There’s war! There’s politics! There’s the Federal Reserve pressured to cut the fed funds rate while inflation is rising! There’s a whiff of stagflation that is reminiscent of the 1970s! There’s an article in the WSJ by someone calling herself a “X-ennial” waxing nostalgic about the “totally lame” 1990s (which, by the way, had a booming economy and stable interest rates).
OK. Dad took photo of older brother Steven (on left) and me (yeap on the right!) in 1972 at an obscure trailhead in the western Sierra Nevada for a two day trip to climb all three of the Three Sisters, unimpressive but arduous hiking with staggering views to the main crest of the Sierra to the east. Dad’s company car Oldsmobile and Brother’s BMW 1600 in their glory.
Paisley shirt, hair halfway down my back, running a hippie dippy free-form radio station in Cambridge, MA. Pictured here with some of the fruits of a toy drive for underprivileged kids at Christmas - sponsored by a cheap wine company, appropriate because that’s pretty much all we could afford, although wine was not our intoxicant of choice.
‘60s to ‘70s let’s see…graduated from high school, sco-pro from UT, got married, had to join the USCG or get drafted…pretty exciting times. That was a moon or two ago.
We’re keeping this just to the 60’s right? Not “My Favorite Decade”
The 60’s was a long time. I figure about 10 years, so I picked an earlier specimen.
Go, Phillies!
Sorry, no photos. Feb 16, 1960, started as a programmer at the IBM Service Bureau in Caracas, got to know a lot of businesses and had the time of my life. A photo might have been the dress code, sober suit, white shirt, tie, and polished black shoes.
Samesies. I was in the ER so much that one doctor asked my parents to leave so he could ask me what really happened. Evidently he found it incredible that a kid could hurt himself so often.
I have to say the anti-war sentiment among the older 1960s folks here is obviously because of Vietnam. But Jesus, you could not ask for a bigger group of sellouts than the baby boomers as a generation.
My 4th pair, but long lived because my feet had finally stopped growing. I got my first at age 9, and Mom said I was so happy about it that for a couple days I broke out in tears just thinking about them.
I became an expert on treating blisters and wearing just the right pair of sox quite tactically. All us waffle stompers wearers, including the military types, become extremely devoted to happy feet.
My ‘60s were just out of HS, working part time at a gas station, riding a Harley K model, later a Triumph T100, hangin’ out with buddies, too much free time at JC, dropped, eventually working at a local sheet metal shop, married, 2 kids, Night School, sold the Triumph, traded the ‘57 Chevy 2DrHT for a Chevy PU… And found Western Electric Installation, stayed 40 years! Played with stuff from nuts n bolts to electromechanical to solid state, microwave radio to eventually cellular & data systems… Good times… Oh, and collected a lot of tools along the way that are now kinda dusty!
Made a living (subsistence style) for 8 years playing in a rock band. Paid my way through college. But then, college in California in the 60s was dirt cheap.
OK. The 1960s were the best and the worst years in my life. The photo above is in Los Angeles in 1961 and me at 18. I am in the middle with a white carnation on my lapel. My younger brother is on the left. The two girls and the man on the right are my first cousins. No hippies in my family. My brother and I were into sports, skiing, surfing, fast cars, parties and girls. We were into rock n roll, Beatles, and folk music.
1961 - I ran the 100 yd dash in 9.9 seconds and the 220 yd dash in 21.8 seconds
1962 - I graduated from HS but West Point rejection because of TB scar
1963 - started college, then pneumonia, then recovery
1964 - 1968 graduation from UCLA with BS Engineering
1968 - 1972 fellowship to University of Pittsburgh from Westinghouse for MS Mechanical Engineering. After MSME degree, I worked full time for Westinghouse Nuclear Energy Systems. Married a smart and beautiful Pittsburgh girl.
1972 - back to California and work for Bechtel for 30+ years
