America's sweetheart (then), in a bad hair moment from Imitation of Life
As I write this, I am looking at the (fading, crumbling) Thursday, January 24, 1963 edition of The Corral, a true trip down the sometimes seemingly ubiquitous Memory Lane. In addition to the alphabetically featured Senior Personalities ... me, Ronnie Kindle and Paula Leach, about which more to follow ... there are a few other items/articles which might bring a smile or two or a nod of remembrance. Of course ... the piece de resistance ... all right, perhaps it should be resisted ... is another of my "As You Like It" columns which ran on that date. Let's scan the paper together for all the news that was fit (and we were permitted) to print....
At top center, there is a story with a cute picture (unfortunately not sharp enough to be scanned and reproduced here) of Joy Hackler being honored as 1963 FFA Sweetheart. Joy was presented with a jacket commemorating the occasion by Quentin Henderson and Ben Teague, FFA President that year.
Top right, the "Cat's Corner" sports column, notes that the "Childress Bobcats remained in the middle of the District 5-AA [basketball] race with a convenient win over a tough Iowa Park team, 52 to 39. The Bobcats are now tied with Quanah for second place. Seymour leads the district with a 4 win-loss.
"The 'Cats hit a remarkable 54 percent of the shots from the field and a very respectable 62 percent from the free throw line. ... Iowa Park hit only 26 percent.... The Bobcats also beat the Hawks on the boards as they grabbed 22 rebounds to 16 for Iowa Park. The 'Cats have yet to be out-rebounded this season.
"Jim Wilcoxson led the Bobcats in scoring with 17 points. Wilcoxson attempted nine shots from the field and connected on six for 67 percent and added five free throws. Johnny Thornton scored 12 points. Joe Hopkins and Ronnie Lawrence added 8 points each, and sophomore Ricky Hamm added seven. ... Hamm led all rebounders with nine, Thornton had six, Lawrence three, Wilcoxson two, and Hopkins and Jimmy Don Wilson one each."
There is a notice that Nellie Agnes Kennedy's sixth period speech class presented the play "A Modern Cinderella" on January 10. The cast consisted of Linda Sally as Stephanie; Linda Trent as Clarice; Linda Key as the stepmother; Margaret Hadley as the godmother; and Sandy Collyer as Cindy. Phyllis Keel directed.
Devotionals had recently been given by Keith Moore, John Steed, Clara Robinson, Carolyn Loter, Linda DeArmond, Bettye Shahan, Pat Williams, Larry Don Feagan, James Driver and Steve Fanning.
The Distributive Education Spotlight fell on Eddie Worthington and Gerald Holeman. We learned that Eddie was 17 years old, stood 5'6" tall and had brown eyes and black hair. Eddie worked for his father as a salesman and delivery man at Worthington's Welders Supply.
Gerald was 5'10" tall with brown hair and was employed by Newberry Funeral Home, where he assisted with many aspects of the funeral business. Gerald said that DE had helped him learn how to meet the public.
The band column "Blue Notes" noted that new uniforms would need to be bought for the incoming Freshmen as the Bobcat Band would then expand to a 101-piece marching band. [I am assuming the "1" was the drum major ... or else there was a lonely tuba or drummer out there somewhere ... grin....] Uncle Norm's Thought for the Day was: "Cynic -- a person who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing." (Unknown)
There were two articles (no bylines) about the "Amazing History of Valentine" (coming soon) and "February Is A Month of Love."
As for the Senior Personalities (alphabetically, as we ran the personalities that year, and with the pro forma apology that many of you know more about me already than you ever wanted to):
I was 16 years old, born in Denver, Colorado on October 18, 1946, 5'9" tall with blond hair and blue eyes. My pet peeves were people who say one thing and do another, people who go out of their way to hurt someone else, and false friends. Some of my favorites were: food, Chinese and Japanese; songs, "Exodus" and "Hatikvah" [the Israeli national anthem ... I was a strange kid ... which is no news flash]; colors, lavender and blue; car, the 1963 Corvette Stingray; movies, Exodus and Judgment at Nuremberg; actors, George Maharis, Maximilian Schell and Richard Chamberlain; actress, Elizabeth Taylor; books, Exodus and Mila 18; hobbies, reading, writing and listening to good music. I answered the question about my ideal boy by asking: "Are there any REALLY ideal boys?" (grin)
Ronnie Kindle was 18 years old, born in Childress on October 20, 1944. He was 5'11" tall with green eyes and brown hair. His pet peeve was people who talk behind other people's backs. His favorites were: foods, steak, chicken and chocolate pie; color, blue; car, Chevrolet; actor and actress, John Wayne and Natalie Wood; hobby, playing pool. In high school he served as Sophomore Class Secretary-Treasurer and Junior Class Reporter. He was voted Cutest as a Senior, and was runner-up as Most Bashful during Junior year.
Paula Leach was 17, 5'6" tall, with auburn hair and brown eyes, born in Childress on September 1, 1945. Paula's pet peeves were "hypocrites and girls with solitaires." Favorites: foods, sirloin, watermelon and coconut pie; colors, red and baby blue; cars, Chevrolets and Pontiacs; movies, Back Street and From the Terrace; actors, Paul Newman and Grant Williams; actresses, Susan Hayward and Elizabeth Taylor; books, The Hustler, Suddenly Last Summer and Anthem; hobbies, dancing, sports and collecting. [I had to smile at this when I remembered Paula's shop "The Wild Plum"....] Paula's most embarrassing moment occurred during a swimming excursion during Freshman year ... and I'll never tell....
And now ... the moment you've no doubt been waiting for, breathlessly, of course. The third of my "As You Like It" columns, which ran in this edition of The Corral. As promised, not a word has been changed, except for one small, explanatory, parenthetical aside....
As You Like It
by Jennifer Johnston
You are moving into another dimension -- passing the boundaries of reason and logic -- That's right, dear reader ... you're walking into the Twilight Zone -- a room filled with the latest female hair styles.
Not that I have anything against hair, or females -- I haven't started hating myself yet -- but I do very definitely resent those so-called hair styles that beauty operators keep springing on us -- and the impression created by the girls under them.
The flip
First we shall discuss the puffy-headed, bow-bedecked tumbleweed -- otherwise known as the back-combed bubble. In case you are not familiar with this style, and are interested in hair watching, it has the following characteristics: may resemble a tumbleweed, or a rat's nest which the rats couldn't stand any longer; stands out four feet on each side (if under four feet, this style is considered un-chic); has small colored bows at strategic points, which somehow become lost in the tangles; usually lightly brushed on top (in some cases not at all) and stuck together with hair spray. If one steps into the wind wearing this hairdo, one is likely to look like one has tangled with a live electric wire. To top all this off, the girl who wears it just has to have a skinny neck, thereby creating the appearance of a fuzzy lollipop as compared with the stick.
The beehive
Then we have the upswept hairdo (you know, French rolls, etc.). Now there's nothing wrong with upswept hair -- as long as it STAYS upswept. Somehow girls seem to have gotten the idea that hair cut as short as a girl can wear it will still go into a French roll if they wind, twist, turn, pull and use a card of bobby pins. The end result of this may be called the Yeeeccchhhh!!! With innumerable ends sticking out, bobby pins showing and a general mess covering the head, "Yeeeccchhh!" is the only word possible to use.
While on the subject of upsweeps -- how about the upsweep that has been back-combed for fullness -- but hasn't had the back-combing combed over? And how about the upsweep that has so much hair spray on it that the girl must freeze to death because she can't afford to get within 50 feet of a match, even?
Next we come to short hair. I must agree that short hair is very popular -- but must it be cut so short that you have to show your birth certificate, driver's license and Mickey Mouse Club membership to get into a Women's Auxiliary Club meeting?
Next week I'm going to discuss makeup -- if the puffy-headed, bow-bedecked tumbleweeds haven't done away with me -- snarf, snarf!
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4 comments:
Hey….I resembled those remarks! I especially remember the days of the bows…big ones made from velvet, one to match each outfit. You had to make your own, usually, if you wanted to match EXACTLY. You put your hair up in back, sort of a horizontal French roll, and pinned it underneath. Or, as in the perfect “do” worn by Celia Farha, short hair brushed up in a version of the “duck tail” and the bow pinned on top of your head. I thought Celia had the prettiest hair in school.
At the time, Aqua Net was the only hair spray that would cement all this construction in a hard wind. It was not the best-smelling stuff in the world, either. Rather nauseating, as I remember it. And NOBODY washed her hair everyday back then as we do now, so on the weekend it was a project to get all the hair spray out to start all over the next week. Remember when your mom went to the beauty shop once a week, got the style set, and then slept with toilet tissue clipped around her head to hold it in place, or maybe slept on a satin pillow in order not to mess it up. I think I slept on brush rollers, the BIG ones! Try getting a good night’s sleep in that get-up!
Have we lost all the guys yet? You were no better. What was up with that little curl that hooked over your forehead? See….you had some of the Fonz thing goin’ on!
Thanks for reminding us of some of the “fun” things, Jenn.
This is a really fun post and it does indeed bring back those old painful memories! Like LK when I say painful I do mean the physical kind as I too slept on those nasty brush rollers more nights than I care to remember. I also remember putting pin curls on each side of my hair so the big curl on the side would be just right in the morning. I coveted the "duck tail" look and actually wore it for a time. I never wore a bow. I think I knew even then that this wasn't my look. Sandra Day was my absolute fav and no matter her style, I loved it.
My totally worst memories of hair revolved around perms. My mother insisted that I had to have them regularly and if the smell and discomfort of the actual perm process was not bad enough, the hair style for days after was fuzzy, tight, and ugly. I cried many tears over those bad hair days until it relaxed and then it was time to do it all over again. As an aside I do have to admit that in seventies, I did wear an afro look and thought it was cool.
Later, I had to have the wiglet perched on the top of my head. Today I wonder where that came from, but it was a must for me. I actually purchased two bad wigs--a curly shag and a blunt cut and yes, I did wear them a few times. What was I thinking!!
I told Jennifer that I have school photos for most of my early teaching years that pretty much chronicle my "look" and no, I won't post them!!! We drag them out periodicaly so my family can have a chuckle or two at my expense. Of course, I can have revenge by pulling out their photos with the Farah look and various other bad hair styles.
It is truly reassuring to know that someday each generation looks back and also thinks, "What was I thinking?"
I look forward to the make-up "As You Like It" as well as any others you can share with us. They really do help me to reflect on what we were like in the '60's. I also love the way you shared other articles from the paper. I need all the help I can get to remember "the way we were."
Oh yes, Jim likes to tell me that he actually wrote some of the sports articles for the paper.
BTW
LK, your refrence to Aqua Net brought back some really unpleasant memories for me. Of course, like everyone else, Aqua Net was the hair spray of choice for me until I became pregnant the first time. I had really terrible morning sickness and the smell of Aqua Net would send me running to the bathroom every time. I think if I smelled it again today, I would be sick again!!
What was it with mothers and perms??? My mother insisted for a while that I have them regularly too ... and I had/have naturally curly hair!!! I recall that for a few days after I was subjected to each, I walked around looking like a Triscuit!!!
LK, thanks as always for your wonderful comment. Aqua Net ... I remember clearly the first time I saw someone demonstrate what happened when you sprayed Aqua Net into an open flame. Eeek!!!!
As Corral Editor, I relied on Jim a lot for the sports writing. And I must say ... I'd like to see him polish some of his old composition skills and "visit" us here on the blog a bit more.... C'mon Jim, we know you can do it....
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