If there is one advantage to being in the "over 55" club, it is that I enjoy the rewards of amassing a vast repository of memories.
There have certainly been a lot of changes since the 1950s. I remember hearing the last remaining steam locomotives chugging along the Pennsylvania Railroad tracks near our house on their way the smelters of the scrap yards.
I remember going outside with my parents to see the "Echo" satellite which was launched on May 13th, 1960. Its reflective surface made it plainly visible to the naked eye as it moved across the night sky.
I remember the announcement in school that President John F. Kennedy had been shot in Dallas Texas on November 22, 1963. As I went to pick up the milk for recess, I head one of the cafeteria ladies saying to another that it was announced that the president was dead.
As unbelievable as this sounds, next month will mark the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission during which the first human walked on the surface of the moon. Forty years! Most that are reading this post were not even born then! I remember it like it was yesterday.
Perhaps I am at the peak of memory saturation right now. The time will come when the past will become dim and slowly fade away from my consciousness.
But for now, I'll relive the past in vivid detail on the video player of the mind. It was a great time to be alive!
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All content, including text, original art, photographs and images, is the exclusive property of Coweta Fayette Real Estate, Inc., and may not be used without the expressed written permission of Coweta Fayette Real Estate Better Homes and Gardens Metro Brokers, Newnan Georgia. All information is believed to be accurate but is not warranted, Copyright 2003-2009. Richard Weisser REOS, E-Pro. licensed Auctioneer. 770-827-6225.
Learn more about Coweta County and Fayette County Georgia Real Estate, and to search the entire Georgia MLS for free with no registration required. Visit CowetaFayetteRealEstate.com! Photos of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. North Georgia Photos.
Richard,
In many ways, better times. In many ways, not so good. Nonetheless, memories are still there for us all. Of course, some people have "revisionist" memories too.
BTW, I was in the High School gym when we heard about Kennedy. Catholic school too.
Rich
Love The Memories! Great Post!
I remember in the 50's, in my bed at night. I could recognize the different trains by their horns. They all sang a different chord (I'm a musician). In the 5th grade we were sent home after Kennedy was shot. After dinner you were outside until nightfall and usually beyond that, parents worried? Nahhh, a unique time it was....
Good morning Richard,
I was in Seville Spain when the base went on lockdown when President Kennedy was shot. Yup, I too remember it like it was yesterday. Thanks for the other memories.
Those were the days. Amazing how we can remember all those things and can't remember where we put that remote!
When I opened a real estate office in 1961, a one page contract worked just fine and we had fewer problems than now.
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Rich...
I remember being frightened after the MLK and RFK assassinations that anarchy would take over the country. And Viet Nam was a whole other story. THX.
Rick...
Thanks. I appreciate the comment.
Frank...
We stayed outside forever it seems, and you're right, nobody worried about it. It was a great time to be a kid. Thanks.
Don...
There will always be mystery surrounding the Kennedy assassination. There are so many loose ends. I wonder how many fingers were on "arm and launch" buttons on that day? Thanks, my friend.
Gary...
I wonder if one day we'll have a "remote" implant! lol and thanks.
Roy...
Oh goodness, that WAS a long time ago. Seems that caveat emptor ruled the day as well! Thanks.
I have many of those same memories ... so we must be close in age. As a kid I always thought that my folks and their folks had seen so many changes in the world and just how scary that might have been. But looking back ... we have all seen tons of changes, too.
Kids no longer have to be in when the streetlights come on. The tradition of one parent at home 95% of the time ... gone by necessity. Playing hopscotch, climbing trees, flying kites ... all replaced (largely) by PSPs, Nintendos, Wiis and the like.
It's sad. Today's children will likely reminisce about the progression of video games and electronics. I think I like being a dinosaur.
Richard, it indeed was a great time to be alive. One day we will look back and today will the good old days. Thanks for the memories.
Richard - you are just a young pup, can barely remember the 50's. I remember walking home from school, sixth grade, listening to my transistor radio (yeah, how many remember those) and hearing about "the day the music died" in 1959. I was in high school the day JFK was shot and our Friday basketball game and Saturday night dance were cancelled. I remember the Eisenhower/Stevenson campaign. It's not when the old memories fade that you have to worry, it's when you can't remember yesterday, or two minutes ago.
And how about 78 records, round screen TV's, Arthur Godfrey.....
Richard, tell me about memories... Lord, I can remember Howdy Doody, 4 tracs, B&W TV...
Hi Richard, I remember many of those events, too! JFK- 6th grade playground, RFK- first thing I heard on my alarm clock radio that morning, our first color TV!! The first walk on the moon- simply amazing. So many memories of those days - these days with information overload, I tend not to remember current events nearly as well.
Thanks for those memories today.
Not yet a member of the "over 55" club... but already having difficulty retrieving memories. JFK, of course, I remember exactly where I was, and what I was doing... the same with the Challenger disaster.... 9/11.... there are a few of those that stand out. But what I had for breakfast yesterday... hmmm... that file appears to be corrupt and inaccessible.
Richard, great post, took me down a few places I hadn't thought about before. I remember JFK's assassination like it was yesterday, they sent us home from school, the crossing guard lady was crying her eyes out. I spent the day with my grandfather. I remember the big blackout, transistor radios, Ed Sullivan, oh so many memories, bittersweet, happy, sad. Thank you. It was a simpler time for sure.
Love the photos.
Not quite a member of the over 55 club but even in my mere 35 years its amazing how many memories i've amassed and how much the world has changed.
Why is it so easy to remember the good ol' days, but so hard to rmember why I went to the file cabinet.
Richard - As I remember the past with my personal video player, I'm grateful for name tags today.
I am afraid that I wasn't around for any of these, but I can sure see how they would leave an impression on ones memory for sure.
Wow, great walk down memory lane Richard, and even more walking through the comments. Happy memories though, of playing outside, especially when relatives came over and we were allowed out til midnight, if we stayed close to the house. Don't forget the day John Lennon was shot.
Richard, Thank you for the history lesson! I love to hear about past events, especially when people actually experienced them. They seem more alive and vivid.
Hey Richard,
geez, you are old aren't ya??!! I'm only kidding...lol I hope I have as many good memories as you when I reach your age.
I also remember walking the hallways of my high school when the announcement of the presidents death was announced. Some memories don't ever fade away.
Hey Richard, got to thinking of your post after we signed off last night and thought OH NO we sound like our parents!!
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