Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 6/24/1968 to 6/30/1968

Rome set a temperature record on Friday morning, June 28th, with a low of 48 degrees--and this was not just a record low for Rome, but for the entire state of Georgia! The cool wave was short-lived, though, with temperatures climbing to 84 degrees by Friday afternoon.

The Rome City School System received a state grant of $13,815 for use in the system's special education program. The director of the program, West Rome High School's very own Dick McPhee, said that almost half the money would go to classes for developmentally disabled students, while the rest would go for supplies and evaluation testing for the special education program.

The school board announced that, beginning with the 1968-1969 school year, all incoming first-graders would have to have proof of immunization before they could start school in Rome. Failure of parents to have their children immunized was a misdemeanor. The complete panel of immunizations included measles, smallpox, polio, diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough; in addition, incoming students were required to have a tuberculosis test. All parents could get those immunizations free of charge at the Floyd County Health Department.

The Regional Health Advisory Council determined that Rome had an acute shortage of hospital beds in 1968. Based on the population of the service area at the distance to the next hospital, the Council said that Floyd Hospital should have at least 500 beds and a complete coronary intensive care unit; however in 1968, the hospital had only 260 beds and no dedicated coronary unit at all. Representatives for the hospital said that it would take them at least five years to secure funding to begin implementation of the Council's recommendations. There was one surprise, though: the hospital finished May 1968 with a revenue excess of $7,400, which brought 1968's revenue surplus to $46,000; I don't recall ever hearing of a hospital finishing in the black in my adult life.

Rome had a pub? I was too young to know of such things, but apparently The Lions Head Pub ("Ye Olde English Beer & Ale Tavern) was located in the Forrest Motor Hotel in Downtown Rome, bringing a British touch to Rome in 1968. (It strikes me as truly odd that Rome would have a pub at all--and it's also odd that, considering my interest in all things British in 1968, I was unaware that the Lions Head existed. The pub's beverages would not have appealed to me, since I have never been a drinker, but the presence of something faux-British should have caught my attention...)

Piggly Wiggly had Swift's premium hams for 49¢ a pound, yellow corn for a nickel an ear, and Butternut Coffee for 68¢ a pound. Kroger had spareribs for 59¢ a pound, Georgia peaches for 15¢ a pound, Double Cola for 88¢ a case (plus deposit). A&P had turkey for 39¢ a pound, Bama apple jelly for 29¢ a jar (and when you ate it all, you could use the jar as a drinking glass!), and watermelons for 79¢ each. Big Apple had fresh whole fryers for a quarter ra pound, Aristocrat ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon, and bell peppers for a dime each. Couch's had leg o' lamb for 89¢ a pound, squash for a dime a pound, and Van Camp's pork & beans for 17¢ a can.

The cinematic week began with Speedway (starring Elvis Presley) at the DeSoto Theatre, Planet of the Apes (starring Charlton Heston) at the First Avenue, and Guns for Sabastian (starring Anthony Quinn) at the West Rome Drive-In.  The midweek switchout brought  Devil's Brigade (starring William Holden) to the DeSoto and and one of the strangest films I've run across in my six years of "Fifty Years Ago" reporting, The Mini-Skirt Mob ("Come and get it if you're man enough... They're hog straddling female animals on the prowl," starring Diane McBain) at the West Rome Drive-In, while those damn dirty apes hung around for another week at the First Avenue.

Herb Alpert (sans the Tijuana Brass) climbed to number one this week with "This Guty's In Love With You." Other top ten hits included "The Horse" by Cliff Nobles & 'Co. (#2); "MacArthur Park" by Richard Harris (#3); "Yummy Yummy Yummy" by the Ohio Express (#4); "The Look of Love" by Sergio Mendes & the Brasil '66 (#5); "Mony Mony" by Tommy James & the Shondells (#6); "Angel of the Morning" by Merrilee Rush & the Turnabouts (#7); "Think "by Aretha Franklin (#8); "Here Comes the Judge" by Shorty Long, inspire by the Laugh-In skit (#9); and "Reach Out of the Darkness" by Friend & Lover (#10).

And what a week it was for fresh new music: June 29th saw the release of debut albums by the Steve Miller Band (Children of the Future), Fairport Convention (Fairport Convention), Spooky Tooth (It's All About), The Pentangle (The Pentangle), and Randy Newman (Randy Newman), as well as the second album by Pink Floyd (A Saucerful of Secrets). That's a very diverse list of albums--but then again, 1968 was a year of very diverse music!

Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 6/17/1968 to 6/23/1968

Coosa Valley Tech announced plans to expand to a four-quarter-per-year day and night operation beginning with the fall quarter of 1968, which was scheduled to start at the end of August. The expansion to a 12-month program would enable students in most of the courses to complete their skilled trade training in two years instead of three or four, according to CVT director CM Culberson.

Sandra McPhee of East Rome High School was named first runner-up in the "Miss Stay and See Georgia" contest on Tuesday night, June 18th. While Sandra was a Gladiator, her win deserves a mention here because her father was West Rome principal Dick McPhee. (I always wondered why Mr. McPhee didn't take advantage of the program that allowed teachers to have their children attend school at the same school where the parent worked; I guess he figured its might be better not to have his daughter at his high school, just in case someone might blame her for the decisions or actions of her father.)

The Rome City Board of Education announced plans for a referendum for school construction to enable the city to meet desegregation requirements set by the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Without some extra classroom construction, Superintendent McDonald said that the city would have to add two periods to the school day--one in the morning and one in the afternoon--and have students come to school on shifts.

The Second Avenue Bridge was closed for repairs this week in 1968, which meant that West Romans who wanted to go to Broad Street could either take a detour to North Fifth Avenue or they could take Turner McCall around to Broad Street. As might be expected, the bridge closing added bout ten or fifteen minutes to most West Romans' drive into town. Thankfully, the closing wasn't expected to last more than a week.

Citizens Federal increased its passbook saving account rate to 4.75%, while their 12 month certificates of deposit were paying 5.6%, while National City bank was paying 5% for savings account and 5.95% for certificates of deposit. Makes you wonder why we feel lucky to get more than 2% today, doesn't it?

Piggly Wiggly had chicken breasts for 39¢ a pound, lettuce for 19¢ a head, and Showboat chili with beans for 29¢ a can. Big Apple had chuck roast for 37¢ a pound, Diet-Rite Cola for 99¢ a case (plus deposit), and cling peaches for a dime a can. Kroger had sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, Starkist tuna for a quarter ra can, and tomatoes for 25¢ a pound. A&P had ground chuck for 59¢ a pound, cantaloupes for 33¢ each, and a one-pound can of Chase & Sanborn coffee for 79¢. Couch's had Cudahy Bar-S bacon for 69¢ a pound, okra for 19¢ a pound, and a 48-ounce jar of JFG peanut butter for $1.09.

The cinematic week began with Shakiest Gun in the West (starring Don Knotts) at the DeSoto Theatre, In Cold Blood (starring Robert Blake) at the First Avenue, and Bonnie & Clyde (starring Faye Dunaway & Warren Beatty) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought Speedway (starring Elvis Presley & Nancy Sinatra) to the DeSoto, Planet of the Apes (starring Charlton Heston) to the First Avenue, and A Minute to Pray, a Second to Die (as spaghetti Western starring Alex Cord & Arthur Kennedy) to the West Rome Drive-In.

Herb Alpert took the number one slot this week in 1968 with his solo single "This Guy's In Love With You." Other top ten hits included "MacArthur Park" by Richard Harris (#2); "Mrs. Robinson" by Simon & Garfunkel (#3); "Yummy Yummy Yummy" by the Ohio Express (#4); "The Look of Love" by Sergio Mendez & Brasil '66 (#5); "Mony Mony" by Tommy James & the Shondells (#6); "Think" by Aretha Franklin (#7); "Angel of the Morning" by Merrilee Rush & the Turnabouts (#8); "Tighten Up" by Archie Bell & The Drells (#9); and "Reach Out of the Darkness" by Friend & Lover (#10).

One of the most successful albums of the 1960s, In-A-Gadda-da-Vida by Iron Butterfly, was released this week in 1968 on Atlantic Records' Atco label. The title song, which filled up the entirety of side two, is credited by some as being the precursor to heavy metal rock; others list it as the first psychedelic mega-hit. The album would go on to sell 30 million copies, and would remain the biggest-selling album in Atlantic Records history until Led Zeppelin IV finally surpassed it in 1972.

Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 6/10/1968 to 6/16/1968

Jesse Laseter was tapped as Rome City Schools assistant superintendent at its June 13th meeting. Laseter was scheduled to begin his new job on July 1st, filling a vacancy that had been empty for the better part of a year while the school board looked for the right candidate. The board also increased substitute teacher pay from $12 to !4 a day; created a second counselor position at West Rome; created an administrative assistant position for West Rome; and created two clerical worker positions for the West Rome library. (All the new positions were necessitated by increased enrollment at West Rome.)

Burglars hit the Western Auto Store in Central Plaza in the wee hours of Monday morning--and when they couldn't get the safe open, they just took the whole safe with them! The door was pried open with a heavy tool, which they apparently used to try to open the safe before lugging the 300-pound box with them, along with a checkbook and a set of keys.

Rome's illegal liquor raids continued this week in 1968 with the destruction of a 1200-gallon whiskey still near the Floyd County-Polk County line. Apparently the still's operators had suspicions the raid was impending, because they were nowhere to be found and the site appeared to have been abandoned for at least a day.

Someone was passing counterfeit $10 bills around Rome; an area bank received one of the bogus bills, while two other counterfeits were found by local businessmen. The police said that the quality of the counterfeits was so good that it would take a trained eye to discern the bill as phony.

Owens Oil Company on Redmond Road near the GE plant entrance held its grand opening this week in 1968, offering regular gas for 27.9¢ a gallon and premium gas for 29.9¢ a gallon. All customers could also get free snow cones for the kids.

The Atlanta Braves held "Rome Night on Wednesday, June 12th--and they ended up winning the game 7-1 against the St. Louis Cardinals, posting their first win of the season. Maybe they should have held Rome night every week!

Boy Scout Camp Sidney Dew had a record pre-camp registration of 523 boys for the summer of 1968. The camp added a new Olympic-sized swimming pool for the summer of '68.

Country House Bar-B-Que on Shorter Avenue expanded its menu with the addition of pizza this week in 1968. The midweek special was a 97¢ large cheese pizza (regular $1.35). (I remember getting barbecue from Country House, but I don't think I ever tried their pizza... and I suspect it didn't stay on the menu for all that long.)

National City Bank of Rome rolled out a list of more than 200 Rome merchants and service providers who would be accepting the new BankAmericard. The Bank stressed the advantage of the new national credit card to both consumers and merchants, urging everyone to contact National City Bank for more information about the card.

Piggly Wiggly had chuck roast for 47¢ a pound, Double Q salmon for 39¢ a can, and watermelons for 99¢ each. Kroger had sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, cantaloupes for 33¢ each, and eggs for 33¢ a dozen. Big Apple had leg o' lamb for 79¢ a pound, Van Camp pork & beans or 14¢ a can, and Irvindale ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon. A&P had perch for 59¢ a pound, blueberries for 39¢ a pint, and yellow corn for 7¢ an ear. Couch's had chicken breast for 49¢ a pound, okra for 29¢ a pound, and Maxwell House coffee for 69¢ a pound.

The cinematic week began with The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell (starring Bob Hope) at the DeSoto Theatre, Blue (starring Terence Stamp) at the First Avenue, and Nobody's Perfect (starring Doug McClure & Nancy Kwan) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought The Shakiest Gun in the West (starring Don Knotts) to the DeSoto, In Cold Blood (starring Robert Blake) to the First Avenue, and Bonnie & Clyde (starring Faye Dunaway & Warren Beatty) at the West Rome Drive-In.

Simon & Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson" held on to the number one slot for a third week in a row this week in 1968. Other top ten hits included "This Guy's In Love With You" by Herb Alpert (#2); "Mony Mony" by Tommy James & the Shondells (#3); "Yummy Yummy Yummy" by the Ohio Express (#4); "MacArthur Park" by Richard Harris (#5); "Tighten Up" by Archie Bell & The Drells (#6); "Think" by Aretha Franklin (#7); "A Beautiful Morning" by the Rascals (#8); "The good, The Bad, & The Ugly" by Hugo Montenegro, His Orchestra, and Chorus (#9); and "The Look of Love" by Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 (#10).

Fifty Years Ago This Week - 6/3/1968 to 6/9/1968

Romans awoke on Wednesday morning, June 5th, to the news that Senator Robert F. Kennedy, the leading Democratic candidate for President, had been shot and killed shortly after midnight Pacific time.  Coming just two months after the assassination of Martin Luther King, this killing left Romans (and all Americans) voicing shock at the brutal killing, and wondering what could be done to stop this sort of senseless violence.

School was over, but baseball continued as the Chieftains won the Floyd County High School Baseball Championship with a 4-3 win over Pepperell. Pepperell was ahead 3-1 in the second inning before the Chiefs scored three runs in the third inning; from there on, neither team scored again, which was perfectly fine as far as West Rome was concerned.

The Rome City School Board finalized its plans to close Main High School in order to totally desegregate Rome schools for the first time in history. 199 9th and 10th grade students black students would be transferred to West Rome and East Rome, along with ten teachers, beginning in the 1968-1969 school year, leaving Main High with just 11th and 12th grade students. The board still had not decided whether to keep East and West Rome open for the 1969-1970 school year; they were still considering plans to build a single high school near Berry College (in neither East nor West Rome, so that neither school could claim that it had outlasted the other) or to move all students to the two existing high schools. (As we know, the latter plan was the one that they ultimately followed, although a little more than two decades later, they would sell out to Walmart and Kmart and build that equally-inconvenient single high school not too far from Berry.)

The arrest of two men in Ft. Oglethorpe, Georgia, and Chattanooga, Tennessee brought an end to a multi-state crime ring that had included an "untold number" of home break-ins and burglaries in 1967 and the first half of 1968. "The value of the merchandise we confiscated amounts to as much as $50,000," Murray County Sheriff Charles Poag said. Authorities could not even begin to speculate how much stolen merchandise had already been sold, but they were securing warrants to seize bank accounts and any financial records that might help them to determine what had been sold, and to whom. Because the burglaries involved interstate criminal activity, the FBI was also called in to investigate.

Police shut down a major still in the Wilkerson Road area of Rome on Monday night, shutting down four "cookers"--three capable of producing 1,000 gallons of bootleg liquor and the fourth a massive 1,500 gallon device. Bootleg alcohol, mash, and hundreds of pounds of supplies were seized and destroyed. The same night, police also hit a large operation near the Floyd-Bartow County line and another still off Georgia 1000 between Cave Spring and Cedartown. More than 12,000 gallons of illegal alcohol was destroyed in the three raids.

Following the prior week's raid on a Shorter Avenue gambling den, Rome police carried out another gambling raid on June 6th--this one at the Forrest Hotel on Broad Street. Six men were arrested, including two West Rome residents, Their crime? Playing poker for money, which was apparently close enough to serious gambling to stir the interest of Rome authorities.

Piggly Wiggly had chicken breasts for 49¢ a pound, Maxwell House coffee for 79¢ a pound, and eggs for 29¢ a dozen. Kroger had round steak for 89¢ a pound, Kraft mayonnaise for 39¢ a quart, and Morton frozen cream pies for 19¢ each. A&P had corned beef for 63¢ a pound, V8 vegetable juice for 45¢ a half-gallon, and strawberries for 39¢ a pint. Big Apple had center cut pork chops for 69¢ a pound, seedless grapes for 39¢ a pound, and five pounds of Dixie Crystal sugar for 29¢ with a $5 purchase. Couch's had lamb chops for 89¢ a pound, Van Camp's chili for 33¢ a can, and Aristocrat ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon.

The cinematic week began with Yours, Mine, & Ours (starring Lucille Ball) at the DeSoto Theatre, PJ (starring George Peppard) at the First Avenue, and Thunder Alley (starring Fabian) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell (starring Bob Hope) to the DeSoto Theatre, Live for Life  (starring Yves Montand & Candice Bergen) to the first Avenue, and The Cincinnati Kid (starring Steve McQueen) to the West Rome Drive-In.

Simon & Garfunkel held on to number one for another week with "Mrs. Robinson." Other top ten hits included "Tighten Up" by Archie Bell & the Drells (#2); "This Guy's In Love With You" by Herb Alpert  (#3); "The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly" by Hugo Montenegro, His Orchestra, and Chorus (#4); "Mony Mony" by Tommy James & The Shondells (#5); "Yummy Yummy Yummy" by the Ohio Express (#6); "MacArthur Park" by Richard Harris (#7); "A Beautiful Morning" by the Rascals (#8); "Think" by Aretha Franklin (#9); and "Honey" by Bobby Goldsboro (#10).

Simon & Garfunkel had an amazing three albums in the top five this week in 1968. Bookends held on at #1, The Graduate soundtrack held on at #2, and their album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme leapt to #5--the first time one group held three of the top five albums since the Beatles did it in the early days of Bealtemania. (The Monkees took third with The Birds, the Bees, and the Monkees and Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass took fourth place with with Beat of the Brass.)

Setting the Super Status Quo

Recently, I was reading through some issues of Superman and Action Comics from 1953 and 1954. These were books that I had never read before now, since they predated my earliest comics collecting years and were old enough that none of the people with whom I traded comic (nor the stores where I bought used comics) had books from that time period.

As I read through these books, I recognized several of the stories. "A Doghouse for Superman," a 1953 story from Superman #84 in which he was captured by aliens who treated him like a pet, was instantly recognizable to me because it was reprinted in Superman Annual #4 in 1961. Same for "The Outlaws from Krypton," originally published in 1954's Action #194 and reprinted in that same annual. "The Thing from 40,000 AD," which first appeared in 1954's Superman #87, was reprinted in Superman Annual #2.

What's significant about this is that none of these stories seemed at all out of place in a 1960 or 1961 comic book--nor would they have seemed out of place in a Superman comic from 1965, or 1968, or any issue from the Mort Weisinger-edited era of Superman (which lasted until 1971, when Julius Schwartz took over the Superman titles).  By 1953, the Silver Age Superman pattern was already established; it would continue largely unchanged for almost two decades.

That's pretty amazing, when you think about it. Look at today's comics and see how frequently characters undergo major reinventions, revitalizations, relaunches, recasting, and reinterpretations; the idea of a character with a two-decade status quo is all but unheard of. Certainly, Jerry Siegel and Edmond Hamilton and others expanded on the Superman mythos in the late 50s and early 60s, but not in such a way that the earlier stories seemed like they would be out of place.

So when did the change occur? When did the "modern" era of Superman begin--a period that might mark the beginning of the Silver Age for Superman family titles, at least? My first thought was Superman #76, featuring the first Superman-Batman team-up, but I did some more reading and found that at least two issues before that have a decidedly "modern era" feel to them. So I read through Superman #s 60 through 83, just to see when the tone of the books took on a decidedly modern "Silver Age" feel.

The transition for Superman seems to take place between Superman #73 and Superman #74. Superman #73, the November/December 1951 issue, has a decidedly Golden Age look and feel as Superman confronts circus strongman Hank Garvin, who stands his ground against a steamroller. But Superman #74, the January/February 1952 issue, pits Superman against Lex Luthor, who has come into possession of Kryptonian weaponry and is using "The Lost Secrets of Krypton" against the Man of Steel. Had I read this story ten years later, it would have fit right into the Silver Age Superman canon.

I'm not sure what inspired the change, but as far as I'm concerned, the Silver Age doesn't start with Superman #76 or Detective #225 or Showcase #4. but with Superman #74. For Superman, at least, this is when the tone of the stories and the continuity elements of the Silver Age really come into focus. I may never know why the change occurred, but at least I know when.

Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 5/27/1968 to 6/2/1968

Rome police officers raided Shorter Heights Drive-In at 414 Shorter Avenue on Tuesday night and arrested thirteen Rome residents (ten from West Rome) for illegal gambling. An assortment of gaming paraphernalia was seized, along with a sophisticated electronic warning system designed to allow the bartender to alert the gamblers that authorities were on the way. The drive-in’s beer license was suspended along with their business license until the case could be tried. 

Memorial Day was observed on Thursday, May 30th (the holiday had not yet been moved to the fourth Monday in May); while most federal and state facilities were closed in observance of the holiday, US District Court continued to hear cases on that date, state and local offices were open, and school was still in session. (It would be years more before all government agencies and schools would close in observance of Memorial Day.)

School came to an end on Friday, May 31st, for Rome City Schools students (although the county school system would continue for another week). Seniors ended their week on Wednesday, May 29th to give teachers time to grade finals and determine who would graduate and who wouldn't; graduation was scheduled for Saturday, June 1st.

The city of Rome went to court to force Southern Railway to remove its outdated overpass on Shorter Avenue near the Marine Corps Reserve facility. The railroad link was discontinued and the tracks were removed in 1965, but Southern Railway did nothing to remove the overpass itself. Southern Railway was trying to use the underpass as a bargaining chip to get the city to cover costs for a grade crossing and warning signals near Southern’s main depot. These costs were typically covered by the railroad, not the city, so the city rejected the proposal and went to court to force Southern to remove an unused eyesore and a traffic bottleneck.

Wednesday evening thunderstorms spawned a tornado that skipped over the lower end of Horseleg Creek Road before touching down again in the north Rome area. One mobile home on Wayside Road was destroyed by the tornado, and several other homes sustained roof damage. 

Kay’s Kastles celebrated its grand opening in the Gala Shopping Center (also known as the Big K Shopping Center), right across the street from West Rome High School. During the grand opening, the offered a half-gallon of their ice cream for only 79¢, a dime off the regular price. Kay’s Kastles advertised that they had ten delicious flavors of ice cream--and while that may not sound like a lot right now, that was two more flavors than the eight flavors that our very own Candler’s Drugs offered!

Piggly Wiggly had smoked ham for 49¢ a pound, yellow corn for 8¢ an ear, and Chase & Sanborn coffee for 69¢ a can. Kroger had round steak for 89¢ a pound, Irvindale ice milk for 33¢ a half-gallon, and canned biscuits for 6¢ a can. Big Apple had sirloin steak for 89¢ a pound, tomatoes for 25¢ a pound, and Blue Plate ketchup for 33¢ a bottle. A&P had fresh whole fryers for 29¢ a pound, strawberries for 39¢ a pint, and Ann Page bread for 24¢ a loaf. Couch’s had Beaver’s wieners for 49¢ a pound (I don’t make up these names, I just report ‘em), Nabisco saltines for 37¢ a box, and a three-pound jar of JFG peanut butter for $1.29.

The cinematic week began with A Stranger in Town (starring Tony Anthony) at the DeSoto Theatre, Around the World in 80 Days (starring David Niven) at the First Avenue, and The Road Hustlers (starring Jim Davis) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought Yours, Mine, & Ours (starring Lucille Ball & Henry Fonda) to the DeSoto, Sweet November (starring Sandy Dennis) at the First Avenue, and Wild In the Streets (starring Shelly Winters) at the West Rome Drive-In.

Simon & Garfunkel took the number one slot this week in 1968 with “Mrs. Robinson.” Other top ten hits included “The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly” by Hugo Montenegro, His Orchestra, & Chorus (#2); “A Beautiful Morning” by the Rascals (#3); “Tighten Up” by Archie Bell & the Drells” (#4); “Honey” by Bobby Goldsboro (#5); “Yummy Yummy Yummy” by the Ohio Express (#6); “Mony Mony” by Tommy James & the Shondells (#7); “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing” by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (#8); “Cowboys to Girls” by the Intruders (#9); and “Do You Know the Way to San Jose?” by Dionne Warwick (#10). 

Meanwhile, over in the UK, the Beatles began recording songs for what would eventually become The Beatles (better known as The White Album); the sessions would run through the summer and into the fall, wrapping up in early October so that the double album could be released in November in time for the Christmas season (lots of us got albums as Christmas gifts back in the 1960s, after all!).

Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 5/20/1968 to 5/26/1968

Rome City Schools submitted a five-step plan to eliminate the remnants of its segregated school system before the beginning of the 1968-1969 school year. The most important aspect of the plan involved the closing of Main High School, which had been Rome’s black high school during the segregation era. Plans called for all students to be transferred to West Rome and East Rome High Schools. Initial plans, based on a proposal from the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW, the precursor to today’s Department of Education) called for the elimination of West Rome Junior High and the use of Main High School as a junior high school until East Rome Junior High could be expanded to serve as a city-wide high school. Furthermore, high school would have been redefined as grades 10 through 12, with grades 7 through 9 being designated as junior high school. West Rome residents were strongly opposed to this plan and lobbied successfully to keep West Rome Junior High as a community junior high school, stressing the benefits to West Rome to have a consistent community educational experience that allowed students to attend school in or near their own neighborhoods. (Alas, a little more than a couple of decades later, however, the Rome City School System would dismiss the benefits of neighborhood schools in favor of neighborhood big-box-retail stores, consolidating West Rome and East Rome and selling the school sites to Walmart and KMart respectively.) 

West Rome’s baseball team won the first game in the Floyd Baseball Tournament on Thursday, beating Model 9-2. The game was close until the sixth inning, when West Rome scored five runs to pull ahead 8-2; the Chiefs scored one more run in the eighth inning. West Rome went on to win the next round 4-2 against Darlington, which set the m up to take on Pepperell in the next week for the Floyd County Baseball Tournament championship.

The King’s Inn arson trial of Rome real estate agent Dwyatt Dempsey began this week in 1968, and the first motion the defense made was to exclude evidence that included gas cans found in Dempsey’s car. The judge ruled against the motion, however, and the trial got underway. (I remain amazed at how quickly cases went to trial in the 1960s; today, it would take many months, and perhaps even a year or more, to bring an arson case to trial.)

The Rome Boys Club Choir performed its annual concert on Thursday and Friday at the Rome City Auditorium. Dan Biggers of Berry College (who was no relation to me whatsoever, although I sometimes wonder if the shared last name might have worked to my benefit during my four years at Berry College!) was the master of ceremonies for the concert and Betty Hester served as assistant choir director. 

National City Bank continued its push to bring the new BankAmericard to Rome, stressing its value to retailers. For only a quarter of one percent of the sales total, retailers could take the card and get funds deposited to their account within three days of submitting the credit card slips to their bank. That made it affordable for every retail establishment to offer credit to its customers. (Oh, how happy today’s retailers would be if they could take credit cards for only .25% per transaction!)

Piggly Wiggly had shrimp for 99¢ a pound, bananas for a dime a pound, and Double Cola for 99¢ a case (plus deposit). A&P had ground beef for 39¢ a pound, tomatoes for 29¢ a pound, and Nabisco Biscoes waffle cream cookies (apparently, there is at least one kind of cookie that I don’t remember at all!) for 37¢ a box. Kroger had sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, lettuce for 19¢ a head, and whole watermelons for 99¢. Big Apple had spare ribs for 59¢ a pound, Blue Plate mayonnaise for 39¢ a jar, and Irvindale ice cream for 49¢  a half-gallon. Couch’s had chicken livers for 49¢ a pound, Derby potted meat for a dime a can, and strawberries for 33¢ a pint. 

The cinematic week began with The Party (starring Peter Sellers) at the DeSoto Theatre, Ballad of Josie (starring Doris Day) at the First Avenue, and Carpet Baggers (starring George Peppard) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought A Stranger in Town (starring Tony Anthony) to the DeSoto, Around the World in 80 Days (starring David Niven and many, many others) to the First Avenue, and The Road Hustlers (starring Jim Davis--not the Garfield artist--and Andy Devine) to the West Rome Drive-In.

Archie Bell & the Drells took number one this week with “Tighten Up.” Other top ten hits included “Mrs. Robinson” by Simon & Garfunkel (#2); “A Beautiful Morning” by the Rascals (#3); “The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly” by Hugo Montenegro, His Chorus & Orchestra (#4); “Honey” by Bobby Goldsboro (#5); “Cowboys to Girls” by the Intruders (#6); “the Unicorn” by the Irish Rovers (#7); “Ain’t Nothin’ Like the Real Thing” by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (#8); “Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day” by Stevie Wonder (#9); and “Do You Know the Way to San Jose?” by Dionne Warwick (#10). 

Simon & Garfunkel had both the number one and the number two albums this week in 1968... sort of. Their album Bookends was number one, while the soundtrack to The Graduate (which featured a number of Simon & Garfunkel songs) was number two. The Monkees, Aretha Franklin, & Herb Alpert rounded out the top five albums. 

It was a great week for new albums, with Johnny Cash’s At Folsom Prison, The Delfonics' La La Means I Love You,  The Mamas & the Papas' The Papas & the Mamas, Richard Harris's A Tramp Shining, and the eponymous Quicksilver Messenger Service all seeing release this week in 1968.

The Silver Surfer premiered in his own comic this week in 1968. Originally created by artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee in the pages of Fantastic Four, the tragic Silver Surfer quickly became a fan favorite; when Marvel had an opportunity to expand its line of books in 1968, the Surfer became one of the new launches. Since Jack Kirby wasn’t available to handle the art on the 64-page comic, Marvel enlisted John Buscema to pencil the series; Fantastic Four inker Joe Sinnott finished the art to give it that FF look. 

Thanks, Mom!

I can't thank Mom in person on Mother's day (can she really have been gone for more than fifteen years now? How can that be?), so I thought I'd thank her here.

Thanks, Mom, for--
•Never making me throw away my comics or quit reading them. Instead, you supported my interests and you and Dad even gave me comics-related gifts that showed how much you cared.
•Buying a copy of the "Hey Jude" single and then letting me listen to it, thus leading me to rediscover the Beatles after having quit buying their albums a few years earlier.
•Not only letting me play around on the family typewriter, but for actually teaching me the basics of touch typing. By the time I took typing in junior high school. I had already mastered the fundamentals thanks to your patient lessons.
•Letting me invite my comic book buddies over for what must have seemed like an endless stream of spend-the-night visits when I was a kid; since my bedroom was right across the hall from yours and Dad's, I'm sure that you tolerated for more late-night comic book and monster movie conversations than you ever wanted to.
•Always making me feel welcome, even when you were struggling with emphysema. I cherish every one of those moments.
•Supporting my and Dad's fascination with technology--and in fact, embracing it. I remember that you became the family Tivo expert, and you knew more trick of video-dubbing with GoVideo machines than anyone else in the family.
•Never allowing my elementary school teachers to force me to write right-handed at a time when many teachers were less than tolerant of left-handed students. I remember more than once listening to you explain to a teacher that a right-handed cursive slant wasn't natural for a left-handed person; you were indefatigable!
•Being there at my bedside the day after my heart attack, and coming to the house on the day that I  was finally allowed to return home after my open-heart surgery. You were struggling with your own health problems at the time, but you were there to encourage me, comfort me, and support me.
•Decorating for every Christmas, every Halloween, every Easter, and every Fourth of July. I always recall holidays as big events, largely thanks to the work you put into making our home a festive place.
•Rallying for that final Friday night visit before you left us forever. I will always remember the rapt expression on your face as you watched the video I had prepared using our family photos, and the conversation that night will stay with me forever.

That's just ten of ten thousand and one things I would like to thank you for. Happy Mother's Day!

Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 5/13/1968 to 5/19/1968

We take high school for granted nowadays, but a survey of the class of 1966 showed that only 55% of those who started the first grade in the 1954-1955 school year went on to graduate from a public high school.  If that’s not surprising enough, here’s a real stunner: 1009 persons who were old enough to have started the first grade in 1955-1955 never attended school at all!

West Rome track team members qualified to take part in eleven of sixteen track events the George Class AA track meet on Friday and Saturday in Jonsesboro. The Rome News-Tribune didn’t give first names for the list, but the Chieftains who were listed as participating were:

•Broad Jump - Smith & Rimes

•Pole Vault - Worsham

•High Jump - Smith

•Triple Jump - Rimes

•Discus - Kinnebrew, Johnson

•440 Relay - West Rome team

•100 Yard Dash - Johnson

•High Hurdles - Smith

•220 Dash - Johnson

•Low Hurdles - Trotter

Mile Relay - West Rome team

Rome had heavy thunderstorms with large hail on Thursday, May 16th, with over 2 inches of rain falling in a two hour period, accompanied by hail the size of marbles in West Rome. There were many reports of automobile damage due to the hail.

A chemistry lab explosion caused  a fire at Berry College’s Hamrick Hall on Thursday, May 16th. No students were injured, but two firemen suffered minor acid burns during their efforts to contain the blaze.

The National City Bank of Rome proudly announced that they would be the first bank in Rome to offer the new BankAmericard, “the first all purpose nationwide bank credit card! It’s a local credit card service that you can use nationally, one that costs nothing to acquire with no annual dues to pay.” Cardholders could use the card anywhere, but they could make payments at their local National City Bank. (BankAmericard would eventually become Visa, of course--and while we take credit cards for granted now, the first no-fee national credit card was a Very Big Thing in 1968!)

Piggly Wiggly had vienna sausage for 23¢ a can, Poss Brunswick stew for 49¢ a can, and yellow squash for 19¢ a pound. Kroger had smoked picnic ham for 29¢ a pound, large eggs for 33¢ a pound, and JFG coffee for 49¢ a pound. Big Apple had whole fryers for 27¢ a pound, Cudahy Bar-S bacon for 49¢ a pound, and iceberg lettuce for 19¢ a pound. A&P had chuck roast for 35¢ a pound, yellow corn for 8¢ an ear, and a one-quart jar of Heinz dill pickles for 49¢. Couch’s had pork chops for 49¢ a pound, pineapple slices for 29¢ a can, and pork & beans for 18¢ a can. 

The cinematic week began with The Scalphunters (starring Burt Lancaster) at the DeSoto Theatre, In the Heat of the Night (starring Sidney Poitier & Rod Steiger) at the First Avenue, and How to Save a Marriage & Ruin Your Life (starring Dean Martin) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought The Party (starring Peter Sellers) to the DeSoto, No Way to Treat a Lady (starring Rod Steiger & Lee Remick) to the First Avenue, and The Carpetbaggers (starring George Peppard) to the West Rome Drive-In. 

Archie Bell & the Drells took the top spot this week in 1968 with “Tighten Up.” Other top ten hits included “Mrs. Robinson” by Simon & Garfunkel (#2); “Honey” by Bobby Goldsboro (#3); “The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly” by Hugo Monenegro, His Orchestra & Chorus (#4); “A Beautiful Morning” by The Rascals (#5); “Cowboys to Girls” by the Intruders (#6); “Love Is All Around” by the Troggs (#7); “The Unicorn” by the Irish Rovers (#8); “Young Girl” by Gary Puckett & the Union Gap (#9); and “Do You Know The Way to San Jose?” by Dionne Warwick (#10). 

John Lennon & Paul McCartney announced their new business venture, Apple Corps Limited, on May 14th. Apple was envisioned as a multi-faceted entertainment company that would include a recording studio, a record label, and a clothing store; the clothing store didn’t last for long, though, due to rampant mismanagement, and before too long, Apple was a record label that served as the home to albums by James Taylor, Mary Hopkin, Billy Preston, Badfinger, and many others--including, of course, the Beatles themselves, both as a group and later as solo artists.

Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 5/6/1968 to 5/12/1968

The May term Floyd County grand jury issued a strong criticism of the inequitable enforcement of liquor sales laws in the area. The grand jury said that not only was there not a uniform enforcement of bootleg liquor sales, but that city and county officials often failed to enforce laws regarding sales of liquor by private clubs within the county. “By failing to enforce the law properly, we are contributing to a breakdown of law and order,” the grand jury wrote.  

Judge Jerry Minge, who was criticized for conflict of interest during the Watson Street residents’ noise and safety complaints in 1967, announced that he did not plan to run fora judgeship again in the next election. (My guess is that no one living on Watson Street or in the immediate surrounding area was saddened by this news.)

Rome real estate agent Dwyatt Dempsey was indicted for arson in relation to a fire at the King’s Inn Restaurant on Shorter Avenue on March 11th. Dempsey was arrested at the scene with three empty five-gallon gasoline cans in his car; his shoes and pants reeked of gasoline, and there was evidence that gasoline had been set afire at multiple locations in the store. 

Former Roman Norma Brannon was chosen as Mrs. Georgia on Friday night; the runner-up, Mrs. James E. Duffy, was a current Roman who represented the city in the competition. (I was particularly pleased with the news, since Norma Brannon was my mother’s sister and my aunt. She was a gracious, charming, and kind woman who was a vital part of my youth, and I couldn’t have imagined a woman more deserving of the honor--other than my own Mom, of course!)

Charles Burnes of West Rome was charged with assault with intent to commit murder for stabbing a man and then engaging in a shootout with him at a used car lot in North Rome. The shootout involved two handguns and a shotgun; while more than a dozen shots were fired, only a single pellet from the shotgun actually hit either man. The victim was not charged, since he only fired in self-defense when fired upon.

The Elm Street PTA presented a musical program entitled “Elm Street School On the Go” on Thursday, May 9th at 7:30 pm at the West Rome High School auditorium. The program featured performances by both students and faculty members.

West Rome’s baseball team trounced Chattooga 13-4 on Monday, May 6th. Charles Williams was the winning pitcher for the region game that saw the Chieftains take the lead in the first inning and never gave up that lead for the remainder of the game.

The West Rome track team defeated Lafayette and Dalton 7i1-57-42 in a three-way track meet on Tuesday, May 8th. Johnny Rimes took first place in the triple jump, and the relay team won their race, clinching the victory.

Alas, West Rome’s track team was not able to pull off a victory in the season’s final meet, losing to East Rome 168-162--and that gave the Gladiators a lock on the region 6-AA championship.

West Rome French teacher Mrs. JV Cobb, announced plans to take a group of students--including Chieftains Beverly Hall and Jeannie Thompson--to France for the summer to spend five weeks in France’s chateau country, studying at the Centre D’Etudes Francaises ‘Ambroise. The school offered intensive study programs for select upper-level French students, with all classes conducted entirely in French. 

Southern Bell began promoting direct-dial long distance with daily advertising this week in 1968. The ads stressed that you could make your own long distance calls by dialing 1, the area code, and the phone number, thereby saving up to 40% over person-to-person long-distance calls. With direct-dial station-to-station calls, Romans could phone Atlanta during the day for only 45¢ a minute and only 25¢ a minute after 8:00 pm. (Yes, that equals more than $3 a minute for daytime rates and almost $2 a minute for evening rates in today’s dollars, adjusted for inflation.)

Burglars were back in action in Rome this week in 1968. Monday night, burglars broke into Cline’s Service Station on North Broad Street and raided the vending machines, taking an undetermined amount of cash. The same night, a wel pump was stolen from a residence on Huffacre Road and a rifle was stolen from a house on the Rockmart Highway. Thursday night, burglars broke into East Rome High School and ransacked the vending machines, making off with a whopping $12.00.

Piggly Wiggly had round steak for 99¢ a pound, strawberries for 49¢ a quart, and Morton’s salt for 9¢ a box. Kroger had baking hens for 33¢ a pound, Kroger bread for 18¢ a loaf, and bananas for 13¢ a pound. Big Apple had Oscar Mayer bacon for 67¢ a pound, tomatoes for 15¢ a pound, and Chase and Sanborn coffee for 55¢ a pound. A&P had corned beef for 65¢ a pound, iceberg lettuce for 19¢ a head, and Hydrox cookies for 39¢ a pack. Couch’s had Cudahy Bar-S bologna for 29¢ a half-pound, Aristocrat ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon, and large eggs for 35¢ a dozen. 

The cinematic week began with The Secret War of Harry Frigg (starring Paul Newman) at the DeSoto Theatre, Walt Disney’s The Jungle Book at the First Avenue, and Psychout (starring Susan Strasberg) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought The Scalphunters (starring Burt Lancaster) at the DeSoto, In the Heat of the Night (starring Sidney Poitier & Rod Steiger) at the First Avenue, and Kiss Me, Stupid (starring Dean Martin & Kim Novak) at the West Rome Drive-In. 

Bobby Goldsboro’s maudlin “Honey” held on to number one this week in 1968. Other top ten songs included “Tighten Up” by Archie Bell & the Drells (#2); “Young Girl” by Gary Puckett & the Union Gap (#3); “The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly” by Hugo Montenegro, His Orchestra, and Chorus (#4); “Cry Like a Baby” by the Box Tops (#5); “A Beautiful Morning” by the Rascals (#6); “Cowboys to Girls” by the Intruders (#7); “The Unicorn” by the Irish Rovers (#8); “Mrs. Robinson” by Simon & Garfunkel (#9); and “Lady Madonna” by the Beatles (#10).