Butch Travels Back in Time to Fall of 1965

   It’s hard to believe, but, yes, it’s true…I started my senior year at good old Darlington High School 60 years ago … in the fall of 1965. Looking through my school yearbook brought back many memories and recollections of the way things were back then. For instance, I had forgotten that girls were not allowed to wear jeans, slacks or shorts to school or to basketball games. They had to wear a dress or a skirt. Boys were required to wear belts, and they could not wear jeans or slacks at a low level. Shirts had to be tucked in, with the front buttoned. “Madras shirts,” with the “fruit loop” behind the back collar, was the “in thing.” The most popular footwear for both boys and girls were “penny loafers,” with a penny inserted into the front “slot.” As seniors we wore our “senior cords,” which were corduroy pants and skirts decorated with pictures, names, club emblems, etc. The teachers also had unwritten dress codes, with the women wearing dresses, and the men sport coats and ties.

   There were eight class periods throughout the day, with the first class starting at 8:15 a.m. and the last class over at 3:15 p.m. …and we were given a 35-minute lunch break. After school let out, many boys had athletic practice from 4:30 to 6:30. There were only three sports for boys…basketball during the winter, track in the spring, and baseball during the summer. There was no mandatory weight training, conditioning or practice out of season … thank goodness! And what about the girls? Yep, you guessed it … there were NO organized sports for girls, although that year they did have intramural basketball.

   Students who were lucky enough to have a car had to obtain permission from the principal to be able to drive to school. Most of the seniors who lived in the country were like me and rode the bus all 12 years, with the town students walking to school. Parents had to notify the principal if their child was going to be absent…and we had to bring in a signed excuse the next day. Getting into trouble at school demanded “corrective action,” which led to a visit in the principal’s office for a lecture and reprimand. Serious offenses resulted in a paddling…the worse the errant behavior, the more whacks one received. Of course, this also often meant another paddling at home by parents, who backed the principal and teachers 100 percent. Very few kids got into trouble, although I was aware that a couple of boys in my class had consumed alcoholic beverages, and two or three had tried smoking cigarettes…but had not been caught. There were absolutely no drugs back then, and I had never even heard of marijuana.

   Just about every student in school, from first grade to seniors, along with their parents, attended the basketball games on Friday and Saturday nights and showed their support for the Darlington Indians. In fact, a fan sometimes had to arrive very early to get a seat, especially if we were playing against Linden or New Ross! Every student in my class, which numbered 34 total, belonged to several school clubs or organizations, and 11 classmates were in band. Just about all of the girls belonged to the Sunshine Society. I participated in Science club, Latin club, Honor Society, Student Council, the yearbook staff, the senior play, Boys State and all three sports. Our class also sold magazine subscriptions and did odd jobs to earn money for our senior trip. We had class parties and sock hops, watched movies at the Strand and Ben-Hur drive-in, and spent many hours on the weekends at the Country Diner, Zach’s and the Dog ‘N Suds. I was too busy having fun to get into trouble!

   We never took much interest in what was going on in our country with regards to politics and the Vietnam War. Few of us watched the nightly news. But I do recall when NASA landed Surveyor I on the moon, and its camera showed a picture of Earth … amazing! I could not imagine that three years later astronaut Neil Armstrong would set foot on the moon. Something else was amazing in 1966 … the “mini-skirt” made its debut … Holy Cow! We did tune in for The Beverly Hillbillies, The Andy Griffith Show, Bonanza, Star Trek, Gomer Pyle USMC and Batman. We listened to the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Simon and Garfunkel and other popular groups of the day. The Monkees even had their own TV show that year.

    In the last 60 years there have been many changes…some for the better and some not so good. Kids experience a lot more stress nowadays. They have technological entrapments…the Internet, Facebook, video games and cell phones…to name a few…that interrupt and complicate their lives. They are tempted to try drugs and become sexually active at an early age, and sadly very few attend Sunday school or church today. My life in 1965 and 1966 was simple and uncomplicated. There were plenty of wholesome activities to enjoy. There were rules, and I was expected to follow them…or else. But I sure had a great time my senior year!

John “Butch” Dale is a retired teacher and County Sheriff. He has also been the librarian at Darlington the past 36 years, and is a well-known artist and author of local history.