Leon High School
Tallahassee, Florida
Class of 1959
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January 1957 Headlines
(courtesy of http://dmarie.com/timecap/)
Jan 3 - 1st electric watch introduced, Lancaster PA
Jan 4 - "Blondie" situation comedy premieres on NBC TV (later on CBS)
Jan 5 - Dodgers' Jackie Robinson retires rather than be traded to New York Giants
Jan 5 - Eisenhower asks Congress to send troops to the Mid East
Jan 6 - Elvis Presley makes his final appearance on Ed Sullivan Show
Jan 10 - Anthony Eden resigns & Harold Macmillan becomes PM Britain
Jan 13 - Wham-O Company produces the 1st Frisbee
Jan 17 - 9-county commission recommends creation of BART
Jan 18 - 3 B-52's set around-the-world flight record, 45 hrs 19 min
Jan 19 - USSR performs atmospheric nuclear test
Jan 22 - Israeli forces withdraw from the Sinai Penisula
Jan 22 - Mad Bomber (George P Metesky) accused of 30 explosions, arrested
Jan 25 - FBI arrests Jack & Myra Sobel, for spying for the USSR
Jan 31 - Liz Taylor's 2nd divorce (Michael Wilding)
Jan 31 - Trans-Iranian oil pipe line finished
COUNTDOWN TO GRADUATION - JAN-FEB-MAR 1957
Thus ends another of my questionably interesting recollections of our high school years.
I'll be back in next quarter. If you have ANYTHING to contribute, AS USUAL, PLEASE SEND IT ON!
Starting 1957 at Leon High School
That CLICK HERE! above will take you to a really great nostalgic page called Do You Remember These? with singing by the Statler Brothers.
Well, I looked through the headlines above and the most earth-shaking thing I see is the first Frisbee. I'm a little surprised about the EEC - I didn't realize it had been around that long. At any rate, nothing much to ramble on about there, so I'm going to attempt some reminiscing.
The thing I most remember about the new year in high school is that the Christmas holidays were just long enough so we'd forget almost everything we learned in the fall. I imagine it's still that way now. I would think that would be one of the most frustrating things about being a high school teacher - having to re-teach almost everything all over again. I guess the good news is that we probably remembered things better after learning them twice.
Another thing that comes to mind is that we're almost into the Easter Vacation. I don't think we called them Spring Break yet back then, but the concept was very similar. I don't think anybody ran off to Cancun or even to Ft. Lauderdale, since "Where the Boys Are" didn't come out until 1960. We'd just zoom off down to Alligator Point or St. George Island, get drunk, chase the opposite sex around, and every now and then get arrested. I have many memories of Easter Vacations at the beach, some of which I can talk about and some of which would put my character in a very bad light.
I recall one year, possibly my Sophomore year, when I still had my Democrat paper route. We were in my 1951 Studebaker, heading up from Alligator Point at the crack of dawn to do my route in Tallahassee. There were 3 or 4 of us in the car, myself and Ross Anderson and who knows who else. About halfway back, somewhere out in the sticks, the Studebaker stopped. We checked and found that it was out of both oil and water. We decided to put water in and try to make it to a service station, but who was going to wander up to that farmhouse in the dark and try to rouse the owner out of bed? It was Ross who bravely walked toward the farmhouse, hollering "HELLO" every two feet, expecting to see a shotgun blast any moment. He got the water, we made it to Tallahassee, and he was the hero of the day.
Another vivid memory from that period involved me and John Hankin, innovative methods for getting gas and cokes for the Easter trip to the beach, and almost getting arrested. I think that must have been 1957, because I think that's the last year I had the Studebaker. I recall that when I returned from the beach that year, my mother met me at the door. Seems that Police Chief Stoutamire had phoned her and told her that she needed to straighten me out or I'd find myself in the Tallahassee jail. I don't think that slowed me down much, but I was much more careful about what I kept in the trunk of my car after that. Who knew they could search your car without a warrant!
Well, I don't know about you, but I've got that 1950's music playing in the background and really enjoying it. In case you missed it, click the jukebox, then click the BACK button to come back here and continue reading. If you want a different year between 1950 and 1984, CLICK HERE and choose your year.
Do you realize we're now almost half-way through high school? In my recent Retirement Tips and RV Stuff newsletter, I rambled on a little about whether the years 2005-2007, when I've been writing this, seemed to go faster than the years 1955-1957, that I'm writing about. I talked about all the water that's gone under the bridge during my retirement years 2005-2007, compared to the many changes in my life between my graduation from Kate Sullivan Junior High and this first quarter of 1957. In both periods, a surprising number of changes occurred. As 1957 came along, I was looking forward to changes, improvements, more adventures, and a bright future full of possibilities. As 2007 progresses, I'm looking forward to changes, improvements, more adventures, and a bright future full of possibilities! How about that? Not much has changed in 50 years for me!
I wanted to finish up with something with a photo and this is the only one of significance that I could find in my Yahoo Search! for "january 1957", "february 1957", and "march 1957". Recall that in 1957, Nixon was just starting his second term as vice-president under Eisenhower. I just read some of the Wikipedia entry on Nixon - very interesting! He actually did some very significant positive things during his career, although I think most of us remember him for the way his career ended with his resignation on August 9, 1974.
Wikipedia says: Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. He was the 36th Vice President of the United States in the administration of Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961). Nixon is the only person elected twice to the offices of vice president and president, and the only president to have resigned from the office.
I voted for him for president .. I guess a lot of people did.
February 1957 Headlines
(courtesy of http://dmarie.com/timecap/)
Feb 1 - 1st black pilot (PH Young) on a US scheduled passenger airline Feb 2 - Liz Taylor's 3rd marriage (Mike Todd)
Feb 2 - "Candide" closes at Martin Beck Theater NYC after 73 performances
Feb 4 - 1st electric portable typewriter placed on sale (Syracuse NY)
Feb 12 - Researchers announce Borazan (harder than diamonds) been developed
Feb 13 - Southern Christian Leadership Conference organizes in New Orleans
Feb 15 - Andrei A Gromyko succeeds Dmitri Shepilov as Soviet foreign minister
Feb 17 - Suez Canal reopens
Feb 25 - Buddy Holly & the Crickets record "That'll Be the Day"
Feb 27 - Mao's speech "On the Correct Handling of Contradictions Among People"
Feb 27 - "Xavier Cugat Show" on NBC
Top 10 Hits of January 1957
(First week of the month)
(courtesy of
US Top Ten (first week of the month):
1. Singing The Blues- Guy Mitchell
2. Love Me Tender - Elvis Presley
3. Green Door - Jim Lowe
4. Blueberry Hill - Fats Domino
5. True Love - Bing Crosby & Grace Kelly
6. Just Walking In The Rain - Johnnie Ray
7. Love Me - Elvis Presley
8. A Rose And A Baby Ruth - George Hamilton IV
9. Banana Boat Song - Tarriers
10. Rock-A-Bye Your Baby - Jerry Lewis
US R&B chart toppers this month:
Since I Met You Baby - Ivory Joe Hunter
Blue Monday - Fats Domino
US Country chart topper this month:
Singing The Blues - Marty Robbins
Top 20 Hits of February 1957
(In the UK - Can't find listing for USA
USA listing returns in April! )
(courtesy of
1 Frankie VaughanThe Garden Of Eden
Frankie VaughanThe Garden Of Eden 2 Tab HunterYoung Love
Tab HunterYoung Love 3 Guy MitchellSinging The Blues
Guy MitchellSinging The Blues 4 Lonnie DoneganDon't You Rock Me Daddy-O
Lonnie DoneganDon't You Rock Me Daddy-O 5 Pat BooneDon't Forbid Me
Pat BooneDon't Forbid Me 6 Pat BooneFriendly Persuasion
Pat BooneFriendly Persuasion 7 Bing Crosby & Grace KellyTrue Love
Bing Crosby & Grace KellyTrue Love 8 Bill Haley & His CometsDon't Knock The Rock
Bill Haley & His CometsDon't Knock The Rock 9 Fats DominoBlueberry Hill
Fats DominoBlueberry Hill 10 Tommy SteeleSinging The Blues
Tommy SteeleSinging The Blues 11 Malcolm VaughanSt Therese Of The Roses
Malcolm VaughanSt Therese Of The Roses 12 Guy MitchellKnee Deep In The Blues
Guy MitchellKnee Deep In The Blues 13 Vipers Skiffle GroupDon't You Rock Me Daddy-O
Vipers Skiffle GroupDon't You Rock Me Daddy-O 14 Eddie FisherCindy, Oh Cindy
Eddie FisherCindy, Oh Cindy 15 Sonny JamesYoung Love
Sonny JamesYoung Love 16 Jerry LewisRock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody
Jerry LewisRock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody 17 David WhitfieldThe Adoration Waltz
David WhitfieldThe Adoration Waltz 18 Little RichardLong Tall Sally
Little RichardLong Tall Sally 19 Elvis PresleyHound Dog
Elvis PresleyHound Dog 20 Frankie LaineMoonlight Gambler
Frankie LaineMoonlight GamblerWell, I pondered overnight on what to talk about here and decided I really hadn't said much about adventures with the opposite sex in here. I could talk about my first date back in Junior High, who I dated in my Freshman year, how things really started picking up in my Sophomore year, who I scored my first homerun with, and all about who was dating who back in High School! Now, that would sure be dumb, eh? Nothing like chatter about old dating escapades to stir up the marriage pot! So, I'm not going to talk about that ... but, on a related topic, what about planning for the future?
In the 1950s, girls decided that it was customary .. no, REQUIRED! ... that one call for a date at least 2-3 days ahead of time. And, here I was, not thinking any further ahead than next period, and they expected me to know on Wednesday what I wanted to do on Friday? haha ... not a chance! I might think about it late Thursday, but usually mid-afternoon Friday, and hence I spent many Friday nights sitting in my car alone at the Dixieland or Corral, sucking down beers. If you got a call from me on Wednesday, you could bet I'd been thinking about it since the previous Friday, when it occurred to me too late to call.
I hear now about people planning the children's college when the kids are still in nursery school, and about kids worrying about the future when they're in their early teens. I suppose some did back in 1957 also, but I never thought about what was around the corner until I was approaching the corner .. or already starting the turn. I guess I've pretty much remained that way my whole life, except in those times when I worked for someone that insisted on a "five-year plan" or something similar. Then, I'd dummy something up to satisfy the need. Even today, going on 66 years old, I can't answer the question "will you be around for a visit next month?".
It always amazes me when I hear people talking about planning a vacation 6 months out, making reservations, etc. We're planning a trip a month from now, more or less, and we figure on wandering up through Georgia and South Carolina, then West, ending up somewhere in Arkansas, then South and back across the coast back home to Florida. How long will we be gone? .. dunno. Where do we plan to stay along the way? .. dunno. Are we planning to visit anyone along the way? ... probably, but haven't checked yet to see if they're going to be home. How much will it cost? ... dunno. ... About the extent of our planning is to try not to schedule any doctor appointments, art shows, etc. after April 15th (when our personal taxes will probably get done). I figure we'll be gone for about a month, but Joyce seldom likes to stay in the RV more than a couple of weeks, so .... I dunno. Is that wierd or are you like that? Is that typical of my generation or am I that different? Does it matter? ... dunno.
Top 20 Hits of March 1957
(In the UK - Can't find listing for USA
USA listing returns in April! )
(courtesy of
1 Tab HunterYoung Love
Tab HunterYoung Love 2 Pat BooneDon't Forbid Me
Pat BooneDon't Forbid Me 3 Guy MitchellKnee Deep In The Blues
Guy MitchellKnee Deep In The Blues 4 Little RichardLong Tall Sally
Little RichardLong Tall Sally 5 Harry BelafonteBanana Boat Song (Day-O)
Harry BelafonteBanana Boat Song (Day-O) 6 Lonnie DoneganDon't You Rock Me Daddy-O
Lonnie DoneganDon't You Rock Me Daddy-O 7 Guy MitchellSinging The Blues
Guy MitchellSinging The Blues 8 Bing Crosby & Grace KellyTrue Love
Bing Crosby & Grace KellyTrue Love 9 Frankie VaughanThe Garden Of Eden
Frankie VaughanThe Garden Of Eden 10 Shirley BasseyThe Banana Boat Song
Shirley BasseyThe Banana Boat Song 11 Pat BooneFriendly Persuasion
Pat BooneFriendly Persuasion 12 David WhitfieldThe Adoration Waltz
David WhitfieldThe Adoration Waltz 13 Little RichardThe Girl Can't Help It
Little RichardThe Girl Can't Help It 14 Johnnie RayYou Don't Owe Me A Thing
Johnnie RayYou Don't Owe Me A Thing 15 Johnnie RayLook Homeward, Angel
Johnnie RayLook Homeward, Angel 16 Norman WisdomThe Wisdom Of A Fool
Norman WisdomThe Wisdom Of A Fool 17 Bill Haley & His CometsDon't Knock The Rock
Bill Haley & His CometsDon't Knock The Rock 18 Little RichardShe's Got It
Little RichardShe's Got It 19 Sonny JamesYoung Love
Sonny JamesYoung Love 20 Tommy SteeleKnee Deep In The Blues
Tommy SteeleKnee Deep In The BluesMarch 1957 Headlines
(courtesy of http://dmarie.com/timecap/)
Mar 1 - "Ziegfeld Follies of 1957" opens at Winter Garden NYC for 123 performances
Mar 1 - Kokomo the Chimp becomes Today Show animal editor
Mar 3 - World Ladies Figure Skating Championship in Colorado Springs won by Carol Heiss (USA)
Mar 5 - Sergeant Bilko satirizes Elvis Presley (Elvin Pelvin)
Mar 13 - Bloody battles after anti-Batista demonstration in Havana Cuba
Mar 15 - 3rd nation to explode a nuclear bomb (Britain)
Mar 16 - 9th Emmys: Phil Silvers Show, Robert Young & Loretta Young
Mar 22 - Earthquake gives San Francisco shakes
Mar 23 - US army sells last homing pigeons
Mar 25 - Treaty of Rome establishes European Economic Community (Common Market)
Mar 27 - 29th Academy Awards: "Around World in 80 Days", Yul Brynner & Ingrid Bergman win
Always the first 1957 thing I think of - the '57 Chevy
Click the jukebox to hear songs from 1955-59!
Life Magazine, January 1957, when Nixon was our honorable Vice-President. Click to see larger.
