Interest was so high in the Georgia Class AA football championship game slated for Saturday night in Atlanta that West Rome officials announced that they were selling tickets for a bus for adults who wanted to see the game but weren’t keen on making the drive. (This was in the years before I-75 was opened, so the preferred route from Rome to Atlanta involved a long drive down US 41 through Marietta.)
Ultimately, almost 3500 Romans made the trek to Grady Stadium in Atlanta to watch the Chiefs defeat St. Pius 6-0. West Rome’s touchdown came in the second quarter when quarterback Mike Souder threw a 34-yard bomb to Arbie Lovell for the game's only scoring play.
Sandy McPhee of East Rome High School walked away with top honors in the baton competition at the National Baton Twirling Association meet in Columbus. So why am I reporting it here? Well, because Sandy’s dad was West Rome principal Dick McPhee, and as her father he was undoubtedly quite proud of her accomplishment, even if she did attend school on the other side of the river!
The Chieftains also launched their basketball season with a 56-43 victory over Chattooga in a Region 3-AA game. “We accomplished what we set out to do,” Coach Randall Kent said. “We played the game only to give our boys some experience before they meet East Rome next week, and we accomplished that aim. The fact that West Rome won was icing on the cake.”
The West Rome Seventh Grade Tri-Hi-Y sponsored a rummage sale on Saturday in front of the old depot building on Broad Street.
The city of Rome began discussion to annex the Old Airport Community near GE in West Rome in order to correct “unhealthy conditions” caused by old, improperly installed, overflowing septic tanks. The city hoped to complete annexation by the middle of 1966.
Governor Carl Sanders visited Rome on November 30th to announce major construction and development plans in the works involving Fox Manufacturing and Trend Mills. Trend confirmed plans to double the size of its carpet manufacturing facility, while Fox was expanding its furniture processing facility. “Since January of 1963, Rome and Floyd County have witnessed nine new planet developments,” Governor Sanders said, “in addition to nineteen major expansions of existing industries. By their decision to locate here, the officials of these firms have sown tangible confidence in the economy and in the people of Rome and Floyd County… In ten years’ time, the total payroll for Floyd County has doubled.” (It’s perfectly understandable why so many of us felt like we were living in the glory days of the Rome-Floyd County area back in the 1960s—because we were!)
Belk-Rhodes received a big shipment of go-go boots for $5.99 to $9.99 a pair… which may be official proof that the go-go craze was coming to an end.
Beginning December 1st, Sears extended its hours until 9pm every night until Christmas (except for Sunday, of course!). “Shop at your one-stop Christmas store,” Sears touted—and back in the 1960s, it pretty much seemed to be true!
Most sheriffs devote a lot of time to trying to keep the jail’s occupants safely locked away, but Sheriff Joe Adams spent two days trying to evict a dog who slipped into the jail to spend time with its owner. A lot of Romans were outspoken in their belief that the dog should be allowed to stay, but the sheriff ultimately took the dog to a kennel to be held until its owner was released.
The Floyd County Home Demonstration Club kicked off their annual three-day Christmas Show beginning Thursday, December 2nd. The show at the Civic Center drew almost 6000 attendees who came to see its displays showing how Christmas was celebrated around the world, with a holiday craft bazaar offering attendees a chance to buy handmade gifts, toys, decorations, and more.
Piggly Wiggly had JFG coffee for 69¢ a pound, sirloin steak for 89¢ a pound, and pecans for 99¢ a pound. Kroger had ground beef for 43¢ a pound, Mel-O-Soft bread for 20¢ a loaf, and Scott bathroom tissue for a dime a roll. Big Apple had smoked picnic hams for 39¢ a pound, Bartlett pears for 19¢ a pound, and Sealtest ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon. A&P had whole fryers for a quarter a pound, tangerines for 39¢ a dozen, and a five-pound bag of Irish potatoes for 33¢. Couch’s had Oscar Mayer bacon for 79¢ a pound, Van Camp’s chili for 29¢ a can, and bananas for a dime a pound.
The cinematic week began with Harum Scarum (with Elvis Presley) at the DeSoto Theatre and Agent 8 3/4 (with Dirk Bogarde & Robert Morley) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought The War Lord (with Charlton Heston & Richard Boone) to the DeSoto, while the First Avenue went for a low-budget horror film schlockfest with Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster (with an “I’ve-never-heard-of-them” cast that included James Karen & Marilyn Hanold) and Curse of the Voodoo (starring the equally-unknown Bryant Haliday & Dennis Price) at the First Avenue. Apparently The War Lord was a pretty big deal, because it also played on the big screen at the West Rome Drive-In over the weekend.
The Byrds took first place this week in 1965 with “Turn! Turn! Turn!” Other top ten hits included “I Hear a Sympony” by the Supremes (#2); “Let’s Hang On” by the Four Seasons (#3); “I Got You (I Feel Good)” by James Brown (#4); “Over and Over” by the Dave Clark Five (#5); “I Can Never Go Home Any More” by the Shangri-Las (#6); “1-2-3” by Len Barry (#7); “A Taste of Honey” by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (#8); “Rescue Me” by Fontella Bass (#9); and “I Will” by Dean Martin (#10).
This was a big week for album release, with The Beatles’ Rubber Soul, the Rolling Stones' December’s Children (And Everybody’s), and The Who’s debut release, My Generation, all reaching record shops this week in 1965. The Beatles also released their double A-sided single “Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out” to accompany the album’s release.
Marvel Comics became famous for their super-heroes, but Fantasy Masterpieces #1—released this week in 1965—celebrated their pre-hero science fiction, monster, and weird fiction comics from the 1950s and early 1960s, reprinting stories by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Dick Ayers, Steve Ditko, Don Heck, and Joe Sinnott. The oldest story in the comic was published in 1959, while the most recent was a scant three years old when this comic was published!
Saturday, November 28, 2015
Saturday, November 21, 2015
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 11/22/1965 to 11/28/1965
Preface
“Why do you spend so much time writing this every week?” The young woman asking me the question wasn’t being rude—just curious. It didn’t make sense to her, I guess. With all the time I spend at the keyboard writing Comic Shop News every week as well as writing fiction, why devote a few hours every week writing about unimportant things that happened a half-century ago in the west side of a small northwest Georgia town with city-sized ambitions?
Because we were different. Different, just like millions of other kids who grew up in the US in the 1960s. We lived in a time that we assumed was the most technologically advanced in history (and it was!). We never imagined that the children and grandchildren of our generation would spend every day surrounded by technological advancements that we’d never even heard of back then. We didn’t know that our lives would scatter us across the country and around the world… and that all too many of us wouldn’t be here a half-century later to reminisce with us.
And we took for granted the people in our lives back then, and the places, and the little things that amused us and entertained us and frustrated us. We didn’t really appreciate how much they shaped us, and how long they would stay with us.
Preparing this column every week makes me remember not only the events that I chronicle here, but also the dreams and hopes and sorrows and joys and disappointments and surprises that were a part of our lives in the 1960s. We’re not the people that we were then… but we couldn’t be the people that we are now without going through what we went through then. It helped us, it shaped us, it made us… for better or worse.
Every week, I find little shards of memories scattered in the events that I retell here. The retelling polishes them a little bit, preserves them, makes them sparkle again for a moment or two, at least. The glint of the past reminds me that this is the way we were fifty years ago, and this was the place where we lived, and these were the things that we did.
***
The Chieftains faced off against Chamblee on Friday night for the North Georgia championship…and the Chiefs walked away with a 13-7 victory. “You know, it’s the first time a Rome school has won the championship since 1948,” a very proud Coach Paul Kennedy said after the victory. David Garrett scored the first touchdown for West Rome, while Mike Souder threw a touchdown pass to David Garrett in a play that pushed West Rome to victory.
More than 800 officers, members, and advisors of 39 Y clubs from 11 area schools (including our own West Rome, of course!) participated in the Rome-Floyd county Hi-Y and Tri-Hi-Y induction service at the Berry College chapel. West Rome Principal Dick McPhee, chairman of the Adult Hi-Y Committee, presided over the event. West Rome’s Becky Wood was installed as first vice president, while Jane Cox was selected teen editor; other committee members from West Rome included Lee Willingham, Jamie Cook, Tom Williams, Henry Kennedy, Diane Smith, Cynthia Morgan, Linda Morgan, Lee Davenport, Diane Massey, and Becky Wood.
Moses Construction Company of Rome was the low bidder for four school construction projects, including four classrooms at West End Elementary School, a library at Elm Street Elementary School, and four classrooms at West Rome High School. (The fourth construction project was on the east side of town.) All of this was necessary because of the continued rapid growth of the West Rome area—growth that was running about 6% per year ahead of predictions made when West Rome High School and West End Elementary were constructed.
Oh, the times, they were a’changing: Floyd Hospital warned residents that anesthesia rates were likely to go up because all three staff anesthesiologists had resigned as of November 24th and were going into private practice. This meant that the hospital would no longer have a staff anesthesiologist whose fees were built into the cost of various hospital procedures; instead, the hospital administrators warned Romans that those without insurance could expect to pay as much as $50 per procedure more for anesthesia because of the change, since the private anesthesiologists would be setting their own rates.
The draft was calling more Romans: the Selective Service office announced that 75 young men from Rome and Floyd County would have to report for pre-induction examinations on December 15th. The notices went out this week so that those expected to report could make necessary plans to be there. Mrs.. Virginia Turpin of the Selective Service Office said that they expected that about 40% of those tested would be drafted within a month of their examinations. Suddenly, the draft and the war and Vietnam were becoming much more of a local worry for Rome teens…
Rome bank activity indicated that the community’s economy was growing at about a 5% annual rate—not quite as strong as the two years prior, but still enough to pump an extra $5 million a month into the local community.
Thanksgiving's aftermath included the post-Thanksgiving-Day Rome Days sales event. Almost every store in town was running special sales on Friday and Saturday, including $39.98 Murray bicycles at Sterchi’s; a $12.99 Electrovoice tape recorder at Enloe’s; an all-wool sport coast for $12.00 at Wheeler’s; a 6-piece French provincial maple living room suite for $399 at Rhodes Furniture; leather handbags for $7.95 at Esserman’s; an Admiral table radio for $15.88 at Buy-Wise; a 23” Zenith console color TV for $589 at Rome Radio Company; an electric Pro Football game (you remember, the thing with the buzzing, vibrating field and the little plastic players with felt bottoms that wobbled around, bumping into one another?) for $19.88 at Murphy’s. And then there was my personal favorite: The VacuForm for $16.88 at Sears! (After all, what better gift for a kid at Christmas than a toy that heated up metal plates to the pound that they melted plastic sheets so that you could shape them into crude toys using a vacuum pump? What possible harm could befall a child with a toy like that?! And yes, I really had one of these… and yes, I must have burned my fingers about fifty times while using it…)
Piggly Wiggly had sweet potatoes for a dime a pound, pecans for 33¢ a pound, and fresh hens for 39¢ a pound. Big Apple had Tom Turkeys for 33¢ a pound, fresh coconuts for 19¢ each, and celery for 19¢ a bunch. Kroger and turkeys for 31¢ a pound, fresh cranberries for a quarter a pound, and a case of Coca-Cola for 99¢ plus deposit. A&P had turkeys for 37¢ a pound, potatoes for a nickel a pound, and cranberry sauce for 22¢ a can. Couch’s had Puritan fully-cooked hams for 79¢ a pound, English peas for 19¢ a can, and roasting chickens for 29¢ a pound.
The cinematic week began with Sands of Kalahari (with Stuart Whitman) at the DeSoto and The Outlaws Is Coming (with the Three Stooges) at the First Avenue. The midweek switchout brought Harum Scarum (with Elvis Presley) to the Desoto and Forty Acre Feud (with Ferlin Husky, Minnie Pearl, George Jones, & Loretta Lynn) at the First Avenue. The West Rome Drive-In took advantage of the Thanksgiving holiday week to add a special Wednesday night showing of Mary Poppins (with Julie Andrews & Dick Van Dyke) to its otherwise-weekends-only schedule.
The Byrds took number one this week with their biblical “Turn! Turn! Turn!” Other top ten hits included “I Hear a Symphony” by the Supremes (#2); “1-2-3” by Len Barry (#3); “Let’s Hang On” by the Four Seasons (#4); “I Got You (I Feel Good)” by James Brown (#5); “Rescue Me” by Fontella Bass (#6); “A Taste of Honey” by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (#7); “Ain’t That Peculiar” by Marvin Gaye (#8); “I Can Never Go Home Any More” by the Shangri-Las (#9); and “Over and Over” by the Dave Clark Five (#10).
The big album release this week in 1965 was Do You Believe in Magic? by the Lovin’ Spoonful, which delivered not only the title song but also the destined-for-hit-status song “Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?” Both songs were written by the group’s lead singer and autoharpist John Sebastian (were the Lovin’ Spoonful the only 1960s rock group to use the autoharp in their music?).
This was also the week when Arlo Guthrie was arrested on Thanksgiving Day in Massachusetts for littering; the resulting events would ultimately be preserved forever in Guthrie’s song “Alice’s Restaurant,” but it would be two more years before we would hear that little ditty.
The cosmic spirit of the DC Universe made his first Silver Age appearance in Showcase #60, on sale this week in 1965. The Spectre was resurrected in a tale by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson in an atypical tale that pitted a superhero against the demon Azmodus. Also on the stands this week: Teen Titans #1, featuring Robin, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, and Aqualad, fresh from their final trial-run appearance in September’s Showcase #59.
“Why do you spend so much time writing this every week?” The young woman asking me the question wasn’t being rude—just curious. It didn’t make sense to her, I guess. With all the time I spend at the keyboard writing Comic Shop News every week as well as writing fiction, why devote a few hours every week writing about unimportant things that happened a half-century ago in the west side of a small northwest Georgia town with city-sized ambitions?
Because we were different. Different, just like millions of other kids who grew up in the US in the 1960s. We lived in a time that we assumed was the most technologically advanced in history (and it was!). We never imagined that the children and grandchildren of our generation would spend every day surrounded by technological advancements that we’d never even heard of back then. We didn’t know that our lives would scatter us across the country and around the world… and that all too many of us wouldn’t be here a half-century later to reminisce with us.
And we took for granted the people in our lives back then, and the places, and the little things that amused us and entertained us and frustrated us. We didn’t really appreciate how much they shaped us, and how long they would stay with us.
Preparing this column every week makes me remember not only the events that I chronicle here, but also the dreams and hopes and sorrows and joys and disappointments and surprises that were a part of our lives in the 1960s. We’re not the people that we were then… but we couldn’t be the people that we are now without going through what we went through then. It helped us, it shaped us, it made us… for better or worse.
Every week, I find little shards of memories scattered in the events that I retell here. The retelling polishes them a little bit, preserves them, makes them sparkle again for a moment or two, at least. The glint of the past reminds me that this is the way we were fifty years ago, and this was the place where we lived, and these were the things that we did.
***
The Chieftains faced off against Chamblee on Friday night for the North Georgia championship…and the Chiefs walked away with a 13-7 victory. “You know, it’s the first time a Rome school has won the championship since 1948,” a very proud Coach Paul Kennedy said after the victory. David Garrett scored the first touchdown for West Rome, while Mike Souder threw a touchdown pass to David Garrett in a play that pushed West Rome to victory.
More than 800 officers, members, and advisors of 39 Y clubs from 11 area schools (including our own West Rome, of course!) participated in the Rome-Floyd county Hi-Y and Tri-Hi-Y induction service at the Berry College chapel. West Rome Principal Dick McPhee, chairman of the Adult Hi-Y Committee, presided over the event. West Rome’s Becky Wood was installed as first vice president, while Jane Cox was selected teen editor; other committee members from West Rome included Lee Willingham, Jamie Cook, Tom Williams, Henry Kennedy, Diane Smith, Cynthia Morgan, Linda Morgan, Lee Davenport, Diane Massey, and Becky Wood.
Moses Construction Company of Rome was the low bidder for four school construction projects, including four classrooms at West End Elementary School, a library at Elm Street Elementary School, and four classrooms at West Rome High School. (The fourth construction project was on the east side of town.) All of this was necessary because of the continued rapid growth of the West Rome area—growth that was running about 6% per year ahead of predictions made when West Rome High School and West End Elementary were constructed.
Oh, the times, they were a’changing: Floyd Hospital warned residents that anesthesia rates were likely to go up because all three staff anesthesiologists had resigned as of November 24th and were going into private practice. This meant that the hospital would no longer have a staff anesthesiologist whose fees were built into the cost of various hospital procedures; instead, the hospital administrators warned Romans that those without insurance could expect to pay as much as $50 per procedure more for anesthesia because of the change, since the private anesthesiologists would be setting their own rates.
The draft was calling more Romans: the Selective Service office announced that 75 young men from Rome and Floyd County would have to report for pre-induction examinations on December 15th. The notices went out this week so that those expected to report could make necessary plans to be there. Mrs.. Virginia Turpin of the Selective Service Office said that they expected that about 40% of those tested would be drafted within a month of their examinations. Suddenly, the draft and the war and Vietnam were becoming much more of a local worry for Rome teens…
Rome bank activity indicated that the community’s economy was growing at about a 5% annual rate—not quite as strong as the two years prior, but still enough to pump an extra $5 million a month into the local community.
Thanksgiving's aftermath included the post-Thanksgiving-Day Rome Days sales event. Almost every store in town was running special sales on Friday and Saturday, including $39.98 Murray bicycles at Sterchi’s; a $12.99 Electrovoice tape recorder at Enloe’s; an all-wool sport coast for $12.00 at Wheeler’s; a 6-piece French provincial maple living room suite for $399 at Rhodes Furniture; leather handbags for $7.95 at Esserman’s; an Admiral table radio for $15.88 at Buy-Wise; a 23” Zenith console color TV for $589 at Rome Radio Company; an electric Pro Football game (you remember, the thing with the buzzing, vibrating field and the little plastic players with felt bottoms that wobbled around, bumping into one another?) for $19.88 at Murphy’s. And then there was my personal favorite: The VacuForm for $16.88 at Sears! (After all, what better gift for a kid at Christmas than a toy that heated up metal plates to the pound that they melted plastic sheets so that you could shape them into crude toys using a vacuum pump? What possible harm could befall a child with a toy like that?! And yes, I really had one of these… and yes, I must have burned my fingers about fifty times while using it…)
Piggly Wiggly had sweet potatoes for a dime a pound, pecans for 33¢ a pound, and fresh hens for 39¢ a pound. Big Apple had Tom Turkeys for 33¢ a pound, fresh coconuts for 19¢ each, and celery for 19¢ a bunch. Kroger and turkeys for 31¢ a pound, fresh cranberries for a quarter a pound, and a case of Coca-Cola for 99¢ plus deposit. A&P had turkeys for 37¢ a pound, potatoes for a nickel a pound, and cranberry sauce for 22¢ a can. Couch’s had Puritan fully-cooked hams for 79¢ a pound, English peas for 19¢ a can, and roasting chickens for 29¢ a pound.
The cinematic week began with Sands of Kalahari (with Stuart Whitman) at the DeSoto and The Outlaws Is Coming (with the Three Stooges) at the First Avenue. The midweek switchout brought Harum Scarum (with Elvis Presley) to the Desoto and Forty Acre Feud (with Ferlin Husky, Minnie Pearl, George Jones, & Loretta Lynn) at the First Avenue. The West Rome Drive-In took advantage of the Thanksgiving holiday week to add a special Wednesday night showing of Mary Poppins (with Julie Andrews & Dick Van Dyke) to its otherwise-weekends-only schedule.
The Byrds took number one this week with their biblical “Turn! Turn! Turn!” Other top ten hits included “I Hear a Symphony” by the Supremes (#2); “1-2-3” by Len Barry (#3); “Let’s Hang On” by the Four Seasons (#4); “I Got You (I Feel Good)” by James Brown (#5); “Rescue Me” by Fontella Bass (#6); “A Taste of Honey” by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (#7); “Ain’t That Peculiar” by Marvin Gaye (#8); “I Can Never Go Home Any More” by the Shangri-Las (#9); and “Over and Over” by the Dave Clark Five (#10).
The big album release this week in 1965 was Do You Believe in Magic? by the Lovin’ Spoonful, which delivered not only the title song but also the destined-for-hit-status song “Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?” Both songs were written by the group’s lead singer and autoharpist John Sebastian (were the Lovin’ Spoonful the only 1960s rock group to use the autoharp in their music?).
This was also the week when Arlo Guthrie was arrested on Thanksgiving Day in Massachusetts for littering; the resulting events would ultimately be preserved forever in Guthrie’s song “Alice’s Restaurant,” but it would be two more years before we would hear that little ditty.
The cosmic spirit of the DC Universe made his first Silver Age appearance in Showcase #60, on sale this week in 1965. The Spectre was resurrected in a tale by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson in an atypical tale that pitted a superhero against the demon Azmodus. Also on the stands this week: Teen Titans #1, featuring Robin, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, and Aqualad, fresh from their final trial-run appearance in September’s Showcase #59.
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 11/15/1965 to 11/21/1965
The final equipment for West Rome’s new state-of-the-art industrial arts shop arrived and the program shifted into high gear this week in 1965. Thanks to a $90,000 investment by taxpayers and the Rome City School System, West Rome’s newly constructed brick industrial arts building had a modern drafting department at one end of the structure and an electronics lab, a metalworking shop, and a woodworking shop at the other end. Thomas Couey and R.L. Matthews shared instructional duties in the expanded industrial arts department, and both had a full roster of students for their expanded course offerings.
Dickie, Tommy, Johnny, and David Sapp were spotlighted in the Rome News-Tribune on November 17th. The article focused on the family’s football skills (Dickie was a halfback for the Darlington Tigers, Tommy was a junior halfback for the Chieftains, Johnny was a part of the Rome junior midgets team, and David was involved with the mite leaguers. “I’ve never pushed them to play football,” their father, Fred Sapp, said. “However, the fact that they were interested really pleased us. The game has meant a lot to them.”
With a Region 3-AA title game against Dalton on the schedule for Friday, November 19th, Coach Paul Kennedy was justifiably concerned when center Doug Meadows suffered an jury in the East Rome game that took him out of the Dalton game. Coach Kennedy moved Benny Padgett to center, while Lane Warner took Padgett’s offensive guard position. Jim Ryan was also out with a broken nose, Jerry Wiseman missed two days of practice with a shoulder injury, Richard Camp had an injured foot that impacted his kicking game, and Lane Brewer was playing with a knee injury that had slowed him down. “Our boys’ spirits are high and we’ve had really good practice sessions,” Coach Kennedy said, “but we’ve got to be ready to play our finest ball game against a tough club. In fact, I think we’ll have to play as good as, if not better than, we did against Kingsport and Rossville.”
In spite of all the injuries, though, the Chieftains managed to defeat Dalton in a 14-7 game, thanks to quarterback Mike Souder, who threw both of West Rome’s touchdown passes—one to Arbie Lovell and one to David Garrett. This advanced West Rome to the next level of the playoffs, setting them up to take on Chamblee.
Piggly Wiggly had baking hens for 35¢ a pound, bacon for 69¢ a pound, and lettuce for 15¢ a head. A&P had hen turkeys for 37¢ a pound, bananas for a dime a pound, and all butter pound cakes for 69¢ each. Kroger and five pounds of Colonial sugar for 38¢, large eggs for 49¢ a dozen, and Tom Turkeys for 31¢ a pound. Big Apple had hams for 59¢ a pound, celery for 19¢ a bunch, and yams for 12¢ a pound. Couch’s had fruit cake mix for 33¢ a pound, pork roast for 59¢ a pound, and ten pounds of potatoes for 45¢.
The cinematic week began with Casanova ’70 (with Marcelo Mastroianni & Virna Lisi) to the DeSotoTheater and Red Line 7000 (with James Caan) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought Sands of the Kalahari (with Stuart Whitman & Susannah York) to the DeSoto and The Hill (with Sean Connery) to the First Avenue. The West Rome Drive-In had a weekend double feature of The Ballad of Cat Ballou (with Jane Fonda & Lee Marvin) and Fate Is the Hunter (with Gelnn Ford and Rod Taylor).
The Supremes held on to the number one slot this week in 1965 with “I Hear a Symphony.” Other top ten hits included “Turn! Turn! Turn!” by the Byrds (#2); “1-2-3” by Len Barry (#3); “Let’s Hang On” by the Four Seasons (#4); “Get Off My Cloud” by the Rolling Stones (#5); “Rescue Me” by Fontella Bass (#6); “A Taste of Honey” by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (#7); “Ain’t That Peculiar” by Marvin Gaye (#8); “I Got You (I Feel Good)” by James Brown (#9); and “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away” by Silkie (#10).
The Yardbirds released their second album, Having a Rave Up With the Yardbirds, this week in 1965. The album featured the guitar skills of both Eric Clapton (who performed on four songs) and Jeff Beck (who played on the remaining six songs).
This was also the week when NBC introduced the first full-color national news broadcast. The Huntley-Brinkley Report became the first newscast to use color for both the studio presentation and the news stories filed from locations around the world.
Dickie, Tommy, Johnny, and David Sapp were spotlighted in the Rome News-Tribune on November 17th. The article focused on the family’s football skills (Dickie was a halfback for the Darlington Tigers, Tommy was a junior halfback for the Chieftains, Johnny was a part of the Rome junior midgets team, and David was involved with the mite leaguers. “I’ve never pushed them to play football,” their father, Fred Sapp, said. “However, the fact that they were interested really pleased us. The game has meant a lot to them.”
With a Region 3-AA title game against Dalton on the schedule for Friday, November 19th, Coach Paul Kennedy was justifiably concerned when center Doug Meadows suffered an jury in the East Rome game that took him out of the Dalton game. Coach Kennedy moved Benny Padgett to center, while Lane Warner took Padgett’s offensive guard position. Jim Ryan was also out with a broken nose, Jerry Wiseman missed two days of practice with a shoulder injury, Richard Camp had an injured foot that impacted his kicking game, and Lane Brewer was playing with a knee injury that had slowed him down. “Our boys’ spirits are high and we’ve had really good practice sessions,” Coach Kennedy said, “but we’ve got to be ready to play our finest ball game against a tough club. In fact, I think we’ll have to play as good as, if not better than, we did against Kingsport and Rossville.”
In spite of all the injuries, though, the Chieftains managed to defeat Dalton in a 14-7 game, thanks to quarterback Mike Souder, who threw both of West Rome’s touchdown passes—one to Arbie Lovell and one to David Garrett. This advanced West Rome to the next level of the playoffs, setting them up to take on Chamblee.
Piggly Wiggly had baking hens for 35¢ a pound, bacon for 69¢ a pound, and lettuce for 15¢ a head. A&P had hen turkeys for 37¢ a pound, bananas for a dime a pound, and all butter pound cakes for 69¢ each. Kroger and five pounds of Colonial sugar for 38¢, large eggs for 49¢ a dozen, and Tom Turkeys for 31¢ a pound. Big Apple had hams for 59¢ a pound, celery for 19¢ a bunch, and yams for 12¢ a pound. Couch’s had fruit cake mix for 33¢ a pound, pork roast for 59¢ a pound, and ten pounds of potatoes for 45¢.
The cinematic week began with Casanova ’70 (with Marcelo Mastroianni & Virna Lisi) to the DeSotoTheater and Red Line 7000 (with James Caan) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought Sands of the Kalahari (with Stuart Whitman & Susannah York) to the DeSoto and The Hill (with Sean Connery) to the First Avenue. The West Rome Drive-In had a weekend double feature of The Ballad of Cat Ballou (with Jane Fonda & Lee Marvin) and Fate Is the Hunter (with Gelnn Ford and Rod Taylor).
The Supremes held on to the number one slot this week in 1965 with “I Hear a Symphony.” Other top ten hits included “Turn! Turn! Turn!” by the Byrds (#2); “1-2-3” by Len Barry (#3); “Let’s Hang On” by the Four Seasons (#4); “Get Off My Cloud” by the Rolling Stones (#5); “Rescue Me” by Fontella Bass (#6); “A Taste of Honey” by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (#7); “Ain’t That Peculiar” by Marvin Gaye (#8); “I Got You (I Feel Good)” by James Brown (#9); and “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away” by Silkie (#10).
The Yardbirds released their second album, Having a Rave Up With the Yardbirds, this week in 1965. The album featured the guitar skills of both Eric Clapton (who performed on four songs) and Jeff Beck (who played on the remaining six songs).
This was also the week when NBC introduced the first full-color national news broadcast. The Huntley-Brinkley Report became the first newscast to use color for both the studio presentation and the news stories filed from locations around the world.
Saturday, November 07, 2015
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 11/8/1965 to 11/14/1965
Back in 1965, almost all phone calls between Rome and Atlanta were carried on a single phone cable—so when a construction company cut that cable on Monday afternoon, November the 8th, it also cut off all phone communication between Rome and Atlanta. Southern Bell was able to reroute some of the calls by late Monday evening, and the phone line was repaired by 5:30 am on Tuesday. (It’s hard to envision a scenario in which one cable cut could shut down all phone communication for more than twelve hours… But it could be worse. This was also the week that New York City had a total blackout after a power grid failure, so there’s that…)
West Rome growth was so strong that the city was looking to expand West End Elementary with four new classrooms, as well as a new library at Elm Street. The Rome School Board began taking bids for the construction this week in 1965, with construction set to take place over the summer.
The Rome News-Tribune named West Rome’s David Garrett as the Back of the Week because of his outstanding performance in the November 5th East Rome game. And it was no surprise that Paul Kennedy was named Coach of the Week after leading a team from two scoreless games at the beginning of the season to a Region 3-AA South Championship with their victory over East Rome.
West Rome’s Future Business Leaders of America selected its club officers this week in 1965. The roster included Pat Richardson, president; Ellen Sosbee, vice-president; Diane Wade, secretary; Jennie Pittman, treasurer; and Pat Hicks, reporter. The club was sponsored by Miss Charles McCarter and Mr. Bill Finley.
Piggly Wiggly had eggs for 45¢ a dozen, T-bone steak for 99¢ a pound, and fresh baked apple pies for 59¢ each. Kroger and the ever-popular streak-o-lean for 49¢ a pound (was it really that expensive?), Spam for 49¢ a can, and Country Club ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon. Big Apple had chuck roast for 39¢ a pound, five pounds of Dixie Crystal sugar for 39¢, and a 32-ounce jar of Jif peanut butter for 95¢. A&P had ground beef for 38¢ a pound, Poss chili for 39¢ a can, and emperor grapes for 13¢ a pound. Couch’s had pork steak for 59¢ a pound, bananas for a dime a pound, and Bama jelly (in an 18-ounce jar that could be used as a drinking glass) for 25¢ a jar.
The cinematic week began with The Cincinnati Kid (with Steve McQueen & Ann-Margret) at the DeSoto Theater and Love & Kisses (with Rick Nelson) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought Casanova ’70 (with Marcelo Mastroianni & Virna Lisi) to the DeSoto and Red Line 7000 (with James Caan) at the First Avenue. The West Rome Drive-In had a weekend double feature of Red Line 7000 (yes, a second-rate racing movie was screening simultaneously at two Rome theaters!) and The Family Jewels (with Jerry Lewis).
The Supremes clinched the top spot this week in 1965 with “I Hear a Symphony.” Other top ten hits included “1-2-3” by Len Barry (#2); “Get Off of My Cloud” by the Rolling Stones (#3); “Rescue Me” by Fontella Bass (#4); “Let’s Hang On” by the Four Seasons (#5); “Turn! Turn! Turn!” by the Byrds (#6); “A Lover’s Concerto” by the Toys (#7); “Ain’t That Peculiar” by Marvin Gaye (#8); “A Taste of Honey” by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (#9); and “You’re the One” by the Vogues (#10).
The week’s big album releases included Beach Boys’ Party! by the Beach Boys and Four Tops’ Second Album by the Four Tops. But the number one selling album this week was The Sound of Music, which bounced the Beatles Help! off the top of the LP charts.
The problems of Salem and its residents came to television for the first time on November 8th, 1965, with the premiere of Days of Our Lives. The soap opera originally began as a half-hour show; it wouldn’t expand to an hour long until 1975.
West Rome growth was so strong that the city was looking to expand West End Elementary with four new classrooms, as well as a new library at Elm Street. The Rome School Board began taking bids for the construction this week in 1965, with construction set to take place over the summer.
The Rome News-Tribune named West Rome’s David Garrett as the Back of the Week because of his outstanding performance in the November 5th East Rome game. And it was no surprise that Paul Kennedy was named Coach of the Week after leading a team from two scoreless games at the beginning of the season to a Region 3-AA South Championship with their victory over East Rome.
West Rome’s Future Business Leaders of America selected its club officers this week in 1965. The roster included Pat Richardson, president; Ellen Sosbee, vice-president; Diane Wade, secretary; Jennie Pittman, treasurer; and Pat Hicks, reporter. The club was sponsored by Miss Charles McCarter and Mr. Bill Finley.
Piggly Wiggly had eggs for 45¢ a dozen, T-bone steak for 99¢ a pound, and fresh baked apple pies for 59¢ each. Kroger and the ever-popular streak-o-lean for 49¢ a pound (was it really that expensive?), Spam for 49¢ a can, and Country Club ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon. Big Apple had chuck roast for 39¢ a pound, five pounds of Dixie Crystal sugar for 39¢, and a 32-ounce jar of Jif peanut butter for 95¢. A&P had ground beef for 38¢ a pound, Poss chili for 39¢ a can, and emperor grapes for 13¢ a pound. Couch’s had pork steak for 59¢ a pound, bananas for a dime a pound, and Bama jelly (in an 18-ounce jar that could be used as a drinking glass) for 25¢ a jar.
The cinematic week began with The Cincinnati Kid (with Steve McQueen & Ann-Margret) at the DeSoto Theater and Love & Kisses (with Rick Nelson) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought Casanova ’70 (with Marcelo Mastroianni & Virna Lisi) to the DeSoto and Red Line 7000 (with James Caan) at the First Avenue. The West Rome Drive-In had a weekend double feature of Red Line 7000 (yes, a second-rate racing movie was screening simultaneously at two Rome theaters!) and The Family Jewels (with Jerry Lewis).
The Supremes clinched the top spot this week in 1965 with “I Hear a Symphony.” Other top ten hits included “1-2-3” by Len Barry (#2); “Get Off of My Cloud” by the Rolling Stones (#3); “Rescue Me” by Fontella Bass (#4); “Let’s Hang On” by the Four Seasons (#5); “Turn! Turn! Turn!” by the Byrds (#6); “A Lover’s Concerto” by the Toys (#7); “Ain’t That Peculiar” by Marvin Gaye (#8); “A Taste of Honey” by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (#9); and “You’re the One” by the Vogues (#10).
The week’s big album releases included Beach Boys’ Party! by the Beach Boys and Four Tops’ Second Album by the Four Tops. But the number one selling album this week was The Sound of Music, which bounced the Beatles Help! off the top of the LP charts.
The problems of Salem and its residents came to television for the first time on November 8th, 1965, with the premiere of Days of Our Lives. The soap opera originally began as a half-hour show; it wouldn’t expand to an hour long until 1975.
Monday, November 02, 2015
The Passing of a Friend
I wasn't a close friend to Mark. Still, he was my friend, and he was a good man with a kind heart and a generous spirit, and he shouldn't be dead... but death doesn't pay much attention to shoulds and shouldn'ts.
Mark was a handyman, a repairman, and a contractor. And he was exceptional at what he did. So exceptional, in fact, that he did almost all of his work in our neighborhood, because so many people admired him and his work that they kept him as busy as he wanted to be. I first hired Mark about five years ago for a few little jobs; when we acquired our second house, we used him and his team for a number of repairs there.
In general, contractors will disappoint you... the questions are when and how. But not Mark. He did what he said--and if he couldn't do it, he said so up front, and pointed you to someone who could.
After the first few jobs, I quit asking Mark for an estimate, because I realized it was unnecessary. Mark's charges were always fair, and if he said the job needed to be done, then it needed to be done. He was absolutely trustworthy, and honorable to a degree unheard of among repairmen and contractors.
But I was glad to get to know Mark as more than a handyman and a contractor. He was in the neighborhood all the time, traveling from one job to another--and I walk a lot. Inevitably, our paths would cross--sometimes more than once a day, in fact. So we would talk. He would pull his Ford Explorer over to the side of the road, and we'd talk about all sorts of things. We talked about music and TV and books. Mark and I liked a lot of the same music, which led to numerous conversations. And sometimes we would just talk about nothing in particular.
Mark knew I had some health issues; so did he. You'd never know it from looking at him, though. But he and I had talked about them over the years, so I knew that he had problems with pains in his legs related to an auto accident a few years earlier. He had high blood pressure, and was trying to deal with it. Like me, he exercised a lot. We often talked about our exercise routines; his was much more demanding than mine, but his busy schedule made it impossible for him to exercise with the frequency that I did. He always wished that he could, he said. "Maybe next year."
Last week, Mark's days ran out. I don't know the details; they really don't matter, I guess. But it seems wrong that he's dead. He was always cognizant of his health, and he was trying to do what he could to improve it. He didn't live to excess, and he didn't take chances.
And he died. I saw him on Monday. Tuesday, I got the news that he had passed away a few hours after I saw him.
Mark was a good man. He deserved more than the 55 years that life gave him.
Mark was a handyman, a repairman, and a contractor. And he was exceptional at what he did. So exceptional, in fact, that he did almost all of his work in our neighborhood, because so many people admired him and his work that they kept him as busy as he wanted to be. I first hired Mark about five years ago for a few little jobs; when we acquired our second house, we used him and his team for a number of repairs there.
In general, contractors will disappoint you... the questions are when and how. But not Mark. He did what he said--and if he couldn't do it, he said so up front, and pointed you to someone who could.
After the first few jobs, I quit asking Mark for an estimate, because I realized it was unnecessary. Mark's charges were always fair, and if he said the job needed to be done, then it needed to be done. He was absolutely trustworthy, and honorable to a degree unheard of among repairmen and contractors.
But I was glad to get to know Mark as more than a handyman and a contractor. He was in the neighborhood all the time, traveling from one job to another--and I walk a lot. Inevitably, our paths would cross--sometimes more than once a day, in fact. So we would talk. He would pull his Ford Explorer over to the side of the road, and we'd talk about all sorts of things. We talked about music and TV and books. Mark and I liked a lot of the same music, which led to numerous conversations. And sometimes we would just talk about nothing in particular.
Mark knew I had some health issues; so did he. You'd never know it from looking at him, though. But he and I had talked about them over the years, so I knew that he had problems with pains in his legs related to an auto accident a few years earlier. He had high blood pressure, and was trying to deal with it. Like me, he exercised a lot. We often talked about our exercise routines; his was much more demanding than mine, but his busy schedule made it impossible for him to exercise with the frequency that I did. He always wished that he could, he said. "Maybe next year."
Last week, Mark's days ran out. I don't know the details; they really don't matter, I guess. But it seems wrong that he's dead. He was always cognizant of his health, and he was trying to do what he could to improve it. He didn't live to excess, and he didn't take chances.
And he died. I saw him on Monday. Tuesday, I got the news that he had passed away a few hours after I saw him.
Mark was a good man. He deserved more than the 55 years that life gave him.
Friday, October 30, 2015
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 11/1/1965 to 11/7/1965
The annual East Rome-West Rome football game generated more than the usual excitement in 1965, because this game would determine not merely Rome bragging rights, but also the sub-region championship. West Rome went into the game with a 2-1 record within the sub-region, while East Rome had a 1-1-1 record. West Rome could clinch the title by winning or tying the game, while East Rome had to secure a win to become a sub-region champ. Coach Paul Kennedy was cautiously optimistic. “East Rome’s always tough when the play us,” Coach Kennedy said. “Considering what’s at stake, I believe East Rome will give us all we can handle, but I think we're up to it.” The combination of a cross-town rivalry and a sub-region championship on the line led to increased ticket sales, with more than 6000 people buying tickets for the game, which was officially sold out by Thursday afternoon.
If Coach Kennedy was at all concerned about the game’s outcome, he shouldn’t have been: West Rome won 33-0, scoring three touchdowns on the ground and two through the air. It was the biggest winning point-spread in East-West history, and it secured the Region 3-AA South championship for the Chieftains.
West Rome’s Distributive Education program was spotlighted in the Rome News-Tribune. Nineteen Chieftains were enrolled in DE, a work-related program that allowed students to get class credit for on-the-job experience in a distributive business (which included retail sales). To stay in the program, students had to work between 15 and 35 hours a week. The average student enrolled in the program would earn $500 during the nine-month period, and many of them earned significantly more by continuing to work at the same job during the summer. (Distributive Education began as a “girls only” program in 1945 when Rome still had a Girls High; when Girls High and Boys High merged in 1951 the program was expanded to include boys and girls.)
The Rome Auto Show was held in the Central Plaza Shopping Center parking lot on Sunday, November 7th, with the newest models from Ford, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Oldsmobile, Plymouth, Chrysler, Valiant, Imperial, Rambler, Buck, Pontiac, Dodge, Lancer, Volkswagen, and Lincoln-Mercury all on display—and they were all available through Rome auto dealers, so you’d never have to leave Rome to buy the car of your dreams once you discovered it at the auto show! In fact, Volkswagen was promoting their show special: they offered a 1966 VW Beetle for $1722.72 including all taxes and fees—and it included a radio!
Barth’s Sport and Hobby Shop advertised its expansion this week in 1965. The store, located on North 5th Avenue, carried model kits, balsa planes, Tonka toys, Lincoln Logs, and sporting goods. Considering my obsession with airplane models, I’m not sure how I never knew about this store when I was a kid; I was a Revell and Monogram model addict, with a particular interest in WW2 airplanes, and regularly raided Murphy’s, Redford’s, and Super-Discount store looking for new kits. I suspect my parents were keeping this store a secret from me…
Piggly Wiggly had pork chops for 53¢ a pound, JFG instant coffee for 99¢, and Shurfine cream corn for 16¢ a can. Kroger had sirloin steak for 95¢ a pound, Maxwell House coffee for 59¢ a loud, and bananas for 12¢ a pound. Big Apple had whole fryers for a quarter a pound, yams for 12¢ a pound, and a 2-pound jar of Lennox Park peanut butter for 69¢. A&P had stew beef for a quarter a pound, a twenty-pound bag of potatoes for 95¢, and Merita bread for 19¢ a loaf. Couch’s had chuck roast for 37¢ a pound, large eggs for 49¢ a dozen, and grapefruit for a nickel each.
The cinematic week began with The Hallelujah Trail (with Burt Lancaster & Lee Remick) at the DeSoto Theater and Beach Ball (with Edd Byrnes) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought The Cincinnati Kid (with Steve McQueen & Ann-Margret) to the DeSoto and Darling (with Laurence Harvey & Julie Christie) to the First Avenue. The West Rome Drive-In offered a weekend double feature of Witchcraft (starring Lon Chaney Jr. in one of his final acting roles) and How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (with Annette Funicello & Dwayne Hickman). Considering how incredibly different those two films are, you have to wonder who selected the lineup for these double features!…
The Rolling Stones held on to the number one slot for the second week in a row with “Get Off Of My Cloud.” Other top ten hits for the week included “A Lover’s Concerto” by the Toys (#2); “1-2-3” by Len Barry (#3); “You’re the One” by the Vogues (#4); “I Hear a Symphony” by the Supremes (#5); “Rescue Me” by Fontella Bass (#6); “Everybody Loves a Clown” by Gary Lewis & the Playboys (#7); “Let’s Hang On” by the Four Seasons (#8); “A Taste of Honey” by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (#9); and “Ain’t That Peculiar?” by Marvin Gaye (#10).
And it was a great week for albums, too: Smokey Robinson & the Miracles’ Going to a Go-Go (the first album to include a separate credit line for Smokey Robinson) and The Temptations’ The Tempting Temptations were both released this week in 1965. This was also the week that the Who released their iconic single “My Generation,” although it wouldn’t chart for a while yet.
Everyone thinks of comics as being superhero adventures, but the comics rack was quite diverse this week in 1965: you could choose from Army War Heroes, Black Fury (a comic about a horse that roamed the West righting wrongs), Career Girl Romances, Cheyenne Kid, Fightin’ Marines, Fightin’ Navy, Gunmaster, Hot Rod Racers, Just Married, Old Yeller, Teen Confessions, Teenage Hotrodders, Tippy Teen, and Zorro, as well as at least a half-dozen different Archie titles—and that was just a sampling of the non-superhero books published this week in 1965!
If Coach Kennedy was at all concerned about the game’s outcome, he shouldn’t have been: West Rome won 33-0, scoring three touchdowns on the ground and two through the air. It was the biggest winning point-spread in East-West history, and it secured the Region 3-AA South championship for the Chieftains.
West Rome’s Distributive Education program was spotlighted in the Rome News-Tribune. Nineteen Chieftains were enrolled in DE, a work-related program that allowed students to get class credit for on-the-job experience in a distributive business (which included retail sales). To stay in the program, students had to work between 15 and 35 hours a week. The average student enrolled in the program would earn $500 during the nine-month period, and many of them earned significantly more by continuing to work at the same job during the summer. (Distributive Education began as a “girls only” program in 1945 when Rome still had a Girls High; when Girls High and Boys High merged in 1951 the program was expanded to include boys and girls.)
The Rome Auto Show was held in the Central Plaza Shopping Center parking lot on Sunday, November 7th, with the newest models from Ford, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Oldsmobile, Plymouth, Chrysler, Valiant, Imperial, Rambler, Buck, Pontiac, Dodge, Lancer, Volkswagen, and Lincoln-Mercury all on display—and they were all available through Rome auto dealers, so you’d never have to leave Rome to buy the car of your dreams once you discovered it at the auto show! In fact, Volkswagen was promoting their show special: they offered a 1966 VW Beetle for $1722.72 including all taxes and fees—and it included a radio!
Barth’s Sport and Hobby Shop advertised its expansion this week in 1965. The store, located on North 5th Avenue, carried model kits, balsa planes, Tonka toys, Lincoln Logs, and sporting goods. Considering my obsession with airplane models, I’m not sure how I never knew about this store when I was a kid; I was a Revell and Monogram model addict, with a particular interest in WW2 airplanes, and regularly raided Murphy’s, Redford’s, and Super-Discount store looking for new kits. I suspect my parents were keeping this store a secret from me…
Piggly Wiggly had pork chops for 53¢ a pound, JFG instant coffee for 99¢, and Shurfine cream corn for 16¢ a can. Kroger had sirloin steak for 95¢ a pound, Maxwell House coffee for 59¢ a loud, and bananas for 12¢ a pound. Big Apple had whole fryers for a quarter a pound, yams for 12¢ a pound, and a 2-pound jar of Lennox Park peanut butter for 69¢. A&P had stew beef for a quarter a pound, a twenty-pound bag of potatoes for 95¢, and Merita bread for 19¢ a loaf. Couch’s had chuck roast for 37¢ a pound, large eggs for 49¢ a dozen, and grapefruit for a nickel each.
The cinematic week began with The Hallelujah Trail (with Burt Lancaster & Lee Remick) at the DeSoto Theater and Beach Ball (with Edd Byrnes) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought The Cincinnati Kid (with Steve McQueen & Ann-Margret) to the DeSoto and Darling (with Laurence Harvey & Julie Christie) to the First Avenue. The West Rome Drive-In offered a weekend double feature of Witchcraft (starring Lon Chaney Jr. in one of his final acting roles) and How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (with Annette Funicello & Dwayne Hickman). Considering how incredibly different those two films are, you have to wonder who selected the lineup for these double features!…
The Rolling Stones held on to the number one slot for the second week in a row with “Get Off Of My Cloud.” Other top ten hits for the week included “A Lover’s Concerto” by the Toys (#2); “1-2-3” by Len Barry (#3); “You’re the One” by the Vogues (#4); “I Hear a Symphony” by the Supremes (#5); “Rescue Me” by Fontella Bass (#6); “Everybody Loves a Clown” by Gary Lewis & the Playboys (#7); “Let’s Hang On” by the Four Seasons (#8); “A Taste of Honey” by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (#9); and “Ain’t That Peculiar?” by Marvin Gaye (#10).
And it was a great week for albums, too: Smokey Robinson & the Miracles’ Going to a Go-Go (the first album to include a separate credit line for Smokey Robinson) and The Temptations’ The Tempting Temptations were both released this week in 1965. This was also the week that the Who released their iconic single “My Generation,” although it wouldn’t chart for a while yet.
Everyone thinks of comics as being superhero adventures, but the comics rack was quite diverse this week in 1965: you could choose from Army War Heroes, Black Fury (a comic about a horse that roamed the West righting wrongs), Career Girl Romances, Cheyenne Kid, Fightin’ Marines, Fightin’ Navy, Gunmaster, Hot Rod Racers, Just Married, Old Yeller, Teen Confessions, Teenage Hotrodders, Tippy Teen, and Zorro, as well as at least a half-dozen different Archie titles—and that was just a sampling of the non-superhero books published this week in 1965!
Friday, October 23, 2015
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 10/25/1965 to 10/31/1965
Just imagine if all these planned interstates had come to fruition: the Rome-Floyd County Chamber of Commerce announced that talks were underway to construct an I-20 extension that would connect Atlanta, Rome, and Huntsville. Like every other direct interstate connection planned for Rome, this also got tabled before the first shovelful of dirt was turned…
The era of mandatory auto inspections was almost upon us this week in 1965: As of November 1st, all cars had to be inspected, and the government was warning people that there would be no extensions. Almost a half a million vehicles remained uninspected, according to Trooper FG Lankford, who said, “After October 31st, state troopers will make cases avians the operator of any vehicle that does not display the safety inspection sticker.” (They also estimated that there was no way the few Rome area inspection stations could possibly inspect all the area vehicles before the deadline…)
Mrs. Virginia Turpin of the Floyd County Selective Service office confirmed that changes to the draft law meant that married men without dependent children could now be drafted—a change from the prior status, which offered exemptions to all married men. Mrs. Turpin said that there were no plans to begin drafting married men from Rome or Floyd County yet, but she said that the draft board would begin calling married men to report for physicals in preparation for a potential escalation of the draft. There were probably a number of recent West Rome graduates who were getting a little be nervous with all this talk of draft escalation…
Rome announced that trick or treating would be scheduled for Saturday night, October 30th, to avoid any conflict with church activities. The Rome police department also reminded everyone that trick or treating was intended for children twelve years of age or less, and that no vandalism would be tolerated. (I didn’t remember any suggested age limits for trick or treating, although I’m pretty sure I gave it up in 1965, the year that I turned twelve… was that because I felt like I was too old for it, or because my parents saw the suggestion in the newspaper and steered me away from it? Of course, the upside was my taking over trick-or-treat candy distribution at my house, which meant that I made sure to save some of the best candy for myself!)
West Rome got its first taste of winter this week in 1965 when the temperature dropped to an unexpected 26 degrees on the morning of October 25th—but it wasn’t a record low, since October 25, 1962, also saw a 26 degree low.
The Chieftains football team had the week off to prepare for the next week’s big East Vs. West game.
Jo Anne Cook, a West Rome 9th Grader, was selected as a finalist in the Teen Magazine WAIFer of the Year Contest. The winner of the contest would meet actress Jane Russell, Princess Margaret, and the Earl of Snowdon, at a Hollywood ball sponsored by WAIF-ISS. (WAIF, a division of International Social Services, was a service group with clubs in all fifty states.) Jo Anne said she entered the contest after seeing the advertising in Teen Magazine; she hoped to get a WAIF club started in Rome.
Piggly Wiggly had chuck roast for 39¢ a pound, a three-pound bag of red delicious apples for 33¢, and a one-pound can of Maxwell House coffee for 66¢. Big Apple had ground chuck for 59¢ a pound, Spam for 49¢ a can, and Irvindale ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon. Kroger had Swiss steak for 69¢ a pound, Starkist tuna for 29¢ a can, and a quart of Blue Plate mayonnaise for 59¢. A&P had rib steaks for 85¢ a pound, Florida oranges for a dime a pound, and a three-pound can of Fluffo shortening (I ain’t making this stuff up!) for 85¢. Couch’s had sirloin steak for 89¢ a pound, turnip greens for 8¢ a pound, and Green Giant creamed corn for 15¢ a can.
The cinematic week began with The Ipcress File (with Michael Caine) at the DeSoto and War Gods of the Deep (with Vincent Price) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought The Hallelujah Trail (with Burt Lancaster) to the DeSoto and Ship of Fools (with Vivien Leigh & Lee Marvin) to the First Avenue, while the West Rome Drive-In’s weekend offering included a double feature of The TAMI Show (a rock music anthology film) and Girls of the Beach (with Noreen Corcoran).
The Rolling Stones knocked the Beatles out of first place as “Get Off of My Cloud” climbed to number one this week in 1965. Other top ten hits included “A Lover’s Concerto” by the Toys (#2); “Yesterday” by the Beatles (#3); “Everybody Loves a Clown” by Gary Lewis & the Playboys (#4); “Keep on Dancing” by the Gentrys (#5); “You’re the One” by the Vogues (#6); “Positively 4th Street” by Bob Dylan (#7); “1-2-3” by Len Barry (#8); “Rescue Me” by Fontella Bass (#9); and “A Taste of Honey” by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (#10).
The Beatles became the first popular musicians to be appointed Members of the British Empire this week in 1965.
The era of mandatory auto inspections was almost upon us this week in 1965: As of November 1st, all cars had to be inspected, and the government was warning people that there would be no extensions. Almost a half a million vehicles remained uninspected, according to Trooper FG Lankford, who said, “After October 31st, state troopers will make cases avians the operator of any vehicle that does not display the safety inspection sticker.” (They also estimated that there was no way the few Rome area inspection stations could possibly inspect all the area vehicles before the deadline…)
Mrs. Virginia Turpin of the Floyd County Selective Service office confirmed that changes to the draft law meant that married men without dependent children could now be drafted—a change from the prior status, which offered exemptions to all married men. Mrs. Turpin said that there were no plans to begin drafting married men from Rome or Floyd County yet, but she said that the draft board would begin calling married men to report for physicals in preparation for a potential escalation of the draft. There were probably a number of recent West Rome graduates who were getting a little be nervous with all this talk of draft escalation…
Rome announced that trick or treating would be scheduled for Saturday night, October 30th, to avoid any conflict with church activities. The Rome police department also reminded everyone that trick or treating was intended for children twelve years of age or less, and that no vandalism would be tolerated. (I didn’t remember any suggested age limits for trick or treating, although I’m pretty sure I gave it up in 1965, the year that I turned twelve… was that because I felt like I was too old for it, or because my parents saw the suggestion in the newspaper and steered me away from it? Of course, the upside was my taking over trick-or-treat candy distribution at my house, which meant that I made sure to save some of the best candy for myself!)
West Rome got its first taste of winter this week in 1965 when the temperature dropped to an unexpected 26 degrees on the morning of October 25th—but it wasn’t a record low, since October 25, 1962, also saw a 26 degree low.
The Chieftains football team had the week off to prepare for the next week’s big East Vs. West game.
Jo Anne Cook, a West Rome 9th Grader, was selected as a finalist in the Teen Magazine WAIFer of the Year Contest. The winner of the contest would meet actress Jane Russell, Princess Margaret, and the Earl of Snowdon, at a Hollywood ball sponsored by WAIF-ISS. (WAIF, a division of International Social Services, was a service group with clubs in all fifty states.) Jo Anne said she entered the contest after seeing the advertising in Teen Magazine; she hoped to get a WAIF club started in Rome.
Piggly Wiggly had chuck roast for 39¢ a pound, a three-pound bag of red delicious apples for 33¢, and a one-pound can of Maxwell House coffee for 66¢. Big Apple had ground chuck for 59¢ a pound, Spam for 49¢ a can, and Irvindale ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon. Kroger had Swiss steak for 69¢ a pound, Starkist tuna for 29¢ a can, and a quart of Blue Plate mayonnaise for 59¢. A&P had rib steaks for 85¢ a pound, Florida oranges for a dime a pound, and a three-pound can of Fluffo shortening (I ain’t making this stuff up!) for 85¢. Couch’s had sirloin steak for 89¢ a pound, turnip greens for 8¢ a pound, and Green Giant creamed corn for 15¢ a can.
The cinematic week began with The Ipcress File (with Michael Caine) at the DeSoto and War Gods of the Deep (with Vincent Price) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought The Hallelujah Trail (with Burt Lancaster) to the DeSoto and Ship of Fools (with Vivien Leigh & Lee Marvin) to the First Avenue, while the West Rome Drive-In’s weekend offering included a double feature of The TAMI Show (a rock music anthology film) and Girls of the Beach (with Noreen Corcoran).
The Rolling Stones knocked the Beatles out of first place as “Get Off of My Cloud” climbed to number one this week in 1965. Other top ten hits included “A Lover’s Concerto” by the Toys (#2); “Yesterday” by the Beatles (#3); “Everybody Loves a Clown” by Gary Lewis & the Playboys (#4); “Keep on Dancing” by the Gentrys (#5); “You’re the One” by the Vogues (#6); “Positively 4th Street” by Bob Dylan (#7); “1-2-3” by Len Barry (#8); “Rescue Me” by Fontella Bass (#9); and “A Taste of Honey” by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (#10).
The Beatles became the first popular musicians to be appointed Members of the British Empire this week in 1965.
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 10/18/1965 to 10/24/1965
West Rome took on the Rossville Bulldogs in an away game on Friday, October 22nd; the Chieftains lost 27-14--but considering how every prognosticator in Georgia had foreseen a total shutout for the Chiefs, they did pretty well. Coach Paul Kennedy described it as West Rome's "finest effort of the season against the finest team the Chieftains have ever played."
The West Rome Senior Hi-Y and the West Rome Senior Tri-Hi-Y won first place in the Rome-Floyd County Inter-Club Council competition
The sophomore class, under the guidance of sponsor Mrs. H.C. Brewer, elected its officers this week in 1965, including Mike Grass, president; April Garrison, vice-president; Layne Lucas, secretary; and Marie Edwards, treasurer.
The Future Teachers of America, sponsored by Mrs. Lucille Smiderski, elected officers for the 1965-1966 school year; the slate of officers included Ann Finley, President; Beth King, vice-president; Brenda Stover, secretary-treasurer; Mac Dewain Sandlin, historian.
The Library Club, sponsored by Miss Martha Hurst, elected its officers for 1965-1966, including Sandra Addington, president; April Garrison, vice-president; Layne Lucas, secretary; and Marie Edwards, treasurer.
The West Rome National Junior Honor Society presented the school library with 22 quality framed reproductions of famous masterpieces by Rembrandt, daVinci, and others; according to WRNJHS sponsor Lucille Smiderski, the program was created to develop art appreciation among the students.
West Rome yearbooks went on sale this week in 1965; the preorder price for a yearbook was $10 (a bargain now, but a pretty hefty sum in 1965!).
Spanish style furniture was all the rage in 1966, and Maxwell Brothers was fully stocked! You could have a bedroom suite (with a dresser, mirror, chest, and bed frame) for only $399, all featuring "grille moulding and intricate details that capture the look of distinction that's so definitely Spanish!" For only $29 more, you could add a matching framed matador print to hang over the bed!
Piggly Wiggly had a 16-ounce jar of Jif peanut butter for 39¢, Lady Alice ice milk for 33¢ a half-gallon, and leg o' lamb for 69¢ a pound. Big Apple had a one-pound can of Maxwell House coffee for 69¢, baking hens for 33¢ a pound, and Libby pork & beans for a dime a can. Kroger had round steak for 79¢ a pound, cabbage for 15¢ a head and a quart of Kraft's mayonnaise for 47¢. A&P had yams for a nickel a pound, pork roast for 39¢ a pound, and a dozen oranges for 59¢. Couch's had chuck roast for 39¢ a pound, grapefruit for 8¢ each, and a 24-ounce can of Castleberry's beef stew for 49¢.
The cinematic week began with A Rage to Live (with Suzanne Pleshette) at the DeSoto and The Reward (with Max Von Sydow) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought The Ipcress File (with Michael Caine) to the DeSoto, The Secret of My Success (with Stella Stevens) to the First Avenue, and a double feature of Desire Under the Elms (with Sophia Loren & Anthony Perkins) and Moll Flanders (with Kim Novak) at the West Rome Drive-In.
The Beatles continued to hold the number one slot with Paul McCartney's "Yesterday." Other top ten songs included "A Lover's Concerto" by the Toys (#2); "Get Off of My Cloud" by the Rolling Stones (#3); "Keep on Dancing" by the Gentrys (#4); "Everybody Loves a Clown" by Gary Lewis & the Playboys (#5); "Treat Her Right" by Roy Head (#6); "You're the One" by the Vogues (#7); "Positively 4th Street" by Bob Dylan (#8); "Hang on Sloopy" by the McCoys (#9); and "1-2-3" by Len Barry (#10).
It was a big week for new albums, too: among those album debuting this week in 1965 were Fairytale by Donovan; Going Places by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass; Mann Made by Manfred Mann; My Name is Barbra, Two by Barbra Streisand; the eponymous Paul Butterfield Blues Band; and Burl Ives' Christmas classic Have a Holly Jolly Christmas.
Two of DC Comics' most famous female superheroes, Supergirl and Wonder Woman, teamed up in Brave & Bold #63, on sale this week in 1965. Considering how few female superheroes there were in comics at this time, a team-up of this sort was noteworthy indeed; alas, it wasn't illustrated by Ross Andru & Mike Esposito (the Wonder Woman art team) or by Jim Mooney (the Supergirl artist), so it was a bit of a disappointment for fans of either character.
The West Rome Senior Hi-Y and the West Rome Senior Tri-Hi-Y won first place in the Rome-Floyd County Inter-Club Council competition
The sophomore class, under the guidance of sponsor Mrs. H.C. Brewer, elected its officers this week in 1965, including Mike Grass, president; April Garrison, vice-president; Layne Lucas, secretary; and Marie Edwards, treasurer.
The Future Teachers of America, sponsored by Mrs. Lucille Smiderski, elected officers for the 1965-1966 school year; the slate of officers included Ann Finley, President; Beth King, vice-president; Brenda Stover, secretary-treasurer; Mac Dewain Sandlin, historian.
The Library Club, sponsored by Miss Martha Hurst, elected its officers for 1965-1966, including Sandra Addington, president; April Garrison, vice-president; Layne Lucas, secretary; and Marie Edwards, treasurer.
The West Rome National Junior Honor Society presented the school library with 22 quality framed reproductions of famous masterpieces by Rembrandt, daVinci, and others; according to WRNJHS sponsor Lucille Smiderski, the program was created to develop art appreciation among the students.
West Rome yearbooks went on sale this week in 1965; the preorder price for a yearbook was $10 (a bargain now, but a pretty hefty sum in 1965!).
Spanish style furniture was all the rage in 1966, and Maxwell Brothers was fully stocked! You could have a bedroom suite (with a dresser, mirror, chest, and bed frame) for only $399, all featuring "grille moulding and intricate details that capture the look of distinction that's so definitely Spanish!" For only $29 more, you could add a matching framed matador print to hang over the bed!
Piggly Wiggly had a 16-ounce jar of Jif peanut butter for 39¢, Lady Alice ice milk for 33¢ a half-gallon, and leg o' lamb for 69¢ a pound. Big Apple had a one-pound can of Maxwell House coffee for 69¢, baking hens for 33¢ a pound, and Libby pork & beans for a dime a can. Kroger had round steak for 79¢ a pound, cabbage for 15¢ a head and a quart of Kraft's mayonnaise for 47¢. A&P had yams for a nickel a pound, pork roast for 39¢ a pound, and a dozen oranges for 59¢. Couch's had chuck roast for 39¢ a pound, grapefruit for 8¢ each, and a 24-ounce can of Castleberry's beef stew for 49¢.
The cinematic week began with A Rage to Live (with Suzanne Pleshette) at the DeSoto and The Reward (with Max Von Sydow) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought The Ipcress File (with Michael Caine) to the DeSoto, The Secret of My Success (with Stella Stevens) to the First Avenue, and a double feature of Desire Under the Elms (with Sophia Loren & Anthony Perkins) and Moll Flanders (with Kim Novak) at the West Rome Drive-In.
The Beatles continued to hold the number one slot with Paul McCartney's "Yesterday." Other top ten songs included "A Lover's Concerto" by the Toys (#2); "Get Off of My Cloud" by the Rolling Stones (#3); "Keep on Dancing" by the Gentrys (#4); "Everybody Loves a Clown" by Gary Lewis & the Playboys (#5); "Treat Her Right" by Roy Head (#6); "You're the One" by the Vogues (#7); "Positively 4th Street" by Bob Dylan (#8); "Hang on Sloopy" by the McCoys (#9); and "1-2-3" by Len Barry (#10).
It was a big week for new albums, too: among those album debuting this week in 1965 were Fairytale by Donovan; Going Places by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass; Mann Made by Manfred Mann; My Name is Barbra, Two by Barbra Streisand; the eponymous Paul Butterfield Blues Band; and Burl Ives' Christmas classic Have a Holly Jolly Christmas.
Two of DC Comics' most famous female superheroes, Supergirl and Wonder Woman, teamed up in Brave & Bold #63, on sale this week in 1965. Considering how few female superheroes there were in comics at this time, a team-up of this sort was noteworthy indeed; alas, it wasn't illustrated by Ross Andru & Mike Esposito (the Wonder Woman art team) or by Jim Mooney (the Supergirl artist), so it was a bit of a disappointment for fans of either character.
Saturday, October 10, 2015
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 10/11/1965 to 10/17/1965
One of the advantages of having multiple community-focused high schools rather than one high school located in the hinterlands: members of the West Rome Chieftains Club launched their membership drive this week in 1965—and the drive directors had mapped out the West Rome area to ensure that members of the Chieftains Club would be able to visit every single home in the West Rome district to try to encourage parent involvement! That's something that the folks at Rome High School wouldn't even attempt nowadays...
The Rome City School System joined in observing National School Lunch Week this week in 1965—and they really know how to make lunchrooms popular back then! To commemorate the week, they replaced Tuesday's hot dog lunch with a foot long hot dog lunch (and to a kid like me who loved hot dogs, there could be no better way to celebrate School Lunch Week than to get a chili dog that was twice as big as usual!).
Rome police solved a whole lot of burglary cases in two fell swoops when they cracked not one but two burglary rings. The first ring involved four Romans, while the second ring involved ten men. More than $20,000 in cash and merchandise was found at the sites of the two arrests. According to Sheriff's investigator Bill Hart, all evidence indicated that the two groups of burglars didn't know each other and had no connections.
West Rome celebrated its homecoming on Saturday, October 16th--and what better way to celebrate than with a football victory? The Chiefs defeated Cedartown 26-7, with Roger Weaver taking the spotlight. Weaver scored West Rome's first touchdown and gained 63 of set Rome's 172 yards. While he didn't score again, his running set up the second and third touchdowns, which were scored by Ronnie Parker and Arbie Lovell; the fourth touchdown was scored by David Garrett.
214 people attended the YMCA Program Planning Caravan on Saturday at West Rome High School. The event was designed to acquaint Tri-Hi-Y and Hi-Y officers with the responsibilities of their office; the West Rome Tri-Hi-Y acted as host for the caravan.
In a time when every soft drink manufacturer was using nothing but deposit bottles, Double Cola began touting their new no-deposit 12 ounce bottles this week in 1965. Even better, the bottle caps for these new bottles offered purchasers a chance to win prizes and gifts.
Friday was fish day in Rome, with Redford's promoting their Friday fish fillet dinner for 65¢, including pinto beans, creamed potatoes, cole slaw, hot rolls, and coffee or tea. Meanwhile, Kentucky Fried Chicken had their Friday fish dinner for only 79¢, including two flounder fillets, french fries, hot biscuits, and tartar sauce (I had no idea KFC even offered fish fillets!). And not to be left out, McDonald's was pushing their new Filet o' Fish sandwich with a three-for-69¢ special. And of course, the school lunch on Friday was--you guessed it--fish!
Piggly Wiggly had five pounds of Colonial sugar for 39¢, baking hens for 29¢ a pound, and cabbage for a nickel a pound. Big Apple had Porterhouse steak for $1.09 a pound, Irvindale ice milk for 39¢ a pound, and red delicious apples for 12¢ a pound. Kroger had standing rib roast for 75¢ a pound, sweet potatoes for 8¢ a pound, and Armour chili for 33¢ a can. A&P had pork loin for 65¢ a loud, tokay grapes for a dime a pound, and a 24-ounce jar of Ann Page jelly for 45¢. Couch's had pork roast for 59¢ a pound, bananas for a dime a pound, and Castleberry's Brunswick stew for 49¢ a pound.
The cinematic week began with The Third Day (with George Peppard & Elizabeth Ashley) at the DeSoto Theater and Mirage (with Gregory Peck & Diane Baker) at the First Avenue. The midweek switchout brought A Rage to Live (with Suzanne Pleshette) to the DeSoto and Young Dillinger (with Nick Adams) to the First Avenue, while the West Rome Drive-In's weekend screenings included a double feature of Sergeant Deadhead (with Frankie Avalon) and The Earth Dies Screaming (with Willard Parker).
The Beatles held on to the number one slot for another week with Paul McCartney's "Yesterday." Other top ten hits included "Treat Her Right" by Roy Head (#2); "A Lover's Concerto" by the Toys (#3); "Get Off of My Cloud" by the Rolling Stones (#4); "Keep on Dancing" by the Gentrys (#5); "Hang on Sloopy" by the McCoys (#6); "Just a Little Bit Better" by Herman's Hermits (#7); "Everybody Loves a Clown" by Gary Lewis & The Playboys (#8); "Positively 4th Street" by Bob Dylan (#9); and "You're the One" by the Vogues (#10).
Cher released her first solo album, All I Really Want to Do, this week in 1965. The covers album was produced by Sonny Bono.
The Rome City School System joined in observing National School Lunch Week this week in 1965—and they really know how to make lunchrooms popular back then! To commemorate the week, they replaced Tuesday's hot dog lunch with a foot long hot dog lunch (and to a kid like me who loved hot dogs, there could be no better way to celebrate School Lunch Week than to get a chili dog that was twice as big as usual!).
Rome police solved a whole lot of burglary cases in two fell swoops when they cracked not one but two burglary rings. The first ring involved four Romans, while the second ring involved ten men. More than $20,000 in cash and merchandise was found at the sites of the two arrests. According to Sheriff's investigator Bill Hart, all evidence indicated that the two groups of burglars didn't know each other and had no connections.
West Rome celebrated its homecoming on Saturday, October 16th--and what better way to celebrate than with a football victory? The Chiefs defeated Cedartown 26-7, with Roger Weaver taking the spotlight. Weaver scored West Rome's first touchdown and gained 63 of set Rome's 172 yards. While he didn't score again, his running set up the second and third touchdowns, which were scored by Ronnie Parker and Arbie Lovell; the fourth touchdown was scored by David Garrett.
214 people attended the YMCA Program Planning Caravan on Saturday at West Rome High School. The event was designed to acquaint Tri-Hi-Y and Hi-Y officers with the responsibilities of their office; the West Rome Tri-Hi-Y acted as host for the caravan.
In a time when every soft drink manufacturer was using nothing but deposit bottles, Double Cola began touting their new no-deposit 12 ounce bottles this week in 1965. Even better, the bottle caps for these new bottles offered purchasers a chance to win prizes and gifts.
Friday was fish day in Rome, with Redford's promoting their Friday fish fillet dinner for 65¢, including pinto beans, creamed potatoes, cole slaw, hot rolls, and coffee or tea. Meanwhile, Kentucky Fried Chicken had their Friday fish dinner for only 79¢, including two flounder fillets, french fries, hot biscuits, and tartar sauce (I had no idea KFC even offered fish fillets!). And not to be left out, McDonald's was pushing their new Filet o' Fish sandwich with a three-for-69¢ special. And of course, the school lunch on Friday was--you guessed it--fish!
Piggly Wiggly had five pounds of Colonial sugar for 39¢, baking hens for 29¢ a pound, and cabbage for a nickel a pound. Big Apple had Porterhouse steak for $1.09 a pound, Irvindale ice milk for 39¢ a pound, and red delicious apples for 12¢ a pound. Kroger had standing rib roast for 75¢ a pound, sweet potatoes for 8¢ a pound, and Armour chili for 33¢ a can. A&P had pork loin for 65¢ a loud, tokay grapes for a dime a pound, and a 24-ounce jar of Ann Page jelly for 45¢. Couch's had pork roast for 59¢ a pound, bananas for a dime a pound, and Castleberry's Brunswick stew for 49¢ a pound.
The cinematic week began with The Third Day (with George Peppard & Elizabeth Ashley) at the DeSoto Theater and Mirage (with Gregory Peck & Diane Baker) at the First Avenue. The midweek switchout brought A Rage to Live (with Suzanne Pleshette) to the DeSoto and Young Dillinger (with Nick Adams) to the First Avenue, while the West Rome Drive-In's weekend screenings included a double feature of Sergeant Deadhead (with Frankie Avalon) and The Earth Dies Screaming (with Willard Parker).
The Beatles held on to the number one slot for another week with Paul McCartney's "Yesterday." Other top ten hits included "Treat Her Right" by Roy Head (#2); "A Lover's Concerto" by the Toys (#3); "Get Off of My Cloud" by the Rolling Stones (#4); "Keep on Dancing" by the Gentrys (#5); "Hang on Sloopy" by the McCoys (#6); "Just a Little Bit Better" by Herman's Hermits (#7); "Everybody Loves a Clown" by Gary Lewis & The Playboys (#8); "Positively 4th Street" by Bob Dylan (#9); and "You're the One" by the Vogues (#10).
Cher released her first solo album, All I Really Want to Do, this week in 1965. The covers album was produced by Sonny Bono.
Saturday, October 03, 2015
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 10/4/1965 to 10/10/1965
The Chiefs fell 20-14 to the top-rated Kingsport team on October 8th in an away game played in Kingston, TN. "We were outmanned," Coach Paul Kennedy said, "but the boys played their hearts out and I'm proud of them. Kennedy went on to say that David Garrett played "the finest game of his career," and he also praised David Slaughter, Benny Padgett, and Richard Camp for their outstanding performance on the field.
Five shop courses were added to the West Rome curriculum: drafting, woodworking, electronics, metal working, and general shop. The classes were all offered in West Rome's new state-of-the-art shop, which was equipped with facilities to accommodate up to 18 classes a day.
Mac's Radio & Television Shop on Glen Milner Boulevard was hit by burglars in search of entertainment early in the morning on October 5th; the thieves took off with five television sets, a record player, and a portable stereo. The owner said that this was his fourth burglary this year--and the largest! Two nights later, thieves (most likely the same group) hit B&L Appliance & TV Center on E. Third Avenue, but they were scared off by a patrol car before they could steal anything.
The draft may be a part of history nowadays, but it was a very real concern in 1965. 111 Floyd County young men were called up for pre-induction draft physicals in October 1965, an increase of 73 (almost 200%!) over the prior month's numbers. The actual number of Romans slated to be drafted was 29, a increase of 24 over September's call-up of 5 (and almost a 500% increase). Today's teens have no idea how lucky they are to be able to make plans for their lives without worrying about an unplanned military draft call-up.
McDonald's began to downplay their short-lived hot dog offering, instead stressing their Filet o'Fish sandwich for only a quarter. Unlike the hot dog, the Filet O'Fish was destined to become a permanent part of McDonald's menu!
Piggly Wiggly had round steak for 79¢ a pound, eggs for 39¢ a dozen, and Chicken of the Sea tuna for 33¢ a can. Big Apple had pork loin for 59¢ a pound, Libby pork & beans for a dime a can, and a ten-pound bag of White Lily flour for 97¢. Kroger had cubed steak for $1.09 a pound, Mel-o-Soft white bread for a dime a loaf, and a ten-pound bag of apples for 89¢. A&P had whole fryers for 25¢ a pound, Eight O'Clock coffee for 65¢ a pound, and red grapes for a dime a pound. Couch's had beef liver for 23¢ a pound, Campbell's tomato soup for a dime a can, and Aristocraft ice milk for 33¢ a half-gallon.
The cinematic week began with Marriage on the Rocks (with Frank Sinatra, Deborah Kerr, & Dean Martin) at the DeSoto and A Zebra in the Kitchen (with Jay North & Andy Devine) at the First Avenue Theater. The midweek switch out brought The Third Day (with George Peppard & Elizabeth Ashley) to the Desoto Theater and The Skull (with Peter Cushing) to the First Avenue. The West Rome Drive-In's weekend offering was a double feature of Circus World (with John Wayne) and A Very Special Favor (with Rock Hudson & Leslie Caron).
The Beatles held on to number one for a second week with Paul McCartney's earnest "Yesterday." Other top ten hits included "Treat Her Right" by Roy Head (#2); "Hang on Sloopy" by the McCoys (#3); "A Lover's Concerto" by the Toys (#4); "Keep on Dancing" by the Gentrys (#5); "The 'In' Crowd" by the Ramsey Lewis Trio (#6); "Just a Little Bit Better" by Herman's Hermits (#7); "Baby Don't Go" by Sonny & Cher (#8); "Do You Believe in Magic?" by the Lovin' Spoonful (#9); and "Eve of Destruction" by Barry McGuire (#10).
Marvel Comics made it easy for readers to catch up on their four-year-old Marvel Universe in the pages of Marvel Collector's Item Classics #1, which offered complete reprints of early issues of Fantastic Four, Amazing Spider-Man, Tales to Astonish featuring Ant-Man, and Journey Into Mystery featuring Tales of Asgard. It's hard to believe that only four years after Marvel kicked off its Silver Age superhero line, there was so much readership growth that Marvel could justify complete reprints--but for fans like me who had a few holes in their collection, this new reprint collection was just the thing!
Five shop courses were added to the West Rome curriculum: drafting, woodworking, electronics, metal working, and general shop. The classes were all offered in West Rome's new state-of-the-art shop, which was equipped with facilities to accommodate up to 18 classes a day.
Mac's Radio & Television Shop on Glen Milner Boulevard was hit by burglars in search of entertainment early in the morning on October 5th; the thieves took off with five television sets, a record player, and a portable stereo. The owner said that this was his fourth burglary this year--and the largest! Two nights later, thieves (most likely the same group) hit B&L Appliance & TV Center on E. Third Avenue, but they were scared off by a patrol car before they could steal anything.
The draft may be a part of history nowadays, but it was a very real concern in 1965. 111 Floyd County young men were called up for pre-induction draft physicals in October 1965, an increase of 73 (almost 200%!) over the prior month's numbers. The actual number of Romans slated to be drafted was 29, a increase of 24 over September's call-up of 5 (and almost a 500% increase). Today's teens have no idea how lucky they are to be able to make plans for their lives without worrying about an unplanned military draft call-up.
McDonald's began to downplay their short-lived hot dog offering, instead stressing their Filet o'Fish sandwich for only a quarter. Unlike the hot dog, the Filet O'Fish was destined to become a permanent part of McDonald's menu!
Piggly Wiggly had round steak for 79¢ a pound, eggs for 39¢ a dozen, and Chicken of the Sea tuna for 33¢ a can. Big Apple had pork loin for 59¢ a pound, Libby pork & beans for a dime a can, and a ten-pound bag of White Lily flour for 97¢. Kroger had cubed steak for $1.09 a pound, Mel-o-Soft white bread for a dime a loaf, and a ten-pound bag of apples for 89¢. A&P had whole fryers for 25¢ a pound, Eight O'Clock coffee for 65¢ a pound, and red grapes for a dime a pound. Couch's had beef liver for 23¢ a pound, Campbell's tomato soup for a dime a can, and Aristocraft ice milk for 33¢ a half-gallon.
The cinematic week began with Marriage on the Rocks (with Frank Sinatra, Deborah Kerr, & Dean Martin) at the DeSoto and A Zebra in the Kitchen (with Jay North & Andy Devine) at the First Avenue Theater. The midweek switch out brought The Third Day (with George Peppard & Elizabeth Ashley) to the Desoto Theater and The Skull (with Peter Cushing) to the First Avenue. The West Rome Drive-In's weekend offering was a double feature of Circus World (with John Wayne) and A Very Special Favor (with Rock Hudson & Leslie Caron).
The Beatles held on to number one for a second week with Paul McCartney's earnest "Yesterday." Other top ten hits included "Treat Her Right" by Roy Head (#2); "Hang on Sloopy" by the McCoys (#3); "A Lover's Concerto" by the Toys (#4); "Keep on Dancing" by the Gentrys (#5); "The 'In' Crowd" by the Ramsey Lewis Trio (#6); "Just a Little Bit Better" by Herman's Hermits (#7); "Baby Don't Go" by Sonny & Cher (#8); "Do You Believe in Magic?" by the Lovin' Spoonful (#9); and "Eve of Destruction" by Barry McGuire (#10).
Marvel Comics made it easy for readers to catch up on their four-year-old Marvel Universe in the pages of Marvel Collector's Item Classics #1, which offered complete reprints of early issues of Fantastic Four, Amazing Spider-Man, Tales to Astonish featuring Ant-Man, and Journey Into Mystery featuring Tales of Asgard. It's hard to believe that only four years after Marvel kicked off its Silver Age superhero line, there was so much readership growth that Marvel could justify complete reprints--but for fans like me who had a few holes in their collection, this new reprint collection was just the thing!
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