Friday, July 20, 2018

Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 7/22/1968 to 7/28/1968

Former Chieftain football player Larry Parker joined the West Rome coaching staff this week in 1968. Head Coach Nick Hyder said that Parker had been hired to serve as the varsity backfield football coach, as well as the wrestling and tennis coach. He would also serve as West Rome's physical education instructor. "Larry is a product of the West Rome system, and his loyalty has always been in evidence after he finished," Hyder said. "Coach Parker will not be a complete stranger to our system." Coach Hyder said that Parker would complete the Chieftain coaching staff. He joined Robert Green, head defensive football coach and track coach; Randall Kent, football-scouting coach and boys basketball coach; Charles Tarpley, end coach and baseball scouting coach; Brenda Cox, junior varsity football scouting and assistant basketball; and June Hyder, girls basketball, softball, track, and volleyball coach.

Summer heat made itself known this week in 1968 with temperatures in the mid-90s for the first half of the week and nary a drop of rain to be found. By Thursday, temperatures soared into the upper 90s, with lows in the mid-70s, which made for muggy nights. When you consider how few of us had central air conditioning in the 1960s, you can bet that there were a lot of people (like me) who were sleeping with their fans on high all night long.

Another week of burglaries began on Monday night with a  break-in at East Rome High School, where vending machines were ransacked and an undetermined amount of change was stolen. The next night, burglars broke into the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company and stole cash from vending machines there. On the night of the 23rd, burglars broke into the Highway 53 Tavern and stole some beer; on that same night, burglars also broke into Russell's Automotive on Highway 27 north of Rome, stealing a motorcycle. On the night of the 24th, armed gunmen held up the 101 Service Station on Rockmart Road, stealing a substantial sum of money and pistol-whipping the service station attendant. On the night of the 25th, burglars broke into Jimmy Johnson's Service Station and Ashmore Service Station, both on Shorter Avenue, where they broke into cigarette machines and stole cigarettes and cash. Afterwards, they apparently headed across town where they broke into Gene Wingate Service Station and Mack's Service Station in East Rome, once again stealing cigarettes and cash.

Oh, what might have been... The State Highway Department opened bids this week in 1968 for an I-75 link through Bartow County that would have established a direct link from Rome to the interstate. As Romans know, the Rollins family spent most of the past fifty years thwarting every plan to build that Rome-to-I75 link, and right now they're saying that if all goes well, it'll be completed in the next few years... which is exactly what they said fifty years ago!

Coosa Valley Tech announced the addition of an engineering technology course of study to their training programs beginning in the fall of 1968. Interested students were encouraged to sign up right away, since openings would be limited.

Piggly Wiggly had chuck roast for 79¢ a pound, okra for 19¢ a pound, and milk for $1.09 a gallon. Kroger had split chicken breasts for 59¢ a pound, cream pies for 25¢ each, and five pounds of Robin Hood flour for 39¢. Big Apple had streak-o-lean for 39¢ a pound, Libby's vienna sausage for 20¢ a can, and JFG coffee for 55¢ a pound. A&P had Allgood bacon for 59¢ a pound, tomatoes for 25¢ a pound, and a bakery-fresh cherry pie for 53¢. Couch's had chicken livers for 49¢ a pound, Del Monte fruit cocktail for 29¢ a can, and Aristocrat ice milk for 39¢ a half gallon.

The cinematic week began with Rosemary's Baby (starring Mia Farrow) at the DeSoto Theatre, How Sweet It Is (starring James Garner) at the First Avenue, and Million Eyes of Sumulu (starring Frankie Avalon) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought The Green Berets (starring John Wayne) to the DeSoto, Bandolero (starring James Stewart, Dean Martin, & Raquel Welch) to the First Avenue, and Rosemary's Baby (starring Mia Farrow) to the West Rome Drive-In.

Hugh Masekela held on to number one for another week with "Grazing in the Grass." Other top ten hits included "Lady Willpower" by Gary Puckett & the Union Gap (#2); "Stoned Soul Picnic" by the 5th Dimension (#3); "Jumpin' Jack Flash" by the Rolling Stones (#4); "The Horse" by Cliff Nobles & Company (#5); "Hurdy Gurdy Man" by Donovan (#6); "This Guy's In Love With You" by Herb Alpert (#7); "Classical Gas" by Mason Williams (#8); "Hello, I Love You" by The Doors (#9); and "Indian Lake" by the Cowsills (#10).


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