Rome's dry weather (the city and the county hadn't had any measurable rainfall since September 29th) was creating a severe fire hazard all across the city and the surrounding county; a burn ban was put into place, and forest rangers were put on alert for potential fires. Meanwhile, an early season cold snap brought 28 degree temperatures to Rome on Wednesday, October 30th, brought in by a cold front that resulted in freezing temperatures as far south as northern Florida. The changing weather finally brought Rome its first measurable rain in over a month on October 31st, which reduced the fire threat just in time for Halloween.
The US Army Core of Engineers spoke about an ambitious plan to use a series of locks and dams to make Rome an inland port and the upper terminus of a waterway connecting to the Gulf of Mexico. Like so many ambitious plans in the 1960s, this one fell by the wayside--but oh, what might have been!...
It was a somewhat more sober weekend for Romans as law enforcement officers destroyed two thousand-gallon stills, two six hundred gallon stills, and one two hundre gallon still on Mount Alto. The "revenooers" were still quite active in 1963.
As Halloween approached, Rome Police Chief Nelson Camp reminded everyone that trick-or-treating was reserved for children only, and that teenagers would not be allowed to trick-or-treat. In fact, teenagers caught trick-or-treating would be taken home and their parents would be cited, the chief warned.
The Chieftains faced off against Cartersville on November 1st; after their amazing victory over the state champs on October 25th, everyone was picking West Rome for the win, but Coach Kennedy kept reminding people that the game could be a close one. "I keep reminding the boys about last year's 34-33 victory," Kennedy said. "I think the boys realize Cartersville is a really tough team... I know they are a tremendously improved ball club." Not improved enough, though: West Rome won the game 28-13, with Ronnie Kennedy throwing two touchdown passes and Chris Warren throwing one. The fourth touchdown was scored on a run by Van Gray.
The Rome Exchange Club presented Principal Dick McPhee with a "Freedom Shrine"during an assembly on Wednesday, October 30th. The shrine included "a collection of documents that together have formed the basis for our American way of life," including the Gettysburg Address, the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation, and other historic replicas.
A seventh and eighth grade Student Council was organized this week in 1963, with Miss Kitty Alford acting as sponsor. The officers included Mary Gilbert, president; Pam Williams, vice-president; Robert Blaylock, secretary; and Ronnie Jones, treasurer. Homeroom Representatives includes Tony Grass, Gary Greer, Beth Toglia, Holly Wood, Debby Morris, Paula St. Clair, Lee Davenport, Vicki Horton, Carol Holloway, and Pam Williams.
The Junior Tri-Hi-Y held a fund-raising rummage sale on Saturday, November 2nd, while the West Rome Future Business Leaders of America Club traveled to Atlanta on the same day to attend the Georgia FBLA Convention.
West end Elementary held its Fall Festival on Saturday, November 2nd, from 5pm to 9pm. The faculty had arrange for a number of games and presentations to make the festival memorable, and food was served in the cafeteria for those who wanted to make an afternoon of it.
In the days before deregulation brought soaring prices and exorbitant pipeline fees, Atlanta Gas Light did it all--including selling those pole mounted gas lights that were so frequently seen alongside West Rome driveways. The gas company offered two different designs of gas lights for $49 installed--and they'd finance it for only $1 down and $1.95 added on to your gas bill each month. Nowadays the pipeline fees just to get the gas to your house almost equal the 1963 price of the gas lamp and installation.
I still remember those color-coded reading packets: this week in 1963, Elm Street Elementary hosted a program to explain the SRA reading program to parents of Li'l Chieftains. SRA was designed to improve reading speed and comprehension through the use of increasingly more complex reading selections; I always looked forward to SRA because I got to read all sorts of fun things, and I was encouraged to improve my reading speed so that I could read even more of them! Don't know why the program was discontinued--as far as I was concerned, it was a phenomenal success!
The Rome Holiday Inn got into the restaurant competition with their new "roast beef bar," which offered choice roast beef, potato of the day, tossed green salad, coffee, or tea for only $1.25 per person--and they guaranteed that it would be served in ten minutes or less! Or, for Romans with a limited lunch time, you could call ahead a half-hour before your lunchtime and they'd have any item on the menu prepared and waiting for you the minute you walked in the door. Apparently too little time and too much to do is a decades-old problem!...
Piggly Wiggly had fresh whole fryers for a quarter a pound, fresh eggs for 33¢ a dozen, and fresh whole pecans for 33¢ a pound (when did pecans get so expensive? Even adjusting for inflation, pecans are now almost three times as expensive as they were in 1963!). Kroger had ground baby beef for 35¢ a pound, applesauce for 12¢ a can, and grapes for a dime a pound. A&P offered russet potatoes for a nickel a pound, Golden Rise canned biscuits for 8¢ a can, and Bailey's Supreme Coffee for 49¢ per one-pound can. Couch's had Southern Maid all meat wieners for 39¢ a pound, marshmallows for 29¢ per one pound bag, and bulk trick or treat candy for a 12¢ a pound.
Another lackluster selection of movies awaited patrons of Rome's two theaters during the week: The DeSoto had Rampage (with Robert Mitchum & Elsa Martinelli), while the First Avenue was showing David & Lisa ("Recommended for Adults!"). For the last half of the week, The DeSoto brought in Wives & Lovers (with Janet Leigh & Van Johnson), while both the West Rome Drive-In and the First Avenue Theater took the non-seasonal route with Beach Party (with Annette Funicello & Frankie Avalon). Apparently showing the same movie at an indoor theater and a drive-in was more common than I realized!…
The number one song this week in 1963 was "Sugar Shack" by Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs. Other top ten hits included "Deep Purple" by Nino Temple & April Stevens (#2); "Washington Square" by the Village Stompers (#3); "It's All Right" by the Impressions (#4); "Mean Woman Blues" by Roy Orbison (#5); "I'm Leaving It Up To You" by Dale & Grace (#6); "Maria Elena" by Los Indios Tabajaras (#7); "Busted" by Ray Charles (#8); "Bossa Nova Baby" by Elvis Presley (#9); and "I Can't Stay Mad at You" by Skeeter Davis (#10).
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Monday, October 21, 2013
Album Side of the Evening: Led Zeppelin Side 1
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Sometimes the reality is different however: the album will from time to time prove to be so good that the work gets put aside as I become enthralled by the music.
The album side of the evening tonight was Led Zeppelin, side 1--the most perfect album side of any that Led Zep ever produced. It starts off strong with the punchy Zep-pop song "Good Times Bad Times," which has that swirling guitar by Jimmy Page (thank you, Leslie speaker, for making that effect possible!). From there it leads into my absolute favorite Led Zeppelin song, "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" an acoustic piece with an intense electric refrain--sounds like it wouldn't blend that well, but it actually meshes perfectly. Also love the acoustic guitar riff that opens the song; the chords are remarkably similar to George Harrison's chord pattern for "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," but it is constructed in such as a way as to create a wholly different mood here. The album side goes out with the thirteen-minute bluesy one-two punch of "You Shook Me" and "Dazed and Confused"--one a fever dream, the other a haunted nighmare. 22 minutes of musical perfection--and in spite of the fact that they packed that much music on one vinyl side, it's sonically great, with wonderful dynamic range and nary a skip (many albums with that much music have trouble playing the bass-heavy parts without skipping).
Okay, now I need to get back to work on the bookkeeping that got put on hold while I revisited an old favorite...
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 10/21/63 to 10/27/63
Rome's economic prospects continued to look up: General Electric announced that it was closing a plant in Massachusetts and moving the jobs to their Rome facility instead, which would lead to the creation of more than 200 full-time positions.
Buy-Wise opened its first store in Rome on October 24th, offering Romans another bargain shopping choice. The first store was located at 327 Broad Street; the West Rome location was in the planning stages, but was not slated to open for a while longer.
The third annual Rome Auto Show took place in Central Plaza's parking lot on Sunday, October 27th from 2pm to 6pm. Rome's dealers had all the new models on hand for potential customers to compare them side by side and take advantage of on-site specials.
The ill-fated idea that would seemingly never die: the city and county school systems continued to talk about a merger, putting more money into feasibility studies and evaluations. This was a proposal that popped up again and again over the years, but it never got further than the study phases. (Actually, it would make more sense today than it did then, with the city school system's declining enrollments--but it appears that it's no longer on anyone's radar.)
The steady population growth in Rome was certainly noticed by the lunchroom staff of the various schools: according to a Mrs. C.N. King, cafeteria coordinator for the school system, the schools were serving 3900+ lunches every day. She also that high school students sometimes bought two lunches a day, which boosted those numbers. (I always liked school lunches, but I don't recall any lunch I liked so much--or was still so hungry after eating--that I felt the need to buy a second lunch!)
The Chieftains prepared for their toughest game of the season as they faced off against the Class AA champion Dalton Catamounts, who came to West Rome 6-0. The game generated so much excitement that Barron Stadium sold 5000+ tickets in advance of the game--and what a game it was! West Rome came into the game as underdogs, but they fought their way to a 14-0 victory over Dalton. It was West Rome's game from the very beginning, when Dickie Sapp made a 51-yard kickoff return. Gery Law scored the first touchdown and kicked the point-after; Dickie Sapp scored the second touchdown.
West Rome became one of seventeen pilot schools in Georgia teaching "new math" under the leadership of Miss Susie Underwood, who helped develop the state guide for the new match program. According to Miss Underwood, "The new math shifts from the old watch-then-do-what-I-do way of teaching to the find-out-for-yourself-if-this-works method." The goal was to prepare students for advanced concepts such as calculus by the 9th or 10th grade.
Dr. Chester Swor, a missionary worker in the Southern Baptist Convention, spoke at an assembly at West Rome High School. His motivational presentation encouraged students to follow their dreams while setting attainable, worthwhile goals for themselves now.
Drivers' Education instructor Don Unsworth presented certifications of program completion to 25 Chieftains who had completed his course (and presumably watched his gory films designed to scare us all into driving carefully).
Countering Murphy's 79¢ a plate turkey and dressing special, Redford's brought back their 50¢ baked ham dinner, which included corn, green beans, cole slaw, hot rolls,and butter, and iced tea.
Piggly Wiggly's weekly meat special was ground beef for 39¢ a pound; they also had 5 pounds of sugar for 39¢ and 10 pounds of potatoes for 29¢. Big Apple had chuck roast for 39¢ a pound, blackeyed peas for a dime a can, and grapefruit for 8¢ each. A&P offered smoked hams for 35¢ a pound, apples for 15¢ a pound, and Sealtest ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon. Kroger had whole friers for 27¢ a pound, Kroger coffee in vacuum-sealed cans for 49¢ a pound, and Super-Right chili for 23¢ a can. Couch's had Showboat pork & beans for a dime a can, cabbage for a nickel a head, and pork chops for 49¢ a pound.
The first half of the week was not a great one for moviegoers: the choices were The Caretakers (with Robert Stack & Joan Crawford) at the DeSoto and a double feature of Saturday Night & Sunday Morning and Room at the Top at the First Avenue. The weekend was scarcely better, with The Island of Love and Desert Warrior at the DeSoto, Kiss of the Vampire at the First Avenue, and The Girl Hunters at the West Rome Drive-In. Sounds like it was a great weekend to read a book!…
The number one song this week in 1963 was "Sugar Shack" by Jimmy Gilmer & the Fireballs. Other top ten hits included "Deep Purple" by Nino Temple & April Stevens (#2); "Washington Square" by the Village Stompers (#3); "Busted" by Ray Charles (#4); "Mean Woman Blues" by Roy Orbison (#5); "Donna the Prima Donna" by Dion Di Muci (#6); "I Can't Stay Mad at You" by Skeeter Davis (#7); "Be My Baby" by the Ronettes (#8); "It's All Right" by the Impressions (#9); and "Maria Elena" by Los Indies Tabajares (#10).
Buy-Wise opened its first store in Rome on October 24th, offering Romans another bargain shopping choice. The first store was located at 327 Broad Street; the West Rome location was in the planning stages, but was not slated to open for a while longer.
The third annual Rome Auto Show took place in Central Plaza's parking lot on Sunday, October 27th from 2pm to 6pm. Rome's dealers had all the new models on hand for potential customers to compare them side by side and take advantage of on-site specials.
The ill-fated idea that would seemingly never die: the city and county school systems continued to talk about a merger, putting more money into feasibility studies and evaluations. This was a proposal that popped up again and again over the years, but it never got further than the study phases. (Actually, it would make more sense today than it did then, with the city school system's declining enrollments--but it appears that it's no longer on anyone's radar.)
The steady population growth in Rome was certainly noticed by the lunchroom staff of the various schools: according to a Mrs. C.N. King, cafeteria coordinator for the school system, the schools were serving 3900+ lunches every day. She also that high school students sometimes bought two lunches a day, which boosted those numbers. (I always liked school lunches, but I don't recall any lunch I liked so much--or was still so hungry after eating--that I felt the need to buy a second lunch!)
The Chieftains prepared for their toughest game of the season as they faced off against the Class AA champion Dalton Catamounts, who came to West Rome 6-0. The game generated so much excitement that Barron Stadium sold 5000+ tickets in advance of the game--and what a game it was! West Rome came into the game as underdogs, but they fought their way to a 14-0 victory over Dalton. It was West Rome's game from the very beginning, when Dickie Sapp made a 51-yard kickoff return. Gery Law scored the first touchdown and kicked the point-after; Dickie Sapp scored the second touchdown.
West Rome became one of seventeen pilot schools in Georgia teaching "new math" under the leadership of Miss Susie Underwood, who helped develop the state guide for the new match program. According to Miss Underwood, "The new math shifts from the old watch-then-do-what-I-do way of teaching to the find-out-for-yourself-if-this-works method." The goal was to prepare students for advanced concepts such as calculus by the 9th or 10th grade.
Dr. Chester Swor, a missionary worker in the Southern Baptist Convention, spoke at an assembly at West Rome High School. His motivational presentation encouraged students to follow their dreams while setting attainable, worthwhile goals for themselves now.
Drivers' Education instructor Don Unsworth presented certifications of program completion to 25 Chieftains who had completed his course (and presumably watched his gory films designed to scare us all into driving carefully).
Countering Murphy's 79¢ a plate turkey and dressing special, Redford's brought back their 50¢ baked ham dinner, which included corn, green beans, cole slaw, hot rolls,and butter, and iced tea.
Piggly Wiggly's weekly meat special was ground beef for 39¢ a pound; they also had 5 pounds of sugar for 39¢ and 10 pounds of potatoes for 29¢. Big Apple had chuck roast for 39¢ a pound, blackeyed peas for a dime a can, and grapefruit for 8¢ each. A&P offered smoked hams for 35¢ a pound, apples for 15¢ a pound, and Sealtest ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon. Kroger had whole friers for 27¢ a pound, Kroger coffee in vacuum-sealed cans for 49¢ a pound, and Super-Right chili for 23¢ a can. Couch's had Showboat pork & beans for a dime a can, cabbage for a nickel a head, and pork chops for 49¢ a pound.
The first half of the week was not a great one for moviegoers: the choices were The Caretakers (with Robert Stack & Joan Crawford) at the DeSoto and a double feature of Saturday Night & Sunday Morning and Room at the Top at the First Avenue. The weekend was scarcely better, with The Island of Love and Desert Warrior at the DeSoto, Kiss of the Vampire at the First Avenue, and The Girl Hunters at the West Rome Drive-In. Sounds like it was a great weekend to read a book!…
The number one song this week in 1963 was "Sugar Shack" by Jimmy Gilmer & the Fireballs. Other top ten hits included "Deep Purple" by Nino Temple & April Stevens (#2); "Washington Square" by the Village Stompers (#3); "Busted" by Ray Charles (#4); "Mean Woman Blues" by Roy Orbison (#5); "Donna the Prima Donna" by Dion Di Muci (#6); "I Can't Stay Mad at You" by Skeeter Davis (#7); "Be My Baby" by the Ronettes (#8); "It's All Right" by the Impressions (#9); and "Maria Elena" by Los Indies Tabajares (#10).
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 10/14/63 to 10/20/63
West Rome students enjoyed a five-day "weekend" thanks to teacher in-service days; studnets got to sleep late beginning on Wednesday, October 16th, and they didn't return to class until Monday, October 24th. (Having taught school for more than a quarter-century, I can assure you that teachers enjoyed these breaks in the classroom schedule almost as much as students! It may not have been a full holiday for teachers, but it was a change in the daily routine, at least!)
Just up Redmond Road from West Rome, a forty-acre tract of land across from General Electric was undergoing development as an industrial site. Rome's rapid growth of new businesses and small industries made the development necessary, and the four-laning of Shorter Avenue to Redmond Road and beyond made the area readily accessible. We tend to forget how many small industries found homes in Rome during the 1960s--would that it were the same situation today!
Coach Paul Kennedy admitted that he was a little worried about the October 18th clash against Rockmart--particularly since Dickie Sapp had missed two days of practice after suffering an injury in the Cedartown game. Turned out that Coach Kennedy's worries were unnecessary, however: West Rome defeated Rockmart 33-7, led by Steve Holland, who scored twice in the game and made a stunning 70-yard punt return. Dickie Sapp recovered in time to play in the game. The Chieftains were so far ahead by the second half that Coach Kennedy put in the reserve team, who immediately scored a touchdown under the guidance of quarterback Ronnie Kennedy (Coach Kennedy's son). Perhaps the victory was inspired at least in part by the Thursday night bonfire that the Pep Club sponsored.
West Rome's chemistry classes experimented with a new approach to the study of chemistry as the launched the CHEM study, which was a laboratory-centered course that emphasized controlled experiments and careful record-keeping. Mr. Graham Stevens was the CHEM study facilitator at West Rome, working with his cross-town colleague Miss Addie Jim Rollins at East Rome to ensure that the new curriculum ran smoothly.
The Rome News-Tribune got a little smaller fifty years ago: the newspaper changed its trim size, making the paper a full inch narrower than it had been before. They also changed the font, or typeface, of the paper to a more contemporary style. This change resulted in a paper that looked much more like the Rome News-Tribune that most of us know, bringing an end to the older mid-centuiry look that strikes today's readers as "old timey." It may seem like a minor change today, but in the pre-Internet era, the paper was a much more important source of news for all Romans, so any change of this sort was a big thing.
Diners who wanted to get a head start on Thanksgiving feasting could stop by Murphy's every Friday and Saturday to enjoy a 79¢ turkey dinner that included dressing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, rolls, and jello.
"Buy-Wise is coming" ads began popping up in the Rome News-Tribune this week in 1963, which meant that another discount shopping alternative was on its way to Rome. Many of us grew up with the "Be wise: Buy-Wise" slogan, so it's a bit surprising to realize that until 1963 there was no Buy-Wise in our town!
Piggly Wiggly was running their big pork chop sale, with center cut chops for 59¢ a pound; they also offered 5 pounds of sugar for 39¢ and an 18-ounce jar of Maxwell House instant coffee for $1.09. Big Apple offered smoked picnic ham for 29¢ a pound, Irvindale ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon, and strawberries for 33¢ a pound. Kroger had ribeye steaks on sale for 99¢ a pound, apples for 9¢ a pound, and a two-pound package of Velveeta cheese for 79¢. A&P had grapefruit for a dime each, shrimp for 69¢ a pound, and leg o' lamb for 59¢ a pound. Couch's had country style backbone for 49¢ a pound (okay, I'm stymied--what made backbone worth as much as a center-cut porkchop?), Bama jelly for 25¢ in a 16-ounce container that could be repurposed as a drinking glass, and baking potatoes for a nickel a pound.
In a rather unusual promotion, Van Camp's ran a coupon in the paper that offered a $10 discount on an electric blanket with the purchase of two cans of Van Camp's pork and beans. (Not sure that spending time under a blanket after eating a heaping helping of beans was necessarily the best idea...)
The West Rome Drive-In continued its newly-implemented policy of closing on weeknights, which meant that Romans had only two choices if they wanted to catch a movie. For the first half of the week, the DeSoto Theater was showing 55 Days at Peking (with Charlton Heston and Ava Gardner), while the First Avenue was screening Captain Sinbad (with no one who mattered--although that didn't stop me from seeing the movie, of course! in the pre-Indiana Jones times, Sinbad movies offered similar thrill-a-minute adventures, albeit on a much lower production budget). The weekend brought a double-feature of Sergeants 3 and Rommel's Treasure to the DeSoto; First Spaceship on Venus and Varan the Unbelievable to the First Avenue; and The Last Days of Pompeii and Sharkfighters to the West Rome Drive-In. To say it was a rather uninspired cinematic weekend in Rome would be an understatement…
The number one song this week in 1963 was "Sugar Shack" by Jimmy Gilmer & the Fireballs. Other Top Ten hits included "Be My Baby" by the Ronettes (#2); "Deep Purple" by Nino Temple & April Stevens (#3); "Busted" by Ray Charles (#4); "Blue Velvet" by Bobby Vinton (#5); "Donna the Prima Donna" by Dion Di Muci (#6); "Mean Woman Blues" by Roy Orbison (#7); "Washington Square" by the Village Stompers (#8); "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" by Peter, Paul, & Mary (#9); and "Cry Baby" by Garnet Mimms & the Enchanters (#10).
Just up Redmond Road from West Rome, a forty-acre tract of land across from General Electric was undergoing development as an industrial site. Rome's rapid growth of new businesses and small industries made the development necessary, and the four-laning of Shorter Avenue to Redmond Road and beyond made the area readily accessible. We tend to forget how many small industries found homes in Rome during the 1960s--would that it were the same situation today!
Coach Paul Kennedy admitted that he was a little worried about the October 18th clash against Rockmart--particularly since Dickie Sapp had missed two days of practice after suffering an injury in the Cedartown game. Turned out that Coach Kennedy's worries were unnecessary, however: West Rome defeated Rockmart 33-7, led by Steve Holland, who scored twice in the game and made a stunning 70-yard punt return. Dickie Sapp recovered in time to play in the game. The Chieftains were so far ahead by the second half that Coach Kennedy put in the reserve team, who immediately scored a touchdown under the guidance of quarterback Ronnie Kennedy (Coach Kennedy's son). Perhaps the victory was inspired at least in part by the Thursday night bonfire that the Pep Club sponsored.
West Rome's chemistry classes experimented with a new approach to the study of chemistry as the launched the CHEM study, which was a laboratory-centered course that emphasized controlled experiments and careful record-keeping. Mr. Graham Stevens was the CHEM study facilitator at West Rome, working with his cross-town colleague Miss Addie Jim Rollins at East Rome to ensure that the new curriculum ran smoothly.
The Rome News-Tribune got a little smaller fifty years ago: the newspaper changed its trim size, making the paper a full inch narrower than it had been before. They also changed the font, or typeface, of the paper to a more contemporary style. This change resulted in a paper that looked much more like the Rome News-Tribune that most of us know, bringing an end to the older mid-centuiry look that strikes today's readers as "old timey." It may seem like a minor change today, but in the pre-Internet era, the paper was a much more important source of news for all Romans, so any change of this sort was a big thing.
Diners who wanted to get a head start on Thanksgiving feasting could stop by Murphy's every Friday and Saturday to enjoy a 79¢ turkey dinner that included dressing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, rolls, and jello.
"Buy-Wise is coming" ads began popping up in the Rome News-Tribune this week in 1963, which meant that another discount shopping alternative was on its way to Rome. Many of us grew up with the "Be wise: Buy-Wise" slogan, so it's a bit surprising to realize that until 1963 there was no Buy-Wise in our town!
Piggly Wiggly was running their big pork chop sale, with center cut chops for 59¢ a pound; they also offered 5 pounds of sugar for 39¢ and an 18-ounce jar of Maxwell House instant coffee for $1.09. Big Apple offered smoked picnic ham for 29¢ a pound, Irvindale ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon, and strawberries for 33¢ a pound. Kroger had ribeye steaks on sale for 99¢ a pound, apples for 9¢ a pound, and a two-pound package of Velveeta cheese for 79¢. A&P had grapefruit for a dime each, shrimp for 69¢ a pound, and leg o' lamb for 59¢ a pound. Couch's had country style backbone for 49¢ a pound (okay, I'm stymied--what made backbone worth as much as a center-cut porkchop?), Bama jelly for 25¢ in a 16-ounce container that could be repurposed as a drinking glass, and baking potatoes for a nickel a pound.
In a rather unusual promotion, Van Camp's ran a coupon in the paper that offered a $10 discount on an electric blanket with the purchase of two cans of Van Camp's pork and beans. (Not sure that spending time under a blanket after eating a heaping helping of beans was necessarily the best idea...)
The West Rome Drive-In continued its newly-implemented policy of closing on weeknights, which meant that Romans had only two choices if they wanted to catch a movie. For the first half of the week, the DeSoto Theater was showing 55 Days at Peking (with Charlton Heston and Ava Gardner), while the First Avenue was screening Captain Sinbad (with no one who mattered--although that didn't stop me from seeing the movie, of course! in the pre-Indiana Jones times, Sinbad movies offered similar thrill-a-minute adventures, albeit on a much lower production budget). The weekend brought a double-feature of Sergeants 3 and Rommel's Treasure to the DeSoto; First Spaceship on Venus and Varan the Unbelievable to the First Avenue; and The Last Days of Pompeii and Sharkfighters to the West Rome Drive-In. To say it was a rather uninspired cinematic weekend in Rome would be an understatement…
The number one song this week in 1963 was "Sugar Shack" by Jimmy Gilmer & the Fireballs. Other Top Ten hits included "Be My Baby" by the Ronettes (#2); "Deep Purple" by Nino Temple & April Stevens (#3); "Busted" by Ray Charles (#4); "Blue Velvet" by Bobby Vinton (#5); "Donna the Prima Donna" by Dion Di Muci (#6); "Mean Woman Blues" by Roy Orbison (#7); "Washington Square" by the Village Stompers (#8); "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" by Peter, Paul, & Mary (#9); and "Cry Baby" by Garnet Mimms & the Enchanters (#10).
Saturday, October 05, 2013
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 10/7/63 to 10/13/63
The first possible location for a new Rome post office was announced on October 7th--but it wasn't the location that we all know as the final choice. Instead, the Rome City Commission proposed that the post office be established at the former location of the old Rome High School on Third Avenue. The proposed deal would have made the building available to the postal service for 55 years (whch would mean that, had the agreement actually been finalized, the city would be negotiating new terms or the postal service would be looking for yet another location for the post office in the next few years).
West Roman O.V. Scoggins, 44, of Coosawattee Avenue, died as a result of a one-car accident on Highway 411, seven miles outside of Rome, on October 10th... one of far too many fatalities on a road that has proven to be one of the most dangerous in Floyd County.
West Rome High School teacher Mrs. Smiderski used debate as a way to teach history in the fall of 1963, dividing students into teams to debate such topics as "Resolved: That Rome was justified in destroying Carthage"; "Rseolved: That Julius Caesar was a better ruler than Augustus"; "Resolved: That the Athenian way of life was superior to the Roman way of life"; "Resolved: That the Greeks gave us more contributions than the Romans"; and "Resolved: That Athenian government was better than Roman government." Students said that this approach encouraged them to get more personally involved in resarching information about Greek and Roman history. and it helped them to improve their public speaking skills.
The West Rome Future Teachers of America inducted new members this week in 1963, including Diane Leake, Phyllis Kelso, Ann Finley, Ginny Burnett, Barbara Helie, and Beverly Vann.
The Future Business Leaders of America elected its officers: Beverly Pegg was chosen as president, Scherion Easterwood as vice-president, Joeanne Ellis as secretary, Alice Evans as treasurer, Donita Womack as reporter, Sandra Gravely as parliamentarian, and Jane Rogers as chaplain.
With work underway to extend Shorter Avenue as a four-lane road well beyond Burnett Ferry Road and past West Rome High School, the city awarded Ledbetter Brothers a contract to improve the existing segment of Shorter Avenue. The total cost to repair and resurface Shorter from Burnett Ferrry Road to the old railroad underpass came in at $84,998.50.
Rome's junior college efforts, which seemed to be shut down earlier in 1963 when Rome did not make the final cut, were resurrected when a member of the State Board of Regents said that continued growth in the northwest Georgia area would eventually require the construction of a junior college in tis area, and the Board of Regents was convinced that Rome would be the logical site for such a school.
The Rome Art League sponsored the Rome Fall Art Show on October 12th and 13th; the show was open to professional and amateurs of all ages, including students—and while most Romans had to pay a fee to submit works for display in the show, students were allowed to enter works for exhibition absolutely free of charge.
West Rome faced off against one of Georgia's top teams, the Cedartown Bulldogs, on October 11th. "Any team that can fumble the ball nine times, lose six of those, and still win the game has got to be a terrific team," Coach Paul Kennedy said in reference to the Bulldogs' victory over Chattooga on October 4th, adding, "Sooner or later, they're going to stop fumbling--and when they do, it's going to be rough!" Meanwhile, Cedartown coach Doc Ayers said that one of his biggest worries was West Rome's Dickie Sapp, whom he called "the hardest running 150-pounder in this area." In his weekly football prognostications for the Rome News-Tribune, my father (Don Biggers, who was sports editor of the RN-T) predicted that Cedartown would beat our Chieftains 19-7; alas, he proved to be correct, as West Rome ended up losing the game in a 20-0 rout, which put a damper on West rome's homecoming. (In making the prediction, Dad wrote, "I live in a neighborhood of West Rome fans. My son, Cliff, is an avid West Rome supporter. Even my two-year-old daughter, Kim, shows sign of being influenced by 'Chieftainism.' I offer this evidence only in hopes you'll believe me when I say I gave extra thought to this week's West Rome-Cedartown game and to my selection of the probable winner. Sentiment tells me to pick West Rome; logic tells me to go with Cedartown." I believe that this was the first time that Dad specifically mentioned Kim or me in his column, and it brings a smile to my face to unexpectedly run across this mention now.)
Rome's Southeastern Professional Football League team, the Bisons, extended a perfect record by losing their tenth game to the Atlanta Spartans on Sunday, October 13th. Just how bad was their playing? Well, their total yardage for the game was -27… and yes, that's a minus sign in front of the number…
The 1964 model year rollout continued as Rhinehart Motor Company announced the arrival of the new Studebaker Commander, Daytona Converstible, Hawk, and Avanti. Alas, these models were destined to sell so poorly that Studebaker would begin shutting down plants and discontinuing models after 1964, with the company exiting the American auto market a couple of years later.
Dempsey-Anderson Motor Company became Rome's new Rambler dealer, debuting the 1964 Rambler Classic, the Classic HT, and the Rambler American station wagon on Thursday, October 10th. Ford, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, Pontiac, Chrysler, Plymouth, Lincoln, Mercury, Volkswagen, Studebaker, Rambler--Rome was quite the automotive town back in 1963!
Grocery shoppers could pick up bananas for 9¢ a pound at Piggly Wiggly; other specials included a pound of bacon for 49¢ and Bama grape jam or apple jelly in 16 ounce jelly-jar glasses for 33¢. Kroger had smoked hams for 39¢ a pound, Maxwell House coffee for 49¢ a pound, and Scott bathroom tissue for a dime a roll. A&P had sirloin steak for 69¢ a pound, Super-Right chili for 22¢ a can (and I don't remember that brand at all--do you?), and the ever-popular Hormel Spam for 39¢ a pound. Big Apple had large eggs for 49¢ a dozen, bologna for 29¢ a pound, and apples for 19¢ a pound. Couch's had Aristocrat ice milk for 39¢ a pound, large baking hens for 33¢ a pound, and Stokely's catsup for 15¢ a bottle.
Not the finest cinematic week in Rome history: the week began with For Love or Money at the DeSoto and L-Shaped Room at the First Avenue, while the West Rome Drive-In was closed for the first half of the week. The weekend brought The Three Stooges Around the World in a Daze (and yes, I did go see that one, thank you very much!) to the DeSoto; Captain Sinbad (which I also saw) to the First Avenue; and Solomon and Sheba to the West Rome Drive-In.
The number one song this week in 1963 was "Sugar Shack" by Jimmy Gilmer & the Fireballs. Other top ten hits included "Be My Baby" by the Ronettes (#2); "Blue Velvet" by Bobby Vinton (#3); "Busted" by Ray Charles (#4); "Cry Baby" by Garnet Mimms & the Enchanters (#5); "Sally Go 'Round the Roses" by the Jaynetts (#6); "Mean Woman Blues" by Roy Orbison (#7); "Donna the Prima Donna" by Dion Di Muci (#8); "Deep Purple" by Nino Temple & April Stevens (#9); and "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" by Peter, Paul, & Mary (#10).
West Roman O.V. Scoggins, 44, of Coosawattee Avenue, died as a result of a one-car accident on Highway 411, seven miles outside of Rome, on October 10th... one of far too many fatalities on a road that has proven to be one of the most dangerous in Floyd County.
West Rome High School teacher Mrs. Smiderski used debate as a way to teach history in the fall of 1963, dividing students into teams to debate such topics as "Resolved: That Rome was justified in destroying Carthage"; "Rseolved: That Julius Caesar was a better ruler than Augustus"; "Resolved: That the Athenian way of life was superior to the Roman way of life"; "Resolved: That the Greeks gave us more contributions than the Romans"; and "Resolved: That Athenian government was better than Roman government." Students said that this approach encouraged them to get more personally involved in resarching information about Greek and Roman history. and it helped them to improve their public speaking skills.
The West Rome Future Teachers of America inducted new members this week in 1963, including Diane Leake, Phyllis Kelso, Ann Finley, Ginny Burnett, Barbara Helie, and Beverly Vann.
The Future Business Leaders of America elected its officers: Beverly Pegg was chosen as president, Scherion Easterwood as vice-president, Joeanne Ellis as secretary, Alice Evans as treasurer, Donita Womack as reporter, Sandra Gravely as parliamentarian, and Jane Rogers as chaplain.
With work underway to extend Shorter Avenue as a four-lane road well beyond Burnett Ferry Road and past West Rome High School, the city awarded Ledbetter Brothers a contract to improve the existing segment of Shorter Avenue. The total cost to repair and resurface Shorter from Burnett Ferrry Road to the old railroad underpass came in at $84,998.50.
Rome's junior college efforts, which seemed to be shut down earlier in 1963 when Rome did not make the final cut, were resurrected when a member of the State Board of Regents said that continued growth in the northwest Georgia area would eventually require the construction of a junior college in tis area, and the Board of Regents was convinced that Rome would be the logical site for such a school.
The Rome Art League sponsored the Rome Fall Art Show on October 12th and 13th; the show was open to professional and amateurs of all ages, including students—and while most Romans had to pay a fee to submit works for display in the show, students were allowed to enter works for exhibition absolutely free of charge.
West Rome faced off against one of Georgia's top teams, the Cedartown Bulldogs, on October 11th. "Any team that can fumble the ball nine times, lose six of those, and still win the game has got to be a terrific team," Coach Paul Kennedy said in reference to the Bulldogs' victory over Chattooga on October 4th, adding, "Sooner or later, they're going to stop fumbling--and when they do, it's going to be rough!" Meanwhile, Cedartown coach Doc Ayers said that one of his biggest worries was West Rome's Dickie Sapp, whom he called "the hardest running 150-pounder in this area." In his weekly football prognostications for the Rome News-Tribune, my father (Don Biggers, who was sports editor of the RN-T) predicted that Cedartown would beat our Chieftains 19-7; alas, he proved to be correct, as West Rome ended up losing the game in a 20-0 rout, which put a damper on West rome's homecoming. (In making the prediction, Dad wrote, "I live in a neighborhood of West Rome fans. My son, Cliff, is an avid West Rome supporter. Even my two-year-old daughter, Kim, shows sign of being influenced by 'Chieftainism.' I offer this evidence only in hopes you'll believe me when I say I gave extra thought to this week's West Rome-Cedartown game and to my selection of the probable winner. Sentiment tells me to pick West Rome; logic tells me to go with Cedartown." I believe that this was the first time that Dad specifically mentioned Kim or me in his column, and it brings a smile to my face to unexpectedly run across this mention now.)
Rome's Southeastern Professional Football League team, the Bisons, extended a perfect record by losing their tenth game to the Atlanta Spartans on Sunday, October 13th. Just how bad was their playing? Well, their total yardage for the game was -27… and yes, that's a minus sign in front of the number…
The 1964 model year rollout continued as Rhinehart Motor Company announced the arrival of the new Studebaker Commander, Daytona Converstible, Hawk, and Avanti. Alas, these models were destined to sell so poorly that Studebaker would begin shutting down plants and discontinuing models after 1964, with the company exiting the American auto market a couple of years later.
Dempsey-Anderson Motor Company became Rome's new Rambler dealer, debuting the 1964 Rambler Classic, the Classic HT, and the Rambler American station wagon on Thursday, October 10th. Ford, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, Pontiac, Chrysler, Plymouth, Lincoln, Mercury, Volkswagen, Studebaker, Rambler--Rome was quite the automotive town back in 1963!
Grocery shoppers could pick up bananas for 9¢ a pound at Piggly Wiggly; other specials included a pound of bacon for 49¢ and Bama grape jam or apple jelly in 16 ounce jelly-jar glasses for 33¢. Kroger had smoked hams for 39¢ a pound, Maxwell House coffee for 49¢ a pound, and Scott bathroom tissue for a dime a roll. A&P had sirloin steak for 69¢ a pound, Super-Right chili for 22¢ a can (and I don't remember that brand at all--do you?), and the ever-popular Hormel Spam for 39¢ a pound. Big Apple had large eggs for 49¢ a dozen, bologna for 29¢ a pound, and apples for 19¢ a pound. Couch's had Aristocrat ice milk for 39¢ a pound, large baking hens for 33¢ a pound, and Stokely's catsup for 15¢ a bottle.
Not the finest cinematic week in Rome history: the week began with For Love or Money at the DeSoto and L-Shaped Room at the First Avenue, while the West Rome Drive-In was closed for the first half of the week. The weekend brought The Three Stooges Around the World in a Daze (and yes, I did go see that one, thank you very much!) to the DeSoto; Captain Sinbad (which I also saw) to the First Avenue; and Solomon and Sheba to the West Rome Drive-In.
The number one song this week in 1963 was "Sugar Shack" by Jimmy Gilmer & the Fireballs. Other top ten hits included "Be My Baby" by the Ronettes (#2); "Blue Velvet" by Bobby Vinton (#3); "Busted" by Ray Charles (#4); "Cry Baby" by Garnet Mimms & the Enchanters (#5); "Sally Go 'Round the Roses" by the Jaynetts (#6); "Mean Woman Blues" by Roy Orbison (#7); "Donna the Prima Donna" by Dion Di Muci (#8); "Deep Purple" by Nino Temple & April Stevens (#9); and "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" by Peter, Paul, & Mary (#10).
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 9/30/63 to 10/6/63
What a different society it was a half-century ago: two black students from Floyd County, Charles E. Johnson and Martha Robinson Lattimer, filed suit to gain admission to Coosa Valley Tech, which until this time was closed to black students. Their action paved the way for equal post-secondary educational access for all area students, including many of our fellow Chieftains. We sometimes forget that 1963 was such a pivotal era for civil rights in our community, our state, and our nation.
Thanks to the mutual cooperation of the Chieftain Club and the West Rome High School Administration, the school added several pieces of AV equipment (including four movie projectors, two tape recorders, and two record players). The equipment was available for classroom use, and West Rome even had its own Audio-Visual Squad comprised of students who helped teachers reserve and operate the equipment. Coach Nick Hyder was the faculty sponsor of the AV Squad, and the man in charge of keeping track of all the equipment and making sure that it got to the right teacher in the right room during the right class period--not an easy task in this pre-computer-database era!
Lynda Hill was chosen as Homecoming Queen; her court consisted of Alice Evans, Carol Johnson, Beverly Pegg, and Cindi Blaylock. The announcement was made in early October in advance of the October 11th Homecoming Game against Cedartown.
Chorus director Ronald Midkiff announced the members of the Girls Vocal Ensemble, which consisted of Barbara Helie, Jackie Lupo, Terese Diprima, Camille Baker, Patt Merrell, Ann Finley, Trish Tompkins, Diane Leake, and Janet Scherer.
West Rome's senior class sold $2664.60 worth of magazines as part of their class fundraiser. Considering the rather low price of magazine subscriptions in 1963, that was quite an accomplishment! (I'm sure we bought our annual TV Guide subscription as a part of this fundraiser; my parents always subscribed to TV Guide, and they always renewed during school magazine subscription sales.)
Rome's postmaster announced the 23rd annual US Treasury Department's "School Savings Program" was open for all Rome and Floyd County students to participate. Under this program, teachers would purchase United States Savings Stamps and sell them to students; each student who bought the stamps received a Junior Astronaut Certificate. When students filled up a stamp book with ten-cent stamps (187 of them), they could redeem the stamp book for a savings bond that could in turn be redeemed in 10 years for $25. This was a remaining vestige of the "war bonds" program of the 1940s. (I remember the program, but never actually participated in it--I guess that's because all my spare change went into comic books!)
Rome City Schools found themselves in a financial pinch when the state cut its teacher allotment; while the city school system earned 227 teachers, only 225 were approved by the state, which meant that the county was responsible for the approximately $5000 per teacher extra cost (for salaries and benefits) for the other two teachers. "This is the first time we've cut everybody across the board since we started the [teacher allotment] program in 1951," State School Superintendent Claude Purcell said. Rome chose to keep the two positions filled rather than laying off teachers, although they admitted that finding the extra money was going to be difficult.
The Chieftains racked up a 25-0 victory over Calhoun, led by Dickie Sapp's 75-yard run on the first play of the second half. Other standout players included Van Gray, who scored a touchdown on a 32 yard run and a second touchdown from the Calhoun one-yard line, and Donnie Hill, who bulldozed his way through the Calhoun line for a touchdown from the Calhoun three-yard line.
Rome's inept Southeastern Professional Football League team, The Bisons, saw a slightly better chance of a win on October 5th: the win-less Bisons were playing the Gadsden Raiders, who had won only one game. Alas, the Bisons weren't even able to defeat this team, leaving them with a 0-10 record.
WRGA radio filed an application to bring FM radio back to Rome at the 97.7 frequency. WRGA was actually one of the first broadcasters in Georgia to offer FM in the late 1940s and early 1950s, but they shut down their initial FM broadcast system in 1952. Of course, the glory days of FM radio were still a few years away; in 1963, we were all tuning in to WROM, WRGA, and WLAQ on AM radio.
Floyd County remained a bootlegging haven, although the State Revenue Department, the city police, the county police, and the sheriff's office were doing the best they could to bring that to an end. On October 4th, they shut down 11 stills and raided 21 residences in the city and the county to end the illegal sales. No wonder those Snuffy Smith comic strips about those "revenooers" were so popular in the Rome News-Tribune!
C&M Motors began promoting the new 1964 model Cadillacs with a half-page ad for a pair of $6000+ land yachts: the Coupe de Ville and the Fleetwood Sixty Special Sedan, both of which measured in just shy of nineteen feet long--so long, in fact, that it would be difficult to fit them into a modern-day garage. Meanwhile, Bill Holbrook Pontiac-Buick began rolling out the new 1964 Buicks, highlighted by the new Skylark, LeSabre, and Electra 225, all of which were almost a foot and a half shorter than the Cadillacs.
West Rome's Pizza King became the first pizza restaurant in Rome to offer delivery anywhere in the city, using a VW van with specially-insulated boxes to ensure that the pizza was warm when it arrived. In spite of the fact that the restaurant was only a mile from our house, I don't think we ever ate at Pizza King, however--and in fact, I must confess that I don't even remember Pizza King. Apparently it would be another six years before I would discover the wonders of real pizza...
With Christmas three months away, Sears was already advertising its huge toy selection; at the same time, they were touting their bicycle layaway program that let customers choose the perfect Christmas bicycle in early October for only $1 down and a minimum of $1 per week.
Piggly Wiggly promoted its ninth anniversary sale with a drawing for a free freezer full of food, valued at over $400; their annivesary specials included chuck roast for 35¢ a pound, apples for 8¢ a pound, and Van Camp's chili for 31¢ a can. Kroger had fresh pork ears, feet, snouts, or neckbones for 15¢ a pound (and I don't think I'd pay 15¢ a pound for any of those today!), grapes for a dime a pound, and Fig Newtons for a quarter a box. A&P had ground beef for 39¢ a pound, ever-popular white bread for 19¢ a loaf, and Marvel ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon. Big Apple had ten pounds of potatoes for 39¢, smoked ham for 29¢ a pound, and frozen waffles for a dime a box. Couch's had Duke's mayonnaise for 39¢ a quart, pork roast for 35¢ a pound, and JFG instant coffee for 99¢ for a 10-ounce jar (and no, it most definitely did not taste like real coffee...).
Spencer's Mountain continued at the First Avenue Theater for the first half of the week, while Gidget Goes to Rome was showing at the DeSoto and To Kill a Mockingbird was back for a return engagement at the West Rome Drive-In. The weekend brought For Love or Money (with Kirk Douglas & Mitzi Gaynor) to the DeSoto, The Girl Hunters (with Mickey Spillane playing his private detective creation Mike Hammer) at the First Avenue, and a forgettable double feature of The Mongols (with Jack Palance) and The Trojan Horse (with Steve Reeves) at the West Rome Drive-In.
The number one song this week in 1963 was "Sugar Shack" by Jimmy Gilmer & the Fireballs. Other top ten hits included "Be My Baby" by the Ronettes (#2); "Blue Velvet" by Bobby Vinton (#3); "Cry Baby" by Garnet Mimms & the Enchanters (34); "Sally Go 'Round the Roses" by the Jaynetts (#5); "Busted" by Ray Charles (#6); "My Boyfriend's Back" by the Angels (#7); "Mean Woman Blues" by Roy Orbison (#8); "Heat Wave" by Martha & the Vandellas (#9); and "Donna, the Prima Donna" by Dion Di Muci (#10).
Thanks to the mutual cooperation of the Chieftain Club and the West Rome High School Administration, the school added several pieces of AV equipment (including four movie projectors, two tape recorders, and two record players). The equipment was available for classroom use, and West Rome even had its own Audio-Visual Squad comprised of students who helped teachers reserve and operate the equipment. Coach Nick Hyder was the faculty sponsor of the AV Squad, and the man in charge of keeping track of all the equipment and making sure that it got to the right teacher in the right room during the right class period--not an easy task in this pre-computer-database era!
Lynda Hill was chosen as Homecoming Queen; her court consisted of Alice Evans, Carol Johnson, Beverly Pegg, and Cindi Blaylock. The announcement was made in early October in advance of the October 11th Homecoming Game against Cedartown.
Chorus director Ronald Midkiff announced the members of the Girls Vocal Ensemble, which consisted of Barbara Helie, Jackie Lupo, Terese Diprima, Camille Baker, Patt Merrell, Ann Finley, Trish Tompkins, Diane Leake, and Janet Scherer.
West Rome's senior class sold $2664.60 worth of magazines as part of their class fundraiser. Considering the rather low price of magazine subscriptions in 1963, that was quite an accomplishment! (I'm sure we bought our annual TV Guide subscription as a part of this fundraiser; my parents always subscribed to TV Guide, and they always renewed during school magazine subscription sales.)
Rome's postmaster announced the 23rd annual US Treasury Department's "School Savings Program" was open for all Rome and Floyd County students to participate. Under this program, teachers would purchase United States Savings Stamps and sell them to students; each student who bought the stamps received a Junior Astronaut Certificate. When students filled up a stamp book with ten-cent stamps (187 of them), they could redeem the stamp book for a savings bond that could in turn be redeemed in 10 years for $25. This was a remaining vestige of the "war bonds" program of the 1940s. (I remember the program, but never actually participated in it--I guess that's because all my spare change went into comic books!)
Rome City Schools found themselves in a financial pinch when the state cut its teacher allotment; while the city school system earned 227 teachers, only 225 were approved by the state, which meant that the county was responsible for the approximately $5000 per teacher extra cost (for salaries and benefits) for the other two teachers. "This is the first time we've cut everybody across the board since we started the [teacher allotment] program in 1951," State School Superintendent Claude Purcell said. Rome chose to keep the two positions filled rather than laying off teachers, although they admitted that finding the extra money was going to be difficult.
The Chieftains racked up a 25-0 victory over Calhoun, led by Dickie Sapp's 75-yard run on the first play of the second half. Other standout players included Van Gray, who scored a touchdown on a 32 yard run and a second touchdown from the Calhoun one-yard line, and Donnie Hill, who bulldozed his way through the Calhoun line for a touchdown from the Calhoun three-yard line.
Rome's inept Southeastern Professional Football League team, The Bisons, saw a slightly better chance of a win on October 5th: the win-less Bisons were playing the Gadsden Raiders, who had won only one game. Alas, the Bisons weren't even able to defeat this team, leaving them with a 0-10 record.
WRGA radio filed an application to bring FM radio back to Rome at the 97.7 frequency. WRGA was actually one of the first broadcasters in Georgia to offer FM in the late 1940s and early 1950s, but they shut down their initial FM broadcast system in 1952. Of course, the glory days of FM radio were still a few years away; in 1963, we were all tuning in to WROM, WRGA, and WLAQ on AM radio.
Floyd County remained a bootlegging haven, although the State Revenue Department, the city police, the county police, and the sheriff's office were doing the best they could to bring that to an end. On October 4th, they shut down 11 stills and raided 21 residences in the city and the county to end the illegal sales. No wonder those Snuffy Smith comic strips about those "revenooers" were so popular in the Rome News-Tribune!
C&M Motors began promoting the new 1964 model Cadillacs with a half-page ad for a pair of $6000+ land yachts: the Coupe de Ville and the Fleetwood Sixty Special Sedan, both of which measured in just shy of nineteen feet long--so long, in fact, that it would be difficult to fit them into a modern-day garage. Meanwhile, Bill Holbrook Pontiac-Buick began rolling out the new 1964 Buicks, highlighted by the new Skylark, LeSabre, and Electra 225, all of which were almost a foot and a half shorter than the Cadillacs.
West Rome's Pizza King became the first pizza restaurant in Rome to offer delivery anywhere in the city, using a VW van with specially-insulated boxes to ensure that the pizza was warm when it arrived. In spite of the fact that the restaurant was only a mile from our house, I don't think we ever ate at Pizza King, however--and in fact, I must confess that I don't even remember Pizza King. Apparently it would be another six years before I would discover the wonders of real pizza...
With Christmas three months away, Sears was already advertising its huge toy selection; at the same time, they were touting their bicycle layaway program that let customers choose the perfect Christmas bicycle in early October for only $1 down and a minimum of $1 per week.
Piggly Wiggly promoted its ninth anniversary sale with a drawing for a free freezer full of food, valued at over $400; their annivesary specials included chuck roast for 35¢ a pound, apples for 8¢ a pound, and Van Camp's chili for 31¢ a can. Kroger had fresh pork ears, feet, snouts, or neckbones for 15¢ a pound (and I don't think I'd pay 15¢ a pound for any of those today!), grapes for a dime a pound, and Fig Newtons for a quarter a box. A&P had ground beef for 39¢ a pound, ever-popular white bread for 19¢ a loaf, and Marvel ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon. Big Apple had ten pounds of potatoes for 39¢, smoked ham for 29¢ a pound, and frozen waffles for a dime a box. Couch's had Duke's mayonnaise for 39¢ a quart, pork roast for 35¢ a pound, and JFG instant coffee for 99¢ for a 10-ounce jar (and no, it most definitely did not taste like real coffee...).
Spencer's Mountain continued at the First Avenue Theater for the first half of the week, while Gidget Goes to Rome was showing at the DeSoto and To Kill a Mockingbird was back for a return engagement at the West Rome Drive-In. The weekend brought For Love or Money (with Kirk Douglas & Mitzi Gaynor) to the DeSoto, The Girl Hunters (with Mickey Spillane playing his private detective creation Mike Hammer) at the First Avenue, and a forgettable double feature of The Mongols (with Jack Palance) and The Trojan Horse (with Steve Reeves) at the West Rome Drive-In.
The number one song this week in 1963 was "Sugar Shack" by Jimmy Gilmer & the Fireballs. Other top ten hits included "Be My Baby" by the Ronettes (#2); "Blue Velvet" by Bobby Vinton (#3); "Cry Baby" by Garnet Mimms & the Enchanters (34); "Sally Go 'Round the Roses" by the Jaynetts (#5); "Busted" by Ray Charles (#6); "My Boyfriend's Back" by the Angels (#7); "Mean Woman Blues" by Roy Orbison (#8); "Heat Wave" by Martha & the Vandellas (#9); and "Donna, the Prima Donna" by Dion Di Muci (#10).
Friday, September 27, 2013
Dad's at the Mall
Back in the days before Mom's health deteriorated significantly, Mom and Dad loved to go to the mall. In the 60s, it was Greenbriar Mall, which was on the way to my grandmother's house in College Park. In the early 70s, it was Cumberland Mall in Marietta. In the later 70s, it was Riverbend Mall in Rome (a remarkable mall, and a place that I still miss... it was the first mall that Susan and I visited from opening day until its final days as a mall). In the later 1980s, it was Town Center Mall in Kennesaw. In the 1990s, it was Mount Berry Square in Rome.
Dad loved to go to the mall; he loved to "window shop," even if he had no plans to buy anything. Mom was the same way; they could while away a pleasant hour or two just wandering the mall, enjoying the ambiance.
Yesterday, my dear niece Jessica sent me a surprising photo that she took at Mount Berry Square.
The photo is a wonderful shot of Dad, a 28 year old reporter at the Rome News-Tribune, chewing on a cigar while working away at his typewriter in the very cramped news room of the original Rome News-Tribune building on (appropriately enough) Tribune Street, just a block off Broad Street. (He gave up cigars a couple of decades later, and gave up pipes as well once Mom was diagnosed with emphysema.) I remember the office in every minute detail, because I spent scores of hours there. As a child, I could think of nothing much more fun than to spend a few hours with Dad at the office when he was working late putting together high school sports reports for the next day's paper. Many of those other reporters may not have known it, but I spent a lot of time hunting and pecking on their typewriters (in the evenings, most reporters were at home, but the sports department--which was Dad and Orbie Thaxton--spent the evenings typing up incoming info on high school football games and the like, since the Rome News-Tribune was first a foremost a local paper for the Rome/Floyd County area, and high school sports were important to the community).
I had no idea until now that there was a picture of Dad prominently displayed on the wall of Mount Berry Square as a part of Rome's history, but I'm quite happy about it. Dad loved Rome, and he dedicated his life to the city, to the county, and to the young men and women who participated in Rome sports. He organized basketball tournaments, he worked closely with the Rome/Floyd County Recreation Department, and he was friends with virtually every coach in every high school in the area. He was an important part of Rome history, to be sure.
Likewise, Mount Berry Square was an important part of his life. He and Mom spent lots of time there. During the years when Susan and I had the farmhouse on Horseleg Creek Road, we'd often meet Mom and Dad at the mall for dinner, and then we'd all just look around for a while. After Mom died, I would frequently go with Dad to the mall during one of my mid-week visits; we might buy something, or we might buy nothing at all, but even then he just loved looking around. Every now and then, he'd see a little knick-knack or a decorative pin or a framed print or somesuch and he's smile thoughtfully and say, "Your mother would have liked that." The mall was a place for him to revisit pleasant moments in the past.
And now Dad's back at Mount Berry Square. I find it strangely satisfying...
Dad loved to go to the mall; he loved to "window shop," even if he had no plans to buy anything. Mom was the same way; they could while away a pleasant hour or two just wandering the mall, enjoying the ambiance.
Yesterday, my dear niece Jessica sent me a surprising photo that she took at Mount Berry Square.
Thought you'd get a kick out of this. Mount Berry Square remodeled the interior a while back (maybe within the last year), adding historical photos of Rome. I've seen a lot of the pictures before, but somehow missed this one until today.
The photo is a wonderful shot of Dad, a 28 year old reporter at the Rome News-Tribune, chewing on a cigar while working away at his typewriter in the very cramped news room of the original Rome News-Tribune building on (appropriately enough) Tribune Street, just a block off Broad Street. (He gave up cigars a couple of decades later, and gave up pipes as well once Mom was diagnosed with emphysema.) I remember the office in every minute detail, because I spent scores of hours there. As a child, I could think of nothing much more fun than to spend a few hours with Dad at the office when he was working late putting together high school sports reports for the next day's paper. Many of those other reporters may not have known it, but I spent a lot of time hunting and pecking on their typewriters (in the evenings, most reporters were at home, but the sports department--which was Dad and Orbie Thaxton--spent the evenings typing up incoming info on high school football games and the like, since the Rome News-Tribune was first a foremost a local paper for the Rome/Floyd County area, and high school sports were important to the community).
I had no idea until now that there was a picture of Dad prominently displayed on the wall of Mount Berry Square as a part of Rome's history, but I'm quite happy about it. Dad loved Rome, and he dedicated his life to the city, to the county, and to the young men and women who participated in Rome sports. He organized basketball tournaments, he worked closely with the Rome/Floyd County Recreation Department, and he was friends with virtually every coach in every high school in the area. He was an important part of Rome history, to be sure.
Likewise, Mount Berry Square was an important part of his life. He and Mom spent lots of time there. During the years when Susan and I had the farmhouse on Horseleg Creek Road, we'd often meet Mom and Dad at the mall for dinner, and then we'd all just look around for a while. After Mom died, I would frequently go with Dad to the mall during one of my mid-week visits; we might buy something, or we might buy nothing at all, but even then he just loved looking around. Every now and then, he'd see a little knick-knack or a decorative pin or a framed print or somesuch and he's smile thoughtfully and say, "Your mother would have liked that." The mall was a place for him to revisit pleasant moments in the past.
And now Dad's back at Mount Berry Square. I find it strangely satisfying...
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Centipede is on the Fritz!
Good news from Jerad Walters of Centipede Press in today's email: they have the rights to produce illustrated hardcover of Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and Gray Mouser novels! Centipede makes high-quality books--the sort that the mass market seems to have forgotten about--so I'm quite enthused about this news. Here's what Jerad wrote in the email I got this morning:
My first choice would be Bernie Wrightson, of course, followed by Frank Brunner, then Brom or Timothy Truman—but I know that Jerad will make a great choice, and I'm looking forward to the announcement of their release!
"A lot of requests have come in over the years regarding Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser by Fritz Leiber. Guess what? Hardcover rights are secure! Hooray! So the next question is now that I have it, what do you want to see? Right off the bat, it has to be individual books in a box set. Each book signed and numbered, there’s no way around that. An omnibus will be just too huge to hold. I was thinking 6" x 10" size, like my The Sheep Look Up — good size, not too large. And illustrations. Of course. The question is, who? Tim Kirk is the guy that springs to mind first for me. But what do you all think? People have strong opinions on this. I’d like to hear yours."
My first choice would be Bernie Wrightson, of course, followed by Frank Brunner, then Brom or Timothy Truman—but I know that Jerad will make a great choice, and I'm looking forward to the announcement of their release!
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 9/23/63 to 9/29/63
The new television season rolled out in mid-September; the networks continued to hold on to black and white technology, with only about 25% of the programs offered in color. Of course, it wouldn't matter much, since most of us only had black and white televisions anyway! For me, the most memorable debut of the 64-64 television season was The Outer Limits; as an avid science fiction and horror fan, this was a must-see, even though my parents thought it might be a little bit too intense for a ten-year-old. I still remember watching that first episode, with its "There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling transmission..." introduction, and wondering for a few minutes if they might be correct! Other series debuts included The Fugitive, Burke's Law, The Farmer's Daughter, The Patty Duke Show, The Judy Garland Show, and Petticoat Junction. It as also historic for what was not on network television: for the first time since the networks launched in 1946, there was no prime time boxing on the schedule. Other noteworthy television premieres: General Hospital made its premiere, as did the competing soap opera The Doctors. And we said farewell to a few favorites, including Laramie, The Real McCoys, Leave It To Beaver, and Hawaiian Eye, all of which ended their runs to make room for neew shows.
Representative John W. Davis announced that he was seeking a federal grant to move to downtown post office from its longtime location in the Federal Building (located at Fourth Avenue and East First Street) to a more accessible location. This was the first step in the process that led to the relocation of the main post office to its location several blocks away from downtown Rome--a move that would soon be followed by relocations of many shopping and dining establishments, leading to the dilution of downtown Rome as a hub for activity in Floyd County. (I remember that downtown post office in the Federal Building, and feel lucky that I got to make a few trips there. The post office had a dignity, a gravitas, a sense of history that the flat, sterile replacement building could never muster; there was heritage and history within those walls.)
West Rome's troubled season continued as the Chieftains lost 6-0 to the LaFayette Ramblers on Friday, Septemwe 27th. This left the Chiefs 1-3 for the season thus far and 1-1 in subregion competition.
Pat Merrell and Leigh Whittenburg were named National Merit Semi-Finalists; Pat was an active member of the National Honor Society, the Tri-Hi-Y, the Glee Club, and the Pep Club, and was editor of the West Rome Watanyah; Leigh was president of the National Honor Society, a member of the Tri-Hi-Y, Future Teachers of America, and Pep Club, and the editor of The Drumbeat.
The Junior Tri-Hi-Y elected Jan Ross as president, Carole Sewell as vice-president, Judi Burns as secretary, Barbara Helie as treasurer, and Suzanne White as chaplain.
The sophomore class elected its officers; Pat Barna was chosen as president, Stan Dawson as vice president, Charlene Lamb as secretary, and Connie Love as treasurer. The junior class also elected its officers, with Esther Ransom chosen as president, Jerry Coalson as vice-president, Gerry Law as secretary, and Judy Whitaker as treasurer.
West Rome senior David Childers was chosen as co-president of the East Rome-West Rome DECA. (In case you forgot, DECA was a part of the Distributive Education Program, a work program that offered part time school training and part-time job experience to qualified juniors and seniors.)
The week ended with an early-autumn monsoon, as Rome received more than 5" of rain on September 28th, continuing through Sunday with an additional inch of rain. Many creeks and streams in the area overflowed, and the rivers neared flood stage briefly, but there were no major problems.
Sears was pushing their big 23" console television for $168, just in time for the new television season. They also had a brand-new 14 cubic foot refrigerator for $298--and it was one of the trendy new frost-free models (I remember Mom defrosting our refrigerator in the early and mid 1960s, and Susan and had to defrost our refrigerators in the early 1970s after we got married; we take frost-free for granted nowadays, but it really was a big thing back then!).
Piggly Wiggly had a six-bottle carton of Coke or Tab for 19¢, four pounds of apples for 33¢, and whole fryers for 23¢ a pound. Big Apple satisfied our soft drink craving with RC Cola or Diet-Rite for 89¢ a case; they also offered strawberries for 33¢ a pint and those ever-popular fish sticks for 49¢ for a one pound box. Kroger had five pounds of Colonial sugar for 39¢, sausage for 39¢ a pound, and pork and beans for 12¢ a can. Couch's had ground beef for 39¢ a pound, Sealtest ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon, and Poss Brunswick stew for 39¢ for a 16 ounce can. Kroger had round steak for 89¢ a pound, corn for a dime an ear, and a loaf of ever-popular white bread for 25¢. And here's a sure sign that groceries were cheaper back then: JFG ran a quarter-page ad promoting their new "easy open no-key can with a resealable flip-top" and they included a whopping 7¢ coupon. (When you adjust for the inflation multiplier, that's the equivalent of a 55¢ coupon today, so it's not as cheap as it sounds.)
Autumn was new car season, with both Julian Harrison Ford and Bonnie Davis Chevrolet running large ads touting their 1964 model year vehicles. Julian Harrison was promoting the '64 Fairlane, the Falcon, and the Super Torque Ford, which they touted as one of their heaviest cars "by hundreds of pounds." Bonnie Davis was pushing the "jet-smooth luxury" Impala and Bel Air and the all-new Chevelle, which was offered in the Malibu, the Malibu Super Sport, and the 300 series. If you remember the sportier Malibu of the late 60s, though, think again: the '64 Chevelle still looked a lot like a land yacht...
For the first half of the week, moviegoers could choose from Spencer's Mountain at the DeSoto, Irma La Douce at the First Avenue, or The Nutty Professor at the West Rome Drive-In (as a Jerry Lewis fan--what ten-year-old doesn't love slapstick comedy and goofy faces?--I pestered my parents to go see The Nutty Professor, and absolutely loved it. Thankfully, Mom and Dad also had a tolerance for such zaniness, and seemed to get a laugh or three from the film, which remains one my favorite Jerry Lewis movies). For the weekend Rome moved a mountain... well, they moved Spencer's Mountain to the First Avenue Theater. Other films included Gidget Goes to Rome at the DeSoto and Huk (no, I didn't misspell Hulk... Huk is the film's name, and it was a seven-year-old retread that was presumably brought back because it was cheap) at the West Rome Drive-In, in a double feature with Running Target (two eminently forgettable films, believe me).
The number one hit this week in 1963 was "Blue Velvet" by Bobby Vinton; other top ten hits included "Sally Go 'Round the Roses" by the Jaynetts (#2); "Be My Baby" by the Ronettes (#3); "Sugar Shack" by Jimmy Gilmer & the Fireballs (#4); "Cry Baby" by Garnet Mimms & the Enchanters (#5); "My Boyfriend's Back" by the Angels (#6); "Wonderful! Wonderful!" by the Tymes (#7); "Heat Wave" by Martha & the Vandellas (#8); "Busted" by Ray Charles (#9); and "Then He Kissed Me" by the Crystals (#10).
Representative John W. Davis announced that he was seeking a federal grant to move to downtown post office from its longtime location in the Federal Building (located at Fourth Avenue and East First Street) to a more accessible location. This was the first step in the process that led to the relocation of the main post office to its location several blocks away from downtown Rome--a move that would soon be followed by relocations of many shopping and dining establishments, leading to the dilution of downtown Rome as a hub for activity in Floyd County. (I remember that downtown post office in the Federal Building, and feel lucky that I got to make a few trips there. The post office had a dignity, a gravitas, a sense of history that the flat, sterile replacement building could never muster; there was heritage and history within those walls.)
West Rome's troubled season continued as the Chieftains lost 6-0 to the LaFayette Ramblers on Friday, Septemwe 27th. This left the Chiefs 1-3 for the season thus far and 1-1 in subregion competition.
Pat Merrell and Leigh Whittenburg were named National Merit Semi-Finalists; Pat was an active member of the National Honor Society, the Tri-Hi-Y, the Glee Club, and the Pep Club, and was editor of the West Rome Watanyah; Leigh was president of the National Honor Society, a member of the Tri-Hi-Y, Future Teachers of America, and Pep Club, and the editor of The Drumbeat.
The Junior Tri-Hi-Y elected Jan Ross as president, Carole Sewell as vice-president, Judi Burns as secretary, Barbara Helie as treasurer, and Suzanne White as chaplain.
The sophomore class elected its officers; Pat Barna was chosen as president, Stan Dawson as vice president, Charlene Lamb as secretary, and Connie Love as treasurer. The junior class also elected its officers, with Esther Ransom chosen as president, Jerry Coalson as vice-president, Gerry Law as secretary, and Judy Whitaker as treasurer.
West Rome senior David Childers was chosen as co-president of the East Rome-West Rome DECA. (In case you forgot, DECA was a part of the Distributive Education Program, a work program that offered part time school training and part-time job experience to qualified juniors and seniors.)
The week ended with an early-autumn monsoon, as Rome received more than 5" of rain on September 28th, continuing through Sunday with an additional inch of rain. Many creeks and streams in the area overflowed, and the rivers neared flood stage briefly, but there were no major problems.
Sears was pushing their big 23" console television for $168, just in time for the new television season. They also had a brand-new 14 cubic foot refrigerator for $298--and it was one of the trendy new frost-free models (I remember Mom defrosting our refrigerator in the early and mid 1960s, and Susan and had to defrost our refrigerators in the early 1970s after we got married; we take frost-free for granted nowadays, but it really was a big thing back then!).
Piggly Wiggly had a six-bottle carton of Coke or Tab for 19¢, four pounds of apples for 33¢, and whole fryers for 23¢ a pound. Big Apple satisfied our soft drink craving with RC Cola or Diet-Rite for 89¢ a case; they also offered strawberries for 33¢ a pint and those ever-popular fish sticks for 49¢ for a one pound box. Kroger had five pounds of Colonial sugar for 39¢, sausage for 39¢ a pound, and pork and beans for 12¢ a can. Couch's had ground beef for 39¢ a pound, Sealtest ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon, and Poss Brunswick stew for 39¢ for a 16 ounce can. Kroger had round steak for 89¢ a pound, corn for a dime an ear, and a loaf of ever-popular white bread for 25¢. And here's a sure sign that groceries were cheaper back then: JFG ran a quarter-page ad promoting their new "easy open no-key can with a resealable flip-top" and they included a whopping 7¢ coupon. (When you adjust for the inflation multiplier, that's the equivalent of a 55¢ coupon today, so it's not as cheap as it sounds.)
Autumn was new car season, with both Julian Harrison Ford and Bonnie Davis Chevrolet running large ads touting their 1964 model year vehicles. Julian Harrison was promoting the '64 Fairlane, the Falcon, and the Super Torque Ford, which they touted as one of their heaviest cars "by hundreds of pounds." Bonnie Davis was pushing the "jet-smooth luxury" Impala and Bel Air and the all-new Chevelle, which was offered in the Malibu, the Malibu Super Sport, and the 300 series. If you remember the sportier Malibu of the late 60s, though, think again: the '64 Chevelle still looked a lot like a land yacht...
For the first half of the week, moviegoers could choose from Spencer's Mountain at the DeSoto, Irma La Douce at the First Avenue, or The Nutty Professor at the West Rome Drive-In (as a Jerry Lewis fan--what ten-year-old doesn't love slapstick comedy and goofy faces?--I pestered my parents to go see The Nutty Professor, and absolutely loved it. Thankfully, Mom and Dad also had a tolerance for such zaniness, and seemed to get a laugh or three from the film, which remains one my favorite Jerry Lewis movies). For the weekend Rome moved a mountain... well, they moved Spencer's Mountain to the First Avenue Theater. Other films included Gidget Goes to Rome at the DeSoto and Huk (no, I didn't misspell Hulk... Huk is the film's name, and it was a seven-year-old retread that was presumably brought back because it was cheap) at the West Rome Drive-In, in a double feature with Running Target (two eminently forgettable films, believe me).
The number one hit this week in 1963 was "Blue Velvet" by Bobby Vinton; other top ten hits included "Sally Go 'Round the Roses" by the Jaynetts (#2); "Be My Baby" by the Ronettes (#3); "Sugar Shack" by Jimmy Gilmer & the Fireballs (#4); "Cry Baby" by Garnet Mimms & the Enchanters (#5); "My Boyfriend's Back" by the Angels (#6); "Wonderful! Wonderful!" by the Tymes (#7); "Heat Wave" by Martha & the Vandellas (#8); "Busted" by Ray Charles (#9); and "Then He Kissed Me" by the Crystals (#10).
Friday, September 20, 2013
IOS 7: Not a Lucky Number...
I've set up IOS 7 on one of my devices, and I've used it for a few days.
I find myself going back to the IOS 6 phone every chance I get.
No time now for a detailed list of a problems, but here are a few irritations:
(1) Jony Ive apparently doesn't know what color red is. Everything that used to red is now an orangy-tomato color, and it all looks sun-faded.
(2) Ive also favors appearance over function. He loves super-fine-line sans serif fonts even though they're more difficult to read on a small screen. Open the stock app, for instance, and find a stock that has increased in value; it appears in a green box. Until now, that was a rich vibrant green, which allowed the solid, readable reversed type to show up clearly. Now it's a pale, anemic green with a super-fine reversed font, and its almost impossible to read.
(3) Ive hates left-handed people. In the past, if I wanted to select an email to delete it, I could swipe my left thumb from left to right, bringing up the delete button, while righties could swipe their thumbs right to left for the same effect. Now, though, only the right-to-left swipe works, so lefties now have to swipe like righties in order for it to work.
(4) They built a super-high-quality screen, then Ive and his team turned all the boxes into a dull grey and stripped the vibrant colors out of the symbols, making the entire interface look dull and lifeless.
Missing Steve Jobs more than ever; he would have told Ive that this was ugly and he should try again...
I find myself going back to the IOS 6 phone every chance I get.
No time now for a detailed list of a problems, but here are a few irritations:
(1) Jony Ive apparently doesn't know what color red is. Everything that used to red is now an orangy-tomato color, and it all looks sun-faded.
(2) Ive also favors appearance over function. He loves super-fine-line sans serif fonts even though they're more difficult to read on a small screen. Open the stock app, for instance, and find a stock that has increased in value; it appears in a green box. Until now, that was a rich vibrant green, which allowed the solid, readable reversed type to show up clearly. Now it's a pale, anemic green with a super-fine reversed font, and its almost impossible to read.
(3) Ive hates left-handed people. In the past, if I wanted to select an email to delete it, I could swipe my left thumb from left to right, bringing up the delete button, while righties could swipe their thumbs right to left for the same effect. Now, though, only the right-to-left swipe works, so lefties now have to swipe like righties in order for it to work.
(4) They built a super-high-quality screen, then Ive and his team turned all the boxes into a dull grey and stripped the vibrant colors out of the symbols, making the entire interface look dull and lifeless.
Missing Steve Jobs more than ever; he would have told Ive that this was ugly and he should try again...
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