One hundred days.
That's how many days have passed since my beloved Susan died. July 22nd, 10:05 AM--that was when I had to say goodbye to the woman who was the center of my world.
I've always had a thing for numbers. That's why I keep track of these things, I guess. One week without Susan. One month. Fifty days. Thirteen weeks—one season. And now one hundred days.
I wasn't sure that I'd be alive a hundred days after Susan's death.
Sometimes I wasn't sure that I wanted to be alive a hundred days after Susan's death.
I'm lucky. This is also a Wednesday, which means I'll be busy at the store most of the day. I'll get to see my close friends who come by the store every day. After the store closes, we'll go to dinner together at El Rodeo, as we do every Wednesday. Those are the things that will help me get through tomorrow.
But I know I'll be sad. I know I'll be lonely. I know I'll shed tears for Susan. In those ways, tomorrow will be like every one of the past one hundred days, I guess--but I suspect the sorrow and loneliness will be more intense.
One hundred days without her. How can that be?
There are other somber landmark days ahead. My first Thanksgiving without her. My first Christmas alone. My first Valentine's Day alone. Next June, my first wedding anniversary that I can't share with Susan. Then the most sad day of all--the one year anniversary of her passing.
Maybe it gets easier after that.
But somehow, I don't think it really does.
I think I'll just get better at hiding it.
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Friday, October 25, 2019
A Life in Four Colors Part Forty-Seven
235-9546.
More than fifty years later, I still remember this number.
That was my phone number. My very own phone number. For my very own phone. In my room. Listed in the phone book under my name. Paid for with my money (okay, not totally--my parents offered to pay the first four bucks of the cost, and I paid the remaining almost-five-bucks myself).
So why did I need my own phone?
If you guessed "Susan," you're beginning to figure me out.
By the spring of 1969, Susan and I talked to each other all the time. We continued to write each other as well, but the letters decreased to one a week as the phone calls increased. We talked about comic books (we both liked Spectre and we were both enjoying Teen Titans more by Neal Adams & Nick Cardy than we had liked it when Bob Haney was writing it; I liked Silver Surfer and she couldn't understand why; we both hated to see Legion of Super-Heroes come to an end in Adventure Comics; Batman was getting better; Susan--who didn't like Marvel--agreed that the Fantastic Four was still the best book Marvel published), we talked about science fiction (I liked Heinlein better than Asimov, while Susan ranked Asimov higher, but we enjoyed both), we talked about television shows (we both loved Hawaii Five-0 and Mission: Impossible, neither of us cared for The Mod Squad, and I liked Get Smart much more than Susan did--but I've always had a soft spot for sitcoms)... and we talked about each other.
Problem was, my dad was a sports editor for a local newspaper that covered sports for more than a dozen local high schools. Dad had a staff of one full-time sports reporter and two part-time sports reporters. Do the math and you'll see that there was no way that he could have covered all those games himself, nor did he have the staff to do so. That meant that he used stringers who were paid per game to phone in vital info and stats to him at home on game nights; he would type up the info, then turn it into a story that would appear in the next afternoon's Rome News-Tribune. And that meant that Dad needed the phone line to be open for incoming calls. So while no one else in Susan's family used the phone very much and thus our increasingly long conversations weren't a problem on her end, they were more troublesome on my end.
So I proposed that perhaps I should have a separate phone line in my room. And my parents weren't opposed to the idea, if I was willing to cover part of the cost myself. (I think they weren't wholly opposed to the idea of the phone since I was spending so much time talking to a girl as nice as Susan--my parents liked her a great deal from the first time they met her.) Some quick calculations and I said yes. I was earning more money around the house for mowing the lawn, raking leaves, sweeping the driveway, and other miscellaneous chores, so I could make room in my budget for a dollar and a quarter a week for a phone.
The big advantage, as I saw it, was that Susan and could talk about each other more--and we could do so without others listening to my side of the conversation. There was little privacy when I talked on my family's home phone--and my sister found it particularly amusing to hang out near me when I was on the phone, as many eight-year-olds are wont to do just to annoy their teenage siblings--but with my own phone, I could close the door and talk to Susan as long as we wanted, and we could talk about pretty much anything.
There was one flaw in my logic: while I had my own phone, Susan didn't, and her phone was in the living room where everyone watched television. Her solution? Buy a long cord for the phone so she could stretch it out to the screened-in porch, where she could at least get some modicum of privacy.
Not the perfect solution, but it worked. So by the spring of 1969, we were not only talking about comics and books and television shows, we were also talking about how much we liked seeing each other. And we were making plans to see each other much more after I got my driver's license in August 1969.
Six months earlier, I hadn't even particularly cared about getting a driver's license right away. But by the spring of 1969, I couldn't wait to get my license.
My own phone. My own license in the not-too-distant future. Might not seem like much, but it was an indication that my life was beginning to change, and Susan was the catalyst for those changes--just as she would go on to be the catalyst for almost every good change in my life in years to come...
More than fifty years later, I still remember this number.
That was my phone number. My very own phone number. For my very own phone. In my room. Listed in the phone book under my name. Paid for with my money (okay, not totally--my parents offered to pay the first four bucks of the cost, and I paid the remaining almost-five-bucks myself).
So why did I need my own phone?
If you guessed "Susan," you're beginning to figure me out.
By the spring of 1969, Susan and I talked to each other all the time. We continued to write each other as well, but the letters decreased to one a week as the phone calls increased. We talked about comic books (we both liked Spectre and we were both enjoying Teen Titans more by Neal Adams & Nick Cardy than we had liked it when Bob Haney was writing it; I liked Silver Surfer and she couldn't understand why; we both hated to see Legion of Super-Heroes come to an end in Adventure Comics; Batman was getting better; Susan--who didn't like Marvel--agreed that the Fantastic Four was still the best book Marvel published), we talked about science fiction (I liked Heinlein better than Asimov, while Susan ranked Asimov higher, but we enjoyed both), we talked about television shows (we both loved Hawaii Five-0 and Mission: Impossible, neither of us cared for The Mod Squad, and I liked Get Smart much more than Susan did--but I've always had a soft spot for sitcoms)... and we talked about each other.
Problem was, my dad was a sports editor for a local newspaper that covered sports for more than a dozen local high schools. Dad had a staff of one full-time sports reporter and two part-time sports reporters. Do the math and you'll see that there was no way that he could have covered all those games himself, nor did he have the staff to do so. That meant that he used stringers who were paid per game to phone in vital info and stats to him at home on game nights; he would type up the info, then turn it into a story that would appear in the next afternoon's Rome News-Tribune. And that meant that Dad needed the phone line to be open for incoming calls. So while no one else in Susan's family used the phone very much and thus our increasingly long conversations weren't a problem on her end, they were more troublesome on my end.
So I proposed that perhaps I should have a separate phone line in my room. And my parents weren't opposed to the idea, if I was willing to cover part of the cost myself. (I think they weren't wholly opposed to the idea of the phone since I was spending so much time talking to a girl as nice as Susan--my parents liked her a great deal from the first time they met her.) Some quick calculations and I said yes. I was earning more money around the house for mowing the lawn, raking leaves, sweeping the driveway, and other miscellaneous chores, so I could make room in my budget for a dollar and a quarter a week for a phone.
The big advantage, as I saw it, was that Susan and could talk about each other more--and we could do so without others listening to my side of the conversation. There was little privacy when I talked on my family's home phone--and my sister found it particularly amusing to hang out near me when I was on the phone, as many eight-year-olds are wont to do just to annoy their teenage siblings--but with my own phone, I could close the door and talk to Susan as long as we wanted, and we could talk about pretty much anything.
There was one flaw in my logic: while I had my own phone, Susan didn't, and her phone was in the living room where everyone watched television. Her solution? Buy a long cord for the phone so she could stretch it out to the screened-in porch, where she could at least get some modicum of privacy.
Not the perfect solution, but it worked. So by the spring of 1969, we were not only talking about comics and books and television shows, we were also talking about how much we liked seeing each other. And we were making plans to see each other much more after I got my driver's license in August 1969.
Six months earlier, I hadn't even particularly cared about getting a driver's license right away. But by the spring of 1969, I couldn't wait to get my license.
My own phone. My own license in the not-too-distant future. Might not seem like much, but it was an indication that my life was beginning to change, and Susan was the catalyst for those changes--just as she would go on to be the catalyst for almost every good change in my life in years to come...
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 10/27/1969 to 11/2/1969
The week started off pretty badly for the Chieftains as Nick Hyder announced, "The grave's been dug, but we're not in it yet." What led to such a grim statement? The news that five regulars would most likely miss the Saturday night game against the Pepperell dragons. End-linebacker David Watkins, quarterback Randy Hatch, end Jim Poplin, tailback John Sapp, and end Frank Felker were all on the injured-or-ill list. "I don't ever recall a worse situation with injuries in all my years of coaching," Hyder said. "Right now, we're working with several combinations in practice, trying to find replacements for these boys. Hyder had already called Johnny Thompkins up from the ninth grade team at the recommendation of Coach Wesley Jenkins, who said that the ninth grade team was undefeated in seven games thanks largely to the work of Thompkins.
In spite of those missing players, West Rome managed to rack up a 21-13 victory over Pepperell at Barron Stadium on Saturday, November 1st. That put West Rome in a tie with East Rome for first place in Region 7-AA South--which also meant that the upcoming East-West game would determine the sub-region championship. Thomas Crowley racked up the first touchdown with a ten-yard run; Allen Carrington racked up the second touchdown with an 83-yard run; and Stan Green picked off a Pepperell pass, kicking off a drive that set up David Love for a quarterback sneak that turned into West Rome's third touchdown.
Georgia's Tax Revision Commission continued to look at ways to modify Georgia's tax system. The plan under consideration in October would have exempted groceries and prescription drugs from sales tax, but would raise the tax on other items from 3% to 3.5%. The exemption would cost the state $46 million, but the half-percent increase would bring in $50 million, making the state $4 million richer under the new plan. The Tax Revision Commission also okayed local option income taxes for cities and counties that wanted to add a 1% income tax on those who lived or worked within their borders.
The Georgia Board of Regents said that (in spite of the fact that they were re-bidding the contract for permanent construction) the new Floyd Junior College should be open for classes by the fall of 1970. They did say, however, that the classes might start in a temporary facility if construction wasn't finished by the time the fall quarter was scheduled to begin. The Board of Regents also revealed that they were modifying the plans to make the initial facilities about 10% smaller than initially planned in order to save on construction costs.
Rome City School Board representatives revealed that they were working on plans to fully desegregate all grades in the Rome City school system by the fall of 1970 in keeping with new Department of Health, Education, and Welfare rulings. This would require that Rome desegregate all twelve grades one year earlier than their previously approved plan had specified, but Rome said that they were close enough to that level already that the earlier deadline should not be a problem and no education funding should be in jeopardy.
The Rome Pilot Club donated a Baldwin studio piano to the Rome Boy's Club assembly room for use by the Rome Boys Club Choir; the piano would also be available for supervised use by Boys Club members.
Piggly Wiggly had chicken livers for 39¢ a pound, a six pack of Coca-Cola/Sprite/Tab/Fanta in cans for 49¢, and bananas for a dime a pound. A&P had rib steaks for 89¢ a pound, Armour Vienna sausages for 27¢ a can, and corn for 12¢ an ear. Big Apple had smoked center cut pork chops for 99¢ a pound, Mrs. Bell's mayonnaise for 39¢ a quart, and Irvindale ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon. Kroger had sirloin steak for $1.19 a pound, medium eggs for 49¢ a dozen, and oranges for a dime a pound. Couch's had chili meat (which I presume was chunky ground beef) for 59¢ a pound, Bama peanut butter for 39¢ a hard, and cabbage for 9¢ a pound.
The cinematic week began with Some Kind of a Nut (starring Dick Van Dyke) at the DeSoto Theatre, Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies (starring Tony Curtis) at the First Avenue, Alice's Restaurant (starring Arlo Guthrie) at the Village, and Romeo & Juliet (starring Leonard Whiting & Olivia Hussey) at the West Rome Drive-In. The end-of-week switchout brought Battle of Britain (starring Michael Caine) to the DeSoto, Hell's Angels '69 (starring Tom Stern) to the First Avenue, File of the Golden Goose (starring Yul Brynner) to the Village, and Kiss & Kill (starring Christopher Lee) to the West Rome Drive-In.
The 5th Dimension moved into the number one slot this week in 1969 with "Wedding Bell Blues." Other top ten hits included "Suspicious Minds" by Elvis Presley (#2); "Come Together" by the Beatles (#3); "I Can't Get Next To You" by the Temptations (#4); "Baby It's You" by Smith (#5); "Sugar, Sugar" by the Archies (#6); "Hot Fun in the Summertime by Sly & the Family Stone (#7); "And When I Die" by Blood, Sweat, & Tears (#8); "Something" by the Beatles (#9--and I have no idea how they determined the Beatles' placement this week, since "Come Together/Something" was a double-A-sided single); and "Smile a Little Smile for Me" by the Flying Machine (#10).
In spite of those missing players, West Rome managed to rack up a 21-13 victory over Pepperell at Barron Stadium on Saturday, November 1st. That put West Rome in a tie with East Rome for first place in Region 7-AA South--which also meant that the upcoming East-West game would determine the sub-region championship. Thomas Crowley racked up the first touchdown with a ten-yard run; Allen Carrington racked up the second touchdown with an 83-yard run; and Stan Green picked off a Pepperell pass, kicking off a drive that set up David Love for a quarterback sneak that turned into West Rome's third touchdown.
Georgia's Tax Revision Commission continued to look at ways to modify Georgia's tax system. The plan under consideration in October would have exempted groceries and prescription drugs from sales tax, but would raise the tax on other items from 3% to 3.5%. The exemption would cost the state $46 million, but the half-percent increase would bring in $50 million, making the state $4 million richer under the new plan. The Tax Revision Commission also okayed local option income taxes for cities and counties that wanted to add a 1% income tax on those who lived or worked within their borders.
The Georgia Board of Regents said that (in spite of the fact that they were re-bidding the contract for permanent construction) the new Floyd Junior College should be open for classes by the fall of 1970. They did say, however, that the classes might start in a temporary facility if construction wasn't finished by the time the fall quarter was scheduled to begin. The Board of Regents also revealed that they were modifying the plans to make the initial facilities about 10% smaller than initially planned in order to save on construction costs.
Rome City School Board representatives revealed that they were working on plans to fully desegregate all grades in the Rome City school system by the fall of 1970 in keeping with new Department of Health, Education, and Welfare rulings. This would require that Rome desegregate all twelve grades one year earlier than their previously approved plan had specified, but Rome said that they were close enough to that level already that the earlier deadline should not be a problem and no education funding should be in jeopardy.
The Rome Pilot Club donated a Baldwin studio piano to the Rome Boy's Club assembly room for use by the Rome Boys Club Choir; the piano would also be available for supervised use by Boys Club members.
Piggly Wiggly had chicken livers for 39¢ a pound, a six pack of Coca-Cola/Sprite/Tab/Fanta in cans for 49¢, and bananas for a dime a pound. A&P had rib steaks for 89¢ a pound, Armour Vienna sausages for 27¢ a can, and corn for 12¢ an ear. Big Apple had smoked center cut pork chops for 99¢ a pound, Mrs. Bell's mayonnaise for 39¢ a quart, and Irvindale ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon. Kroger had sirloin steak for $1.19 a pound, medium eggs for 49¢ a dozen, and oranges for a dime a pound. Couch's had chili meat (which I presume was chunky ground beef) for 59¢ a pound, Bama peanut butter for 39¢ a hard, and cabbage for 9¢ a pound.
The cinematic week began with Some Kind of a Nut (starring Dick Van Dyke) at the DeSoto Theatre, Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies (starring Tony Curtis) at the First Avenue, Alice's Restaurant (starring Arlo Guthrie) at the Village, and Romeo & Juliet (starring Leonard Whiting & Olivia Hussey) at the West Rome Drive-In. The end-of-week switchout brought Battle of Britain (starring Michael Caine) to the DeSoto, Hell's Angels '69 (starring Tom Stern) to the First Avenue, File of the Golden Goose (starring Yul Brynner) to the Village, and Kiss & Kill (starring Christopher Lee) to the West Rome Drive-In.
The 5th Dimension moved into the number one slot this week in 1969 with "Wedding Bell Blues." Other top ten hits included "Suspicious Minds" by Elvis Presley (#2); "Come Together" by the Beatles (#3); "I Can't Get Next To You" by the Temptations (#4); "Baby It's You" by Smith (#5); "Sugar, Sugar" by the Archies (#6); "Hot Fun in the Summertime by Sly & the Family Stone (#7); "And When I Die" by Blood, Sweat, & Tears (#8); "Something" by the Beatles (#9--and I have no idea how they determined the Beatles' placement this week, since "Come Together/Something" was a double-A-sided single); and "Smile a Little Smile for Me" by the Flying Machine (#10).
Saturday, October 19, 2019
A Life in Four Colors Part Forty-Seven
I described my initial relationship with Susan as "like at first sight," and that's a fair appraisal. But I wasn't the only person who found Susan appealing...
My best friend in 1969 was Gary Steele; we had known each other since junior high and our shared love of comics made us buddies almost immediately. Our tastes in entertainment were sufficiently similar that we both expanded from comics to science fiction, fantasy, Doc Savage, Conan, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and James Bond, among many other things.
I was fascinated to meet a girl who shared my interests, and so was Gary. I told him about Susan soon after my first conversation with her, and within a few weeks he was writing to her as well. From time to time, all three of us would even talk with one another, with Gary on one extension phone at my house and me on the other.
By late 1968, Gary and I had convinced Susan to join the amateur press alliance Myriad, which was created by our friend and fellow fan Stven Carlberg. (For those who don't know what I'm talking about: an amateur press alliance, or apa, is a construct in which contributors produce sufficient copies of their own individual fanzines for all the members, then mail those copies to an Official Editor or Central Mailer, who collates those fanzines into bundles containing one copy of each contribution from the various members and distributes those bundles to the membership. Those fanzines might contain art, reviews, original fiction, reviews, personal commentary, and "mailing comments"--responses to the various fanzines in the prior mailing. It's sort of a hybrid of fanzines and correspondence, and a lot of effort and creativity went into producing those apazines.) So not only were we both writing to Susan and occasionally talking with Susan, but we were contributing to the same apa.
Since Susan had no way of getting her Myriad apazine Vendetta reproduced (my apazine was not much'a nothin'--the same title I have now repurposed for this blog site), she asked Gary and me if we could do it. Somehow, we had convinced Mrs. Higgins and Mrs. Armona at West Rome High School to let us use the school's ditto machine if we supplied our own paper and ditto masters, so we provided ditto masters to Susan (since there was nowhere in Cedartown for her to buy them) and she would mail us her contributions, which we would print. A few months later, Gary and I bought our own Heyer mimeo machines, so we could actually print our fanzine at home--and at that point, Susan began doing her apazine on mimeo stencils.
(If you want to know all about ditto machines, aka spirit duplicators, and mimeo machines, there are sites that explain it, but here's a quick, simple explanation: a ditto machine uses a two-layer master that transfers carbon to the back of the sheet on which you type and/or draw. When that master is wrapped around a drum and moistened with an alcohol solution, a little of the purple carbon is transferred to a piece of paper. If you remember those old purple school handouts from the pre-xerox days--the ones that smelled like alcohol--that was a ditto machine. Yeah, I realize that we called them mimeo when we were in school but they weren't. Mimeo machines use a wax-covered stencil; when you type or draw on it, it displaces the wax, which allows ink to pass through that portion of the stencil. Put the stencil on a machine with an ink-covered drum and run paper through it and it makes an ink print on the paper. It's more durable, more permanent, and much more messy. I know of no veteran mimeo fanzine publishers who don't have at least one story about an ink-related disaster involving a spill, a spatter, or a curious cat.)
Sharing an apa with Susan was great--it afforded me one more opportunity to get to know about her, and it allowed me to enjoy her "public writing," which was a perfect complement to the letters that she sent me on average twice a week. I was learning a lot about Susan, her tastes, and her impressive word-crafting skills. The more I read, the more I liked her, even when she made it clear that she had no appreciation for Marvel Comics, finding them overwritten and melodramatic. We would talk about that many times over the years, and I remember her even courteously expressing the same thoughts to then-Marvel-editor Roy Thomas when we met him in New Orleans in 1973. I never did change her mind on that subject.
Susan and I continued to make plans to see one another whenever my family went to Cedartown to visit my grandmother; I would sometimes pick up her stencils when I was there so that I could print her apazine and mail it in with mine. It was during my visit to Cedartown in early 1969 that Susan mentioned that Gary had asked her if it would be okay for him to drive to Cedartown and visit her sometime.
I was surprised, because Gary hadn't mentioned it to me. But then I realized why: in his roundabout way, Gary was asking Susan to go on a date with him. since Gary was a few months older than me, he had his driver's license in early 1969, while I wouldn't get mine until late August of that same year.
I asked Susan if they had made arrangements to get together. "No," she said. "I asked him if you were coming up with him, and he said no, so I didn't talk with him about it any more."
That made me happy.
I had felt vaguely bothered when I learned that Gary might be seeing Susan without me; I now realize that was teenage jealousy rearing its head. But I felt great when Susan indicated that she didn't want to see Gary without seeing me.
And that was the point when, in spite of my teenage blitheness, I realized that my feelings for Susan were more than just feelings of one fan friend for another. And suddenly, I was counting down the months until I could get my own driver's license and make the drive to Cedartown on my own...
My best friend in 1969 was Gary Steele; we had known each other since junior high and our shared love of comics made us buddies almost immediately. Our tastes in entertainment were sufficiently similar that we both expanded from comics to science fiction, fantasy, Doc Savage, Conan, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and James Bond, among many other things.
I was fascinated to meet a girl who shared my interests, and so was Gary. I told him about Susan soon after my first conversation with her, and within a few weeks he was writing to her as well. From time to time, all three of us would even talk with one another, with Gary on one extension phone at my house and me on the other.
By late 1968, Gary and I had convinced Susan to join the amateur press alliance Myriad, which was created by our friend and fellow fan Stven Carlberg. (For those who don't know what I'm talking about: an amateur press alliance, or apa, is a construct in which contributors produce sufficient copies of their own individual fanzines for all the members, then mail those copies to an Official Editor or Central Mailer, who collates those fanzines into bundles containing one copy of each contribution from the various members and distributes those bundles to the membership. Those fanzines might contain art, reviews, original fiction, reviews, personal commentary, and "mailing comments"--responses to the various fanzines in the prior mailing. It's sort of a hybrid of fanzines and correspondence, and a lot of effort and creativity went into producing those apazines.) So not only were we both writing to Susan and occasionally talking with Susan, but we were contributing to the same apa.
Since Susan had no way of getting her Myriad apazine Vendetta reproduced (my apazine was not much'a nothin'--the same title I have now repurposed for this blog site), she asked Gary and me if we could do it. Somehow, we had convinced Mrs. Higgins and Mrs. Armona at West Rome High School to let us use the school's ditto machine if we supplied our own paper and ditto masters, so we provided ditto masters to Susan (since there was nowhere in Cedartown for her to buy them) and she would mail us her contributions, which we would print. A few months later, Gary and I bought our own Heyer mimeo machines, so we could actually print our fanzine at home--and at that point, Susan began doing her apazine on mimeo stencils.
(If you want to know all about ditto machines, aka spirit duplicators, and mimeo machines, there are sites that explain it, but here's a quick, simple explanation: a ditto machine uses a two-layer master that transfers carbon to the back of the sheet on which you type and/or draw. When that master is wrapped around a drum and moistened with an alcohol solution, a little of the purple carbon is transferred to a piece of paper. If you remember those old purple school handouts from the pre-xerox days--the ones that smelled like alcohol--that was a ditto machine. Yeah, I realize that we called them mimeo when we were in school but they weren't. Mimeo machines use a wax-covered stencil; when you type or draw on it, it displaces the wax, which allows ink to pass through that portion of the stencil. Put the stencil on a machine with an ink-covered drum and run paper through it and it makes an ink print on the paper. It's more durable, more permanent, and much more messy. I know of no veteran mimeo fanzine publishers who don't have at least one story about an ink-related disaster involving a spill, a spatter, or a curious cat.)
Sharing an apa with Susan was great--it afforded me one more opportunity to get to know about her, and it allowed me to enjoy her "public writing," which was a perfect complement to the letters that she sent me on average twice a week. I was learning a lot about Susan, her tastes, and her impressive word-crafting skills. The more I read, the more I liked her, even when she made it clear that she had no appreciation for Marvel Comics, finding them overwritten and melodramatic. We would talk about that many times over the years, and I remember her even courteously expressing the same thoughts to then-Marvel-editor Roy Thomas when we met him in New Orleans in 1973. I never did change her mind on that subject.
Susan and I continued to make plans to see one another whenever my family went to Cedartown to visit my grandmother; I would sometimes pick up her stencils when I was there so that I could print her apazine and mail it in with mine. It was during my visit to Cedartown in early 1969 that Susan mentioned that Gary had asked her if it would be okay for him to drive to Cedartown and visit her sometime.
I was surprised, because Gary hadn't mentioned it to me. But then I realized why: in his roundabout way, Gary was asking Susan to go on a date with him. since Gary was a few months older than me, he had his driver's license in early 1969, while I wouldn't get mine until late August of that same year.
I asked Susan if they had made arrangements to get together. "No," she said. "I asked him if you were coming up with him, and he said no, so I didn't talk with him about it any more."
That made me happy.
I had felt vaguely bothered when I learned that Gary might be seeing Susan without me; I now realize that was teenage jealousy rearing its head. But I felt great when Susan indicated that she didn't want to see Gary without seeing me.
And that was the point when, in spite of my teenage blitheness, I realized that my feelings for Susan were more than just feelings of one fan friend for another. And suddenly, I was counting down the months until I could get my own driver's license and make the drive to Cedartown on my own...
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 10/20/1969 to 10/26/1969
Rome City Schools' roller-coaster relationship with the US Department of Health, Education, & Welfare and the US Justice Department took a dip this week in 1969 when the Justice Department filed suit against 83 school systems, including Rome City Schools. The Justice Department's suit demanded that all 83 systems fully implement their desegregation plans by the fall of 1970--one full year earlier than the plans already agreed to by the Department of Health, Education, & Welfare. "The action is intended to try to get the rest of Georgia's school systems that haven't already desegregated moving," Deputy Assistant Attorney General Frank M. Dunbaugh said.
The Chieftains' winning streak came to an end on Friday night when the Cartersville Hurricanes stormed over West Rome for a 20-0 victory. The loss knocked the Chiefs out of first place in Region 7-AA South, putting them behind crosstown rivals East Rome with only two remaining games in regular season play.
West Rome's midget football team defeated Coosa 20-6 to take the senior division midget football championship on Monday, October 20th. Ricky Ramsey scored all three touchdowns with runs of 54 years, 55 yards, and seven yards respectively.
West Rome's JV team pushed its record to 7-0 for the season with a 46-8 victory over Pepperell. Quarterback Johnny Thompkins ran for two touchdowns and threw three touchdown passes to Herbert Sellers in the first three quarters, while quarterback Jimmy Hatch added to the score with a touchdown pass to Sellers in the fourth quarter.
"Don't turn around." Those three words, followed by the click of an armed robber cocking the hammer of a gun, kicked off a nightmarish evening for Dallas Tanner, manager of the A&P on Shorter Avenue. An unidentified armed robber took all the store's daily proceeds shortly after closing on Friday, October 24th. "He told me to put all the money in a bag and that's exactly what I did," Tanner said. Luckily, the robber didn't get all the daily cash, since the assistant manager had already made a bank deposit midway through the day.
Ledbetter Construction announced ambitious construction plans for a site on US Highway 411 near the Ledbetter interchange. The first phase would seethe construction of a 200-unit Ramada Inn with a restaurant that could accommodate 400 people and meeting space that cold accommodate 500 people. The next phase of the construction would include town houses, garden apartments, and a shopping mall. (Needless to say, the latter part of that pie-in-the-sky plan never came to fruition.)
After the first round of bids for construction of Floyd Junior College came in almost a third higher than initially budgeted, the University System Board of Regents voted to reject all bids and to request new bids. Only three companies bid initially, but the Board of Regents was reaching out to other construction companies who had worked on other projects to request that they submit bids for Floyd Junior College in hopes that increased competition might result in lower bids.
Rome returned to Eastern standard time on Sunday, October 26th, giving all of us an extra hour of sleep.
Piggly Wiggly had cube steak for $1.09 a pound, eggs for 49¢ a dozen and oranges for 12¢ a pound. A&P had chuck steak for 59¢ a pound, golden delicious apples for 19¢ a pound, and Ann Page pound cake for 35¢. Big Apple had baking hens for 39¢ a pound, Irvindale ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon, and Poss Brunswick stew for 49¢ a can. Kroger had pork chops for 77¢ a pound, canned biscuits for 6¢ a can, and apple cider for 77¢ a gallon. Couch's had ground beef for 55¢ a pound, Bama mayonnaise for 49¢ a quart, and Van Camp's chili with beans for 33¢ a can.
The cinematic week began with Run Wild, Run Free (starring John Mills) at the DeSoto Theatre, Ace High (starring Eli Wallach) at the First Avenue, Alice's Restaurant (starring Pat Quinn) at the Village, and Thunderbirds Are Go at the West Rome Drive-In. The weekend switch out brought Some Kind of a Nut (starring Dick Van Dyke) to the DeSoto, Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies (starring Tony Curtis) to the First Avenue, and Romeo & Juliet (starring Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey) to the West Rome Drive-In, while Alice's Restaurant continued to serve moviegoers at the Village Theatre.
Elvis Presley returned to the top of the charts with "Suspicious Minds" this week in 1969. Other top ten hits included "Wedding Bell Blues" by the 5th Dimension (#2); "Sugar, Sugar" by the Archies (#3); "I Can't Get Next to You" by the Temptations (#4); "Baby, It's You" by Smith (#5); "Hot Fun in the Summertime" by Sly & the Family Stone (#6); "Little Woman" by Bobby Sherman (#7); "Jean" by Oliver (#8); "Tracy" by the Cuff Links (#9); and "Come Together/Something" (a double A-sided single that was thus credited to both songs) by the Beatles (#10 & 11--that's the way the charts work for double A-sided singles). Meanwhile, the Beatles album Abbey Road sired to the top of the album charts during its third week of release.
Led Zeppelin released their second album this week in 1969; the first single off that album, "Whole Lotta Love," would go on to become Led Zeppelin's best-selling song until the release of "Stairway to Heaven" wo years later.
The Chieftains' winning streak came to an end on Friday night when the Cartersville Hurricanes stormed over West Rome for a 20-0 victory. The loss knocked the Chiefs out of first place in Region 7-AA South, putting them behind crosstown rivals East Rome with only two remaining games in regular season play.
West Rome's midget football team defeated Coosa 20-6 to take the senior division midget football championship on Monday, October 20th. Ricky Ramsey scored all three touchdowns with runs of 54 years, 55 yards, and seven yards respectively.
West Rome's JV team pushed its record to 7-0 for the season with a 46-8 victory over Pepperell. Quarterback Johnny Thompkins ran for two touchdowns and threw three touchdown passes to Herbert Sellers in the first three quarters, while quarterback Jimmy Hatch added to the score with a touchdown pass to Sellers in the fourth quarter.
"Don't turn around." Those three words, followed by the click of an armed robber cocking the hammer of a gun, kicked off a nightmarish evening for Dallas Tanner, manager of the A&P on Shorter Avenue. An unidentified armed robber took all the store's daily proceeds shortly after closing on Friday, October 24th. "He told me to put all the money in a bag and that's exactly what I did," Tanner said. Luckily, the robber didn't get all the daily cash, since the assistant manager had already made a bank deposit midway through the day.
Ledbetter Construction announced ambitious construction plans for a site on US Highway 411 near the Ledbetter interchange. The first phase would seethe construction of a 200-unit Ramada Inn with a restaurant that could accommodate 400 people and meeting space that cold accommodate 500 people. The next phase of the construction would include town houses, garden apartments, and a shopping mall. (Needless to say, the latter part of that pie-in-the-sky plan never came to fruition.)
After the first round of bids for construction of Floyd Junior College came in almost a third higher than initially budgeted, the University System Board of Regents voted to reject all bids and to request new bids. Only three companies bid initially, but the Board of Regents was reaching out to other construction companies who had worked on other projects to request that they submit bids for Floyd Junior College in hopes that increased competition might result in lower bids.
Rome returned to Eastern standard time on Sunday, October 26th, giving all of us an extra hour of sleep.
Piggly Wiggly had cube steak for $1.09 a pound, eggs for 49¢ a dozen and oranges for 12¢ a pound. A&P had chuck steak for 59¢ a pound, golden delicious apples for 19¢ a pound, and Ann Page pound cake for 35¢. Big Apple had baking hens for 39¢ a pound, Irvindale ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon, and Poss Brunswick stew for 49¢ a can. Kroger had pork chops for 77¢ a pound, canned biscuits for 6¢ a can, and apple cider for 77¢ a gallon. Couch's had ground beef for 55¢ a pound, Bama mayonnaise for 49¢ a quart, and Van Camp's chili with beans for 33¢ a can.
The cinematic week began with Run Wild, Run Free (starring John Mills) at the DeSoto Theatre, Ace High (starring Eli Wallach) at the First Avenue, Alice's Restaurant (starring Pat Quinn) at the Village, and Thunderbirds Are Go at the West Rome Drive-In. The weekend switch out brought Some Kind of a Nut (starring Dick Van Dyke) to the DeSoto, Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies (starring Tony Curtis) to the First Avenue, and Romeo & Juliet (starring Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey) to the West Rome Drive-In, while Alice's Restaurant continued to serve moviegoers at the Village Theatre.
Elvis Presley returned to the top of the charts with "Suspicious Minds" this week in 1969. Other top ten hits included "Wedding Bell Blues" by the 5th Dimension (#2); "Sugar, Sugar" by the Archies (#3); "I Can't Get Next to You" by the Temptations (#4); "Baby, It's You" by Smith (#5); "Hot Fun in the Summertime" by Sly & the Family Stone (#6); "Little Woman" by Bobby Sherman (#7); "Jean" by Oliver (#8); "Tracy" by the Cuff Links (#9); and "Come Together/Something" (a double A-sided single that was thus credited to both songs) by the Beatles (#10 & 11--that's the way the charts work for double A-sided singles). Meanwhile, the Beatles album Abbey Road sired to the top of the album charts during its third week of release.
Led Zeppelin released their second album this week in 1969; the first single off that album, "Whole Lotta Love," would go on to become Led Zeppelin's best-selling song until the release of "Stairway to Heaven" wo years later.
Friday, October 11, 2019
A Life In Four Colors Part Forty-Six
I've told you about my 1968 discovery of a Cedartown comics fan named Susan Hendrix (who went on to become my wife three years after our first meeting). But what did Susan think about this strange phone call regarding her letter of comment? I can answer that definitively, because I still have her letter to me in which she discussed it.
(Yes, I said "letter." We may have lived less than twenty miles apart, but we still wrote letters to one another. Part of it was because we both felt very comfortable writing, but another reason was that Susan lived in a two bedroom house with her parents, her grandparents, her sister, and her brother, and there was virtually no privacy.)
Here's what Susan wrote about that conversation in her first letter to me. "I was surprised and apprehensive when you asked me about my letter in Batman. I thought you were probably someone from my high school who had found out about my letter and was calling to give me a hard time. If I seemed a little reluctant to talk, that was why. It took me a few minutes to realize that you weren't going to make fun of me."
Susan still wasn't sure what to think of me, however. We exchanged three rounds of letters with one another between the date of that first letter and the time that we finally agreed to meet, some three months afterwards. (Yes, that means that in two months, we exchanged four letters with each other--four from me, four replies from her. Not the heaviest level of correspondence ever, but we were just casual acquaintances at that time.) We chose something as close to Neutral Territory as we could think of: my grandmother's house in Cedartown, less than two miles from her house. The meeting date was June 15th, 1968.
Why did we meet at my grandmother's house rather than at Susan's house? Simple: Susan was 17 and had a driver's license. I was 14 (I would turn 15 in August of that year) and could not drive, so I had no way to get to her house other than to ask my parents to take me, and that seemed both awkward and unlikely to happen. Susan could arrange to borrow her parents' car for a short while, so we agreed to get together at 2pm. (Yes, in spite of the fact that I was almost three years younger than her, she was willing to meet with me. In retrospect, that was pretty amazing.)
I was sitting one one of the wrought-iron chairs under the pine trees in my grandmother's front yard at 623 Olive Street when Susan pulled into the driveway (I had carefully cleaned the chairs to ensure that they were suitable for company). I was nervous (let's just say that I wasn't a very suave and debonair fourteen year old, okay?) as I got up to meet her at her car. She opened the door and got out.
Susan was wearing a blue-and-white-striped dress with a white Peter Pan collar and red buttons (It has been more than 51 years, and I can still see that dress in every detail--and I can still see Susan's face just as clearly.) Susan was smiling a bit stiffly; as I got to know her more, I came to know that as her nervous smile. We introduced ourselves to each other, and I invited her to sit on one of the wrought-iron chairs. She sat, her hands crossed in her lap, and we began to talk. The conversation began with a discussion of that phone call, then some comic book talk, then some music talk. Gradually, Susan began to relax a little bit. She laughed a bit as we discussed television shows we liked, and how our families felt about our entertainment interests. She asked me about the fanzines I had contributed to, and said she'd like to see them. I promised to send her some.
And then we realized the an hour had passed, and she had promised to get the car back to her family that afternoon. That white 1963 Dodge was their only car, and they needed to run some errands that afternoon. I walked her to her car, we said goodbye, and that was the end of our first meeting.
Was it mutual love at first sight? No, but it was mutual like at first sight, which was all I could hope for at the time. The last thing she said to me that day was, "I hope we get to see each other again soon." In a letter soon after that, she wrote, "I hope that didn't sound too forward, but I really had a good time talking with you. I don't have any friends I can talk to about comics or science fiction, and it was so enjoyable to talk about that stuff with someone who didn't think I was stupid for reading it."
And beginning with that meeting, our correspondence increased. We were writing each other at least once a week, and we actually began setting up a time to talk on the phone--a time usually scheduled around her family's schedule, so that she would have some time to talk without everyone overhearing every word of her side of the conversation.
It wasn't a romance yet, but it was moving in the right direction...
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 10/13/1969 to 10/19/1969
The battle of the band instrument providers continued tis week as the Rome Board of Education announced that, in a private meeting, they had voted to continue to support the Band Advisory Committee's recommendation that they use only the Music Room to conduct its band recruitment programs and offer instrument sales and/or rental to band students. Ken Stanton objected to the decision, saying that if the system wasn't open to all music stores, then none should be allow to participate. The board replied that "parents should feel free to look at instruments of any company and then make their own decisions where to purchase or rent," but that only the Music Room would be allowed to visit the schools, administer the recruitment program, and offer sales and rentals to students at those recruitment programs.
West Rome took on North Georgia powerhouse Marietta on Friday, October 17th, in the second confrontation between the two teams (the first, in 1968, resulted in a 24-0 Marietta victory). West Rome went into the game without two key players, as both Frank Felker and Edward Sellers were still on the injured list. Unfortunately, Marietta posted its second victory in a row as they defeated West Rome 27-7; West Rome's only touchdown came from a one-yard run by quarterback Randy Hatch, followed by Mark Brewer's extra point. Other than that, the game was dominated by Marietta from beginning to end. West Rome racked up a total of 107 yards rushing, of which 100 yards came from John Sapp.
Vicki Duffey was crowned Homecoming Queen at West Rome. The other members of the homecoming court included Sharon Avery, Kay Cormany, Ellen Jackson, and Debbie Shelnutt,
The West Rome Library Club volunteered to help the staff at the Boys Club Library, which was open from 4 until 6 pm every Tuesday and Thursday. Library Club members included Gail Ballew, Pat Branton, Debbie Engle, Debbie Holder, Debbie Johnson, Julia Jones, Virginia Lemming, and Sharon Moore.
Bringing a junior college to the Rome/Floyd County area turned out to be more expensive than anticipated. Bids for construction of the facility came in almost 50% higher than anticipated; then low bid of $3.732,415.00 was significantly higher than the $2.5 million that the University System had originally budgeted. According to Chancellor George Simpson, the bids were the highest per square foot of any college ever built in Georgia.
A non-profit group, Housing Incorporation, announced plans to build several subdivisions for low and moderate income families in Floyd County. The total cost of the program was estimated at $2.1 million, Rome municipal and business leaders headed up the program, which was designed to make it easier for lower-income families to afford their own homes.
A major early morning fire nearly destroyed Keith's Walgreen Drug Store at 435 Broad Street, leaving little more than a charred shell of a building. Nearby businesses, including Esserman's Town Finance, Tee's Barber Shop, Wilkerson Real Estate & Insurance, and Coosa Valley Book Shop were affected by the heavy smoke, but suffered no lasting damage.
Piggly Wiggly had pork ribs for 59¢ a pound, apples for 12¢ a pound, and Castlebery chili for 49¢ a can. Kroger had T-bone steak for $1.29 a pound, sweet potatoes for a dime a pound, and a 48-ounce bottle of Gatorade for 49¢. Big Apple had pork roast for 59¢ a pound, Irvindale ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon, and Jeno's pizzas for 63¢ each. A&P had ocean perch for 95¢ a pound, cabbage for a dime a pound, and RC Cola or Diet Rite for 30¢ a carton plus deposit. Couch's had ground beef for 59¢ a pound, Bama jelly for 27¢ a jar, and Duncan Hines cake mix for 33¢ a box.
The cinematic week began with Castle Keep (starring Burt Lancaster) at the DeSoto Theatre, The Rain People (starring James Caan) at the First Avenue, A Place for Lovers (starring Faye Dunaway) at the Village, and True Grit (starring John Wayne) at the West Rome Drive-In. The weekend switchout brought Run Wild, Run Free (starring John Mills) to the DeSoto, Ace High (starring Eli Wallach) to the First Avenue, Alice's Restaurant (starring Pat Quinn) to the Village, and The Italian Job (starring Michael Caine) to the West Rome Drive-In.
The number one song this week in 1969 was "I Can't Get Next To You" by the Temptations. Other top ten hits included "Hot Fun in the Summertime" by Sly & the Family Stone (#2); "Sugar, Sugar" by the Archies (#3); "Jean" by Oliver (#4); "Suspicious Minds" by Elvis Presley (#5); "Little Woman" by Bobby Sherman (#6); "Wedding Bell Blues" by the 5th Dimension (#7); "Baby, It's You" by the Smiths (#8); "Tracy" by the Cuff Links (#9); and "I'm Gonna Make You Mine" by Lou Christie (#10).
It was an amazing week for great albums as well. Creedence Clearwater Revival took first place with their album Green River, followed by Johnny Cash at San Quentin (#2); Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Volume 2) by the Rolling Stones (#3); Abbey Road by the Beatles (#4); the eponymous Blind Faith (#5); In-A-Gadda-da-Vida by Iron Butterfly (#6); the eponymous Blood, Sweat, & Tears (#7); Hot Buttered Soul by Isaac Hayes (#8); Best of Cream (#9); and Santana, the group's first album (#10). This was also the week that John Denver made his national musical debut with the release of his first album, Rhymes & Reasons (he had previously released an album on a small regional label).
The Jackson 5 made their television premiere this week in 1969 on The Hollywood Palace, an ABC music-variety program.
West Rome took on North Georgia powerhouse Marietta on Friday, October 17th, in the second confrontation between the two teams (the first, in 1968, resulted in a 24-0 Marietta victory). West Rome went into the game without two key players, as both Frank Felker and Edward Sellers were still on the injured list. Unfortunately, Marietta posted its second victory in a row as they defeated West Rome 27-7; West Rome's only touchdown came from a one-yard run by quarterback Randy Hatch, followed by Mark Brewer's extra point. Other than that, the game was dominated by Marietta from beginning to end. West Rome racked up a total of 107 yards rushing, of which 100 yards came from John Sapp.
Vicki Duffey was crowned Homecoming Queen at West Rome. The other members of the homecoming court included Sharon Avery, Kay Cormany, Ellen Jackson, and Debbie Shelnutt,
The West Rome Library Club volunteered to help the staff at the Boys Club Library, which was open from 4 until 6 pm every Tuesday and Thursday. Library Club members included Gail Ballew, Pat Branton, Debbie Engle, Debbie Holder, Debbie Johnson, Julia Jones, Virginia Lemming, and Sharon Moore.
Bringing a junior college to the Rome/Floyd County area turned out to be more expensive than anticipated. Bids for construction of the facility came in almost 50% higher than anticipated; then low bid of $3.732,415.00 was significantly higher than the $2.5 million that the University System had originally budgeted. According to Chancellor George Simpson, the bids were the highest per square foot of any college ever built in Georgia.
A non-profit group, Housing Incorporation, announced plans to build several subdivisions for low and moderate income families in Floyd County. The total cost of the program was estimated at $2.1 million, Rome municipal and business leaders headed up the program, which was designed to make it easier for lower-income families to afford their own homes.
A major early morning fire nearly destroyed Keith's Walgreen Drug Store at 435 Broad Street, leaving little more than a charred shell of a building. Nearby businesses, including Esserman's Town Finance, Tee's Barber Shop, Wilkerson Real Estate & Insurance, and Coosa Valley Book Shop were affected by the heavy smoke, but suffered no lasting damage.
Piggly Wiggly had pork ribs for 59¢ a pound, apples for 12¢ a pound, and Castlebery chili for 49¢ a can. Kroger had T-bone steak for $1.29 a pound, sweet potatoes for a dime a pound, and a 48-ounce bottle of Gatorade for 49¢. Big Apple had pork roast for 59¢ a pound, Irvindale ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon, and Jeno's pizzas for 63¢ each. A&P had ocean perch for 95¢ a pound, cabbage for a dime a pound, and RC Cola or Diet Rite for 30¢ a carton plus deposit. Couch's had ground beef for 59¢ a pound, Bama jelly for 27¢ a jar, and Duncan Hines cake mix for 33¢ a box.
The cinematic week began with Castle Keep (starring Burt Lancaster) at the DeSoto Theatre, The Rain People (starring James Caan) at the First Avenue, A Place for Lovers (starring Faye Dunaway) at the Village, and True Grit (starring John Wayne) at the West Rome Drive-In. The weekend switchout brought Run Wild, Run Free (starring John Mills) to the DeSoto, Ace High (starring Eli Wallach) to the First Avenue, Alice's Restaurant (starring Pat Quinn) to the Village, and The Italian Job (starring Michael Caine) to the West Rome Drive-In.
The number one song this week in 1969 was "I Can't Get Next To You" by the Temptations. Other top ten hits included "Hot Fun in the Summertime" by Sly & the Family Stone (#2); "Sugar, Sugar" by the Archies (#3); "Jean" by Oliver (#4); "Suspicious Minds" by Elvis Presley (#5); "Little Woman" by Bobby Sherman (#6); "Wedding Bell Blues" by the 5th Dimension (#7); "Baby, It's You" by the Smiths (#8); "Tracy" by the Cuff Links (#9); and "I'm Gonna Make You Mine" by Lou Christie (#10).
It was an amazing week for great albums as well. Creedence Clearwater Revival took first place with their album Green River, followed by Johnny Cash at San Quentin (#2); Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Volume 2) by the Rolling Stones (#3); Abbey Road by the Beatles (#4); the eponymous Blind Faith (#5); In-A-Gadda-da-Vida by Iron Butterfly (#6); the eponymous Blood, Sweat, & Tears (#7); Hot Buttered Soul by Isaac Hayes (#8); Best of Cream (#9); and Santana, the group's first album (#10). This was also the week that John Denver made his national musical debut with the release of his first album, Rhymes & Reasons (he had previously released an album on a small regional label).
The Jackson 5 made their television premiere this week in 1969 on The Hollywood Palace, an ABC music-variety program.
Saturday, October 05, 2019
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 10/6/1969 to 10/12/1969
Rome became the site of a "battle of the band instrument providers" this week in 1969 as Ken Stanton Music accused the Rome and Floyd County school systems of shutting them out of the band programs in their schools, in favor of Don Everett and his business The Music Room. Stanton had worked with Everett for years; a business disagreement led to Everett's departure from Ken Stanton Music, at which point he started his own company. "We have been excluded from parent meetings and are not listed as a rental site for band instruments, even though our prices are often lower than our competitors," Stanton said. "We've tried to get into the schools, but we never know when band directors have set up their recruitment meetings and can't get a return call." Stanton had even offered to provide sixth-grade music students in the Rome City Schools with free instruments for a year, but when he attempted to deliver those instruments to West End, the principal refused to meet with him or to allow him to leave the instruments. "We have no personal objection to Ken Stanton or his company," West Rome band director Johnny Shook said. "We just believe that The Music Room offers the best recruiting system [for students interested in joining the band]." Shook explained that The Music Room would meet with students and parents and let the student try out every instrument until he found the one that suited him, while Ken Stanton asked that parents and students fill out a form indicating their preferred instrument first.
After the prior week's blowout victory over Cass, the Chieftains took on Cedartown on October 10th. The Bulldogs proved to be much more of a challenge than the Colonels were, but West Rome nevertheless posted a 21-13 victory. Henry Studyvent scored two of the Chieftains' touchdowns, while Randy Hatch's pass to David Watkins gave West Rome their third touchdown.
Rome's burglars were back in action this week in 1969, with break-ins at the Partridge Restaurant (cash was stolen from the register); Williams, Schweitzer, & Barnum Engineering on Redmond Circle, where cash and equipment were taken; the Town House on East second Avenue, where cash and merchandise was stolen; Joyce's Beauty Shop in Central Plaza, where cash ws stolen; Red Ace Petroleum Company on Redmond Circle, were 432 packages of cigarettes were stolen; United Insurance Company on East Second Avenue, where offices were ransacked but nothing was stolen; and Roman Chemical Corporation on East Second Avenue, where offices were ransacked but nothing was stolen. That's a lot of burglaries on one night!
Home Federal pushed interest rates to 5.25% for six month CDs this week in 1969, an eighth of a point higher than any other bank in Rome--and about three times what most banks are paying today.
A morals decency group, The Movement to Restore Decency, was organized in Rome this week in 1969. According to chairman Dr. Richard Gray, their primary goal was to prevent the distribution of adult magazines in the city, but they also expressed concern that "one theater" (which was the First Avenue Theatre--not sure why they didn't say that) had begun showing X-rated films in Rome. Of course, one of the two X-rated films they showed was Midnight Cowboy, which would go on to win an Academy Awards. The group also objected to any plans to bring sex education to the public schools.
Governor Lester Maddox, of all people, spoke out in favor of women in leadership positions in government this week in 1969. Maddox said that he was "all for" a woman President. "I believe that a woman who is used to living on a budget might be able to get our national finances straightened out and reduce our shameful national debt," Maddox said. "And certainly any woman could take control of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare and make improvements there." (Of course, Maddox had ulterior motives: it was reported that his wife was considering running for governor when Maddox's term expired.)
Piggly Wiggly had rib steaks for 98¢ a pound, Atlanta Dairies ice milk for 3¢ a half-gallon, and five pounds of oranges for 59¢. A&P had pork sausage for 59¢ a pound, Bartlett pears for 25¢ a pound, and Van Camp's pork & beans for 18¢ a can. Kroger had fresh whole fryers for 27¢ a pound, Maxwell House coffee for 73¢ a pound, and Aqua Net hairspray for 37¢ a can. Big Apple had leg o' lamb for 89¢ a pound, Stokely tomato sauce for a dime a can, and Campbell's tomato soup for 11¢ a can. Couch's had Oscar Mayer olive loaf or liver loaf for 49¢ a pack, Aristocrat ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon, and Libby's tomato ketchup for 29¢ a bottle.
The cinematic week began with Thoroughly Modern Millie (starring Julie Andrews) at the DeSoto Theatre, Midnight Cowboy (starring Dustin Hoffman) at the First Avenue, The Lion in Winter (starring Katharine Hepburn) at the Village, and The Love Bug (starring Dean Jones) at the West Rome Drive-In. The weekend switchout brought Castle Keep (starring Burt Lancaster) to the DeSoto, The Rain People (starring James Caan) to the First Avenue, A Place for Lovers (starring Faye Dunaway) to the Village, and True Grit (starring John Wayne) to the West Rome Drive-In.
The Temptations took the number one slot this week in 1969 with "I Can't Get Next To You." Other top ten hits included "Hot Fun in the Summertime" by Sly & the Family Stone (#2); "Sugar, Sugar" by the Archies (#3); "Jean" by Oliver (#4); "Little Woman" by Bobby Sherman (#5); "Suspicious Minds" by Elvis Presley (#6); "That's the Way Love Is" by Marvin Gaye (#7); "Wedding Bell Blues" by the 5th Dimension (#8); "Easy to Be Hard" by Three Dog Night (#9); and "Tracy" by the Cuff Links (#10). What interesting here is that singer Ron Dante had two songs in the top ten this week, even though his name didn't appear on either one of them. Dante was the voice of the Archies, so that's his vocals you hear on the lead on "Sugar, Sugar." He's also the voice of the Cuff Links, so that means that it's Ron who's multi tracking all the voices on "Tracy."
The progressive rock band King Crimson released their first album, In the Court of the Crimson King, this week in 1969. This was also the week that the Richard and Karen Carpenter released the first Carpenters album, Ticket to Ride.
After the prior week's blowout victory over Cass, the Chieftains took on Cedartown on October 10th. The Bulldogs proved to be much more of a challenge than the Colonels were, but West Rome nevertheless posted a 21-13 victory. Henry Studyvent scored two of the Chieftains' touchdowns, while Randy Hatch's pass to David Watkins gave West Rome their third touchdown.
Rome's burglars were back in action this week in 1969, with break-ins at the Partridge Restaurant (cash was stolen from the register); Williams, Schweitzer, & Barnum Engineering on Redmond Circle, where cash and equipment were taken; the Town House on East second Avenue, where cash and merchandise was stolen; Joyce's Beauty Shop in Central Plaza, where cash ws stolen; Red Ace Petroleum Company on Redmond Circle, were 432 packages of cigarettes were stolen; United Insurance Company on East Second Avenue, where offices were ransacked but nothing was stolen; and Roman Chemical Corporation on East Second Avenue, where offices were ransacked but nothing was stolen. That's a lot of burglaries on one night!
Home Federal pushed interest rates to 5.25% for six month CDs this week in 1969, an eighth of a point higher than any other bank in Rome--and about three times what most banks are paying today.
Governor Lester Maddox, of all people, spoke out in favor of women in leadership positions in government this week in 1969. Maddox said that he was "all for" a woman President. "I believe that a woman who is used to living on a budget might be able to get our national finances straightened out and reduce our shameful national debt," Maddox said. "And certainly any woman could take control of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare and make improvements there." (Of course, Maddox had ulterior motives: it was reported that his wife was considering running for governor when Maddox's term expired.)
Piggly Wiggly had rib steaks for 98¢ a pound, Atlanta Dairies ice milk for 3¢ a half-gallon, and five pounds of oranges for 59¢. A&P had pork sausage for 59¢ a pound, Bartlett pears for 25¢ a pound, and Van Camp's pork & beans for 18¢ a can. Kroger had fresh whole fryers for 27¢ a pound, Maxwell House coffee for 73¢ a pound, and Aqua Net hairspray for 37¢ a can. Big Apple had leg o' lamb for 89¢ a pound, Stokely tomato sauce for a dime a can, and Campbell's tomato soup for 11¢ a can. Couch's had Oscar Mayer olive loaf or liver loaf for 49¢ a pack, Aristocrat ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon, and Libby's tomato ketchup for 29¢ a bottle.
The cinematic week began with Thoroughly Modern Millie (starring Julie Andrews) at the DeSoto Theatre, Midnight Cowboy (starring Dustin Hoffman) at the First Avenue, The Lion in Winter (starring Katharine Hepburn) at the Village, and The Love Bug (starring Dean Jones) at the West Rome Drive-In. The weekend switchout brought Castle Keep (starring Burt Lancaster) to the DeSoto, The Rain People (starring James Caan) to the First Avenue, A Place for Lovers (starring Faye Dunaway) to the Village, and True Grit (starring John Wayne) to the West Rome Drive-In.
The Temptations took the number one slot this week in 1969 with "I Can't Get Next To You." Other top ten hits included "Hot Fun in the Summertime" by Sly & the Family Stone (#2); "Sugar, Sugar" by the Archies (#3); "Jean" by Oliver (#4); "Little Woman" by Bobby Sherman (#5); "Suspicious Minds" by Elvis Presley (#6); "That's the Way Love Is" by Marvin Gaye (#7); "Wedding Bell Blues" by the 5th Dimension (#8); "Easy to Be Hard" by Three Dog Night (#9); and "Tracy" by the Cuff Links (#10). What interesting here is that singer Ron Dante had two songs in the top ten this week, even though his name didn't appear on either one of them. Dante was the voice of the Archies, so that's his vocals you hear on the lead on "Sugar, Sugar." He's also the voice of the Cuff Links, so that means that it's Ron who's multi tracking all the voices on "Tracy."
The progressive rock band King Crimson released their first album, In the Court of the Crimson King, this week in 1969. This was also the week that the Richard and Karen Carpenter released the first Carpenters album, Ticket to Ride.
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 9/29/1969 to 10/5/1969
West Rome's Chieftains Club conducted its annual membership drive on Monday and Tuesday. Club representatives visited every home in West Rome, encouraging residents to join the group and help support West Rome's academic, sports, and fine arts activities. The Chieftains Club hoped to have the highest percentage of active parent members in the state. Mrs. Wheeler Wood, chair of the drive committee, coordinated the program with help from Mrs. Leila Wilson and Mr. Walter Trimm.
West Rome went into their game with the Cass Colonels with a handicap: Chieftain regulars Doug Reed and Curt Wallace were both on the injured list for the week, leaving West Rome's defense in a difficult position. Coach Larry Parker said that he was moving Billy Faulkner and Thomas Crowley into the slots left open by Reed and Wallace's absence. Thankfully, the defense was able to hold Cass off, while the offense totally destroyed the Colonels to post a 34-0 victory. Coach Nick Hyder admitted that he was surprised, as he expected the game to be much closer since Cass was highly rated and had been predicted to win the game. West Rome had 265 net yards rushing and 164 yards passing, while holding Cass to only 56 yards rushing and 83 yards passing. Randy Hatch and David Love shared quarterback duties in the game, while David Watkins and Stan Green proved to be the team's best receivers. Randy Hatch also had 83 yards on the ground in eight carries, while Henry Studyvent had 71 yards rushing and Thomas Crowley had 70 yards.
Nowadays we're accustomed to local option sales taxes, but did you know that Rome state senator Sam Doss was a member of a committee that recommended that Georgia consider a 1% local option income tax? Had it passed, residents in communities where the local option tax passed would have had to file a local income tax form as well as a federal and state form; Doss said that the income tax would be easier to implement than a sales tax. Thankfully, the income tax idea was abandoned and the sales tax proposal passed (at least it allows out-of-town shoppers who spend money in Rome to help support Rome schools through their sales tax spending).
Fashion designer and former Roman Frankie Welch was honored on September 30th as the Rome and Floyd County governments declared that day as Frankie Welch Day. Welch was given the keys to the city (which unfortunately don't really open anything) at a luncheon in her honor; afterwards she showed off some of the many scarves she had designed, including her new "See Georgia First" scarf.
Piggly Wiggly had sirloin steak for $1.19 a pound, lettuce for 25¢ a head, and grapefruit for 15¢ each. Kroger had chub packs of ground beef for 53¢ a pound, sweet potatoes for a dime a pound, and Libby's beef stew for 49¢ a can. A&P had chuck roast for 47¢ a pound, Farmbest ice cream for 79¢ a half-gallon, and Viva paper towels for 35¢ a roll. Big Apple had calf liver for 89¢ a pound, Chase & Sanborn coffee for 55¢ a pound, and Coca-Cola/Tab/Sprite for 33¢ a carton plus deposit. Couch's had Oscar Mayer hot dogs for 69¢ a pound, whole coconuts for 29¢ each, and pork brains for 29¢ a pound (and that's one food I've never sampled).
The cinematic week began with The Italian Job (starring Michael Caine) at the DeSoto Theatre, Midnight Cowboy (starring Dustin Hoffman & John Voigt) at the First Avenue, Popi (starring Alan Arkin) at the Village, and a double feature of The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly and Hang 'Em High (starring Clint Eastwood) at the West Rome Drive-In. The weekend switch out brought Thoroughly Modern Millie (starring Julie Andrews) to the DeSoto Theatre, The Lion in Winter (starring Katharine Hepburn) to the Village, and The Love Bug (starring Dean Jones) to the West Rome Drive-In, while Midnight Cowboy continued at the First Avenue for another week.
The Archies held on to the number one slot for another week with "Sugar, Sugar." Other top ten hits included "Jean" by Oliver (#2); "Little Woman" by Bobby Sherman (#3); "I Can't Get Next To You" by the Temptations (#4); "Hot Fun in the Summertime" by Sly & the Family Stone (#5); "Everybody's Talkin'" by Harry Nilsson (#6); "Easy to Be Hard" by Three Dog Night (#7); "Honky Tonk Women" by the Rolling Stones (#8); "This Girl Is a Woman Now" by Gary Puckett & the Union Gap (#9); and "Green River" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (#10).
While we wouldn't see it on this side of the Atlantic for several more years, the first episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus was broadcast in the UK this week in 1969. Here in the US, Love, American Style made its premiere on ABC on September 29th.
West Rome went into their game with the Cass Colonels with a handicap: Chieftain regulars Doug Reed and Curt Wallace were both on the injured list for the week, leaving West Rome's defense in a difficult position. Coach Larry Parker said that he was moving Billy Faulkner and Thomas Crowley into the slots left open by Reed and Wallace's absence. Thankfully, the defense was able to hold Cass off, while the offense totally destroyed the Colonels to post a 34-0 victory. Coach Nick Hyder admitted that he was surprised, as he expected the game to be much closer since Cass was highly rated and had been predicted to win the game. West Rome had 265 net yards rushing and 164 yards passing, while holding Cass to only 56 yards rushing and 83 yards passing. Randy Hatch and David Love shared quarterback duties in the game, while David Watkins and Stan Green proved to be the team's best receivers. Randy Hatch also had 83 yards on the ground in eight carries, while Henry Studyvent had 71 yards rushing and Thomas Crowley had 70 yards.
Nowadays we're accustomed to local option sales taxes, but did you know that Rome state senator Sam Doss was a member of a committee that recommended that Georgia consider a 1% local option income tax? Had it passed, residents in communities where the local option tax passed would have had to file a local income tax form as well as a federal and state form; Doss said that the income tax would be easier to implement than a sales tax. Thankfully, the income tax idea was abandoned and the sales tax proposal passed (at least it allows out-of-town shoppers who spend money in Rome to help support Rome schools through their sales tax spending).
Fashion designer and former Roman Frankie Welch was honored on September 30th as the Rome and Floyd County governments declared that day as Frankie Welch Day. Welch was given the keys to the city (which unfortunately don't really open anything) at a luncheon in her honor; afterwards she showed off some of the many scarves she had designed, including her new "See Georgia First" scarf.
Piggly Wiggly had sirloin steak for $1.19 a pound, lettuce for 25¢ a head, and grapefruit for 15¢ each. Kroger had chub packs of ground beef for 53¢ a pound, sweet potatoes for a dime a pound, and Libby's beef stew for 49¢ a can. A&P had chuck roast for 47¢ a pound, Farmbest ice cream for 79¢ a half-gallon, and Viva paper towels for 35¢ a roll. Big Apple had calf liver for 89¢ a pound, Chase & Sanborn coffee for 55¢ a pound, and Coca-Cola/Tab/Sprite for 33¢ a carton plus deposit. Couch's had Oscar Mayer hot dogs for 69¢ a pound, whole coconuts for 29¢ each, and pork brains for 29¢ a pound (and that's one food I've never sampled).
The cinematic week began with The Italian Job (starring Michael Caine) at the DeSoto Theatre, Midnight Cowboy (starring Dustin Hoffman & John Voigt) at the First Avenue, Popi (starring Alan Arkin) at the Village, and a double feature of The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly and Hang 'Em High (starring Clint Eastwood) at the West Rome Drive-In. The weekend switch out brought Thoroughly Modern Millie (starring Julie Andrews) to the DeSoto Theatre, The Lion in Winter (starring Katharine Hepburn) to the Village, and The Love Bug (starring Dean Jones) to the West Rome Drive-In, while Midnight Cowboy continued at the First Avenue for another week.
The Archies held on to the number one slot for another week with "Sugar, Sugar." Other top ten hits included "Jean" by Oliver (#2); "Little Woman" by Bobby Sherman (#3); "I Can't Get Next To You" by the Temptations (#4); "Hot Fun in the Summertime" by Sly & the Family Stone (#5); "Everybody's Talkin'" by Harry Nilsson (#6); "Easy to Be Hard" by Three Dog Night (#7); "Honky Tonk Women" by the Rolling Stones (#8); "This Girl Is a Woman Now" by Gary Puckett & the Union Gap (#9); and "Green River" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (#10).
While we wouldn't see it on this side of the Atlantic for several more years, the first episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus was broadcast in the UK this week in 1969. Here in the US, Love, American Style made its premiere on ABC on September 29th.
Searching for Normal
I was married for 48 years, one month, and seven days.
On July 22nd, 2019, Susan died after suffering through multiple strokes and seizures. The accrued damage was too much; each small stroke and each seizure did more damage to her frontal lobe, until she was simply unable to continue.
I prepared a personal journal, written in a rather terse form, of what happened to her. I considered sharing that account here, and even went so far as to paste it into this post. When I read it once again, though, I realized that I could not do so. The story of Susan's decline was so disturbing that I would not want those who knew her to read of what she went through. Suffice to say that the combination of strokes and seizures stripped away her cognitive ability, her emotional self-control, her physical dexterity, her independence, her ability to read, to write, to speak in meaningful words--and eventually, her ability to even eat and drink. I thought I was strong enough to read it without breaking down. I was wrong. And I don't want anyone else to remember her that way. That is a nightmarish burden I should carry alone. If there is any solace to be found in that account, it is this: re-reading the 64-day chronicle of her decline, I realize that her death allowed her to escape from all of the suffering torment that her life had become at the end. "Just let me go... Just let me go... Just let me go." Those were her last clearly articulated words, spoken to her surgeon, and to me, the day before I realized I had to honor her wishes and move her to hospice.
Now I struggle to figure out what I should do with myself, to determine how to go on. The most mundane things--cooking a meal, doing laundry, getting out of bed in the morning and getting ready for bed in the evening--no longer seem natural to me. Every little task seems empty because Susan isn't here with me.
I married Susan two months before my eighteenth birthday. I went from my parents' home to our home. I never spent a day alone until Susan died. Now loneliness is my constant companion.
Had I not promised Susan that I would take care of Anna and Mischa, our two beloved cats, I am not certain that I would have survived the first two weeks after Susan's death. I spent long nights struggling with thoughts of rejoining her. The night I came closest to giving in to those thoughts was the night that I found a gift from her--a book she had bought for me at some point but had not been able to give to me. Perhaps it was intended as this year's birthday gift, or a Christmas gift. It was a slender volume, an illustrated edition of Robert Frost's "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening." She knew it was one of my favorite poems. It was if she had wanted to tell me once again that I too still have miles to go before I sleep. That night, she saved me.
I would like to think I am doing better. Nevertheless, there has not been a day thus far when I have not cried. There has not been a day when I have not felt the crushing burden of despair. There has not been a day when I have not missed her. I do not believe that there ever will be such a day. I simply have to find a way to get through each day in spite of the tears, the despair, and the loneliness.
Normal is out there. I just haven't found it yet.
On July 22nd, 2019, Susan died after suffering through multiple strokes and seizures. The accrued damage was too much; each small stroke and each seizure did more damage to her frontal lobe, until she was simply unable to continue.
I prepared a personal journal, written in a rather terse form, of what happened to her. I considered sharing that account here, and even went so far as to paste it into this post. When I read it once again, though, I realized that I could not do so. The story of Susan's decline was so disturbing that I would not want those who knew her to read of what she went through. Suffice to say that the combination of strokes and seizures stripped away her cognitive ability, her emotional self-control, her physical dexterity, her independence, her ability to read, to write, to speak in meaningful words--and eventually, her ability to even eat and drink. I thought I was strong enough to read it without breaking down. I was wrong. And I don't want anyone else to remember her that way. That is a nightmarish burden I should carry alone. If there is any solace to be found in that account, it is this: re-reading the 64-day chronicle of her decline, I realize that her death allowed her to escape from all of the suffering torment that her life had become at the end. "Just let me go... Just let me go... Just let me go." Those were her last clearly articulated words, spoken to her surgeon, and to me, the day before I realized I had to honor her wishes and move her to hospice.
Now I struggle to figure out what I should do with myself, to determine how to go on. The most mundane things--cooking a meal, doing laundry, getting out of bed in the morning and getting ready for bed in the evening--no longer seem natural to me. Every little task seems empty because Susan isn't here with me.
I married Susan two months before my eighteenth birthday. I went from my parents' home to our home. I never spent a day alone until Susan died. Now loneliness is my constant companion.
Had I not promised Susan that I would take care of Anna and Mischa, our two beloved cats, I am not certain that I would have survived the first two weeks after Susan's death. I spent long nights struggling with thoughts of rejoining her. The night I came closest to giving in to those thoughts was the night that I found a gift from her--a book she had bought for me at some point but had not been able to give to me. Perhaps it was intended as this year's birthday gift, or a Christmas gift. It was a slender volume, an illustrated edition of Robert Frost's "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening." She knew it was one of my favorite poems. It was if she had wanted to tell me once again that I too still have miles to go before I sleep. That night, she saved me.
I would like to think I am doing better. Nevertheless, there has not been a day thus far when I have not cried. There has not been a day when I have not felt the crushing burden of despair. There has not been a day when I have not missed her. I do not believe that there ever will be such a day. I simply have to find a way to get through each day in spite of the tears, the despair, and the loneliness.
Normal is out there. I just haven't found it yet.
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