Remembering Greg Theakston

Just got word earlier today that Greg Theakston has died at the age of 65. (I didn't realize it until I saw the announcement of his death, but Greg and I were within a couple of months of being the same age.) I've known Greg for a couple of decades, and while I knew that he wasn't in the best of health, I was startled to hear that he had passed away (don't know what the cause of his death was).

Greg will always be remembered in comics history for his work in making so many 1980s and 1990s reprint volumes feasible, thanks to a process that Greg developed--a process that eventually became known as "Theakstonizing." In the days before Photoshop, removing the color from old comics so that they could be recolored was a difficult process. Greg made it easier by coming up with a method to bleach the color off old comics pages while leaving the black and white art. The upside: we got wonderful collections of great Golden Age and early Silver Age material, meticulously restored and updated with improved color. The downside: the physical copy of the book had to be destroyed to make that happen. Remember, though, that there were really few other options at the time other than simply reproducing the original book, color and all--and the results weren't always the best.

Greg loved comics, and he loved Jack Kirby's work in particular. I had dozens of conversations about old comics and various artists, from Toth to Adams to Wolverton to Wood to Frazetta to Infantino to Ditko--but no matter who we were talking about, our conversations eventually came back to Kirby. Greg always had great Kirby stories to share. He shared his love of Kirby's early works in the pages of  number of publications from his company, Pure Imagination Press, where he produced tributes to Kirby as well as reprints of  out of print public-domain Kirby work.

Greg was also a very talented artist; he could pencil, ink, and paint, and he spent a number of years working with Neal Adams, Jack Kirby and others. He also produced some outstanding work on his own. Greg rarely talked about his work, though; he  loved talking about the work of the people whose art he loved.

The last time I talked with Greg, he had come up with several boxes of stuff he was hoping I would buy. It was time to leave Atlanta, he said. His career had reached a dead end here, and he wanted to move to New York, and if that didn't work, then to Los Angeles. Greg could be impulsive, but this seemed to be a decision he had thought about for a while. I bought a number of things from him--not because we really needed it at the store, but because I thought our store benefited from having his publications on the shelf. We ended up talking for a couple of hours.

That was the last time we spoke. I presumed he had made his move and was doing what he loved. I hope so.

Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 4/21/1969 to 4/27/1969

West Rome senior Kippy Scarbrough was honored with a "farewell and good luck" party at the high school on Thursday, April 24th, at 8:15 AM, prior to her departure to compete in the National Junior Miss Contest. Guests at the party included David Harvey of the Rome City Commission; Senator Sam Doss; and Charles Eberhart, president of the Rome Jaycees (the sponsors of the contest).

Rome was hit by a late April cold wave this week in 1969, with lows falling to 34 on Tuesday night and 35 Wednesday night, with a heavy frost across West Rome both nights.

The Rome Board of Education voted to re-evaluate their policy of allowing county students to pay tuition in order to attend city schools. The board said that overcrowding at East Rome and West Rome were the primary reasons to re-evaluate the tuition policy; there were 50 tuition students at East Rome High and 30 at West Rome High, which was would have qualified the school system for three new high school teachers--except that tuition students could not be included in the count for student allotments. The Board did vote to cap tuition students at West Rome, since population growth was much more robust on the west side of town. The tuition remained at $32.50 per month per student, which Superintendent McDonald said barely covered the cost of educating the students even if new teachers did not have to be hired.

"The new phone books are here! The new phone books are here!" Southern Bell delivered new telephone directories across Rome this week in 1969; in those pre-internet days, the phone book was actually a pretty important source for information. (To this day, I maintain a reference library--unfortunately incomplete--of Rome phone directories from the 1950s through the 1990s; they are a great reference tool for information regarding new businesses in the area, as well as address info on Rome residents.)

For once, a Rome burglary was thwarted, nothing was actually stolen, and the thief was jailed even before the victims knew they had been robbed! When Edward Kirk of Alabama tried to "punch" open the vault in the Courthouse Annex, he set off a burglar alarm, which inspired the would-be thief to cut short his robbery attempt. He was arrested on suspicion of burglary, but it wasn't until the next morning that the courthouse staff discovered the damage caused to the safe by the robbery attempt. Ironically, the thief would have gotten nothing, since the Courthouse had quit leaving money in their vault after an unsolved 1964 burglary resulted in the loss of almost $10,0000 in cash.

A number of local business owners approached the Rome Chamber of Commerce to express their concern about the number of stores that were breaking the "blue laws" in Rome by opening for business on Sunday. While the law allowed grocery stores, drugstores, and restaurants to open on Sunday,  it specified that "anyone who pursues a business or work of ordinary calling on Sunday is guilty of a misdemeanor." While no one was officially naming names, it was pretty clear to everyone that Big K was the subject of the business owners' ire; some complained that a "business newcomer" was taking business from them by opening on Sundays. A few businesses responded by opening their businesses on Sunday, but they said they'd rather go back to being closed again. The Chamber of Commerce took no action on this, but agreed to look into the issue over the next few weeks.

Rome's efforts to save the manned weather station at Russell Field failed to persuade the Federal government. Maurice Stans, the Secretary of Commerce, sent Rome a formal denial, saying that the reinstatement of the weather station was "not justifiable." The government would replace the manned station with automatic recording and reporting equipment.

West Rome hosted the General Education Development Test (GED) on Saturday, April 26th. Test-takers had to be eat least 20 years of age; those who passed the test would be awarded a certificate by the State Department of Education. West Rome teachers administered and supervised the test.

Piggly Wiggly had pork chops for 69¢ a pound, Swift's Vienna sausage for 23¢ a can, and lettuce for 23¢ a head. Kroger had chuck roast for 48¢ a pound, Kellogg's corn flakes for 25¢ a box, and carrots for a dime a bunch. Big Apple had sirloin steak for 89¢ a pound, Campbell's pork & beans for 13¢ a can, and grapefruit for a dime each. A&P had ocean perch fillets for 99¢ a pound, Blue Plate mayonnaise for 49¢ a quart, and Irvindale ice milk for 45¢ a half-gallon. Couch's had chicken breast for 49¢ a pound, Poss Brunswick stew for 49¢ a pound, and bananas for a dime a pound.

The cinematic week began with The Wrecking Crew (starring Dean Martin) at the DeSoto Theatre, Elvira Madigan (starring Pia Degermark) at the First Avenue, and Rachel, Rachel (starring Joanne Woodward) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought Swiss Family Robinson (starring john Mills) to the DeSoto, Charge of the Light Brigade (starring David Hemmings) to the First Avenue, and Bullitt (starring Steve McQueen) to the West Rome Drive-In.

The 5th Dimension held onto the number one slot for the fourth week in a row with "Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In." Other top ten hits for the week included "It's Your Thing" by the Isley Brothers (#2); "Hair" by the Cowsills (#3); "You've Made Me So Very Happy" by Blood, Sweat, & Tears (#4); "Only the Strong Survive" by Jerry Butler (#5); "Time Is Tight" by Booker T & the MG's (#6); "Sweet Cherry Wine" by Tommy James & the Shondells (#7); "Hawaii Five-O" by the Ventures (#8):=; "The Boxer" by Simon & Garfunkel (#9); and "Galveston" by Glen Campbell (#10).

Joe Cocker released his  debut album, With a Little Help From My Friends, this week in 1969. Little did he know that he was about to provide comedian John Belushi with one of his greatest comedic imitation, and that decades later he would provide Youtube with one of its funniest lyrics transcriptions. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6z2yFekaPRs ) The Chicago Transit Authority also released their eponymous debut album this week in 1969; by the time of their second album, they would shorten their name to Chicago.

Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 4/14/1969 to 4/20/1969

The Rome News-Tribune unveiled its 1969 Prep Track Honor Roll this week in 1969. Chieftains who made the list included Xavier Smith in High Hurdles; Johnny Sapp in High Hurdles, Xavier Smith in Low Hurdles; the West Rome Relay Team in the 440 Relay; Doug Johnson in Discus; Xavier Smith in High Jump; Charles Smith in Broad Jump; and Johnny Rimes in Broad Jump.

The dispute over the transfer of Rome air service from Eastern Air Lines to Georgia Air Inc. escalated this week in 1969 when the Air Line Pilots Association filed a document opposing the transfer and supporting Rome's argument that Georgia Air could not provide service equal to the service that Eastern offered.

Coosa Valley Vocational Technical School announced a cut in their educational services due to a cutback in federal funds for vocational-technical schools. The federal government cut the size of the grant to Georgia by 60%, from $2.5 million to $1 million. Maurice Culberson, director of Coosa Valley Tech, said that he suspected that they would have to cut their evening classes and would have to emanate plans to upgrade or enhance equipment for their training programs. The school's 1968-69 budget was $600,000; Culberson wasn't sure what the 1969-1970 budget would be, but he was worried it could be cut by as much as $300,000.

Julian Harrison Ford was the victim of tool thieves on Monday Night, April 14th, as burglars made off with a large number of tools valued at several thousand dollars--and then they stole a 1965 Pontiac off the used car lot to make off with all of the tools! The same night, thieves broke into Culp Upholstery on Shorter Avenue and still tools and some cash

Speaking of Ford, they made a leap ahead of the competition as they unveiled their first 1970 model car this week in 1969: the 1970 ford Maverick. "Maverick's 1970 model designation means that it keeps its trade in value higher, longer," Ford said of their surprise plan to roll out a 1970 model four to five months ahead of their competition (and other Fords). Of course, that would be just as true for every other car if they all released their 1970 models in April 1969, wouldn't it?...

Piggly Wiggly had large eggs for 44¢ a dozen, split fryers for 33¢ a pound, and Maxwell House coffee for 57¢ a pound. Big Apple had chuck roast for 43¢ a pound, yellow corn for 8¢ an ear, and RC or Diet-Rite Cola for 33¢ a carton plus deposit.  Kroger had T-Bone steak for $1.28 a pound, canned pears for 23¢ a can, and Southern Maid ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon. A&P had beef liver for 39¢ a pound, in-store baked apple pie for 45¢ each, and Van Camp Brunswick stew for 59¢ a can. Couch's had spare ribs for 39¢ a pound, Blue Plate Mayonnaise for 49¢ a quart, and fresh cantaloupes for 33¢ each.

The cinematic week began with Charro (starring Elvis Presley, not Charro) at the DeSoto Theatre, Where Eagles Dare (starring Clint Eastwood) at the First Avenue, and Valley of the Dolls (starring Susan Hayward) at the West Rome Drive-In. The weekend switchout brought The Wrecking Crew (starring Dean Martin) to the DeSoto Theatre, Elvira Madigan (starring Pia Degermark) to the First Avenue, and Hot Millions (starring Peter Ustinov) to the West Rome Drive-In.

The 5th Dimension held on to the number one slot for a third week with "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In." Other top ten hits included "You've Made Me So Very Happy" by Blood, Sweat, & Tears (#2); "It's Your Thing" by The Isley Brothers (#3); "Hair" by the Cowsills (#4); "Only the Strong Survive" by Jerry Butler (#5); "Twenty-Five Miles" by Edwin Starr (#6); "Galveston" by Glen Campbell (#7); "Time Is Right" by Booker T & the MG's (#8); "Dizzy" by Tommy Roe (#9); and "Sweet Cherry Wine" by Tommy James & the Shondells (#10).

6939

Yesterday was day 6939 of my post-heart attack life. That's nineteen years that I've been gifted.  On April 7th, 2000, my life briefly ended. If a lot of coincidental tidbits hadn't come together in a remarkable synchronicity, it would have been permanent.

I have a fascination with numbers. I'm always drawing numerical patterns, looking for mathematical parallels. I can tell you, for instance, that 6939 days into my first life, it would have been the day before my nineteenth birthday (the vagaries of leap years result in the one-day discrepancy). I was just about to start my second year at Berry College. I had been married for fourteen months. Susan and I were living in a tiny 500 square foot house that probably would have been condemned if anyone in Cedartown actually bothered to inspect rental houses. Today, my life is different. Better in many ways, undoubtedly. But the best thing is that I appreciate it more, because I am aware that it is finite.

6939 days is almost 29% of my whole life. Quite a gift, isn't it? So many people wish for just one more day. I got 6939 of 'em.

I made a promise to myself after my heart attack. If I recovered, I wouldn't take the extra days for granted. I would find the time every day for a moment of joy, for a moment of reflection, for a moment of inspiration. I would tell people that I love them. I would recognize that even the worst days have something wondrous to offer.

Today it's 6940. And counting.

Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 4/7/1969 to 4/13/1969

Showtime '69, which was subtitled "A Chieftainacts Presentation," drew audiences to the Rome City Auditorium on Friday, April 11th and Saturday, April 12th. The show, whose theme was "America the Beautiful," was produced and directed by Clara Ellison. All proceeds from the event were used to sponsor activities of the academic, athletic, and music departments at West Rome. Mr. and Miss West Rome High School and West Rome Junior High School were announced at the event: Mike Johnson and Janice Lee were chosen Mr. & Miss West Rome High School, while Mike Tolbert and Toni Freeman were chosen Mr. & Miss West Rome Junior High.

Martin Rollinson won the Zone 1 Optimist International Oratorical Contest on April 7th; his speech focused on "Respect for the Law—Cornerstone for Citizenship." Rollinson was invited to take part in the oratorical contest after winning a local competition in March that was sponsored by the Rome Breakfast Optimist Club. As a result of his win, Rollinson was invited to take part in statewide competition in Atlanta on May 15th.

The Chieftains defeated Darlington and Calhoun in a three-way track meet on April 9th, led by Charles Smith, who posted an amazing triple jump of 44 feet 7.5 inches, giving him the first of three first-place finishes during the track meet. West Rome ended the competition with 63.5 points to Darlington's 55 points and Calhoun's 51.5 points.

Leland Veal of the Highway Department Planning Division said that plans had been finalized and approved for construction of a four-lane road from Shorter Avenue along Lavender Drive and Redmond Circle to the Alabama Road in front of West Rome High School. Veal said that the project had been moved to a  top priority for the state because of the rapid growth in West Rome.

Floyd Junior College plans were coming together, with designs and plans finalized and construction set to begin in May or June. The Board of Regents was confident that construction could be finished in time for classes to begin in the fall of 1970. (Considering how long it takes to finish any sort of construction project nowadays, it's amazing that they could go from blueprints to finished construction of a major junior college facility in a year--but that's just what they did!)

The Rome News-Tribune announced that the cost of a Sunday paper was increasing from 15¢ to 20¢ beginning Sunday, April 13th. The increase was necessitated by rising paper costs, distribution expenses, and the larger paper size due to the growing number of ads in each Sunday paper. The cost for a weekday paper was unchanged at 10¢.

Rome announced the expansion of the surplus food distribution program, with every resident of Floyd County eligible to receive at least nineteen items every month, including lard, peanut butter, cheese, and two cans of evaporated milk per person. There were no income requirements or prequalifications necessary to to receive a surplus food distribution allotment--residents simply had to show up at the distribution center on the appropriate day.

Piggly Wiggly had chuck roast for 45¢ a pound, pole beans for 19¢ a pound, and Coca-Cola/Tab/Sprite for 33¢ a carton plus deposit. A&P had pork chops for 65¢ a pound, cantaloupes for 33¢ each, and Ann Page donuts for 25¢ a dozen. Big Apple had fresh whole fryers for 25¢ a pound, grapefruit for 7¢ each, and RC or Diet-Rite cola for 28¢ a carton plus deposit. Kroger had T-bone steak for $1.08 a pound, corn for 7¢ an ear, and Kroger frozen pot pies for 12¢ each. Couch's had fresh-sliced bacon for 69¢ a pound, Van Camp's chili for 33¢ a can, and bananas for a dime a pound.

The cinematic week began with Support Your Local Sheriff (starring James Garner) at the DeSoto Theatre, Where Eagles Dare (starring Clint Eastwood) at the First Avenue, and Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter (starring Peter Noone and Herman's Hermits) at the West Rome Drive-In. The weekend switchout brought Charro (starring Elvis Presley) to the DeSoto and Planet of the Apes (starring Charlton Heston) to the West Rome Drive-In, while those eagles dared to stay at the First Avenue for another week.

The 5th Dimension held on to the number one slot with "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In." Other top ten hits included "You've Made Me So Very Happy" by Blood, Sweat, & Tears (#2); "It's Your Thing" by the Isley Brothers (#3); "Only the Strong Survive" by Jerry Butler (#4); "Dizzy" by Tommy Roe (#5); "Galveston" by Glen Campbell (#6); "Hair" by the Cowsills (#7); "Twenty-Five Miles" by Edwin Starr (#8); "Time of the Season" by the Zombies (#9); and "Rock Me" by Steppenwolf (#10).

Bob Dylan totally changed is sound for the album Nashville Skyline, released this week in 1969. Not only was the album's country-influenced tone a departure for Dylan, but his throaty, more glottal vocal on songs like "Lay Lady Lay" was unlike anything Dylan had recorded previously.  One of the highlights was "Girl from the North Country," a duet with Johnny Cash.

Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore united for a one-hour CBS Special, Dick Van Dyke & The Other Woman, on Sunday, April 13th. This was the first time the two had appeared on television together since their series ended in May of 1966. The program included the two actors in a previously unseen alternate take from an episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show.

Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 3/31/1969 to 4/6/1969

Nick Hyder may have been West Rome's football coach, but he was willing to host a public forum t East Rome High School if the cutes was right. In this case, the cause was a discussion of alcohol problems--particularly problems involving teenagers. Hyder was involved as the president of the Concerned Citizens of Rome & Floyd County Opposed to the Alcohol Referendum.

West Rome's baseball team defeated Model 11-2 on April 3rd, thanks in large part to a strong pitching performance by Steve Harrell and Mike Ashworth, who held Model to only four hits for the game.

A lack of sate matching funds forced the Rome City School Board to delay a bond referendum to raise funds for a system-wide building program. The state had initially committed $2 million to Rome's building program, but no money was included in the state's budget due to all the attention focused on Governor Maddox's push for a sales tax increase. "It looks like we are out of the construction business," Superintendent Dr. M.S. McDonald said. Other problems were likely to result from this, since part of the building program was designed to comply with desegregation requirements established in conjunction with the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.

After several years of effort, Eastern Airlines finally got permission to subcontract its Rome air service to another carrier. The new startup air service, Georgia Air Inc., Eastern agreed to cover some of Georgia Air's startup costs. The Rome Chamber of Commerce and the Rome Aviation Committee were unhappy with the change, pointing out that Georgia Air could only operate in Georgia, so that meant that the city's daily flights to Chattanooga would be discontinued; that left Rome with only one scheduled flight to Atlanta every morning and one scheduled flight from Atlanta back to Rome every afternoon.

And the bad news continued for Russell Field: a delegation of Romans who travelled to Washington in an effort to convince the US Weather Bureau to maintain its manned weather station at Russell Field came back with no commitment at all. Rome's weather station was one of thirteen around the country scheduled for closing, and the Rome Chamber of Commerce was having trouble getting enough local financial support to cover the estimated $25,000 a year that it would cost to keep the station open and to pay weather observer Juanita Lester's annual salary.

The Girl Scout annual cookie sale began on Friday, April 4th. Cookies were priced at 50¢ per box, and buyers could choose from chocolate mint (not yet known as thin mint), butter shortie, peanut butter, and assorted sandwich cookies. The sale would continue through April 20th.

Easter fell on Sunday, April 6th; as a result, almost every Rome area business was closed. Even Big K, who had led the push to extend local retail business hours and phase out the last remnants of local "blue laws," locked its doors on Easter Day.

Citizens Federal increased their interest rate for savings certificates (the precursor to certificates of deposit) to 5.25% compounded quarterly, the highest rate in Rome and Floyd County. Rome Bank & Trust responded by offering 5% on ALL savings accounts with at least $25 in deposits, while National City Bank raised their savings certificates rates to 5.127% compounded daily and Home Federal scrambled to match the Citizens Federal rate for deposits of $200 or more.

Piggly Wiggly had chicken livers for 39¢ a pound, Sealtest ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon, and bananas for a dime a pound. Big Apple had ham for 49¢ a pound, Maxwell House coffee for 59¢ a pound, and RC or Diet-Rite Cola for 35¢ a carton plus deposit. A&P had chuck roast for 69¢ a pound, grapefruit for a dime each, and a dozen golden delicious apples for 49¢. Kroger had fresh whole fryers for 29¢ a pound, Blue Bonnet margarine for 29¢ a box, and Mueller's spaghetti for a dime a box. Couch's had sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound,  Poss's Brunswick stew for 49¢ a can, and sweet potatoes for a dime a pound.

The cinematic week began with the documentary African Safari at the DeSoto Theatre, Where Eagles Dare (starring Clint Eastwood) at the First Avenue, and The Party (starring Peter Sellers) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek brought Support Your Local Sheriff (starring James Garner) to the DeSoto Theatre and Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter (starring Peter Noone and the rest of Herman's Hermits) to the West Rome Drive-In, while Where Eagles Dare nested for another week at the First Avenue.

The 5th Dimension had the number one song this week in 1969 with "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In." Other top ten hits included "You've Made Me So Very Happy" by Blood, Sweat, & Tears (#2); "Dizzy" by Tommy Roe" (#3); "Galveston" by Glen Campbell (#4); "Time of the Season" by the Zombies (#5); "Only the Strong Survive" by Jerry Butler (#6); "It's Your Thing" by the Isley Brothers (#7); "Hair" by the Cowsills (#8); "Run Away Child, Running Wild" by the Temptations (#9); and "Twenty-Five Miles" by Edwin Starr (#10).

This week in 1969, CBS cancelled The Smothers Brothers due to the inclusion of political commentary  that CBS censors had failed to approve. The variety show would be replaced with Hee Haw, effective immediately--but because it would take two months to produce episodes of the bucolic comedy sketch show, CBS would have to run specials for eight weeks to fill the air time left empty by the Smothers Brothers' abrupt dismissal.

Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 3/24/1969 to 3/30/1969

The city was ready to go on a four-lane highway from Shorter Avenue along Lavender Drive and Redmond Circle all the way to Alabama Road (a route that passed right in front of West Rome High School). but the project was on hold as they waited for the state to come through with its end of the deal. "The money is ready, Rome City Manager Bruce Hamler said, "but we are still waiting for the deeds from the State Highway Department. Without them, we are not able to obtain the rights-of-way and therefore are unable to start construction." While the four-lane road would offer alternative access to West Rome High School and West Rome Junior High when traffic was heavy on Shorter Avenue, the primary reason for the four-lane was to offer easier access to three industrial parks as well as General Electric, Trend Mills, and Rome Frozen Foods.

The Chieftains Club set the date for Showtime '69 (the replacements for Chieftain Acts): April 11th and 12th at the Rome City Auditorium. The theme for the year was "America, The Beautiful," produced by Clara Ellison and emceed by Lee Mowrey. The proceeds from the show would be used to help sponsor the activities of the academic, athletic, and music departments.

The city announced plans for a new housing project in West Rome, in an area bounded by Fortune Street, Georgia Avenue, and Battey State Hospital (an area known as "the shale pits"). The project, which would cost more than $3 million, would create 200 row houses in West Rome for low-income families.

A popup spring storm brought more than an inch of rain in less than an hour in the wee hours of Monday morning, accompanied by winds of 40 to 60 miles per hour While the bad weather knocked out power along Burnett Ferry Road near the Shorter Avenue intersection, there was no major damage.

Lester Maddox's proposed big budget, which was to have been financed with a sales tax increase, went down in flames when the state legislature refused to go along with the tax hike. Instead, the legislature refused to even vote on his proposal and chose to adjourn nine hours before their midnight deadline. "This is the first time I ever remember us wrapping up early and getting home in time for dinner on the final day," one representative remarked.

Piggly Wiggly had pork chops for 68¢ a pound, tomatoes for 28¢ a pound, and a giant-sized box of Fab or Cheer for 59¢. Big Apple had sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, Van Camp's potted meat for 20¢ a can, and Campbell's pork & beans for 15¢ a can. Kroger had fresh whole fryers for 29¢ a pound, duck eggs (yes, I said "duck eggs") for 19¢ a half-dozen, and cantaloupes for 49¢ each. A&P had Swiss steak for 69¢ a pound, Jane Parker bread for 23¢ a loaf, and Lachoy chicken chow mein for 63¢ a can. Couch's had Oscar Mayer bacon for 69¢ a pound, Maxwell House coffee for 69¢ a pound, and bell peppers for a dime each.

The cinematic week began with Bueno Sera, Mrs. Campbell (starring Gina Lollobrigida) at the DeSoto Theatre, Three in the Attic (starring Yvette Mimieux) at the First Avenue, and Angel in My Pocket (starring Andy Griffith) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought the documentary African Safari to the DeSoto Theatre, Where Eagles Dare (starring Clint Eastwood & Richard Burton) to the First Avenue, and The Party (starring Peter Sellers) to the West Rome Drive-In.

Tommy Roe held on to the number one slot for the fourth week with "Dizzy." Other top ten hits included "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" by the 5th Dimension (#2); "Time of the Season" by the Zombies (#3); "You've Made Me So Very Happy" by Blood, Sweat, & Tears (#4); "Galveston" by Glen Campbell (#5); "Run Away Child, Running Wild" by the Temptations (#6); "Only the Strong Survive" by Jerry Butler (#7); "Traces" by the Classics IV featuring Dennis Yost (#8); "My Whole World Ended" by David Ruffin (#9); and "Proud Mary" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (#10).











46¢

Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 3/17/1969 to 3/23/1969

Alas, this is a particularly skimpy Fifty Years Ago... column for reasons beyond my control: the Rome News-Tribune is apparently missing file copies of four of the six weekly papers for this week i 1969, and the Rome library informed me that they had no copies, either. As a result, I have access to only the most limited news for the week. Let's make the best of it, though, shall we?

The West Rome Chieftain Club held their March meeting on Monday, March 17th, at the West Rome High School auditorium to finalize plans for Showtime '69, the student variety show that was salted to replace Chieftain Acts for 1969. . 

Three Chieftains were named as finalists in the Governor's Honors Program, which meant that they were eligible to attend Wesleyan College for eight weeks during the summer to study in their chosen fields. The three honorees were Charles Wester (11th grade), who qualified in science; Marilyn Little (11th grade), who qualified in social science;  and Janet Webb (11th grade), who qualified in English. In addition, Tommy Roberson (11th grade) qualified as an alternate in Music.

Piggly Wiggly had chicken breasts for 46¢ a pound, Fab detergent for 39¢ a box, and lettuce for 15¢ a head. A&P had chuck roast for 89¢ a pound, bakery-fresh apple pies for 39¢ each, and vine ripe tomatoes for 29¢ a pound. Big Apple had ham for 39¢ a pound, Irvindale ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon, and Coca-Cola/Tab/Sprite for 33¢ a carton plus deposit. Kroger had fresh whole fryers for 29¢ a pound, grapes for 19¢ a pound, and Bama jelly for 33¢ a jar. Couch's had fresh in-store-ground sausage for 59¢ a pound, Poss Brunswick stew for 59¢ a can, and Maxwell House coffee for 69¢ a pound.

The cinematic week began with Play Dirty (starring Michael Caine) at the DeSoto Theatre, Three in the Attic (starring Yvette Mimieux) at the First Avenue, and The Split (starring Julie Harris) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell (starring Gina Lollobrigida) to the DeSoto and Angel in My Pocket (starring Andy Griffith) to the West Rome Drive-In, while three remained in the attic for another week at the First Avenue.

"Dizzy" by Tommy Roe held on to the number slot for a third week this week in 1969. Other top ten hits included "Traces" by the Classics IV featuring Dennis Yost (#2); "Time of the Season" by the Zombies (#3); "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" by the 5th Dimension (#4); "Proud Mary" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (#5); "Run Away Child, Running Wild" by the Temptations (#6); "Indian Giver" by the 1910  Fruitgum Co. (#7); "Galveston" by Glen Campbell (#8); "My Whole World Ended" by David Ruffin (#9); and "Only the Strong Survive" by Jerry Butler (#10). 

John Lennon married Yoko Ono this week in 1969 in Gibraltar (they could have gotten married in Gibraltar or Spain). 

Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 3/10/1969 to 3/16/1969

Cold snaps in March are nothing new: on March 10th, 1969, Rome set a low temperature record when the mercury fell to 21 degrees. The cold snap was short-lived, though, as temperatures climbed back into the upper sixties by the end of the week. (Doesn't sound that much different than this year, does it?)

It may seem like a technicality, but it was a pretty big technicality: the Regents of the University System officially approved funds for the construction of Floyd Junior College this week in 1969. The total approved amount was $2.8 million, about $200,000 more than initially anticipated, largely due to increases in estimated construction costs.

Berry College announced that construction of its new student activity center was nearing completion, with just a few final touches needed before the new Krannert Center officially opened for business. The new building would have space for a ballroom, student government offices, student publication offices, a spacious snack bar, and a full bookstore, as well as student mailboxes and small meeting rooms. (It would be two more years before I would pay frequent visits to Krannert Center as a student at Berry--and I certainly remember buying a number of books and record albums at the bookstore during my four years at Berry!)

West Rome principal Dick McPhee was selected to serve as the president of the Georgia Secondary School Principals Association during the annual meeting of the Georgia Education Association; this was the third time that McPhee was tapped to serve as president of this group, which recommended policies and practices for high school principals across the state.

Citizens Federal increased the interest rate for its savings certificates (now known as certificates of deposit) to 5.25%, which inspired Rome Bank and Trust to top them 3 days later with an interest rate of 5.3%. While no other bank topped those rates this week in 1969, every major Rome bank was advertising savings certificates interest rates above 5%. National City Bank was even paying 4% on its savings accounts, so long as the account holder maintained a minimum balance of $500 or more.

While plans for a 4% state sales tax were tabled for the legislative session, the Georgia House of Representatives dud pass a surprise approval of a 1% local option sales tax, allowing counties and cities the option of increasing their sales tax for specific project. No one was sure if the bill would clear the Georgia Senate, but it looked quite possible.

Piggly Wiggly had chuck roast for 38¢ a pound, Bama catsup for 29¢ a bottle, and tomatoes for 29¢ a pound. A&P had swiss steak for 69¢ a pound, grapefruit for 9¢ each, and Marvel ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon. Kroger had pork chops for 79¢  pound, Merita bread for 25¢ a loaf, and Blue Bonnet margarine for 31¢ a pound. Big Apple had corned beef brisket for 89¢ a pound, Double Cola or Diet-Rite Cola for 39¢ a carton plus deposit, and Van Camp pork & beans for 20¢ a can. Couch's had ground beef for 39¢ a pound, JFG mayonnaise for  49¢ a quart, and bananas for a dime a pound.

The cinematic week began with The Night They Raided Minsky's (starring Jason Robards) at the DeSoto Theatre, 2001: A Space Odyssey (starring Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood) at the First Avenue, and Yellow Submarine (starring animated versions of the Beatles) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought Play Dirty (starring Michael Caine) to the DeSoto Theatre, Three in the Attic (starring Yvette Mimieux) to the First Avenue, and The Secret Ceremony (starring Elizabeth Taylor) to the West Rome Drive-In.

Tommy Roe held on to the number one slot for another week with "Dizzy." Other top ten hits included "Proud Mary" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (#2); "Traces" by the Classics IV featuring Dennis Yost (#3); "Build Me Up Buttercup" by the Foundations (#4); "Indian Giver" by the 1910 Fruitgum Co. (#5); "Time of the Season" by the Zombies (#6); "This Girl's in Love with You" by Dionne Warwick (#7); "Everyday People" by Sly & the Family Stone (#8); "Crimson & Clover" by Tommy James & the Shondells (#9); and "Run Away Child, Running Wild" by the Temptations (#10)

Neal Adams made his artistic debut on Marvel's mutant superteam in X-Men #56, written by Roy Thomas. While fans were extremely excited to see the superstar artist joining the X-Men creative team, it would turn out to be too little too late; even a team of this caliber couldn't sufficiently boost the X-Men's sales sufficiently to save them from cancellation less than a year later. Over at DC, the sword-and-sorcery boom that was so popular in paperback fiction made the jump to comics with the release of Showcase #82 featuring Nightmaster, cover-blurbed as "a great new sword and sorcery saga." (Apparently not so great, since the series would never earn its way out of the pages of Showcase, DC's try-out title.)

Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 3/3/1969 to 3/9/1969

West Rome High School's marching band received a superior rating in Class B concert and sight reading at the Seventh District Music Festival; no other Rome schools received a superior rating in both categories. The junior high band received an excellent rating.

Convinced that approval of the upcoming referendum was likely, the Rome City Commission began drawing up regulations to control the sale of liquor in the city limits. The city determined that, should the referendum pass, any store wishing to sell liquor would have to pay $5000 for a license, and that the city would levy an 80¢ per gallon tax on all alcohol sold.

Apparently Rome and Floyd County weren't willing to let the local weather station go without a fight: the city commission, the county commission, and the Chamber of Commerce announce a joint effort to keep the local weather station open--and if necessary, they intended to raise local funds to pay for it.

After a quiet, relatively crime-free week, the weekend went downhill as Rome was plagued with multiple burglaries on Saturday night. The Central Plaza Super Discount was broken into and most than $300 was stolen from cash registers and a cash box hidden in a file cabinet. Rome Automobile on Martha Berry Boulevard was broken into, and the thieves made off with tools and equipment valued at over $400. HD Morgan Oil Company was burglarized; thieves made off with cigarettes and cash from the vending machines. and George's Marine was hit by thieves who made off with three motorcycle helmets, a motorcycle jacket, and one headlight.

Last-minute negotiations proved fruitless as the governor reluctantly accepted the fact that his intensely-promoted sales tax increase didn't appear destined to pass. Governor Maddox said that he and key party leaders would fine-tune the plan and possibly call the legislators back into session in the summer to reconsider the tax increase, which would raise state sales tax by 33% from 3% to 4%.

Microwaves came to Rome this week in 1969 as Adams Refrigeration and Air Conditioning announced that they would be the first store in Rome to sell the Amana Radarange microwave oven. "Cook a five pound roast in 37 minutes," their ad touted. "Hamburger in the bun in 1 minute. No heat, no pots, no pans! The microwave offered 135 watts of power (about 15% what most of today's microwaves offer) and was available for only $599.99.

Piggly Wiggly had sirloin steak for $1.08 a pound (apparently 1969 was the year that steak routinely topped the $1 a pound mark), grapefruit for 7¢ each, and a two-pound bag of Ore-Ida tater tots for 38¢. Big Apple had Double Cola for a nickel a bottle, Crisco oil for 39¢ a quart, and Irvindale ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon. A&P had pork roast for 59¢ a pound, glazed doughnuts for 39¢ a dozen, and a two-pound jar of Ann Page peanut butter for 75¢.  Kroger had fresh fryer breast for 49¢ a pound, perch filet for 45¢ a pound, and pole beans for 19¢ a pound. Couch's had their own in-store-made sausage for 59¢ a pound, Bama jelly for 29¢ a jar, and cabbage for 5¢ a pound.

The cinematic week began with Lady in Cement (starring Frank Sinatra) at the DeSoto Theatre, 2001: A Space Odyssey (starring Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood) at the First Avenue, and Yellow Submarine (starring animated versions of the Beatles, along with a brief clip of the real Fab Four at the very end) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switch out brought The Night They Raided Minsky's (starring Jason Robards) to the DeSoto, while the First Avenue and the West Rome Drive-In flipped films, with 2001 moving to the drive-in while Yellow Submarine moved to the First Avenue.

Tommy Roe soar3ed to number one this week in 1969 with "Dizzy." Other top ten hits included "Proud Mary" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (#2); "Everyday People" by Sly & the Family Stone (#3); "Build Me Up Buttercup" by the Foundations (#4); "Traces" by the Classics IV featuring Dennis Yost (#5); "Crimson & Clover" by Tommy James & the Shondells (#6); "This Girl's In Love With You" by Dionne Warwick (#7); "Indian Giver" by the 1910 Fruitgum Co. (#8); "Time of the Season" by the Zombies (#9); and "This Magic Moment" by Jay & the Americans (#10).

Little did we know how big they would eventually become: Genesis released its debut album, From Genesis to Revelation, this week in 1969. The original group consisted of Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, Anthony Phillips, and Chris Stewart; it would be many more years before Phil Collins became a part of the band.