Friday, August 26, 2005

The Summer of '68



I don't know why I like this snapshot so much but it's one of my favorites. It's a picture of me and my sisters around our kitchen table. I was six years old and had just finished Kindgergarten. Perhaps this was the first day of summer vacation?

I'm sitting next to my oldest sister, Cindy and across the table is my younger sisters, Vonda, in pigtails, and Linda, in red. I'm always amazed when I think that mom had 4 kids in 5 years, almost to the day. Cindy was born 12/16/60 and Vonda, 12/10/65.

Here are some interesting things that happened that month, June 1968:

* June 1 - Helen Keller died in her sleep in Connecticut
* June 3 - Andy Worhol was shot and wounded as he entered his studio by one of his art stuendets
* June 5 - Robert F. Kennedy was shot by Sirhan Sirhan at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles and died the next day
* June 8 - James Earl Ray was arrested for the murder of Martin Luther King Jr. 2 months ealier
* June 29 - In a letter to the church entitled "Humanae Vitae", Pope Paul V condemned birth control
* Median Household Income was $7,743
* Unemployment was at 3.8%
* A first-class stamp cost $0.06
* 31 American troops were reported missing in action in Vietnam.
* Simon & Garfunkel's "Mrs Robinson" hits #1
* Rolling Stones release "Jumpin' Jack Flash"

Have a terrific day!

2 comments:

AWG said...

That's an absolutely terrific blog post, Gene. It gives me some insight into your early years and your family and I loved the list you made. I also think it was around that month that my Mom and Dad met at a party in south Texas. Quite a summer, eh?

dean r said...

July 20th 1968, Dean Reusser is born in Greenville Texas. exactly one year later, man walks on the moon..... nice pic Gene, thanks