Saturday, April 27, 2019

Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 4/28/1969 to 5/4/1969

West Rome's track team fell to South Cobb on April 29th in a 72-64 match; in spite of the loss, West Rome posted a new school record when Charles Smith covered 44 feet 8.75 inches in the triple jump. West Rome actually had more first places than South Cobb (nine firsts to seven for SC), but the difference came in depth, where the South Cobb thinclads had the edge.

West Rome's Beverly Hall was tapped as a National Merit Scholarship recipient. She was one of only 89 Georgia seniors to receive a scholarship and one of only 3000 recipients nationwide. Hall, a member of the Honor Society, the Quill and Scroll Staff, and president of the West Rome Drama Club, planned to attend Emory University after graduation.

The Stripe Discount Store, which offered discount and off-brand health and beauty aids, opened for business this week at 200 Broad Street in Rome, taking the spot formerly occupied by Enloe's Drugs.

The greater Rome area began to sound a little more like the Old West this week in 1969: a gun battle at a Kingston residence resulted in the death of a 51-year-old man. The deceased man apparently began firing a .22 at the resident, who returned fire with his own .22, fatally wounding the attacker.

Talk about putting things off until the last minute: just a scant two days before weather station operator Juanita Lester was scheduled to be laid off and the Russell Field weather station converted to an unstaffed facility, Senator Richard Russell said that he would "see what he could do" about convincing the Commerce Secretary to keep the station open. If that sounds like a "minimal effort" kind of statement, you're right: Russell never even got a meeting with the Commerce Secretary, and the staffed station closed for good on April 30th.

Southern Bell began pushing Romans to add an extension phone to their home (not a second line, just a second phone) with an ad touting, "If you can afford a copy of coffee every morning, you can afford an extension phone. For 5¢ a day, you can get a handy extension..." (Yes, a cup of coffee really cost only a nickel in 1969--but a few decades later, Starbucks would change that!)

Piggly Wiggly had chuck roast for 63¢ a pound, Double Q salmon for 67¢ a can, and carrots for a dime a bunch. A&P had pork chops for 69¢ a pound, Wesson Oil for 49¢ a half-gallon, and strawberries for 33¢ a pint. Big Apple had sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, corn for 6¢ an ear, and Coke/Tab/Fresca for 28¢ a carton plus deposit. Kroger had stew beef for 79¢ a pound, Del Monte sliced pineapple for 19¢ a can, and Mortn's frozen cream pies for a quarter each. Couch's had Cudahy Bar S hot dogs for 49¢ a pound, Lykes potted meat for a dime a can, and cabbage for a nickel a pound.

The cinematic week began with Swiss Family Robinson (starring John Mills) at the DeSoto Theatre, Charge of the Light Brigade (starring David Hemmings) at the First Avenue, and Bullitt (starring Steve McQueen) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek without brought The Subject Was Roses (starring Jack Albertson) to the First Avenue and The Violent Ones (starring Aldo Ray) to the West Rome Drive-In, while Swiss Family Robinson hung around for another week at the DeSoto.

This week in 1969, the 5ht Dimension held on to the number one slot for a fifth week with "Let the Sunshine In." Other top ten hits included "Hair" by the Cowsills (#2); "It's Your Thing" by the Isley Brothers (#3); "Hawaii Five-0" by the Ventures (#4); "You've Made Me So Very Happy" by Blood, Sweat, & Tears (#5); "Time Is Tight" by Booker T & the MG's (#6); "Sweet Cherry Wine" by Tommy James & the Shondells (#7); "The Boxer" by Simon & Garfunkel (#8); "Atlantis" by Donovan (#9); and "Get Back" by the Beatles (#10).

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