Rome City Schools' decision to eliminate new tuition students for the 1968-1969 school year accomplished exactly what the system hoped it would: it reduced student enrollment. Total enrollment dropped from 6,646 in 1967-68 to 6565 in 1968-69--a drop of a little more than 1%. That figure was deceptive, though, because the 6585 included almost a hundred new students whose families had moved to Rome. West Rome Junior High enrollment was 413, compared to 337 the year before; much of that increase came from the transfer of students from Anna K. Davie, which was being phased out due to desegregation. West Rome High enrollment jumped from 687 to 785, an increase of about 13%; much of that Main High, which eliminated its ninth and tenth grade classes in 1968-69. West End gained only two students, and Elm Street actually lost 22 students.
West Rome kicked off the 1968 football season with a 35-28 win over Westminster on Friday, September 6th. After the game, a sock hop was held at the West Rome gym, sponsored by The Drumbeat (the West Rome High School newspaper). Music was provided by Jaywalker & the Pedestrians. (I have no info on this group--does anyone know of the band was made of up West Rome students or alumni?)
Rome unemployment increased slightly in the late summer of 1968, due largely to Celanese shutting down part of its plant. Almost all of those who were unable to find work were women or men over the age of 55. Outside of this group, unemployment dropped to 3% in the Rome area.
Piggly Wiggly had chicken breasts for 59¢ a pound, Maxwell House coffee for 72¢ a pound, and a one-quart container of Cool Whip for 49¢. A&P had bone-in Swiss steaks for 69¢ each, carrots for a dime a bunch, and a 36 ounce box of powdered milk for 59¢. (We had powdered milk in the house for several years in the 1960s; Mom would use it as a milk extender, mixing it with water and regular milk. I could always tell when I was drinking the real-milk-and-powdered-milk mix, but I didn't much care. While powdered milk by itself was pretty watery and off-tasting, the mix was tolerable, particularly on cereal.) Kroger had chuck roast for 49¢ a pound, Blue Plate mayonnaise for 38¢ a quart, and Campbell's tomato soup for a dime a can. (Tomato soup and about half a pack of Saltines were one of my favorite lunches--and I would have gladly had it for dinner if the choice had been up to me.) Big Apple had sirloin steak for 89¢ a pound, Chicken of the Sea tuna for 33¢ a can, and strawberries for 33¢ a pint. Couch's had ground beef for 43¢ a pound, Aristocrat ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon, and bananas for a dime a pound.
The cinematic week began with Hang 'Em High (starring Clint Eastwood) at the DeSoto Theatre, Gone With the Wind (starring Clark Gable & Vivien Leigh) at the First Avenue, and a double feature of How to Steal a Million (starring Audrey Hepburn) and Bandolero (starring Dean Martin) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought The Secret Life of an American Wife (starring Anne Jackson & Walter Matthau) to the DeSoto Theatre and Hang 'Em High to the West Rome Drive-In, while Gone With the Wind hung around for another week at the First Avenue. (It's really amazing to realize that Rome only had two indoor movie theatres, and one of them was spending more than a month showing an almost-thirty-year-old film rather than bringing in something new. Of course, in those days before VCRs, premium channels, DVDs, blu-rays, and streaming services, this and TV reruns were the only way we could see old classics.)
The Rascals took number one this week in 1968 with "People Got to Be Free." Other top ten hits included "Born to be Wild" by Steppenwolf (#2); "Light My Fire" by José Feliciano (#3); "Haprer Valley PTA" by Jeannie C. Riley (#4); "Hello, I Love You" by the Doors (#5); "The House That Jack Built" by Aretha Franklin (#6); "1,2,3,Red Light" by the 1910 Fruitgum Co. (#7); "You're All I Need to Get By" by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (#8); "I Can't Stop Dancing" by Archie Bell & the Drells (#9); and "Stay in My Corner" by the Dells (#10).
The Banana Splits Adventure Hour premiered n NBC on Saturday morning September 7th (remember that "One banana, two banana, three banana, four" theme song?). In the days before Nickelodeon, the Disney Channel, the Cartoon Network, and other kid-focused channels, Saturday morning TV was the one time slot in which cartoons and other kids' programming ruled the schedule.
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