(The next few weeks of Fifty Years Ago... will be skimpier than I'd like, because many daily issues of the Rome News-Tribune are missing from the archives. This week, for instance, the paper only had four of the six days available (there was no Saturday paper back then). Sunday papers seem to be missing for most of the summer, and some weeks have as few as two days of newspapers on file.)
The opening of Floyd Junior College brought an end to the Rome Center for Continuing Education, which launched in 1948 as an extension of the University System of Georgia. The center, which had an enrollment of 441 in its final year of operation, offered courses in western world literature, English composition, algebra, western civilization, contemporary social problems, American History, American government, speech, psychology, sociology, and trigonometry. The center planned to merge its course offerings with the new junior college when it began offering courses in the fall of 1970. (Until I found this article, I had no idea that there was a Rome Center for Continuing Education offering courses that could transfer to any Georgia University System school!)
Rome city pools (the main city pool and the Hardy Street pool) opened at 1pm on Friday, June 5th. Admission was 25¢ for children 12 and under, 35¢ for teenagers, and 50¢ for adults.
The Braves held Rome Night on June 2nd, with Rome's Ralph Primm throwing out the first ball and Judge HE Nichols singing the national anthem. Rome civic leaders organized busses to transport Romans to Atlanta Stadium for the game against the New York Mets.Romans got to watch the Braves win that game 4-1, thanks to Phil Niekro, who threw a four-hitter for the night. The Mets blamed the evening rain for their loss, complaining that the game should have been called due to bad weather that left puddles on the field, but Romans who attended the game dismissed those complaints as sour grapes.
A&P had beef roast for 69¢ a pound, Bush's pork & beans for a dime a can, and large eggs for 39¢ a dozen. Piggly Wiggly had Wilson's ham for 39¢ a pound, canntaloupes for 33¢ each, and 100 Tetley tea bags for 99¢. Kroger had fresh whole fryers for 27¢ a pound, carrots for a dime a bag, and Downy Flake frozen waffles for a quarter a box. Big Apple had ground beef for 55¢ a pound, Irvindale ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon, and whole watermelons for 99¢ each. Coiuch's had sirloin steak for $1.09 a pound, corn for 8¢ an ear, and Coca-Cola/Tab/Sprite for 33¢ a carton plus deposit.
The cinematic week began with Let It Be (the Michael Lindsay-Hogg documentary about the making of the Beatles' final album release) at the DeSoto Theatre, Whatever Happened to Aunt Alice? (starring Geraldine Page) at the First Avenue, Norwood (starring Glen Campbell & Kim Darby) at the Village, and The Reivers (starring Steve McQueen) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switch out brought Walt Disney's King of the Grizzlies to the DeSoto, the X-rated Cindy & Donna to the First Avenue, and Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid (starring Paul Newman & Robert Redford) to the West Rome Drive-In, while Norwood hung around at the Village for another week.
The Beatles held the number one slot this week with "The Long & Winding Road." Other top ten hits included "Which Way You Going Billy?" by the Poppy Family (#2); "Everything Is Beautiful" by Ray Stevens (#3); "Get Ready" by Rare Earth (#4); "Love on a Two-Way Street" by the Moments (#5); "Cecilia" by Simon & Garfunkel (#6); "The Letter" by Joe Cocker (#7); "Up Around the Bend/Run Through the Jungle" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (#8); "Make Me Smile" by Chicago (#9); and "The Love You Save" by the Jackson 5 (#10).
Friday, May 29, 2020
Saturday, May 16, 2020
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 5/18/1970 to 5/24/1970
What had once been a regional dream became a reality this week in 1970 as Floyd Junior College began processing registration for the fall quarter. After more than a half a decade of back and forth discussions about building a junior college to serve Northwest Georgia, construction was nearing completion, faculty had been contracted, and the school began accepting applications from any students who had (or would have) a high school diploma and had taken (or would take prior to July 31st) the Scholastic Aptitude Test.
Of course, any major construction project has unanticipated side effects, and the junior college construction was no exception. Due to the new demands on the water system, the city approved a $900,000 water and sewer expansion from Rome to the Silver Creek and junior college area. The new expansion plan came just a week after Rome finally completed the expansion into the West Rome/Alabama Road area, boosting pressure for homes that complained that very little water was reaching their "end of the line" homes.
West Rome's John Sapp represented the school at the Georgia Class AA meet on Friday and Saturday at Tara Stadium in Clayton County, where he would compete in the hurdles. Sapp held the Rome area 1970 track season record with 14.9 seconds in the high hurdles and 20.2 in the low hurdles. Xavier Smith competed in the high jump and Chuck Kinnebrew competed in the discus--and while neither held a 1970 track season record, both were in the top three for the region. (Did Sapp, Smith, or Kinnebrew win at the region meet? Alas, I do not know, because the Rome News-Tribune is missing the paper that would have that news. If any of you reading this know how the three did, please share the info!)
City manager Bruce Hamler and Rome Recreation Department director Grady McCalmon said that they were investigating a new round of vandalism problems at Rome city parks. In the prior month, vandals had ripped out toilets and sinks, kicked in the doors to the restrooms, and shattered soft drink bottles on the tennis courts. Residents reported seeing teenagers in the area where the vandalism occurred, but no suspects had been identified. In response, the city said that they were going to pay for extra security in the city's 116 acres of parks, and intended to prosecute any vandals.
The Rome Boys Club Choir held their 13th annual concert on Thursday, May 21st, and Friday, May 22nd, at the City Auditorium. The concert was a mix of sacred music and popular songs, followed by a selection of "old time favorites." In addition to the whole choir, a barber shot quartet of boys also performed.
Apparently I had no idea how expensive Kentucky Fried Chicken was in 1970: the restaurant was offering a special nine-piece "thrift box" of Chicken for $1.89, with two pints of sides for 55¢ (buy one, get one free, since 55¢ was the regular price for one side). With an inflation multiplier of $6.61, that's the equivalent of paying $12.49 for the chicken and $3.65 for the two sides. And I remember how small and oddly cut KFC chicken was back then. Compare that to what you'd pay at Publix for eight very large pieces of chicken and two sides today and you can see that KFC's sale wasn't much of a sale at all!
Piggly Wiggly had ground beef for 49¢ a pound, Van Camp's chili for 29¢ a can, and strawberries for 49¢ a pint¢. Kroger had chuck roast for 59¢ a pound, sweet potatoes for 12¢ a pound, and Sealtest ice cream for 55¢ a half-gallon. Big Apple had rib roast for 89¢ a pound, apples for 16¢ a pound, and a five-pound bag of frozen french fries for 69¢. A&P had T-bone steak for $1.09 a pound, Hormel Vienna sausages for a dime a can, and carrots for a dime a bag. Couch's had chicken breast for 53¢ a pound, Nabisco vanilla wafers for 39¢ a box, and Van Camp's pork & beans for 15¢ a can.
The cinematic week began with The Magic Christian (starring Peter Sellers & Ringo Starr, with music by Badfinger and others) to the DeSoto Theatre, Vixen (an X-rated Russ Meyer film starring Erica Gavin) to the First Avenue, The Molly Maguires (starring Richard Harris & Sean Connery) to the Village, and Invasion of the Animal People (with John Carradine) West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switch out brought Funny Girl (starring Barbra Streisand) to the DeSoto Theatre, A Man Called Horse (starring Richard Harris) at the Village, and Shame (an X-rated film starring no one you've ever heard of) to the West Rome Drive-In, while the X-rated Russ Meyer film Vixen hung around for another week at th eFirst Avenue.. And am I the only one who thinks that a drive-in isn't the best place to show an X-rated film, since anyone driving by on Shorter Avenue would have a very clear view of the on-screen action? (And it ain't like you've got to hear an X-rated film to get the gist of things...)
Ray Stevens took the number one slot this week in 1970 with his optimistic "Everything Is Beautiful." Other top ten its included "American Woman" by the Guess Who (#2); "Love On a Two-Way Street" by the Moments (#3); "Cecilia" by Simon & Garfunkel (#4); "Up Around the Bend/Run Through the Jungle" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (#5); "Which Way You Goin' Billy?" by the Poppy Family (#6); "The Letter" by Joe Cocker (#7); "Turn Back the Hands of Time"by Tyrone Davis (#8); "Vehicle" by the Ides of March (#9); and "Let It Be" by the Beatles (#10).
The sometimes grim and generally grainy film Let It Be, chronicling the Beatles' recording sessions for their final album release (although it wasn't the final album they recorded—Abbey Road was). The rather joyless documentary makes it appear that the Beatles had no fun at all in these sessions—but filmmaker Peter Jackson is assembling an all-new documentary from the same footage that will show a much more amiable, enthusiastic Fab Four as they assemble this "back to the basics" album. Jackson's film is scheduled for fall 2020 release.
Of course, any major construction project has unanticipated side effects, and the junior college construction was no exception. Due to the new demands on the water system, the city approved a $900,000 water and sewer expansion from Rome to the Silver Creek and junior college area. The new expansion plan came just a week after Rome finally completed the expansion into the West Rome/Alabama Road area, boosting pressure for homes that complained that very little water was reaching their "end of the line" homes.
West Rome's John Sapp represented the school at the Georgia Class AA meet on Friday and Saturday at Tara Stadium in Clayton County, where he would compete in the hurdles. Sapp held the Rome area 1970 track season record with 14.9 seconds in the high hurdles and 20.2 in the low hurdles. Xavier Smith competed in the high jump and Chuck Kinnebrew competed in the discus--and while neither held a 1970 track season record, both were in the top three for the region. (Did Sapp, Smith, or Kinnebrew win at the region meet? Alas, I do not know, because the Rome News-Tribune is missing the paper that would have that news. If any of you reading this know how the three did, please share the info!)
City manager Bruce Hamler and Rome Recreation Department director Grady McCalmon said that they were investigating a new round of vandalism problems at Rome city parks. In the prior month, vandals had ripped out toilets and sinks, kicked in the doors to the restrooms, and shattered soft drink bottles on the tennis courts. Residents reported seeing teenagers in the area where the vandalism occurred, but no suspects had been identified. In response, the city said that they were going to pay for extra security in the city's 116 acres of parks, and intended to prosecute any vandals.
The Rome Boys Club Choir held their 13th annual concert on Thursday, May 21st, and Friday, May 22nd, at the City Auditorium. The concert was a mix of sacred music and popular songs, followed by a selection of "old time favorites." In addition to the whole choir, a barber shot quartet of boys also performed.
Apparently I had no idea how expensive Kentucky Fried Chicken was in 1970: the restaurant was offering a special nine-piece "thrift box" of Chicken for $1.89, with two pints of sides for 55¢ (buy one, get one free, since 55¢ was the regular price for one side). With an inflation multiplier of $6.61, that's the equivalent of paying $12.49 for the chicken and $3.65 for the two sides. And I remember how small and oddly cut KFC chicken was back then. Compare that to what you'd pay at Publix for eight very large pieces of chicken and two sides today and you can see that KFC's sale wasn't much of a sale at all!
Piggly Wiggly had ground beef for 49¢ a pound, Van Camp's chili for 29¢ a can, and strawberries for 49¢ a pint¢. Kroger had chuck roast for 59¢ a pound, sweet potatoes for 12¢ a pound, and Sealtest ice cream for 55¢ a half-gallon. Big Apple had rib roast for 89¢ a pound, apples for 16¢ a pound, and a five-pound bag of frozen french fries for 69¢. A&P had T-bone steak for $1.09 a pound, Hormel Vienna sausages for a dime a can, and carrots for a dime a bag. Couch's had chicken breast for 53¢ a pound, Nabisco vanilla wafers for 39¢ a box, and Van Camp's pork & beans for 15¢ a can.
Ray Stevens took the number one slot this week in 1970 with his optimistic "Everything Is Beautiful." Other top ten its included "American Woman" by the Guess Who (#2); "Love On a Two-Way Street" by the Moments (#3); "Cecilia" by Simon & Garfunkel (#4); "Up Around the Bend/Run Through the Jungle" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (#5); "Which Way You Goin' Billy?" by the Poppy Family (#6); "The Letter" by Joe Cocker (#7); "Turn Back the Hands of Time"by Tyrone Davis (#8); "Vehicle" by the Ides of March (#9); and "Let It Be" by the Beatles (#10).
The sometimes grim and generally grainy film Let It Be, chronicling the Beatles' recording sessions for their final album release (although it wasn't the final album they recorded—Abbey Road was). The rather joyless documentary makes it appear that the Beatles had no fun at all in these sessions—but filmmaker Peter Jackson is assembling an all-new documentary from the same footage that will show a much more amiable, enthusiastic Fab Four as they assemble this "back to the basics" album. Jackson's film is scheduled for fall 2020 release.
Monday, May 11, 2020
A Life in Four Colors Part Fifty-Eight
My quarter as a student teacher was financially challenging. It was also one of the most memorable periods of our lives.
Just as I was preparing to quit my job and start my student teaching under the guidance of Mrs. Fincher at West Rome High School (yes, I ended up student teaching at the same school from which I had graduated less than four years earlier), Susan and I decided that this would be the perfect time to launch our own fanzine.
Future Retrospective. A review fanzine focusing primarily on SF & fantasy, but also touching on comics, fanzines, television, music, and more.
Susan and I had done apazines for years (small-circulation fanzines for amateur press alliances, which are shared with the other members of the apa in exchange for copies of their apazines), and we had written for other fanzines as well as for prolines like Jim Steranko's Mediascene. But FR was our first fanzine for mass (if 200 readers qualifies as "mass") distribution.
When you launch a new fanzine, you're throwing your work (and your money) into the void, hoping you get enough support, response, and (ideally) subscriptions to keep things going. So even with our tight budget, we launched Future Retrospective, printing it and mailing at out at our cost.
Apparently a lot of the people to who we sent the first issue liked it. Within a month, we had sufficient subscription support to cover the cost of the first issue and next few--and even better, we had overwhelmingly positive support from kind members of the professional writing community. Piers Anthony, Michael Bishop, Thomas Burnett Swann, Joe Green, Andre Norton--they all sent in letters in response to the first issue. And having material from them in the second issue (where we published those letters of comment) generated even more subscription and letter support.
We followed the same model that a fan named Dick Geis had used in his fanzine The Alien Critic, mixing reviews and letters of comment rather than having a selection of letters at the end of the fanzine. It sometimes resulted in odd juxtapositions--a letter of comment from Piers Anthony appearing just before a review of a new Piers Anthony novel--but I think the format was a part of FR's success. People enjoyed seeing commentary from acclaimed professional writers alongside reviews, and the mixture made readers more likely to read everything in the issue.
We got interesting commentary from Thomas Burnett Swann, an erudite, scholarly, and refined writer of mythologically-influenced fantasy who revealed that he was also a longtime Edgar Rice Burroughs fan, and that if he had his way Jeff Jones would do the covers for every one of his books. We got a letter from Andre Norton revealing that, while she never planned to write another Time Agents novel, she actually had plans for the cast that could have filled multiple volumes. Or both Piers Anthony and Thomas Burnett Swann agreeing with Susan that most female protagonists in science fiction were unrealistic portrayals of women. Or Piers revealing that, while he had written a disaster novel called Rings of Ice that was set in part in North Georgia (and he even ran parts of that novel past Susan and me to make sure he got the setting right), he actually didn't even like disaster novels. We would even cross paths with veteran Weird Tales greats like Frank Belknap Long, Mary Elizabeth Counselman, and E. Hoffman Price, which was a dream come true for an Arkham collector like me.
This was early 1975. There was no internet, no social media. Fanzines were the only way most fans ever interacted with the authors whose work they enjoyed. So these letters, filled with insights and revelations into the authors attitudes and ideas and motivations, were the sort of thing that fanzine readers loved. As did Susan and I.
Future Retrospective would run 17 issues, wrapping up in 1979. Susan and I loved doing it, but our lives kept expanding to fill every available moment, and eventually our time as SF reviewers came to an end. But for the four and a half years that we did the fanzine, we sold lots of copies (the print run on the final issue was 650 copies), and we even won a Rebel Award for outstanding fan achievement in Southern SF fandom--and Future Retrospective was cited in the award presentation.
What I loved most, though, were the lifelong friendships that came out of it. We were invited to visit some of these authors at their homes. We became close friends with fan artists and writers who eagerly contributed to our fanzine.
And one of those friendships, which lasted for many years, was with Piers Anthony Jacob, who wrote under the name Piers Anthony. Our correspondence led to Piers inviting us to visit him at his home in Tampa--and it culminated in an offer so generous that I still find it hard to believe.
Piers, Susan and I often discussed the contents of SF magazines, and how many of SF's biggest names no longer contributed to the magazines the way they did in the 1940s, 1950s, and early 1960s. Piers mentioned how much he loved SF magazines when he was a fan and a beginning writer, adding that he had thousands of magazines going back to the 1940s.
Then he asked if we wanted them.
Of course we wanted them! This was an incredible library of magazines including Astounding/Analog, Fantasy and Science Fiction, Galaxy, If, Amazing, Fantastic, and many more--and Piers was willing to give them to us!
There were two requirements. First, we would have to drive down to his house to pick them up. Secondly, we had to promise that we would never sell them--if we lost interest in SF magazines, we would have to find an eager recipient to whom we would pass them on.
Our two cars were Volkswagens, neither of which could hold even a fraction of the magazines he was offering. My parents, however, had a Ford LTD that was one of those land yachts that had plenty of space. They were willing to let us borrow their car for the trip.
Arranging the time off turned out to be far less tricky than I thought it would be. Piers wanted them to go away fairly quickly, so he asked if we could pick them up in March or April of 1975. Thankfully, I had two days off from student teaching in early April, so we headed off to Florida.
Piers and Cam (his wife) were incredibly kind hosts, spending an afternoon swapping stories and filing us in about the early days of his writing career. His daughters Penny and Cheryl were kind enough to pick blackberries for all of to snack on while we were chatting. After a while, Piers said, "These are the largest blackberries I've ever seen. Where did you find them?" To which his daughters replied, "They grow really big over at the cemetery!" We looked at each other for a moment, then looked warily at the blackberries--but we figured we had eaten most of them by that point, so with a "why not?" grin, Piers ate the next to the last blackberry and offered the final one to me.
As for the magazines--the collection was even larger than I anticipated. And best of all, many of the magazines had carbon copy pages in them. I asked Piers what they were, and he explained that he and a group of writers who began at about the same time--a group that included Robert Silverberg, Roger Zelazny, and others--would sometimes send one another carbons of the original manuscripts of their stories so that each of them could see how the editors had changed the stories for publication. So not only did I have an incredible collection of SF magazines, but I also had copies of unaltered manuscripts of numerous short stories!
We packed box after box into the LTD, filling the trunk, the back seats, the back floorboard, and even the floor and front bench seat between Susan and me, leaving barely enough room for us to sit for the trip back. I don't think that LTD got much better than 10 miles per gallon on the drive back, since it was filled with about a half a ton of SF magazines.
We got years of reading enjoyment out of those magazines. By the early 2000s, when my interest in science fiction had waned, we decided it was time for the collection to find a new home with someone else who would enjoy it as much as we had. Between 2005 and 2008, we found fans eager to enjoy those magazines, and fulfilled our promise to Piers. And we never took a dime for them, just as he wouldn't take a dime from us when he gave them to us in April 1975.
And none of this would have happened had we not taken a chance with our very own review fanzine called Future Retrospective.
Just as I was preparing to quit my job and start my student teaching under the guidance of Mrs. Fincher at West Rome High School (yes, I ended up student teaching at the same school from which I had graduated less than four years earlier), Susan and I decided that this would be the perfect time to launch our own fanzine.
Future Retrospective. A review fanzine focusing primarily on SF & fantasy, but also touching on comics, fanzines, television, music, and more.
Susan and I had done apazines for years (small-circulation fanzines for amateur press alliances, which are shared with the other members of the apa in exchange for copies of their apazines), and we had written for other fanzines as well as for prolines like Jim Steranko's Mediascene. But FR was our first fanzine for mass (if 200 readers qualifies as "mass") distribution.
When you launch a new fanzine, you're throwing your work (and your money) into the void, hoping you get enough support, response, and (ideally) subscriptions to keep things going. So even with our tight budget, we launched Future Retrospective, printing it and mailing at out at our cost.
Apparently a lot of the people to who we sent the first issue liked it. Within a month, we had sufficient subscription support to cover the cost of the first issue and next few--and even better, we had overwhelmingly positive support from kind members of the professional writing community. Piers Anthony, Michael Bishop, Thomas Burnett Swann, Joe Green, Andre Norton--they all sent in letters in response to the first issue. And having material from them in the second issue (where we published those letters of comment) generated even more subscription and letter support.
We followed the same model that a fan named Dick Geis had used in his fanzine The Alien Critic, mixing reviews and letters of comment rather than having a selection of letters at the end of the fanzine. It sometimes resulted in odd juxtapositions--a letter of comment from Piers Anthony appearing just before a review of a new Piers Anthony novel--but I think the format was a part of FR's success. People enjoyed seeing commentary from acclaimed professional writers alongside reviews, and the mixture made readers more likely to read everything in the issue.
We got interesting commentary from Thomas Burnett Swann, an erudite, scholarly, and refined writer of mythologically-influenced fantasy who revealed that he was also a longtime Edgar Rice Burroughs fan, and that if he had his way Jeff Jones would do the covers for every one of his books. We got a letter from Andre Norton revealing that, while she never planned to write another Time Agents novel, she actually had plans for the cast that could have filled multiple volumes. Or both Piers Anthony and Thomas Burnett Swann agreeing with Susan that most female protagonists in science fiction were unrealistic portrayals of women. Or Piers revealing that, while he had written a disaster novel called Rings of Ice that was set in part in North Georgia (and he even ran parts of that novel past Susan and me to make sure he got the setting right), he actually didn't even like disaster novels. We would even cross paths with veteran Weird Tales greats like Frank Belknap Long, Mary Elizabeth Counselman, and E. Hoffman Price, which was a dream come true for an Arkham collector like me.
This was early 1975. There was no internet, no social media. Fanzines were the only way most fans ever interacted with the authors whose work they enjoyed. So these letters, filled with insights and revelations into the authors attitudes and ideas and motivations, were the sort of thing that fanzine readers loved. As did Susan and I.
Future Retrospective would run 17 issues, wrapping up in 1979. Susan and I loved doing it, but our lives kept expanding to fill every available moment, and eventually our time as SF reviewers came to an end. But for the four and a half years that we did the fanzine, we sold lots of copies (the print run on the final issue was 650 copies), and we even won a Rebel Award for outstanding fan achievement in Southern SF fandom--and Future Retrospective was cited in the award presentation.
What I loved most, though, were the lifelong friendships that came out of it. We were invited to visit some of these authors at their homes. We became close friends with fan artists and writers who eagerly contributed to our fanzine.
And one of those friendships, which lasted for many years, was with Piers Anthony Jacob, who wrote under the name Piers Anthony. Our correspondence led to Piers inviting us to visit him at his home in Tampa--and it culminated in an offer so generous that I still find it hard to believe.
Piers, Susan and I often discussed the contents of SF magazines, and how many of SF's biggest names no longer contributed to the magazines the way they did in the 1940s, 1950s, and early 1960s. Piers mentioned how much he loved SF magazines when he was a fan and a beginning writer, adding that he had thousands of magazines going back to the 1940s.
Then he asked if we wanted them.
Of course we wanted them! This was an incredible library of magazines including Astounding/Analog, Fantasy and Science Fiction, Galaxy, If, Amazing, Fantastic, and many more--and Piers was willing to give them to us!
There were two requirements. First, we would have to drive down to his house to pick them up. Secondly, we had to promise that we would never sell them--if we lost interest in SF magazines, we would have to find an eager recipient to whom we would pass them on.
Our two cars were Volkswagens, neither of which could hold even a fraction of the magazines he was offering. My parents, however, had a Ford LTD that was one of those land yachts that had plenty of space. They were willing to let us borrow their car for the trip.
Arranging the time off turned out to be far less tricky than I thought it would be. Piers wanted them to go away fairly quickly, so he asked if we could pick them up in March or April of 1975. Thankfully, I had two days off from student teaching in early April, so we headed off to Florida.
Piers and Cam (his wife) were incredibly kind hosts, spending an afternoon swapping stories and filing us in about the early days of his writing career. His daughters Penny and Cheryl were kind enough to pick blackberries for all of to snack on while we were chatting. After a while, Piers said, "These are the largest blackberries I've ever seen. Where did you find them?" To which his daughters replied, "They grow really big over at the cemetery!" We looked at each other for a moment, then looked warily at the blackberries--but we figured we had eaten most of them by that point, so with a "why not?" grin, Piers ate the next to the last blackberry and offered the final one to me.
As for the magazines--the collection was even larger than I anticipated. And best of all, many of the magazines had carbon copy pages in them. I asked Piers what they were, and he explained that he and a group of writers who began at about the same time--a group that included Robert Silverberg, Roger Zelazny, and others--would sometimes send one another carbons of the original manuscripts of their stories so that each of them could see how the editors had changed the stories for publication. So not only did I have an incredible collection of SF magazines, but I also had copies of unaltered manuscripts of numerous short stories!
We packed box after box into the LTD, filling the trunk, the back seats, the back floorboard, and even the floor and front bench seat between Susan and me, leaving barely enough room for us to sit for the trip back. I don't think that LTD got much better than 10 miles per gallon on the drive back, since it was filled with about a half a ton of SF magazines.
We got years of reading enjoyment out of those magazines. By the early 2000s, when my interest in science fiction had waned, we decided it was time for the collection to find a new home with someone else who would enjoy it as much as we had. Between 2005 and 2008, we found fans eager to enjoy those magazines, and fulfilled our promise to Piers. And we never took a dime for them, just as he wouldn't take a dime from us when he gave them to us in April 1975.
And none of this would have happened had we not taken a chance with our very own review fanzine called Future Retrospective.
Saturday, May 09, 2020
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 5/11/1970 to 5/17/1970
West Rome's pizza war between Pizza Inn (just past the high school on Shorter Avenue) and Village Inn (near the intersection of Shorter Avenue and Burnett Ferry Road) continued to heat up. Pizza Inn cut the price for their one-time medium pizza to 97¢, while Village Inn began offering cartoons, features, and movies from 5pm to 8pm, so that the family could be entertained while eating pizza. Village Inn was also touting their $1.79 pizza and salad buffet.
This week in 1970, Rome installed new, more powerful pumps to boost water pressure and ensure adequate water supply for residents of West Rome and those living off Alabama Road. The problem had become so severe in Fair Oaks Estates and Beech Creek that Rome and Floyd County had been forced to curtail new construction until the water supply issue was resolved.
Roy Goolsby joined Rome City Schools as assistant superintendent this week in 1970, coming here from Whitfield County. The board also tapped Sam Burrell, formerly principal at Main Elementary, to become assistant principal at West Rome Junior High School. The board also approved Nidk Hyder's request to increase the price of football tickets to $1.75 advance and $2 at the gate for adults.
Hank Williams Jr. came to the Rome City Auditorium on Thursday, May 14th, as one of seven musical acts performing in the Country Shindig. Other artists included the Cheating Hearts, Diana Trask, the Drifting Cowboys (Hank Williams Sr's original recording band), Merle Kilgore, and a comedian who performed under the name the Duke of Paducah. The concert sold out at $3 and $4 per ticket.
Pretty much every store in Rome had markdowns for Rome Days, an annual sales festival that began on May 13th and continued through May 16th. Today the concept of a four-day celebration of local businesses might seem antiquated, but Rome Days was a big event in the 1960s and early 1970s, with some business owners reporting that it generated sales that rivaled the pre-Christmas rush.
Piggly Wiggly had chuck roast for 43¢ a pound, Morton cream pies for 25¢ each, and bananas for 8¢ a pound. A&P had fresh whole fryers for 27¢ a pound, Eight O'Clock coffee for 77¢ a pound, and red delicious apples for a dime each. Big Apple had sirloin steaks for 99¢ a pound, corn for 8¢ an ear, and Coke/Tab/Sprite/Fresca for 33¢ a carton plus deposit. Kroger had ground beef for 53¢ a pound, Farmbest ice cream for 79¢ a half-gallon, and tomatoes for 19¢ a pound. Couch's had country ham for $1.19 a pound, Chef Boy-ar-dee spaghetti & meatballs for 29¢ a can, and cucumbers for a dime each.
The cinematic week began with Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here (starring Robert Redford) at the DeSoto Theatre, What Do You Say to a Naked Lady? (an X-Rated Candid Camera film hosted by Alan Funt) at the First Avenue, The Lawyer (starring Barry Newman) at the Village, and If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium (starring Suzanne Pleshette) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switch out brought The Magic Christian (starring Peter Sellers & Ringo Starr, with music by Badfinger and others) to the DeSoto, Vixen (an X-rated Russ Meyer film starring Erica Gavin) to the First Avenue, The Molly Maguires (starring Richard Harris & Sean Connery) to the Village, and Invasion of the Animal People (with John Carradine) West Rome Drive-In.
The Guess Who held on to the number one slot this week in 1970 with "American Woman." Other top ten hits included "ABC" by the Jackson 5 (#2); "Vehicle" by the Ides of March (#3); "Let It Be" by the Beatles (#4); "Cecilia" by Simon & Garfunkel (#5); "Spirit in the Sky" by Norman Greenbaum (#6); "Everything Is Beautiful" by Ray Stevens (#7); "Turn Back the Hands of Time" by Tyrone Davis (#8); "Up Around the Bend/Run Through the Jungle" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (#9); and "Reflections of My Life" by Marmalade (#10).
If you couldn't be there, you could at least pretend: Woodstock—Music from the Original Soundtrack and More, a sprawling triple-LP with a foldout jacket, was released this week in 1970. While not every artist who appeared at the 1969 festival was represented on the album, most of the biggest names were present, including Crosby, Stills, & Nash; Richie Havens; Jimi Hendrix; The Who; Country Joe and the Fish; and many others. This was also the week when Randy Bachman chose to leave the Guess Who (who happened to have the number one song this week in 1970) to start his own group, Brave Belt. The new act went nowhere, but the members would eventually form another band, Bachman Turner Overdrive, that found much more success.
Get Smart, Buck Henry's spy spoof starring Don Adams and Barbara Feldon, ended its five season television run this week in 1970.
This week in 1970, Rome installed new, more powerful pumps to boost water pressure and ensure adequate water supply for residents of West Rome and those living off Alabama Road. The problem had become so severe in Fair Oaks Estates and Beech Creek that Rome and Floyd County had been forced to curtail new construction until the water supply issue was resolved.
Roy Goolsby joined Rome City Schools as assistant superintendent this week in 1970, coming here from Whitfield County. The board also tapped Sam Burrell, formerly principal at Main Elementary, to become assistant principal at West Rome Junior High School. The board also approved Nidk Hyder's request to increase the price of football tickets to $1.75 advance and $2 at the gate for adults.
Hank Williams Jr. came to the Rome City Auditorium on Thursday, May 14th, as one of seven musical acts performing in the Country Shindig. Other artists included the Cheating Hearts, Diana Trask, the Drifting Cowboys (Hank Williams Sr's original recording band), Merle Kilgore, and a comedian who performed under the name the Duke of Paducah. The concert sold out at $3 and $4 per ticket.
Pretty much every store in Rome had markdowns for Rome Days, an annual sales festival that began on May 13th and continued through May 16th. Today the concept of a four-day celebration of local businesses might seem antiquated, but Rome Days was a big event in the 1960s and early 1970s, with some business owners reporting that it generated sales that rivaled the pre-Christmas rush.
Piggly Wiggly had chuck roast for 43¢ a pound, Morton cream pies for 25¢ each, and bananas for 8¢ a pound. A&P had fresh whole fryers for 27¢ a pound, Eight O'Clock coffee for 77¢ a pound, and red delicious apples for a dime each. Big Apple had sirloin steaks for 99¢ a pound, corn for 8¢ an ear, and Coke/Tab/Sprite/Fresca for 33¢ a carton plus deposit. Kroger had ground beef for 53¢ a pound, Farmbest ice cream for 79¢ a half-gallon, and tomatoes for 19¢ a pound. Couch's had country ham for $1.19 a pound, Chef Boy-ar-dee spaghetti & meatballs for 29¢ a can, and cucumbers for a dime each.
The cinematic week began with Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here (starring Robert Redford) at the DeSoto Theatre, What Do You Say to a Naked Lady? (an X-Rated Candid Camera film hosted by Alan Funt) at the First Avenue, The Lawyer (starring Barry Newman) at the Village, and If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium (starring Suzanne Pleshette) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switch out brought The Magic Christian (starring Peter Sellers & Ringo Starr, with music by Badfinger and others) to the DeSoto, Vixen (an X-rated Russ Meyer film starring Erica Gavin) to the First Avenue, The Molly Maguires (starring Richard Harris & Sean Connery) to the Village, and Invasion of the Animal People (with John Carradine) West Rome Drive-In.
The Guess Who held on to the number one slot this week in 1970 with "American Woman." Other top ten hits included "ABC" by the Jackson 5 (#2); "Vehicle" by the Ides of March (#3); "Let It Be" by the Beatles (#4); "Cecilia" by Simon & Garfunkel (#5); "Spirit in the Sky" by Norman Greenbaum (#6); "Everything Is Beautiful" by Ray Stevens (#7); "Turn Back the Hands of Time" by Tyrone Davis (#8); "Up Around the Bend/Run Through the Jungle" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (#9); and "Reflections of My Life" by Marmalade (#10).
If you couldn't be there, you could at least pretend: Woodstock—Music from the Original Soundtrack and More, a sprawling triple-LP with a foldout jacket, was released this week in 1970. While not every artist who appeared at the 1969 festival was represented on the album, most of the biggest names were present, including Crosby, Stills, & Nash; Richie Havens; Jimi Hendrix; The Who; Country Joe and the Fish; and many others. This was also the week when Randy Bachman chose to leave the Guess Who (who happened to have the number one song this week in 1970) to start his own group, Brave Belt. The new act went nowhere, but the members would eventually form another band, Bachman Turner Overdrive, that found much more success.
Get Smart, Buck Henry's spy spoof starring Don Adams and Barbara Feldon, ended its five season television run this week in 1970.
Saturday, May 02, 2020
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 5/4/1970 to 5/10/1970
Debbie Shelnutt was chosen as Miss West Rome Senior High and David Watkins was chosen as Mr. West Rome Senior High at the 1970 production of Chieftain Acts, directed by Mrs. Clara Ellison. Lisa Stephenson was selected as Miss West Rome Junior High, while Gary Investor was a tapped as Mr. West Rome Junior High.
West Rome placed several Student Council officers in positions of authority at the Georgia Association of Student Councils, including Tommy Muse, convention chairman; Jessica Gittins, corresponding secretary; Nancy Corlew, treasurer; Annie Diprima, recording secretary; and Tom Glad, co-treasurer.
A pair of check forgers were arrested after trying to pass a fraudulent check at the Big Apple grocery store in West Rome. The pair had broken into a Cave Spring wood processing facility and stolen blank checks, which they were trying to pass in various stores in Rome before an alert grocery store manager noticed something odd.
A shootout between two neighbors on Division Street left one man dead and one man hospitalized. The survivor, Bobby McGahee, refused to say what started the altercation that left Albert Simpkins dead.
Sheriff Joe Adams said that he was holding off on further arrests at the West Rome Big K for violation of Sunday blue law ordinances until the court rules on the initial case and arrest from March of 1970. While he had originally said he would make a new case every Sunday, Sheriff Adams said "there is no sense in making cases against all these businessmen if the big managers continue to opinion Sunday anyway."
Rome unemployment inched up slightly in May of 1970, climbing from 3.5% to 3.9%. Georgia Labor Commissioner Sam Caldwell blamed the federal government's Job Corps program for the increase, saying that it had failed to create jobs, but had eaten up a lot of money that had previously gone to subsidize new hires.
Romans eager for a Southwestern vacation could travel to Arizona and Mexico for three days and three nights for only $79.95 each including hotels, air fair, tours, and more. Vacationers would leave Rome for Tucson, Arizona, where they would spend one day and one night; they would go on to Nogales, Mexico for the second day and night; and then they would return to Tucson for the final day and night before flying back to Atlanta on the morning of the fourth day. The $79.95 per person covered air fare, transportation from Rome to the airport, sightseeing fees, accommodations, meals, and more.
The West Rome pizza war between Village Inn and Pizza Inn heated up with Pizza Inn's addition of a lunch buffet for only $1.15, which included all the salad and pizza you could eat; drinks were 25¢ extra.
Piggly Wiggly had beef liver for 59¢ a pound, tomatoes for 29¢ a pound, and medium eggs for 29¢ a dozen. Kroger had sirloin steak for $1.08 a pound, strawberries for 29¢ a pint, and Morton frozen dinners for 32¢ each. A&P had Swiss steak for 85¢ a pound, peaches for 33¢ a pound, and Nabisco vanilla wafers for 23¢ a box. Big Apple had leg o' lamb for 89¢ a pound, Parkay margarine for 39¢ a pound, and cabbage for 9¢ a pound. Couch's had pork roast for 59¢ a pound, Aristocrat ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon, and yellow corn for a dime an ear.
The cinematic week began with Marooned (starring Gregory Peck) at the DeSoto Theatre, The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County (starring Dan Blocker) at the First Avenue, Midnight Cowboy (starring Dustin Hoffman & Jon Voight) at the Village Theatre, and On Her Majesty's Secret Service (starring George Lazenby in his one and only feature appearance as James Bond) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switch out brought Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here (starring Robert Redford) to the DeSoto, What Do You Say to a Naked Lady (a Candid Camera feature film hosted by Alan Funt) to the First Avenue, The Lawyer (starring Barry Newman) to the Village, and DeSade (starring Keir Dullea) to the West Rome Drive-In.
The Guess Who held on to the number one slot this week in 1966 with "American Woman." Other top ten hits included "ABC" by the Jackson 5 (#2); "Vehicle" by the Ides of March (#3); "Let It Be" by the Beatles (#4); "Cecilia" by Simon & Garfunkel (#5); "Spirit in the Sky" by Norman Greenbaum (#6); "Everything Is Beautiful" by Ray Stevens (#7); "Turn Back the Hands of Time" by Tyrone Davis (#8); "Up Around the Bend" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (#9); and "Reflections of My Life" by the Marmalade (#10).
Why a week this was for albums. The number one album this week in 1970 was Deja Vu by Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young. Other top ten albums included Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel (#2); McCartney by Paul McCartney (#3); Hey Jude (also known as The Beatles Again) by the Beatles (#4); Band of Gypsys by Jimi Hendrix the Band of Gypsys (#5); Chicago II by Chicago (#6); Steppenwolf Live by Steppenwolf (#7); It Ain't Easy by Three Dog Night (#8); American Woman by the Guess Who (#9); and Here Comes Bobby by Bobby Sherman (#10... well, they can't all be winners!).
Let It Be, the final Beatles album prior to the group's breakup, was released this week in 1970.
West Rome placed several Student Council officers in positions of authority at the Georgia Association of Student Councils, including Tommy Muse, convention chairman; Jessica Gittins, corresponding secretary; Nancy Corlew, treasurer; Annie Diprima, recording secretary; and Tom Glad, co-treasurer.
A pair of check forgers were arrested after trying to pass a fraudulent check at the Big Apple grocery store in West Rome. The pair had broken into a Cave Spring wood processing facility and stolen blank checks, which they were trying to pass in various stores in Rome before an alert grocery store manager noticed something odd.
A shootout between two neighbors on Division Street left one man dead and one man hospitalized. The survivor, Bobby McGahee, refused to say what started the altercation that left Albert Simpkins dead.
Sheriff Joe Adams said that he was holding off on further arrests at the West Rome Big K for violation of Sunday blue law ordinances until the court rules on the initial case and arrest from March of 1970. While he had originally said he would make a new case every Sunday, Sheriff Adams said "there is no sense in making cases against all these businessmen if the big managers continue to opinion Sunday anyway."
Rome unemployment inched up slightly in May of 1970, climbing from 3.5% to 3.9%. Georgia Labor Commissioner Sam Caldwell blamed the federal government's Job Corps program for the increase, saying that it had failed to create jobs, but had eaten up a lot of money that had previously gone to subsidize new hires.
Romans eager for a Southwestern vacation could travel to Arizona and Mexico for three days and three nights for only $79.95 each including hotels, air fair, tours, and more. Vacationers would leave Rome for Tucson, Arizona, where they would spend one day and one night; they would go on to Nogales, Mexico for the second day and night; and then they would return to Tucson for the final day and night before flying back to Atlanta on the morning of the fourth day. The $79.95 per person covered air fare, transportation from Rome to the airport, sightseeing fees, accommodations, meals, and more.
The West Rome pizza war between Village Inn and Pizza Inn heated up with Pizza Inn's addition of a lunch buffet for only $1.15, which included all the salad and pizza you could eat; drinks were 25¢ extra.
Piggly Wiggly had beef liver for 59¢ a pound, tomatoes for 29¢ a pound, and medium eggs for 29¢ a dozen. Kroger had sirloin steak for $1.08 a pound, strawberries for 29¢ a pint, and Morton frozen dinners for 32¢ each. A&P had Swiss steak for 85¢ a pound, peaches for 33¢ a pound, and Nabisco vanilla wafers for 23¢ a box. Big Apple had leg o' lamb for 89¢ a pound, Parkay margarine for 39¢ a pound, and cabbage for 9¢ a pound. Couch's had pork roast for 59¢ a pound, Aristocrat ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon, and yellow corn for a dime an ear.
The cinematic week began with Marooned (starring Gregory Peck) at the DeSoto Theatre, The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County (starring Dan Blocker) at the First Avenue, Midnight Cowboy (starring Dustin Hoffman & Jon Voight) at the Village Theatre, and On Her Majesty's Secret Service (starring George Lazenby in his one and only feature appearance as James Bond) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switch out brought Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here (starring Robert Redford) to the DeSoto, What Do You Say to a Naked Lady (a Candid Camera feature film hosted by Alan Funt) to the First Avenue, The Lawyer (starring Barry Newman) to the Village, and DeSade (starring Keir Dullea) to the West Rome Drive-In.
The Guess Who held on to the number one slot this week in 1966 with "American Woman." Other top ten hits included "ABC" by the Jackson 5 (#2); "Vehicle" by the Ides of March (#3); "Let It Be" by the Beatles (#4); "Cecilia" by Simon & Garfunkel (#5); "Spirit in the Sky" by Norman Greenbaum (#6); "Everything Is Beautiful" by Ray Stevens (#7); "Turn Back the Hands of Time" by Tyrone Davis (#8); "Up Around the Bend" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (#9); and "Reflections of My Life" by the Marmalade (#10).
Why a week this was for albums. The number one album this week in 1970 was Deja Vu by Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young. Other top ten albums included Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel (#2); McCartney by Paul McCartney (#3); Hey Jude (also known as The Beatles Again) by the Beatles (#4); Band of Gypsys by Jimi Hendrix the Band of Gypsys (#5); Chicago II by Chicago (#6); Steppenwolf Live by Steppenwolf (#7); It Ain't Easy by Three Dog Night (#8); American Woman by the Guess Who (#9); and Here Comes Bobby by Bobby Sherman (#10... well, they can't all be winners!).
Let It Be, the final Beatles album prior to the group's breakup, was released this week in 1970.
Saturday, April 18, 2020
A Life in Four Colors Part Fifty-Seven
Early on, Susan and I had made a plan: I would take advantage of my academic scholarship at Berry College to get my degree, also working part-time while Susan worked full-time. Once I completed my degree, I would get a job and work full-time while Susan would go back to school.
Susan always said that going back to school seemed like an impossible dream. She was the first person in her family to graduate from high school, but she assumed that would mark the end of her education. It wasn't that her grades weren't adequate--they were. Susan was brilliant, in fact. But her family had pressured her to take a job as soon as possible to add to the family's meager income, and she acquiesced, going to work in the payroll department of the Arrow Shirt Factory. She worked there until my graduation from Berry in 1975, and her paycheck covered most of our living expenses for those four years. I worked twenty to thirty hours a week to supplement our income, but I earned less per hour than she did. Nevertheless, we had a plan, and we were going to make it work.
The spring quarter of 1975 (Berry was on the quarter system then, not the semester system) presented us with a major challenge. I had decided that I wanted to be a teacher, and part of that process required that I student teach for a quarter. Berry College did not allow its student teachers to work while actively student teaching, which meant that we were going to have to get by for twelve weeks with only Susan's income.
Susan and I were always planners, and that's what saved us. Beginning in September before I started student teaching in March, we cut our "fun budget" to almost nothing, squirreling away all the cash we might have spent on comics, books, and record albums. We limited ourselves to only one modest Christmas present for the other. We curtailed our usual trips to Cumberland Mall in Marietta. The frugal living paid off: by the time the spring quarter began, we actually had saved enough money to get us through on Susan's income until the fall, when I would start teaching.
Two things altered our plans--one good and one bad.
The good thing? It turned out that, since I had a teaching contract to start in mid-August, few employers were looking to hire me in mid-June (after I graduated from Berry) for an eight-week period. At the time, Georgia' unemployment law allowed me to receive a modest unemployment check every week for that eight-week period. I had no idea that was possible; it was my faculty advisor at Berry who had suggested I check into it. My unemployment was only $54 a week--but that was $54 a week we hadn't expected to have. We thought we were rich!
Thankfully, we didn't spend all that money. Our first big expenditure that summer was the lumber necessary for me to build a set of bookshelves for our living room. They were humble bookshelves, built meticulously to a plan that allotted so many shelves for standard sized hardcovers, so many for paperbacks, and so many for oversized books. The two units were four feet wide; one was eight feet tall, the other four feet tall. (That allowed us to decorate above the shorter unit.) I had plenty of time that summer since I wasn't working, so I devoted almost a week to assembling, sanding, staining, restaining, and sealing those shelves. I still have them in the basement; we both loved those shelves, and never dreamed of replacing them. Those shelves took almost $100 for high-quality white oak lumber plus the necessary stain, sealant, nails, screws, and other supplies.
That was pretty much two weeks' unemployment, but we still had six weeks of other checks to supplement our budget. So we decided to splurge again and buy our first brand-new furniture in four years: a green and white clad swivel rocker and sofa set for our living room. The cost was $240, which was almost five weeks worth of unemployment checks. We debated long and hard on that, but we really wanted to replace the worn-out fold-out sleeper sofa in our living room, with its torn upholstery and lumpy mattress, and Susan said both the sofa and chair were just the right height. At only 5'2", she discovered that a lot of sofas and chairs had such deep seats that she either had to sit on the edge of the seat or her feet stuck out awkwardly if she leaned all the way back. We never got rid of the sofa and chair, either. In the 1990s, we had the worn upholstery refinished in a Southwestern fabric; Susan continued to use the chair until 2018, when she finally replaced it with a power recliner that brought her some relief from the disabling pain of a chronic illness; the chair was moved to the master bedroom, where it still sits today. The sofa? It's in the finished basement, where it has been since 2000.)
Our living room looked great (well, it looked great to us, at least)--and we were able to pay for everything without financing. We thought we were ahead of plan as far as our budget was concerned.
Remember that bad thing I mentioned?
Well, what I didn't know was that, while teachers started teaching in early August, first-year teachers didn't get their first paycheck until the last weekday in September. We had assumed that I would get some small check at the end of August, since I would have been working for three weeks by that time.
We assumed wrong.
As I said, we hadn't spent all the money: we had one unemployment check in the bank, along with the money we had saved over the fall and winter to get us through the spring and summer. It was a good thing we didn't fully restore our fun money budget: if we had, September 1975 would have been the first month in our married lives when we would have had to ask my parents to loan us money for living expenses--something we really didn't want to do, even though my parents would have undoubtedly helped us out with a loan.
I never forgot the dismay I felt when I learned that I would not get a check for seven and a half weeks after I started teaching. (Years later, when I became the guy who wrote the paychecks for Dr. No's Comics & Games, I said I would never make my employees face that sort of dismay. I have always paid my employees without a weekly hold-back, distributing paychecks on Monday that included all hours worked through the Sunday one day earlier. I still do that today; I don't want any co-worker at my store to struggle to cover the bills while waiting for a paycheck for work done a week earlier.)
We learned about the value of budgeting. We developed spaghetti and meat sauce recipes with double the spaghetti and a little less meat sauce. Our homemade soups were a little thinner. Our homemade chili had a lot more beans in it. We became regular shoppers at the Sunbeam Bread day-old outlet store in Cedartown. But we got through. And we were ready to begin phase two of our plan when Susan was accepted in Coosa Valley Tech's data processing program in September.
Susan always said that going back to school seemed like an impossible dream. She was the first person in her family to graduate from high school, but she assumed that would mark the end of her education. It wasn't that her grades weren't adequate--they were. Susan was brilliant, in fact. But her family had pressured her to take a job as soon as possible to add to the family's meager income, and she acquiesced, going to work in the payroll department of the Arrow Shirt Factory. She worked there until my graduation from Berry in 1975, and her paycheck covered most of our living expenses for those four years. I worked twenty to thirty hours a week to supplement our income, but I earned less per hour than she did. Nevertheless, we had a plan, and we were going to make it work.
The spring quarter of 1975 (Berry was on the quarter system then, not the semester system) presented us with a major challenge. I had decided that I wanted to be a teacher, and part of that process required that I student teach for a quarter. Berry College did not allow its student teachers to work while actively student teaching, which meant that we were going to have to get by for twelve weeks with only Susan's income.
Susan and I were always planners, and that's what saved us. Beginning in September before I started student teaching in March, we cut our "fun budget" to almost nothing, squirreling away all the cash we might have spent on comics, books, and record albums. We limited ourselves to only one modest Christmas present for the other. We curtailed our usual trips to Cumberland Mall in Marietta. The frugal living paid off: by the time the spring quarter began, we actually had saved enough money to get us through on Susan's income until the fall, when I would start teaching.
Two things altered our plans--one good and one bad.
The good thing? It turned out that, since I had a teaching contract to start in mid-August, few employers were looking to hire me in mid-June (after I graduated from Berry) for an eight-week period. At the time, Georgia' unemployment law allowed me to receive a modest unemployment check every week for that eight-week period. I had no idea that was possible; it was my faculty advisor at Berry who had suggested I check into it. My unemployment was only $54 a week--but that was $54 a week we hadn't expected to have. We thought we were rich!
Thankfully, we didn't spend all that money. Our first big expenditure that summer was the lumber necessary for me to build a set of bookshelves for our living room. They were humble bookshelves, built meticulously to a plan that allotted so many shelves for standard sized hardcovers, so many for paperbacks, and so many for oversized books. The two units were four feet wide; one was eight feet tall, the other four feet tall. (That allowed us to decorate above the shorter unit.) I had plenty of time that summer since I wasn't working, so I devoted almost a week to assembling, sanding, staining, restaining, and sealing those shelves. I still have them in the basement; we both loved those shelves, and never dreamed of replacing them. Those shelves took almost $100 for high-quality white oak lumber plus the necessary stain, sealant, nails, screws, and other supplies.
 |
| Me sitting in our new chair with our bookshelves next to me |
Our living room looked great (well, it looked great to us, at least)--and we were able to pay for everything without financing. We thought we were ahead of plan as far as our budget was concerned.
 |
| Susan sitting in the "just-the-right-size" swivel rocker |
Remember that bad thing I mentioned?
Well, what I didn't know was that, while teachers started teaching in early August, first-year teachers didn't get their first paycheck until the last weekday in September. We had assumed that I would get some small check at the end of August, since I would have been working for three weeks by that time.
We assumed wrong.
As I said, we hadn't spent all the money: we had one unemployment check in the bank, along with the money we had saved over the fall and winter to get us through the spring and summer. It was a good thing we didn't fully restore our fun money budget: if we had, September 1975 would have been the first month in our married lives when we would have had to ask my parents to loan us money for living expenses--something we really didn't want to do, even though my parents would have undoubtedly helped us out with a loan.
I never forgot the dismay I felt when I learned that I would not get a check for seven and a half weeks after I started teaching. (Years later, when I became the guy who wrote the paychecks for Dr. No's Comics & Games, I said I would never make my employees face that sort of dismay. I have always paid my employees without a weekly hold-back, distributing paychecks on Monday that included all hours worked through the Sunday one day earlier. I still do that today; I don't want any co-worker at my store to struggle to cover the bills while waiting for a paycheck for work done a week earlier.)
We learned about the value of budgeting. We developed spaghetti and meat sauce recipes with double the spaghetti and a little less meat sauce. Our homemade soups were a little thinner. Our homemade chili had a lot more beans in it. We became regular shoppers at the Sunbeam Bread day-old outlet store in Cedartown. But we got through. And we were ready to begin phase two of our plan when Susan was accepted in Coosa Valley Tech's data processing program in September.
Tuesday, April 07, 2020
7305 Days
It's April 7th, 2020--the twentieth anniversary of the night that I died.
I still remember every detail so vividly that it's hard for me to believe that it's been twenty years now. 11:35 PM--I was about to go to bed when I had an intense pain that began in my neck and jaw and rapidly expanded to encompass my chest and shoulder as well. I knew that whatever this was, it was more intense than anything I had ever felt before. On a hunch, I checked my blood pressure and discovered that it was extremely high at 170/110 (and I normally have low blood pressure), and my heart rate had skyrocketed to 150 bpm.
I walked down the hall to the upstairs library, where Susan was watching television. "I think I'm having a heart attack."
For a second, she thought I was joking--then she looked at my face and knew I wasn't. She told me later that she had never seen me more ashen than I was right then, and she was certain I was correct.
I went downstairs to the kitchen, carrying the blood pressure cuff with me to see if things might improve. Susan called 911. We live less than a mile from a fire station, so EMTs responded in a matter of minutes.
Their tests showed absolutely nothing wrong. "We think it's just bad indigestion," they said to me. I told them I was positive that it was not. They checked again. Still nothing wrong.
Then, to make my point for me, my heart decided to quit beating.
Susan told me later that the EMTs looked at me in surprise, then began to get the defibrillators. As they did, one of them looked at Susan and said, "He'll do anything to prove he's right, won't he?" She said in spite of the absolute terror she was feeling right then, she couldn't help but laugh.
They were unable to start my heart after two tries in the house. They rolled me out to the ambulance and continued to work on me. Accoding to the paramedic, after six minutes had passed, he wasn't sure how many more times he should try, fearing brain damage from lack of oxygen. He tried once more. Nothing. Then, unwilling to give up, he tried yet again 6 minutes and 40 seconds after my heart had stopped.
My heart started to beat.
I remember waking up feeling relieved that the pain wasn't as severe, but I wasn't sure where I was. The EMT told me what had happened. He told me not to be afraid because we were almost at the hospital.
I wasn't afraid. I was actually very calm. I had no vivid memories of bright lights or tunnels or anything like that, but from that point on I have never feared death--whatever happened that night left me certain that death wasn't the end of everything.
When they got me to the cardiac intensive care unit, they did various things to stabilize me. Susan got there just a moment or two later, having followed the ambulance. She was overwhelmed with fear and anguish, not even sure if she would ever see me alive again. I smiled when she came in and held out my hand. She took it and wouldn't let go until they told her they had to take me away for a little while.
I asked if there was a phone I could use before they did. I guess they thought I was going to call a family member and let them know what happened, so they got a phone for me.
I called Brett. "Pick up quarters tomorrow morning for the store," I told him. "I had a heart attack and they won't let me do it."
The days after that brought a series of tests, followed by the news that I had suffered a major heart attack with significant damage and major surgery was necessary. They told us that I had a 30% chance of survival until surgery, and they warned Susan that there was a significant chance I would not recover from the surgery.
I was determined to prove them wrong. And when I did survive the surgery and they told me what I would need to do to get better, I promised Dr. Mike, my cardiologist, that I would be the most perfect cardiac patient he had ever treated if he would just keep me alive. (I also reminded him that I had never written down his comic book pull list at my store, where Dr. Mike had shopped every week for 18 years, and that if I died, no one would ever pull all the right books for him.)
Dr. Mike did his part, and I did mine. Twenty years later, I'm not only alive, but he tells me that I am the only patient he has ever had who has exercised every day for twenty years; who lost 70 pounds in the eight months after the heart attack and kept it off; who did all the stress tests without ever complaining, even when the computer glitched one time and I had to repeat the whole test; and of course, who has kept his promise to pull all the right books for him every week.
I keep a count of how many days I've been alive in what I call "my second life." 7305 days, and every one is a gift. I have tried to remember the koan of the strawberries and the tiger and have strived to find a good moment in every one of those days, even the ones that were overwhelmingly painful (my mother's death in 2002... my father's death in 2007... Susan's death last summer...).So many times, I have questioned if I am worthy of so precious a gift.
7305 days. And I am thankful for every one of them. Because without that gift, I couldn't have held mother's hand as she died. I wouldn't have gripped Dad's hand and wiped his brow as he slipped away. And I wouldn't have been there to whisper words of love and gratitude to Susan as I kissed her farewell when she left this world ahead of me on July 22nd.
How can I not appreciate a gift so precious?
Sunday, April 05, 2020
Fifty Years Ago This Week in 1970 - 4/6/1970 to 4/12/1970
The Chieftains defeated Cartersville, Pebblebrook, and Cass in a four-way meet at Cartersville on Wednesday, April 8th. Cjuc k Kinnebrew set a distance record for the discus with a throw of 150 feet 3.5 inches. Xaciver Smith took first place in high jump and low hurdles, while George Albert took first place in 440-yard dash and triple jump.
West Rome senior Sam Hancock took second place in the State Science Fair for his physics project, while freshman Gail Smitley took second place for her life science project.
Ken Stanton Music finally got its hearing before etch Rome Board of Education--and no surprise, the Board ruled in their own favor and decided they had acted properly in choosing The Music Room to run the band recruitment program will blocking Ken Stanton from being involved... or even being allowed onto school property in support of the band program.
This week in 1970, Rome adopted a new slogan: "Rome—A City in Motion"—and the new slogan was created by West Rome''s own Mrs. W.T. Atkins of Marchmont Drive, the mother of Todd and Kathy Atkins. Her slogan was chosen from among 625 entries submitted to the Chamber of Commerce.
West Rome celebrated its second pizza shop opening of 1970 as Pizza Inn held its grand opening this week in 1970. In case you forgot, Pizza Inn was just past West Rome High School--so close, in fact, that it was theoretically possible for West Rome students to sneak off campus and grab a quick pizza for lunch... not that any of us--err, them--would ever do that, of course. During grand opening week, Pizza Inn offered a medium pizza for only 97¢ (that was $1 exactly when you added in the sales tax, which was still 3% back in 1970).
Once again, civic leaders unveiled a plan to consolidate the city and the county, including the two separate school systems. The usual reasons were given to explain the benefits of the plan--reduced duplication of services, less jurisdictional confusion, etc.--and once again, nothing would ever come of it.
Jimmy Carter came to Rome this week in 1970 in his campaign for governor. He began with a 6am meeting at the gates of General Electric, followed by a press conference at 9am at the Holiday Inn. Later that day, he toured Broad Street businesses to meet and talk with mangers and staff.
The cinematic week began with The Only Game in Town (starring Warren Beatty and Elizabeth Taylor) at the DeSoto Theatre, Bloody Mama (starring Shelley Winters) at the Fist Avenue, The Computer Wore Tennios Shoes (starring Kurt Russell) at the Village, and The Reivers (starring Steve McQueen) at the West Rome Drive-In. The weekend switch out brought Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid (starring Robert Redford and Paul Newman) to the DeSoto, The Oblong Box (starring Vincent Price and Christopher Lee) to the First Avenue, Jenny (starring Marlo Thomas and Alan Arkin) to the Village, and Support Your Local Sheriff (starring James Garner) to the West Rome Drive-In.
The Beatles held on to number one for another week with "Let It Be." Other top ten hits included "ABC" by the Jackson 5 (#2); "Spirit in the Sky" by Norman Greenbaum (#3); "Instant Karma (We All Shine On" by John Lennon (#4); "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)" say Edison Lighthouse (#5); "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon & Garfunkel (#6); "Come and Get It" by Badfinger (#7); "Love Or Let Me Be Lonely" by the Friends of Distinction (#8); "American Woman" by the Guess Who (#9); and "Up the Ladder to the Roof" by the Supremes (#10).
Paul McCartney announced the breakup of the Beatles this week in 1970, confirming something that had already been rumored in Rolling Stone and Creem magazine.
West Rome senior Sam Hancock took second place in the State Science Fair for his physics project, while freshman Gail Smitley took second place for her life science project.
This week in 1970, Rome adopted a new slogan: "Rome—A City in Motion"—and the new slogan was created by West Rome''s own Mrs. W.T. Atkins of Marchmont Drive, the mother of Todd and Kathy Atkins. Her slogan was chosen from among 625 entries submitted to the Chamber of Commerce.
West Rome celebrated its second pizza shop opening of 1970 as Pizza Inn held its grand opening this week in 1970. In case you forgot, Pizza Inn was just past West Rome High School--so close, in fact, that it was theoretically possible for West Rome students to sneak off campus and grab a quick pizza for lunch... not that any of us--err, them--would ever do that, of course. During grand opening week, Pizza Inn offered a medium pizza for only 97¢ (that was $1 exactly when you added in the sales tax, which was still 3% back in 1970).
Once again, civic leaders unveiled a plan to consolidate the city and the county, including the two separate school systems. The usual reasons were given to explain the benefits of the plan--reduced duplication of services, less jurisdictional confusion, etc.--and once again, nothing would ever come of it.
Jimmy Carter came to Rome this week in 1970 in his campaign for governor. He began with a 6am meeting at the gates of General Electric, followed by a press conference at 9am at the Holiday Inn. Later that day, he toured Broad Street businesses to meet and talk with mangers and staff.
The cinematic week began with The Only Game in Town (starring Warren Beatty and Elizabeth Taylor) at the DeSoto Theatre, Bloody Mama (starring Shelley Winters) at the Fist Avenue, The Computer Wore Tennios Shoes (starring Kurt Russell) at the Village, and The Reivers (starring Steve McQueen) at the West Rome Drive-In. The weekend switch out brought Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid (starring Robert Redford and Paul Newman) to the DeSoto, The Oblong Box (starring Vincent Price and Christopher Lee) to the First Avenue, Jenny (starring Marlo Thomas and Alan Arkin) to the Village, and Support Your Local Sheriff (starring James Garner) to the West Rome Drive-In.
The Beatles held on to number one for another week with "Let It Be." Other top ten hits included "ABC" by the Jackson 5 (#2); "Spirit in the Sky" by Norman Greenbaum (#3); "Instant Karma (We All Shine On" by John Lennon (#4); "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)" say Edison Lighthouse (#5); "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon & Garfunkel (#6); "Come and Get It" by Badfinger (#7); "Love Or Let Me Be Lonely" by the Friends of Distinction (#8); "American Woman" by the Guess Who (#9); and "Up the Ladder to the Roof" by the Supremes (#10).
Paul McCartney announced the breakup of the Beatles this week in 1970, confirming something that had already been rumored in Rolling Stone and Creem magazine.
Saturday, March 21, 2020
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 3/23/1970 to 3/29/1970
Jesse Laseter was promoted from assistant susperintendent to the position of superintendent of schools this week in 1970. Laseter, who came to Rome in 1968, was the father of West Rome students Jody Laseter (then a sophomore) and Julie, a student at West End Elementary.
The dispute between Ken Stanton Music, The Music Room, and the Rome Board of Education was supposed to advance to the state-ordered hearing stage in response to Ken Stanton Music's appeal of a decision by the board of education to allow only the Music Room to conduct band recruitment programs in city schools. The board of education was scheduled to act as judges in the hearing, which seemed like a strange ruling since it meant that one of the defendants was judging the outcome of the trial, but the State Board of Education said that if Stanton was unhappy with the new hearing, he could again appeal and the next hearing would be adjudicated by the State Board itself. However, the hearing didn't actually take place; Rome School Board chairman W.B. Primm told attendees at the meeting that a problem with a court reporter's schedule required the change--but of course, this "problem" wasn't mentioned until an hour after the meeting was supposed to have started. The Board said the meeting would take place a week later, provided a court reporter could be present. Needless to say, representative for Ken Stanton Music were unhappy, feeling that the delay was little more than a stalling tactic.
West Rome's Martin Rollinson won the Rome Breakfast Optimist Club's annual Oratorical Contest on Monday night, March 23rd, at the Rome Boy's Club (Rollinson's second wind in a row). The contestants spoke on "Youth-Full Partners in a Better Tomorrow," and they were required to speak for a minimum of four minutes and a maximum of five minutes without any notes or aids. They were judged on delivery, speech content, and overall effectiveness. Rollinson advanced to the zone competition, which was scheduled for April in Cedartown.
West Rome's annual Green and White football game took place on Thursday, March 26th, and the White team won 14-13, thanks to a fourth-quarter touchdown by Allen Carrington and a successful point after kick by Randy Hatch.
Piggly Wiggly had hen turkeys for 39¢ a pound, Van Camp's chili for 29¢ a can, and five pounds of grapefruit for 59¢. Kroger had ground beef for 53¢ a pound, sweet potatoes for 12¢ a pound, and Sealtest ice cream for 55¢ a half-gallon. Big Apple had rib roast for 89¢ a pound, apples for 16¢ a pound, and a five-pound bag of frozen french fries for 69¢. A&P had sirloin steak for $1.19 a pound, Hormel Vienna sausages for a dime a can, and carrots for a dime a bag. Couch's had chicken breast for 59¢ a pound, Nabisco vanilla wafers for 39¢ a box, and Van Camp's pork & beans for 15¢ a can.
The cinematic week began with The Secret of Santa Vittoria (starring Anthony Quinn) at the DeSoto Theatre, Fanny Hill (an X-rated Danish film) at the First Avenue, They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (starring Jane Fonda) at the Village, and Those Were the Happy Times (starring Julie Andrews) at the West Rome Drive-In. The weekend switch out brought The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (starring Kurt Russell) to the DeSoto and The Undefeated (starring John Wayne and Rock Hudson) to the West Rome Drive-In, whole They Shoot Horses, Don't They? and Fanny Hill hung around at the First Avenue and the Village, respectively.
Jimi Hendrix said farewell to the Experience and hello the the Band of Gypsys this week in 1970. Band of Gypsys, the one-and-only album by Hendrix, Billy Cox, and Buddy Miles, was also the last Hendrix album release prior to his death. This was also release week for Leon Russell's eponymous first album and Ringo Starr's Sentimental Journey, a strange album of cover versions of old standards that was also the first full studio album by any solo Beatle. The album featured Starr singing and assortment of his mother's favorite old songs; he even let her and the rest of the family choose the tracks.
The dispute between Ken Stanton Music, The Music Room, and the Rome Board of Education was supposed to advance to the state-ordered hearing stage in response to Ken Stanton Music's appeal of a decision by the board of education to allow only the Music Room to conduct band recruitment programs in city schools. The board of education was scheduled to act as judges in the hearing, which seemed like a strange ruling since it meant that one of the defendants was judging the outcome of the trial, but the State Board of Education said that if Stanton was unhappy with the new hearing, he could again appeal and the next hearing would be adjudicated by the State Board itself. However, the hearing didn't actually take place; Rome School Board chairman W.B. Primm told attendees at the meeting that a problem with a court reporter's schedule required the change--but of course, this "problem" wasn't mentioned until an hour after the meeting was supposed to have started. The Board said the meeting would take place a week later, provided a court reporter could be present. Needless to say, representative for Ken Stanton Music were unhappy, feeling that the delay was little more than a stalling tactic.
West Rome's Martin Rollinson won the Rome Breakfast Optimist Club's annual Oratorical Contest on Monday night, March 23rd, at the Rome Boy's Club (Rollinson's second wind in a row). The contestants spoke on "Youth-Full Partners in a Better Tomorrow," and they were required to speak for a minimum of four minutes and a maximum of five minutes without any notes or aids. They were judged on delivery, speech content, and overall effectiveness. Rollinson advanced to the zone competition, which was scheduled for April in Cedartown.
West Rome's annual Green and White football game took place on Thursday, March 26th, and the White team won 14-13, thanks to a fourth-quarter touchdown by Allen Carrington and a successful point after kick by Randy Hatch.
Piggly Wiggly had hen turkeys for 39¢ a pound, Van Camp's chili for 29¢ a can, and five pounds of grapefruit for 59¢. Kroger had ground beef for 53¢ a pound, sweet potatoes for 12¢ a pound, and Sealtest ice cream for 55¢ a half-gallon. Big Apple had rib roast for 89¢ a pound, apples for 16¢ a pound, and a five-pound bag of frozen french fries for 69¢. A&P had sirloin steak for $1.19 a pound, Hormel Vienna sausages for a dime a can, and carrots for a dime a bag. Couch's had chicken breast for 59¢ a pound, Nabisco vanilla wafers for 39¢ a box, and Van Camp's pork & beans for 15¢ a can.
The cinematic week began with The Secret of Santa Vittoria (starring Anthony Quinn) at the DeSoto Theatre, Fanny Hill (an X-rated Danish film) at the First Avenue, They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (starring Jane Fonda) at the Village, and Those Were the Happy Times (starring Julie Andrews) at the West Rome Drive-In. The weekend switch out brought The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (starring Kurt Russell) to the DeSoto and The Undefeated (starring John Wayne and Rock Hudson) to the West Rome Drive-In, whole They Shoot Horses, Don't They? and Fanny Hill hung around at the First Avenue and the Village, respectively.
Jimi Hendrix said farewell to the Experience and hello the the Band of Gypsys this week in 1970. Band of Gypsys, the one-and-only album by Hendrix, Billy Cox, and Buddy Miles, was also the last Hendrix album release prior to his death. This was also release week for Leon Russell's eponymous first album and Ringo Starr's Sentimental Journey, a strange album of cover versions of old standards that was also the first full studio album by any solo Beatle. The album featured Starr singing and assortment of his mother's favorite old songs; he even let her and the rest of the family choose the tracks.
Friday, March 13, 2020
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 3/16/1970 to 3/22/1970
Rome City Schools submitted a revised integration plan this week in 1970, hoping to get final approval from the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. While the state and federal governments had mandated that at least 75% of all minority students had to be placed in integrated schools by the 1970-1971, Rome City Schools only had 73% of all minority students in integrated schools. Rome City Schools superintendent Milton S. McDonald pointed out that the reason for the discrepancy was that 27% of the minority students had requested to remain at Main Elementary and Anna K. Davie Schools rather than transfer, and the only way to meet the 75% mandate was to force these students to go to school that were further away from their homes.
Did you know that, prior to 1970, Rome traffic ordinances allowed left turns on red after a full stop so long as no traffic was approaching? Well, that law went away this week in 1970. The new traffic ordinance said that led tturns on red were legal only where traffic controlled devices with turn arrows were installed.
The calendar said that spring was pretty much here, but the thermometer reminded Romans that winter hadn't left yet. The temperature fell to 20° on Monday morning and held in the 30s all day. Monday night brought little bit of snow, but the temperatures remained above freezing Monday night, so there were no travel problems or school cancellations.
Super Discount Stores opened their expanded location in Alto Shopping Center (at 436 Shorter Avenue) this week in 1970. Specials included ladies blouses for 88¢, 24" x 30" framed pictures for $1.99, and a 4 ounce bottle of Vitalis for 33¢. And with every $5 purchase, customers could be a 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola/Tab/Sprite for a nickel!
Piggly Wiggly had sirloin tip roast for $1.19 a pound, Uncle Tom's Brunswick stew for 59¢ a can, and Bama apple jelly for 29¢ a jar. Kroger had fresh whole fryers for 29¢ a pound, Morton TV dinners for 32¢ each, and watermelon for 49¢ each. Big Apple had center cut pork chops for 79¢ a pound, cream cheese for 29¢ a package, and Libby's fruit cocktail for 38¢ a can. A&P had chicken breast quarters for 39¢ a pound, fresh baked peach pies for 39¢ each, and celery for 19¢ a bunch. Couch's had ground chuck for 79¢ a pound, Maxwell House instant coffee for 29¢ a jar, and Aristocrat ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon.
The cinematic week began with Downhill Racer (starring Robert Redford) at the DeSoto Theatre, The Sterile Cuckoo (starring Liza Minelli) at the First Avenue, John & Mary (starring Dustin Hoffman & Mia Farrow) at the Village, and Doctor Doolittle (starring Rex Harrison) at the West Rome Drive-In. The weekend switch out brought The Secret of Santa Vittoria (starring Anthony Quinn) to the DeSoto, Fanny Hill (an X-rated Scandinavian film with a cast no one in the US had ever heard of) at the First Avenue, They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (starring Jane Fonda) to the Village, and Those Were the Happy Times (starring Julie Andrews) to the West Rome Drive-In.
Simon & Garfunkel continued their grip on the number one slot this week in 1970 with "Bridge Over Troubled Water." Other top ten hits included "Let It Be" by the Beatles (#2); "Instant Karma (We All Shine On)" by John Lennon (#3); "The Rapper" by the Jaggerz (#4); "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)" by Edison Lighthouse (#5); "ABC" by the Jackson 5 (#6); "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" by the Hollies (#7), "Spirit in the Sky" by Norman Greenbaum (#8--but did anyone ever turn that single over and listen to the B-side, "Milk Cow"?); "Give Me Just a Little More Time" by the Chairmen of the Board (#9); and "Come and Get It" by Badfinger (#10). That's three Apple records in the top ten! (And personally, I am grateful that Sly and the Family Stone finally fell out of the top ten, because I got so tired of having to override spellcheck every time I typed out "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)."
David Bowie married Angela Barnett this week in 1970. Few people remember Angela Bowie, ,but a lot of people remember her as the inspiration for the Rolling Stones song "Angie."
Did you know that, prior to 1970, Rome traffic ordinances allowed left turns on red after a full stop so long as no traffic was approaching? Well, that law went away this week in 1970. The new traffic ordinance said that led tturns on red were legal only where traffic controlled devices with turn arrows were installed.
The calendar said that spring was pretty much here, but the thermometer reminded Romans that winter hadn't left yet. The temperature fell to 20° on Monday morning and held in the 30s all day. Monday night brought little bit of snow, but the temperatures remained above freezing Monday night, so there were no travel problems or school cancellations.
Super Discount Stores opened their expanded location in Alto Shopping Center (at 436 Shorter Avenue) this week in 1970. Specials included ladies blouses for 88¢, 24" x 30" framed pictures for $1.99, and a 4 ounce bottle of Vitalis for 33¢. And with every $5 purchase, customers could be a 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola/Tab/Sprite for a nickel!
Piggly Wiggly had sirloin tip roast for $1.19 a pound, Uncle Tom's Brunswick stew for 59¢ a can, and Bama apple jelly for 29¢ a jar. Kroger had fresh whole fryers for 29¢ a pound, Morton TV dinners for 32¢ each, and watermelon for 49¢ each. Big Apple had center cut pork chops for 79¢ a pound, cream cheese for 29¢ a package, and Libby's fruit cocktail for 38¢ a can. A&P had chicken breast quarters for 39¢ a pound, fresh baked peach pies for 39¢ each, and celery for 19¢ a bunch. Couch's had ground chuck for 79¢ a pound, Maxwell House instant coffee for 29¢ a jar, and Aristocrat ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon.
The cinematic week began with Downhill Racer (starring Robert Redford) at the DeSoto Theatre, The Sterile Cuckoo (starring Liza Minelli) at the First Avenue, John & Mary (starring Dustin Hoffman & Mia Farrow) at the Village, and Doctor Doolittle (starring Rex Harrison) at the West Rome Drive-In. The weekend switch out brought The Secret of Santa Vittoria (starring Anthony Quinn) to the DeSoto, Fanny Hill (an X-rated Scandinavian film with a cast no one in the US had ever heard of) at the First Avenue, They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (starring Jane Fonda) to the Village, and Those Were the Happy Times (starring Julie Andrews) to the West Rome Drive-In.
Simon & Garfunkel continued their grip on the number one slot this week in 1970 with "Bridge Over Troubled Water." Other top ten hits included "Let It Be" by the Beatles (#2); "Instant Karma (We All Shine On)" by John Lennon (#3); "The Rapper" by the Jaggerz (#4); "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)" by Edison Lighthouse (#5); "ABC" by the Jackson 5 (#6); "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" by the Hollies (#7), "Spirit in the Sky" by Norman Greenbaum (#8--but did anyone ever turn that single over and listen to the B-side, "Milk Cow"?); "Give Me Just a Little More Time" by the Chairmen of the Board (#9); and "Come and Get It" by Badfinger (#10). That's three Apple records in the top ten! (And personally, I am grateful that Sly and the Family Stone finally fell out of the top ten, because I got so tired of having to override spellcheck every time I typed out "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)."
David Bowie married Angela Barnett this week in 1970. Few people remember Angela Bowie, ,but a lot of people remember her as the inspiration for the Rolling Stones song "Angie."
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