The US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare gave Rome a very clear ultimatum this week in 1964: either end all forms of school segregation, or lose access to all forms of federal funding. The Rome City School System was slated to lose $74,400 in annual funding if segregation was not immediately discontinued, according to Superintendent Milton S. McDonald. The Board of Education was set to make this their first order of business at their January meeting.
West Rome's boys basketball team may have been eliminated from competition early in the Rome News-Tribune Winter tournament, but West Rome's girls advanced in the Fifth Annual Cave Spring Basketball Tournament, defeating East Rome 41-22. Alas, they had to settle for second place after they were defeated 24-20 by Cave Spring in the final round of the tournament.
Rome still had a train station with passenger service in late 1964, but no one was taking any of the four Southern Railway daily passenger trains at the end of the year due to a Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen & Engineers strike. Freight service continued on a limited basis, but passenger service was shut down, so riding the rails was not an option for a couple of days, until a federal judge ordered the striking workers back on the job on December 31st.
What we would give for interest rates like this today: The Rome Bank & Trust was offering 4.75% interest on a one-year savings certificate (the 1964 version of a certificate of deposit) this week in 1964.
Piggly Wiggly had cabbage for a dime a pound, sweet potatoes for 9¢ a pound, and fresh whole fryers for a quarter a pound. Kroger had the mandatory New Year's Day hog jowl for 15¢ a pound, smoked hams for 39¢ a pound, and blackeyed peas for 9¢ a pound. Big Apple had cabbage for 8¢ a pound, smoked hog jowl for 17¢ a pound, and pork roast for 29¢ a pound. A&P had chuck roast for 35¢ a pound, turnip greens for 15¢ a pound, and grapefruit for a dime each. Couch's had blackeyed peas for a dime a pound, stew beef for 35¢ a pound, and JFG coffee for 69¢ a pound.
The cinematic week began with Topkapi (with Melina Mercouri & Peter Ustinov) at the DeSoto and Pajama Party (with Tommy Kirk & Annette Funicello) at the First Avenue. The midweek switchout brought The Disorderly Orderly (with Jerry Lewis) to the DeSoto, Goldfinger (with Sean Connery) to the First Avenue--what a way to end the year!), and a double feature of Send Me No Flowers (with Rock Hudson & Doris Day) and Move Over, Darling (with Doris Day & James Garner) to the West Rome Drive-In.
The number one song this week in 1964-65 was "I Feel Fine" by the Beatles. Other top ten hits included "Come See About Me" by the Supremes (#2); "Mr. Lonely" by Bobby Vinton (#3); "Love Potion Number Nine" by the Searchers (#4); "Downtown" by Petula Clark (#5); "Goin' Out of My Head" by Little Anthony & the Imperials (#6); "Amen" by the Impressions (#7); "The Jerk" by the Larks (#8); "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" by the Righteous Brothers (#9); and "The Wedding" by Julie Rogers (#10).
And that's how 1964 ended and 1965 began. We all said farewell to an auspicious year as we looked forward to more good things in 1965. For me and my classmates, 1965 would be the year that we moved from elementary school to West Rome Junior High--and for America, it would be a year unlike any other! But we had no idea what the next 12 months would hold...
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Just My Type
"Selectric," she said.
And I knew then and there that someday I would have to own a Selectric. That stationary carriage, that spinning typeball (yes, it was officially known as a type element, but I never heard anyone call it anything other than a typeball), that sleek futuristic-by-1960s-standards boat-anchor metal body, and that wonderful sound that made any typist sound ultra-proficient--if anyone could fall in love with a typewriter, then I had discovered typographic love at first sight.
The problem was, the Selectric was an incredible investment--over $500 in 1965 dollars, and holding that $500 to $600 price through most of the 1970s. My parents rarely paid much more than $500 for a used car at that time, so they certainly weren't going to spring for the cost of a Selectric.
But Gary Steele's parents... now that was a different story.
I've mentioned Gary before; he was my best friend through high school, and both he and I got into fandom at about the same time. In 1968, Gary and I both joined a couple of amateur press alliances (the most important of which, in our eyes, was Myriad, an apa begun by Stven Carlberg, of which we were both charter members), and while I was producing my apazines on a portable manual Remington or Dad's Rome News-Tribune Royal or Underwood typewriters, Gary somehow got a Selectric.
To be honest, I know how. Gary's mother was particularly doting on her only child, and she was more than willing to spoil him, even if that meant giving in to his entreaties and spending a small fortune of $500+ for a new Selectric. Emphasis on the "plus"—while old IBM pricelists show $520 or so as the price for a new Selectric at that time, Mrs. Steele repeatedly cited $700 as the price that they paid, and I believe her. It wouldn't be unusual for Riddle Office Supply, the only source for Selectrics in Rome in 1968, to have added dealer mark-up on the machine--and it's possible she bought a couple of extra typeballs at the same time. Any time the subject of the Selectric came up, though, she always referred to it as "that $700 typewriter," so I'm convinced that is indeed how much they paid. And this was a the same time that Mr. Steele was still driving a 1956 Chevrolet he had bought new!
My parents, however, were far less willing to give in to my whining, so no Selectric for me. From time to time, I used Gary's Selectric—we each had our own specific typeball to identify our fanzines (I believe that mine was Letter Gothic, although it may have been Prestige Elite while Gary used Letter Gothic).
It would be 1973 before Susan and I owned a Selectric. More specifically, we became the owners of a used Selectric II, which we bought (along with four typeballs) from the now-defunct House of Typewriters in Marietta for $375. Bear in mind that I was in college in 1973, working part-time while Susan worked full-time, and together we earned about $9500 a year before taxes. Nevertheless, we managed to scrape together $375 in cash for a wide-carriage Selectric II, and we produced hundreds (maybe even thousands) of fanzine and apazine pages on that typewriter.
I got rid of that Selectric in the mid-1980s, selling it cheaply to a friend who needed it to do his apazines. I had a new Macintosh and was convinced that a computer eliminated my need for a Selectric. And for the most part, I was right. But need and want are different things.
In recent years, I've repeatedly thought how handy it would be to have a typewriter to do checks, envelopes, note cards, and other related items that don't print quickly and/or well on a ColorQube 8570 printer. There's a certain convenience to just rolling a piece of paper into a typewriter, turning it on, hitting a few keys, and being done.
I bought a Brother daisywheel typewriter while it was on sale, but it just wasn't the same. There's this aggravating lag—you hit a key, and there's a fraction of a second delay before the key strikes the paper. Type several letters quickly, and three or four keystrikes occur after you've finished typing. It's positively off-putting, and I frequently find myself worrying if I've mistyped something. Even worse, this lag actually encourages typos—apparently I rely on auditory feedback more than I realized!
Then today, this Selectric II came my way as a Christmas gift. It's used, of course, but in remarkably good shape for a forty-year-old machine—and its provenance includes an unusual link to my and Susan's past, as it turns out. (I've been asked by the seller not to go into too much detail in print, so I'll respect his wishes.) I've tested it, putting it through its motions, and everything seems to be working fine. So now I once again own the world's best typewriter--and this time, I'm not letting it get away, computer technology notwithstanding!
And today, when I watched that Selectric typeball in action, I remembered that day in the West Rome High School office when I was awestruck by my first vision of a Selectric... and it still seems just as incredible today as it was then!
Saturday, December 20, 2014
Fifty Years Ago This Week - 12/21/1964 to 12/27/1964
After a cold snap dropped temperatures into the teens the in the final week of autumn, Rome warmed up for the beginning of winter, with temperatures rising into the 50s for highs and dropping into the 40s for lows during Christmas week. All those dreams of white Christmases melted away with the warmer weather—but at least it was great weather for testing out new Christmas bicycles!
Since the Chieftains lost in the early rounds of the Rome News Tribune Winter Basketball Tournament, it was a week off for all West Romans, including our high school athletes.
The Rome City School System offered a little glimpse into its costs of operation, and what probably seemed pretty steep in 1964 seems amazingly inexpensive by today's standards. For example, the total cost to operate the Rome City Schools (including West Rome High) for one year was $1.63 million, or a total amortized cost of $243.73 per student per year just for salaries and instructional costs. Even allowing for the $7.54 inflation multiplier, I suspect that we're spending a lot more than that in 2014... and getting much less impressive results!
Belk-Rhodes was touting what they claimed would be the Christmas gift of 1964: the Insta-Brewer coffee maker, with a special pressure plunger that forces all the coffee through all the water all at once, thereby making an entire pot of real coffee (not instant) in thirty seconds. Since I don't recall too many people making coffee in this $9.95 wonder back in the 1960s, my guess is that Belk was slightly overestimating the impressiveness of this half-minute marvel...
Piggly Wiggly had tom turkeys for 35¢ a pound, a 24-bottle case of Coca-Cola or Tab for 89¢ plus deposit, and Mrs. Filbert's mayonnaise for 59¢ a quart. Kroger has smoked hams for 39¢ a pound, Country Club ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon, and Chase & Sanborn coffee for 69¢ a pound. A&P had pork roast for 49¢ a pound, raisins for a quarter a pound, and bananas for a dime a pound. Big Apple had hen turkeys for 37¢ a pound, already-cooked fruit pies for 59¢ each, and oranges for 15¢ a pound. Couch's had pork sausage for 29¢ a pound, Campbell's tomato soup for a dime a can, and Aristocrat ice cream for 39¢ a half-gallon.
As was normal for the time, Rome pretty much shut down on Christmas Day, with even the Rome News-Tribune taking the day off. The post office went one step further, taking off both Friday the 25th and Saturday the 26th, leaving Romans without mail for three days in a row.
The cinematic week began with a double feature of Flipper (starring a dolphin) and Gold For the Caesars (a year old grade B film starring Jeffrey Hunter) at the Desoto and a double feature of What a Way to Go (with Shirley MacLaine, Paul Newman, & Robert Mitchum) and Move Over, Darling (with Doris Day & James Garner) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought Topkapi (with Melina Mercouri & Peter Ustinov) to the DeSoto and Pajama Party (with Tommy Kirk & Annette Funicello) to the First Avenue, while the West Rome Drive-In's weekend films were 1001 Arabian Nights (with Mister Magoo) and Barabbas (with Anthony Quinn) at the First Avenue--and that just may be the strangest double-feature in Rome cinematic history!
The Beatles held the number one and number four positions on the top ten charts this week in 1964 with "I Feel Fine" and "She's a Woman" respectively. Other top ten hits included "Come See About Me" by the Supremes (#2); "Mr. Lonely" by Bobby Vinton (#3); "Love Potion Number Nine" by the Searchers (#5); "Goin' Out of My Head" by Little Anthony & the Imperials (#6); "She's Not There" by the Zombies (#7); "Amen" by the Impressions (#8); "The Jerk" by the Impressions (#9); and "The Wedding" by Julie Rogers (#10).
Since the Chieftains lost in the early rounds of the Rome News Tribune Winter Basketball Tournament, it was a week off for all West Romans, including our high school athletes.
The Rome City School System offered a little glimpse into its costs of operation, and what probably seemed pretty steep in 1964 seems amazingly inexpensive by today's standards. For example, the total cost to operate the Rome City Schools (including West Rome High) for one year was $1.63 million, or a total amortized cost of $243.73 per student per year just for salaries and instructional costs. Even allowing for the $7.54 inflation multiplier, I suspect that we're spending a lot more than that in 2014... and getting much less impressive results!
Belk-Rhodes was touting what they claimed would be the Christmas gift of 1964: the Insta-Brewer coffee maker, with a special pressure plunger that forces all the coffee through all the water all at once, thereby making an entire pot of real coffee (not instant) in thirty seconds. Since I don't recall too many people making coffee in this $9.95 wonder back in the 1960s, my guess is that Belk was slightly overestimating the impressiveness of this half-minute marvel...
Piggly Wiggly had tom turkeys for 35¢ a pound, a 24-bottle case of Coca-Cola or Tab for 89¢ plus deposit, and Mrs. Filbert's mayonnaise for 59¢ a quart. Kroger has smoked hams for 39¢ a pound, Country Club ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon, and Chase & Sanborn coffee for 69¢ a pound. A&P had pork roast for 49¢ a pound, raisins for a quarter a pound, and bananas for a dime a pound. Big Apple had hen turkeys for 37¢ a pound, already-cooked fruit pies for 59¢ each, and oranges for 15¢ a pound. Couch's had pork sausage for 29¢ a pound, Campbell's tomato soup for a dime a can, and Aristocrat ice cream for 39¢ a half-gallon.
As was normal for the time, Rome pretty much shut down on Christmas Day, with even the Rome News-Tribune taking the day off. The post office went one step further, taking off both Friday the 25th and Saturday the 26th, leaving Romans without mail for three days in a row.
The cinematic week began with a double feature of Flipper (starring a dolphin) and Gold For the Caesars (a year old grade B film starring Jeffrey Hunter) at the Desoto and a double feature of What a Way to Go (with Shirley MacLaine, Paul Newman, & Robert Mitchum) and Move Over, Darling (with Doris Day & James Garner) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought Topkapi (with Melina Mercouri & Peter Ustinov) to the DeSoto and Pajama Party (with Tommy Kirk & Annette Funicello) to the First Avenue, while the West Rome Drive-In's weekend films were 1001 Arabian Nights (with Mister Magoo) and Barabbas (with Anthony Quinn) at the First Avenue--and that just may be the strangest double-feature in Rome cinematic history!
The Beatles held the number one and number four positions on the top ten charts this week in 1964 with "I Feel Fine" and "She's a Woman" respectively. Other top ten hits included "Come See About Me" by the Supremes (#2); "Mr. Lonely" by Bobby Vinton (#3); "Love Potion Number Nine" by the Searchers (#5); "Goin' Out of My Head" by Little Anthony & the Imperials (#6); "She's Not There" by the Zombies (#7); "Amen" by the Impressions (#8); "The Jerk" by the Impressions (#9); and "The Wedding" by Julie Rogers (#10).
Saturday, December 13, 2014
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 12/14/1964 to 12/20/1964
This was the final week of school before the Christmas Holidays for all of us Chieftains--and the vacation was slated to continue until students returned to school on January 4th, 1965! In the 1960s and early 1970s, students didn't always get two full weeks off, so when we did, it was a cause for extra celebration!
West Rome's wrestlers defeated Rockmart 35-17, winning a total of nine matches--and four of them were won with pins, thanks to the athletic prowess of Mike Murphy, Anthony Salfta, and Greg Ray.
West Rome's basketball team fell to Berry Academy 56-48 in the 11th annual Northwest Georgia Invitational Basketball Tournament.
Chieftain halfback Dickie Sapp was named to the 22-player Class AA all-state team picked by the Associated Press, the only Chieftain named to the team and one of two Romans.
The West Rome Junior Tri-Hi-Y, under the leadership of Regina Swinford, was chosen November club of the month, earning a whopping 190 total points--almost twice times the number of points earned by the second-place East Rome club.
Len Willingham of the West Rome Hi-Y presented principal Dick McPhree with a handsome Bible that was to be designated as the official Bible of West Rome High School. (No one protested, no one sued... yes, the 1960s were a very different time indeed!)
The West Rome National Junior Honor Society inducted seven members to the club. The new members included Matt Oldham, Mike Witte, Patricia Dawson, Myra Beth Boggus, Pat Finley, Teresa Deleski, and Linda West. Debbie Cook was chosen as the first honorary member of the group; she met all the requirements for membership, but because she was unable to attend school, she was taught at home, making her ineligible for full membership.
A cold front moved into Rome on Friday, dropping temperatures to the low teens, with daytime highs in the mid thirties. I'm sure I wasn't the only kid in West Rome hoping for a little bit of snow to go with all that cold weather!...
The holiday season continued strong in Rome Department stores, with a 20% sales increase over year-to-date 1963 and a 16% decline in charge account balances--proof positive that Romans were buying more and paying for it sooner. For the Rome economy, Christmas 1964 was proving to be a boom period indeed!
Doc Elliott's Discount House broke out appliances and electronics for Christmas 1964, offering a ten-cup percolator (remember when that was the standard way of making coffee at home?) for $9.95, a 40-cup percolator for $14.95, a battery-powered tape recorder for $12.95, an eight inch portable TV for $60.00 (although why anyone in Rome would want one, I don't know, since we were too far from Atlanta or Chattanooga for any portable TV to pick up a signal without a very large outdoor antenna), and a transistor radio for $9.99. As was all too common in 1960s ads, no brand names were mentioned.
Piggly Wiggly had Fleetwood coffee for 59¢ a pound, tom turkeys for 35¢ a pound, and chocolate covered cherries (a luxurious Christmas favorite in my house, to be rationed and savored into early January if at all possible) for 89¢ a pound. Kroger had chuck roast for 39¢ a pound, fruit cocktail for 18¢ a 16-ounce can, and tangerines for 35¢ a dozen. Big Apple had baking hens for 39¢ a pound, a five-pound bag of Ballard flour for 49¢, and king size cooked fruit pies for 59¢ a pound. A&P had sirloin steak for 89¢ a puns, Sealtest ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon, and red delicious apples for a nickel each. Couch's had smoked cured picnic hams for 27¢ a pound, a five-pound bag of Dixie Crystals sugar for 29¢, and Saltines for 19¢ a box (I don't think that's what they mean when they talk about the British tradition of Christmas crackers...).
The first half of the week offered moviegoers the choice of The Fall of the Roman Empire (with Sophia Loren, Alec Guinness, and James Mason) at the DeSoto Theater and a very forgettable double feature of Guns at Batasi and Apache Rifles at the First Avenue (with only two indoor theaters in Rome and oodles of major studio films being released, they still dredged up these throwaway B-movies from time to time). The midweek switch out brought two "rerun movies" to the DeSoto—McLintock (with John Wayne) and A Hard Day's Night (with the Beatles). The First Avenue was showing The Lively Set (with James Darren), while the West Rome Drive-In was screening a forgettable double feature of Street of Mystery and 13 West Street on the weekend. Of course, as cold as it was that weekend, most people going to the drive-in saw nothing more than a fogged-up windshield...
The Beatles returned to the top of the charts with "I Feel Fine" this week in 1964. Other top ten hits included "Come See About Me" by the Supremes (#2); "Mr. Lonely" by Bobby Vinton (#3); "She's a Woman" by the Beatles (#4); "She's Not There" by the Zombies (#5); "Goin' Out of My Head" by Little Anthony & the Imperials (#6); "Ringo" by Lorne Greene (#7); "Dance, Dance, Dance" by the Beach Boys (#8); "The Jerk" by the Larks (#9); and ""Time Is On My Side" by the Rolling Stones (#10).
West Rome's wrestlers defeated Rockmart 35-17, winning a total of nine matches--and four of them were won with pins, thanks to the athletic prowess of Mike Murphy, Anthony Salfta, and Greg Ray.
West Rome's basketball team fell to Berry Academy 56-48 in the 11th annual Northwest Georgia Invitational Basketball Tournament.
Chieftain halfback Dickie Sapp was named to the 22-player Class AA all-state team picked by the Associated Press, the only Chieftain named to the team and one of two Romans.
The West Rome Junior Tri-Hi-Y, under the leadership of Regina Swinford, was chosen November club of the month, earning a whopping 190 total points--almost twice times the number of points earned by the second-place East Rome club.
Len Willingham of the West Rome Hi-Y presented principal Dick McPhree with a handsome Bible that was to be designated as the official Bible of West Rome High School. (No one protested, no one sued... yes, the 1960s were a very different time indeed!)
The West Rome National Junior Honor Society inducted seven members to the club. The new members included Matt Oldham, Mike Witte, Patricia Dawson, Myra Beth Boggus, Pat Finley, Teresa Deleski, and Linda West. Debbie Cook was chosen as the first honorary member of the group; she met all the requirements for membership, but because she was unable to attend school, she was taught at home, making her ineligible for full membership.
A cold front moved into Rome on Friday, dropping temperatures to the low teens, with daytime highs in the mid thirties. I'm sure I wasn't the only kid in West Rome hoping for a little bit of snow to go with all that cold weather!...
The holiday season continued strong in Rome Department stores, with a 20% sales increase over year-to-date 1963 and a 16% decline in charge account balances--proof positive that Romans were buying more and paying for it sooner. For the Rome economy, Christmas 1964 was proving to be a boom period indeed!
Doc Elliott's Discount House broke out appliances and electronics for Christmas 1964, offering a ten-cup percolator (remember when that was the standard way of making coffee at home?) for $9.95, a 40-cup percolator for $14.95, a battery-powered tape recorder for $12.95, an eight inch portable TV for $60.00 (although why anyone in Rome would want one, I don't know, since we were too far from Atlanta or Chattanooga for any portable TV to pick up a signal without a very large outdoor antenna), and a transistor radio for $9.99. As was all too common in 1960s ads, no brand names were mentioned.
Piggly Wiggly had Fleetwood coffee for 59¢ a pound, tom turkeys for 35¢ a pound, and chocolate covered cherries (a luxurious Christmas favorite in my house, to be rationed and savored into early January if at all possible) for 89¢ a pound. Kroger had chuck roast for 39¢ a pound, fruit cocktail for 18¢ a 16-ounce can, and tangerines for 35¢ a dozen. Big Apple had baking hens for 39¢ a pound, a five-pound bag of Ballard flour for 49¢, and king size cooked fruit pies for 59¢ a pound. A&P had sirloin steak for 89¢ a puns, Sealtest ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon, and red delicious apples for a nickel each. Couch's had smoked cured picnic hams for 27¢ a pound, a five-pound bag of Dixie Crystals sugar for 29¢, and Saltines for 19¢ a box (I don't think that's what they mean when they talk about the British tradition of Christmas crackers...).
The first half of the week offered moviegoers the choice of The Fall of the Roman Empire (with Sophia Loren, Alec Guinness, and James Mason) at the DeSoto Theater and a very forgettable double feature of Guns at Batasi and Apache Rifles at the First Avenue (with only two indoor theaters in Rome and oodles of major studio films being released, they still dredged up these throwaway B-movies from time to time). The midweek switch out brought two "rerun movies" to the DeSoto—McLintock (with John Wayne) and A Hard Day's Night (with the Beatles). The First Avenue was showing The Lively Set (with James Darren), while the West Rome Drive-In was screening a forgettable double feature of Street of Mystery and 13 West Street on the weekend. Of course, as cold as it was that weekend, most people going to the drive-in saw nothing more than a fogged-up windshield...
The Beatles returned to the top of the charts with "I Feel Fine" this week in 1964. Other top ten hits included "Come See About Me" by the Supremes (#2); "Mr. Lonely" by Bobby Vinton (#3); "She's a Woman" by the Beatles (#4); "She's Not There" by the Zombies (#5); "Goin' Out of My Head" by Little Anthony & the Imperials (#6); "Ringo" by Lorne Greene (#7); "Dance, Dance, Dance" by the Beach Boys (#8); "The Jerk" by the Larks (#9); and ""Time Is On My Side" by the Rolling Stones (#10).
Saturday, December 06, 2014
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 12/7/1964 to 12/13/1964
Apparently there were lots of ambitious plans in the 1960s that never came to fruition: A Georgia state legislative committee talked about launching a study of the possibility of developing Rome into a major inland port. They committee was confident that the US Army Corps of Engineers, the Alabama Power Company, and the US government were going to expand the Coosa-Alabama River system into a fully navigable waterway capable of bringing cargo barges to Rome. The committee recommended that $12 million be budgeted to develop plans for Rome's ports as well as a railway expansion to move shipments from the ports to other cities across the Southeast. The committee proposal indicated that the port and docks should be up and running by 1971. Alas, this was yet another governmental pipe dream, as neither the waterway expansion or the port development ever came to be... I guess the Shrimp Boat restaurant in Central Plaza was as close as we ever came...
More segments of I-75 opened this week in 1964, including a 16-mile section between Calhoun and Dalton and a 19 mile section from the Tennessee Chattanooga state line to a location just north of Dalton. And showing that hope springs eternal, Rome and Floyd County civic leaders were optimistic that a direct link from Rome to I-75 would be completed by 1972.
On December 10th, WROM was granted a permit to construct and operate its very own FM station at 97.7 megacycles. WROM president Charles Doss said construction of the Dempsey-Covington Building studios and broadcast center and the Mount Alto Road tower would take just over two months, and the station would be on the air by February 1965. (Can anyone build anything on this scale in two months today?)
While West Rome's girls had a good weekend, defeating East Rome 27-23, the boys basketball team didn't fare as well, falling to the Gladiators 43-37. Diane Bell was top scorer for the girls with 13 points, while Rusty Oxford was tops for the Chiefs with 10 points.
The American Cancer Society sponsored an anti-smoking chapel program on Thursday, December 10th, in the West Rome auditorium.
The West Rome Tri-Hi-Y and Hi-Y clubs placed decorated goodwill boxes in each homeroom this week in 1964; the students filled the boxes with canned goods and other food items to be given to needy families to make their Christmas holidays a little brighter.
The Rome News-Tribune and the Associated Press made it easy to remember the historic events of 1964: they began taking orders for 1964: The World As We Lived It, a handsome $3 hardcover that offered a month-by-month view of the most important news stories, complete with hundreds of black & white and color photos. The Rome News-Tribune offered gift cards for those who wanted to give the book as a Christmas present, since the book wouldn't actually be available until late January or early February 1965. I fell in love with these books as soon as I saw the first volume, and still have a set of all the volumes published until the series was discontinued in 1977.
National City Bank increased its savings certificate interest rate to 4.5% this week in 1964 (if only we could earn that interest rate today!). Rome Bank & Trust was advertising an interest rate of 4.375%.
Just how expensive was a color television back in 1964? Well, B&L Appliance Center had a 21" Westinghouse console with VHF and UHF tuners, complete with an all-wood cabinet in maple or oak, for only $18.95 a month... for 36 months! That's $682.20 total--and when you allow for the inflation multiplier of 7.54, that makes the total cost equal to $5,143.00 in today's dollars. Meanwhile, Rome Radio had a 21" RCA color console in a similar all-wood cabinet for $19.25 a month for the same 36 months; that's a total of $693.00 in 1964 dollars and the equivalent of $5225.00 today. The bargain color TV of the season was the Zenith Clayton model, a contemporary console priced at $498 or $15.60 a month for 36 months--that's $561.60 total, which equals a mere $4234.00 in today's dollars. If you think a 65" 4K UHD television costs a lot today, just imagine how much better it looks than this 1964 21" set.
Piggly Wiggly had Wilson pork sausage for 33¢ a pound, oranges for a dime a pound, and eggs for 45¢ a dozen. Kroger had center-cut pork chops for 49¢ a pound, pork & beans for a dime a can, and a 14-ounce bottle of Heinz ketchup for 15¢. Big Apple had sirloin steak for 87¢ a pound, five pounds of Domino sugar for 39¢, and tangerine for 25¢ a dozen. A&P had fresh whole fryers for a quarter a pound, five pounds of Gold Medal flour for 49¢, and Sealtest ice cream for 69¢ a half-gallon. Couch's had cured ham for 35¢ a pound, Double Cola for 89¢ a case plus deposit, and the always-popular-in-my-home Campbell's Tomato Soup for 9¢ a can.
And just in time for sandwiches made out of upcoming Christmas leftovers, Merita began promoting their "ultra-long giant loaf" of white bread, which had 30 slices plus the two end pieces, for only 29¢.
The first half of the week offered moviegoers a choice of Fail Safe at the DeSoto Theater and Take Her, She's Mine (with Jimmy Stewart & Sandra Dee) at the First Avenue. The mid-week switch out brought The Fall of the Roman Empire (with Sophia Loren & Alec Guinness) to the DeSoto, Connie (with Connie Francis & Jim Hutton) to the First Avenue, and a double feature of Blood on the Arrow and The Thin Red Line to the West Rome Drive-In (which has still showing films on weekends only).
The number one song this week in 1964 was "Come See About Me" by the Supremes. Other top ten hits included "I Feel Fine" by the Beatles (#2); "Mr. Lonely" by Bobby Vinton (#3); "She's Not There" by the Zombies (#4); "Ringo" by Lorne Greene (#5); "Time Is On My Side" by the Rolling Stones (#6); "Going Out of My Head" by Little Anthony & the Imperials (#7); "Dance, Dance, Dance" by the Beach Boys (#8); "I'm Gonna Be Strong" by Gene Pitney (#9); and "You Really Got Me" by the Kinks (#10).
More segments of I-75 opened this week in 1964, including a 16-mile section between Calhoun and Dalton and a 19 mile section from the Tennessee Chattanooga state line to a location just north of Dalton. And showing that hope springs eternal, Rome and Floyd County civic leaders were optimistic that a direct link from Rome to I-75 would be completed by 1972.
On December 10th, WROM was granted a permit to construct and operate its very own FM station at 97.7 megacycles. WROM president Charles Doss said construction of the Dempsey-Covington Building studios and broadcast center and the Mount Alto Road tower would take just over two months, and the station would be on the air by February 1965. (Can anyone build anything on this scale in two months today?)
While West Rome's girls had a good weekend, defeating East Rome 27-23, the boys basketball team didn't fare as well, falling to the Gladiators 43-37. Diane Bell was top scorer for the girls with 13 points, while Rusty Oxford was tops for the Chiefs with 10 points.
The American Cancer Society sponsored an anti-smoking chapel program on Thursday, December 10th, in the West Rome auditorium.
The West Rome Tri-Hi-Y and Hi-Y clubs placed decorated goodwill boxes in each homeroom this week in 1964; the students filled the boxes with canned goods and other food items to be given to needy families to make their Christmas holidays a little brighter.
The Rome News-Tribune and the Associated Press made it easy to remember the historic events of 1964: they began taking orders for 1964: The World As We Lived It, a handsome $3 hardcover that offered a month-by-month view of the most important news stories, complete with hundreds of black & white and color photos. The Rome News-Tribune offered gift cards for those who wanted to give the book as a Christmas present, since the book wouldn't actually be available until late January or early February 1965. I fell in love with these books as soon as I saw the first volume, and still have a set of all the volumes published until the series was discontinued in 1977.
National City Bank increased its savings certificate interest rate to 4.5% this week in 1964 (if only we could earn that interest rate today!). Rome Bank & Trust was advertising an interest rate of 4.375%.
Just how expensive was a color television back in 1964? Well, B&L Appliance Center had a 21" Westinghouse console with VHF and UHF tuners, complete with an all-wood cabinet in maple or oak, for only $18.95 a month... for 36 months! That's $682.20 total--and when you allow for the inflation multiplier of 7.54, that makes the total cost equal to $5,143.00 in today's dollars. Meanwhile, Rome Radio had a 21" RCA color console in a similar all-wood cabinet for $19.25 a month for the same 36 months; that's a total of $693.00 in 1964 dollars and the equivalent of $5225.00 today. The bargain color TV of the season was the Zenith Clayton model, a contemporary console priced at $498 or $15.60 a month for 36 months--that's $561.60 total, which equals a mere $4234.00 in today's dollars. If you think a 65" 4K UHD television costs a lot today, just imagine how much better it looks than this 1964 21" set.
Piggly Wiggly had Wilson pork sausage for 33¢ a pound, oranges for a dime a pound, and eggs for 45¢ a dozen. Kroger had center-cut pork chops for 49¢ a pound, pork & beans for a dime a can, and a 14-ounce bottle of Heinz ketchup for 15¢. Big Apple had sirloin steak for 87¢ a pound, five pounds of Domino sugar for 39¢, and tangerine for 25¢ a dozen. A&P had fresh whole fryers for a quarter a pound, five pounds of Gold Medal flour for 49¢, and Sealtest ice cream for 69¢ a half-gallon. Couch's had cured ham for 35¢ a pound, Double Cola for 89¢ a case plus deposit, and the always-popular-in-my-home Campbell's Tomato Soup for 9¢ a can.
And just in time for sandwiches made out of upcoming Christmas leftovers, Merita began promoting their "ultra-long giant loaf" of white bread, which had 30 slices plus the two end pieces, for only 29¢.
The first half of the week offered moviegoers a choice of Fail Safe at the DeSoto Theater and Take Her, She's Mine (with Jimmy Stewart & Sandra Dee) at the First Avenue. The mid-week switch out brought The Fall of the Roman Empire (with Sophia Loren & Alec Guinness) to the DeSoto, Connie (with Connie Francis & Jim Hutton) to the First Avenue, and a double feature of Blood on the Arrow and The Thin Red Line to the West Rome Drive-In (which has still showing films on weekends only).
The number one song this week in 1964 was "Come See About Me" by the Supremes. Other top ten hits included "I Feel Fine" by the Beatles (#2); "Mr. Lonely" by Bobby Vinton (#3); "She's Not There" by the Zombies (#4); "Ringo" by Lorne Greene (#5); "Time Is On My Side" by the Rolling Stones (#6); "Going Out of My Head" by Little Anthony & the Imperials (#7); "Dance, Dance, Dance" by the Beach Boys (#8); "I'm Gonna Be Strong" by Gene Pitney (#9); and "You Really Got Me" by the Kinks (#10).
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 11/30/1964 to 12/6/1964
Rome officially began the Christmas season with the Monday evening arrival of Santa, who landed at Barron Stadium via helicopter before joining the 28-unit Christmas parade up Broad Street to the Rome City Auditorium, where he officiated the lighting of the Christmas Tree and all the Christmas lights along Broad Street. The West Rome Junior High Band and the West Rome High Marching Band, as well as the homecoming queen, were a part of the parade.
The weather was perfect for a Christmas event: it was dry and clear, but very, very cold, with highs in the upper thirties and low forties during the day on Monday and Tuesday and lows in the upper teens.
Christmas season also saw the premiere of the three-day Christmas show sponsored by the Floyd County Home Demonstration Clubs. The event, held at the Rome Civic Center, was developed around the theme "An Old Fashioned Christmas at Home," with participants from around the area, including West Rome.
The holiday sales season got off with a rip-roaring start, with Rome and Floyd County merchants reporting record sales for the first week of the Christmas season. Of course, there was good reason: Rome was also reporting an all-time record high payroll in 1964, banks were reporting record savings account balances, and more Romans participated in Christmas Club savings accounts than ever before. Estimates indicated that spending for the early part of the Christmas season was running 20% to 30% higher than the year before, which had set its own records.
And here's a real season opener: NBC presented the television premiere of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer on Sunday, December 6th. The show became an annual tradition on NBC, appearing there every year until it moved to CBS in 1972.
In honor of the holidays, Redford's 5¢ and 10¢ on Broad Street "Christmased up" its menu, adding cranberry sauce to its 50¢ fried chicken dinner that included two pieces of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, and a roll. None of that stuff with berries in it, either: this was the 1960s "real deal" jellied cranberry sauce that still carried the shape of the can! (No, they don't say that in the ad, but I remember it well... at the time, I had no idea there was any other type of cranberry sauce, in fact!)
The West Rome Hi-Y and Tri-Hi-Y clubs took part in a countywide "Operation Goodwill" program to collect food and toys for Christmas; the toys would go to the Marines Toys for Tots program, while the food would go to the Salvation Army for distribution to needy families. Homerooms were urged to begin collecting food and toys in preparation for "Goodwill Week" on December 7th-11th.
It was a good week for Chieftain athletes: West Rome's wrestlers defeated East Rome 29-26 on Thursday, December 3rd. Then West Rome opened its basketball season on Friday, December 4th, with a game against Chattooga—a game that the Chieftains won 49-30, led by the outstanding performances of Donnie Hill and Stan Dawson. Perhaps they were spurred to victory by the pep rally that preceded the season opener...
Changes were proposed for Battey Hospital: a state commission studying mental health problems in Georgia recommended that Battey be used for overflow from the Milledgeville State Psychiatric Hospital.
Eastern Airlines was eager to get rid of its Rome flight service, and Southern Airlines was willing to take the routes, if the Civil Aeronautics Board approved the transfer. They listened to both airlines present their requests, then postponed any decision until they could hold public hearings on March 16, 1965.
Nelson Brothers Service Station at 618 Shorter Avenue suffered a break-in on Monday night; the thieves gained access to the service station through an unsecured garage door at Pettyjohn's Body Shop at the rear of the service station. The thieves made off with $230, two retread tires, and three inner tubes (they might have taken more, but they got tired...).
The Imperial Service Station at 2205 Shorter Avenue celebrated the holidays with a special "buy eight gallons or more of gasoline and get two extra gallons for free" promotion. With 94 octane regular at 29.9¢ and 100-octane ethyl at 31.9¢, the price was already pretty cheap, but this made it as much as 20% cheaper! And if that wasn't enough, they gave you a one copper penny bonus refund for each gallon purchased!
Piggly Wiggly had Swift's premium bacon for 49¢ a pound, eggs for 33¢ a dozen, and fully baked fruit pies for 59¢. Kroger had an eight-ounce can of tuna for 27¢, Maxwell House coffee for 59¢ a pound, and pit-cooked barbecue sandwiches for a dime each. Big Apple had fresh whole fryers for 25¢ a pound, Bailey's Supreme coffee for 55¢ a pound, and tangerines for 15¢ a pound. A&P had pork loin for 49¢ a pound, a five-pound Jane Parker fruitcake for $3.99, and an 18-ounce can of fruit cocktail for 27¢. Couch's had 18 ounce jars of Blue Plate jelly in assorted flavors for 39¢, veal chops for 59¢ a pound, and the never-popular Libby's potted meat for a dime a can.
The cinematic week began with Elvis Presley's Roustabout at the DeSoto and Bikini Beach at the First Avenue. The midweek change-up brought Fail Safe to the DeSoto and a double feature of Witchcraft and The Horror of It All to the First Avenue, while West Rome Drive-In offered a weekend double feature of Pepe and Zotz.
The number one song this week in 1964 was "Mr. Lonely" by Bobby Vinton. Other top ten hits included "She's Not There" by the Zombies (#2); "Ringo" by Lorne Greene (#3); "Come See About Me" by the Supremes (#4); "I Feel Fine" by the Beatles, making their return to the charts after a record-setting summer (#5); "Time Is On My Side" by the Rolling Stones (#6); "You Really Got Me" by the Kinks (#7); "Baby Love" by the Supremes (#8); "I'm Gonna Be Strong" by Gene Pitney (#9); and "Dance, Dance, Dance" by the Beach Boys (#10). Four British Invasion groups on the Top Ten charts was quite impressive, but the fact that the Supremes had two of the Top Ten was even more outstanding!
The weather was perfect for a Christmas event: it was dry and clear, but very, very cold, with highs in the upper thirties and low forties during the day on Monday and Tuesday and lows in the upper teens.
Christmas season also saw the premiere of the three-day Christmas show sponsored by the Floyd County Home Demonstration Clubs. The event, held at the Rome Civic Center, was developed around the theme "An Old Fashioned Christmas at Home," with participants from around the area, including West Rome.
The holiday sales season got off with a rip-roaring start, with Rome and Floyd County merchants reporting record sales for the first week of the Christmas season. Of course, there was good reason: Rome was also reporting an all-time record high payroll in 1964, banks were reporting record savings account balances, and more Romans participated in Christmas Club savings accounts than ever before. Estimates indicated that spending for the early part of the Christmas season was running 20% to 30% higher than the year before, which had set its own records.
And here's a real season opener: NBC presented the television premiere of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer on Sunday, December 6th. The show became an annual tradition on NBC, appearing there every year until it moved to CBS in 1972.
In honor of the holidays, Redford's 5¢ and 10¢ on Broad Street "Christmased up" its menu, adding cranberry sauce to its 50¢ fried chicken dinner that included two pieces of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, and a roll. None of that stuff with berries in it, either: this was the 1960s "real deal" jellied cranberry sauce that still carried the shape of the can! (No, they don't say that in the ad, but I remember it well... at the time, I had no idea there was any other type of cranberry sauce, in fact!)
The West Rome Hi-Y and Tri-Hi-Y clubs took part in a countywide "Operation Goodwill" program to collect food and toys for Christmas; the toys would go to the Marines Toys for Tots program, while the food would go to the Salvation Army for distribution to needy families. Homerooms were urged to begin collecting food and toys in preparation for "Goodwill Week" on December 7th-11th.
It was a good week for Chieftain athletes: West Rome's wrestlers defeated East Rome 29-26 on Thursday, December 3rd. Then West Rome opened its basketball season on Friday, December 4th, with a game against Chattooga—a game that the Chieftains won 49-30, led by the outstanding performances of Donnie Hill and Stan Dawson. Perhaps they were spurred to victory by the pep rally that preceded the season opener...
Changes were proposed for Battey Hospital: a state commission studying mental health problems in Georgia recommended that Battey be used for overflow from the Milledgeville State Psychiatric Hospital.
Eastern Airlines was eager to get rid of its Rome flight service, and Southern Airlines was willing to take the routes, if the Civil Aeronautics Board approved the transfer. They listened to both airlines present their requests, then postponed any decision until they could hold public hearings on March 16, 1965.
Nelson Brothers Service Station at 618 Shorter Avenue suffered a break-in on Monday night; the thieves gained access to the service station through an unsecured garage door at Pettyjohn's Body Shop at the rear of the service station. The thieves made off with $230, two retread tires, and three inner tubes (they might have taken more, but they got tired...).
The Imperial Service Station at 2205 Shorter Avenue celebrated the holidays with a special "buy eight gallons or more of gasoline and get two extra gallons for free" promotion. With 94 octane regular at 29.9¢ and 100-octane ethyl at 31.9¢, the price was already pretty cheap, but this made it as much as 20% cheaper! And if that wasn't enough, they gave you a one copper penny bonus refund for each gallon purchased!
Piggly Wiggly had Swift's premium bacon for 49¢ a pound, eggs for 33¢ a dozen, and fully baked fruit pies for 59¢. Kroger had an eight-ounce can of tuna for 27¢, Maxwell House coffee for 59¢ a pound, and pit-cooked barbecue sandwiches for a dime each. Big Apple had fresh whole fryers for 25¢ a pound, Bailey's Supreme coffee for 55¢ a pound, and tangerines for 15¢ a pound. A&P had pork loin for 49¢ a pound, a five-pound Jane Parker fruitcake for $3.99, and an 18-ounce can of fruit cocktail for 27¢. Couch's had 18 ounce jars of Blue Plate jelly in assorted flavors for 39¢, veal chops for 59¢ a pound, and the never-popular Libby's potted meat for a dime a can.
The cinematic week began with Elvis Presley's Roustabout at the DeSoto and Bikini Beach at the First Avenue. The midweek change-up brought Fail Safe to the DeSoto and a double feature of Witchcraft and The Horror of It All to the First Avenue, while West Rome Drive-In offered a weekend double feature of Pepe and Zotz.
The number one song this week in 1964 was "Mr. Lonely" by Bobby Vinton. Other top ten hits included "She's Not There" by the Zombies (#2); "Ringo" by Lorne Greene (#3); "Come See About Me" by the Supremes (#4); "I Feel Fine" by the Beatles, making their return to the charts after a record-setting summer (#5); "Time Is On My Side" by the Rolling Stones (#6); "You Really Got Me" by the Kinks (#7); "Baby Love" by the Supremes (#8); "I'm Gonna Be Strong" by Gene Pitney (#9); and "Dance, Dance, Dance" by the Beach Boys (#10). Four British Invasion groups on the Top Ten charts was quite impressive, but the fact that the Supremes had two of the Top Ten was even more outstanding!
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 11/23/1964 to 11/29/1964
it was a short school week for Rome City Schools students: students attended school on Monday, November 23rd, then took the rest of the week off for Thanksgiving. Teachers weren't quite as fortunate--they had to endure all-day teachers meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday, which undoubtedly made them particularly thankful once Thanksgiving day arrived!
The West Rome Junior High Student Council, under the guidance of sponsor Miss Kitty Alford, decorated the West Rome cafeteria on Monday. The annual Thanksgiving meal was served in the lunchroom after a blessing was given over the intercom at the beginning of each lunch period.
The day after Thanksgiving marked the beginning of the Christmas shopping season in 1964 just as it does today. The term "Black Friday" wasn't used back then, however; instead, Rome marked the beginning of the shopping season with a two-day "Rome Days" event in which almost every merchant offered sales to launch the holiday season. 23" black and white console TVs for $218.88 at Western Auto, a seven-piece living room suite for $149.95 at Harper Nichols, an electric hand mixer for $9.88 at Enloe's Rexall Drugs, a Philco stereo radio-phono for $99 at Economy Auto, all-wool sport coats for $19.97 at Wyatt's, women's high heeled shoes for $5.99 at Higgins, a 45-piece Melmac dinnerware set for $15.84 at Murphy's, a box of 25 shotgun shells for $1.59 at Doc Elliott's Discount House... all this and so much more!
Talk of Floyd Junior College began anew this week in 1964, although some civic leaders said it was premature to discuss too many specifics. "The Board of Regents is moving as rapidly as possible to provide colleges in every community where the population economically justifies it," Dr. Harry Downs of the Board of Regents said. He assured Romans, however, that Rome was in the running for a new junior college, and decisions would be made "very soon."
Kroger had Swift's butterball hen turkeys for 39¢ a pound, canned biscuits for a nickel a can, and coconuts for 15¢ each. Big Apple had tom turkeys for 33¢ a pound, celery for a dime a bunch, and fully cooked cherry pies for 39¢ each. A&P had rib roast for 69¢ a pound, apples for 6¢ a pound, and 3 pounds of JFG coffee for $1. Piggly Wiggly had whole hams for 39¢ a pound, Coca Cola or Tab for 89¢ a case plus deposit, and pumpkin pies for 33¢ each. Couch's had smoked hams for 49¢ a pound, sweet potatoes for 12¢ a pound, and Ocean Spray cranberry sauce for 19¢ a can.
The cinematic week began with Send Me No Flowers (with Rock Hudson & Doris Day) at the DeSoto and It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought Roustabout (with Elvis Presley) and Bikini Beach (with Frankie Avalon & Annette Funicello) to both the First Avenue Theater and the West Rome Drive-In. Apparently theater owner had low expectations for Thanksgiving weekend...
Bonanza star Lorne Green took the number one slot this week in 1964 with his Western ballad "Ringo." Other top ten hits included "Mr. Lonely" by Bobby Vinton (#2); "Leader of the Pack" by the Shangri-Las (#3); "She's Not There" by the Zombies (#4); "Baby Love" by the Supremes (#5); "Time Is On My Side" by the Rolling Stones (#6); "You Really Got Me" by the Kinks (#7); Come See About Me" by the Supremes (#8); "Mountain of Love" by Johnny Rivers (#9); and "I'm Gonna Be Strong" by Gene Pitney (#10).
The West Rome Junior High Student Council, under the guidance of sponsor Miss Kitty Alford, decorated the West Rome cafeteria on Monday. The annual Thanksgiving meal was served in the lunchroom after a blessing was given over the intercom at the beginning of each lunch period.
The day after Thanksgiving marked the beginning of the Christmas shopping season in 1964 just as it does today. The term "Black Friday" wasn't used back then, however; instead, Rome marked the beginning of the shopping season with a two-day "Rome Days" event in which almost every merchant offered sales to launch the holiday season. 23" black and white console TVs for $218.88 at Western Auto, a seven-piece living room suite for $149.95 at Harper Nichols, an electric hand mixer for $9.88 at Enloe's Rexall Drugs, a Philco stereo radio-phono for $99 at Economy Auto, all-wool sport coats for $19.97 at Wyatt's, women's high heeled shoes for $5.99 at Higgins, a 45-piece Melmac dinnerware set for $15.84 at Murphy's, a box of 25 shotgun shells for $1.59 at Doc Elliott's Discount House... all this and so much more!
Talk of Floyd Junior College began anew this week in 1964, although some civic leaders said it was premature to discuss too many specifics. "The Board of Regents is moving as rapidly as possible to provide colleges in every community where the population economically justifies it," Dr. Harry Downs of the Board of Regents said. He assured Romans, however, that Rome was in the running for a new junior college, and decisions would be made "very soon."
Kroger had Swift's butterball hen turkeys for 39¢ a pound, canned biscuits for a nickel a can, and coconuts for 15¢ each. Big Apple had tom turkeys for 33¢ a pound, celery for a dime a bunch, and fully cooked cherry pies for 39¢ each. A&P had rib roast for 69¢ a pound, apples for 6¢ a pound, and 3 pounds of JFG coffee for $1. Piggly Wiggly had whole hams for 39¢ a pound, Coca Cola or Tab for 89¢ a case plus deposit, and pumpkin pies for 33¢ each. Couch's had smoked hams for 49¢ a pound, sweet potatoes for 12¢ a pound, and Ocean Spray cranberry sauce for 19¢ a can.
The cinematic week began with Send Me No Flowers (with Rock Hudson & Doris Day) at the DeSoto and It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought Roustabout (with Elvis Presley) and Bikini Beach (with Frankie Avalon & Annette Funicello) to both the First Avenue Theater and the West Rome Drive-In. Apparently theater owner had low expectations for Thanksgiving weekend...
Bonanza star Lorne Green took the number one slot this week in 1964 with his Western ballad "Ringo." Other top ten hits included "Mr. Lonely" by Bobby Vinton (#2); "Leader of the Pack" by the Shangri-Las (#3); "She's Not There" by the Zombies (#4); "Baby Love" by the Supremes (#5); "Time Is On My Side" by the Rolling Stones (#6); "You Really Got Me" by the Kinks (#7); Come See About Me" by the Supremes (#8); "Mountain of Love" by Johnny Rivers (#9); and "I'm Gonna Be Strong" by Gene Pitney (#10).
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 11/16/1964 to 11/22/1964
Economic good times continued in Rome in the last quarter of 1964: all of Rome's department stores posted an increase of 4%+ above sales levels for the same period in 1963, while charge account balances dropped by 3% or more. That meant that Romans were spending more money, but were able to pay for their purchases in cash rather than financing them--two signs of a growing economy. And even those who charged purchases were paying their bills off more quickly--in an average of 62 days, which was 4 days shorter than the average finance period in 1963.
The West Rome Junior High Library Club was organized under the direction of Mrs. Martha Hurst, school librarian; the club members, who called themselves the Book Worms, were involved in several service projects to benefit the library. Club officers included Edwin Dodd, president; Tommy Horton, vice-president; Robert Smiderski, secretary-treasurer; and Celeste Green, reporter.
This was the final week that students could place orders for their very own copy of the 1965 Watanyah, the West Rome yearbook. (Wish I could find a record of how much a yearbook cost in 1965... my guess, trying to retro-calculate from today's prices, would be $10, but I'm just not sure.)
Meteorological history repeats itself: on November 20th, a strong cold front moved through Rome, dropping temperatures from lows in the mid-40s to lows in the low 20s.
Did you remember that I-75 was far from complete back in 1964? This week in '64, the state announced that three more sections of I-75 were slated to open before the end of the year: 10 miles from the Tennessee line to Ringgold, 16 miles between Dalton and Georgia 53, and 9 miles from US 41 above Tunnel Hill to US 41 north of Dalton. From there, travelers were routed back onto US 41, which remained a major north-south route in Georgia through the 1970s. (Anyone remember the Christmas season backups from Cartersville to Marietta during the Christmas season? Hundreds of cars would make a rest stop at Stuckey's in Acworth every day, just to get a break from the traffic.)
Piggly Wiggly had 10-14 pound turkeys for 35¢ a pound, 5 pounds of Dixie Crystals sugar for 29¢, and a quart of JFG mayonnaise for 39¢. Kroger has Wishbone turkeys for 38¢ a pound, pumpkin pies for 33¢ each, and bananas for a dime a pound. Big Apple had Butterball hens for 39¢ a pound, grade A large eggs for 47¢ a dozen, and ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon. A&P had pork loin for 43¢ a pound, five pounds of grapefruit for 33¢, and a one-pound box of saltines for 31¢. Couch's had whole or half hams for 33¢ a pound, JFG coffee for 69¢ a pound, and Double Cola for 89¢ a case plus deposit.
The cinematic week began with the Hank Williams Sr. biography Your Cheating Heart (with George Hamilton) at the DeSoto and It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (with a true all-star cast) at the First Avenue. The midweek movie switch-out brought Send Me No Flowers (with Rock Hudson, Doris Day, & Tony Randall) to the DeSoto and The Notorious Landlady (with Kim Novak, Jack Lemmon, & Fred Astaire) to the West Rome Drive-In, while It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World continued at the First Avenue for another week.
The Shangri-Las' "Leader of the Pack" took first place this week in 1964, bouncing the Supremes "Baby Love" down to the number two position. Other top ten hits included "Come a Little Bit Closer" by Jay & the Americans (#3); "She's Not There" by the Zombies (#4); "Ringo" by Lorne Greene (#5); "Mr. Lonely" by Bobby Vinton (#6); "You Really Got Me" by the Kinks (#7); "Time Is On My Side" by the Rolling Stones (#8); "Last Kiss" by J. Frank Wilson & the Cavaliers (#9); and "Mountain of Love" by Johnny Rivers (#10).
The West Rome Junior High Library Club was organized under the direction of Mrs. Martha Hurst, school librarian; the club members, who called themselves the Book Worms, were involved in several service projects to benefit the library. Club officers included Edwin Dodd, president; Tommy Horton, vice-president; Robert Smiderski, secretary-treasurer; and Celeste Green, reporter.
This was the final week that students could place orders for their very own copy of the 1965 Watanyah, the West Rome yearbook. (Wish I could find a record of how much a yearbook cost in 1965... my guess, trying to retro-calculate from today's prices, would be $10, but I'm just not sure.)
Meteorological history repeats itself: on November 20th, a strong cold front moved through Rome, dropping temperatures from lows in the mid-40s to lows in the low 20s.
Did you remember that I-75 was far from complete back in 1964? This week in '64, the state announced that three more sections of I-75 were slated to open before the end of the year: 10 miles from the Tennessee line to Ringgold, 16 miles between Dalton and Georgia 53, and 9 miles from US 41 above Tunnel Hill to US 41 north of Dalton. From there, travelers were routed back onto US 41, which remained a major north-south route in Georgia through the 1970s. (Anyone remember the Christmas season backups from Cartersville to Marietta during the Christmas season? Hundreds of cars would make a rest stop at Stuckey's in Acworth every day, just to get a break from the traffic.)
Piggly Wiggly had 10-14 pound turkeys for 35¢ a pound, 5 pounds of Dixie Crystals sugar for 29¢, and a quart of JFG mayonnaise for 39¢. Kroger has Wishbone turkeys for 38¢ a pound, pumpkin pies for 33¢ each, and bananas for a dime a pound. Big Apple had Butterball hens for 39¢ a pound, grade A large eggs for 47¢ a dozen, and ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon. A&P had pork loin for 43¢ a pound, five pounds of grapefruit for 33¢, and a one-pound box of saltines for 31¢. Couch's had whole or half hams for 33¢ a pound, JFG coffee for 69¢ a pound, and Double Cola for 89¢ a case plus deposit.
The cinematic week began with the Hank Williams Sr. biography Your Cheating Heart (with George Hamilton) at the DeSoto and It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (with a true all-star cast) at the First Avenue. The midweek movie switch-out brought Send Me No Flowers (with Rock Hudson, Doris Day, & Tony Randall) to the DeSoto and The Notorious Landlady (with Kim Novak, Jack Lemmon, & Fred Astaire) to the West Rome Drive-In, while It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World continued at the First Avenue for another week.
The Shangri-Las' "Leader of the Pack" took first place this week in 1964, bouncing the Supremes "Baby Love" down to the number two position. Other top ten hits included "Come a Little Bit Closer" by Jay & the Americans (#3); "She's Not There" by the Zombies (#4); "Ringo" by Lorne Greene (#5); "Mr. Lonely" by Bobby Vinton (#6); "You Really Got Me" by the Kinks (#7); "Time Is On My Side" by the Rolling Stones (#8); "Last Kiss" by J. Frank Wilson & the Cavaliers (#9); and "Mountain of Love" by Johnny Rivers (#10).
Saturday, November 08, 2014
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 11/9/1964 to 11/15/1964
West Rome High School class favorites were announced on Thursday, November 12th. Judy Wessinger and Dickie Sapp were chosen from the senior class; Ann Perry and Mike Murphy from the junior class; Sylvia Brumbelow and Tommy Sapp from the sophomore class; Penny Andrews and John Berry from the freshman class; Debbie Joyner and Matt Oldham from the eighth grade class; and Vickie Duffey and Larry Thomas from the seventh grade class.
The West Rome National Junior Honor Society, under the direction of faculty sponsor Mrs. Jean Smiderski, began collecting old books to distribute to various organizations throughout Rome and Floyd County.
West Rome football star Dickie Sapp was chosen as one of the two captains of the All-Star Football Team. The only other Chieftain who made the list was Gerry Law (all-area end).
Celestine Sibley made an appearance in Rome on Thursday, November 12th, signing copies of her book Christmas in Georgia, which was of course available for sale through Wyatt's at $2.50 per copy for the hardcover.
The Etowah Indian Mounds in Bartow County were designated a national historic landmark this week in 1964. How many of my fellow Chieftains were lucky enough to make a field trip to the Indian Mounds? It was one of the first field trips I remember that took us not only off campus but out of town, and I still remember it as being one of the most amazing school days of my elementary school years.
Georgia's proposed state budget for 2015 was the first ever to top $1 billion, but the governor and the House Speaker said that it could be done without a tax increase. (And it turned out they were correct!)
The Milwaukee Braves made it official on November 10th, signing a 25-year contract with the city of Atlanta. "Tell them they just made the best trade they've ever made," Mayor Ivan Allen told Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium chairman Arthur Montgomery. Milwaukee continued to grumble about the deal, making threats of lawsuits and against the Braves and the city of Atlanta and anti-trust action against the National League.
Sterchi's had a dining table and six chars in the trendy-in-the-sixties White Danish Modern for only $99 delivered. A more traditional maple table with six chairs cost $129.
Showing that meanings of words change with time, the headline announcing the beginning of the Christmas Seals campaign was "Gay Christmas Seals Aid War Against TB."
Sears was ready for the Christmas season with a 10% off sale on all bicycles; for only $29.66, parents could get a boys or girls bike to go under the tree--and that was the "fully assembled" price, so no time was wasted trying to figure out where those five leftover parts were supposed to go.
Piggly Wiggly had sirloin steak for 89¢ a pound, Stokely's cream corn for 16¢ a can, and 2 pounds of JFG coffee for $1.19. Kroger had ground beef for 33¢ a pound, tomatoes for a dime a pound, and Kroger or Country Club ice cream for 19¢ a half-gallon. Big App[le had pork steak for 39¢ a pound, bananas for a dime a pound, and tall cans of Double Q salmon for 49¢. A&P had sliced bacon or 39¢ a pound, Fireside brand saltines for 19¢ a box, and ten pound of red delicious apples for 59¢. Couch's had center cut pork chops for 49¢ a pound, Lay's potato chips for 59¢ for a twin-pack bag, and Morton's chicken pot pies for 19¢ each.
The cinematic week began with Woman of Straw (with Gina Lollobrigida & Sean Connery) at the DeSoto and The Seventh Dawn (with William Holden & Susannah York) at the First Avenue. The midweek change up brought the Hank Williams bio-pic Your Cheatin' Heart (with George Hamilton and Red Buttons) to the DeSoto and the all-star film spectacular It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World to the First Avenue. The West Rome Drive-In brought back The Bridge On the River Kwai, pairing it up with the forgettable Johnny Cool ("the international murder machine they couldn't turn off!").
The number one song this week in 1964 was "Baby Love" by the Supremes. Other top ten hits included "Leader of the Pack" by the Shangri-Las (#2); "Come a Little Bit Closer" by Jay & the Americans (#3); "Last Kiss" by J. Frank Wilson & the Cavaliers (#4); "She's Not There" by the Zombies (#5); "Ringo" by Lorne Greene (#6); "Have I the Right?" by the Honeycombs (#7); "You Really Got Me" by the Kinks (#8) "The Door Is Still Open to My Heart" by Dean Martin (#9); and "Time Is On My Side" by the Rolling Stones (#10).
The West Rome National Junior Honor Society, under the direction of faculty sponsor Mrs. Jean Smiderski, began collecting old books to distribute to various organizations throughout Rome and Floyd County.
West Rome football star Dickie Sapp was chosen as one of the two captains of the All-Star Football Team. The only other Chieftain who made the list was Gerry Law (all-area end).
Celestine Sibley made an appearance in Rome on Thursday, November 12th, signing copies of her book Christmas in Georgia, which was of course available for sale through Wyatt's at $2.50 per copy for the hardcover.
The Etowah Indian Mounds in Bartow County were designated a national historic landmark this week in 1964. How many of my fellow Chieftains were lucky enough to make a field trip to the Indian Mounds? It was one of the first field trips I remember that took us not only off campus but out of town, and I still remember it as being one of the most amazing school days of my elementary school years.
Georgia's proposed state budget for 2015 was the first ever to top $1 billion, but the governor and the House Speaker said that it could be done without a tax increase. (And it turned out they were correct!)
The Milwaukee Braves made it official on November 10th, signing a 25-year contract with the city of Atlanta. "Tell them they just made the best trade they've ever made," Mayor Ivan Allen told Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium chairman Arthur Montgomery. Milwaukee continued to grumble about the deal, making threats of lawsuits and against the Braves and the city of Atlanta and anti-trust action against the National League.
Sterchi's had a dining table and six chars in the trendy-in-the-sixties White Danish Modern for only $99 delivered. A more traditional maple table with six chairs cost $129.
Showing that meanings of words change with time, the headline announcing the beginning of the Christmas Seals campaign was "Gay Christmas Seals Aid War Against TB."
Sears was ready for the Christmas season with a 10% off sale on all bicycles; for only $29.66, parents could get a boys or girls bike to go under the tree--and that was the "fully assembled" price, so no time was wasted trying to figure out where those five leftover parts were supposed to go.
Piggly Wiggly had sirloin steak for 89¢ a pound, Stokely's cream corn for 16¢ a can, and 2 pounds of JFG coffee for $1.19. Kroger had ground beef for 33¢ a pound, tomatoes for a dime a pound, and Kroger or Country Club ice cream for 19¢ a half-gallon. Big App[le had pork steak for 39¢ a pound, bananas for a dime a pound, and tall cans of Double Q salmon for 49¢. A&P had sliced bacon or 39¢ a pound, Fireside brand saltines for 19¢ a box, and ten pound of red delicious apples for 59¢. Couch's had center cut pork chops for 49¢ a pound, Lay's potato chips for 59¢ for a twin-pack bag, and Morton's chicken pot pies for 19¢ each.
The cinematic week began with Woman of Straw (with Gina Lollobrigida & Sean Connery) at the DeSoto and The Seventh Dawn (with William Holden & Susannah York) at the First Avenue. The midweek change up brought the Hank Williams bio-pic Your Cheatin' Heart (with George Hamilton and Red Buttons) to the DeSoto and the all-star film spectacular It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World to the First Avenue. The West Rome Drive-In brought back The Bridge On the River Kwai, pairing it up with the forgettable Johnny Cool ("the international murder machine they couldn't turn off!").
The number one song this week in 1964 was "Baby Love" by the Supremes. Other top ten hits included "Leader of the Pack" by the Shangri-Las (#2); "Come a Little Bit Closer" by Jay & the Americans (#3); "Last Kiss" by J. Frank Wilson & the Cavaliers (#4); "She's Not There" by the Zombies (#5); "Ringo" by Lorne Greene (#6); "Have I the Right?" by the Honeycombs (#7); "You Really Got Me" by the Kinks (#8) "The Door Is Still Open to My Heart" by Dean Martin (#9); and "Time Is On My Side" by the Rolling Stones (#10).
Saturday, November 01, 2014
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 11/2/1964 to 11/8/1964
Celanese announced a major two-year expansion of the Rome plant to increase its acetate filament production by 25%; Celanese fibers were used in clothes, automotive upholstery, carpet, furniture coverings, and much more. Of course, a major expansion meant more manufacturing jobs for Rome, which pumped even more money into the area's fast-growing economy.
Don Biggers of the Rome News-Tribune talked to West Rome Coach Paul Kennedy and East Rome Coach Larry Muschamp about the East Rome-West Rome game, the final game of the regular season for both teams. Both coaches came to the same conclusion: the school whose played made the fewest mistakes was going to win that game. Turned out that West Rome was that school as the Chieftains came back from being down 10-9 at halftime to end the game with a 23-10 victory thanks to two touchdown runs by Dickie Sapp, who carried the ball 20 times during the game, accounting for 129 net yards for the Chiefs. 6500 people packed Barron Stadium to watch the game, which by 1964 had become the biggest sports event of the year in Rome.
While the real election was going on across the nation (Goldwater took Georgia, but Johnson carried the nation by a landslide) West Rome's civics classes participated in a mock election. West Rome's Presidential voting mirrored the national results.
Those who missed the first picture day at West Rome--or those who, like me, always held out the vague hope that the next picture might look a little less goofy--could try again on Wednesday, November 4th, when picture retake day was held.
This was also the first week of West Rome Watanyah sales for the 1965 yearbook.
A&P had ground beef for 39¢ a pound, winesap apples for a dime a pound, and Marvel ice milk for 39¢. PigglyWiggly had chuck roast for 35¢ a pound, Swift's bacon for 33¢ a pound, and avocados for 19¢ each. Kroger had smoked hams for 39¢ a pound, bananas for a dime pa pound, and a 3-pound can of Crisco for 69¢. Big Apple had fresh whole fryers for 23¢ a pound, Blue Plate mayonnaise for 49¢ a quart, and Libby's infamous potted meat for a dime a can. Couch's had Fleetwood coffee for 59¢ a pound, Duffey's red hot franks for a quarter a pound, and a box of Nabisco Saltines for 29¢.
During the first half of the week, moviegoers had a choice between Rio Conchos at the DeSoto Theater and a double feature of Hootenanny Hoot and Elvis Presley's Kissin' Cousins at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought The Young Lovers (with Peter Fonda, Nick Adams, and Sharon Hugueny) to the First Avenue and Station Six Sahara (with Carroll Baker) at the DeSoto. The West Rome Drive-In's weekend feature was Who's Got the Action? (with Dean Martin & Lana Turner) and The Boy Who Stole a Million (such a grade B film they didn't even list a cast member).
The Supremes' "Baby Love" held the number one position this week in 1964. Other top ten hits included "Leader of the Pack" by the Shangri-Las (#2); "Last Kiss" by J. Frank Wilson & the Cavaliers (#3); "Come a Little Bit Closer" by Jay & the Americans (#4); "Have I the Right?" by the Honeycombs (#5); "The Door Is Still Open to My Heart" by Dean Martin (#6); "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" by Manfred Mann (#7); "Let It Be Me" by Betty Everett & Jerry Butler (#8); "She's Not There" by the Zombies (#9); and that unforgettable Western ballad "Ringo" by Bonanza patriarch Lorne Greene (#10).
Don Biggers of the Rome News-Tribune talked to West Rome Coach Paul Kennedy and East Rome Coach Larry Muschamp about the East Rome-West Rome game, the final game of the regular season for both teams. Both coaches came to the same conclusion: the school whose played made the fewest mistakes was going to win that game. Turned out that West Rome was that school as the Chieftains came back from being down 10-9 at halftime to end the game with a 23-10 victory thanks to two touchdown runs by Dickie Sapp, who carried the ball 20 times during the game, accounting for 129 net yards for the Chiefs. 6500 people packed Barron Stadium to watch the game, which by 1964 had become the biggest sports event of the year in Rome.
While the real election was going on across the nation (Goldwater took Georgia, but Johnson carried the nation by a landslide) West Rome's civics classes participated in a mock election. West Rome's Presidential voting mirrored the national results.
Those who missed the first picture day at West Rome--or those who, like me, always held out the vague hope that the next picture might look a little less goofy--could try again on Wednesday, November 4th, when picture retake day was held.
This was also the first week of West Rome Watanyah sales for the 1965 yearbook.
A&P had ground beef for 39¢ a pound, winesap apples for a dime a pound, and Marvel ice milk for 39¢. PigglyWiggly had chuck roast for 35¢ a pound, Swift's bacon for 33¢ a pound, and avocados for 19¢ each. Kroger had smoked hams for 39¢ a pound, bananas for a dime pa pound, and a 3-pound can of Crisco for 69¢. Big Apple had fresh whole fryers for 23¢ a pound, Blue Plate mayonnaise for 49¢ a quart, and Libby's infamous potted meat for a dime a can. Couch's had Fleetwood coffee for 59¢ a pound, Duffey's red hot franks for a quarter a pound, and a box of Nabisco Saltines for 29¢.
During the first half of the week, moviegoers had a choice between Rio Conchos at the DeSoto Theater and a double feature of Hootenanny Hoot and Elvis Presley's Kissin' Cousins at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought The Young Lovers (with Peter Fonda, Nick Adams, and Sharon Hugueny) to the First Avenue and Station Six Sahara (with Carroll Baker) at the DeSoto. The West Rome Drive-In's weekend feature was Who's Got the Action? (with Dean Martin & Lana Turner) and The Boy Who Stole a Million (such a grade B film they didn't even list a cast member).
The Supremes' "Baby Love" held the number one position this week in 1964. Other top ten hits included "Leader of the Pack" by the Shangri-Las (#2); "Last Kiss" by J. Frank Wilson & the Cavaliers (#3); "Come a Little Bit Closer" by Jay & the Americans (#4); "Have I the Right?" by the Honeycombs (#5); "The Door Is Still Open to My Heart" by Dean Martin (#6); "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" by Manfred Mann (#7); "Let It Be Me" by Betty Everett & Jerry Butler (#8); "She's Not There" by the Zombies (#9); and that unforgettable Western ballad "Ringo" by Bonanza patriarch Lorne Greene (#10).
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