News Journal Publisher Trevor Sherman made an interesting comment to me about living in the 1950s recently. He said, “No Internet. No cell phones. No social media. I think I would have liked it.”
I, too, think you would have liked it, Trevor. It was a much simpler time. The pace was slower, and the stress was much less. But, obviously, without the Internet and the advances that have been made we could not publish this newspaper with the ease that we do now.
However, I do cherish those times in the 1950s when I was a teenager. I can only speak from that perspective. It was a “Happy Days“ time to grow up, carefree in many ways.
It’s hard to know where to begin. In the summer, in the early 50s, I played Little League and Babe Ruth baseball and I couldn’t get enough of it. We loved having standard time because it got dark earlier and that meant more time for us to play before bedtime under the stars. Also, the weather was better in the 50s than it is now. Yes, it got hot then too, but overall there were not as many catastrophes as we are having today because of global warming.
The summer heat brought people closer together, and at this time of the year front porches were meeting places because of the lack of air-conditioning in most homes. Neighbors visited, talked and communicated with each other.
Downtown shopping was an experience in itself. People practically knew every business owner and the clerks working in the stores by their first names.
In the late 50s we enjoyed circling the drive-in restaurants and going to the drive-in theater. It wasn’t uncommon for several to cram themselves in the trunk of a car to get in free when going to the drive-in theater.
Unlike today, with every kind of entertainment known to man, we did have plenty to do. Two excellent recreational places in Corbin were the YMCA pool and gymnasium located downtown on Third Street. There were two movie theaters, and best of all, we had a youth center which was great for all young people.
Adults had plenty to do also. There was a country club and a nine-hole golf course. Almost every evening, softball games were being played by those in church or civic leagues.
Young people especially listened to the radio a lot. Rock ‘n’ roll music was just getting started. It also was a time when television got its popularity. At first, most houses had a rooftop antenna and could only pick up three stations. But the programming was good.
Even though there wasn’t Internet, newspapers were plentiful. In addition to the local daily, newspapers from Louisville, Lexington and Knoxville were available.
A stark difference from then and now is church attendance. Almost every Sunday the church pews were full for both Sunday morning and evening services. It was common for churches to have two-week revivals and they were well attended every evening.
Also, the political world was far different. President Eisenhower was in office most of the decade and he was a stark difference from today’s president. Politicians were more statesman like. Sure, there were some rebels, like Joseph McCarthy, who thought everybody was a communist, but we didn’t have political figures acting out like Marjorie Taylor Greene and some others do.
The difference in education facilities is like night and day. But the quality of education is not that much different. It was good in the 50s, too. Sports facilities are so much better now. I saw many football games played in the mud. I also saw some of the best basketball games ever played at the Edwards Gym, which was packed to the rafters many times. Keep in mind that these were basically the only sports attractions and about everybody showed their support by either attending or listening to the games on radio.
The decade of the 1950s had some of the best athletes ever for Corbin High School. That was when the Bird and Selvy Brothers played both basketball and football.
As for Trevor‘s remark about cell phones, in the early 50s we had party lines on our phones. The different kinds of rings meant it either was for you, or possibly a neighbor’s, phone. By easing the phone up you could listen to a neighbor’s conversation. And with one telephone, many times you would have to make a mad dash to answer it.
Of the three items Trevor mentioned, I think social media has more minuses than pluses. Basically, in the 50s, gossip was the way to spread what is being spread to everybody through social media today. Obviously, there was far less communication, but more importantly, there was far less damage done.
I loved living in the 50s, but I would choose living today primarily because healthcare is so much better. Yes, I like my big screen TV, automobiles that start about every time, Interstate highways, air conditioning, and so many other advantages that are present today.
But I miss the great community atmosphere that we had in the 50s.
One more point… Kentucky Street in Corbin in the 50s was a city street and it was smooth and easy to drive on. Today it is part of US-25 which means it is maintained by the state. It is in such poor condition it will almost bounce you out of your car. I have been told the state has some silly rules of different year plans for taking care of such. It would seem to me that it would be better to fix something when it needed fixing.
So, there you have it. The charm of the 1950s and the progress of today’s technological world. I like them both.
A few comments from the 50s:
• “Ill tell you one thing. if things keep going the way they are. It’s going to be impossible to buy a week’s groceries for $20.”
• “Kids today are impossible. Those ducktail haircuts make it impossible to stay groomed. Next thing you know, boys will be wearing their hair as long as the girls.”
• “If they think I’ll pay 50 cents for a haircut, forget it.”
• “It won’t be long before young couples are going to have to hire someone to watch their kids so they can both work.”
• “I’m just afraid the Volkswagen car is going to open the door to a whole lot of foreign business.”
• “If cigarettes keep going up in price I’m going to quit. A quarter a pack is ridiculous.”
