The Rome Board of Education submitted its school integration plan for the 1970-71 school year on March 2nd, which met the deadline imposed by a district court in December. The plan allowed city students to choose what high school they wanted to attend, but Superintendent MS McDonald said that the plan called for the elimination of Main Junior High School, with students being sent to West Rome and East Rome Junior High Schools.
Floyd County District Attorney Larry Salmon said that now that county "blue laws" requiring non-essential business to close on Sundays had been ruled constitutional, he was recommending that the business licenses of all violators be revoked. The city of Rome, however, issued a statement that the law had "built-in pitfalls which make it practically impossible to enforce effectively." Sheriff Joe Adams said that, since the city was located within the county, he intended to enforce the law and cite all businesses that were not selling gas, groceries, and/or drugs.
Gibson's Discount Center held its grand opening on March 2nd, with Governor Lester Maddox on hand for the ribbon cutting ceremony. The Rome store was the first of eight new retail locations scheduled to open in Georgia; its 132,000 square feet of shopping space was complemented by twenty check-out counters at the front and five additional check-out counters at various departments in the store.
West Rome junior Tommy Hardin was elected chairman of the Northwest Georgia High School Distribute Education Clubs; he would be responsible for overseeing and coordinating activities of fourteen other DE clubs in conjunction with DE advisor Jerry Jarrard.
West Rome Junior High teacher Thomas Edward Mann was selected as Georgia's 1970 Region One Teacher of the Year.
The Chieftains girls basketball team defeated East Rome 46-42 on Tuesday, March 3rd, which propelled them into a sub-region playoff with Cartersville. Debbie Poarch was the girls' top scorer with 12 points. Alas, West Rome fell to Cartersville on Wednesday night 35-25, ending their hopes for a region victory.
Piggly Wiggly had Chuck Wagon bacon for 69¢ a pound, Merita bread for 35¢ a loaf, and potatoes for 6¢ a pound. Kroger had pork roast for 39¢ a pound, Chase & Sanborn coffee for 55¢ a pound, and in-store-baked angel food cakes for 45¢ each. Big Apple had Cudahy Bar S hot dogs for 59¢ a pound, Van Camp's pork & beans for 25¢ a can, and Irvindale ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon. A&P had chicken breast quarters for 39¢ a pound, carrots for 15¢ a bunch, and Coca-Cola/Tab/Sprite/Fresca for 33¢ a carton plus deposit. Couch's had leg o' lamb for 79¢ a pound, JFG tea bags for 89¢ a box and Stokely creamed corn for 23¢ a can.
The cinematic week began with Darby O'Gill & The Little People (starring Sean Connery) at the DeSoto Theatre, De Sade (starring Senta Berger) at the First Avenue, Cactus Flower (starring Walter Matthau) at the Village, and The Witchmaker (starring no one worth remembering) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switch out brought Gaily Gaily (starring Brian Keith) to the DeSoto Theatre, Chastity (starring Cher) at the First Avenue, and Planet of the Apes (starring Charlton Heston) at the West Rome Drive-In, while Cactus Flower continued to bloom at the Village.
Simon & Garfunkel held on to the number one slot this week in 1970 with "Bridge Over Troubled Water." Other top ten hits included "Who'll Stop the Rain?" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (#2); "The Rapper" but the Jaggerz (#3); "Rainy Night in Georgia" by Brook Benton (#4); "Ma Belle Amie" by the Tee Set (#5); "Give Me Just a Little More Time" by the Chairmen of the Board (#6); "Tbank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin/Everybody Is a Star" by Sly & the Family Stone (#7); "Hey There Lonely Girl" by Eddie Holman (#8); "Het Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" by the Hollies (#9); and "Evil Ways" by Santana (#10).
Thursday, February 27, 2020
Sunday, February 23, 2020
A Life in Four Colors Part Fifty-Six
1973 was a year of changes for Susan and me.
First, that was the year that we moved out of the tiny hovel in which we had lived since our marriage and into the larger stucco house that would be our home for the next four years.
Second, Susan replaced her wholly unreliable 1970 Mustang Mach I with a blue 1973 Volkswagen Super Beetle.
While I've mentioned the house before, let me stress again just how significant a change this was for us. The house in which we lived from 1971 until mid-1973 was so tiny that we could only have a few guests at one time. In contrast, the green stucco house we moved into had two large bedrooms (one of which we had transformed into a fan room and library), a huge living room, a large kitchen with plenty of room for a full sized tubular-steel-and-formica table that could seat six people if elbow room wasn't absolutely necessary. And as a bonus, it even had a large screened-in porch.
The new home offered us tremendous opportunities. For one, we could actually get all of our books out of boxes and onto shelves. In order to do this, we had to put four sets of steel shelving in the middle of the fan room, dividing it in half with books facing out on either side; we left a thirty-inch wide gap between them, creating two groups of two shelves with a passageway. Against the outside walls, we put more shelves, which enabled us to get our entire library at the time onto bookshelves where we could actually see every book. And that still left room for our fan desk, which held our used-but-new-to-us micro-elite wide-carriage electric typewriter, and a rolling TV cart that housed our very first Gestetner electric mimeograph.
If you're not a fan, the last two items mean nothing to you. But to us, this was a major step forward. Until 1973, we produced all of our fanzines using one of two manual typewriters that we owned. They did the job, but not particularly well. Manual typewriters cut great mimeo stencils when you pound the keys firmly; however, typical typists don't hit every key with full force. As a result, some letters simply don't cut as cleanly as others, and it shows on the printed page.
But our electric typewriter, by contrast, hit every key with full force. And the micro-elite wide carriage typewriter meant that we could actually work on the stencils in landscape format in order to produce 5.5" x 8.5" wraparound booklets instead of 8.5" x 11" stapled sheet fanzines. Or, if we wanted to do 8.5" x 11" fanzines, we could use two-column format and still get a fair amount of words on every line.
Our typewriter interest was piqued by our friends Steve and Binker Hughes, who had turned fanzine production into an art form, utilizing a wide variety of formats that included silk screen, multi-colored mimeograph, true metal-plate etching, and more. Their house was almost a museum of printing equipment, distinctive paper stocks, and typewriters. They introduced us to micro-elite type, and we were intrigued with its possibilities.
Two weeks later, we found a used micro-elite typewriter at the House of Typewriters in Marietta, a store that had become one of our regular stops when we made our monthly runs to Cumberland Mall. Since we were apparently the only customers who had showed any interest in this particular typewriter, a deal was cut and we went home with the machine for only $35. (We had begun setting aside $1 a week for our "fan fund" in early 1972, so we had the money for the purchase. A year later, after increasing our fan fund savings to $2 a week, we bought a used IBM Selectric II from the same shop for $100, and we felt like we were doubly blessed.)
We bought our first used Gestetner mimeo directly from the Hughes, who had a number of machines they weren't using and offered to let us have one of their mimeos for $20. So by 1973, we were set up to produce fanzines with much higher production values. Furthermore, since we didn't get rid of our old Sears hand-crank manual mimeo, we switched it over to colored ink, which meant we could print colored art using that mimeo and then print black type on the same page using the Gestetner, just leaving a blank space where the art was printed.
The results began to show up in our apazines almost immediately--and a year and a half later, we would use that same equipment to begin producing our very own review fanzine, Future Retrospective, which would go on to change our lives in a number of ways.
***
It says a lot about Susan and me that we were almost as excited about the typewriter and mimeograph as we were about the new car.
Considering our budget, it may seem odd that we'd buy a 1973 VW when we had a 1970 Mach I with only 25,000 miles on it--but the Mach I had been a curse ever since Susan bought it, and we were desperate to be rid of that car.
Susan was in love with the car's appearance and performance when she bought it. When it worked, that is. The car was so incredibly unreliable, though, that it frequently left us stranded for an hour or more when it would simply fail to start after we stopped to shop or buy gas. The local Ford dealer tried replacing the battery, the starter, the alternator, the ignition switch--and nothing helped. No one there could figure out why it wouldn't start. For a while, they didn't even believe us--until it failed to start with them when they were trying to pull it out of the mechanic's bay. They kept it for two days, then called us back and told us that they had no idea what the problem was. And as far as they were concerned, that was the end of it. We were stuck with a car that might or might not start at any given time.
Since Susan's employer had transferred her from the Cedartown office to their larger office in Bremen, GA, she was frustrated and anxious. The Mach I would sometime fail to start when she got off work, leaving her stuck in Bremen for a half-hour or more until it started up as if nothing had ever been wrong.
My 1964 Volkswagen, in contrast, had been remarkably reliable. Oh, the VW had the usual VW problems--a clutch cable would break occasionally, and the battery would sometime run down (because I was bad about forgetting to remove the back seat and put water in the battery cells). But replacing a clutch cable cost $30 and took about a half-hour, and the car was so light that I got pretty good at giving it a bit of a push, then hopping in and putting it into gear to jump-start the car until we could recharge or replace the battery. The car just kept on running.
The big problem for Susan, though, was that she had no idea how to drive a stick shift. I finally taught her in the 64 VW, and she hated it. She could drive it, but she'd rather not.
Then we discovered that Volkswagen offered a semi-automatic transmission. The car required that the driver shift gears, but there was no clutch. It was the clutch that was the source of Susan's concern: she had trouble coordinating it with the gear, and thus was constantly grinding gears. But with the semi-automatic transmission, Susan didn't have to worry about that.
Unlike my '64 VW (which was a very basic model), the Super Beetle also included air conditioning and a 60 horsepower engine. So in the summer of 1973, we traded in her Mach I and came home with a brand new Super Beetle. Susan was so proud of that car; while the Mach I had initially appealed to her due to its sportiness, she felt that the Super Beetle's "cuteness" reflected who she had become by 1973.
A reliable vehicle made a world of difference. Susan went from dreading every workday to feeling comfortable at her job, because she didn't have insecurities about whether she would get there and back without problems. Even better, the trade in value on the Mach I was such that we actually didn't have to pay very much for the VW--we financed the balance for 24 months for $43 a month. And t turned out that the fuel savings would save us a significant portion of that, because just three months after she bought the car, the 1973 oil crisis began, and gasoline pretty much doubled in price in a matter of weeks, from 31.9¢ for regular gas to 59.9¢ per gallon by the end of the year. The Volkswagen got 60% better mileage than the Mach I, and Susan was driving 23 miles each way to work. If we had kept the Mach I, she would have spent 70¢ more each workday (or $14 per work month) on gasoline--almost a third of our car payment! For people living on a budget like ours, that was a tremendous return on our investment.
To this day, some people we talk to are amazed that Susan willingly got rid of a low-mileage Mach I in order to get a Volkswagen. It made perfect sense to us, though, because we had come to learn in the first two years of our marriage that security, reliability, and peace of mind were important to us. And that would remain the focus of our lives together from that point on. Even when we took risks, we did so only after rationally running the numbers and considering where we would be if the risk failed to pay off.
For example, when we decided to give up our home in Cedartown in 1977 and move to an apartment in Marietta so that Susan could take a temporary-to-permanent position in software design with a company called Management Science America. Or when we decided in 1979 to buy our first home even though the monthly payment would be $447, which was $150 more than our apartment rent at the time. Or when we decided in 1982 to take a second mortgage on our house so that I could take advantage of an opportunity to buy a used book/record/comic shop called Dr. No's.
First, that was the year that we moved out of the tiny hovel in which we had lived since our marriage and into the larger stucco house that would be our home for the next four years.
Second, Susan replaced her wholly unreliable 1970 Mustang Mach I with a blue 1973 Volkswagen Super Beetle.
While I've mentioned the house before, let me stress again just how significant a change this was for us. The house in which we lived from 1971 until mid-1973 was so tiny that we could only have a few guests at one time. In contrast, the green stucco house we moved into had two large bedrooms (one of which we had transformed into a fan room and library), a huge living room, a large kitchen with plenty of room for a full sized tubular-steel-and-formica table that could seat six people if elbow room wasn't absolutely necessary. And as a bonus, it even had a large screened-in porch.
The new home offered us tremendous opportunities. For one, we could actually get all of our books out of boxes and onto shelves. In order to do this, we had to put four sets of steel shelving in the middle of the fan room, dividing it in half with books facing out on either side; we left a thirty-inch wide gap between them, creating two groups of two shelves with a passageway. Against the outside walls, we put more shelves, which enabled us to get our entire library at the time onto bookshelves where we could actually see every book. And that still left room for our fan desk, which held our used-but-new-to-us micro-elite wide-carriage electric typewriter, and a rolling TV cart that housed our very first Gestetner electric mimeograph.
If you're not a fan, the last two items mean nothing to you. But to us, this was a major step forward. Until 1973, we produced all of our fanzines using one of two manual typewriters that we owned. They did the job, but not particularly well. Manual typewriters cut great mimeo stencils when you pound the keys firmly; however, typical typists don't hit every key with full force. As a result, some letters simply don't cut as cleanly as others, and it shows on the printed page.
But our electric typewriter, by contrast, hit every key with full force. And the micro-elite wide carriage typewriter meant that we could actually work on the stencils in landscape format in order to produce 5.5" x 8.5" wraparound booklets instead of 8.5" x 11" stapled sheet fanzines. Or, if we wanted to do 8.5" x 11" fanzines, we could use two-column format and still get a fair amount of words on every line.
Our typewriter interest was piqued by our friends Steve and Binker Hughes, who had turned fanzine production into an art form, utilizing a wide variety of formats that included silk screen, multi-colored mimeograph, true metal-plate etching, and more. Their house was almost a museum of printing equipment, distinctive paper stocks, and typewriters. They introduced us to micro-elite type, and we were intrigued with its possibilities.
Two weeks later, we found a used micro-elite typewriter at the House of Typewriters in Marietta, a store that had become one of our regular stops when we made our monthly runs to Cumberland Mall. Since we were apparently the only customers who had showed any interest in this particular typewriter, a deal was cut and we went home with the machine for only $35. (We had begun setting aside $1 a week for our "fan fund" in early 1972, so we had the money for the purchase. A year later, after increasing our fan fund savings to $2 a week, we bought a used IBM Selectric II from the same shop for $100, and we felt like we were doubly blessed.)
We bought our first used Gestetner mimeo directly from the Hughes, who had a number of machines they weren't using and offered to let us have one of their mimeos for $20. So by 1973, we were set up to produce fanzines with much higher production values. Furthermore, since we didn't get rid of our old Sears hand-crank manual mimeo, we switched it over to colored ink, which meant we could print colored art using that mimeo and then print black type on the same page using the Gestetner, just leaving a blank space where the art was printed.
The results began to show up in our apazines almost immediately--and a year and a half later, we would use that same equipment to begin producing our very own review fanzine, Future Retrospective, which would go on to change our lives in a number of ways.
***
It says a lot about Susan and me that we were almost as excited about the typewriter and mimeograph as we were about the new car.
Considering our budget, it may seem odd that we'd buy a 1973 VW when we had a 1970 Mach I with only 25,000 miles on it--but the Mach I had been a curse ever since Susan bought it, and we were desperate to be rid of that car.
Susan was in love with the car's appearance and performance when she bought it. When it worked, that is. The car was so incredibly unreliable, though, that it frequently left us stranded for an hour or more when it would simply fail to start after we stopped to shop or buy gas. The local Ford dealer tried replacing the battery, the starter, the alternator, the ignition switch--and nothing helped. No one there could figure out why it wouldn't start. For a while, they didn't even believe us--until it failed to start with them when they were trying to pull it out of the mechanic's bay. They kept it for two days, then called us back and told us that they had no idea what the problem was. And as far as they were concerned, that was the end of it. We were stuck with a car that might or might not start at any given time.
Since Susan's employer had transferred her from the Cedartown office to their larger office in Bremen, GA, she was frustrated and anxious. The Mach I would sometime fail to start when she got off work, leaving her stuck in Bremen for a half-hour or more until it started up as if nothing had ever been wrong.
My 1964 Volkswagen, in contrast, had been remarkably reliable. Oh, the VW had the usual VW problems--a clutch cable would break occasionally, and the battery would sometime run down (because I was bad about forgetting to remove the back seat and put water in the battery cells). But replacing a clutch cable cost $30 and took about a half-hour, and the car was so light that I got pretty good at giving it a bit of a push, then hopping in and putting it into gear to jump-start the car until we could recharge or replace the battery. The car just kept on running.
The big problem for Susan, though, was that she had no idea how to drive a stick shift. I finally taught her in the 64 VW, and she hated it. She could drive it, but she'd rather not.
Then we discovered that Volkswagen offered a semi-automatic transmission. The car required that the driver shift gears, but there was no clutch. It was the clutch that was the source of Susan's concern: she had trouble coordinating it with the gear, and thus was constantly grinding gears. But with the semi-automatic transmission, Susan didn't have to worry about that.
Unlike my '64 VW (which was a very basic model), the Super Beetle also included air conditioning and a 60 horsepower engine. So in the summer of 1973, we traded in her Mach I and came home with a brand new Super Beetle. Susan was so proud of that car; while the Mach I had initially appealed to her due to its sportiness, she felt that the Super Beetle's "cuteness" reflected who she had become by 1973.
A reliable vehicle made a world of difference. Susan went from dreading every workday to feeling comfortable at her job, because she didn't have insecurities about whether she would get there and back without problems. Even better, the trade in value on the Mach I was such that we actually didn't have to pay very much for the VW--we financed the balance for 24 months for $43 a month. And t turned out that the fuel savings would save us a significant portion of that, because just three months after she bought the car, the 1973 oil crisis began, and gasoline pretty much doubled in price in a matter of weeks, from 31.9¢ for regular gas to 59.9¢ per gallon by the end of the year. The Volkswagen got 60% better mileage than the Mach I, and Susan was driving 23 miles each way to work. If we had kept the Mach I, she would have spent 70¢ more each workday (or $14 per work month) on gasoline--almost a third of our car payment! For people living on a budget like ours, that was a tremendous return on our investment.
To this day, some people we talk to are amazed that Susan willingly got rid of a low-mileage Mach I in order to get a Volkswagen. It made perfect sense to us, though, because we had come to learn in the first two years of our marriage that security, reliability, and peace of mind were important to us. And that would remain the focus of our lives together from that point on. Even when we took risks, we did so only after rationally running the numbers and considering where we would be if the risk failed to pay off.
For example, when we decided to give up our home in Cedartown in 1977 and move to an apartment in Marietta so that Susan could take a temporary-to-permanent position in software design with a company called Management Science America. Or when we decided in 1979 to buy our first home even though the monthly payment would be $447, which was $150 more than our apartment rent at the time. Or when we decided in 1982 to take a second mortgage on our house so that I could take advantage of an opportunity to buy a used book/record/comic shop called Dr. No's.
Friday, February 21, 2020
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 2/23/1970 to 3/1/1970
West Rome's boys basketball team lost to Cass 79-77 in the Region 7-AA tournament. That was a much better showing that most expected from the Chieftains, who had a lackluster season and just barely made it into the tournament at all. The Chiefs actually pulled into the lead early on and posted an incredible first half, outscoring Cass 46-32. Alas, things went downhill in the third quarter and fell apart in the fourth quarter as both Floyd Miller and Randy Hatch fouled out--and since Miller was the team's leading scorer with 24 points up until that point, his absence really set the team back.
The West Rome Science Fair was held on February 27th and 28th in the school cafeteria. More than 100 science projects in more than a dozen divisions, prepared by both high school and junior high school students, were on display.
The US Supreme Court refused to rule on a challenge to Georgia's blue laws (that is, laws requiring all but non-essential businesses to close on Sunday), which left a lot of local and state officials unsure what to do next. The case responsible for all this didn't involve Rome businesses; instead, Marietta Zayre and Kresge stores were challenged under the law, which said that only drug stores and small grocery/convenience stores could remain open. Many smaller retailers pushed to keep the law active, since they said the extra staffing costs to stay open on Sunday would exceed anticipated profits, so they wanted their big-box competitors to be forced to close as well. The biggest Sunday opening store in Rome in 1970 was Big K, which had been open every Sunday since the store first came to Rome.
The census kicked off this week in 1970, and rome census takers were working hard to determine just how much Rome had grown over the prior ten years. Five crew leaders and sixty census enumerators were assigned to Rome, with an addition ten on standby if early counts indicated sufficient growth to need extra counters. The early estimate was that Rome and Floyd county's population might have grown as much as 10% since 1960.
Piggly Wiggly had round steak for 89¢ a pound, eggs for 49¢ a dozen, and grapefruit for a dime each. Kroger had ground beef for 53¢ a pound, Maxwell House coffee for 79¢ a pound, and tomatoes for 27¢ a pound. A&P had fresh whole fryers for 27¢ a pound, lettuce for 19¢ a head, and Coca/Cola/Sprite/Tab/Fresca for 33¢ a six-pack plus deposit. Big Apple had Wicklow sliced bacon for 59¢ a pound, Merico canned biscuits for a dime each, and mixed nuts for 64¢ a pound. Couch's had in-store-ground sausage for 59¢ a pound, Royal Sun orange juice for 39¢ a gallon, and bananas for 12¢ a pound.
The cinematic week began with Happy Ending (starring Jean Simmons) at the DeSoto Theatre, Goodbye Columbus (starring Richard Benjamin) at the First Avenue, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (starring Natalie Wood) at the Village, and Number One (starring Charlton Heston) at the West Rome Drive-In. The weekend switch out brought Darby O'Gill & The Little People (starring Sean Connery) at the DeSoto, De Sade (starring Senta Berger) at the First Avenue, Cactus Flower (starring Walter Matthau) at the Village, and The Fastest Guitar Alive (starring, of all people, Roy Orbison!) at the West Rome Drive-In.
Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel held on to the number one slot for another week with "Bridge Over Troubled Water. Other top ten hits included "Who'l Stop the Rain" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (#2); "Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin/Everybody Is a Star" by Sly & the Family Stone (#3); "Rainy Night in Georgia" by Brook Benton (#4); "Hey There Lonely Girl" by Eddie Holman (#5); "Ma Belle Amie" by the Tee Set (#6); "The Rapper" by the Jaggerz (#7); "Give Me Just a Little More Time" by the Chairmen of the Board (#8); "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" by BJ Thomas (#9); and "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" by the Hollies (#10).
The Beatles' Hey Jude album (also titled The Beatles Again) was released this week in 1970. If you're wondering why you don't remember this album that came out between Abbey 'Road and Let It Be, there's a good reason: the album is actually just a compilation of various tracks that had not been released on Capitol's US albums, some ranging all the way back to 1964.
Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams made comic book history this week in 1970 with the release of Green Lantern #76, the first "relevant" issue of the series. O'Neil and Adams brought Green Arrow into the mix and sent the two heroes on a traveling odyssey to get to know the true America and refocus themselves as heroes.
The West Rome Science Fair was held on February 27th and 28th in the school cafeteria. More than 100 science projects in more than a dozen divisions, prepared by both high school and junior high school students, were on display.
The US Supreme Court refused to rule on a challenge to Georgia's blue laws (that is, laws requiring all but non-essential businesses to close on Sunday), which left a lot of local and state officials unsure what to do next. The case responsible for all this didn't involve Rome businesses; instead, Marietta Zayre and Kresge stores were challenged under the law, which said that only drug stores and small grocery/convenience stores could remain open. Many smaller retailers pushed to keep the law active, since they said the extra staffing costs to stay open on Sunday would exceed anticipated profits, so they wanted their big-box competitors to be forced to close as well. The biggest Sunday opening store in Rome in 1970 was Big K, which had been open every Sunday since the store first came to Rome.
The census kicked off this week in 1970, and rome census takers were working hard to determine just how much Rome had grown over the prior ten years. Five crew leaders and sixty census enumerators were assigned to Rome, with an addition ten on standby if early counts indicated sufficient growth to need extra counters. The early estimate was that Rome and Floyd county's population might have grown as much as 10% since 1960.
Piggly Wiggly had round steak for 89¢ a pound, eggs for 49¢ a dozen, and grapefruit for a dime each. Kroger had ground beef for 53¢ a pound, Maxwell House coffee for 79¢ a pound, and tomatoes for 27¢ a pound. A&P had fresh whole fryers for 27¢ a pound, lettuce for 19¢ a head, and Coca/Cola/Sprite/Tab/Fresca for 33¢ a six-pack plus deposit. Big Apple had Wicklow sliced bacon for 59¢ a pound, Merico canned biscuits for a dime each, and mixed nuts for 64¢ a pound. Couch's had in-store-ground sausage for 59¢ a pound, Royal Sun orange juice for 39¢ a gallon, and bananas for 12¢ a pound.
The cinematic week began with Happy Ending (starring Jean Simmons) at the DeSoto Theatre, Goodbye Columbus (starring Richard Benjamin) at the First Avenue, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (starring Natalie Wood) at the Village, and Number One (starring Charlton Heston) at the West Rome Drive-In. The weekend switch out brought Darby O'Gill & The Little People (starring Sean Connery) at the DeSoto, De Sade (starring Senta Berger) at the First Avenue, Cactus Flower (starring Walter Matthau) at the Village, and The Fastest Guitar Alive (starring, of all people, Roy Orbison!) at the West Rome Drive-In.
Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel held on to the number one slot for another week with "Bridge Over Troubled Water. Other top ten hits included "Who'l Stop the Rain" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (#2); "Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin/Everybody Is a Star" by Sly & the Family Stone (#3); "Rainy Night in Georgia" by Brook Benton (#4); "Hey There Lonely Girl" by Eddie Holman (#5); "Ma Belle Amie" by the Tee Set (#6); "The Rapper" by the Jaggerz (#7); "Give Me Just a Little More Time" by the Chairmen of the Board (#8); "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" by BJ Thomas (#9); and "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" by the Hollies (#10).
The Beatles' Hey Jude album (also titled The Beatles Again) was released this week in 1970. If you're wondering why you don't remember this album that came out between Abbey 'Road and Let It Be, there's a good reason: the album is actually just a compilation of various tracks that had not been released on Capitol's US albums, some ranging all the way back to 1964.
Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams made comic book history this week in 1970 with the release of Green Lantern #76, the first "relevant" issue of the series. O'Neil and Adams brought Green Arrow into the mix and sent the two heroes on a traveling odyssey to get to know the true America and refocus themselves as heroes.
Sunday, February 16, 2020
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 2/16/1970 to 2/22/1970
The City Commission addressed concerns about the "Burnett Ferry Speedway" this week in 1970. In response to residents' concerns about the severity of speeding problems on Burnett Ferry, the county installed timing devices that would be used to determine if drivers were speeding. The commission said that the police department was going to be very aggressive about issuing tickets, since they felt like that was the only way to cut down the escalating speeding problem in the stretch of road from Shorter Avenue to the end of the city limits (from that point on, it was a county problem). The city also announced plans to use timing devices on Charlton Road for the same reason.
The West Rome Lab Band performed a concert of popular music on Thursday, February 20th, at the West Rome Auditorium. Song selections included "Love Is Blue," "Spinning Wheel," "Wichita Lineman,' and a James Brown medley (!). The 33-member lab band band performed under the direction of Johnny Shook.
Rome's retail options were about to expand, as Gibson's Discount Center announced that construction was underway for an all new discount retail outlet on Highway 27 North, not too far from the Georgia State Patrol station. The 132,000 square foot building would be one of the largest of the chain's 500+ stores, and would offer more than 80,000 items for sale. Gibsons said that they could offer prices even lower than "other competing discounters" (read "Big K and Kmart") becuase they bought everything from its original source with no middle man markup.
Piggly Wiggly had picnic hams for 43¢ a pound, fresh-baked apple pies for 59¢ each, and
Atlanta Dairies ice milk for 29¢ a half-gallon (and that's as cheap as it was in 1962, the first year I began covering in my "Fifty Years Ago" columns!). Kroger had baking hens for 39¢ a pound, sweet potatoes for 13¢ a pound, and Del Monte peas or corn for 25¢ a can. A&P had Swiss steak for 97¢ a pound, Ann Page macaroni and cheese for 19¢ a box, and slicing tomatoes for 39¢ a pound. Big Apple had beef liver for 39¢ a pound, Maxwell House coffee for 55¢ a pound, and lemons for a nickel each. Couch's had chuck roast for 47¢ a pound, peaches for a quarter a pound, and Van Camp's chili for 33¢ a can.
In celebration of George Washington's Day, Kentucky Fried Chicken was offering a free "By George!" cherry pie with the purchase of any bucket or barrel of chicken. The 15 piece bucket was priced at $4.15, while the 21 piece barrel was $5.50. Of course, they wouldn't give you the free Washington's birthday cherry pie if you didn't axe for it... (If you want to figure out how those prices compare to today's prices, just remember that the inflation multiplier for 1970 is 6.65--that is, $1 in 1970 had the same value as $6.65 today. That would make that bucket $27.60 and that barrel $36.75 in today's dollars, which doesn't sound like that much of a bargain at all!)
The cinematic week began with Tick, Tick, Tick (starring Jim Brown) at the DeSoto Theatre, Justine (starring Anouk Aimee) at the First Avenue, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (starring Natalie Wood) at the Village, and Guns of the Magnificent Seven (starring George Kennedy) at the West Rome Drive-In. The weekend switch out brought Happy Ending (starring Jean Simmons) to the DeSoto, Goodbye Columbus (starring Richard Benjamin) to the First Avenue, and Number One (starring Charlton Heston) to the West Rome Drive-In, while Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice hung around at the Village for another week.
McCloud, the Dennis Weaver series focusing on a New Mexico deputy marshall on loan to the New York City police department, made its premiere on February 17th with the airing of a two hour pilot movie. The series, which was originally intended for Fess Parker (who passed on it), was inspired by Don Siegel's Clint Eastwood film Coogan's Bluff and (believe it or not) Tarzan's New York Adventure; the "fish out of water" series proved so popular that it went on to run for almost seven years as a part of the NBC Mystery Movie series.
Simon & Garfunkel climbed to the number one spot this week with "Bridge Over Troubled Water." Other top ten hits included "Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin/Everybody Is a Star" by Sly & the Family Stone (#2); "Who'll Stop the Rain" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (#3); "Hey There Lonely Girl" by Eddie Holman (#4); "No Time" by the Guess Who (#5); "Ma Belle Amie" by The Tee Set (#6); "Psychedelic Shack" by The Temptations (#7); "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" by BJ Thomas #8); "Rainy Night in Georgia" by Brook Benton (#9); and "Venus" by the Shocking Blue (#10).
The West Rome Lab Band performed a concert of popular music on Thursday, February 20th, at the West Rome Auditorium. Song selections included "Love Is Blue," "Spinning Wheel," "Wichita Lineman,' and a James Brown medley (!). The 33-member lab band band performed under the direction of Johnny Shook.
Rome's retail options were about to expand, as Gibson's Discount Center announced that construction was underway for an all new discount retail outlet on Highway 27 North, not too far from the Georgia State Patrol station. The 132,000 square foot building would be one of the largest of the chain's 500+ stores, and would offer more than 80,000 items for sale. Gibsons said that they could offer prices even lower than "other competing discounters" (read "Big K and Kmart") becuase they bought everything from its original source with no middle man markup.
Piggly Wiggly had picnic hams for 43¢ a pound, fresh-baked apple pies for 59¢ each, and
Atlanta Dairies ice milk for 29¢ a half-gallon (and that's as cheap as it was in 1962, the first year I began covering in my "Fifty Years Ago" columns!). Kroger had baking hens for 39¢ a pound, sweet potatoes for 13¢ a pound, and Del Monte peas or corn for 25¢ a can. A&P had Swiss steak for 97¢ a pound, Ann Page macaroni and cheese for 19¢ a box, and slicing tomatoes for 39¢ a pound. Big Apple had beef liver for 39¢ a pound, Maxwell House coffee for 55¢ a pound, and lemons for a nickel each. Couch's had chuck roast for 47¢ a pound, peaches for a quarter a pound, and Van Camp's chili for 33¢ a can.
In celebration of George Washington's Day, Kentucky Fried Chicken was offering a free "By George!" cherry pie with the purchase of any bucket or barrel of chicken. The 15 piece bucket was priced at $4.15, while the 21 piece barrel was $5.50. Of course, they wouldn't give you the free Washington's birthday cherry pie if you didn't axe for it... (If you want to figure out how those prices compare to today's prices, just remember that the inflation multiplier for 1970 is 6.65--that is, $1 in 1970 had the same value as $6.65 today. That would make that bucket $27.60 and that barrel $36.75 in today's dollars, which doesn't sound like that much of a bargain at all!)
The cinematic week began with Tick, Tick, Tick (starring Jim Brown) at the DeSoto Theatre, Justine (starring Anouk Aimee) at the First Avenue, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (starring Natalie Wood) at the Village, and Guns of the Magnificent Seven (starring George Kennedy) at the West Rome Drive-In. The weekend switch out brought Happy Ending (starring Jean Simmons) to the DeSoto, Goodbye Columbus (starring Richard Benjamin) to the First Avenue, and Number One (starring Charlton Heston) to the West Rome Drive-In, while Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice hung around at the Village for another week.
McCloud, the Dennis Weaver series focusing on a New Mexico deputy marshall on loan to the New York City police department, made its premiere on February 17th with the airing of a two hour pilot movie. The series, which was originally intended for Fess Parker (who passed on it), was inspired by Don Siegel's Clint Eastwood film Coogan's Bluff and (believe it or not) Tarzan's New York Adventure; the "fish out of water" series proved so popular that it went on to run for almost seven years as a part of the NBC Mystery Movie series.
Simon & Garfunkel climbed to the number one spot this week with "Bridge Over Troubled Water." Other top ten hits included "Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin/Everybody Is a Star" by Sly & the Family Stone (#2); "Who'll Stop the Rain" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (#3); "Hey There Lonely Girl" by Eddie Holman (#4); "No Time" by the Guess Who (#5); "Ma Belle Amie" by The Tee Set (#6); "Psychedelic Shack" by The Temptations (#7); "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" by BJ Thomas #8); "Rainy Night in Georgia" by Brook Benton (#9); and "Venus" by the Shocking Blue (#10).
Sunday, February 09, 2020
A Life in Four Colors Part Fifty-Five
Fandom and fanzines remained an important part of our lives in those early years of our marriage--and in fact, they seemed to increase in importance. We were both active in two amateur press alliances Myriad (founded in 1968 by Stven Carlberg) and Galaxy (founded in 1970 by Gary Steele). In addition, we would occasionally drift into and out of the Southern Fandom Press Alliance, whose existence predated our involvement in fandom by several years.
It's hard to explain the fanzine subculture to people who aren't familiar with fandom and the fan press. Fanzines--of which apas (apa being an acronym for amateur press alliance) are a subset--appeal to people who enjoy expressing themselves in print. It's a way to share opinions, experiences, observations, and communication with a larger group of friends, acquaintances, and colleagues. Apazines (individual fanzines produced for distribution to the membership of an apa) can be almost as personal as a letter, but they're intended to be read to a select group of friends. Some alas are more open; others are very secretive.
Myriad was my first apa experience. Gary and I were founding members, invited by our friend Stven Carlberg as he prepared to launch the new apa in 1968. Stven had become a fan friend of mine when I first discovered his fanzine Quantum through an ad. Shortly afterwards, the more general SF and comics fanzine Quantum came to an end; Stven replaced it with the fanzine SEC, whose name was derived from his initials. He expanded SEC to include fiction, poetry, and more. I contributed to SEC, and I believe that Gary did as well. So it was understandable that Stven was invite the both of us to help launch his new apa.
Susan became involved because I invited her--or rather, I encouraged Stven to invite her, since he was the only one who could officially invite a member at that time. I had met Susan just a couple of months before Myriad began, and within a few months I had introduced her to the world of fanzines.
Galaxy came along almost two years later, and to be honest I don't know why. Gary never told us why he felt the need to create a new apa--particularly one that shared so much of its membership with Myriad's roster. He invited Susan and me to become charter members, and we did--Gary was our friend, after all.
Not too long after Susan and I got married, Stven decided that he was ready to pass the Official Editorship of Myriad on to someone else. So Susan and I decided to run.
I can't offer an logical explanation for our decision. We were both working, I was in school, we were newly married and trying to build our own lives--but we also enjoyed doing apazines, and we liked the friends we had come to know through them. Joe Brancatelli, Joel Thingvall, Arvell Jones, Merlin Haas, Mark Evanier, Bob Pinaha, Cecil Hutto, Mark Verheiden, Rob Solomon, Steve & Binker Hughes, mike weber--these were just a few of the friends we made through Myriad and other apas.
I also think that my desire for instant gratification may have played a part in our decision to run for OE. If we were the Official Editors, we got to see everyone's apazines as soon as they sent them to us, rather than having to wait for the apa containing all those individual zines to be mailed to the members. I have never been a particularly patient person...
So in 1972, Susan and I became Official Editors of Myriad, which meant that two amateur press alliances were produced within twenty miles of one another. Gary would help us to assemble every mailing of Myriad; we would help him to assemble every mailing of Galaxy.
In 1973, we moved from our small rundown house a 621 1/2 Olive Street to the larger house at 621 Olive Street. As I mentioned before, I suspect the tiny house was originally a garage or outbuilding for the larger house located directly in front of it. Whatever the explanation, 621 Olive Street was a tremendous step up for us--it was a house with two bedrooms, a living room, a large kitchen, a floor furnace, and a normal sized bathroom.
When we moved into that larger house, we also decided to get a telephone. Our income had grown enough that we could afford the extra $11 a month for a phone--and since we were running Myriad, other members of the apa had asked if there was any way to call us to let us know they had sent us a package, or to see if it had arrived (there was no tracking for most mail at this time). So we got a phone, and a phone number to go with it.
404-748-6363. Or, if you used the letters assigned to the designated numbers, 404-748-OEOE. What number could be more perfect for two Official Editors of Myriad? (And no, we did not request that phone number--back then, I didn't even know that you could request phone numbers!)
We turned the second bedroom into a fan room. We put up a metal shelving in the room--not only along the walls, but also in freestanding rows in the middle of the room, like a library, with books accessible from both sides of the shelves. We moved our desk in there. We added a table for our mimeograph. We even had enough room to set up my Royal typewriter and Susan's Underwood. And that freed up the rest of the house to decorate like a--well, like a house!
Gradually, fandom was becoming a larger part of our lives. By 1973, every one of our close friends was someone we had met through fandom. Our larger house meant that we had room for out-of-town fans to stay overnight--and our living room sofa was also a sofa bed, so we actually had a place for guests to sleep. While most people planned vacations, we planned our summers around science fiction conventions like DeepSouthCon or Kubla Khan. We even began doing some paying work for "professional fanzines" like Jim Steranko's Mediascene.
That intense involvement with fandom would continue for a decade, leading us to launch our own review fanzine Future Retrospective, to help create the Atlanta Science Fiction Club (ASFiC), to help launch a regular Atlanta convention (ASFiCon), and even to host small conventions in Rome (Halfacon and Romega-Con). It would eventually end with bitterness and rancor, but the skills I learned in fandom would pave the way for a career that has lasted half of my lifetime.
It's hard to explain the fanzine subculture to people who aren't familiar with fandom and the fan press. Fanzines--of which apas (apa being an acronym for amateur press alliance) are a subset--appeal to people who enjoy expressing themselves in print. It's a way to share opinions, experiences, observations, and communication with a larger group of friends, acquaintances, and colleagues. Apazines (individual fanzines produced for distribution to the membership of an apa) can be almost as personal as a letter, but they're intended to be read to a select group of friends. Some alas are more open; others are very secretive.
Myriad was my first apa experience. Gary and I were founding members, invited by our friend Stven Carlberg as he prepared to launch the new apa in 1968. Stven had become a fan friend of mine when I first discovered his fanzine Quantum through an ad. Shortly afterwards, the more general SF and comics fanzine Quantum came to an end; Stven replaced it with the fanzine SEC, whose name was derived from his initials. He expanded SEC to include fiction, poetry, and more. I contributed to SEC, and I believe that Gary did as well. So it was understandable that Stven was invite the both of us to help launch his new apa.
Susan became involved because I invited her--or rather, I encouraged Stven to invite her, since he was the only one who could officially invite a member at that time. I had met Susan just a couple of months before Myriad began, and within a few months I had introduced her to the world of fanzines.
Galaxy came along almost two years later, and to be honest I don't know why. Gary never told us why he felt the need to create a new apa--particularly one that shared so much of its membership with Myriad's roster. He invited Susan and me to become charter members, and we did--Gary was our friend, after all.
Not too long after Susan and I got married, Stven decided that he was ready to pass the Official Editorship of Myriad on to someone else. So Susan and I decided to run.
I can't offer an logical explanation for our decision. We were both working, I was in school, we were newly married and trying to build our own lives--but we also enjoyed doing apazines, and we liked the friends we had come to know through them. Joe Brancatelli, Joel Thingvall, Arvell Jones, Merlin Haas, Mark Evanier, Bob Pinaha, Cecil Hutto, Mark Verheiden, Rob Solomon, Steve & Binker Hughes, mike weber--these were just a few of the friends we made through Myriad and other apas.
I also think that my desire for instant gratification may have played a part in our decision to run for OE. If we were the Official Editors, we got to see everyone's apazines as soon as they sent them to us, rather than having to wait for the apa containing all those individual zines to be mailed to the members. I have never been a particularly patient person...
So in 1972, Susan and I became Official Editors of Myriad, which meant that two amateur press alliances were produced within twenty miles of one another. Gary would help us to assemble every mailing of Myriad; we would help him to assemble every mailing of Galaxy.
In 1973, we moved from our small rundown house a 621 1/2 Olive Street to the larger house at 621 Olive Street. As I mentioned before, I suspect the tiny house was originally a garage or outbuilding for the larger house located directly in front of it. Whatever the explanation, 621 Olive Street was a tremendous step up for us--it was a house with two bedrooms, a living room, a large kitchen, a floor furnace, and a normal sized bathroom.
When we moved into that larger house, we also decided to get a telephone. Our income had grown enough that we could afford the extra $11 a month for a phone--and since we were running Myriad, other members of the apa had asked if there was any way to call us to let us know they had sent us a package, or to see if it had arrived (there was no tracking for most mail at this time). So we got a phone, and a phone number to go with it.
404-748-6363. Or, if you used the letters assigned to the designated numbers, 404-748-OEOE. What number could be more perfect for two Official Editors of Myriad? (And no, we did not request that phone number--back then, I didn't even know that you could request phone numbers!)
We turned the second bedroom into a fan room. We put up a metal shelving in the room--not only along the walls, but also in freestanding rows in the middle of the room, like a library, with books accessible from both sides of the shelves. We moved our desk in there. We added a table for our mimeograph. We even had enough room to set up my Royal typewriter and Susan's Underwood. And that freed up the rest of the house to decorate like a--well, like a house!
Gradually, fandom was becoming a larger part of our lives. By 1973, every one of our close friends was someone we had met through fandom. Our larger house meant that we had room for out-of-town fans to stay overnight--and our living room sofa was also a sofa bed, so we actually had a place for guests to sleep. While most people planned vacations, we planned our summers around science fiction conventions like DeepSouthCon or Kubla Khan. We even began doing some paying work for "professional fanzines" like Jim Steranko's Mediascene.
That intense involvement with fandom would continue for a decade, leading us to launch our own review fanzine Future Retrospective, to help create the Atlanta Science Fiction Club (ASFiC), to help launch a regular Atlanta convention (ASFiCon), and even to host small conventions in Rome (Halfacon and Romega-Con). It would eventually end with bitterness and rancor, but the skills I learned in fandom would pave the way for a career that has lasted half of my lifetime.
Saturday, February 08, 2020
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 2/9/1970 to 2/15/1970
Romans had a preference for X-rated films, based on numbers released by Rome movie theater managers. In the prior four months, Rome theaters showed only five X-rated films, but those films drew an average of 1957 viewers, compared to only 1540 viewers on average for M-rated films (this rating was later replaced by PG-13), 1327 viewers on average for G rated films, and 1003 viewers on average for R rated films. X-rated films outperformed every other category even though those films showed for the fewest number of days. Theatre managers, who asked not to be identified by name, told the Rome News-Tribune that they made a point of showing nothing but G rated movies during the 1969 holiday season n response to public requests, and they lost money doing so. "We're in business to make money," one manager said. "Just like any other business, we're governed by the law of supply and demand. What the public wants to see, the movie industry is going to make. Apparently the public wants to see X-rated movies." Theater managers pointed out that the ratings were merely suggestions and had no legal meaning, and they said it wasn't up to them to enforce a morality code by refusing to show the movies that people wanted to see.
School superintendent Milton S. MacDonald revealed that Rome was close to meeting all federal requirements for school desegregation as far as students were concerned, although the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare had indicated that West Rome High School needed five more minority faculty members to be in compliance; West End Elementary needed one more minority faculty member; and Elm Street needed two more minority faculty members. MacDonald said that teacher transfers could resolve those discrepancies by the beginning of the 1970-1971 school year.
The flu was hitting Rome hard this week in 1970, which Thornwood closing for the week due to the virus. Coosa High School reported an incredible 31% absentee rate due to the flu, while West Rome reported almost 18% absenteeism due to the flu.
Members of the 1960 graduating class of West Rome High School met this week in 1970 to discuss plans for their ten-year high school reunion.
West Rome's Tommy Roberson, was selected as a member of the Georgia All-Star Band this week in 1970. Many Chieftains will remember that Roberson went on to become slide trombonist for Johnny "Guitar" Watson's band, where he was often credited as Tommy "Slide" Roberson.
Did you know that, prior to 1970, Mt. Berry, Cave Spring, Coosa, Shannon, and Silver Creek did not have home mail delivery? The rules prior to 1970 said that residents who lived less than half a mile from the post office that did not offer city delivery had to pick up their mail at the local post office. That requirement changed in 1970, requiring each post office to offer home delivery if a majority of residents serviced by that post office requested it--and those residents did, by overwhelming majorities. So for the first time in history, those residents began receiving mail at home this week in 1970.
Home Federal joined in the push for higher interest rates by offering 6% on two-year saving certificates this week in 1969. But no one was topping First National Bank's 7.5% interest rate for 30-month saving certificates. And oh, how wonderful it would be to see those interest rates today!...
Piggly Wiggly had cube steak for $1.19 a pound, medium eggs for 59¢ a dozen, and tomatoes for 29¢ a pound. Kroger had pork roast for 49¢ a pound, Chase & Sanborn coffee for 55¢ a pound, and apples for 17¢ a pound. A&P had ground beef for 55¢ a pound, strawberries for 33¢ a pint, and avocados for 39¢ each. (And in 1970, I didn't even know what an avocado was, other than a popular color for kitchen appliances and decor.) Big Apple had fresh whole fryers for 29¢ a pound, Van Camp's chili with beans for 33¢ a can, and iceberg lettuce for 19¢ a head. Couch's had pork chops for 59¢ a pound, White House applesauce for 18¢ a jar, and sweet potatoes for 12¢ a pound.
The cinematic week began with 101 Dalmatians at the DeSoto Theatre, Flare Up (starring Raquel Welch) at the First Avenue, The Reivers (starring Steve McQueen) at the Village Theatre, and A Time to Sing (starring Hank Williams Jr.) at the West Rome Drive-In. The weekend switchout brought Tick, Tick, Tick starring Jim Brown to the DeSoto, Sweden: Heaven, & Hell (an X-rated Italian sensationalist documentary about Sweden's growing sex scene--the film is totally forgettable except for the fact that it marked the first appearance of the song "Mah Na Mah Na" by Piero Umiliani, which went on to become famous thanks to the Muppets!) to the First Avenue, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (starring Natalie Wood) to the Village, and Walt Disney's Peter Pan to the West Rome Drive-In.
Sly & the Family Stone slid into first place this week in 1970 with "Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin/Everybody Is a Star." Other top ten hits included "Hey There Lonely Girl" by Eddie Holman (#2); "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon & Garfunkel (#3); "I Want You Back" by the Jackson 5 (#4); "Who'll Stop the Rain" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (#5); "No Time" by the Guess Who (#6); "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" by BJ Thomas (#7); "Psychedelic Shack" by the Temptations (#8); "Venus" by the Shocking Blue (#9); and "Rainy Night in Georgia" by Brook Benton (#10).
Black Sabbath released this self-titled debut album this week in 1970, and is is subsequently credited as the first major heavy metal album in rock history. Badfinger also released their first album, Magic Christian Music (although they had previously recorded an album under the name The Iveys), which featured the hit song "Come and Get It" written by Paul McCartney.
School superintendent Milton S. MacDonald revealed that Rome was close to meeting all federal requirements for school desegregation as far as students were concerned, although the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare had indicated that West Rome High School needed five more minority faculty members to be in compliance; West End Elementary needed one more minority faculty member; and Elm Street needed two more minority faculty members. MacDonald said that teacher transfers could resolve those discrepancies by the beginning of the 1970-1971 school year.
The flu was hitting Rome hard this week in 1970, which Thornwood closing for the week due to the virus. Coosa High School reported an incredible 31% absentee rate due to the flu, while West Rome reported almost 18% absenteeism due to the flu.
Members of the 1960 graduating class of West Rome High School met this week in 1970 to discuss plans for their ten-year high school reunion.
West Rome's Tommy Roberson, was selected as a member of the Georgia All-Star Band this week in 1970. Many Chieftains will remember that Roberson went on to become slide trombonist for Johnny "Guitar" Watson's band, where he was often credited as Tommy "Slide" Roberson.
Did you know that, prior to 1970, Mt. Berry, Cave Spring, Coosa, Shannon, and Silver Creek did not have home mail delivery? The rules prior to 1970 said that residents who lived less than half a mile from the post office that did not offer city delivery had to pick up their mail at the local post office. That requirement changed in 1970, requiring each post office to offer home delivery if a majority of residents serviced by that post office requested it--and those residents did, by overwhelming majorities. So for the first time in history, those residents began receiving mail at home this week in 1970.
Home Federal joined in the push for higher interest rates by offering 6% on two-year saving certificates this week in 1969. But no one was topping First National Bank's 7.5% interest rate for 30-month saving certificates. And oh, how wonderful it would be to see those interest rates today!...
Piggly Wiggly had cube steak for $1.19 a pound, medium eggs for 59¢ a dozen, and tomatoes for 29¢ a pound. Kroger had pork roast for 49¢ a pound, Chase & Sanborn coffee for 55¢ a pound, and apples for 17¢ a pound. A&P had ground beef for 55¢ a pound, strawberries for 33¢ a pint, and avocados for 39¢ each. (And in 1970, I didn't even know what an avocado was, other than a popular color for kitchen appliances and decor.) Big Apple had fresh whole fryers for 29¢ a pound, Van Camp's chili with beans for 33¢ a can, and iceberg lettuce for 19¢ a head. Couch's had pork chops for 59¢ a pound, White House applesauce for 18¢ a jar, and sweet potatoes for 12¢ a pound.
The cinematic week began with 101 Dalmatians at the DeSoto Theatre, Flare Up (starring Raquel Welch) at the First Avenue, The Reivers (starring Steve McQueen) at the Village Theatre, and A Time to Sing (starring Hank Williams Jr.) at the West Rome Drive-In. The weekend switchout brought Tick, Tick, Tick starring Jim Brown to the DeSoto, Sweden: Heaven, & Hell (an X-rated Italian sensationalist documentary about Sweden's growing sex scene--the film is totally forgettable except for the fact that it marked the first appearance of the song "Mah Na Mah Na" by Piero Umiliani, which went on to become famous thanks to the Muppets!) to the First Avenue, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (starring Natalie Wood) to the Village, and Walt Disney's Peter Pan to the West Rome Drive-In.
Sly & the Family Stone slid into first place this week in 1970 with "Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin/Everybody Is a Star." Other top ten hits included "Hey There Lonely Girl" by Eddie Holman (#2); "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon & Garfunkel (#3); "I Want You Back" by the Jackson 5 (#4); "Who'll Stop the Rain" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (#5); "No Time" by the Guess Who (#6); "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" by BJ Thomas (#7); "Psychedelic Shack" by the Temptations (#8); "Venus" by the Shocking Blue (#9); and "Rainy Night in Georgia" by Brook Benton (#10).
Black Sabbath released this self-titled debut album this week in 1970, and is is subsequently credited as the first major heavy metal album in rock history. Badfinger also released their first album, Magic Christian Music (although they had previously recorded an album under the name The Iveys), which featured the hit song "Come and Get It" written by Paul McCartney.
Saturday, February 01, 2020
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 2/2/1970 to 2/8/1970
West Rome ended its basketball season with a split in their game with East Rome, as the girls team won 63-32, while the boys were defeated 54-29. Debbie Poarch was the top scorer for the girls with 25 points, while Floyd Miller was once again the top scorer for the boys, but could only manage 10 points against the formidable East Rome defense.
Rome's crime rate ticked up this week in 1970 with numerous burglaries, including a multi-thousand dollar theft at Bradshaw Tire Company involving the theft of a 100 tires and eight stereo tape players, along with tools and equipment; a break-in at Champion Garment Co.; a burglary at Westdale Department Store; and three home break-ins. Meanwhile, a former Roman was arrested at his new residence in Piedmont, Alabama, where he was charged with buying, receiving, and selling stolen goods, including $30,000 in carpeting stolen from a Rome manufacturer.
Trying to compete with the high interest rates offered the previous week by National City Bank and First National Bank, Citizens Federal upped the top rate for its 24 month saving certificate to 6%. Home Federal also offered a 6% 24 month saving certificate, while Rome Bank & Trust offered 5.75% on their 24 month saving certificate.
Sly & the Family Stone climbed to number one in the music charts this week in 1970 with "Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin/Everbody Is a Star." Other top ten hits included "I Want You Back" by the Jackson 5 (#2); "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" by BJ Thomas (#3); "Venus" by the Shocking Blue (#4); Hey There Lonely Girl" by Eddie Holman (#5); "No Time" by the Guess Who" (#6); "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" by Dionne Warwick #7); "Psychedelic Shack" by the Temptations (#8); "Who'll Stop the Rain" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (#9); and "Arizona" by Mark Lindsay (#10).
Piggly Wiggly had sirloin steak for $1.19 a pound, Sealtest ice cream for 59¢ a half-gallon, and cable for 8¢ a pound. A&P had fresh whole fryers for 29¢ a pound, oranges for 12¢ a pound, and Van Camp's pork & beans for 19¢ a can. Kroger had chicken breasts for 39¢ a pound, Jeno's pizza rolls for 45¢ a box, and apples for 17¢ a pound. Big Apple had pork roast for 79¢ a pound, Poss's Brunswick stew for 49¢ a can, and bananas for a dime a pound. Couch's had chicken livers for 49¢ a pound, Oscar Mayer hot dogs for 69¢ a pound, and lettuce for 12¢ a head.
The cinematic week began with 101 Dalmatians at the DeSoto Theatre, Easy Rider (starring Peter Fonda) at the First Avenue, The Reivers (starring Steve McQueen) at the Village, and Assassination Bureau (starring Oliver Reed) at the West Rome Drive-In. The weekend switchout brought Flare Up (starring Raquel Welch) to the First Avenue and A Time to Sing (starring Hank Williams Jr.) to the West Rome Drive-In, while 101 Dalmatians and The Reivers hung around for another week at the DeSoto and Village respectively.
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 1/26/1970 to 2/1/1970
A strong thunderstorm brought severe winds and a possible tornado to West Rome in the early morning hours of Monday, January 26th. A prefabricated metal shed was lifted off the ground and thrown against a tree on Echota Circle; a sales banner at John Wood Service Station on Shorter Avenue was destroyed; and roof damage was reported to several homes along Burnett Ferry Road.
West Rome's basketball team posted its second victory of the season with a 62-52 win over the Darlington Tigers. Floyd Miller was the lead scorer for the Chiefs, racking up 36 points.
West Rome linebacker David Watkins was tagged for honorable mention on the All-America grid squad, which was selected by Coach and Athlete magazine. He was one of only 20 Georgia high-school players so honored.
Ronnie Gravely, a senior at West Rome, was selected as male student of the year by the Rome Chapter of the Distributive Education Clubs of America. Gravley advanced to the Northwest Georgia District level, where he would compete with students of twelve other schools for the title of District student of the year; at that point, he would advance to state competition.
Floyd County Hospital announced a rate increase this week in 1970: a private hospital room increased $5 to $39 a day, while a semi-private room increased to $30 a day. The charge for an emergency room visit increased to $35, while a $5 fee was added for emergency room patients who were then admitted to the hospital (but the emergency room cost would be be applied to the first day's stay at the hospital). (The inflation multiplier from 1970 to 2020 is 6.62, which means that in today's dollars, a private room would cost $258, a semi-private room would cost $199, and an emergency room visit would cost $231. It's staggering to see how much more than the cost of inflation hospital costs have increased in fifty years--and it's also interesting to know that in 1970 the hospital shared the cost of all hospital costs and procedures in advance with anyone who wanted to know.)
National City Bank increased the interest rate it was paying on certificates of deposit (then called "saving certificates") to 5.5% for a one-year certificate and 5.75% for a two-year certificate. But First National Bank trounced that rate with a 7.5% 30-month saving certificate, the highest rate ever offered for an insured CD on Rome history at that time.
Piggly Wiggly had round steak for 89¢ a pound, Maxwell House coffee for 66¢ a pound, and potatoes for 6¢ a pound. Kroger had chuck steak for 69¢ a pound, orange juice for 66¢ a half-gallon, and tomatoes for 29¢ a pound. A&P had fresh whole fryers for 27¢ a pound, spam for 39¢ a can, and lettuce for 25¢ a head. Big Apple had spare ribs for 79¢ a pound, Kinnett's ice cream for 79¢ a half-gallon, and pears for 13¢ each. Couch's had ground beef for 55¢ a pound, Libby's spaghetti & meatballs for 49¢ a can, and Bama grape jelly for 29¢ a jar.
The cinematic week began with Krakatoa, East of Java (starring Brian Keith) at the DeSoto Theatre, Christmas Tree (starring William Holden) at the First Avenue, Viva Max (starring Peter Ustinov) at the Village, and Alice's Restaurant (starring Arlo Guthrie) at the West Rome Drive-In. The weekend switch out brought 101 Dalmations to the DeSoto, Easy Rider (starring Peter Fonda (to the First Avenue, The Reivers (starring Steve McQueen) to the Village, and Medium Cool (starring Robert Forster) to the West Rome Drive-In.
"Venus" by the Shocking Blue took the top honors on the music charts this week in 1970. Other top ten hits included "I Want You Back" by the Jackson 5 (#2); "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" by BJ Thomas (#3); "Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin/Everybody Is a Star" by Sly & The Family Stone (#4); "Without Love (There Is Nothing)" by Tom Jones (#5); "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" by Dionne Warwick (#6); "Hey There Lonely Girl" by Eddie Holman (#7); "Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin (#8); "No Time" by the Guess Who (#9); and "Jingle Jangle" by the Archies (#10).
James Taylor's second album (But the first one that most people ever heard of) Sweet Baby James was released this week in 1970. The album, driven by the hit song "Fire and Rain," would make James Taylor a folk-rock superstar.
West Rome's basketball team posted its second victory of the season with a 62-52 win over the Darlington Tigers. Floyd Miller was the lead scorer for the Chiefs, racking up 36 points.
West Rome linebacker David Watkins was tagged for honorable mention on the All-America grid squad, which was selected by Coach and Athlete magazine. He was one of only 20 Georgia high-school players so honored.
Ronnie Gravely, a senior at West Rome, was selected as male student of the year by the Rome Chapter of the Distributive Education Clubs of America. Gravley advanced to the Northwest Georgia District level, where he would compete with students of twelve other schools for the title of District student of the year; at that point, he would advance to state competition.
The West Rome band performed in a band festival held at the City Auditorium to benefit the March of Dimes; assistant school superintendent Jesse Lasseter was the co-chairman of the event along with Floyd County assistant superintendent Tim Watkins.
The Johnny Reb convenience store on Shorter Avenue was robbed at gunpoint on Thursday, January 29th. The two armed robbers took cash from the store and took a wallet from the store employee.
National City Bank increased the interest rate it was paying on certificates of deposit (then called "saving certificates") to 5.5% for a one-year certificate and 5.75% for a two-year certificate. But First National Bank trounced that rate with a 7.5% 30-month saving certificate, the highest rate ever offered for an insured CD on Rome history at that time.
Piggly Wiggly had round steak for 89¢ a pound, Maxwell House coffee for 66¢ a pound, and potatoes for 6¢ a pound. Kroger had chuck steak for 69¢ a pound, orange juice for 66¢ a half-gallon, and tomatoes for 29¢ a pound. A&P had fresh whole fryers for 27¢ a pound, spam for 39¢ a can, and lettuce for 25¢ a head. Big Apple had spare ribs for 79¢ a pound, Kinnett's ice cream for 79¢ a half-gallon, and pears for 13¢ each. Couch's had ground beef for 55¢ a pound, Libby's spaghetti & meatballs for 49¢ a can, and Bama grape jelly for 29¢ a jar.
The cinematic week began with Krakatoa, East of Java (starring Brian Keith) at the DeSoto Theatre, Christmas Tree (starring William Holden) at the First Avenue, Viva Max (starring Peter Ustinov) at the Village, and Alice's Restaurant (starring Arlo Guthrie) at the West Rome Drive-In. The weekend switch out brought 101 Dalmations to the DeSoto, Easy Rider (starring Peter Fonda (to the First Avenue, The Reivers (starring Steve McQueen) to the Village, and Medium Cool (starring Robert Forster) to the West Rome Drive-In.
"Venus" by the Shocking Blue took the top honors on the music charts this week in 1970. Other top ten hits included "I Want You Back" by the Jackson 5 (#2); "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" by BJ Thomas (#3); "Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin/Everybody Is a Star" by Sly & The Family Stone (#4); "Without Love (There Is Nothing)" by Tom Jones (#5); "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" by Dionne Warwick (#6); "Hey There Lonely Girl" by Eddie Holman (#7); "Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin (#8); "No Time" by the Guess Who (#9); and "Jingle Jangle" by the Archies (#10).
James Taylor's second album (But the first one that most people ever heard of) Sweet Baby James was released this week in 1970. The album, driven by the hit song "Fire and Rain," would make James Taylor a folk-rock superstar.
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