in 1968 on Atlantic Records' Atco label. The title song, which filled up the entirety of side two, is credited by some as being the precursor to heavy metal rock; others list it as the first psychedelic mega-hit. The album would go on to sell 30 million copies, and would remain the biggest-selling album in Atlantic Records history until Led Zeppelin IV finally surpassed it in 1972.
Friday, June 08, 2018
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 6/10/1968 to 6/16/1968
Jesse Laseter was tapped as Rome City Schools assistant superintendent at its June 13th meeting. Laseter was scheduled to begin his new job on July 1st, filling a vacancy that had been empty for the better part of a year while the school board looked for the right candidate. The board also increased substitute teacher pay from $12 to !4 a day; created a second counselor position at West Rome; created an administrative assistant position for West Rome; and created two clerical worker positions for the West Rome library. (All the new positions were necessitated by increased enrollment at West Rome.)
Burglars hit the Western Auto Store in Central Plaza in the wee hours of Monday morning--and when they couldn't get the safe open, they just took the whole safe with them! The door was pried open with a heavy tool, which they apparently used to try to open the safe before lugging the 300-pound box with them, along with a checkbook and a set of keys.
Rome's illegal liquor raids continued this week in 1968 with the destruction of a 1200-gallon whiskey still near the Floyd County-Polk County line. Apparently the still's operators had suspicions the raid was impending, because they were nowhere to be found and the site appeared to have been abandoned for at least a day.
Someone was passing counterfeit $10 bills around Rome; an area bank received one of the bogus bills, while two other counterfeits were found by local businessmen. The police said that the quality of the counterfeits was so good that it would take a trained eye to discern the bill as phony.
Owens Oil Company on Redmond Road near the GE plant entrance held its grand opening this week in 1968, offering regular gas for 27.9¢ a gallon and premium gas for 29.9¢ a gallon. All customers could also get free snow cones for the kids.
The Atlanta Braves held "Rome Night on Wednesday, June 12th--and they ended up winning the game 7-1 against the St. Louis Cardinals, posting their first win of the season. Maybe they should have held Rome night every week!
Boy Scout Camp Sidney Dew had a record pre-camp registration of 523 boys for the summer of 1968. The camp added a new Olympic-sized swimming pool for the summer of '68.
Country House Bar-B-Que on Shorter Avenue expanded its menu with the addition of pizza this week in 1968. The midweek special was a 97¢ large cheese pizza (regular $1.35). (I remember getting barbecue from Country House, but I don't think I ever tried their pizza... and I suspect it didn't stay on the menu for all that long.)
National City Bank of Rome rolled out a list of more than 200 Rome merchants and service providers who would be accepting the new BankAmericard. The Bank stressed the advantage of the new national credit card to both consumers and merchants, urging everyone to contact National City Bank for more information about the card.
Piggly Wiggly had chuck roast for 47¢ a pound, Double Q salmon for 39¢ a can, and watermelons for 99¢ each. Kroger had sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, cantaloupes for 33¢ each, and eggs for 33¢ a dozen. Big Apple had leg o' lamb for 79¢ a pound, Van Camp pork & beans or 14¢ a can, and Irvindale ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon. A&P had perch for 59¢ a pound, blueberries for 39¢ a pint, and yellow corn for 7¢ an ear. Couch's had chicken breast for 49¢ a pound, okra for 29¢ a pound, and Maxwell House coffee for 69¢ a pound.
The cinematic week began with The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell (starring Bob Hope) at the DeSoto Theatre, Blue (starring Terence Stamp) at the First Avenue, and Nobody's Perfect (starring Doug McClure & Nancy Kwan) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought The Shakiest Gun in the West (starring Don Knotts) to the DeSoto, In Cold Blood (starring Robert Blake) to the First Avenue, and Bonnie & Clyde (starring Faye Dunaway & Warren Beatty) at the West Rome Drive-In.
Simon & Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson" held on to the number one slot for a third week in a row this week in 1968. Other top ten hits included "This Guy's In Love With You" by Herb Alpert (#2); "Mony Mony" by Tommy James & the Shondells (#3); "Yummy Yummy Yummy" by the Ohio Express (#4); "MacArthur Park" by Richard Harris (#5); "Tighten Up" by Archie Bell & The Drells (#6); "Think" by Aretha Franklin (#7); "A Beautiful Morning" by the Rascals (#8); "The good, The Bad, & The Ugly" by Hugo Montenegro, His Orchestra, and Chorus (#9); and "The Look of Love" by Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 (#10).
Burglars hit the Western Auto Store in Central Plaza in the wee hours of Monday morning--and when they couldn't get the safe open, they just took the whole safe with them! The door was pried open with a heavy tool, which they apparently used to try to open the safe before lugging the 300-pound box with them, along with a checkbook and a set of keys.
Rome's illegal liquor raids continued this week in 1968 with the destruction of a 1200-gallon whiskey still near the Floyd County-Polk County line. Apparently the still's operators had suspicions the raid was impending, because they were nowhere to be found and the site appeared to have been abandoned for at least a day.
Someone was passing counterfeit $10 bills around Rome; an area bank received one of the bogus bills, while two other counterfeits were found by local businessmen. The police said that the quality of the counterfeits was so good that it would take a trained eye to discern the bill as phony.
Owens Oil Company on Redmond Road near the GE plant entrance held its grand opening this week in 1968, offering regular gas for 27.9¢ a gallon and premium gas for 29.9¢ a gallon. All customers could also get free snow cones for the kids.
The Atlanta Braves held "Rome Night on Wednesday, June 12th--and they ended up winning the game 7-1 against the St. Louis Cardinals, posting their first win of the season. Maybe they should have held Rome night every week!
Boy Scout Camp Sidney Dew had a record pre-camp registration of 523 boys for the summer of 1968. The camp added a new Olympic-sized swimming pool for the summer of '68.
Country House Bar-B-Que on Shorter Avenue expanded its menu with the addition of pizza this week in 1968. The midweek special was a 97¢ large cheese pizza (regular $1.35). (I remember getting barbecue from Country House, but I don't think I ever tried their pizza... and I suspect it didn't stay on the menu for all that long.)
National City Bank of Rome rolled out a list of more than 200 Rome merchants and service providers who would be accepting the new BankAmericard. The Bank stressed the advantage of the new national credit card to both consumers and merchants, urging everyone to contact National City Bank for more information about the card.
Piggly Wiggly had chuck roast for 47¢ a pound, Double Q salmon for 39¢ a can, and watermelons for 99¢ each. Kroger had sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, cantaloupes for 33¢ each, and eggs for 33¢ a dozen. Big Apple had leg o' lamb for 79¢ a pound, Van Camp pork & beans or 14¢ a can, and Irvindale ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon. A&P had perch for 59¢ a pound, blueberries for 39¢ a pint, and yellow corn for 7¢ an ear. Couch's had chicken breast for 49¢ a pound, okra for 29¢ a pound, and Maxwell House coffee for 69¢ a pound.
The cinematic week began with The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell (starring Bob Hope) at the DeSoto Theatre, Blue (starring Terence Stamp) at the First Avenue, and Nobody's Perfect (starring Doug McClure & Nancy Kwan) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought The Shakiest Gun in the West (starring Don Knotts) to the DeSoto, In Cold Blood (starring Robert Blake) to the First Avenue, and Bonnie & Clyde (starring Faye Dunaway & Warren Beatty) at the West Rome Drive-In.
Simon & Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson" held on to the number one slot for a third week in a row this week in 1968. Other top ten hits included "This Guy's In Love With You" by Herb Alpert (#2); "Mony Mony" by Tommy James & the Shondells (#3); "Yummy Yummy Yummy" by the Ohio Express (#4); "MacArthur Park" by Richard Harris (#5); "Tighten Up" by Archie Bell & The Drells (#6); "Think" by Aretha Franklin (#7); "A Beautiful Morning" by the Rascals (#8); "The good, The Bad, & The Ugly" by Hugo Montenegro, His Orchestra, and Chorus (#9); and "The Look of Love" by Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 (#10).
Friday, June 01, 2018
Fifty Years Ago This Week - 6/3/1968 to 6/9/1968
Romans awoke on Wednesday morning, June 5th, to the news that Senator Robert F. Kennedy, the leading Democratic candidate for President, had been shot and killed shortly after midnight Pacific time. Coming just two months after the assassination of Martin Luther King, this killing left Romans (and all Americans) voicing shock at the brutal killing, and wondering what could be done to stop this sort of senseless violence.
School was over, but baseball continued as the Chieftains won the Floyd County High School Baseball Championship with a 4-3 win over Pepperell. Pepperell was ahead 3-1 in the second inning before the Chiefs scored three runs in the third inning; from there on, neither team scored again, which was perfectly fine as far as West Rome was concerned.
The Rome City School Board finalized its plans to close Main High School in order to totally desegregate Rome schools for the first time in history. 199 9th and 10th grade students black students would be transferred to West Rome and East Rome, along with ten teachers, beginning in the 1968-1969 school year, leaving Main High with just 11th and 12th grade students. The board still had not decided whether to keep East and West Rome open for the 1969-1970 school year; they were still considering plans to build a single high school near Berry College (in neither East nor West Rome, so that neither school could claim that it had outlasted the other) or to move all students to the two existing high schools. (As we know, the latter plan was the one that they ultimately followed, although a little more than two decades later, they would sell out to Walmart and Kmart and build that equally-inconvenient single high school not too far from Berry.)
The arrest of two men in Ft. Oglethorpe, Georgia, and Chattanooga, Tennessee brought an end to a multi-state crime ring that had included an "untold number" of home break-ins and burglaries in 1967 and the first half of 1968. "The value of the merchandise we confiscated amounts to as much as $50,000," Murray County Sheriff Charles Poag said. Authorities could not even begin to speculate how much stolen merchandise had already been sold, but they were securing warrants to seize bank accounts and any financial records that might help them to determine what had been sold, and to whom. Because the burglaries involved interstate criminal activity, the FBI was also called in to investigate.
Police shut down a major still in the Wilkerson Road area of Rome on Monday night, shutting down four "cookers"--three capable of producing 1,000 gallons of bootleg liquor and the fourth a massive 1,500 gallon device. Bootleg alcohol, mash, and hundreds of pounds of supplies were seized and destroyed. The same night, police also hit a large operation near the Floyd-Bartow County line and another still off Georgia 1000 between Cave Spring and Cedartown. More than 12,000 gallons of illegal alcohol was destroyed in the three raids.
Following the prior week's raid on a Shorter Avenue gambling den, Rome police carried out another gambling raid on June 6th--this one at the Forrest Hotel on Broad Street. Six men were arrested, including two West Rome residents, Their crime? Playing poker for money, which was apparently close enough to serious gambling to stir the interest of Rome authorities.
Piggly Wiggly had chicken breasts for 49¢ a pound, Maxwell House coffee for 79¢ a pound, and eggs for 29¢ a dozen. Kroger had round steak for 89¢ a pound, Kraft mayonnaise for 39¢ a quart, and Morton frozen cream pies for 19¢ each. A&P had corned beef for 63¢ a pound, V8 vegetable juice for 45¢ a half-gallon, and strawberries for 39¢ a pint. Big Apple had center cut pork chops for 69¢ a pound, seedless grapes for 39¢ a pound, and five pounds of Dixie Crystal sugar for 29¢ with a $5 purchase. Couch's had lamb chops for 89¢ a pound, Van Camp's chili for 33¢ a can, and Aristocrat ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon.
The cinematic week began with Yours, Mine, & Ours (starring Lucille Ball) at the DeSoto Theatre, PJ (starring George Peppard) at the First Avenue, and Thunder Alley (starring Fabian) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell (starring Bob Hope) to the DeSoto Theatre, Live for Life (starring Yves Montand & Candice Bergen) to the first Avenue, and The Cincinnati Kid (starring Steve McQueen) to the West Rome Drive-In.
Simon & Garfunkel held on to number one for another week with "Mrs. Robinson." Other top ten hits included "Tighten Up" by Archie Bell & the Drells (#2); "This Guy's In Love With You" by Herb Alpert (#3); "The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly" by Hugo Montenegro, His Orchestra, and Chorus (#4); "Mony Mony" by Tommy James & The Shondells (#5); "Yummy Yummy Yummy" by the Ohio Express (#6); "MacArthur Park" by Richard Harris (#7); "A Beautiful Morning" by the Rascals (#8); "Think" by Aretha Franklin (#9); and "Honey" by Bobby Goldsboro (#10).
Simon & Garfunkel had an amazing three albums in the top five this week in 1968. Bookends held on at #1, The Graduate soundtrack held on at #2, and their album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme leapt to #5--the first time one group held three of the top five albums since the Beatles did it in the early days of Bealtemania. (The Monkees took third with The Birds, the Bees, and the Monkees and Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass took fourth place with with Beat of the Brass.)
School was over, but baseball continued as the Chieftains won the Floyd County High School Baseball Championship with a 4-3 win over Pepperell. Pepperell was ahead 3-1 in the second inning before the Chiefs scored three runs in the third inning; from there on, neither team scored again, which was perfectly fine as far as West Rome was concerned.
The Rome City School Board finalized its plans to close Main High School in order to totally desegregate Rome schools for the first time in history. 199 9th and 10th grade students black students would be transferred to West Rome and East Rome, along with ten teachers, beginning in the 1968-1969 school year, leaving Main High with just 11th and 12th grade students. The board still had not decided whether to keep East and West Rome open for the 1969-1970 school year; they were still considering plans to build a single high school near Berry College (in neither East nor West Rome, so that neither school could claim that it had outlasted the other) or to move all students to the two existing high schools. (As we know, the latter plan was the one that they ultimately followed, although a little more than two decades later, they would sell out to Walmart and Kmart and build that equally-inconvenient single high school not too far from Berry.)
The arrest of two men in Ft. Oglethorpe, Georgia, and Chattanooga, Tennessee brought an end to a multi-state crime ring that had included an "untold number" of home break-ins and burglaries in 1967 and the first half of 1968. "The value of the merchandise we confiscated amounts to as much as $50,000," Murray County Sheriff Charles Poag said. Authorities could not even begin to speculate how much stolen merchandise had already been sold, but they were securing warrants to seize bank accounts and any financial records that might help them to determine what had been sold, and to whom. Because the burglaries involved interstate criminal activity, the FBI was also called in to investigate.
Police shut down a major still in the Wilkerson Road area of Rome on Monday night, shutting down four "cookers"--three capable of producing 1,000 gallons of bootleg liquor and the fourth a massive 1,500 gallon device. Bootleg alcohol, mash, and hundreds of pounds of supplies were seized and destroyed. The same night, police also hit a large operation near the Floyd-Bartow County line and another still off Georgia 1000 between Cave Spring and Cedartown. More than 12,000 gallons of illegal alcohol was destroyed in the three raids.
Following the prior week's raid on a Shorter Avenue gambling den, Rome police carried out another gambling raid on June 6th--this one at the Forrest Hotel on Broad Street. Six men were arrested, including two West Rome residents, Their crime? Playing poker for money, which was apparently close enough to serious gambling to stir the interest of Rome authorities.
Piggly Wiggly had chicken breasts for 49¢ a pound, Maxwell House coffee for 79¢ a pound, and eggs for 29¢ a dozen. Kroger had round steak for 89¢ a pound, Kraft mayonnaise for 39¢ a quart, and Morton frozen cream pies for 19¢ each. A&P had corned beef for 63¢ a pound, V8 vegetable juice for 45¢ a half-gallon, and strawberries for 39¢ a pint. Big Apple had center cut pork chops for 69¢ a pound, seedless grapes for 39¢ a pound, and five pounds of Dixie Crystal sugar for 29¢ with a $5 purchase. Couch's had lamb chops for 89¢ a pound, Van Camp's chili for 33¢ a can, and Aristocrat ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon.
The cinematic week began with Yours, Mine, & Ours (starring Lucille Ball) at the DeSoto Theatre, PJ (starring George Peppard) at the First Avenue, and Thunder Alley (starring Fabian) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell (starring Bob Hope) to the DeSoto Theatre, Live for Life (starring Yves Montand & Candice Bergen) to the first Avenue, and The Cincinnati Kid (starring Steve McQueen) to the West Rome Drive-In.
Simon & Garfunkel held on to number one for another week with "Mrs. Robinson." Other top ten hits included "Tighten Up" by Archie Bell & the Drells (#2); "This Guy's In Love With You" by Herb Alpert (#3); "The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly" by Hugo Montenegro, His Orchestra, and Chorus (#4); "Mony Mony" by Tommy James & The Shondells (#5); "Yummy Yummy Yummy" by the Ohio Express (#6); "MacArthur Park" by Richard Harris (#7); "A Beautiful Morning" by the Rascals (#8); "Think" by Aretha Franklin (#9); and "Honey" by Bobby Goldsboro (#10).
Simon & Garfunkel had an amazing three albums in the top five this week in 1968. Bookends held on at #1, The Graduate soundtrack held on at #2, and their album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme leapt to #5--the first time one group held three of the top five albums since the Beatles did it in the early days of Bealtemania. (The Monkees took third with The Birds, the Bees, and the Monkees and Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass took fourth place with with Beat of the Brass.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)