I have been blessed with a great memory. I remember moments from my childhood so precisely, so vividly that I can almost experience them anew. I remember a thousand thousand thousand tiny events from my adolescence, from my years in school as a student and later as a teacher, from my marriage with Susan, from my myriad walks, from my conversations with friends... It would sometimes amaze Susan that I would remember details from our Cedartown years that she had totally forgotten until I told her about them--and then those moments once again became our memories and we would cherish them together.
Somehow, though, neither I nor Susan were ever able to remember exactly when, where, or how we decided to get married.
I do remember when I actually proposed to her, of course--but that's a different thing. By the time I proposed to Susan just before Thanksgiving in November of 1970, we had already decided that we were going to get married. But even in the fall of 1971, just a few months after our wedding, Susan and I weren't quite sure when we made that decision.
I can narrow the time down to late September or early October 1970. In our letters to one another from mid-September, Susan and I are both talking about dreaming of a future together (in my mind, those notes are accompanied by a soundtrack that includes "Never My Love," "Cherish," "Love Can Make You Happy," and "Wouldn't It Be Nice"). By mid-October, we're talking about how our parents and friends might react if and when they find out that we want to get married.
And yet, even with the likely date narrowed down to three-week period, neither of us could remember the fateful conversation when we decided that it was going to happen.
As I said, though, by mid-October, we were already talking about getting married soon after I graduated from high school. We didn't have a date in mind at that time, but we knew it would happen sometime between graduation from high school in early June 1971 and the time I started college in September of 1971. Since I had an academic scholarship, we didn't have to worry about the cost of tuition, so we were making plans to find our own place so that we could be together when we weren't working or attending class. We knew that I would work part-time while I went to college and Susan would work full-time at her job in the Arrow Shirts payroll department in Cedartown. Once I graduated, I would work full time while Susan would go back to school. (Yes, Susan and I were detailed in our planning.)
And in early November 1970, I did something that I would have dismissed as inconceivable a couple of years earlier: I sold my comic book collection.
That wasn't as easy a process in 1970 as it might be today. There were no local comic shops that could purchase a collection. There was no Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide filled with ads from shops eager to buy old comics.
But there was The Rocket's Blast/ComiCollector, an advertising fanzine that offered oodles of comics and fanzines for sale by fans and dealers across the country. And a few of those dealers also included a line informing readers that they also bought comics.
One of those dealers was Howard Rogofsky.
Howard Rogofsky had a reputation as being one of the priciest dealers who advertised in RBCC--but he had an incredible assortment of comics, he added more every month, and he was willing to buy collections. So I wrote him and included a list of the books in my collection, which included complete runs of all Marvel superhero titles from Fantastic Four #1 up, complete runs of all DC superhero series from the time of Brave & Bold #28 (the first appearance of Justice League) forward, and lots more.
These books had been my life up until November of 1970. My friendships had come about because of comics. I read and re-read my comics continually. I produced my own amateur comics. I produced a-apazines about comics and wrote for comics fanzines. I read novels written by comic book writers who also wrote science fiction, fantasy, horror, and mysteries. I even dreamed of becoming a professional comic book creator someday.
But for Susan, I had no qualms about selling all those comics to make my dream future possible. I had assembled that collection once; I knew that, at some time in the future, I could assemble that collection again if I decided that I wanted to do so. But for now, it was time for me to exchange the collection.
I wanted to buy an engagement ring. And the only way I could get the money to buy the sort of ring with which I would propose to my current and forever love was to sell the books that had once been so important to me.
Howard Rogofsky's offer came less than two weeks from the time I shipped the collection to him (shipped by LTL truck line--it was too extensive and heavy to ship via the post office). While it was less than what I had dreamed it might be, it was still enough to buy the 3/4 carat diamond ring that Susan had fallen in love with when we saw it at Norwood-Griffin in Rome and to still have some money in savings to help us get through the early expenses of marriage and setting up our own home.
I took the offer, and Howard Rogofsky sent the check to my by air mail. From that day on, I had new-found respect for Mr. Rogofsky. He may have charged more for his books than some dealers, but he proved to me that he was a man of integrity.
And because of him, I was able to buy that ring and officially (and, I hope, romantically) propose to Susan on Friday night, November 21st, 1969 as we parked on the remote dirt road south of Cedartown that we begun referring to as "our place." She said yes. And by Saturday, November 22nd, 1969, we had decided on the date in 1971 for our marriage: June 15th, the same month and day when we first met back in 1968 after I had called a girl whose letter of comment appeared in Batman #199.
Susan would be twenty at that time; I would be seventeen (I wouldn't turn eighteen until August), so I would have to have my parents' permission to get married.
Susan and I told my parents about our plans the Friday after Thanksgiving. I was apprehensive, but I shouldn't have been. I think my parents had seen marriage in our future already. Mom and Dad asked a few questions, then Dad smiled and said, "Well, it looks like by this time next year we'll either have three people living here [referring to Mom, Dad, and my sister Kim] or five people living here." And with those words, Susan and I knew that Mom and Dad would back our decision--and that meant that the only potential obstacle in our getting married had been overcome.
Saturday, December 14, 2019
Sunday, December 01, 2019
Christmas Time Is Here
For several years in the late 1990s and early 2000s, I put together a Christmas listening list each holiday season. The rules were simple: the songs had to be songs that I thought were exceptional, and the entire list had to fit on one compact disc (because I would always burn a copy to listen to during the season--this was in the pre-MP3 days when a CD player was pretty much the only listening option).
When my dear friend Danielle Herritt began talking about assembling a list of ten Christmas favorites, I thought about it and decided that, rather than limiting myself to ten, I'd limit myself to one CD. This time, however, I decided to make it two CDs: one CD for instrumentals, another CD for vocals.
First, Cliff's Christmas 2019 (Instrumentals):
1 - "Adeste Fideles," Second Hearing, The Christmas Album - This is an album of music box recordings, and every time I hear this song, it reminds me of the music boxes that my relatives would play; the song takes me back to my earliest Christmases.
2 - "What Child Is This?" Vince Guaraldi Trio, Charlie Brown Christmas - Vince Guaraldi was a genius, pure and simple, and his soft jazz arrangement of this classic remains unsurpassed.
3 - "O Holy Night," David Lane & Paul Speer, Narada Christmas Collection -- Simply the best version of this song I've ever heard. Lane had released a piano version without Paul Speer's guitar work, but Speer's understated, moody guitar makes this a haunting piece.
4 - "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen," California Guitar Trio, Ten Christmas Songs - I lowe guitar work, and this song features a lot of it. Great guitar interplay here that never loses the sense of the song.
5 - "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear," Eric Tingstad & Nancy Rumbel, Narada Christmas Collection - Individually, these musicians are superb, but put 'em together and they make magic. This is a tender and moving version of one of my Christmas favorites.
6. "O Little Town of Bethlehem/The Holly & the Ivy, Michael James, The Best of Narada Christmas 2 - This beautiful piano pieces merges two songs into an almost dreamlike medley.
7 - "We Three Kings," R. Carlos Nakai & Wiliam Eaton, Winter Dreams - Nakai plays the Native American flute so skillfully that you almost forget that this type of flute doesn't play the full range of notes used in most contemporary music, so Nakai interpolates as needed, working with guitarist William Eaton to capture the song in a whole new way.
8 - "Ave Maria," Steven Pasero, Christmas Classics for Guitar - Pasero's acoustic guitar version of this classic is one of the most powerful and moving versions of this song I've ever heard.
9 - "I Wonder As I Wander," various artists, Smokey Mountain Christmas Memories - This song was playing at a small shop in Blue Ridge, GA, in 2005, and as soon as I heard it, I knew I had to have this CD.
10 - "Little Drummer Boy," Ottmar Liebert, Poets & Angels - An energetic flamenco-guitar-influenced version of one of my favorite songs. Liebert is an amazing guitarist, and the punchy bass line really complements his performance.
11 - "Christmas Time Is Here," Geoger Winston, The Carols of Christmas - You can tell that George Winston loves Vince Guaraldi's music as much as I do. This instrumental version captures the childlike wonder of Guaraldi's composition but brings a wistful feel to the song.
12 - "Winter Wonderland," Tuck Andress, Hymns, Carols, and Songs About Snow - I've never heard anyone play like Tuck Andress. His fretwork is amazing, and this song is done in one take with no overdubs--absolutely amazing.
13- "Carol of the Birds," Mannheim Steamroller, Christmas - I love almost every Mannheim Steamroller song, but the ones that have a medieval/Renaissance feel always captivate me. This is one of the best in that style.
14 - Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring," Anna Maria Mendieta, Enchanted Christmas - How can anyone entice so much beauty from a harp? She gives the song all the majesty and grandeur it deserves.
15 - "O Come, O Come Emmanuel," Will Ackerman - The Carols of Christmas - The guitar work here is so solemn and introspective that this has been on my favorites list since the first time I heard it.
16 - "Carol of the Bells," George Skaroulis, Season Traditions - My friends Brett and Allison Brooks got this CD for me when they crossed paths with Skaroulis at a local Greek festival. As soon as they heard his moody electric piano, they knew I'd love it. They were right.
17 - "In the Bleak Midwinter," The Players, Christmas - This is one of the first Christmas CDs I ever bought, in the days when CDs were new and choices were sparse. I consider it one of my greatest finds; the song has a British/Celtic feel, but isn't pushy or ostentatious int he way that so many Celtic recordings are . Haven't seen this in stores in twenty years, which his a shame.
18 - "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming," Chip Davis, Renaissance Holiday - Remember what I said about loving Renaissance-influenced instrumentation and arrangements? Well, that holds true for this song as well. (And yes, Chip Davis is the man behind Mannheim Steamroller, although this comes off one of his solo albums.)
19 - "The Coventry Carol," Eric Tingstad & Nancy Rumbel, Christmas: The Gift - This is one of my favorite carols, regardless of who performs it, but this is the quintessential version of the song as far as I'm concerned.
20 - "The Christmas Waltz," Mantovani, White Christmas - My parents had a Mantovani Christmas album with this song on it, and I played it to death when I was a child. Ever since then, Mantovani has been a part of the Christmas season for me.
21 - "Stille Nacht," Mannheim Steamroller, Christmas - The most beautiful version of this classic ever recorded. It makes my eyes mist up every time I hear it, and it's often the last song I hear as I go to sleep. The first time we heard it, I looked at Susan as the song ended and realized that we both had tears running down our cheeks from the sheer beauty of the song. As soon as I began thinking about this compilation, I knew it had to be the last song because nothing else can really follow this performance.
And now, Cliff's Christmas 2019 (Vocals)
1 - Christmastime Is Here," Vince Guaraldi Trio, Charlie Brown Christmas - The children's voices are perfect for this song. In just under three minutes, Guaraldi captures all the innocence and wonder of Christmas as seen through the eyes of children.
2 - "In the Bleak Midwinter," Dan Fogelberg, The First Christmas Morning - No one has ever recorded a more earnest, heartfelt version of this song than Dan Fogelberg--and just listen to that amazing guitar work!
3 - Someday at Christmas," Stevie Wonder, ,Someday at Christmas - For my money, this is one of the best contemporary Christmas originals ever. Stevie Wonder is a genius, and this song captures our hope for true peace and joy at Christmastime.
4 - "Here Comes Santa Claus," Gene Autry, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer - Gene Autry didn't write this one, but his performance is the stuff of my childhood. I played this album so many times my parents began hiding it because they didn't want to hear it for the seven hundredth time...
5 "If Every Day Was Like Christmas," Elvis Presley, If Every Day Was Like Christmas - Another contemporary classic, and like Stevie Wonder's "Someday at Christmas," it captures our hope for a world in which all of our Christmas dreams of peace and joy could be true forever.
6 - "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day," Bing Crosby, The Voice of Christmas: The Complete Decca Recordings - This song, based on a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, perfectly captures the essential battle between cynicism and faith, negativity, despair and joy. No one gives the song more gravitas and power than Bing Crosby.
7 - "What Child Is This," Gypsy Soul, Sacred - I just love the beauty of Cilette Swann's lead vocals, and the instrumentation perfectly complements her performance.
8 - "The Christmas Song," Nat King Cole, The Christmas Song - From the opening notes, this song pretty much defines Christmas for me. What an incredible talent, and what a perfect match of singer and song.
9 - "Joy to the World," The Roches, We Three Kings - The Roche sisters make beautiful harmony sound so easy and natural. Listen to each sister's voice--just perfect. Put 'em together, though, and it's a musical miracle.
10 - "Happy Christmas (War Is Over)," John Lennon, Yoko Ono, & the Plastic Ono Band with the Harlem Community Choir, John Lennon Signature Box - I'm a Beatles fan. This is the finest Christmas song ever written or performed by any of the Beatles. And once again, it's a song whose idealism speaks to me.
11 - "The Coventry Carol," Alison Moyet, A Very Special Christmas - Moyet's rich, throaty vocals are the highlight of this recording. Every time I hear someone else singing it, I measure their performance against hers.
12 - "It's the Most Wonderful Time Of the Year," Andy Williams, Andy Williams Christmas - This song just exudes joy and happiness, doesn't it? Andy Williams' smooth vocal performance make this holiday classic for me.
13 - "O Holy Night," John Berry, Holy Night - This song requires a skilled singer who can handle its musical range, and John Berry is up to the challenge.
14 - "Pretty Paper," Willie Nelson, Pretty Paper - Willie Nelson's Christmas album has been a holiday staple for me ever since its release. This is my favorite song on the album; he seems to feel every word that he sings.
15 - "White Christmas," Bing Crosby, The Voice of Christmas: The Complete Decca Recordings - If there's any song that rivals Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song" as the quintessential Christmas song, this is it--and there's no performance better than Bing's.
16 - "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," Frank Sinatra, Christmas Dreaming - If you want to know why Frank Sinatra is considered such a masterful singer, just listen to this song. He brings the lyrics to life with his delivery. And I love this performance, since it includes the "we'll have to muddle through somehow" original lyric.
17 - "Iesus Ahotonnia (The Huron Carol)," Bruce Cockburn, Christmas - This song dates back almost four hundred years, yet I had never heard it before Bruce Cockburn recorded it. Written by a Jesuit missionary in 1642 to share the story of the birth of Jesus with the Hurons, it uses Huron lyrics and imagery to convey the story. There is an honesty in Cockburn's voice that makes this performance.
18 - "Home for the Holidays," Perry Como, Perry Como: The Complete Christmas Collection - A great performance of this upbeat song about our common desire to share the holidays with family and old friends.The real magic of Perry Como's vocals is that he makes it sound so easy...
19 -"Jingle Bell Rock," Bobby Helms, Christmas Classics - Another one of those songs that's recognizable from the opening notes. A lot of rock Christmas songs don't work. This one does.
20 - "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas," Johnny Mathis, The Complete Christmas Collection 1955-2010 - There are so many great vocalists from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, but few of them are more distinctively recognizable than Johnny Mathis, whose rich vibrato distinguishes every performance.
21 - "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen," Loreena McKennitt, A Winter Dream - McKennitt gives an exotic, almost Middle Eastern feel to this holiday classic, but her vocals are the most memorable thing about this recording. McKennitt's voice is sheer beauty, but this song is a great example of just the right song for just the right singer.
22 - "Silver Bells," Dean Martin, Making Spirits Bright - The ultimate crooner, Dean Martin needs the right songs to play off his vocal style. "Silver Bells" is the perfect choice, allowing him to show off his vocal mannerisms and make the song his.
23 - "I'll Be Home for Christmas," Linda Ronstadt, A Merry Little Christmas - What a shame that Parkinson's has left Linda Ronstadt unable to sing. This performance, full of dreams and hopes and wonder, demonstrates just what a remarkable talent Ronstadt is.
24 - "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy," Bing Crosby, David Bowie, & the London Symphony Orchestra, Bing at Christmas - Another idyllic dream of what we would all love to see--true peace on Earth. The two voices on this song prove that talent transcends musical generations.
When my dear friend Danielle Herritt began talking about assembling a list of ten Christmas favorites, I thought about it and decided that, rather than limiting myself to ten, I'd limit myself to one CD. This time, however, I decided to make it two CDs: one CD for instrumentals, another CD for vocals.
First, Cliff's Christmas 2019 (Instrumentals):
1 - "Adeste Fideles," Second Hearing, The Christmas Album - This is an album of music box recordings, and every time I hear this song, it reminds me of the music boxes that my relatives would play; the song takes me back to my earliest Christmases.
2 - "What Child Is This?" Vince Guaraldi Trio, Charlie Brown Christmas - Vince Guaraldi was a genius, pure and simple, and his soft jazz arrangement of this classic remains unsurpassed.
3 - "O Holy Night," David Lane & Paul Speer, Narada Christmas Collection -- Simply the best version of this song I've ever heard. Lane had released a piano version without Paul Speer's guitar work, but Speer's understated, moody guitar makes this a haunting piece.
4 - "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen," California Guitar Trio, Ten Christmas Songs - I lowe guitar work, and this song features a lot of it. Great guitar interplay here that never loses the sense of the song.
5 - "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear," Eric Tingstad & Nancy Rumbel, Narada Christmas Collection - Individually, these musicians are superb, but put 'em together and they make magic. This is a tender and moving version of one of my Christmas favorites.
6. "O Little Town of Bethlehem/The Holly & the Ivy, Michael James, The Best of Narada Christmas 2 - This beautiful piano pieces merges two songs into an almost dreamlike medley.
7 - "We Three Kings," R. Carlos Nakai & Wiliam Eaton, Winter Dreams - Nakai plays the Native American flute so skillfully that you almost forget that this type of flute doesn't play the full range of notes used in most contemporary music, so Nakai interpolates as needed, working with guitarist William Eaton to capture the song in a whole new way.
8 - "Ave Maria," Steven Pasero, Christmas Classics for Guitar - Pasero's acoustic guitar version of this classic is one of the most powerful and moving versions of this song I've ever heard.
9 - "I Wonder As I Wander," various artists, Smokey Mountain Christmas Memories - This song was playing at a small shop in Blue Ridge, GA, in 2005, and as soon as I heard it, I knew I had to have this CD.
10 - "Little Drummer Boy," Ottmar Liebert, Poets & Angels - An energetic flamenco-guitar-influenced version of one of my favorite songs. Liebert is an amazing guitarist, and the punchy bass line really complements his performance.
11 - "Christmas Time Is Here," Geoger Winston, The Carols of Christmas - You can tell that George Winston loves Vince Guaraldi's music as much as I do. This instrumental version captures the childlike wonder of Guaraldi's composition but brings a wistful feel to the song.
12 - "Winter Wonderland," Tuck Andress, Hymns, Carols, and Songs About Snow - I've never heard anyone play like Tuck Andress. His fretwork is amazing, and this song is done in one take with no overdubs--absolutely amazing.
13- "Carol of the Birds," Mannheim Steamroller, Christmas - I love almost every Mannheim Steamroller song, but the ones that have a medieval/Renaissance feel always captivate me. This is one of the best in that style.
15 - "O Come, O Come Emmanuel," Will Ackerman - The Carols of Christmas - The guitar work here is so solemn and introspective that this has been on my favorites list since the first time I heard it.
16 - "Carol of the Bells," George Skaroulis, Season Traditions - My friends Brett and Allison Brooks got this CD for me when they crossed paths with Skaroulis at a local Greek festival. As soon as they heard his moody electric piano, they knew I'd love it. They were right.
17 - "In the Bleak Midwinter," The Players, Christmas - This is one of the first Christmas CDs I ever bought, in the days when CDs were new and choices were sparse. I consider it one of my greatest finds; the song has a British/Celtic feel, but isn't pushy or ostentatious int he way that so many Celtic recordings are . Haven't seen this in stores in twenty years, which his a shame.
18 - "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming," Chip Davis, Renaissance Holiday - Remember what I said about loving Renaissance-influenced instrumentation and arrangements? Well, that holds true for this song as well. (And yes, Chip Davis is the man behind Mannheim Steamroller, although this comes off one of his solo albums.)
20 - "The Christmas Waltz," Mantovani, White Christmas - My parents had a Mantovani Christmas album with this song on it, and I played it to death when I was a child. Ever since then, Mantovani has been a part of the Christmas season for me.
21 - "Stille Nacht," Mannheim Steamroller, Christmas - The most beautiful version of this classic ever recorded. It makes my eyes mist up every time I hear it, and it's often the last song I hear as I go to sleep. The first time we heard it, I looked at Susan as the song ended and realized that we both had tears running down our cheeks from the sheer beauty of the song. As soon as I began thinking about this compilation, I knew it had to be the last song because nothing else can really follow this performance.
And now, Cliff's Christmas 2019 (Vocals)
1 - Christmastime Is Here," Vince Guaraldi Trio, Charlie Brown Christmas - The children's voices are perfect for this song. In just under three minutes, Guaraldi captures all the innocence and wonder of Christmas as seen through the eyes of children.
2 - "In the Bleak Midwinter," Dan Fogelberg, The First Christmas Morning - No one has ever recorded a more earnest, heartfelt version of this song than Dan Fogelberg--and just listen to that amazing guitar work!
3 - Someday at Christmas," Stevie Wonder, ,Someday at Christmas - For my money, this is one of the best contemporary Christmas originals ever. Stevie Wonder is a genius, and this song captures our hope for true peace and joy at Christmastime.
4 - "Here Comes Santa Claus," Gene Autry, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer - Gene Autry didn't write this one, but his performance is the stuff of my childhood. I played this album so many times my parents began hiding it because they didn't want to hear it for the seven hundredth time...
5 "If Every Day Was Like Christmas," Elvis Presley, If Every Day Was Like Christmas - Another contemporary classic, and like Stevie Wonder's "Someday at Christmas," it captures our hope for a world in which all of our Christmas dreams of peace and joy could be true forever.
6 - "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day," Bing Crosby, The Voice of Christmas: The Complete Decca Recordings - This song, based on a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, perfectly captures the essential battle between cynicism and faith, negativity, despair and joy. No one gives the song more gravitas and power than Bing Crosby.
7 - "What Child Is This," Gypsy Soul, Sacred - I just love the beauty of Cilette Swann's lead vocals, and the instrumentation perfectly complements her performance.
8 - "The Christmas Song," Nat King Cole, The Christmas Song - From the opening notes, this song pretty much defines Christmas for me. What an incredible talent, and what a perfect match of singer and song.
9 - "Joy to the World," The Roches, We Three Kings - The Roche sisters make beautiful harmony sound so easy and natural. Listen to each sister's voice--just perfect. Put 'em together, though, and it's a musical miracle.
10 - "Happy Christmas (War Is Over)," John Lennon, Yoko Ono, & the Plastic Ono Band with the Harlem Community Choir, John Lennon Signature Box - I'm a Beatles fan. This is the finest Christmas song ever written or performed by any of the Beatles. And once again, it's a song whose idealism speaks to me.
11 - "The Coventry Carol," Alison Moyet, A Very Special Christmas - Moyet's rich, throaty vocals are the highlight of this recording. Every time I hear someone else singing it, I measure their performance against hers.
12 - "It's the Most Wonderful Time Of the Year," Andy Williams, Andy Williams Christmas - This song just exudes joy and happiness, doesn't it? Andy Williams' smooth vocal performance make this holiday classic for me.
13 - "O Holy Night," John Berry, Holy Night - This song requires a skilled singer who can handle its musical range, and John Berry is up to the challenge.
14 - "Pretty Paper," Willie Nelson, Pretty Paper - Willie Nelson's Christmas album has been a holiday staple for me ever since its release. This is my favorite song on the album; he seems to feel every word that he sings.
15 - "White Christmas," Bing Crosby, The Voice of Christmas: The Complete Decca Recordings - If there's any song that rivals Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song" as the quintessential Christmas song, this is it--and there's no performance better than Bing's.
16 - "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," Frank Sinatra, Christmas Dreaming - If you want to know why Frank Sinatra is considered such a masterful singer, just listen to this song. He brings the lyrics to life with his delivery. And I love this performance, since it includes the "we'll have to muddle through somehow" original lyric.
17 - "Iesus Ahotonnia (The Huron Carol)," Bruce Cockburn, Christmas - This song dates back almost four hundred years, yet I had never heard it before Bruce Cockburn recorded it. Written by a Jesuit missionary in 1642 to share the story of the birth of Jesus with the Hurons, it uses Huron lyrics and imagery to convey the story. There is an honesty in Cockburn's voice that makes this performance.
18 - "Home for the Holidays," Perry Como, Perry Como: The Complete Christmas Collection - A great performance of this upbeat song about our common desire to share the holidays with family and old friends.The real magic of Perry Como's vocals is that he makes it sound so easy...
19 -"Jingle Bell Rock," Bobby Helms, Christmas Classics - Another one of those songs that's recognizable from the opening notes. A lot of rock Christmas songs don't work. This one does.
20 - "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas," Johnny Mathis, The Complete Christmas Collection 1955-2010 - There are so many great vocalists from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, but few of them are more distinctively recognizable than Johnny Mathis, whose rich vibrato distinguishes every performance.
21 - "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen," Loreena McKennitt, A Winter Dream - McKennitt gives an exotic, almost Middle Eastern feel to this holiday classic, but her vocals are the most memorable thing about this recording. McKennitt's voice is sheer beauty, but this song is a great example of just the right song for just the right singer.
22 - "Silver Bells," Dean Martin, Making Spirits Bright - The ultimate crooner, Dean Martin needs the right songs to play off his vocal style. "Silver Bells" is the perfect choice, allowing him to show off his vocal mannerisms and make the song his.
23 - "I'll Be Home for Christmas," Linda Ronstadt, A Merry Little Christmas - What a shame that Parkinson's has left Linda Ronstadt unable to sing. This performance, full of dreams and hopes and wonder, demonstrates just what a remarkable talent Ronstadt is.
24 - "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy," Bing Crosby, David Bowie, & the London Symphony Orchestra, Bing at Christmas - Another idyllic dream of what we would all love to see--true peace on Earth. The two voices on this song prove that talent transcends musical generations.
Saturday, November 16, 2019
A Life in Four Colors Part Fifty
My childhood and teenage years were marked by friends who were also kindred spirits. I've mentioned David Lynch, John Ball, and Gary Steele, all of whom were my best friends at various periods in my life. In early 1970, I met someone who was destined to be a dear friend to both me and Susan over the next few years.
Sven Ahlstrom was a Rome transplant, having come to West Rome from Menomenee, Michigan, with his mother, Dorothea, who was involved in the nursing program at Berry College (the school that had offered me an academic scholarship). I didn't know any of that, though, when I first met Sven. What I did know, however, was that he was the only person in Mrs. Higgins' room reading a science fiction book the morning that our paths crossed. (I sometimes think that science fiction and comics readers have a sort of "fan radar" that alerts when someone shares our interests, but in reality it's probably an example of affinity awareness--just as we are more apt to notice cars that are the same make and model as ours, so we are more apt to notice people who read books or buy music that matches our tastes.)
We began talking and found that we shared other interests--comics, music, television shows, movies. Because we had so much in common, we began talking more regularly. I was also immediately impressed with Sven's quick wit and his enthusiasm tempered with a dash of cynicism. Before too long, we were hanging out together at school and dropping by one another's house after school. Sven made me aware of musicians, albums, authors, and books that I hadn't read (I remember that he had a copy of the Beatles' White Album, which I heard in its entirety for the first time at his house, and he also had a copy of Jesus Christ Superstar, which I had foolishly dismissed until he convinced me to really listen to it). Meanwhile, Sven was curious about the fanzines that Gary Steele and I were involved with, and was particularly interested in the amateur press alliances Myriad and Galaxy.
Within a couple of months, Sven was good friends with Gary Steele and me, and soon after he met Susan. By the time the summer of 1970 rolled around, Sven and I had become great friends--and a lot of that was due to the Atlanta Journal.
What did a newspaper have to do with our friendship? Actually, it was newspaper route that had a lot to do with our friendship. Sven had a part-time job delivering papers for the Atlanta Journal--but it wasn't a neighborhood bicycle route like I had years earlier. Instead, Sven had a far-reaching car route, which took a couple of hours every day. Sven drove a blue 1968 Chevy Malibu that he used for his route, he took the responsibility seriously. Since I didn't have an afternoon job and had some spare time, I began riding Sven's route with him, helping to fold and rubber-band the papers. And we talked... a lot. We talked about fannish stuff, of course, but we also talked about school and family and life in general.
Sven was also the first person I knew who had an eight track tape player in his car, so we listened to a lot of music while we were running his route. The first tape he bought was Let It Be, the final Beatles album; I already had a copy on vinyl, but I had become so enamored with Beatles music since I rediscovered the group in late 1969 that I could listen to that album over and over again (and unlike some critics, I thought Let It Be was a great album, almost as good as Abbey Road). Soon we added a few more tapes to the automotive library: we played Simon & Garfunkel's Sound of Silence and Badfinger's Magic Christian Music so frequently that it took me a while to get used to the vinyl sequencing of the songs on those albums, since I had heard them first on 8 track. (In my mind, the album always ended with "Richard Cory," since that was the last song on the 8 track before it circled back around to "The Sound of Silence," while it seemed natural that "Come and Get It"—the best song on Magic Christian Music—should be followed by "Carry On 'Til Tomorrow"—the second-best song on Magic Christian Music—even though the vinyl version has the latter song kicking off side two.) As the summer went along, we added The Rolling Stones' Through the Past Darkly, Crosby Stills & Nash's eponymous first album, Steppenwolf Live, and Iron Butterfly's In-a-Gadda-da-Vida to the playlist, along with more from Simon & Garfunkel. Every one of those albums has become so inexorably linked to the summer of '70 that I can't listen to them without remembering that time, which I still think of as the most wonderful period of my pre-married life.
Soon we noticed another person at school who shared some of our interests in music and science fiction: Ida Hutchings, who was a year ahead of us in school. Ida was a brash free spirit, and her personality brought both contrasted with and complemented ours quite well. It made no difference to any of us that Ida was a senior about to graduate, while we were juniors with another whole year of school ahead of us. I first heard Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" at Ida's house, and I initially thought that the pre-bleed that was a part of the song's sound was a defect in either her record or her stereo system. Ida had been accepted at Georgia Tech for the fall of 1970, but she never seemed enthusiastic about it; her attention seemed entirely focused on the spring and summer of 1970, and not the fall and college. Ida loved talking music and science fiction and comics almost as much as Sven and I did, so she became a member of our group almost instantly.
In my mind, I had thought that Sven and Ida would become a couple in the same way that Susan and I had become a couple. They hit it off well, shared many interests, and at times seemed attracted to one another. Ultimately, though, Ida was another friend in our small but growing group. What had been just Gary Steele and me as "comic book buddies" in early 1968 had gradually expanded to include Susan, then Sven, then Ida. For years, most of my fan friends were people I only knew through correspondence and fanzines but by the summer of 1970 I had a dynamic, intelligent, articulate group of friends I saw on a regular basis, and I was relishing the change.
In my mind, I had thought that Sven and Ida would become a couple in the same way that Susan and I had become a couple. They hit it off well, shared many interests, and at times seemed attracted to one another. Ultimately, though, Ida was another friend in our small but growing group. What had been just Gary Steele and me as "comic book buddies" in early 1968 had gradually expanded to include Susan, then Sven, then Ida. For years, most of my fan friends were people I only knew through correspondence and fanzines but by the summer of 1970 I had a dynamic, intelligent, articulate group of friends I saw on a regular basis, and I was relishing the change.
Friday, November 08, 2019
A Life in Four Colors Part Forty-Nine
As 1969 gave way to early 1970, I felt like my life was nearly perfect--but it was about to get better.
There was no shortage of great comics to read, and I had enough money to afford pretty much all the new comics I wanted. I had gotten to know Mildred Christian, the owner of Liberty Hatworks and Newsstand on Broad Street, who agreed to let the Wednesday afternoon shipment of new comics wait until I could come to her store after school and process them out for her, so I never had to worry about missing a comic--and I was even "paid" with a discount on the comics, books, and magazines I was buying every week.
I was reading a lot more science fiction, and had joined the Science Fiction Book Club for the first of what would be many times.
I had discovered the Mystery Book Club through an SFBC flyer, so I had joined that as well and was discovering the fiction of Ellery Queen, Dick Francis, Agatha Christie, Rex Stout, and others.
I had a driver's license and my parents were willing to let me use one of the family cars fairly regularly.
Oh, and Susan and I were beginning the tentative transition from liking each other to falling in love with each other.
The driver's license was an important factor. Once I got my license, I could drive from Rome to Cedartown to see Susan almost every week. Since my grandmother lived in Cedartown, she was willing to let me spend the night there, which meant that Susan and I could see each other for both days of the weekend if I went down on a Saturday morning and stayed until Sunday. That didn't happen every week, because my parents only had two cars and sometimes they would need both of them on one day of the weekend--but a weekend stay at grandmother's became a pretty common occurrence, which meant that Susan and I soon progressed from good friends to people who dated regularly.
We continued to talk to each other every evening, and we also kept up our habit of writing letters to one another. Both Susan and I were somewhat introverted by nature, and writing came very naturally to us, so it was no surprise that we both felt more comfortable writing about our feelings than talking about them.
I had never actually dated anyone prior to Susan. There were girls I liked as friends, but I had not had a girlfriend since elementary school. I was an oddball--a reasonably intelligent teenager who did well in school, but still loved comic books and spent a lot his spare time writing for these strange fanzines, composing poetry, and drawing. Let's be honest--I wasn't the kind of guy who attracted the attention of the girls at my school.
But with Susan, I could be comfortable with all of that. Even better, I was falling love with someone who enjoyed all of those things almost as much as I did.
Susan also reinvigorated my interest in music. I had been an avid music fan until about the time of Beatles '65; then my growing interest in comics, model kits, monster magazines, and fanzines forced me to make some budget choices. Music fell by the wayside.
Susan, however, loved music. Susan also had a full-time job, which meant that she could afford to buy comics, magazines, books, and still have money left over for albums.
How did Susan have a full-time job? Well, she was older than me by about two and a half years, so she actually graduated from Cedartown High School in the spring of 1969. Soon after she graduated, she got a job working in the payroll department of the Arrow Shirt factory in Cedartown, where she earned (after deductions) a little over $69 a week. Today, that seems like nothing--but to both of us, it was in impressive figure indeed. She meticulously saved $20 a week, contributed some to her family's budget, and still had money left over to buy fun stuff.
I had become interested in the Beatles once again with the release the single "Hey Jude" back in 1968. I owe my mother a debt of gratitude for that; it was Mom, not me, who bought that single because she liked the song a lot. She did not care as much for the flip side, "Revolution," but I played liked it almost as well as the A side. The Beatles had changed in the three intervening years, but the music was still good.
Alas, their 1968 album The Beatles (aka the White Album) was a double album that was well beyond my budget, so I stuck with singles for a while longer. I picked up "The Ballad of John and Yoko" when it came out in the spring of 1969 and liked that one a lot as well. I also bought the double-A-sided single of "Come Together/Something" and liked it a lot.
Susan and I talked about music a lot, and she remembered how much I liked the Beatles. So in late 1969 Susan gave me a copy of Abbey Road as a Christmas gift. I must have played both sides of that album two dozen times during the Christmas holidays of 1969. I asked her what she thought of it, and she told me that she actually didn't have a copy; she couldn't afford to buy two copies of the album, so she had bought just the one copy that she gave to me.
In early January, I cut a few non-essential items from my budget and bought a copy of Abbey Road for Susan. It wasn't a Christmas gift--I had given her a copy of Robert A. Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land for Christmas. I just wanted her to have a copy, too.
She was surprised and moved by the gift. She said that no one had ever given her a gift for no reason before. As soon as she got home, she listened to the album, and we discussed every song at length. We both loved the album, although we didn't share the same favorites. I loved the medleys on side two, while she preferred "Here Comes the Sun," "Something," and "Come Together."
And I was a Beatles fan again. From early 1970 on, I acquired every Beatles album (group or solo) upon release or soon after. And by the spring of 1970, we didn't have to buy two copies, because Susan and I were spending so much time together that I would just lend her my copy for a week, and she would lend me some of her albums.
Thanks to that album, I told Susan that I loved her. It was a weekend, and we were driving down a country road south of Cedartown, just riding around and talking. I told her how I thought about her every time I heard the song "Something," and that I felt the same way about her that George Harrison felt about Pattie. Susan wasn't willing to let me get by so easily, though, and she replied, "Oh, really? How's that?"
"Well, I love you just like he loves her," I said.
There was a moment of silence that left me apprehensive that I had said the wrong thing.
There was a dead-end dirt road that led into a pasture about a hundred yards ahead. "Pull over there," Susan said.
Not sure what she was going to say, I pulled over without saying anything further and stopped the car. As soon as I did, she took my hand, looked at me, and said "I love you, too."
And on February 7th, 1970, I realized that I had found the girl I really wanted to spend my life with.
There was no shortage of great comics to read, and I had enough money to afford pretty much all the new comics I wanted. I had gotten to know Mildred Christian, the owner of Liberty Hatworks and Newsstand on Broad Street, who agreed to let the Wednesday afternoon shipment of new comics wait until I could come to her store after school and process them out for her, so I never had to worry about missing a comic--and I was even "paid" with a discount on the comics, books, and magazines I was buying every week.
I was reading a lot more science fiction, and had joined the Science Fiction Book Club for the first of what would be many times.
I had discovered the Mystery Book Club through an SFBC flyer, so I had joined that as well and was discovering the fiction of Ellery Queen, Dick Francis, Agatha Christie, Rex Stout, and others.
I had a driver's license and my parents were willing to let me use one of the family cars fairly regularly.
Oh, and Susan and I were beginning the tentative transition from liking each other to falling in love with each other.
The driver's license was an important factor. Once I got my license, I could drive from Rome to Cedartown to see Susan almost every week. Since my grandmother lived in Cedartown, she was willing to let me spend the night there, which meant that Susan and I could see each other for both days of the weekend if I went down on a Saturday morning and stayed until Sunday. That didn't happen every week, because my parents only had two cars and sometimes they would need both of them on one day of the weekend--but a weekend stay at grandmother's became a pretty common occurrence, which meant that Susan and I soon progressed from good friends to people who dated regularly.
We continued to talk to each other every evening, and we also kept up our habit of writing letters to one another. Both Susan and I were somewhat introverted by nature, and writing came very naturally to us, so it was no surprise that we both felt more comfortable writing about our feelings than talking about them.
I had never actually dated anyone prior to Susan. There were girls I liked as friends, but I had not had a girlfriend since elementary school. I was an oddball--a reasonably intelligent teenager who did well in school, but still loved comic books and spent a lot his spare time writing for these strange fanzines, composing poetry, and drawing. Let's be honest--I wasn't the kind of guy who attracted the attention of the girls at my school.
But with Susan, I could be comfortable with all of that. Even better, I was falling love with someone who enjoyed all of those things almost as much as I did.
Susan also reinvigorated my interest in music. I had been an avid music fan until about the time of Beatles '65; then my growing interest in comics, model kits, monster magazines, and fanzines forced me to make some budget choices. Music fell by the wayside.
Susan, however, loved music. Susan also had a full-time job, which meant that she could afford to buy comics, magazines, books, and still have money left over for albums.
How did Susan have a full-time job? Well, she was older than me by about two and a half years, so she actually graduated from Cedartown High School in the spring of 1969. Soon after she graduated, she got a job working in the payroll department of the Arrow Shirt factory in Cedartown, where she earned (after deductions) a little over $69 a week. Today, that seems like nothing--but to both of us, it was in impressive figure indeed. She meticulously saved $20 a week, contributed some to her family's budget, and still had money left over to buy fun stuff.
I had become interested in the Beatles once again with the release the single "Hey Jude" back in 1968. I owe my mother a debt of gratitude for that; it was Mom, not me, who bought that single because she liked the song a lot. She did not care as much for the flip side, "Revolution," but I played liked it almost as well as the A side. The Beatles had changed in the three intervening years, but the music was still good.
Alas, their 1968 album The Beatles (aka the White Album) was a double album that was well beyond my budget, so I stuck with singles for a while longer. I picked up "The Ballad of John and Yoko" when it came out in the spring of 1969 and liked that one a lot as well. I also bought the double-A-sided single of "Come Together/Something" and liked it a lot.
Susan and I talked about music a lot, and she remembered how much I liked the Beatles. So in late 1969 Susan gave me a copy of Abbey Road as a Christmas gift. I must have played both sides of that album two dozen times during the Christmas holidays of 1969. I asked her what she thought of it, and she told me that she actually didn't have a copy; she couldn't afford to buy two copies of the album, so she had bought just the one copy that she gave to me.
In early January, I cut a few non-essential items from my budget and bought a copy of Abbey Road for Susan. It wasn't a Christmas gift--I had given her a copy of Robert A. Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land for Christmas. I just wanted her to have a copy, too.
She was surprised and moved by the gift. She said that no one had ever given her a gift for no reason before. As soon as she got home, she listened to the album, and we discussed every song at length. We both loved the album, although we didn't share the same favorites. I loved the medleys on side two, while she preferred "Here Comes the Sun," "Something," and "Come Together."
And I was a Beatles fan again. From early 1970 on, I acquired every Beatles album (group or solo) upon release or soon after. And by the spring of 1970, we didn't have to buy two copies, because Susan and I were spending so much time together that I would just lend her my copy for a week, and she would lend me some of her albums.
Thanks to that album, I told Susan that I loved her. It was a weekend, and we were driving down a country road south of Cedartown, just riding around and talking. I told her how I thought about her every time I heard the song "Something," and that I felt the same way about her that George Harrison felt about Pattie. Susan wasn't willing to let me get by so easily, though, and she replied, "Oh, really? How's that?"
"Well, I love you just like he loves her," I said.
There was a moment of silence that left me apprehensive that I had said the wrong thing.
There was a dead-end dirt road that led into a pasture about a hundred yards ahead. "Pull over there," Susan said.
Not sure what she was going to say, I pulled over without saying anything further and stopped the car. As soon as I did, she took my hand, looked at me, and said "I love you, too."
And on February 7th, 1970, I realized that I had found the girl I really wanted to spend my life with.
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 11/10/1969 to 11/16/1969
Seventh District Congressman John W. Davis introduced a bill in the US House of Representatives that would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by creating a freedom of choice program that would allow parents to choose which school within their local school system their children should attend, and also ensuring that teachers would be allowed to serve in the schools in which they were contracted to teach. Under the bill, the federal government could not withhold any financial aid from a school on account of racial composition so long as parents were allowed to freely choose any school within their system for their children. It would also make it unlawful for a federal agency or department "to coerce or induce the school board to bus students to alter the racial composition of any student body at a public school."
Talk about rubbing it in: East Rome head coach David Patterson invited West Rome parents and students to attend a showing of the highlights from the prior week's East Rome-West Rome football game, to be shown in the East Rome High School auditorium. I wonder if he would have been so eager to show that footage had East Rome not won the game...
Piggly Wiggly had sirloin steak for $1.09 a pound, Sealtest ice cream for 39¢ a half-gallon, and lettuce for a dime a head. A&P had chicken breasts for 39¢ a pound, apples for 19¢ a pound, and Van Camp's chili with bean for 33¢ a can. Kroger had chicken liver for 49¢ a pound, Eight O'Clock coffee for 65¢ a pound, and grapefruit for a dime each. Big Apple had center cut pork chops for 79¢ a pound, Campbell's tomato soup for 12¢ a can, and collard greens for 19¢ a bunch. Couch's had ground beef for 55¢ a pound, Bama jelly for 25¢ a jar, and bananas for a dime a pound.
The cinematic week began with Last Summer (starring Barbara Hershey & Richard Thomas) at the DeSoto Theatre, My Side of the Mountain (starring Teddy Eccles) at the First Avenue, Sweet Charity (starring Shirley MacLaine) at the Village, and The Chairman (starring Gregory Peck) at the West Rome Drive-In. The weekend switchout brought Once Upon a Time in the West (starring Henry Fonda) to the DeSoto, Uncle Tom's Cabin (starring John Kitzmiller & Herbert Lom) to the First Avenue, and Days of Anger (starring Lee Van Cleef) to the West Rome Drive-In, while Shirley MacLaine continued to her Sweet Charity drive at the Village.
The 5th Dimension held on to number one for a third week with "Wedding Bell Blues." Other top ten hits included "Take a Letter Maria" by RB Greaves (#2); "Come Together/Something" by the Beatles (#3 & 4--it's an A-sided single that took both slots), "And When I Die" by Blood, Sweat, & Tears (#5); "Smile a Little Smile for Me" by the Flying Machine (#6); "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" by Steam (#7); '\"Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday" by Stevie Wonder (#8); "Suspicious Minds by Elvis Presley (#9); and "I Can't Get Next To You" by the Temptations (#10).
And what a great week it was for the album charts: The Beatles' Abbey Road took the number one slot, while Led Zeppelin II was in second place, Green River by Creedence Clearwater Revival was in third place, Santana's eponymous first album was in fourth place, and I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! by Janis Joplin took fifth place.
This week in 1969, Sesame Street debuted on National Education Television (the predecessor to the Public Broadcasting Service).
***
And now some bad news: this will be the last installment of "Fifty Years Ago This Week" until early 2020—and this one is totally beyond my control. Apparently, over the years, the Rome News-Tribune has lost its archive copies of all newspapers from November 13th, 1969, through January 2nd, 1970. (That also explains why there is so little local news this week--I only had access to newspapers for the first three days of the week). Without copies of those newspapers, I have no source for information for this column for the next few weeks. I apologize in advance for the absence, but I promise I'll be back as soon as we reach the time period for which newspapers are available once again!
Talk about rubbing it in: East Rome head coach David Patterson invited West Rome parents and students to attend a showing of the highlights from the prior week's East Rome-West Rome football game, to be shown in the East Rome High School auditorium. I wonder if he would have been so eager to show that footage had East Rome not won the game...
Piggly Wiggly had sirloin steak for $1.09 a pound, Sealtest ice cream for 39¢ a half-gallon, and lettuce for a dime a head. A&P had chicken breasts for 39¢ a pound, apples for 19¢ a pound, and Van Camp's chili with bean for 33¢ a can. Kroger had chicken liver for 49¢ a pound, Eight O'Clock coffee for 65¢ a pound, and grapefruit for a dime each. Big Apple had center cut pork chops for 79¢ a pound, Campbell's tomato soup for 12¢ a can, and collard greens for 19¢ a bunch. Couch's had ground beef for 55¢ a pound, Bama jelly for 25¢ a jar, and bananas for a dime a pound.
The cinematic week began with Last Summer (starring Barbara Hershey & Richard Thomas) at the DeSoto Theatre, My Side of the Mountain (starring Teddy Eccles) at the First Avenue, Sweet Charity (starring Shirley MacLaine) at the Village, and The Chairman (starring Gregory Peck) at the West Rome Drive-In. The weekend switchout brought Once Upon a Time in the West (starring Henry Fonda) to the DeSoto, Uncle Tom's Cabin (starring John Kitzmiller & Herbert Lom) to the First Avenue, and Days of Anger (starring Lee Van Cleef) to the West Rome Drive-In, while Shirley MacLaine continued to her Sweet Charity drive at the Village.
The 5th Dimension held on to number one for a third week with "Wedding Bell Blues." Other top ten hits included "Take a Letter Maria" by RB Greaves (#2); "Come Together/Something" by the Beatles (#3 & 4--it's an A-sided single that took both slots), "And When I Die" by Blood, Sweat, & Tears (#5); "Smile a Little Smile for Me" by the Flying Machine (#6); "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" by Steam (#7); '\"Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday" by Stevie Wonder (#8); "Suspicious Minds by Elvis Presley (#9); and "I Can't Get Next To You" by the Temptations (#10).
And what a great week it was for the album charts: The Beatles' Abbey Road took the number one slot, while Led Zeppelin II was in second place, Green River by Creedence Clearwater Revival was in third place, Santana's eponymous first album was in fourth place, and I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! by Janis Joplin took fifth place.
This week in 1969, Sesame Street debuted on National Education Television (the predecessor to the Public Broadcasting Service).
***
And now some bad news: this will be the last installment of "Fifty Years Ago This Week" until early 2020—and this one is totally beyond my control. Apparently, over the years, the Rome News-Tribune has lost its archive copies of all newspapers from November 13th, 1969, through January 2nd, 1970. (That also explains why there is so little local news this week--I only had access to newspapers for the first three days of the week). Without copies of those newspapers, I have no source for information for this column for the next few weeks. I apologize in advance for the absence, but I promise I'll be back as soon as we reach the time period for which newspapers are available once again!
Saturday, November 02, 2019
A Life in Four Colors Part Forty-Eight
1969 was the year when I began to stumble across the path to my future.
First off, I really felt like I had found my place with friends who truly understood me. I had a close friend who shared most of my interests (Gary Steele), I had a new friend who also shared most of my interests and who had the advantage of being a beautiful girl (Susan)... and I took advantage of an opportunity that would turn out to lead me to my first career.
Berry College, located just a few miles from my house, had a Summer Enrichment Program that allowed invited high school sophomores to take college courses during the summer between their sophomore and junior years. Somehow, for reasons I never understood, I got one of those invitations.
And I almost turned it down.
It wasn't like I really had anything else on my schedule for the summer of 1969. But like pretty much every teenager, I was looking forward to sleeping late and goofing off for most of June, July, and August. My parents told me that they thought I should consider it, though, since it was an honor to get the invitation. My parents were never pushy or manipulative in any way. That's probably why I took their advice--their reasoning was sound (I could get high school credit for the course I took, and it might make a good impression on someone at Berry) and it was only a couple of classes.
So I accepted the invitation and signed up for the program. And I began what became a college tradition for me: I looked at the schedule of classes I could take and searched out the two earliest classes.
Like I said, I looked forward to sleeping late and goofing off--but I put a higher priority on "goofing off" than on "sleeping late," and I realized that if I could take an 8am and 9am class, I could finish up by 10am, get home by 10:20, and still have the entire day to do what I wanted. Heck, if I hadn't taken the class, I probably wouldn't have gotten up much earlier than 10am anyway, so I really wasn't losing any time at all!
Turned out that I enjoyed the classes, and I liked Berry College. It also turned out that they liked me, I guess, because at the end of my junior year they offered me a chance to take another class in the summer of 1970--and even better, they offered me an academic scholarship contingent on me maintaining my GPA and doing well in my summer 1970 class.
None of that had been in my mind when I took advantage of the Summer Enrichment Program in the summer of 1969. Had I not participated in that program, however, I probably would have never gotten that scholarship offer, which means that I probably would have never gone to Berry College, which means that I wouldn't have been able to marry Susan a week after my high school graduation because it wouldn't have been financially feasible, which means that I wouldn't have crossed paths with the college professors who guided and inspired me to sign up for the teaching program at Berry, which means that I wouldn't have become an English teacher, which means that Susan wouldn't have been able to go to Coosa Valley Tech as soon as I began teaching, which means that she wouldn't have gotten the software design certification that got her the job with Management Science America in Atlanta, which means we wouldn't have moved to Marietta, which means that I never would have gone to Dr. No's when Artie Decker owned the shop, which means hat he would have never offered me a job ordering comics for his store, which means that he would have never sold me the store in 1982...
It's amazing how much my life was changed by two little decisions: first, that fateful call to one Susan Hendrix of Cedartown, Georgia, in response to her letter of comment in an issue of Batman; second, my taking advantage of an invitation to take college courses at Berry in the summer of 1969. Put those two things together, and the doors to all the good things in my life were opened for me.
(This also began a lifelong habit of scheduling things in the morning, by the way. Medical appointments, financial appointments, pest control visits, home repairs--whatever it is, I try to schedule it as early as possible. I still value my goofing off time, and I love the feeling of getting those obligations and duties out of the way as soon as possible.)
First off, I really felt like I had found my place with friends who truly understood me. I had a close friend who shared most of my interests (Gary Steele), I had a new friend who also shared most of my interests and who had the advantage of being a beautiful girl (Susan)... and I took advantage of an opportunity that would turn out to lead me to my first career.
Berry College, located just a few miles from my house, had a Summer Enrichment Program that allowed invited high school sophomores to take college courses during the summer between their sophomore and junior years. Somehow, for reasons I never understood, I got one of those invitations.
And I almost turned it down.
It wasn't like I really had anything else on my schedule for the summer of 1969. But like pretty much every teenager, I was looking forward to sleeping late and goofing off for most of June, July, and August. My parents told me that they thought I should consider it, though, since it was an honor to get the invitation. My parents were never pushy or manipulative in any way. That's probably why I took their advice--their reasoning was sound (I could get high school credit for the course I took, and it might make a good impression on someone at Berry) and it was only a couple of classes.
So I accepted the invitation and signed up for the program. And I began what became a college tradition for me: I looked at the schedule of classes I could take and searched out the two earliest classes.
Like I said, I looked forward to sleeping late and goofing off--but I put a higher priority on "goofing off" than on "sleeping late," and I realized that if I could take an 8am and 9am class, I could finish up by 10am, get home by 10:20, and still have the entire day to do what I wanted. Heck, if I hadn't taken the class, I probably wouldn't have gotten up much earlier than 10am anyway, so I really wasn't losing any time at all!
Turned out that I enjoyed the classes, and I liked Berry College. It also turned out that they liked me, I guess, because at the end of my junior year they offered me a chance to take another class in the summer of 1970--and even better, they offered me an academic scholarship contingent on me maintaining my GPA and doing well in my summer 1970 class.
None of that had been in my mind when I took advantage of the Summer Enrichment Program in the summer of 1969. Had I not participated in that program, however, I probably would have never gotten that scholarship offer, which means that I probably would have never gone to Berry College, which means that I wouldn't have been able to marry Susan a week after my high school graduation because it wouldn't have been financially feasible, which means that I wouldn't have crossed paths with the college professors who guided and inspired me to sign up for the teaching program at Berry, which means that I wouldn't have become an English teacher, which means that Susan wouldn't have been able to go to Coosa Valley Tech as soon as I began teaching, which means that she wouldn't have gotten the software design certification that got her the job with Management Science America in Atlanta, which means we wouldn't have moved to Marietta, which means that I never would have gone to Dr. No's when Artie Decker owned the shop, which means hat he would have never offered me a job ordering comics for his store, which means that he would have never sold me the store in 1982...
It's amazing how much my life was changed by two little decisions: first, that fateful call to one Susan Hendrix of Cedartown, Georgia, in response to her letter of comment in an issue of Batman; second, my taking advantage of an invitation to take college courses at Berry in the summer of 1969. Put those two things together, and the doors to all the good things in my life were opened for me.
(This also began a lifelong habit of scheduling things in the morning, by the way. Medical appointments, financial appointments, pest control visits, home repairs--whatever it is, I try to schedule it as early as possible. I still value my goofing off time, and I love the feeling of getting those obligations and duties out of the way as soon as possible.)
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 11/3/1969 to 11/9/1969
The annual East-West confrontation took place on Friday night, November 7th—but the outcome wasn't what Chieftains fans were hoping for. East Rome took the win with a 13-yard field goal with just two minutes left in the game, propelling them to a 16-13 victory over West Rome. That brought an end to the season for West Rome as the Gladiators took the 7-AA South region championship for the second year in a row. West Rome's first touchdown came via a pass from David Love to Thomas Crowley, while Alan Carrington ran the ball for the second touchdown. The Chieftains made one final long pass attempt in the final seconds of the game, but the pass was intercepted by East Rome, securing the win for the Glads.
Ida Hutchings, Janet Webb, and Belinda Rodgers received letters of commendation for their outstanding performance on the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. They were among 39,000 students nationwide who scored int he upper 2% of all students taking the test. (It has been far too long since I last crossed paths with Ida Hutchings, who remained a member of my circle of friends through the 1970s--anyone know where she is now?)
Piggly Wiggly had center cut pork chops for 89¢ a pound, Shurfine tuna for 33¢ a can, and Atlanta Dairies ice milk for 33¢ a half-gallon. Kroger had fresh whole fryers for 25¢ a pound, Heinz ketchup for 25¢ a bottle, and collards for 29¢ a bunch. A&P had round steak for 95¢ a pound, Eight O'Clock coffee for 69¢ a pound, and corn for 8¢ an ear. Big Apple had ground beef for 55¢ a pound, Van Camp's pork & beans for 14¢ a can, and a five-pound bag of Dixie Crystals sugar for 39¢. Couch's had hen turkeys for 43¢ a pound, Ocean Spray cranberry sauce for 29¢ a can, and bananas for a dime a pound.
I don't even remember Minnie Pearl Fried Chicken at 901 Shorter Avenue, but apparently it was a going concern in 1969. Minnie Pearl was offering a free 10" lemon meringue pie with the purchase of any $1.25 fried chicken dinner. "Due to the fact that Minnie only baked 49,734 pies, limit of one per customer per day, please."
The cinematic week began with Battle of Britain (starring Michael Caine) at the DeSoto Theatre, Hell's Angels '69 (starring Tom Stern) at the First Avenue, File of the Golden Goose (starring Yul Brynner) at the Village, and The Longest Day (starring John Wayne) at the West Rome Drive-In. The weekend switch out brought The Last Summer (starring Barbara Hershey) to the DeSoto, My Side of the Mountain (staring Teddy Eccles) to the First Avenue, Sweet Charity (starring Shirley MacLaine) to the Village, and a double feature of She (starring Ursula Andress) and One Million BC (starring Raquel Welch) to the West Rome Drive-In. (That's quite a double-feature!)
The 5th Dimension held on to the number one slot for a second week with "Wedding Bell Blues." Other top ten hits included the double-A-sided single "Come Together/Something" by the Beatles (#s 2 and 3); "And When I Die" by Blood, Sweat, & Tears (#4); "Baby It's You" by Smith (#5); "I Can't Get Next To You" by the Temptations (#6); "Suspicious Minds" by Elvis Presley (#7); "Smile a Little Smile for Me" by the Flying Machine (#8); "Sugar, Sugar" by the Archies (#9); and "Take a Letter Maria" by RB Greaves (#10--and boy, would that song stir up controversy if it was released today!).
The Allman Brothers Band released their eponymous debut album this week in 1969. (The Macon band holds a special place in the hearts of many 1960s/1970s Chieftains because of a concert appearance at Berry College in October of 1970--I know that's what made me a fan of their music!)
Rod Serling's second fantasy anthology series, Night Gallery, made its debut on NBC on November 8th. To be fair, this was actually just a special showing of the pilot episode; the show wouldn't return as an ongoing series until December of 1970, thirteen months later.
Ida Hutchings, Janet Webb, and Belinda Rodgers received letters of commendation for their outstanding performance on the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. They were among 39,000 students nationwide who scored int he upper 2% of all students taking the test. (It has been far too long since I last crossed paths with Ida Hutchings, who remained a member of my circle of friends through the 1970s--anyone know where she is now?)
Piggly Wiggly had center cut pork chops for 89¢ a pound, Shurfine tuna for 33¢ a can, and Atlanta Dairies ice milk for 33¢ a half-gallon. Kroger had fresh whole fryers for 25¢ a pound, Heinz ketchup for 25¢ a bottle, and collards for 29¢ a bunch. A&P had round steak for 95¢ a pound, Eight O'Clock coffee for 69¢ a pound, and corn for 8¢ an ear. Big Apple had ground beef for 55¢ a pound, Van Camp's pork & beans for 14¢ a can, and a five-pound bag of Dixie Crystals sugar for 39¢. Couch's had hen turkeys for 43¢ a pound, Ocean Spray cranberry sauce for 29¢ a can, and bananas for a dime a pound.
I don't even remember Minnie Pearl Fried Chicken at 901 Shorter Avenue, but apparently it was a going concern in 1969. Minnie Pearl was offering a free 10" lemon meringue pie with the purchase of any $1.25 fried chicken dinner. "Due to the fact that Minnie only baked 49,734 pies, limit of one per customer per day, please."
The cinematic week began with Battle of Britain (starring Michael Caine) at the DeSoto Theatre, Hell's Angels '69 (starring Tom Stern) at the First Avenue, File of the Golden Goose (starring Yul Brynner) at the Village, and The Longest Day (starring John Wayne) at the West Rome Drive-In. The weekend switch out brought The Last Summer (starring Barbara Hershey) to the DeSoto, My Side of the Mountain (staring Teddy Eccles) to the First Avenue, Sweet Charity (starring Shirley MacLaine) to the Village, and a double feature of She (starring Ursula Andress) and One Million BC (starring Raquel Welch) to the West Rome Drive-In. (That's quite a double-feature!)
The 5th Dimension held on to the number one slot for a second week with "Wedding Bell Blues." Other top ten hits included the double-A-sided single "Come Together/Something" by the Beatles (#s 2 and 3); "And When I Die" by Blood, Sweat, & Tears (#4); "Baby It's You" by Smith (#5); "I Can't Get Next To You" by the Temptations (#6); "Suspicious Minds" by Elvis Presley (#7); "Smile a Little Smile for Me" by the Flying Machine (#8); "Sugar, Sugar" by the Archies (#9); and "Take a Letter Maria" by RB Greaves (#10--and boy, would that song stir up controversy if it was released today!).
The Allman Brothers Band released their eponymous debut album this week in 1969. (The Macon band holds a special place in the hearts of many 1960s/1970s Chieftains because of a concert appearance at Berry College in October of 1970--I know that's what made me a fan of their music!)
Rod Serling's second fantasy anthology series, Night Gallery, made its debut on NBC on November 8th. To be fair, this was actually just a special showing of the pilot episode; the show wouldn't return as an ongoing series until December of 1970, thirteen months later.
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
100 Days of Solitude
One hundred days.
That's how many days have passed since my beloved Susan died. July 22nd, 10:05 AM--that was when I had to say goodbye to the woman who was the center of my world.
I've always had a thing for numbers. That's why I keep track of these things, I guess. One week without Susan. One month. Fifty days. Thirteen weeks—one season. And now one hundred days.
I wasn't sure that I'd be alive a hundred days after Susan's death.
Sometimes I wasn't sure that I wanted to be alive a hundred days after Susan's death.
I'm lucky. This is also a Wednesday, which means I'll be busy at the store most of the day. I'll get to see my close friends who come by the store every day. After the store closes, we'll go to dinner together at El Rodeo, as we do every Wednesday. Those are the things that will help me get through tomorrow.
But I know I'll be sad. I know I'll be lonely. I know I'll shed tears for Susan. In those ways, tomorrow will be like every one of the past one hundred days, I guess--but I suspect the sorrow and loneliness will be more intense.
One hundred days without her. How can that be?
There are other somber landmark days ahead. My first Thanksgiving without her. My first Christmas alone. My first Valentine's Day alone. Next June, my first wedding anniversary that I can't share with Susan. Then the most sad day of all--the one year anniversary of her passing.
Maybe it gets easier after that.
But somehow, I don't think it really does.
I think I'll just get better at hiding it.
That's how many days have passed since my beloved Susan died. July 22nd, 10:05 AM--that was when I had to say goodbye to the woman who was the center of my world.
I've always had a thing for numbers. That's why I keep track of these things, I guess. One week without Susan. One month. Fifty days. Thirteen weeks—one season. And now one hundred days.
I wasn't sure that I'd be alive a hundred days after Susan's death.
Sometimes I wasn't sure that I wanted to be alive a hundred days after Susan's death.
I'm lucky. This is also a Wednesday, which means I'll be busy at the store most of the day. I'll get to see my close friends who come by the store every day. After the store closes, we'll go to dinner together at El Rodeo, as we do every Wednesday. Those are the things that will help me get through tomorrow.
But I know I'll be sad. I know I'll be lonely. I know I'll shed tears for Susan. In those ways, tomorrow will be like every one of the past one hundred days, I guess--but I suspect the sorrow and loneliness will be more intense.
One hundred days without her. How can that be?
There are other somber landmark days ahead. My first Thanksgiving without her. My first Christmas alone. My first Valentine's Day alone. Next June, my first wedding anniversary that I can't share with Susan. Then the most sad day of all--the one year anniversary of her passing.
Maybe it gets easier after that.
But somehow, I don't think it really does.
I think I'll just get better at hiding it.
Friday, October 25, 2019
A Life in Four Colors Part Forty-Seven
235-9546.
More than fifty years later, I still remember this number.
That was my phone number. My very own phone number. For my very own phone. In my room. Listed in the phone book under my name. Paid for with my money (okay, not totally--my parents offered to pay the first four bucks of the cost, and I paid the remaining almost-five-bucks myself).
So why did I need my own phone?
If you guessed "Susan," you're beginning to figure me out.
By the spring of 1969, Susan and I talked to each other all the time. We continued to write each other as well, but the letters decreased to one a week as the phone calls increased. We talked about comic books (we both liked Spectre and we were both enjoying Teen Titans more by Neal Adams & Nick Cardy than we had liked it when Bob Haney was writing it; I liked Silver Surfer and she couldn't understand why; we both hated to see Legion of Super-Heroes come to an end in Adventure Comics; Batman was getting better; Susan--who didn't like Marvel--agreed that the Fantastic Four was still the best book Marvel published), we talked about science fiction (I liked Heinlein better than Asimov, while Susan ranked Asimov higher, but we enjoyed both), we talked about television shows (we both loved Hawaii Five-0 and Mission: Impossible, neither of us cared for The Mod Squad, and I liked Get Smart much more than Susan did--but I've always had a soft spot for sitcoms)... and we talked about each other.
Problem was, my dad was a sports editor for a local newspaper that covered sports for more than a dozen local high schools. Dad had a staff of one full-time sports reporter and two part-time sports reporters. Do the math and you'll see that there was no way that he could have covered all those games himself, nor did he have the staff to do so. That meant that he used stringers who were paid per game to phone in vital info and stats to him at home on game nights; he would type up the info, then turn it into a story that would appear in the next afternoon's Rome News-Tribune. And that meant that Dad needed the phone line to be open for incoming calls. So while no one else in Susan's family used the phone very much and thus our increasingly long conversations weren't a problem on her end, they were more troublesome on my end.
So I proposed that perhaps I should have a separate phone line in my room. And my parents weren't opposed to the idea, if I was willing to cover part of the cost myself. (I think they weren't wholly opposed to the idea of the phone since I was spending so much time talking to a girl as nice as Susan--my parents liked her a great deal from the first time they met her.) Some quick calculations and I said yes. I was earning more money around the house for mowing the lawn, raking leaves, sweeping the driveway, and other miscellaneous chores, so I could make room in my budget for a dollar and a quarter a week for a phone.
The big advantage, as I saw it, was that Susan and could talk about each other more--and we could do so without others listening to my side of the conversation. There was little privacy when I talked on my family's home phone--and my sister found it particularly amusing to hang out near me when I was on the phone, as many eight-year-olds are wont to do just to annoy their teenage siblings--but with my own phone, I could close the door and talk to Susan as long as we wanted, and we could talk about pretty much anything.
There was one flaw in my logic: while I had my own phone, Susan didn't, and her phone was in the living room where everyone watched television. Her solution? Buy a long cord for the phone so she could stretch it out to the screened-in porch, where she could at least get some modicum of privacy.
Not the perfect solution, but it worked. So by the spring of 1969, we were not only talking about comics and books and television shows, we were also talking about how much we liked seeing each other. And we were making plans to see each other much more after I got my driver's license in August 1969.
Six months earlier, I hadn't even particularly cared about getting a driver's license right away. But by the spring of 1969, I couldn't wait to get my license.
My own phone. My own license in the not-too-distant future. Might not seem like much, but it was an indication that my life was beginning to change, and Susan was the catalyst for those changes--just as she would go on to be the catalyst for almost every good change in my life in years to come...
More than fifty years later, I still remember this number.
That was my phone number. My very own phone number. For my very own phone. In my room. Listed in the phone book under my name. Paid for with my money (okay, not totally--my parents offered to pay the first four bucks of the cost, and I paid the remaining almost-five-bucks myself).
So why did I need my own phone?
If you guessed "Susan," you're beginning to figure me out.
By the spring of 1969, Susan and I talked to each other all the time. We continued to write each other as well, but the letters decreased to one a week as the phone calls increased. We talked about comic books (we both liked Spectre and we were both enjoying Teen Titans more by Neal Adams & Nick Cardy than we had liked it when Bob Haney was writing it; I liked Silver Surfer and she couldn't understand why; we both hated to see Legion of Super-Heroes come to an end in Adventure Comics; Batman was getting better; Susan--who didn't like Marvel--agreed that the Fantastic Four was still the best book Marvel published), we talked about science fiction (I liked Heinlein better than Asimov, while Susan ranked Asimov higher, but we enjoyed both), we talked about television shows (we both loved Hawaii Five-0 and Mission: Impossible, neither of us cared for The Mod Squad, and I liked Get Smart much more than Susan did--but I've always had a soft spot for sitcoms)... and we talked about each other.
Problem was, my dad was a sports editor for a local newspaper that covered sports for more than a dozen local high schools. Dad had a staff of one full-time sports reporter and two part-time sports reporters. Do the math and you'll see that there was no way that he could have covered all those games himself, nor did he have the staff to do so. That meant that he used stringers who were paid per game to phone in vital info and stats to him at home on game nights; he would type up the info, then turn it into a story that would appear in the next afternoon's Rome News-Tribune. And that meant that Dad needed the phone line to be open for incoming calls. So while no one else in Susan's family used the phone very much and thus our increasingly long conversations weren't a problem on her end, they were more troublesome on my end.
So I proposed that perhaps I should have a separate phone line in my room. And my parents weren't opposed to the idea, if I was willing to cover part of the cost myself. (I think they weren't wholly opposed to the idea of the phone since I was spending so much time talking to a girl as nice as Susan--my parents liked her a great deal from the first time they met her.) Some quick calculations and I said yes. I was earning more money around the house for mowing the lawn, raking leaves, sweeping the driveway, and other miscellaneous chores, so I could make room in my budget for a dollar and a quarter a week for a phone.
The big advantage, as I saw it, was that Susan and could talk about each other more--and we could do so without others listening to my side of the conversation. There was little privacy when I talked on my family's home phone--and my sister found it particularly amusing to hang out near me when I was on the phone, as many eight-year-olds are wont to do just to annoy their teenage siblings--but with my own phone, I could close the door and talk to Susan as long as we wanted, and we could talk about pretty much anything.
There was one flaw in my logic: while I had my own phone, Susan didn't, and her phone was in the living room where everyone watched television. Her solution? Buy a long cord for the phone so she could stretch it out to the screened-in porch, where she could at least get some modicum of privacy.
Not the perfect solution, but it worked. So by the spring of 1969, we were not only talking about comics and books and television shows, we were also talking about how much we liked seeing each other. And we were making plans to see each other much more after I got my driver's license in August 1969.
Six months earlier, I hadn't even particularly cared about getting a driver's license right away. But by the spring of 1969, I couldn't wait to get my license.
My own phone. My own license in the not-too-distant future. Might not seem like much, but it was an indication that my life was beginning to change, and Susan was the catalyst for those changes--just as she would go on to be the catalyst for almost every good change in my life in years to come...
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 10/27/1969 to 11/2/1969
The week started off pretty badly for the Chieftains as Nick Hyder announced, "The grave's been dug, but we're not in it yet." What led to such a grim statement? The news that five regulars would most likely miss the Saturday night game against the Pepperell dragons. End-linebacker David Watkins, quarterback Randy Hatch, end Jim Poplin, tailback John Sapp, and end Frank Felker were all on the injured-or-ill list. "I don't ever recall a worse situation with injuries in all my years of coaching," Hyder said. "Right now, we're working with several combinations in practice, trying to find replacements for these boys. Hyder had already called Johnny Thompkins up from the ninth grade team at the recommendation of Coach Wesley Jenkins, who said that the ninth grade team was undefeated in seven games thanks largely to the work of Thompkins.
In spite of those missing players, West Rome managed to rack up a 21-13 victory over Pepperell at Barron Stadium on Saturday, November 1st. That put West Rome in a tie with East Rome for first place in Region 7-AA South--which also meant that the upcoming East-West game would determine the sub-region championship. Thomas Crowley racked up the first touchdown with a ten-yard run; Allen Carrington racked up the second touchdown with an 83-yard run; and Stan Green picked off a Pepperell pass, kicking off a drive that set up David Love for a quarterback sneak that turned into West Rome's third touchdown.
Georgia's Tax Revision Commission continued to look at ways to modify Georgia's tax system. The plan under consideration in October would have exempted groceries and prescription drugs from sales tax, but would raise the tax on other items from 3% to 3.5%. The exemption would cost the state $46 million, but the half-percent increase would bring in $50 million, making the state $4 million richer under the new plan. The Tax Revision Commission also okayed local option income taxes for cities and counties that wanted to add a 1% income tax on those who lived or worked within their borders.
The Georgia Board of Regents said that (in spite of the fact that they were re-bidding the contract for permanent construction) the new Floyd Junior College should be open for classes by the fall of 1970. They did say, however, that the classes might start in a temporary facility if construction wasn't finished by the time the fall quarter was scheduled to begin. The Board of Regents also revealed that they were modifying the plans to make the initial facilities about 10% smaller than initially planned in order to save on construction costs.
Rome City School Board representatives revealed that they were working on plans to fully desegregate all grades in the Rome City school system by the fall of 1970 in keeping with new Department of Health, Education, and Welfare rulings. This would require that Rome desegregate all twelve grades one year earlier than their previously approved plan had specified, but Rome said that they were close enough to that level already that the earlier deadline should not be a problem and no education funding should be in jeopardy.
The Rome Pilot Club donated a Baldwin studio piano to the Rome Boy's Club assembly room for use by the Rome Boys Club Choir; the piano would also be available for supervised use by Boys Club members.
Piggly Wiggly had chicken livers for 39¢ a pound, a six pack of Coca-Cola/Sprite/Tab/Fanta in cans for 49¢, and bananas for a dime a pound. A&P had rib steaks for 89¢ a pound, Armour Vienna sausages for 27¢ a can, and corn for 12¢ an ear. Big Apple had smoked center cut pork chops for 99¢ a pound, Mrs. Bell's mayonnaise for 39¢ a quart, and Irvindale ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon. Kroger had sirloin steak for $1.19 a pound, medium eggs for 49¢ a dozen, and oranges for a dime a pound. Couch's had chili meat (which I presume was chunky ground beef) for 59¢ a pound, Bama peanut butter for 39¢ a hard, and cabbage for 9¢ a pound.
The cinematic week began with Some Kind of a Nut (starring Dick Van Dyke) at the DeSoto Theatre, Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies (starring Tony Curtis) at the First Avenue, Alice's Restaurant (starring Arlo Guthrie) at the Village, and Romeo & Juliet (starring Leonard Whiting & Olivia Hussey) at the West Rome Drive-In. The end-of-week switchout brought Battle of Britain (starring Michael Caine) to the DeSoto, Hell's Angels '69 (starring Tom Stern) to the First Avenue, File of the Golden Goose (starring Yul Brynner) to the Village, and Kiss & Kill (starring Christopher Lee) to the West Rome Drive-In.
The 5th Dimension moved into the number one slot this week in 1969 with "Wedding Bell Blues." Other top ten hits included "Suspicious Minds" by Elvis Presley (#2); "Come Together" by the Beatles (#3); "I Can't Get Next To You" by the Temptations (#4); "Baby It's You" by Smith (#5); "Sugar, Sugar" by the Archies (#6); "Hot Fun in the Summertime by Sly & the Family Stone (#7); "And When I Die" by Blood, Sweat, & Tears (#8); "Something" by the Beatles (#9--and I have no idea how they determined the Beatles' placement this week, since "Come Together/Something" was a double-A-sided single); and "Smile a Little Smile for Me" by the Flying Machine (#10).
In spite of those missing players, West Rome managed to rack up a 21-13 victory over Pepperell at Barron Stadium on Saturday, November 1st. That put West Rome in a tie with East Rome for first place in Region 7-AA South--which also meant that the upcoming East-West game would determine the sub-region championship. Thomas Crowley racked up the first touchdown with a ten-yard run; Allen Carrington racked up the second touchdown with an 83-yard run; and Stan Green picked off a Pepperell pass, kicking off a drive that set up David Love for a quarterback sneak that turned into West Rome's third touchdown.
Georgia's Tax Revision Commission continued to look at ways to modify Georgia's tax system. The plan under consideration in October would have exempted groceries and prescription drugs from sales tax, but would raise the tax on other items from 3% to 3.5%. The exemption would cost the state $46 million, but the half-percent increase would bring in $50 million, making the state $4 million richer under the new plan. The Tax Revision Commission also okayed local option income taxes for cities and counties that wanted to add a 1% income tax on those who lived or worked within their borders.
The Georgia Board of Regents said that (in spite of the fact that they were re-bidding the contract for permanent construction) the new Floyd Junior College should be open for classes by the fall of 1970. They did say, however, that the classes might start in a temporary facility if construction wasn't finished by the time the fall quarter was scheduled to begin. The Board of Regents also revealed that they were modifying the plans to make the initial facilities about 10% smaller than initially planned in order to save on construction costs.
Rome City School Board representatives revealed that they were working on plans to fully desegregate all grades in the Rome City school system by the fall of 1970 in keeping with new Department of Health, Education, and Welfare rulings. This would require that Rome desegregate all twelve grades one year earlier than their previously approved plan had specified, but Rome said that they were close enough to that level already that the earlier deadline should not be a problem and no education funding should be in jeopardy.
The Rome Pilot Club donated a Baldwin studio piano to the Rome Boy's Club assembly room for use by the Rome Boys Club Choir; the piano would also be available for supervised use by Boys Club members.
Piggly Wiggly had chicken livers for 39¢ a pound, a six pack of Coca-Cola/Sprite/Tab/Fanta in cans for 49¢, and bananas for a dime a pound. A&P had rib steaks for 89¢ a pound, Armour Vienna sausages for 27¢ a can, and corn for 12¢ an ear. Big Apple had smoked center cut pork chops for 99¢ a pound, Mrs. Bell's mayonnaise for 39¢ a quart, and Irvindale ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon. Kroger had sirloin steak for $1.19 a pound, medium eggs for 49¢ a dozen, and oranges for a dime a pound. Couch's had chili meat (which I presume was chunky ground beef) for 59¢ a pound, Bama peanut butter for 39¢ a hard, and cabbage for 9¢ a pound.
The cinematic week began with Some Kind of a Nut (starring Dick Van Dyke) at the DeSoto Theatre, Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies (starring Tony Curtis) at the First Avenue, Alice's Restaurant (starring Arlo Guthrie) at the Village, and Romeo & Juliet (starring Leonard Whiting & Olivia Hussey) at the West Rome Drive-In. The end-of-week switchout brought Battle of Britain (starring Michael Caine) to the DeSoto, Hell's Angels '69 (starring Tom Stern) to the First Avenue, File of the Golden Goose (starring Yul Brynner) to the Village, and Kiss & Kill (starring Christopher Lee) to the West Rome Drive-In.
The 5th Dimension moved into the number one slot this week in 1969 with "Wedding Bell Blues." Other top ten hits included "Suspicious Minds" by Elvis Presley (#2); "Come Together" by the Beatles (#3); "I Can't Get Next To You" by the Temptations (#4); "Baby It's You" by Smith (#5); "Sugar, Sugar" by the Archies (#6); "Hot Fun in the Summertime by Sly & the Family Stone (#7); "And When I Die" by Blood, Sweat, & Tears (#8); "Something" by the Beatles (#9--and I have no idea how they determined the Beatles' placement this week, since "Come Together/Something" was a double-A-sided single); and "Smile a Little Smile for Me" by the Flying Machine (#10).
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