1968

I was at the book store today and saw a special TIME magazine, 4oth Anniversary Special Edition, 1968. For me it was required reading. This year is our 4oth Anniversary also. We were married on June 1, 1968, I turned 21 on June 5, 1968, I started summer school at OSU on June 5, 1968 and that night Robert F. Kennedy was killed after winning the California primary.
Carol had started work for OSU Dairy department. I was going to school and working for the Dairy also delivering milk to the dorms. We lived in a third floor apartment (that burnt 6 months after we moved out!) drove a 65 Mustang and a 55 Ford Crown Vic. Out rent was $54 dollars a month and tuition was an astounding $8.00 an hour.

1968 was a major major year in my life and that of the world. The parallels of 1968 and today are noticeable also.

1. Vietnam War was still going. No end in site. Today we have IRAQ.
Pete Seger sang: "We're waist deep in the Big Muddy and the Big Fool said push on!"
Merle sang: "If your running down Old Glory, Hoss, your walking on the Fighting Side of me".
Sort of a Dixie Chicks/Toby Keith thing!
2. Andy Warhol made the famous statement: "In the future, everyone will be world famous for 15 minutes. Now thanks to U tube, blogs, face book and my space, we are!
3. Robert Kennedy was running for president as the young face of change against established politicians in the Democratic party. Richard Nixon was running again (after previously losing) and most attention right to the convention was given to the democrats. Sounds fairly familiar!
4. Authur Ash, a black tennis player from South Africa, was the first Tiger Woods.
5. The Rolling Stones were popular!
6. 60 Minutes TV show began. Andy Griffin was #1, and the MOD Squad was the Law & Order.
7. Tammy Wynette sung, "Stand by Your Man" and Hillary was crucified for doing it!
8. O.J. won the Heisman ! Nuff said.
9. "The Graduate" & "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner!" set movies in the direction of Boomers.
10. Martin Luther King was killed.
11. 2001 Space Odyssey: If you had asked me in 1968 what 2008 would be like though, I would have said everything would be ultra contemporary with cars running on something other than gas and cities on the Moon and Mars. The things portrayed in that Movie made all the sense in the world. After all the last great event of 1968 was on Christmas Eve as we set watching our black & white TV in Stillwater tuned to channel 9 in OKC while getting the sound from channel 6 in Tulsa from our FM receiver. The event was the three Apollo astronauts circling the Moon and reading from Genesis 1. In my lifetime, I have witnessed men walking and driving on the Moon.
My children have NOT! 40 years ago we were in the space age. Today we are not only out of that age, our "shuttle" space adventurers would not be permitted to read such things on TV.

40 years! Peace! & Sock it to me!