Rome City Schools' decision to eliminate new tuition students for the 1968-1969 school year accomplished exactly what the system hoped it would: it reduced student enrollment. Total enrollment dropped from 6,646 in 1967-68 to 6565 in 1968-69--a drop of a little more than 1%. That figure was deceptive, though, because the 6585 included almost a hundred new students whose families had moved to Rome. West Rome Junior High enrollment was 413, compared to 337 the year before; much of that increase came from the transfer of students from Anna K. Davie, which was being phased out due to desegregation. West Rome High enrollment jumped from 687 to 785, an increase of about 13%; much of that Main High, which eliminated its ninth and tenth grade classes in 1968-69. West End gained only two students, and Elm Street actually lost 22 students.
West Rome kicked off the 1968 football season with a 35-28 win over Westminster on Friday, September 6th. After the game, a sock hop was held at the West Rome gym, sponsored by The Drumbeat (the West Rome High School newspaper). Music was provided by Jaywalker & the Pedestrians. (I have no info on this group--does anyone know of the band was made of up West Rome students or alumni?)
Rome unemployment increased slightly in the late summer of 1968, due largely to Celanese shutting down part of its plant. Almost all of those who were unable to find work were women or men over the age of 55. Outside of this group, unemployment dropped to 3% in the Rome area.
Piggly Wiggly had chicken breasts for 59¢ a pound, Maxwell House coffee for 72¢ a pound, and a one-quart container of Cool Whip for 49¢. A&P had bone-in Swiss steaks for 69¢ each, carrots for a dime a bunch, and a 36 ounce box of powdered milk for 59¢. (We had powdered milk in the house for several years in the 1960s; Mom would use it as a milk extender, mixing it with water and regular milk. I could always tell when I was drinking the real-milk-and-powdered-milk mix, but I didn't much care. While powdered milk by itself was pretty watery and off-tasting, the mix was tolerable, particularly on cereal.) Kroger had chuck roast for 49¢ a pound, Blue Plate mayonnaise for 38¢ a quart, and Campbell's tomato soup for a dime a can. (Tomato soup and about half a pack of Saltines were one of my favorite lunches--and I would have gladly had it for dinner if the choice had been up to me.) Big Apple had sirloin steak for 89¢ a pound, Chicken of the Sea tuna for 33¢ a can, and strawberries for 33¢ a pint. Couch's had ground beef for 43¢ a pound, Aristocrat ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon, and bananas for a dime a pound.
The cinematic week began with Hang 'Em High (starring Clint Eastwood) at the DeSoto Theatre, Gone With the Wind (starring Clark Gable & Vivien Leigh) at the First Avenue, and a double feature of How to Steal a Million (starring Audrey Hepburn) and Bandolero (starring Dean Martin) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought The Secret Life of an American Wife (starring Anne Jackson & Walter Matthau) to the DeSoto Theatre and Hang 'Em High to the West Rome Drive-In, while Gone With the Wind hung around for another week at the First Avenue. (It's really amazing to realize that Rome only had two indoor movie theatres, and one of them was spending more than a month showing an almost-thirty-year-old film rather than bringing in something new. Of course, in those days before VCRs, premium channels, DVDs, blu-rays, and streaming services, this and TV reruns were the only way we could see old classics.)
The Rascals took number one this week in 1968 with "People Got to Be Free." Other top ten hits included "Born to be Wild" by Steppenwolf (#2); "Light My Fire" by José Feliciano (#3); "Haprer Valley PTA" by Jeannie C. Riley (#4); "Hello, I Love You" by the Doors (#5); "The House That Jack Built" by Aretha Franklin (#6); "1,2,3,Red Light" by the 1910 Fruitgum Co. (#7); "You're All I Need to Get By" by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (#8); "I Can't Stop Dancing" by Archie Bell & the Drells (#9); and "Stay in My Corner" by the Dells (#10).
The Banana Splits Adventure Hour premiered n NBC on Saturday morning September 7th (remember that "One banana, two banana, three banana, four" theme song?). In the days before Nickelodeon, the Disney Channel, the Cartoon Network, and other kid-focused channels, Saturday morning TV was the one time slot in which cartoons and other kids' programming ruled the schedule.
Friday, August 31, 2018
Friday, August 24, 2018
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 8/26/1968 to 9/1/1968
The last week of August 1968 in West Rome was a slow one. Summer (well, what students call summer--not the meteorological season, but the time between the end of one school year and the beginning of the next) was over, school was back in session, TV was still in reruns, football season hadn't started yet, and the fair was still a few weeks away... Rome in August was a town with too little to do and too much time in which not to do it, apparently.
Rome's late-summer heat wave continued, with temperatures hitting the upper 90s for the first half of the week and lows in the mid-70s. Not only was it hot, it was also quite dry, without even a popup thunderstorm to break the heat. Thankfully, cooler air moved in by the last part of the week, with Thursday highs in the mid-80s and lows in the upper 50s.
School started back on Monday, August 26th. Unfortunately, the late-summer heat wave we were just talking about made for a very uncomfortable first week of school, since West Rome was not air conditioned. While each classroom was designed with a bank of windows that could could open at both upper and lower levels, that didn't do much to cool a classroom down when the air coming in through those windows was in the mid to upper 90s. Even worse, the school system did not provide fans for the classrooms, so it was up to teachers to bring in their own fans if they wanted to keep the air moving in their rooms. (Making it a little worse for me was the fact that the first day of school was also my birthday. Starting school on your birthday is never a fun thing. Not only do you not get to have a lazy day off, but you also are in the company of friends and acquaintances who—even if they knew when your birthday was—have no memory of your birthday because there’s so much first-day-of-school stuff going on.)
Head football coach Nick Hyder was looking ahead at the upcoming season, and he was concerned bout what he saw: the Chieftains were saddled with an incredibly challenging schedule, beginning with a game against prep powerhouse Westminster on September 6th, with Carrollton (who held a record for making it to region playoffs more than any other school in the state) following two weeks after that and Triple-A champion Marietta two weeks after Carrolton. "We just hope we can lean some football from these folks," Coach Hyder said. "A schedule like this should make the fans happy,, but it sure means that the players have a lot of work to do to get ready. Hyder was most concerned about the line of scrimmage. "If the line holds up, we'll play respectable football. But that's the big question mark."
Six more Romans, including two in West Rome, were arrested for selling illegal alcohol. Authorities said that all of the recent arrests grew out of information gathered a month earlier when an illegal still operation was busted up; the operators of the still had records that indicated who some of their dealers were.
Piggly Wiggly had spare ribs for 49¢ a pound, grapes for 19¢ a pound, and Lady Alice ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon. Kroger had fresh whole fryers for 27¢ a pound, Campbell's tomato soup for a dime a can, and a ten-pound bag of potatoes for 49¢. A&P had chuck steak for 49¢ a pound, honeydew melons for 79¢ each, and an in-store baked apple pie for 39¢. Big Apple had turkey for 29¢ a pound, bananas for a dime a pound, and Banquet 16 ounce chicken pot pies for 19¢. Couch's had pork chops for 59¢ a pound, Van Camp's chili for 33¢ a can, and locally grown tomatoes for 19¢ a pound.
The cinematic week began with Where Were You When the Lights Went Out? (starring Robert Morse & Terry-Thomas) at the DeSoto Theatre, Gone With the Wind (starring Clark Gable & Viven Leigh) at the First Avenue, and A Time to Sing (starring Hank Williams Jr.) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought Hang 'Em High (starring Clint Eastwood) at the DeSoto and The Shakiest Gun In the West (starring Don Knotts) at the West Rome Drive-In, while Gone With the Wind hung around for another week at the First Avenue.
The Rascals took number one this week in 1968 with "People Got to Be Free." Other top ten hits included "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf (#2); "Light My Fire" by José Feliciano (#3); "Hello, I Love You" by the Doors (#4); "Sunshine of Your Love" by Cream (#5); "You Keep Me Hangin' On" by the Vanilla Fudge (#6); "Harper Valley PTA" By Jeannie C. Riley (#7); "You're All I Need to Get By" by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (#8); "I Can't Stop Dancing" by Archie Bell & the Drells (#9); and "Stay In My Corner" by the Dells (#10).
Rome's late-summer heat wave continued, with temperatures hitting the upper 90s for the first half of the week and lows in the mid-70s. Not only was it hot, it was also quite dry, without even a popup thunderstorm to break the heat. Thankfully, cooler air moved in by the last part of the week, with Thursday highs in the mid-80s and lows in the upper 50s.
School started back on Monday, August 26th. Unfortunately, the late-summer heat wave we were just talking about made for a very uncomfortable first week of school, since West Rome was not air conditioned. While each classroom was designed with a bank of windows that could could open at both upper and lower levels, that didn't do much to cool a classroom down when the air coming in through those windows was in the mid to upper 90s. Even worse, the school system did not provide fans for the classrooms, so it was up to teachers to bring in their own fans if they wanted to keep the air moving in their rooms. (Making it a little worse for me was the fact that the first day of school was also my birthday. Starting school on your birthday is never a fun thing. Not only do you not get to have a lazy day off, but you also are in the company of friends and acquaintances who—even if they knew when your birthday was—have no memory of your birthday because there’s so much first-day-of-school stuff going on.)
Head football coach Nick Hyder was looking ahead at the upcoming season, and he was concerned bout what he saw: the Chieftains were saddled with an incredibly challenging schedule, beginning with a game against prep powerhouse Westminster on September 6th, with Carrollton (who held a record for making it to region playoffs more than any other school in the state) following two weeks after that and Triple-A champion Marietta two weeks after Carrolton. "We just hope we can lean some football from these folks," Coach Hyder said. "A schedule like this should make the fans happy,, but it sure means that the players have a lot of work to do to get ready. Hyder was most concerned about the line of scrimmage. "If the line holds up, we'll play respectable football. But that's the big question mark."
Six more Romans, including two in West Rome, were arrested for selling illegal alcohol. Authorities said that all of the recent arrests grew out of information gathered a month earlier when an illegal still operation was busted up; the operators of the still had records that indicated who some of their dealers were.
Piggly Wiggly had spare ribs for 49¢ a pound, grapes for 19¢ a pound, and Lady Alice ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon. Kroger had fresh whole fryers for 27¢ a pound, Campbell's tomato soup for a dime a can, and a ten-pound bag of potatoes for 49¢. A&P had chuck steak for 49¢ a pound, honeydew melons for 79¢ each, and an in-store baked apple pie for 39¢. Big Apple had turkey for 29¢ a pound, bananas for a dime a pound, and Banquet 16 ounce chicken pot pies for 19¢. Couch's had pork chops for 59¢ a pound, Van Camp's chili for 33¢ a can, and locally grown tomatoes for 19¢ a pound.
The cinematic week began with Where Were You When the Lights Went Out? (starring Robert Morse & Terry-Thomas) at the DeSoto Theatre, Gone With the Wind (starring Clark Gable & Viven Leigh) at the First Avenue, and A Time to Sing (starring Hank Williams Jr.) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought Hang 'Em High (starring Clint Eastwood) at the DeSoto and The Shakiest Gun In the West (starring Don Knotts) at the West Rome Drive-In, while Gone With the Wind hung around for another week at the First Avenue.
The Rascals took number one this week in 1968 with "People Got to Be Free." Other top ten hits included "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf (#2); "Light My Fire" by José Feliciano (#3); "Hello, I Love You" by the Doors (#4); "Sunshine of Your Love" by Cream (#5); "You Keep Me Hangin' On" by the Vanilla Fudge (#6); "Harper Valley PTA" By Jeannie C. Riley (#7); "You're All I Need to Get By" by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (#8); "I Can't Stop Dancing" by Archie Bell & the Drells (#9); and "Stay In My Corner" by the Dells (#10).
Saturday, August 18, 2018
Crossing Paths
"Move your cart. We can't get through."
He looked up from the cookie and cracker shelf, made eye contact with the stocky blonde woman in her thirties and her burly companion with a shaved head and an unkempt beard, then frowned slightly as he moved his cart. They pushed their cart forward almost instantly, not giving him time to finish clearing the aisle; the carts collided, pushing his cart into the merchandise shelf and knocking over a few boxes of Dare Maple Creme cookies. The couple moved down the aisle toward the front of the store, never stopping; they could have gone down any other aisle with the same results.
He began picking up the cookies, still frowning slightly but saying nothing. I stopped to help him.
"I was hoping to find some fall stuff," I said. "I really like pumpkin spice--but I guess I'm too early." Casual conversation is often pretty good for cutting through stress.
He glanced at me for a minute and then smiled. "Yeah. Me, too. I guess we're too early." He adjusted his black suit jacket slightly, then centered the Windsor knot of his crimson tie. The suit, like the man who wore it, was fastidiously maintained.
"These maple cookies are okay, but they're not pumpkin." He looked at the box as if he was considering it, then put it back in place. "You never know when they're going to put the fall stuff out. Usually, it's before my birthday. Guess not this year."
"When's your birthday?"
"Sunday... next Sunday."
"The 26th?"
"August 26th, yes."
"That's my birthday, too." After decades of knowing no one who shared a birthday with me, this was the second person I'd crossed paths with this week who had an August 26th birthday.
"You're kidding." As he spoke, he pulled out his wallet and slid his driver's license up high enough to show the birthday. 8/26/1923. I did the same. 8/26/1953. He grinned. "Whaddaya know?!"
"So you doing anything for your birthday? Getting together with your family or friends?"
He smiled wistfully. "I've outlived 'em all. My youngest boy died three years ago--he was my last living child. Oldest born in '42, while I was overseas. My girl was born in '44. My youngest boy was born in '46. They all had good lives, but I outlasted them. My wife passed a long time before that. Even my old home is gone. I've outlived all of my friends... that's the problem with being 95, I guess."
Look him over, you'd guess 75 tops. Assertive posture, articulate speech, an air of self-confidence and independence--nothing but his license said 95.
"Sorry to hear that."
"It's the down side to being 95. Even my old war buddies are gone now. I was in WWII."
"Where were you?"
"Europe. I was on a B-17 for a while."
"What position?"
"Started out as a ball turret gunner. Then we were nearly shot down, and we had to get rid of all the weight we could to try to make a crash landing back in England. They got me out of the ball turret, then one of the guys gave this big bolt assembly a solid hit and he knocked that pin out and the whole ball turret just dropped right out. That thing must have weighed a thousand pounds, maybe more with the guns and everything, and it just dropped. It was gone. And I looked at the other guys and I said, "I'm not a ball turret gunner any more. I'm a radio man. And I was the radio operator from then on. Always thought that if I'd stayed in that ball turret, I wouldn't be here now. They gave us a little parachute, but I decided I wanted a job where you got a big parachute and it took more than one big bolt to drop you out of the sky. And I never really believed that those little parachutes were going to do anyone any good, anyway..."
I could tell he was enjoying this opportunity to share the story. I think he had probably told it before, but not in a long time.
"You said your old home was gone. Where was home?"
"Up the road a ways--Cedartown."
I grinned. "My wife's from Cedartown. So's my family. We lived there for six years after we got married."
"You're just saying that!"
"No sir! We lived on Olive Street, right off South Main."
"Heading down to the Old Mill and then to Buchanan--I know where that was!"
"Yep. My grandmother owned houses there, and we rented from her until we moved to Cobb County in '77."
"I'll be..."
"Where'd you live?"
"Like I said, it's not there any more. Whole street's been torn down and paved up now. It was called King Street. "
"You're not gonna believe this, but my wife grew up on King Street. Lived there when I first met her."
He started to say something, then just laughed in amazement.
"She lived at 103 King, just behind the little store on the corner. Where were you?
"We were at the other end of the street... 114 King. Left there after I came back from the war, though. GI Bill. bought a house off West Avenue."
"Susan wasn't born then, but her family already lived in the house by the time you moved out."
"What are the chances?... It's a small world, isn't it?"
"It is indeed..." I looked at my watch. "I've really enjoyed talking to you, but I'm afraid I have to go next door and pick up a pizza now."
He held out his hand; I took it and we shook hands firmly.
"I'm in here a lot. I don't live too far away. How about you?"
"We live about four miles from here, but I come in every couple of weeks. Sometimes more."
"If you see me, say hello, won't you? Not too many people say hello any more."
"Yes sir, I will."
I'll see him again. Sure of it. The fall stuff is coming in soon, after all...
He looked up from the cookie and cracker shelf, made eye contact with the stocky blonde woman in her thirties and her burly companion with a shaved head and an unkempt beard, then frowned slightly as he moved his cart. They pushed their cart forward almost instantly, not giving him time to finish clearing the aisle; the carts collided, pushing his cart into the merchandise shelf and knocking over a few boxes of Dare Maple Creme cookies. The couple moved down the aisle toward the front of the store, never stopping; they could have gone down any other aisle with the same results.
He began picking up the cookies, still frowning slightly but saying nothing. I stopped to help him.
"I was hoping to find some fall stuff," I said. "I really like pumpkin spice--but I guess I'm too early." Casual conversation is often pretty good for cutting through stress.
He glanced at me for a minute and then smiled. "Yeah. Me, too. I guess we're too early." He adjusted his black suit jacket slightly, then centered the Windsor knot of his crimson tie. The suit, like the man who wore it, was fastidiously maintained.
"These maple cookies are okay, but they're not pumpkin." He looked at the box as if he was considering it, then put it back in place. "You never know when they're going to put the fall stuff out. Usually, it's before my birthday. Guess not this year."
"When's your birthday?"
"Sunday... next Sunday."
"The 26th?"
"August 26th, yes."
"That's my birthday, too." After decades of knowing no one who shared a birthday with me, this was the second person I'd crossed paths with this week who had an August 26th birthday.
"You're kidding." As he spoke, he pulled out his wallet and slid his driver's license up high enough to show the birthday. 8/26/1923. I did the same. 8/26/1953. He grinned. "Whaddaya know?!"
"So you doing anything for your birthday? Getting together with your family or friends?"
He smiled wistfully. "I've outlived 'em all. My youngest boy died three years ago--he was my last living child. Oldest born in '42, while I was overseas. My girl was born in '44. My youngest boy was born in '46. They all had good lives, but I outlasted them. My wife passed a long time before that. Even my old home is gone. I've outlived all of my friends... that's the problem with being 95, I guess."
Look him over, you'd guess 75 tops. Assertive posture, articulate speech, an air of self-confidence and independence--nothing but his license said 95.
"Sorry to hear that."
"It's the down side to being 95. Even my old war buddies are gone now. I was in WWII."
"Where were you?"
"Europe. I was on a B-17 for a while."
"What position?"
"Started out as a ball turret gunner. Then we were nearly shot down, and we had to get rid of all the weight we could to try to make a crash landing back in England. They got me out of the ball turret, then one of the guys gave this big bolt assembly a solid hit and he knocked that pin out and the whole ball turret just dropped right out. That thing must have weighed a thousand pounds, maybe more with the guns and everything, and it just dropped. It was gone. And I looked at the other guys and I said, "I'm not a ball turret gunner any more. I'm a radio man. And I was the radio operator from then on. Always thought that if I'd stayed in that ball turret, I wouldn't be here now. They gave us a little parachute, but I decided I wanted a job where you got a big parachute and it took more than one big bolt to drop you out of the sky. And I never really believed that those little parachutes were going to do anyone any good, anyway..."
I could tell he was enjoying this opportunity to share the story. I think he had probably told it before, but not in a long time.
"You said your old home was gone. Where was home?"
"Up the road a ways--Cedartown."
I grinned. "My wife's from Cedartown. So's my family. We lived there for six years after we got married."
"You're just saying that!"
"No sir! We lived on Olive Street, right off South Main."
"Heading down to the Old Mill and then to Buchanan--I know where that was!"
"Yep. My grandmother owned houses there, and we rented from her until we moved to Cobb County in '77."
"I'll be..."
"Where'd you live?"
"Like I said, it's not there any more. Whole street's been torn down and paved up now. It was called King Street. "
"You're not gonna believe this, but my wife grew up on King Street. Lived there when I first met her."
He started to say something, then just laughed in amazement.
"She lived at 103 King, just behind the little store on the corner. Where were you?
"We were at the other end of the street... 114 King. Left there after I came back from the war, though. GI Bill. bought a house off West Avenue."
"Susan wasn't born then, but her family already lived in the house by the time you moved out."
"What are the chances?... It's a small world, isn't it?"
"It is indeed..." I looked at my watch. "I've really enjoyed talking to you, but I'm afraid I have to go next door and pick up a pizza now."
He held out his hand; I took it and we shook hands firmly.
"I'm in here a lot. I don't live too far away. How about you?"
"We live about four miles from here, but I come in every couple of weeks. Sometimes more."
"If you see me, say hello, won't you? Not too many people say hello any more."
"Yes sir, I will."
I'll see him again. Sure of it. The fall stuff is coming in soon, after all...
Friday, August 17, 2018
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 8/19/1968 to 8/25/1968
West Rome students (and their counterparts across the river) were enjoying their last week of summer this time in 1968, with school set to start back on August 26th. However, this wasn't a totally school-free week: freshmen had to show up for registration at West Rome at 9 a.m., sophomores at 10:30 a.m. (since I was a sophomore this year, I was appreciative for the extra bit of sleep before I had to show up for registration), juniors at 1 p.m., and senior at 2:30 p.m. Elementary and junior high students had to show up at their schools between 9 a.m. and noon to register for the new year. West Rome students who had not attended school in the Rome City system before had to show up at the school on Tuesday at 9 a.m. for testing to determine class placement. College students at Berry and Shorter still had a few more weeks of freedom, though, since both colleges were scheduled to start back on September 17th. (Since neither high school had air conditioning, it made sense that city schools would wait until the hottest part of summer was over before starting back, but I have no idea why colleges waited until the third week of September to begin classes.)
The dog days of summer settled in this week in 1968, with Rome topping 100 degrees on August 19th. Temperatures "cooled down" to the mid and upper nineties for a couple of days before climbing back above 100 on Thursday, but lows were still hitting a comfortable upper 60s. The heat generated a Monday afternoon thunderstorm that dropped marble-sized hail on parts of Shorter Avenue.
Former students who didn't finish high school but were hoping to get their high school diplomas could sign up to take the General Education Development Test (GED) ate West Rome High School on Saturday, August 24th, at 9 a.m. More than forty people had signed up for the test by Friday afternoon.
Rome police raided a home at 502 Division Street and confiscated many gallons of illegal whiskey hidden throughout the house. Bootleg pints, fifths, and gallons of liquor was hidden in his car's trunk, in the refrigerator, in clothes hidden in the closet, inside the shell of a TV set, inside a gutted stereo console unit, inside hollowed-out books, inside hidden storage nooks in the walls, and more. Not surprisingly, police had reason to suspect that the resident was selling illegal liquor out of his home--but they knew for a fact that he was not watching TV or listening to his stereo!
Someone apparently had a grudge against shaved ice; a snowball stand near the Rome Civic Center was burned down by an arsonist late Wednesday night. Someone apparently dumped a gallon of gas on the snowball stand, then set it on fire; the suspect left the gas can behind, so police were hoping to pull fingerprints from the can.
A thief managed to enter the office of the Kayo Service Station at 1800 Shorter Avenue during business hours in order to steal a cash deposit back containing almost $500.
Piggly Wiggly had chuck roast for 39¢ a pound, potatoes for a dime a pound, and Merita bread for 15¢ a loaf. Kroger had chicken breast for 59¢ a pound, Irvindale ice milk for 39¢ a pound, and bananas for a dime a pound. A&P had Oscar Mayer hot dogs for 59¢ a pound, blueberries for 33¢ a pound, and Poss beef stew for 39¢ a can. Big Apple had sliced calf liver for 25¢ a pound, Luzianne coffee for 49¢ a pound, and lemons for 39¢ a dozen. Couch's had Armour Star bacon for 59¢ a pound, okra for 15¢ a pound, and Nabisco saltines for 37¢ a box.
The cinematic week began with The Thomas Crown Affair (starring Steve McQueen) at the DeSoto Theatre, Inspector Clouseau (starring Alan Arkin) at the First Avenue, and The Detective (starring Frank Sinatra) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought Where Were You When the Lights Went Out? (starring Steve Allen, Jim Backus, & Pat Paulsen) at the DeSoto Theatre, Gone With the Wind (starring Clark Gable & Vivien Leigh) at the First Avenue, and A Time to Sing (starring Hank Williams Jr.) at the West Rome Drive-In.
The Rascals took the number one slot this week with "People Got to Be Free." Other top ten hits included "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf (#2); "Hello, I Love You" by The Doors (#3); "Light My Fire" by José Feliciano (#4); "Classical Gas" by Mason Williams (#5); "Sunshine of Your Love" by Cream (#6); "Turn Around, Look at Me" by the Vogues (#7); "Stoned Should Picnic" by the 5th Dimension (#8); "I Can't Stop Dancing" by Archie Bell & the Drells (#9); and "Stay In My Corner" by the Dells (#10).
The Beach Boys released on the most offbeat albums of their musical career this week in 1966: Stack-O-Tracks, an album that featured the backing tracks for fifteen of their songs, sans vocals. In the days before karaoke, a lot of hopefuls practiced singing their favorite Beach Boys songs to these instrumental tracks.
One of the strangest Westerns in comics history was released this week in 1968. Bat Lash ("Will He Save the West... Or Ruin It?") was the creation of Sergio Aragones, Dennis O'Neil, and Nick Cardy; the character was introduced two months earlier in Showcase #76, but DC didn't wait for sales figures from the tryout issue before launching Bat Lash #1. (Maybe they should have, since Bat Lash wasn't the Western hit that DC had anticipated, since the series would be cancelled after only seven issues.) The book's roguish hero was reminiscent of Maverick as reinterpreted through 1960's youth-culture eyes.
The dog days of summer settled in this week in 1968, with Rome topping 100 degrees on August 19th. Temperatures "cooled down" to the mid and upper nineties for a couple of days before climbing back above 100 on Thursday, but lows were still hitting a comfortable upper 60s. The heat generated a Monday afternoon thunderstorm that dropped marble-sized hail on parts of Shorter Avenue.
Former students who didn't finish high school but were hoping to get their high school diplomas could sign up to take the General Education Development Test (GED) ate West Rome High School on Saturday, August 24th, at 9 a.m. More than forty people had signed up for the test by Friday afternoon.
Someone apparently had a grudge against shaved ice; a snowball stand near the Rome Civic Center was burned down by an arsonist late Wednesday night. Someone apparently dumped a gallon of gas on the snowball stand, then set it on fire; the suspect left the gas can behind, so police were hoping to pull fingerprints from the can.
A thief managed to enter the office of the Kayo Service Station at 1800 Shorter Avenue during business hours in order to steal a cash deposit back containing almost $500.
Piggly Wiggly had chuck roast for 39¢ a pound, potatoes for a dime a pound, and Merita bread for 15¢ a loaf. Kroger had chicken breast for 59¢ a pound, Irvindale ice milk for 39¢ a pound, and bananas for a dime a pound. A&P had Oscar Mayer hot dogs for 59¢ a pound, blueberries for 33¢ a pound, and Poss beef stew for 39¢ a can. Big Apple had sliced calf liver for 25¢ a pound, Luzianne coffee for 49¢ a pound, and lemons for 39¢ a dozen. Couch's had Armour Star bacon for 59¢ a pound, okra for 15¢ a pound, and Nabisco saltines for 37¢ a box.
The cinematic week began with The Thomas Crown Affair (starring Steve McQueen) at the DeSoto Theatre, Inspector Clouseau (starring Alan Arkin) at the First Avenue, and The Detective (starring Frank Sinatra) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought Where Were You When the Lights Went Out? (starring Steve Allen, Jim Backus, & Pat Paulsen) at the DeSoto Theatre, Gone With the Wind (starring Clark Gable & Vivien Leigh) at the First Avenue, and A Time to Sing (starring Hank Williams Jr.) at the West Rome Drive-In.
The Rascals took the number one slot this week with "People Got to Be Free." Other top ten hits included "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf (#2); "Hello, I Love You" by The Doors (#3); "Light My Fire" by José Feliciano (#4); "Classical Gas" by Mason Williams (#5); "Sunshine of Your Love" by Cream (#6); "Turn Around, Look at Me" by the Vogues (#7); "Stoned Should Picnic" by the 5th Dimension (#8); "I Can't Stop Dancing" by Archie Bell & the Drells (#9); and "Stay In My Corner" by the Dells (#10).
The Beach Boys released on the most offbeat albums of their musical career this week in 1966: Stack-O-Tracks, an album that featured the backing tracks for fifteen of their songs, sans vocals. In the days before karaoke, a lot of hopefuls practiced singing their favorite Beach Boys songs to these instrumental tracks.
One of the strangest Westerns in comics history was released this week in 1968. Bat Lash ("Will He Save the West... Or Ruin It?") was the creation of Sergio Aragones, Dennis O'Neil, and Nick Cardy; the character was introduced two months earlier in Showcase #76, but DC didn't wait for sales figures from the tryout issue before launching Bat Lash #1. (Maybe they should have, since Bat Lash wasn't the Western hit that DC had anticipated, since the series would be cancelled after only seven issues.) The book's roguish hero was reminiscent of Maverick as reinterpreted through 1960's youth-culture eyes.
Friday, August 10, 2018
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 8/12/1968 to 8/18/1968
Population growth was boosting West Rome (and East Rome) enrollment so much that the Rome City School Board announced that they could not accept any new tuition students for the 1968-1969 school year. Those who had attended West Rome or East Rome as tuition students for the '67-'68 school year would be allowed to continue, but if any student decided to return to his/her "home school," that student would not be allowed to return to the Rome system as a tuition student. Superintendent M.S. McDonald said that there were 52 tuition students at the two high schools.
New teachers to the Rome City School System were invited to attend the Red Apple Luncheon at East Rome High School. The Rome Area Chamber of Commerce sponsored the luncheon, which continued with a tour of the Rome area, including a stop at the Boys Club of Rome for refreshments and a musical performance.
Normally, high school football players would have begun pre-season practice two weeks before school started--which would have been this week in 1968. However, with new Georgia High School Association rules prohibiting high school football games prior to Labor Day, area coaches decided to wait an extra week before starting practice. That mean that Chieftain football players had one more week of summer to enjoy before reporting for practice on August 19th (and that practice could not include pads, since the new rules prohibited practice in pads before August 26th)--and considering that the highs this week in 1968 were in the mid-90s, you can be pretty sure that the players appreciated the time off the practice field! The players didn't get a totally free week, though: coaches had players report to the high school gym at 8am for two hours of calisthenics.
The Rome Health Department moved to its new facilities on West Tenth Street this week in 1968. The new facility was almost three times the size of the original facility, allowing the medical staff to assist far more Romans. (I still recall getting various vaccinations at the health department facility, as well as my blood test for our marriage license.)
Rome and Floyd County police officers joined with federal agents in raiding an illegal liquor operation located on (get ready for it) Booze Mountain Road. The still's operator had over a hundred gallons of illegal whiskey in his home and garage. Naturally, authorities destroyed the booze and the still.
Car thieves targeted the usually-packed Gala Shopping Center parking lot, with three car thefts reported this week in 1968. All three cars were a year old or less, and two of the three were late-model Chevrolets. Police encouraged drivers to be sure that their cars were locked and that the driver had the keys with him or her; in every case, the cars had been left unlocked, and in one of the cases, the drivers left the keys under the front seat of the car.
Cato's opened its Gala Shopping Center location on Thursday, August 15th, 1968. All opening weekend visitors were encouraged to enter in a free drawings for a variety of clothing giveaways.
Piggly Wiggly had ground chuck for 69¢ a pound, okra for 19¢ a pound, and Maxwell House instant coffee for $1.39 a jar. Big Apple had round steak for 79¢ a pound, cantaloupes for 33¢ each, and a five-pound bag of Dixie Crystals sugar for 39¢. A&P had pork chops for 59¢ a pound, Poss beef stew for 49¢ a can, and Valencia oranges for 69¢ a dozen. Kroger had fresh whole fryers for 29¢ a pound, Morton frozen cream pies for a quarter each, and Kroger bread for 18¢ a loaf. Couch's had Oscar Mayer hot dogs for 39¢ a package, bell peppers for a nickel each, and Nabisco saltines for 37¢ a box.
The cinematic week began with The Detective (starring Frank Sinatra) at the DeSoto Theatre, Dark of the Sun (starring Rod Taylor) at the First Avenue, and Planet of the Apes (starring Charlton Heston) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought The Thomas Crown Affair (starring Steve McQueen & Faye Dunaway) to the DeSoto and Inspector Clouseau (starring Alan Arkin & Peter Sellers) to the First Avenue, while The Detective moved to the West Rome Drive-In.
The Rascals took number one this week in 1968 with "People Got to Be Free." Other top ten hits included "Hello, I Love You" by the Doors (#2); "Classical Gas" by Mason Williams (#3); "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwofl (#4); "Light My Fire" by José Feliciano (#5); "Stoned Soul Picnic" by the 5th Dimension (#6); "Turn Around, Look at Me" by the Vogues (#7); "Sunshine of Your Love" by Cream (#8); "Grazing in the Grass" by Hugh Masekela (#9); and "Hurdy Gurdy Man" by Donovan (#10). What an amazing week for great music!
Cheap Thrills by Big Brother & the Holding Company was released this week in 1968. The album featured some pretty solid instrumentation, but the real cause for its success was the performance of the group's amazing vocalist, Janis Joplin, who would soon leave the group and become a rock superstar in her own right.
New teachers to the Rome City School System were invited to attend the Red Apple Luncheon at East Rome High School. The Rome Area Chamber of Commerce sponsored the luncheon, which continued with a tour of the Rome area, including a stop at the Boys Club of Rome for refreshments and a musical performance.
Normally, high school football players would have begun pre-season practice two weeks before school started--which would have been this week in 1968. However, with new Georgia High School Association rules prohibiting high school football games prior to Labor Day, area coaches decided to wait an extra week before starting practice. That mean that Chieftain football players had one more week of summer to enjoy before reporting for practice on August 19th (and that practice could not include pads, since the new rules prohibited practice in pads before August 26th)--and considering that the highs this week in 1968 were in the mid-90s, you can be pretty sure that the players appreciated the time off the practice field! The players didn't get a totally free week, though: coaches had players report to the high school gym at 8am for two hours of calisthenics.
The Rome Health Department moved to its new facilities on West Tenth Street this week in 1968. The new facility was almost three times the size of the original facility, allowing the medical staff to assist far more Romans. (I still recall getting various vaccinations at the health department facility, as well as my blood test for our marriage license.)
Rome and Floyd County police officers joined with federal agents in raiding an illegal liquor operation located on (get ready for it) Booze Mountain Road. The still's operator had over a hundred gallons of illegal whiskey in his home and garage. Naturally, authorities destroyed the booze and the still.
Car thieves targeted the usually-packed Gala Shopping Center parking lot, with three car thefts reported this week in 1968. All three cars were a year old or less, and two of the three were late-model Chevrolets. Police encouraged drivers to be sure that their cars were locked and that the driver had the keys with him or her; in every case, the cars had been left unlocked, and in one of the cases, the drivers left the keys under the front seat of the car.
Cato's opened its Gala Shopping Center location on Thursday, August 15th, 1968. All opening weekend visitors were encouraged to enter in a free drawings for a variety of clothing giveaways.
Piggly Wiggly had ground chuck for 69¢ a pound, okra for 19¢ a pound, and Maxwell House instant coffee for $1.39 a jar. Big Apple had round steak for 79¢ a pound, cantaloupes for 33¢ each, and a five-pound bag of Dixie Crystals sugar for 39¢. A&P had pork chops for 59¢ a pound, Poss beef stew for 49¢ a can, and Valencia oranges for 69¢ a dozen. Kroger had fresh whole fryers for 29¢ a pound, Morton frozen cream pies for a quarter each, and Kroger bread for 18¢ a loaf. Couch's had Oscar Mayer hot dogs for 39¢ a package, bell peppers for a nickel each, and Nabisco saltines for 37¢ a box.
The cinematic week began with The Detective (starring Frank Sinatra) at the DeSoto Theatre, Dark of the Sun (starring Rod Taylor) at the First Avenue, and Planet of the Apes (starring Charlton Heston) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought The Thomas Crown Affair (starring Steve McQueen & Faye Dunaway) to the DeSoto and Inspector Clouseau (starring Alan Arkin & Peter Sellers) to the First Avenue, while The Detective moved to the West Rome Drive-In.
The Rascals took number one this week in 1968 with "People Got to Be Free." Other top ten hits included "Hello, I Love You" by the Doors (#2); "Classical Gas" by Mason Williams (#3); "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwofl (#4); "Light My Fire" by José Feliciano (#5); "Stoned Soul Picnic" by the 5th Dimension (#6); "Turn Around, Look at Me" by the Vogues (#7); "Sunshine of Your Love" by Cream (#8); "Grazing in the Grass" by Hugh Masekela (#9); and "Hurdy Gurdy Man" by Donovan (#10). What an amazing week for great music!
Cheap Thrills by Big Brother & the Holding Company was released this week in 1968. The album featured some pretty solid instrumentation, but the real cause for its success was the performance of the group's amazing vocalist, Janis Joplin, who would soon leave the group and become a rock superstar in her own right.
Saturday, August 04, 2018
A Life in Four Colors Part Forty-Five
As I've said before, comics have played a major role in many of the most important parts of my life. I had no idea just how major a part they would play, though.
In December of 1967, I made my usual comics purchases. One of those comics was Batman #199, a rather forgettable issue with an eye-catching cover that shows Batman desperately trying to purchase a copy of a Batman comic book. DC (and in particular, editor Julius Schwartz) loved that sort of story: come up with an offbeat cover with a preposterous image or situation, then have the writer deliver a story to match.
The comics-reading experience always included the letters column; I enjoyed seeing what other readers had thought of prior issues. So once I finished the comic, I flipped to the letters column--and my eyes were immediately drawn to two words.
Cedartown, Georgia.
Cedartown, located just a half-hour from my home town, was very familiar to me. My parents were born in Cedartown; my maternal grandmother still lived there, and we visited her once a month or so. I had stayed with my grandmother for a week a time during the summers when I was younger, which meant I knew the town. I knew pretty much every store that carried comic books. I had probably bought comics in the same store where this mystery letter writer bought comics.
It had never occurred to me that there might be someone in Cedartown reading comics and then writing letters of comment. So I looked above the city and state to see who this mystery fan was.
Susan Hendrix.
I was doubly surprised. While I had known girls who read comics (Tricia Mullinax and Debbie Ezelle were two childhood friends who were also comics readers), I hadn't known any girls who were interested in actually writing about them, in either fanzines or letters of comment. Oh, I knew that there were girls reading comics--one of the most prominent letterhacks (the term used for those who frequently wrote letters of comments to comics) was Irene Vartanoff--but I didn't ever imagine that any of them might live in my general area.
Cedartown was a local phone call from Rome. Without giving it too much thought (if I had, I probably would have chickened out) I looked up Hendrix listings in Cedartown. There weren't that many of them. So I began calling; when someone would answer, I asked for Susan.
One wrong number. Two. Three. Four. Then came call number five.
"Just a minute," the boy who answered the phone said (I would learn later that it was Susan's brother, Wayne). Then he turned away from the phone and called loudly for Susan. A moment later, a girl's voice said hello.
I don't really remember precisely what I said. I didn't have that part planned out very well, I guess. I remember asking if this was the Susan Hendrix who read comic books. She hesitated before saying yes. I then asked if it was the Susan Hendrix who wrote a letter to Batman. More hesitation, then another yes. Then I told her my name, told her that I read comics, too, that I also wrote letters of comment, and probably blathered on for several more minutes. We talked about comics a little; we talked about the factual error in Batman #195 that inspired her letter; we talked about our interests in science fiction and music. And I asked if I could write her a letter to tell her more about myself. She said I could... and she said she'd write back. (I didn't need to ask for her address; back then, the letters columns included full addresses. 103 King Street. Less than two miles from my grandmother's house.)
Months later, as we got to know each other better, Susan told me that her first thought was that someone from her high school had seen her letter and was calling to mock her. She came very close to hanging up when I asked about reading comics.
I'm very lucky that she resisted that first impulse.
My life changed that day, although it would be several more months before I would get an inkling of how significant that change would be. We would talk and write letters to one another for six more months before we would first meet--a meeting that took place at my grandmother's house in Cedartown.
(Three years after that meeting, Susan and I would get married... but that's another story, and I don't want to get ahead of myself. So you'll have to wait a while for that part of my tale...)
Friday, August 03, 2018
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 8/5/1968 to 8/11/1968
The 1968-1969 school year hadn't begun yet, but band practice worked off a different calendar. Chieftain band members reported to the band room on Tuesday, August 6th, at 9am to begin practice so that they would be ready to go for the first football game. Students wouldn't report back for classes until August 26th.
The FBI joined the Rome and Floyd County police departments in their search for "Shug" Green, the burglar they had dubbed "the sneaker thief" due to his choice of footwear during his crimes. The thief, who was believed to be responsible for more than three dozen burglaries in the Rome area in the year prior, was suspected to be hiding in the Rome area.
Apparently Green wasn't the only burglar operating in Rome, though: while police were searching for him, someone else broke into Bradshaw Tire Company and stole almost $200 worth of tools from the shop area.
The North 2nd Avenue Bridge was closed to traffic this week while workers repainted the structure. They tried leaving the bridge open while they began painting, but apparently Rome residents weren't thrilled with paint-spotted cars...
The hottest weather of the summer settled in on Georgia this week in 1968, with temperatures hitting the mid to upper 90s every day of the week. There were a few scattered thunderstorms, but not enough to break the heat.
Back to school shopping was underway this week, and that meant that it was time for a price war between Super Discount Store and Big K. Super D had boxes of crayons, packs of notebook paper, Bic pens, scotch tape, Elmer's glue, composition books, and packs of note cards for 14¢ each. Big K took an additional two pennies off that price, offering the same selection and more for only 12¢ each.
The cinematic week began with The Green Berets (starring John Wayne) at the DeSoto Theatre, Boom (starring Elizabeth Taylor) at the First Avenue, and Speedway (starring Elvis Presley) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought The Detective (starring Frank Sinatra) to the DeSoto Theatre, Dark of the Sun (starring Rod Taylor) to the First Avenue, and Planet of the Apes (starring Charlton Heston) to the West Rome Drive-In.
Piggly Wiggly had fresh whole fryers for 27¢ a pound, corn for 6¢ an ear, and Coca-Cola/Tab/Sprite for 33¢ a carton plus deposit. Big Apple had chuck steak for 49¢ a pound, Wesson Oil for 39¢ a quart, and white seedless grapes for 33¢ a pound. Kroger had pork chops for 49¢ a pound, Kroger sherbet for 39¢ a half-gallon, and Star-Kist Tuna for 29¢ a can. A&P had smoked ham for 35¢ a pound, lettuce for 19¢ a head, and honeydew melons for 79¢ each. Couch's had chicken breast for 49¢ a pound, Van Camp's pork & beans for 18¢ a can, and Royal Sun orange juice for 33¢ a quart.
The Door took the number one slot this week in 1968 with "Hello, I Love You." Other top ten hits included "Classical Gas" by Mason Williams (#2); "Stoned Soul Picnic" by the 5th Dimension (#3); "Grazing in the Grass" by Hugh Masekela (#4); "People Got to Be Free" by the Rascals (#5); "Hurdy Gurdy Man" by Donovan (#6); "Lady Willpower" by Gary Puckett & the Union Gap (#7); "Turn Around, Look at Me" by the Vogues (#8); "Sunshine of Your Love" by Cream (#9); and "Jumping' Jack Flash" by the Rolling Stones (#10).
The Vision made his premiere in Avengers #57 by Roy Thomas & John Buscema. The android Avenger was inspired by a Golden Age character, but Thomas & Buscema kept little more than the name in their comic book reinvention of the hero.
The FBI joined the Rome and Floyd County police departments in their search for "Shug" Green, the burglar they had dubbed "the sneaker thief" due to his choice of footwear during his crimes. The thief, who was believed to be responsible for more than three dozen burglaries in the Rome area in the year prior, was suspected to be hiding in the Rome area.
Apparently Green wasn't the only burglar operating in Rome, though: while police were searching for him, someone else broke into Bradshaw Tire Company and stole almost $200 worth of tools from the shop area.
The North 2nd Avenue Bridge was closed to traffic this week while workers repainted the structure. They tried leaving the bridge open while they began painting, but apparently Rome residents weren't thrilled with paint-spotted cars...
The hottest weather of the summer settled in on Georgia this week in 1968, with temperatures hitting the mid to upper 90s every day of the week. There were a few scattered thunderstorms, but not enough to break the heat.
Back to school shopping was underway this week, and that meant that it was time for a price war between Super Discount Store and Big K. Super D had boxes of crayons, packs of notebook paper, Bic pens, scotch tape, Elmer's glue, composition books, and packs of note cards for 14¢ each. Big K took an additional two pennies off that price, offering the same selection and more for only 12¢ each.
The cinematic week began with The Green Berets (starring John Wayne) at the DeSoto Theatre, Boom (starring Elizabeth Taylor) at the First Avenue, and Speedway (starring Elvis Presley) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought The Detective (starring Frank Sinatra) to the DeSoto Theatre, Dark of the Sun (starring Rod Taylor) to the First Avenue, and Planet of the Apes (starring Charlton Heston) to the West Rome Drive-In.
Piggly Wiggly had fresh whole fryers for 27¢ a pound, corn for 6¢ an ear, and Coca-Cola/Tab/Sprite for 33¢ a carton plus deposit. Big Apple had chuck steak for 49¢ a pound, Wesson Oil for 39¢ a quart, and white seedless grapes for 33¢ a pound. Kroger had pork chops for 49¢ a pound, Kroger sherbet for 39¢ a half-gallon, and Star-Kist Tuna for 29¢ a can. A&P had smoked ham for 35¢ a pound, lettuce for 19¢ a head, and honeydew melons for 79¢ each. Couch's had chicken breast for 49¢ a pound, Van Camp's pork & beans for 18¢ a can, and Royal Sun orange juice for 33¢ a quart.
The Door took the number one slot this week in 1968 with "Hello, I Love You." Other top ten hits included "Classical Gas" by Mason Williams (#2); "Stoned Soul Picnic" by the 5th Dimension (#3); "Grazing in the Grass" by Hugh Masekela (#4); "People Got to Be Free" by the Rascals (#5); "Hurdy Gurdy Man" by Donovan (#6); "Lady Willpower" by Gary Puckett & the Union Gap (#7); "Turn Around, Look at Me" by the Vogues (#8); "Sunshine of Your Love" by Cream (#9); and "Jumping' Jack Flash" by the Rolling Stones (#10).
The Vision made his premiere in Avengers #57 by Roy Thomas & John Buscema. The android Avenger was inspired by a Golden Age character, but Thomas & Buscema kept little more than the name in their comic book reinvention of the hero.
Friday, July 27, 2018
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 7/29/1968 to 8/4/1968
West Rome junior Steve Blad won first place in the Georgie State Science Fair for his project on isolating molds from soil samples to test for antibiotic qualities. As a result, Steve won a trip to the 10th National Youth Conference on the Atom, to be held in Chicago in November. Steve credited the encouragement of his science teacher, Graham Stevens, with motivating him to enter the science fair to begin with.
Chieftains Theresa Deleski, Katherine Edwards, April Garrison, and Dorothy Flowers were chosen as winners of State Teacher Scholarships, which were awarded to outstanding Georgia high school students who planned to go into teaching after college; scholarships ranged from $300 to $1000 for an academic year (and this was at a time when Berry College's quarterly tuition was only $380, which made this a pretty substantial scholarship).
We're so accustomed to calling anywhere in the country for no extra charge that most of us forget that we used to have to pay long distance rates for almost any call that crossed the Floyd County line--and those rates were pretty darn expensive! They got a little bit cheaper this week in 1968, though, when Southern Bell announced a 5 to ten cent reduction in cost for the first three minutes of long distance.
For instance, Romans could call the West Coast for $1.70 for the first three minutes; prior to this reduction, the cost was $1.75 for the first three minutes. (Remember, with an inflation multiplier of 7.24, that's the equivalent of spending $12.31 in today's dollars to talk to your California friends for three minutes!)
Georgia's tax surplus continued to climb: new figures revealed this week in 1968 showed an $86 million surplus, up $16 million above the previous surplus estimates. "I'm confident hat we'll be able to go with expanded educational programs without a tax increase," House Speaker George L. Smith said. Senate Appropriations Chairman Lamar Plunkett said that there was a chance that the surplus might top $100 million by year's end (and remember that 7.24 inflation multiplier--it would make that surplus almost three quarters of a billion dollars in today's dollars).
Georgia Kraft Company unveiled plans for a multi-million dollar addition to their Rome facility. PF Holt, chairman of the Kraft Board of Directors, said that this was a further example of the company's commitment to its Rome facility.
Rome continued its practice of distributing surplus food to any Rome residents. This week in 1968, the list of available food included corn meal, dry beans, flour, dry milk, butter, rolled oats, chopped meat, cheese, scrambled eggs mix, grist, dehydrated potatoes, split peas, fruit juice, and canned green beans. Residents whose last named began with A-H could pick up food on Tuesday; I-P on Wednesday, and Q-Z on Thursday. They urged residents to bring containers for bulk food items and boxes/bags for canned and packaged goods.
Piggly Wiggly had chuck roast for 59¢ a pound, pineapple for 25¢ a can, and seedless white grapes for 33¢ a pound. Big Apple had rib steaks for 99¢ a pound, Armour Vienna sausage for 20¢ a can, and RC or Diet Rite Cola for 29¢ a carton plus deposit. A&P had corned beef for 59¢ a pound, lemons for 49¢ a dozen, and cantaloupes for 33¢ each. Kroger had fresh whole fryers for 29¢ a pound, Fleetwood coffee for 49¢ a pound, and Kroger white bread for 20¢ a loaf. Couch's had pork chops for 49¢ a pound, Armour pickle & pimento loaf for 29¢ a package, and Aristocrat ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon.
Jeff Beck released his album Truth this week in 1968. The album united the former Yardbird with two musicians making their record debuts: guitarist Ronnie Wood and vocalist Rod Stewart. Stewart had actually been invited to join Jimmy Page's new group Led Zeppelin, but he had already signed on with Beck by that time, so Led Zeppelin approached Terry Reid, who also turned them down. It was Reid who would recommend the relatively unknown Robert Plant as Jimmy Pages's vocalist, and rock history would be made...
This was also he week when Buffalo Springfield released their final album, Last Time around. By the time the album was released, the group was functionally disbanded; the five original members only appeared together on a single track, "On the Way Home."
Steve Ditko's enigmatic, faceless hero the Question starred in his own full-length comic, Mysterious Suspense #1, released by Charlton Comics this week in 1968. The Question would return a month later in Blue Beetle #5, which would mark his last appearance for a decade (and when he did return, it would be without the involvement of Ditko).
Friday, July 20, 2018
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 7/22/1968 to 7/28/1968
Former Chieftain football player Larry Parker joined the West Rome coaching staff this week in 1968. Head Coach Nick Hyder said that Parker had been hired to serve as the varsity backfield football coach, as well as the wrestling and tennis coach. He would also serve as West Rome's physical education instructor. "Larry is a product of the West Rome system, and his loyalty has always been in evidence after he finished," Hyder said. "Coach Parker will not be a complete stranger to our system." Coach Hyder said that Parker would complete the Chieftain coaching staff. He joined Robert Green, head defensive football coach and track coach; Randall Kent, football-scouting coach and boys basketball coach; Charles Tarpley, end coach and baseball scouting coach; Brenda Cox, junior varsity football scouting and assistant basketball; and June Hyder, girls basketball, softball, track, and volleyball coach.
Summer heat made itself known this week in 1968 with temperatures in the mid-90s for the first half of the week and nary a drop of rain to be found. By Thursday, temperatures soared into the upper 90s, with lows in the mid-70s, which made for muggy nights. When you consider how few of us had central air conditioning in the 1960s, you can bet that there were a lot of people (like me) who were sleeping with their fans on high all night long.
Another week of burglaries began on Monday night with a break-in at East Rome High School, where vending machines were ransacked and an undetermined amount of change was stolen. The next night, burglars broke into the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company and stole cash from vending machines there. On the night of the 23rd, burglars broke into the Highway 53 Tavern and stole some beer; on that same night, burglars also broke into Russell's Automotive on Highway 27 north of Rome, stealing a motorcycle. On the night of the 24th, armed gunmen held up the 101 Service Station on Rockmart Road, stealing a substantial sum of money and pistol-whipping the service station attendant. On the night of the 25th, burglars broke into Jimmy Johnson's Service Station and Ashmore Service Station, both on Shorter Avenue, where they broke into cigarette machines and stole cigarettes and cash. Afterwards, they apparently headed across town where they broke into Gene Wingate Service Station and Mack's Service Station in East Rome, once again stealing cigarettes and cash.
Oh, what might have been... The State Highway Department opened bids this week in 1968 for an I-75 link through Bartow County that would have established a direct link from Rome to the interstate. As Romans know, the Rollins family spent most of the past fifty years thwarting every plan to build that Rome-to-I75 link, and right now they're saying that if all goes well, it'll be completed in the next few years... which is exactly what they said fifty years ago!
Coosa Valley Tech announced the addition of an engineering technology course of study to their training programs beginning in the fall of 1968. Interested students were encouraged to sign up right away, since openings would be limited.
Piggly Wiggly had chuck roast for 79¢ a pound, okra for 19¢ a pound, and milk for $1.09 a gallon. Kroger had split chicken breasts for 59¢ a pound, cream pies for 25¢ each, and five pounds of Robin Hood flour for 39¢. Big Apple had streak-o-lean for 39¢ a pound, Libby's vienna sausage for 20¢ a can, and JFG coffee for 55¢ a pound. A&P had Allgood bacon for 59¢ a pound, tomatoes for 25¢ a pound, and a bakery-fresh cherry pie for 53¢. Couch's had chicken livers for 49¢ a pound, Del Monte fruit cocktail for 29¢ a can, and Aristocrat ice milk for 39¢ a half gallon.
The cinematic week began with Rosemary's Baby (starring Mia Farrow) at the DeSoto Theatre, How Sweet It Is (starring James Garner) at the First Avenue, and Million Eyes of Sumulu (starring Frankie Avalon) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought The Green Berets (starring John Wayne) to the DeSoto, Bandolero (starring James Stewart, Dean Martin, & Raquel Welch) to the First Avenue, and Rosemary's Baby (starring Mia Farrow) to the West Rome Drive-In.
Hugh Masekela held on to number one for another week with "Grazing in the Grass." Other top ten hits included "Lady Willpower" by Gary Puckett & the Union Gap (#2); "Stoned Soul Picnic" by the 5th Dimension (#3); "Jumpin' Jack Flash" by the Rolling Stones (#4); "The Horse" by Cliff Nobles & Company (#5); "Hurdy Gurdy Man" by Donovan (#6); "This Guy's In Love With You" by Herb Alpert (#7); "Classical Gas" by Mason Williams (#8); "Hello, I Love You" by The Doors (#9); and "Indian Lake" by the Cowsills (#10).
Summer heat made itself known this week in 1968 with temperatures in the mid-90s for the first half of the week and nary a drop of rain to be found. By Thursday, temperatures soared into the upper 90s, with lows in the mid-70s, which made for muggy nights. When you consider how few of us had central air conditioning in the 1960s, you can bet that there were a lot of people (like me) who were sleeping with their fans on high all night long.
Another week of burglaries began on Monday night with a break-in at East Rome High School, where vending machines were ransacked and an undetermined amount of change was stolen. The next night, burglars broke into the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company and stole cash from vending machines there. On the night of the 23rd, burglars broke into the Highway 53 Tavern and stole some beer; on that same night, burglars also broke into Russell's Automotive on Highway 27 north of Rome, stealing a motorcycle. On the night of the 24th, armed gunmen held up the 101 Service Station on Rockmart Road, stealing a substantial sum of money and pistol-whipping the service station attendant. On the night of the 25th, burglars broke into Jimmy Johnson's Service Station and Ashmore Service Station, both on Shorter Avenue, where they broke into cigarette machines and stole cigarettes and cash. Afterwards, they apparently headed across town where they broke into Gene Wingate Service Station and Mack's Service Station in East Rome, once again stealing cigarettes and cash.
Oh, what might have been... The State Highway Department opened bids this week in 1968 for an I-75 link through Bartow County that would have established a direct link from Rome to the interstate. As Romans know, the Rollins family spent most of the past fifty years thwarting every plan to build that Rome-to-I75 link, and right now they're saying that if all goes well, it'll be completed in the next few years... which is exactly what they said fifty years ago!
Coosa Valley Tech announced the addition of an engineering technology course of study to their training programs beginning in the fall of 1968. Interested students were encouraged to sign up right away, since openings would be limited.
Piggly Wiggly had chuck roast for 79¢ a pound, okra for 19¢ a pound, and milk for $1.09 a gallon. Kroger had split chicken breasts for 59¢ a pound, cream pies for 25¢ each, and five pounds of Robin Hood flour for 39¢. Big Apple had streak-o-lean for 39¢ a pound, Libby's vienna sausage for 20¢ a can, and JFG coffee for 55¢ a pound. A&P had Allgood bacon for 59¢ a pound, tomatoes for 25¢ a pound, and a bakery-fresh cherry pie for 53¢. Couch's had chicken livers for 49¢ a pound, Del Monte fruit cocktail for 29¢ a can, and Aristocrat ice milk for 39¢ a half gallon.
The cinematic week began with Rosemary's Baby (starring Mia Farrow) at the DeSoto Theatre, How Sweet It Is (starring James Garner) at the First Avenue, and Million Eyes of Sumulu (starring Frankie Avalon) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought The Green Berets (starring John Wayne) to the DeSoto, Bandolero (starring James Stewart, Dean Martin, & Raquel Welch) to the First Avenue, and Rosemary's Baby (starring Mia Farrow) to the West Rome Drive-In.
Hugh Masekela held on to number one for another week with "Grazing in the Grass." Other top ten hits included "Lady Willpower" by Gary Puckett & the Union Gap (#2); "Stoned Soul Picnic" by the 5th Dimension (#3); "Jumpin' Jack Flash" by the Rolling Stones (#4); "The Horse" by Cliff Nobles & Company (#5); "Hurdy Gurdy Man" by Donovan (#6); "This Guy's In Love With You" by Herb Alpert (#7); "Classical Gas" by Mason Williams (#8); "Hello, I Love You" by The Doors (#9); and "Indian Lake" by the Cowsills (#10).
Friday, July 13, 2018
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 7/15/1968 to 7/21/1968
In the aftermath of the prior week's drag race in Summerville Park that resulted in an accident that took out power to a portion of West Rome, the Rome City Commission voted unanimously to impose stiffer fines on speeders and drag racers, and the order officers to increase patrols on Oakwood, Charlton, Elm, and the portions of Redmond Circle located within the city limits.
Three Garden Lakes boys found an unexplored hand grenade in a wooded area near their homes on Wednesday, July 17th. The police were called, who took possession of the grenade and then drove to the Coosa River, where they pulled the pin and threw the grenade into the water; it failed to explode, presumably due to age and condition. (It's interesting that this was how the police dealt with unexploded weapons war in 1968--just chuck 'em into the river and see if they blow up or not!)
This week in 1968, the US government increased the Savings Bonds interest rate to 4.5%. Not to be outdone, Citizen's Federal Savings & Loan increased their interest rate on passbook savings to 4.75%, while Rome Bank & Trust raised the rate on 12-month certificates of deposit to 5.25%. (And today, most banks pay much less than 1% interest for savings accounts and less than 2% interest on CD's...)
Rome's burglars were back in action this week in 1968, hitting Waddell's Service Station on Broad street, where the broke into vending machines; Scott's Service station, here they stole money from the register; Hall's Cleaners, where they s stole an undetermined amount of cash; and Coosa High School, where equipment was stolen and offices were vandalized.
Rome postal officials warned residents that federal postal service budget cutback would impact Rome residents. Unless Congress came up with more funding, the Rome post office would not be able to offer home mail delivery service to any new subdivisions (which would most definitely impact West Rome, the fastest-growing area in the county). The cutbacks, if not reversed, would also require the main post office and the West Rome post office to close on Saturdays. If budget cutbacks increased any more, postal deliveries would have to be cut back to four days a week and residents who were currently receiving at-the-door delivery (common in some of West Rome's older subdivisions) would be required to put up a roadside mailbox instead.
This was a particularly hot week in 1968, which may be why Kay's Kastles decided to cut the prices of their ice cream sundaes to 37¢ each, their pints of sherbet to $19¢ each, and their half gallons of ice cream to 89¢ each. (I must have eaten about a hundred pints of Kay's Kastles sherbet over the years--their sherbet was a bit smoother and less grainy than other brands, and I particularly loved their pineapple and strawberry sherbets. Makes me wish that there were still Kay's Kastles around right now!...)
Piggly Wiggly had sirloin steak for 79¢ a pound, Fab detergent for 59¢ a box, and grapes for 33¢ a pound. Kroger had ground beef for 49¢ a pound, watermelons for 79¢ each, and a nine ounce can of Planter's peanuts for 63¢. A&P had chuck roast for 37¢ a pound, Eight O'Clock coffee for 49¢ a pound, and cantaloupes for 29¢ each. Big Apple had Hormel franks for 49¢ a pound, Chicken of the Sea tuna for 29¢ a can, and strawberries for 25¢ a pint. Couch's had Swift's premium bacon for 69∞ a pound, home-grown squash for a dime a pound, and Showboat pork & beans for 21¢ a can.
The cinematic week began with Rosemary's Baby (starring Mia Farrow) at the DeSoto Theatre, A Man and a Woman (starring Anouk Aimee) at the First Avenue, and Texas Across the River (starring Dean Martin) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought How Sweet It Is (starring James Garner) to the First Avenue and The Savage Seven (starring Robert Walker) to the West Rome Drive-In, while Rosemary's Baby hung around for another week at the DeSoto.
Hugh Masekela took number one this week in 1968 with "Grazin' in the Grass," a cowbell-driven masterpiece. Other top ten hits included "Lady Willpower" by Gary Puckett & the Union Gap (#2); "Jumpin' Jack Flash" by the Rolling Stones (#3); "This Guy's In Love With You" by Herb Alpert (#4); "The Horse" by Cliff Nobles & Co. (#5); "Stoned Soul Picnic" by the 5th Dimension, which posed the musical question "can you surry?" (#6); "Hurdy Gurdy Man" by Donovan (#7); "Classical Gas" by Mason Williams (#8); "Hello, I Love You" by the Doors (#9); and "Indian Lake" by the Cowsills (#10).
The soap opera One Life to Live made its debut on ABC TV on July 15, 1968. The soap opera would run for more than four decades; it was also one of the first series to jump from network TV to online/streaming television when it left ABC and moved to Hulu for almost a half a year in 2013 before finally being cancelled in August of that year.
DC Comics did something almost unheard of this week in 1968 when they had Arnold Drake and Bruno Premiani kill the Doom Patrol in the pages of Doom Patrol #121. This is the first time that a comics publisher ended a series in sales decline by killing the book's stars. Of course, death in comics is no more permanent than death in soap operas, and the Doom Patrol would eventually return...
Three Garden Lakes boys found an unexplored hand grenade in a wooded area near their homes on Wednesday, July 17th. The police were called, who took possession of the grenade and then drove to the Coosa River, where they pulled the pin and threw the grenade into the water; it failed to explode, presumably due to age and condition. (It's interesting that this was how the police dealt with unexploded weapons war in 1968--just chuck 'em into the river and see if they blow up or not!)
This week in 1968, the US government increased the Savings Bonds interest rate to 4.5%. Not to be outdone, Citizen's Federal Savings & Loan increased their interest rate on passbook savings to 4.75%, while Rome Bank & Trust raised the rate on 12-month certificates of deposit to 5.25%. (And today, most banks pay much less than 1% interest for savings accounts and less than 2% interest on CD's...)
Rome's burglars were back in action this week in 1968, hitting Waddell's Service Station on Broad street, where the broke into vending machines; Scott's Service station, here they stole money from the register; Hall's Cleaners, where they s stole an undetermined amount of cash; and Coosa High School, where equipment was stolen and offices were vandalized.
Rome postal officials warned residents that federal postal service budget cutback would impact Rome residents. Unless Congress came up with more funding, the Rome post office would not be able to offer home mail delivery service to any new subdivisions (which would most definitely impact West Rome, the fastest-growing area in the county). The cutbacks, if not reversed, would also require the main post office and the West Rome post office to close on Saturdays. If budget cutbacks increased any more, postal deliveries would have to be cut back to four days a week and residents who were currently receiving at-the-door delivery (common in some of West Rome's older subdivisions) would be required to put up a roadside mailbox instead.
This was a particularly hot week in 1968, which may be why Kay's Kastles decided to cut the prices of their ice cream sundaes to 37¢ each, their pints of sherbet to $19¢ each, and their half gallons of ice cream to 89¢ each. (I must have eaten about a hundred pints of Kay's Kastles sherbet over the years--their sherbet was a bit smoother and less grainy than other brands, and I particularly loved their pineapple and strawberry sherbets. Makes me wish that there were still Kay's Kastles around right now!...)
Piggly Wiggly had sirloin steak for 79¢ a pound, Fab detergent for 59¢ a box, and grapes for 33¢ a pound. Kroger had ground beef for 49¢ a pound, watermelons for 79¢ each, and a nine ounce can of Planter's peanuts for 63¢. A&P had chuck roast for 37¢ a pound, Eight O'Clock coffee for 49¢ a pound, and cantaloupes for 29¢ each. Big Apple had Hormel franks for 49¢ a pound, Chicken of the Sea tuna for 29¢ a can, and strawberries for 25¢ a pint. Couch's had Swift's premium bacon for 69∞ a pound, home-grown squash for a dime a pound, and Showboat pork & beans for 21¢ a can.
The cinematic week began with Rosemary's Baby (starring Mia Farrow) at the DeSoto Theatre, A Man and a Woman (starring Anouk Aimee) at the First Avenue, and Texas Across the River (starring Dean Martin) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought How Sweet It Is (starring James Garner) to the First Avenue and The Savage Seven (starring Robert Walker) to the West Rome Drive-In, while Rosemary's Baby hung around for another week at the DeSoto.
Hugh Masekela took number one this week in 1968 with "Grazin' in the Grass," a cowbell-driven masterpiece. Other top ten hits included "Lady Willpower" by Gary Puckett & the Union Gap (#2); "Jumpin' Jack Flash" by the Rolling Stones (#3); "This Guy's In Love With You" by Herb Alpert (#4); "The Horse" by Cliff Nobles & Co. (#5); "Stoned Soul Picnic" by the 5th Dimension, which posed the musical question "can you surry?" (#6); "Hurdy Gurdy Man" by Donovan (#7); "Classical Gas" by Mason Williams (#8); "Hello, I Love You" by the Doors (#9); and "Indian Lake" by the Cowsills (#10).
The soap opera One Life to Live made its debut on ABC TV on July 15, 1968. The soap opera would run for more than four decades; it was also one of the first series to jump from network TV to online/streaming television when it left ABC and moved to Hulu for almost a half a year in 2013 before finally being cancelled in August of that year.
DC Comics did something almost unheard of this week in 1968 when they had Arnold Drake and Bruno Premiani kill the Doom Patrol in the pages of Doom Patrol #121. This is the first time that a comics publisher ended a series in sales decline by killing the book's stars. Of course, death in comics is no more permanent than death in soap operas, and the Doom Patrol would eventually return...
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