It felt so good clearing out the attic, the basement and the closets when we downsized and moved. Only now, as the committee prepares for our 50th reunion, do I miss a few things -- an old pee chee, Glacier book cover, record albums, and more. When a classmate unearths a bundle of "The Avalanche" or a class photo from junior high, it triggers nostalgia only people our age can understand. These common place "things" from our early lives take on new meaning--links to memories of childhood days from another era, our era, when life was simpler, easier and mostly fun. I'm pretty sure we didn't fully appreciate that back then.
We don't get to choose the time we are born, but, most of us, at the Reunion Committee meeting "mini-reunions", express how lucky we feel to have spent our youth in such an idyllic time. We got to be children when childhood was meant for play, learning, family and friends. We were in an era of English Racer bikes, hula hoops, television, and "The Twist". It was a time of growth and change -- new fashions and fads that we endorsed as "cool". Even the Seattle skyline had changed with the World's Fair and the new Space Needle, and we felt part of a growing sophistication and the grown up world. Awesome cars were coming out of Detroit (did anybody want foreign cars back then?), and the most amazing rock & roll music beat a drum beat to our souls. Life was lived at an easy pace with time for school work and chores but with a good measure of unstructured time to play in the neighborhood and pursue hobbies and interests and friendships. It wasn't perfect, and there were struggles, but it was a good time in which to grow up.
To be so old that we pre-date t.v. is something strange to admit, but I remember a lot of family time at home relaxing around the living room radio listening to our favorite shows. Amazing images played in our minds as we listened. The sound effects were almost humorous but laid the scene --a creaking door, galloping hooves, the sound of clutter falling out of Jack Benny's closet--or was that Fibber McGee's? I loved "Amos & Andy", "Sky King", and was gripped with fear when I would hear, "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?" followed by the maniacal laugh of "The Shadow". Saturday mornings were kids' shows when we listened to Clarabell Clown, Princess Summerfallwinterspring, and Chief Thunderthud--remember "Kowabunga, Buffalo Bob!"? And when Buffalo Bob said, "Say kids, what time is it?" every kid in the room knew what to say 'cause it was "Howdy Doody Time"!
And then came t.v. and we sat fascinated watching anything that came on -- even the test screen when the day's shows would end. No more pictures in our minds -- it was all there in front of our eyes in amazing black and white.
There was a wholesomeness to television then that families could watch and enjoy together. The shows were great entertainment with family values--"Father Knows Best", "Leave It to Beaver", "The Lawrence Welk Show", the "Ed Sullivan Show", "Mickey Mouse Club". And westerns dominated the schedule every weekend with: "Gunsmoke", "Wyatt Earp", "Have Gun Will Travel", "Bonanza", "Rawhide". We were out of high school when color t.v. came along. Tell that to a young person if you want to feel old!
Movies and music and fashion all influenced us and were influenced by us, as we embraced new styles and trends: the khakis or pegged pants with skinny belts, modified crew cuts, white socks and a comb in the back pocket for boys; the pleated skirts, bouffant hair-do's, "squash" heels, and nylon stockings for girls. There were dress codes and standards then: no pants for girls and skirt lengths were watched closely too (nothing above the knee cap or you were sent home to change). How things have changed.
The back beat for many of us was the music carried through our day on transistor radios kept in the locker at school. At Sunset Jr. High we had a jukebox that played tunes at lunch; we could dance there on Fridays--yup, mostly the girls. From the first single records I ever purchased--Purple People Eater (click to listen)--and Raunchy (for a sixth grade party at Hilltop Elementary School), through the Everly Brothers, Elvis, Patsy Cline, Brenda Lee, and Roy Orbison to the Beatles and so many others, our era was treated to amazing music. Isn't it something how a generation of young people identifies with its music so strongly that it still triggers a response over fifty years later?
And we all seem to want one of the classic cars from that time (restored of course) in the garage too. The boys always wanted corvettes. My dream car in high school was a '57 chevy-- turquoise--with that widening chrome strip down the fins. But if we're dreaming now, how about making mine a '57 Thunderbird please!?
So these scraps of nostalgia from the old days have been on our minds as we dig through the flotsam and jetsam of our youth. Some of us have been digging through dusty boxes and attics and a few garage sales and thrift stores to unearth these pieces and nostalgia from way back when. Some things have been carefully stored and preserved while others are left only to remember.
A few of these treasures will be displayed the night of our reunion to take us back in time--fifty years and more. We're still looking for GHS Letterman's jackets and hope to score one by then (some things are not discarded but lovingly worn to death over time). Thankfully, everything didn't get lost in our downsizings so we can all enjoy them next year to enhance our reunion. These relics are special to us now because between the pages of "The Avalanche" and the strands of the pom-poms and the photos of our class, are the memories we made as we grew up together. These common place things preserve our history and help us remember--the links to our past.
Hey, guys! Spare the Lettermen's Jacket -- we'll need it at our 50th Reunion!
Photo from the December, 1963 "Avalanche"
Pictured: Rod Malone (in locker), Kent Benson (in front), Art Sivertsen (back left); Gerry Cavanee (back right).
FIFTY YEARS PAST BLAST:
HEADLINES -- SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER, 1963
Like a time capsule from fifty years ago, here’s a blast from our past. Our senior year was well underway and report card time was near--October 30 marked the end of the first quarter. We were preparing for Homecoming scheduled for November 1.
To be so old that we pre-date t.v. is something strange to admit, but I remember a lot of family time at home relaxing around the living room radio listening to our favorite shows. Amazing images played in our minds as we listened. The sound effects were almost humorous but laid the scene --a creaking door, galloping hooves, the sound of clutter falling out of Jack Benny's closet--or was that Fibber McGee's? I loved "Amos & Andy", "Sky King", and was gripped with fear when I would hear, "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?" followed by the maniacal laugh of "The Shadow". Saturday mornings were kids' shows when we listened to Clarabell Clown, Princess Summerfallwinterspring, and Chief Thunderthud--remember "Kowabunga, Buffalo Bob!"? And when Buffalo Bob said, "Say kids, what time is it?" every kid in the room knew what to say 'cause it was "Howdy Doody Time"!
And then came t.v. and we sat fascinated watching anything that came on -- even the test screen when the day's shows would end. No more pictures in our minds -- it was all there in front of our eyes in amazing black and white.
There was a wholesomeness to television then that families could watch and enjoy together. The shows were great entertainment with family values--"Father Knows Best", "Leave It to Beaver", "The Lawrence Welk Show", the "Ed Sullivan Show", "Mickey Mouse Club". And westerns dominated the schedule every weekend with: "Gunsmoke", "Wyatt Earp", "Have Gun Will Travel", "Bonanza", "Rawhide". We were out of high school when color t.v. came along. Tell that to a young person if you want to feel old!
Movies and music and fashion all influenced us and were influenced by us, as we embraced new styles and trends: the khakis or pegged pants with skinny belts, modified crew cuts, white socks and a comb in the back pocket for boys; the pleated skirts, bouffant hair-do's, "squash" heels, and nylon stockings for girls. There were dress codes and standards then: no pants for girls and skirt lengths were watched closely too (nothing above the knee cap or you were sent home to change). How things have changed.
The back beat for many of us was the music carried through our day on transistor radios kept in the locker at school. At Sunset Jr. High we had a jukebox that played tunes at lunch; we could dance there on Fridays--yup, mostly the girls. From the first single records I ever purchased--Purple People Eater (click to listen)--and Raunchy (for a sixth grade party at Hilltop Elementary School), through the Everly Brothers, Elvis, Patsy Cline, Brenda Lee, and Roy Orbison to the Beatles and so many others, our era was treated to amazing music. Isn't it something how a generation of young people identifies with its music so strongly that it still triggers a response over fifty years later?
And we all seem to want one of the classic cars from that time (restored of course) in the garage too. The boys always wanted corvettes. My dream car in high school was a '57 chevy-- turquoise--with that widening chrome strip down the fins. But if we're dreaming now, how about making mine a '57 Thunderbird please!?
So these scraps of nostalgia from the old days have been on our minds as we dig through the flotsam and jetsam of our youth. Some of us have been digging through dusty boxes and attics and a few garage sales and thrift stores to unearth these pieces and nostalgia from way back when. Some things have been carefully stored and preserved while others are left only to remember.
A few of these treasures will be displayed the night of our reunion to take us back in time--fifty years and more. We're still looking for GHS Letterman's jackets and hope to score one by then (some things are not discarded but lovingly worn to death over time). Thankfully, everything didn't get lost in our downsizings so we can all enjoy them next year to enhance our reunion. These relics are special to us now because between the pages of "The Avalanche" and the strands of the pom-poms and the photos of our class, are the memories we made as we grew up together. These common place things preserve our history and help us remember--the links to our past.
Hey, guys! Spare the Lettermen's Jacket -- we'll need it at our 50th Reunion!
Photo from the December, 1963 "Avalanche"
Pictured: Rod Malone (in locker), Kent Benson (in front), Art Sivertsen (back left); Gerry Cavanee (back right).
FIFTY YEARS PAST BLAST:
HEADLINES -- SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER, 1963
Like a time capsule from fifty years ago, here’s a blast from our past. Our senior year was well underway and report card time was near--October 30 marked the end of the first quarter. We were preparing for Homecoming scheduled for November 1.
NEWS HEADLINES
--Racist uprisings as Two African American Girls Attend Desegregated West End High School in Birmingham
--Racist bombing in Birmingham, Alabama kills four little girls at the 16th Street Baptist Church
--Nightly Network News TV Broadcasts expanded from 15 to 30 minutes by CBS and NBC
--The New York Mirror Ceases Publication falling victim to the recently ended newspaper strike
--Hurricane Flora devastates Cuba, Haiti and The Dominican Republic, killing 7200
--Demolition Begins on NYC's Pennsylvania Station--the loss of this beautiful 53-year old marble and granite structure prompts efforts for architectural preservation
--Vietnamese Government Soldiers Landed by US Helicopters near CA Mau Peninsula in South Vietnam to pursue communist Viet Cong Guerrillas who had attacked a Vietnamese outpost
MOVIES you might have gone to see: (source: Wikipedia #1 U.S. Films by week)
- Promises! Promises!
- Shock Corridor
- X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes
- The VIPs
- Dimentia 13
- Johnny Cool
Books on the NY Times Best Seller List:
- The Shoes of the Fisherman by Morrs L. West
- The Group by Mary McCarthy
TV shows you might have watched:
(these shows debuted in September 1963)
(these shows debuted in September 1963)
- The Outer Limits (ABC)
- The Fugitive (ABC)
- The Patty Duke Show (ABC)
- Burke's Law (ABC)
- Petticoat Junction (CBS)
- Judy Garland Show (CBS)
Music you would have heard (on your transistor radio?):
(Source: Billboard #1 Singles 1963)
Click on title and then click on link to listen...
(Source: Billboard #1 Singles 1963)
Click on title and then click on link to listen...
- "My Boyfriend's Back" by The Angels
- "Blue Velvet" by Bobby Vinton
- "Sugar Shack" by Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs
Around Glacier:
- Thirty-one parking spots were sold to Glacier students by the Traffic Court and Safety Council. By buying a 25-cent sticker, the student was entitled to a permanent parking spot in the back lot.
- Report card time with the end of the first quarter October 30. Report cards were issued to the students at the quarter but would be mailed to parents in January. "The Avalanche" reported that a new system for grading report cards would be used with the grades being recorded by Remington Rand machines.
- Drivers ed classes began October 28, with 30 hours of classroom study and 12 hours of observation, combined with six hours of on the road driving. After the training the boys were able to get a 10% discount on insurance from most companies. (Editor: Interesting, no mention of a discount for girls.)
- Plans were underway for Homecoming keeping the Senior Class busy preparing to welcome the classes of '61, '62 and '63 (approximately 300 grads) back to campus. An assembly, half-time ceremony and a dance would celebrate the event with the theme, "Moments to Remember".
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| SENIOR CLASS OFFICERS: L to R: Karen Loyd, Treasurer; Patty Peterson, Secretary; Mr. Packard, Advisor; Ken Anderson, President; Lynn Copenhaver, Historian; Maureen Young, Vice President. |
- Homecoming royalty was selected with Gwen Cox selected to reign as Homecoming Queen. Her court would include Pat Skolrud, junior class princess, and Sydney Nick, alum class princess from the class of '63.
- Pep Club had new uniforms with plans to wear them for Homecoming. The emblem for Pep was new that year too with officers distinguished by a big gold "G". Pep Club was preparing to sponsor the sale of Glacier pins.
Note: Click on photos to enlarge.
- Grizzlies had rolled past the Evergreen Wolverines 7-0 with Glacier's touchdown coming in the second quarter with a drive from their own 49 yard line. The score was made with a 24-yard pass from Tom Frank to Steve Nasinec who was just able to knife into the end zone. In the final three minutes, the Wolverines were gaining momentum and at the GHS 40-yard line when Andy Vasilieff intercepted an Evergreen pass assuring the Glacier victory. Don Oishi gained 60 yards rushing; Jerry Scarsella gained 58 yards rushing; Steve Nasinec caught two passes for 59 yards including the touchdown toss.
- GHS cross-country team was victorious over Kent 20-35. Chuck Stahl took first place for GHS with a 10:44; Hugh More was second with 10:56. Don Brandt took fifth place at 11:03. In the triangular cross-country meet with Renton and Tyee on October 18, the GHS showing was rather poor: the score was Renton 15, Tyee 59, and Glacier 66. Number one man, Chuck Stahl, was out with an injured foot; number two man, Frank Wick, was away on a hunting trip.
- German Club elected officers at their first meeting: Ralph Christopherson, President; Dan Six, Vice President; Larry Freeburn, Secretary; Garth Steedman, Treasurer.
- And these three Girls' Club wannabe's need some serious Dress Code advice but we can see why the one at left wouldn't want to cover up those knees.
We were moving through our senior year as most seniors do...with thoughts of homework and quarter-end tests. The weather was turning blustery and we scurried between classes under the thin cover of the breezeways. We complained that the Highline JC students sat on the heaters in the cafeteria at lunch. And we looked forward to Homecoming--the dance, the assembly, the football game against arch rival, Highline. We ended the first two months of our senior year and looking back on those days, life was good.
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