[The other day, Dave Sagarin offered some recollections from 1959 and shortly thereafter. In an email inquiry, we asked others to send in their recollections of the period. Here's one.]

George,

I was around in 1959. Some very random thoughts follow.

There was no Beltway all the way around DC, no I-95, no four lane Rt. 29.

The best music was played on a stereo phonograph and was recorded on 78rpm record albums. All the best Broadway musicals had their sound tracks on long play vinyl records. Female teachers wore business suits, dresses or skirts and blouses with 3" pumps (high heel shoes) to school. Most male teachers wore suits, white shirts and ties and leather oxford or penny loafer shoes to school. Telephones were all attached by a cord to the wall. Most phones were black and had a circular dial with finger holes for each number (hence, "dial" a number). Most TV's were black and white and got their signals through rabbit ears (antennae on the top of the set).

One changed channels by getting up from the chair and turning a dial on the front of the set.

The Mickey Mouse Club and Howdy Doody and Mr Ed and the Ed Sullivan Show were among the favorite shows.

Only high ranking business men and the wealthy had credit cards, the rest of us used cash or wrote checks.

My first contract was for $2,500 for a year of teaching. Dyslexia was some ridiculous idea of a doctor in California who may or may not have been legitimate.

A handsome young Senator from Massachusetts and his cultured and glamorous wife were coming on the national scene to take a run at the White House in 1960. Every woman wanted a Jackie Kennedy pill box hat. Padded rocking chairs and touch football and sailing became popular.

A voter had to pay a 'poll tax' to be able to vote in any election, and in some states Negroes (the accepted term of respect at that time) had to pass tests about the Constitution in order to register to vote. Whites went to local public schools near their home, Negroes had to go to consolidated, under-supplied, poorly-cared-for schools. Their buses drove past the white schools to take them to the 'Negro/colored' schools. Their books and equipment were often hand-me-downs from the white schools. Massive resistance was flourishing in Virginia and there were many private academies for whites, and nothing for Negroes. Black families sent their children north to get an education if they could afford to pay for the room and board, often with relatives.

Most families had one car, one tv, one phone. People worked their way through college and had scholarships and grants. There were no student loan programs. Few college students had cars at school. Transistor radios were all the rage, every HS graduate got a portable typewriter for going away to college. Copies were made with carbon paper between the sheets of paper or run off on a mimeograph machine which operated by using a purple alcohol-based gel on the special paper used to write tests on.

This is just random thoughts and rememberances from one who was there.

Martha Wood (Electronic mail, April 23, 2009)