Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 4/19/1965 to 4/25/1965

Romans had to wait a little bit longer for construction of the new library to began, as federal funds were put on hold until the government was satisfied that Rome and Floyd County were complying with the civil rights law. Mrs. Emily Payne, library director, pointed out that the Tri-County Regional Library Board had already signed a certificate of compliance indicating that there would be no segregation at the library, but the federal government wasn't offering any estimate when they might actually lift the fiscal hold.

Academic letters (or bars for those who had received academic letters in prior years) were presented to West Rome High School seniors Ginny Burnett, Jan Ross, Barbara Beiswenger, Barbara Helie, Jimmy Cowart, Dan Sweltzer, and John Ross during an assembly program held on April 19th. Forty-eight other students in grades seven through eleven were also cited for scholarship.

West Rome's track team won 11 of 15 events on Wednesday afternoon, April 21st, to capture a three-way victory over Carrollton and Rockmart; the Chiefs had 88.5 points, more than 30 points more than the second-place team. Jerry Coalson and Rusty Oxford set school records in the 880-yard run and the discus respectively.

West Rome's baseball team also racked up a win on April 21st, defeating Cassville 4-2 in a region game.

East Rome and West Rome baseball teams faced off on Friday, April 23rd, but the game didn't go West Rome's way, with the Gladiators winning 6-5 on a seventh-inning two-out single.


The Chieftains came back on Saturday, April 24th, posting a 15-8 win over the Cedartown bulldogs--a fitting bit of revenge against the team that defeated West Rome earlier in the season.

West Rome students celebrated Western Pioneer Day on Friday, April 23rd. Students dressed in Western-themed clothes; many of those who did not dress in keeping with the spirit of the day were put in "jail" and had to pay a ten cent fine to buy their way out.

Piggly Wiggly had chicken livers for 79¢ a pound (I had no idea that chicken livers cost as much as steak!), Blackhawk bacon for 59¢ a pound, and strawberries for 29¢ a pint. Kroger had pork chops for 49¢ a pound, ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon, and Maxwell House coffee for 69¢ a pound. Big apple had ground beef for 39¢ a pound, corn for 7¢ an ear, and a four-pound canned ham for $2.99. A&P had chuck roast for 35¢ a pound, a quart of Bama pickles for 33¢, and Sultana apple jelly for 33¢ a jar. Couch's had fresh whole fryers for 23¢ a pound, Blue Plate mayonnaise for 49¢ a quart, and a 24-bottle car of Coca-Cola or Tab for 99¢ plus deposit.

The cinematic week began with Girl Happy (with Elvis Presley) at the DeSoto and How to Murder Your Wife (with Jack Lemmon & Virna Lissi) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought Walt Disney's Those Calloways to the DeSoto, Circus World (with John Wayne) to the First Avenue, and a weekend triple feature of Thunder Road, The Young Racers, and The Devil's Hairpin to the West Rome Drive-In.

Herman's Hermits took number one this week in 1965 with "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter," one of two Herman's Hermits songs on the charts this week (they also had "Silhouettes" at #8). Other top ten hits included "Game of Love" by Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders (#2); "I  Know a Place" by Petula Clark (#3); "I'm Telling You Now" by Freddie & the Dreamers (#4); "I'll Never Find Another You" by the Seekers (#5); "Tired of Waiting for You" by the Kinks (#6); "Count Me In" by Gary Lewis & the Playboys (#7); "Last Time" by the Rolling Stones (#9); and "Stop! In the Name of Love" by the Supremes (#10).


Noteworthy album releases for the week included I Go To Pieces by Peter & Gordon, Introducing the Beau Brummels by the Beau Brummels, and the album with one of the sexiest and most notorious covers of the decade: Whipped Cream & Other Delights by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass.

David McCallum, who played Illya Kuryakin on The Man from UNCLE, made his TV Guide cover premiere this week in 1965; he was also the subject of a feature article about his role on the series and his popularity with younger viewers, both male and female.

The Flash faced off against Reverse-Flash in Flash #153, on sale this week in 1965. Wonder if John Broome & Carmine Infantino, the writer and artist of the story, ever imagined that millions of viewers would watch the Flash and the Reverse-Flash face off on a major network TV series fifty years later?