Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 10/30/1967 to 11/5/1967

Coach Paul Kennedy of West Rome and Coach Larry Muschamp of East Rome both agreed on one thing in the lead-in to the East-West football game: it would be a close game with strong defense, and whichever team scored 14 points would win. “I’m expecting the closest game we’ve played in several years,” Coach Kennedy said. (The record going into this game was six wins for West Rome, one win for East Rome, and one tie. The Gladiators didn’t even manage to score a point against the Chieftains in 1965 or 1966.)

The 1967 game gave the Chieftains their seventh win—and it was nowhere nearly as close as both coaches had predicted. The final score was 35-6 West Rome, with Roger Weaver emerging as the star of the game. Weaver rushed for 129 yards, scored a touchdown, intercepted two passes, returned two kickoffs for 56 yards, and ran back two punts for 36 yards. Since the only other team with a no-loss season in region play was LaFayette, who lost their game on the same night that West Rome won, that meant that the Chiefs became region champs without the necessity of a playoff game.

A special dedication ceremony for the remodeled Barron Stadium was held during halftime of the West Rome-East Rome football game on Friday, November 3rd. The stadium reconstruction was funded through a special $165,000 bond, along with matching funds from the federal government.

Rome police set some sort of law enforcement speed record in solving the case of Jerry Terrell’s stolen car. The auto theft was reported at 10:11 am on October 31st—and at 10:15 am, the police made an arrest and recovered the car, which was being driven by a nineteen-year-old who apparently wasn’t very good at grand theft auto. If only every crime could be solved in four minutes!

Rome’s rash of store robberies took a deadly turn on Saturday, November 4th, when 72-year-old shop owner LT McCright was killed in his Kingston Road grocery store by a burglar who beat and then fatally stabbed the old man when he tried to stop them from stealing the cash from that day’s sales.

Color TV prices continued to drop: BF Goodrich had a 23” Motorola color TV for $449.95(the equivalent of $3100 in 2017 dollars)—and the purchase included a complete set of 1967 New Standard Encyclopedias! (Remember when a set of encyclopedias—either the really good Britannica version or the bargain encyclopedia sold a-volume-a-week at the grocery store? The latter set was the one we had—but you know, it still worked out pretty darn well when it came time to do a report on the natural resources of Brazil.)

Just what I look for in a jewelry store: Eves Jewelers had a sale on 19-shoot .22 caliber 19-shot repeating rifles for only $49.99 each—and they gave you a hundred free rounds of ammo with each gun purchase! I suspect that all those burglars plaguing Rome stayed away from this jewelry store…

Piggly Wiggly had baking hens for 29¢ a pound, Maxwell House coffee for 69¢ a pound, and lettuce for 19¢ a head. Kroger had smoked ham for 59¢ a pound, cornf for 9¢ a can, and frozen Morton TV dinners for 33¢ each (do you remember folding back that heavy foil oversheet to uncover the dessert so that it would crisp up in the oven?). Big Apple had spare ribs for 49 a pound, Banquet cream pies for 25¢ each, and bananas for a dime a pound. A&P had sirloin steak for 89¢ a pound, apples for 15¢ a pound, and Sealtest ice cream for 69¢ a half-gallon. Couch’s had stew beef for 33¢ a pound, Ritz crackers for 39¢ a box, and large oranges for 39¢ a dozen.

The cinematic week began with Hour of the Gun (starring James Garner) at the DeSoto Theatre and the West Rome Drive-In and Sand Pebbles (starring Steve McQueen) at the First Avenue. The midweek switchout brought Waterhole #3 (starring James Coburn and Carrol O’Connor in his pre-All in the Family days) to the DeSoto and the West Rome Drive-In, while Sand Pebbles maintained its beachhead at the First Avenue. (It makes you wonder how we ever got a chance to see most major release films, since Rome tended to show the same movie at two theaters and then hold other movies over for week after week after week.)

Lulu continued to hold on to the number one slot with her song "To Sir With Love." Other top ten hits included "Soul Man" by Sam & Dave (#2); "It Must Be Him" by Vikki Carr (#3); "Expresway (To Your Heart)" by Soul Survivors (#4); "Your Precious Love" by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (#5); "Never My Love" by the Association (#6); "Incense and Peppermints" by the Strawberry Alarm Clock (#7); "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" by Aretha Franklin (#8); "The Rain, The Park, & Other Things" by the Cowsills (#9); and "Please Love Me Forever" by Bobby Vinton (#10). 

Nico released her first solo album, Chelsea Girl, this week in 1967. Most of the songs featured instrumental backing by the Velvet Underground, with whom Nico had collaborated prior to going solo; Jackson Browne also played guitar on the folk-pop album, The album is now considered one of the 1960’s masterpieces. This was also the week that Sly and the Family Stone released their debut album, A Whole  New Thing, and Judy Colilns released the best-selling album of her career, Wildflowers.

Fifty Years This Week in West Rome - 10/23/1967 to 10/29/1967

The West Rome Honor Society sponsored a homecoming car smash on Saturday at 7:30 PM, after the “beat Calhoun” bonfire and before the football game. Everyone in the community was invited to come and wield a sledgehammer against the hulk of an old automobile in order to demonstrate school spirit (although I never really understood how the two were related). The homecoming dance, featuring the Fifth Order, was scheduled for Saturday from 10 PM until midnight.

The homecoming festivities were particularly cheery in the aftermath of West Rome’s 35-0 victory over Calhoun. Roger Weaver scored three touchdowns and threw a 32-yard halfback pass for a fourth touchdown. Weaver was the game’s juggernaut, picking up 120 yards rushing, catching four passes, and returning a punt for a 70-yard score. 

Gala Shopping Center, which was only a few weeks old, experienced its first grand theft auto incident on Tuesday, October 24th, when two thirteen-year-old boys stole a car from the shopping center parking lot. The thieves drove the car to Garden Lakes, where they abandoned it. One boy was arrested a few minutes later in the vicinity of the car; the second boy got away, but was turned in later that afternoon by his parents once he told them what he had done. 

Rome and Floyd County police also shut down an illegal gambling den at the Sportsman’s Club on Rutledge Road (off Alabama Road, between West Rome and Coosa High Schools) on Saturday night. 22 people were arrested for illegal poker play for cash. 

Daylight saving time (which went into effect in Georgia for the first time in 1967) came to an end on Sunday, October 29th, at 2am, ensuring that it would be dark by the time trick-or-treaters wandered the streets of West Rome two days later. Representative Ward Edwards of Butler had already drafted a bill to exempt Georgia from observing DST; he hoped to have the state join Alaska, Indiana, and Hawaii, which opted to leave their clocks alone.

The second annual Chiaha Guild Harvest Art and Craft Fair took place at the corner of Kingston and Calhoun Avenues on Sunday, October 29th Two well-known Rome artists, Robert Redden and Robert Rakestraw, exhibited their work at the fair, joined by more than three dozen other artists and crafters. 

Piggly Wiggly had Boston butt (a cut of meat I don’t think we ever had at any point in my life, because I’m pretty sure would have remembered laughing in a most immature manner at its name) for 59¢ a pound, JFG coffee for 69¢ a pound, and Castleberry’s Brunswick stew for 39¢ a can. Kroger had fresh whole fryers for 25¢ a pound, bread for 18¢ a loaf, and frozen orange juice concentrate for a dime a can. A&P had ground beef for 43¢ a pound, white grapes for 15¢ a pound, and eight rolls of Northern bathroom tissue for 79¢. Big Apple had Cudahy Bar-S bacon for 67¢ a pound, Van Camp’s pork & beans for 15¢ a can, and a five pound bag of Dixie Crystals sugar for 39¢. Couch’s had pork chops for 49¢ a pound, Aunt Jemima pancake mix for 25¢ a box, and large eggs for 35¢ a dozen.

  

The cinematic week began with Don’t Make Waves (starring Tony Curtis) at the DeSoto Theatre, Sand Pebbles (starring Steve McQueen) at the First Avenue, and Hurry Sundown (starring Jane Fonda) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought Hour of the Gun (starring James Garner) to the DeSoto and the West Rome Drive-In, while Sand Pebbles hung around at the First Avenue for another week. 

Lulu held on to the number one slot for a second week with “To Sir With Love.” Other top ten hits included “The Letter” by the Box Tops (#2); “Never My Love” by the Association (#3); “How Can I Be Sure” by the Young Rascals (#4); “Expressway (To Your Heart)” by the Soul Survivors (#5); “It Must Be Him” by Vikki Carr (#6); “Soul Man” by Sam & Dave (#7); “Your Precious Love” by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (#8); “(You Make Me  Feel Like) A Natural Woman” by Aretha Franklin (#9); and “Incense & Peppermints” by Strawberry Alarm Clock (#10). 

Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 10/16/1967 to 10/22/1967

The Chieftain’s win over Cedartown propelled them to the number one slot in the Region 6-AA title race, while Roger Weaver maintained his position as number one in rushing for the season. The Chiefs were heavy favorites over Cass in the Friday night football game. I’m reasonably certain that Cass actually showed up for the game, but it’s hard to say for sure, since the final score was 55-6 in West Rome’s favor.

West Rome students had a short school week thanks to teacher in-service days. Kids were out of school on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, while teachers spent all three days in meetings.  (Of course, only the first part of that sentence mattered to most of us…)

It was a rough week for telephone poles. On Wednesday night, a truck took down two poles on Shorter Avenue, knocking out power for more than 200 homes. Then, on Thursday morning, a driver took out a pole on Charlton Road, leaving about a dozen homes in the dark. On Friday, a driver took out a pole on Burnett Ferry Road just south of Conn Street. Surprisingly, it was a rain-free week, so weather played no part in the sudden war on utility poles.

The Rome City School System worked out the details with the US Office of Economic Opportunity, enabling them to relaunch their Headstart program beginning this week in 1967. None of the participating schools was located in West Rome, but Superintendent McDonald indicated that Elm Street was under consideration to join the list for the 1968-1969 school year if it met the family low-income requirements.

The new Rome post office and federal building, which had been struck from the budget a few eeks ago, was added back to the budget after some finagling.  

The safe that was stolen from Lowe’s Supermarket a week earlier was found in a wooded area near Rydal, Georgia, on October 16th. Naturally, the safe had been forced open and all the cash was gone—but almost $2000 in check had been left behind. While the burglars made off with almost $4000 in cash, authorities said they recovered nearly $1000 worth of tools scattered around the safe—tools that had been used to get through the safe’s thick walls and heavy-duty lock mechanism. 

Murphy’s launched their anti-Big K offensive with a major toy push as they tried to take charge of the upcoming Christmas holiday season. Murphy’s was pushing its layaway program s part of its toy sale, and they also brought in Santa Claus on October 20th from noon until 6pm for shoppers who wanted to skip past Halloween and Thanksgiving and get right into the Christmas spirit.

Piggly Wiggly had turkeys for 37¢ a pound, Maxwell House coffee for 49¢ a pound, and grapefruit for a dime each. Kroger had sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, Starkist tuna for 29¢ a can, and large eggs for an especially low 25¢ a dozen. A&P had rib roast for 79¢ a pound, Van Camp chili with beans for 29¢ a can, and bananas for 15¢ a pound. Big Apple had pork chops for 69¢ a pound, red grapes for 25¢ a pound, and a 32-ounce jar of Peter Pan peanut butter for 69¢. Couch’s had ground sirloin for 69¢ a pound, Royal Pure orange juice for 25¢ a quart, and a four-sleeve box of Nabisco saltines for 35¢. 

The cinematic week began with Rough Night in Jericho (starring Dean Martin & George Peppard) at the DeSoto Theatre and the West Rome Drive-In and Alfie (starring Michael Caine) at the First Avenue. The midweek switchout brought Don’t Make Waves to the DeSoto Theatre,  The Sand Pebbles (starring Steve McQueen) to the First Avenue, and Hurry Sundown (with Jane Fonda) to the West Rome Drive-In.

Lulu’s “To Sir With Love” knocked The Box Tops' “The Letter” out of first place this week in 1967—but the Box Tops’ song only fell one slot to the number two position. Other top ten hits included “Never My Love” by the Association (#3); “How Can I Be Sure” by the Young Rascals (#4); “Expressway (To Your Heart)” by the Soul Survivors (#5); “It Must Be Him” by Vikki Carr (#6); “Soul Man” by Sam & Dave (#7); “Little Ole Man (Uptight—Everything’s Alright): by Bill Cosby (#8); “Gimme Little Sign” by Brenton Wood (#9); and “Your Precious Love” by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (#10). 

Fifty years ago this week, the first issue of Rolling Stone, featuring a John Lennon cover photo, rolled off the presses. The folded tabloid-format magazine would rapidly become the most influential and popular magazines in rock music history.

The first-ever race between Superman and the Flash took place in The Flash #175. Alas, we didn’t get to see how artist extraordinaire Carmine Infantino might have depicted this ultimate speed-test, because Flash #175 was the first issue illustrated by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito. (While the art team had done wonderful things in the pages of Metal Men and Wonder Woman, among other comics, they never really managed to portray super speed particularly effectively. As a result, The Flash—which had long been a favorite comic of mine—fell off my must-read list within a few issues.)

Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 10/9/1967 to 10/15/1967

West Rome faced off against Cedartown on Friday, Ocrtober 13th in a match between two undefeated 6-AA teams. By the time the game was over, West Rome was undefeated and Cedartown was sad as they looked at the scoreboard and saw a 14-7 Chieftain victory. The win came as the result of a remarkable Jimmy Edwards-to-Charles Williams pass that came on the first play of the fourth quarter. It appeared that the Bulldogs had Edwards cornered for a loss when he tossed a surprise pass deep downfield towards Williams, who somehow managed to catch the pass even with two Bulldog defenders in front of and behind him. Williams was tackled at the three-yard line, and from there it was an easy walk into the end zone for Roger Weaver.  Mark Brewer completed the point-after kick to secure the 14-7 victory. (Of  course, that wouldn’t have been a winning touchdown had Edwards not completed a short touchdown run in the second quarter after Mike Warren, Roger Weaver, and Byron Swinford moved the ball to within a few yards of the end zone.)

Burglars couldn’t break into the safe at Lowe’s Super Market on North Broad Sreet, so they simply toted it off with them in the early morning hours of October 9th. They got away with more than $6,000 in cash and a 250 pound safe. (I’m still amazed at what a hotbed of crime Rome was when I was growing up—I don’t remember any of this from my childhood, even though I read through both the Rome and Atlanta papers pretty regularly.)

Meanwhile, petty larcenies continued as thieves broke into four vending machines at Crumbley’s Park & Wash at 512 Shorter Avenue on Wednesday night , making off with approximately $50 and a number of snacks and soft drinks. Two days later, thieves broke into pay telephones in West Rome and on Highway 27 North, stealing approximately $40 in coins

The Rome Board of Education approved $15,000 in funds to begin installing televisions in all Rome school classrooms. The newly-launched Rome Cable TV system had agreed to install cable outlets in all classrooms at a bargain rate with no monthly fees, so the school system thought it would be advantageous to provide televisions for every classroom. (Alas, $15,000 didn’t go anywhere nearly as far as the school board thought it would, and the school system ultimately provided each school with a certain number of televisions and carts so that they could be rolled to classrooms when needed.)

Piggly Wiggly had chuck roast for 35¢ a pound, bananas for a dime a pound, and a six pack of Coke/Tab/Sprite for 33¢ plus deposit. Big Apple had fresh whole fryers for 23¢ a pound, Sealtest ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon, and tomatoes for 25¢ a pound. A&P had turkeys for 37¢ a pound, Eight O’Clock coffee for 49¢ a pound, and grapefruit for 15¢ each. Kroger had pork chops for 75¢ a pound, large eggs for 39¢ a dozen, and corn for 8¢ an ear. Couch’s had Golden Harvest weiners for 49¢ a pound, Van Camp’s chili for 29¢ a can, and winesap apples for 15¢ a pound. 

The cinematic week began with What’s New Pussycat (starring Peter Sellers) and How to Murder Your Wife (starring Jack Lemmon) in alternating showings at the DeSoto Theatre and the West Rome Drive-In, and Divorce American Style (starring Debbie Reynolds) at the First Avenue. The midweek switchout brought Rough Night in Jericho (starring Dean Martin) to the DeSoto, Alfie (starring Michael Caine ,who knew what it was all about) to the First Avenue, and a double feature of Young Warriors and Ride the Hangman Tree to the West Rome Drive-In.

“The Letter” continue to deliver for the Box Tops for yet another week as they held on to the number one slot. Other top ten hits included “Never My Love” by the Association (#2); “To Sir With Love” by Lulu (#3); “Little Ole Man) (Uptight—Everything’s All Right)” by Bill Cosby (#4); “Ode to Billie Joe” by Bobbie Gentry (#5); “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher” by Jackie Wilson (#6); “Come Back When You Grow Up” by Bobby Vee & the Strangers (#7); “How Can I Be Sure” by the Young Rascals (#8); “Gimme  Little Sign” by Brenton Wood (#9); and “Soul Man” by Sam & Dave (#10). 

Fifty years ago this week, Marvel took advantage of a DC oversight, introducing a new character named Captain Marvel in the pages of Marvel Super-Heroes #12. (DC had ended up with the rights to the Golden Age Captain Marvel, but had done nothing to protect the trademark, so it had lapsed. Once Marvel introduced their Captain Marvel, DC had no choice but to use the name “Shazam” for the adventures of their Captain Marvel; recently, they simply renamed the hero Shazam to avoid the confusion.) While DC’s (originally Fawcett’s) Captain Marvel was a magically-powered hero, Marvel’s Captain Marvel (created by Stan Lee & Gene Colan) was the science-fictional tale of a Kree soldier who made his way to Earth, where he became a superhero.

Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 10/2/1967 to 10/8/1967

Scores of Romans headed to Bartow County this week in 1966 to assist in a desperate search for three-year-old Bill Hardman, who went missing in the dense woods north of Cartersville on Tuesday, October 3rd. Altogether, more than 1500 people from six counties joined in the search, but it was a neighbor who found the child—ironically, only after the neighbor got lost in the woods after spending hours assisting in the search! The child was not even dehydrated, leading doctors to conclude that he must have drunk from the many streams and ponds that were located in the area.

Rome’s new cable television system began its expansion into West Rome this week in 1967. Shorter Heights was one of the first areas to get cable, with expansions down the length of Shorter Avenue and into adjacent subdivisions scheduled before the end of the year. “All nine channels are beautiful,” Rome Cable TV manager Hugh Smith said. (Yes, nine channels—three VHF from Chattanooga, 3 VHF from Atlanta, and three UHF from Atlanta—and that was the entirety of our cable choices in the distant past of 1967!)

Nine Rome juveniles were arrested in connection with a number of burglaries, larcenies, and shoplifting crimes that had occurred over the past three months. All nine confessed to sniffing airplane glue to get ready for their crimes. The kids said that they had never heard of glue sniffing until they read about it in the Atlanta paper--proving that in the 1960s, even criminals read the news on a regular basis.

And speaking of criminals… Someone broke into the cashier’s office at Berry College’s Hermann Hall and stole almost $10,000 on Thursday, October 5th. The money was stolen sometime between noon and 1pm, when everyone was at lunch. Two days later, police arrested a 22-year-old Berry senior from Florida for the theft after climbing in through an open window. 

Roger Weaver was recognized this week in 1967 for becoming the first Chieftain to rush more than 2000 yards in his varsity career—and Weaver did it early in his junior year! His 140 yards rushing against Wills on September 29th put him over the 2000 yard mark (2065 yards, to be exact). He was just one touchdown short of achieving 100 points scored, yet another landmark record.

The Chieftains took on one of their two biggest local rivals, the Coosa Eagles, on Friday, October 6th, posting a 14-0 victory before a sellout crowd of 6500 at Barron Stadium. Mike Grass and Mike Johnson scored the two touchdowns

Poorer Romans gained new access to health care beginning this week  in 1967 when a new program known as Medicaid launched. The plan assured that  those on public assistance, as well as those on 65, would not be denied medical care regardless of their ability to pay.

Piggly Wiggly had fresh whole fryers for 23¢ a pound, a quart of Georgia Maid dill pickles for 33¢, and grapefruit for a dime each. Kroger had T-bone steak for $1.09 a pound, corn for 6¢ an ear, and a case of Coca-Cola, Tab, or Sprite for $1 (plus deposit). A&P had boneless round roast for 89¢ a pound, red delicious apples for 12¢ a pound, and Betty Crocker layer cake mix for 41¢ a box. Big Apple had pork loin for 59¢ a pound, yellow squash for 19¢ a pound, and Sealtest sherbet or ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon. Couch’s had roasting chickens for 29¢ each, ‘Showboat pork & beans for 19¢ a large can, and vine-ripe tomatoes for 19¢ a pound. 

The cinematic week began with Two for the Road (starring Audrey Hepburn) at the DeSoto Theatre and the West Rome Drive-In and Up the Down Staircase (starring Sandy Dennis) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought an unusual double feature to both the DeSoto Theatre and the West Rome Drive-In: alternating showings of What’s New Pussycat (with Peter Sellers) and How to Murder Your Wife (with Jack Lemmon) at both theaters, while the First Avenue held Up the Down Staircase over for another week.

The Box Tops held on to the number one slot for another week with “The Letter.” Other top ten hits included “Never My Love” by the Association (#2); “Ode to Billie Joe” by Bobbie Gentry (#3); “Come Back When You Grow Up” by Bobby Vee & the Strangers (#4); “Little Ole Man (Uptight—Everything’s All Right)” by Bill Cosby (#5); “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher” by Jackie Wilson (#6); “Reflections” by Diana Ross & the Supremes (#7); “Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie” by Jay & the Americans (#8); “How Can I Be Sure” by the Young Rascals (#9); and “Gimme Little Sign” by Brenton Wood (#10). 

Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 9/25/1967 to 10/1/1967

Rome detectives broke up a Rome-based auto theft ring that whose operations stretched from Chicago to Birmingham to Savannah. The thieves were stealing cars in distant towns, then bringing them to Rome where they changed the vehicle ID numbers and resold them as used cars in the Rome market. Since the ring crossed state lines to carry out its crimes, the Rome police department called in the FBI to assist.  Eleven stolen vehicles were recovered, and police were going through records to try to determine how many other stolen vehicles had been sold to unsuspecting buyers.

Rome got an early hint of winter when temperatures fell to 39 degrees in the early morning hours of Friday, September 29th. (There were reports of frost at the top of Mount Alto, which is almost unheard of in Georgia in September) Temperatures dropped even more on Saturday morning, hitting a record low of 36 degree—perfect football weather!

Rome City Schools’ plans for an ambitious Headstart program were put on hold when the US Office of Economic Opportunity delayed approval of the plan. The school system was surprised by the delay, since they had been approved for funds for the 1966-1967 school year and thought approval for the 1967-1968 school year was pretty much an automatic thing… but apparently they underestimated the lethargy of the governmental bureaucracy.

The Chieftains faced off against the Wills Tigers in a hard-fought game that found the Chieftains behind 14-7 midway through the third quarter. West Rome’s defensive line recovered a blocked punt late in the third quarter and ran it in for a touchdown, then Roger Weaver scored on a 23-yard run in the fourth quarter to put the Chiefs in the lead. Mark Brewer’s on-target kicking secured the 21st point, giving the team another victory.

West Rome Junior High School published its first newspaper, Smoke Signals, this week in 1967, under the guidance of journalism teacher Norris V. Johnson. Journalism was one of two new courses added to the junior high school curriculum in the 1967-68 school year; the other was speech & drama (a single course combining both subjects), which was taught by Mrs. Huffstetler on the 7th grade level and Mrs. Brannon on the 8th grade level. The theaters were already working on plans to present two one-act plays to the student body during the school year.

Plans were underway for a four-lane east-west corridor highway linking Memphis, Tennessee, and Columbia, South Carolina—and those plans had the road coming right through Rome. While it wasn’t an interstate, the plans would have given Rome a new multi-line highway to access areas of the South that were previously not connected by any major thoroughfares. 

Big K estimated that more than 25,000 customers shopped in its new Gala Shopping Center department store in its first week of operation. This was far more than store management had initially anticipated, and they said that it showed how important the new Gala Shopping Center would be to the Rome economy once the other stores in the center opened. (We know that they were correct: the presence of Gala Shopping Center established West Rome as a shopping destination. Gala would remain Rome's busiest shopping area until Riverbend Mall opened almost a decade later--but even Riverbend couldn't replace West Rome as a shopping destination, it could merely supplement it. It was Broad Street that suffered due to the development of shopping centers and malls, although it would be several more years before Romans would begin to see the first downtown retail casualties.)

Piggly Wiggly had sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, red delicious apples for 15¢ a pound, and a six-bottle carton of Coca-Cola, Tab, or Sprite for 39¢ plus deposit. A&P had center cut pork chops for 69¢ a pound, Poss Brunswick stew for 49¢ a can, and red seedless grapes for 19¢ a pound. Big Apple had baking hens for 29¢ a pound, Jif peanut butter for 39¢ a jar, and grapefruit for 15¢ each. Kroger had smoked hams for 39¢ a pound, cantaloupes for 33¢ each, and a five-pound bag of Domino sugar for 39¢. Couch’s had ground beef for 45¢ a pound, large eggs for 35¢ a dozen, and Maxwell House coffee for 69¢ a pound.

The cinematic week began with Heat of the Night (starring Rod Steiger) at the DeSoto Theatre and the West Rome Drive-In, and The Sound of Music (starring Julie Andrews) at the First Avenue Theatre. The midweek switchout brought Two for the Road (starring Audrey Hepburn) to the DeSoto Theatre and the West Rome Drive-In, and Up the Down Staircase to the First Avenue.

The Box Tops held on to the number one slot for a second week with “The Letter,” while Bobbie Gentry held second place with her hit “Ode to Billie Joe.” Other top ten songs included “Never My Love” by the Association (#3); “Come Back When You Grow Up” by Bobby Vee & the Strangers (#4); “Reflections” by Diana Ross & the Supremes (#5); “Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie” by Jay & the Techniques (#6); “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher” by Jackie Wilson (#7); “Funky Broadway” by Wilson Pickett (#8); “I Dig Rock & Roll Music” by Peter, Paul, & Mary (#9); and “Brown Eyed Girl” by Van Morrison (#10). 

Deadman’s second appearance in Strange Adventures #206 was released this week in 1967. Normally a second appearance isn’t particularly newsworthy, but in this case it most definitely is, because artist Neal Adams took over the series with the second issue and quickly made it one of his “signature series.” Many people forget that Carmine Infantino illustrated the first issue, because Adams’ art quickly came to define the look and feel of Deadman (Infantino understood, since he had taken over Adam Strange from Mike Sekowsky and instantly established it as his own, leading people to forget Sekowsky’s early issues). Fifty years later, Adams is working on a new Deadman series that picks where his original run left off—and I guess that proves that good things do come to those who wait!

Fifty Years Ago This Week in 1967 - 9/18/1967 to 9/24/1967

The jury deliberated for less than three hours in the case of Watson Street residents against Minge Cement Company before they issued a permanent injunction against Minge. The jury said that the facility definitely qualified as heavy industry; did not belong in or near a residential area; and that the dust, noise, and traffic was negatively affecting the quality of life of the residents nearby. Minge’s lawyers said that the company had not decided whether to appeal or simply to relocate the facility. Some residents were also asking that Judge Jerry Minge resign his position for abuse of authority, but Minge and his attorneys had no comment on that.

The 19th Annual Coosa Valley Fair was a highlight of this week in 1967, and the weather was perfect for fairgoing—no rain and temperatures in the low 80s during the day and the upper 60s in the evening. The West Rome High School Band performed a concert on Thursday, September 21st at 6:30 pm, just prior to the crowning of Miss Coosa Valley Fair, which meant that they had one of the largest audiences of any fair event. Special guests for the fair included Atlanta Falcons players Randy Johnson and Tommy Nobis, Harold “Red” Grange, and children’s TV show hosts Officer Don (from Atlanta) and Bob Brandy (from Chattanooga).

Coach Paul Kennedy was cautiously optimistic about the Chieftain’s home game against Lafayette. He didn’t feel that the prior week’s loss against Chattooga was a sign of things to come; instead, he said that the Chiefs played one of their better games, but they were simply outmanned by the larger, more experienced Chattooga team. Kennedy said that the West Rome offense was the key: if the Chiefs could bring their running game back up to its former levels, they would have a great chance of winning.

The offense didn’t let Coach Kennedy down, racking up 34 points against LaFayette on Friday, September 22nd, at Barron Stadium. Problem is, LaFayette also racked up 34 points, so the game ended in a tie. West Rome almost pulled out a victory  on the final play of the game, but Mark Brewer’s 23-yard field goal effort was three feet too far to the left.

Big K opened for business on September 21st, 1967—the first store in Gala Shopping Center to open. This department store, Gala's anchor store located directly across the street from West Rome High School, would be Rome’s first major chain-store addition in many years; their presence in Rome would make Gala Shopping Center a regional shopping destination and would shake up Romans' shopping habits. Big K opened even before the rest of the shopping center was completed, although A&P, Cole Drugs, Economy Auto, Gateway Books, Kay Ice Cream, Pat’s Bakery, and Ken Stanton Music all planned to open in the fall in plenty of time for the holiday shopping season. (Alas, Big K’s move into the Rome market would also begin Rome's transition from locally owned, community-founded department stores to big-box discount chain stores—a transition that would be repeated across the country. In Rome, it would lead to the demise of Miller’s, Esserman’s, and Fahy’s, among other Rome stores.) For its opening, Big K had jeans for $2.22 a pair, men’s and women’s shoes for $1.22,a pair, Cannon towels for 37¢ each, .22 caliber rifles for $39.95, chocolate covered peanuts for 47¢ a pound, and a large bag of in-store-made caramel corn for a dime… and as I read that, I can still remember that rich, sweet taste of caramel corn wafting through the store.

Rome Radio Company began offering RCA’s first full-color home entertainment centers this week in 1967. The six-foot wide oak console unit housed a 23” color TV, an AM/FM radio, a four-speed six-record changer, and two large stereo speakers—and it could be yours for only $1095.00! (That’s the equivalent of $8400.00 in today’s dollars—no wonder other stores were reluctant to carry this entertainment behemoth!)

Senator Herman Talmadge went to bat for Rome and Floyd County, making a Senate floor speech to request that funds be restored for Rome’s proposed new federal building. The project had seemed to be a go until the week of the 11th, when it was unpredictably cut from the budget. Talmadge was ultimately successful, and the Rome Federal Building was back on track!

Rome merchants were faced with a counterfeiting problem this week in 1967. Someone was passing a large number of counterfeit $10 and $20 bills at a number of locations, including the West Rome Redford’s and A&P. All of the fake bills were dated 1963, and every $20 had the same serial number (which is what led one alert cashier to notice them—she got two of the twenties in one transaction and saw the identical serial numbers), while the tens were counterfeited using three different serial numbers (since tens were much more common than twenties in most shopping in the 1960s).

Piggly Wiggly had chicken breasts for 49¢ a pound, Vienna sausages for 20¢ a can, and Lady Alice ice milk for 33¢ a half-gallon. Big Apple had chuck roast for 39¢ a pound, red delicious apples for 20¢ a pound, and six-bottle cartons of Coca-Cola, Tab, or Sprite for 33¢ plus deposit. Kroger had cubed steak for $1.09 a pound (I had no idea that cube steak cost more than sirloin or T-bone!), Chef Boy-Ar-Dee spaghetti & meatballs for 29¢ a can, and cantaloupes for 33¢ each. A&P had smoked hams for 37¢ a pound, Aunt Jemima syrup for 47¢ a bottle, and seedless grapes for 19¢ a pound. Couch’s had ground beef for 43¢ a pound, JFG coffee for 69¢ a pound ,and bananas for a dime a pound.

The cinematic week began with The Big Mouth (starring Jerry Lewis) at the DeSoto Theatre and The Sound of Music (starring Julie Andrews) at the First Avenue. The midweek switchout brought Heat of the Night (starring Rod Steiger) to the DeSoto Theatre and Up the Down Staircase (starring Sandy Dennis) to the First Avenue. The West Rome Drive-In was closed during the week for repairs, but they ran Heat of the Night on the weekend.

The Box Tops’ :”The Letter” knocked Bobbie Gentry out of the number one spot this week in 1967. Gentry still held on in second place with “Ode to Billie Joe,” which went from a pop song to a cultural phenomenon as people speculated just what was thrown off the Tallahatchee Bridge. Other top ten hits included “Come Back When You Grow Up” by Bobby Vee & the Strangers (#3); “Reflections” by Diana Ross & the Supremes (#4); “Never My Love” by the Association (#5); “Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie” by Jay & the Techniques (#6); “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher” by Jackie Wilson (#i7); “You’re My Everything” by the Temptations (#8); “I Dig Rock and Roll Music” by Peter, Paul, & Mary (#9); and “Funky Broadway” by Wilson Pickett (#10).

Bobbie Gentry’s Ode to Billy Joe album likewise climbed to second place, beating out the Doors, the Rolling Stones, the Monkees, Aretha Franklin, the Temptations, Jefferson Airplane, and the Rascals. Only the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band kept Gentry’s album out of the top slot.

More than a quarter century after his first comics appearance, The Spectre premiered in his very own series this week in 1967, after getting positive response to his appearances in DC’s tryout comic Showcase. Gardner Fox & Murphy Anderson handled the creative duties on The Spectre #1.

Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 9/11/1967 to 9/17/1967

The “dust case,” as it was dubbed in the newspaper, finally got its days in court—Floyd Superior Court, to be precise. Watson Street residents contended that the Minge cement company was operating a heavy industry in an area only zoned for light industry, and that the related dust, noise, and heavy vehicle traffic was ruining the quality of life for everyone who lived in and around Watson Street. Judge Jerry L. Minge —whose family owned the cement company--had allegedly pulled strings in the courthouse to have the case dismissed, but a public outcry attracted the attention of sympathetic county officials, who pushed to have the case heard. So how did the case turn out? Well, you’ll have to be here next week to find out!...

Coach Paul Kennedy shared his apprehensions about the week’s game against the Carrolton Trojans. “Our offense must improve at least 100%,” Coach Kennedy said. “I certainly wasn’t impressed with our offense against Chattooga… We’ve got to become more consistent with our offense.” Coach Kennedy apparently had every reason to be apprehensive, too: the Trojans won the game 26-0, allowing the Chieftains only one remote chance at scoring—and that chance was denied them by the intimidating Carrolton defense. This was the first defeat of the season for the Chieftains.

West Rome Honor Society president Pat Finley officiated at the induction of eight new members  on September 12th. The inductees included Cherri Dixon, Marguerite Diprima, Joanna Leffel, Laurie Bryant, Bonnie Logan, Elaine Darsey, Kathy Corpe, and Sharon Galloway. 

Way back in February of 1967, Floyd County inmate William Gaddis escaped from a work detail on Horseleg Creek Road. On September 14th, Gaddis walked into the office of Governor Lester Maddox and asked if he could turn himself in, “because I just got tired of running.” The governor’s executive secretary called the state patrol, who transported Gaddis back to Rome.

Burglars targeted the Floyd County Courthouse in the wee hours of Tuesday morning, September 12th, but there was was all too little reward for all that risk: apparently the only thing they found to steal was one empty whiskey bottle. What’s so odd about that is that they skipped right over radios, pistols, and other items to remove that one whiskey bottle from the evidence cabinet at the courthouse. Furthermore, the burglars ransacked desks in every office of the courthouse, but went to the trouble to try to put things back in a semblance of order so that it wouldn’t look like desks has been tampered with. 

We’ve all heard of bake sales to raise money for the band or a school group, but the Rome Civil Air Patrol took that concept to the next level with their light bulb sale to pay for the cost of a new CAP airplane. Either they expected to sell a lot of light bulbs, or that was one very cheap airplane…

With the Coosa Valley Fair slated to kick off beginning on September 18th, the Georgia National Guard announced that they would be offering firearms classes a the fair for boys and girls ages 10 to 14. “Waht we hope to do is impress upon our young people the importance of knowing how and when to use firearms,” a spokesman said. (Now imagine if anyone today announced a young person’s firearms course in conjunction with a county fair!) 

Piggly Wiggly had chuck roast for 39¢ a pound, Castleberry chili for 33¢ a can, and Hunt’s pizza catsup (I had no idea that such a thing ever existed—did anyone ever try this?) for 13¢ a bottle. Kroger had sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, Sealtest ice cream for 69¢ a half-gallon, and fresh okra for 15¢ a pound. A&P had fresh whole fryers for 25¢ a pound (29¢ a pound if you preferred your fryers cut up), seedless grapes for 19¢ a pound, and Poss Brunswick stew for 49¢ a can. Big Apple had perch fillets for 39¢ a pound, tomatoes for 19¢ a pound, and an eight-bottle carton of Double Cola for 39¢ plus deposit. Couch’s had ground beef for 39¢ a pound, bananas for a dime a pound, and Chef Boyardee spaghetti for 29¢ a can.

The cinematic week began with Fathom (starring Raquel Welch) at both the DeSoto Theatre and the West Rome Drive-In and The Sound of Music (starring Julie Andrews) at the First Avenue.  The midweek switchout brought The Big Mouth (with Jerry Lewis) to the DeSoto Theatre and Circus of Horrors (with no one who matters) to the West Rome Drive-In, while Julie Andrews continued to deprive romans of a cinematic choice at the First Avenue.

Apparently we were obsessed with whatever BIllie Joe McAllister threw off the Tallahatchee Bridge: Bobbie Gentry’s “Ode to Billie Joe” held on to the number one slot for the fifth time this week in 1967. Other top ten hits included “Reflections” by Diana Ross & the Supremes (#2); “Come Back When You Grow Up” by Bobby Vee & the Strangers (#3); “The Letter” by the Box Tops (#4); “Baby I Love You” by Aretha Franklin (#5); “You’re My Everything” by the Temptations (#6); “Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie” by Jay & the Techniques (#7); “All You Need Is Love” by the Beatles (#8); “San Franciscan Nights” by Eric Burdon & the Animals (#9); and “Funky Broadway” by Wilson Pickett (#10). 

The Doors performed “”Light My Fire” on The Ed Sullivan Show on September 17th—a performance that resulted in their being banned from the show from then on. Sullivan had mandated that the group not include the line “Girl we coudn’t get much higher” in their performance and the band agreed—but then they performed the line anyway. Apparently Sullivan held a grudge, since he refused several requests by the Doors’ manager to have the group appear again on the popular Sunday night variety show.

That very same night, the Who made the news by destroying their instruments during a performance on The Smothers Brothers Show. Pete Townsend was injured when Keith Moon’s bass drum exploded after being packed with fireworks. Moon had secretly packed three times the planned amount of fireworks in the drums, causing them to explode in a thunderous burst that Townsend later blamed for his hearing loss; the pyrotechnics also set Townsend’s hair on fire. (Moon himself was injured as well, as shrapnel from his cymbals cut his arm.) The outrageous gimmick worked, though: for the first time, the Who were generating major news coverage in the US.

TV premieres this week in 1967 included The Carol Burnett Show (September 11th), Ironside (September 14th), and Mannix (September 16th). 

Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 9/4/1967 to 9/10/1967

Mike Grass was named lineman of the week by the Rome News-Tribune for his performance in the season-opener Dalton football game, which West Rome won. Grass was credited with seventeen tackles against the  Catamounts; he also recovered a key fumble that contributed significantly to West Rome’s surprise victory over the Dalton team, which had been picked to win by almost ever sports prognosticator—including my Dad, the RNT sports editor who had picked Dalton for a two-touchdown win over the Chiefs. This time, Dad saw the light and picked West Rome to win over the Chattooga Indians.

And win they did: West Rome pulled off a 7-0 victory over Chattooga in their first home game of the season. Quarterback Jimmy Edwards scored the touchdown on a two-yard run in the very next play after Johnny Rimes’ diving catch that put the Chieftains in scoring distance.

(I remain impressed by my Dad’s skills at picking high school football games: he actually got 5 of 7 predictions right this week in ’67.)

Rome’s economy continued to boom, with a $2 million gain in retail sales in the second quarter of 1967 compared to the same period in 1966. (A half-century ago, when computers were monstrously large devices rarely used by government agencies, it took a few months to calculate quarterly figures.) That was a 10.6% percent increase in retail growth in one year—and that was before the scheduled late-1967 opening of Gala Shopping Center, planned to be the largest shopping center in northwest Georgia.

Burglars went for the big heist when they robbed the Coosa Valley Discount House on Division Street in West Rome in the wee hours of the morning on Tuesday, September 5th. The burglars stole nearly 400 items with a value in excess of $7,000.00 (that’s $50,000+ in today’s dollars!). The thieves obviously came prepared, because they made off with eight fullsized console television sets, six stereos three power saws, twenty fans, two sets of golf clubs, shotgun shells, rifles, pistols, and more than 220 watches.

Piggly Wiggly had beef liver for 29¢ a pound, grapes for 19¢ a pound, and Heinz tomato soup (yes, Heinz once made canned soup) for a dime a can. Kroger had baking hens for 29¢ a pound, bananas for 13¢ a pound, and Kroger brand bread for 18¢ a loaf (white bread, of course—I don’t even recall most grocery stores carrying whole wheat bread when I was a kid, although I could have simply been paying no attention). A&P had chuck roast for 39¢ a pound, corn for a nickel an ear, and Pickle Paton (I don’t make up these names, I just report them) hamburger dill slices for 29¢ a quart. Big Apple had round steak for 77¢ a pound, Bailey’s Supreme coffee for 59¢ a pound, and honeydew melons for 69¢ each (and considering that’s the equivalent of $5 each adjusted for inflation, I now see why we never had honeydew melons). Couch’s had pork chops for 49¢ a pound, Van Camp’s chili for 29¢ a can, and tomatoes for 15¢ a pound.

The cinematic week began with Walt Disney’s Gnome-Mobile at the DeSoto Theatre, The Sound of Music (starring Julie Andrews) at the First Avenue Theatre, and Hell’s Angels on Wheels at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switch out brought Fathom (starring Raquel Welch) to the DeSoto Theatre and Horrors of the Black Museum (starring nobody important) to the West Rome Drive-In, while The Sound of Music continued to deprive us of another cinematic choice at the First Avenue.

Bobbie Gentry’s enigmatic ballad “Ode to Billie Joe” held onto number one once again this week in 1978. Other top ten hits included “Reflections” by Diana Ross & the Supremes (#2); “Come Back when You Grow Up” by Bobby Vee and the Strangers (#3); “Baby I Love You” by Aretha Franklin (#4); “The Letter” by the Box Tops (#5); “All you Need Is Love” by the Beatles (#6); “You’re My Everything” by the Temptations (#7); “Light My Fire” by the Doors (#8); “Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie” by Jay and the Techniques (#9); and “San Francisco Nights” by Eric Burdon and the Animals (#10).

NBC filled a hole in their prime-time schedule on Saturday night, September 9th, with a comedy special that combined slapstick gags, quick-cut jokes, light-hearted burlesque, guest-cameos, and oodles of silliness. The special, Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In, proved to be such a surprise hit that the network quickly signed up Dan Rowan and Dick Martin to bring the show back on a regular basis a few months later—and it went on to become one of the hottest comedy programs of the late 60s, making stars out of Goldie Hawn, Arte Johnson, Henry Gibson, Joanne Worley, Judy Carne, Alan Sues, Ruth Buzzi, and many more.

This was also the week that kicked off the Fall TV season, with several noteworthy show premieres, including He & She (with Paula Prentiss & Richard Benjamin) on Wednesday, September 6th; The Flying Nun (starring Sally Field) on Thursday, September 7th; and The Mothers-In-Law (starring Eve Arden and Kaye Ballard) and The High Chaparral (starring Lief Erickson and Cameron Mitchell) on Sunday, September 10th.

And for those of us who were comic book fans, there was great news: Spider-Man (“does whatever a spider can”) was one of two memorable cartoons premiering on Saturday, September 9th. The other was Jay Ward’s  Tarzan spoof George of the Jungle (“watch out for that tree”), which also featured Super-Chicken as as part of its half-hour zaniness.

It was also the end of an era for fans of DC Comics’ The Flash: Carmine Infantino, who had illustrated the Silver Age Flash ever since his return in Showcase #4, ended his long run with Flash #174 this week in 1967. It always seemed unfair that he ended with this issue rather than #175, which featured the landmark race between Superman and the Flash. Who could have possibly done a better job on that speed faceoff than Infantino? (Certainly not Ross Andru and Mike Esposito, who did their best but simply were not suited for the Flash.)
.

A Life in Four Colors (Part Forty-Two)

For me, it has always been Fantastic Four.

Why?

It wasn't my first comic. It wasn't even the first comic I actively collected (Adam Strange in Mystery in Space, Batman, Detective, Superman, Action, Adventure, Flash, Green Lantern, and Justice League all predated it). But to this day, when I think of comic book collecting, the first title I envision is Fantastic Four.

And I think I know the reason.

Fantastic Four was the first comic I actively collected from the very beginning of its run. I purchased my copy at the Enloe's Rexall Drugstore on Shorter Avenue, the day I first saw it on the stands. Didn't even know it was a superhero book. I recognized the art style as being the same as the art in of some of the pre-hero Marvel monster books I was buying and enjoying, and there were no costumes to identify these characters as superheroes. Heck, one of the good guys looked as monstrous as the behemoth he was combating!

So I bought a copy, and my life was changed.

The ill-tempered Ben Grimm. The intellectual Reed Richards. The brash Johnny Storm. The compassionate Sue Storm. Before I finished that first issue, I felt like I knew them. And right then, I knew that, if I saw another Fantastic Four comic, I was going to buy it.

Six weeks later, I stumbled across Fantastic Four #2 at Conn's Grocery. (The fact that I found it six weeks later meant that I was actually a couple of weeks late finding FF #1, since the title was bi-monthly to begin with. Imagine if I had been a few weeks later and had missed it entirely!...) I had already spent my entire allowance that week (mostly on comics, of course), but I cajoled my Dad into buying FF #2 for me.  I finished it in the car before we got home.

And right then, I wanted the next issue. I couldn't wait to read more stories starring these characters and their bizarre, almost monstrous adversaries.

I was hooked. I was a collector. And I watched the entire world of the Fantastic Four--and the entire Marvel Age of Comics--unfold, month after month, as Marvel added more superhero titles and converted some of their existing titles like Strange Tales, Tales to Astonish, Tales of Suspense, and Journey Into Mystery into superhero titles.

No matter how good the book was, though, it wasn't Fantastic Four. Stan and Jack were doing their best work here; they really wanted to live up to that bragging "World's Greatest Comics Magazine" blurb. Even lackluster issues like FF #7 (an alien kidnap story featuring a forgettable villain named Kurrgo) or FF #13 (the Red Ghost tale that is memorable only for the stunning Steve Ditko inks on Kirby's pencils) or FF #24 (the Infant Terrible story that seemed to be taken right from the pages of a pre-hero Marvel) were fascinating because they were part of the greater tapestry of Fantastic Four tales.

No matter how much I enjoyed Batman or Superman or any of the other DC heroes, I could never experience them from the beginning. With enough money, I could acquire all those old issues--but I'd be reading them as a part of history. There could be no real suspense, because I  had already read later issues and knew that everyone was alive and well. (I was too young to realize that all suspense in comics was largely artificial, because publishers back then were wise enough not to do anything drastic to their moneymaking characters.) But with Fantastic Four, I had no idea what might happen next.

There's a lot to be said for "getting in on the ground floor." In the case of Fantastic Four, it introduced me to the world's greatest comics magazine, and it made me appreciate the genius of the two men responsible for those tales.

So if I reduce my entire comics collection to one series, this is it. And I could be happy with that.