World History Blog: Blast to the past! The 60's

The 60's were a time of change and turmoil, many different people all over the US had many different view points about the events of the 60's. I got to do several interviews with different relatives that were alive in the 60's, I have the viewpoints from a 10 year old girl to a guy in his 20's who served in the Navy. Major events in the 60's were the JFK assassination, African Americans getting the right to vote, the cold war, Vietnam War, and the ever growing space programs. There were people like the Beatles starting out, and Johnny Cash known as the golden throat. TV was starting to grow in popularity, and if you could afford one you had it. Many popular and well know TV shows that we watch today were started in the 1960's. The Flintstones (started in 1960) is a very popular show that I grew up watching, probably around 2005. Another grand show started then was Doctor Who (started in 1963) which is the longest running Sci-Fi show ever, which just celebrated their 50th anniversary, and continues showing today.

The first person I interviewed is my adopted aunt Liz, who was in collage at the time in Minnesota. "I went to college for three years. After that I decided I didn't like my major, (music) and quit college and went to LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse) school. After that, I transferred my credits to Bethel University and went to school another two years, and graduated with a B.A. in social work. I couldn't get a job in social work, so I decided to be a LPN. I was also nuts about guys and dated a lot. I don't remember much about the 60's except going to school and working at the same time to pay my way. Sometimes I worked over nights and went to school during the day. I worked as an LPN at the Midway Hospital in the ICU unit, getting off work at 7:30am and having a class at 8:00am. Sleep deprived all the time I didn't really have a life outside of work and school. My parents had no money, and they wouldn't allow me to get loans from the government or "gifts from the tax payers, so I had to work as I did school, but I graduated with no debt. I always managed to squeeze in boys in between work and school. My brother Dick and I made up our minds to never be poor again, we believed that education was the answer.

My other brother Paul was in Vietnam at the time, I remember being very worried for him. My parents never spoke about it, but I'm sure they were worried sick. We had a neighbor die in Vietnam, plus the guy I bought my first car from, it was a 49 old coupe. I remember the day we went to the cemetery, and those guns went off. Must have broken his mother's heart.

Everyone remembers where they were when our beloved president died. I have vivid memories of that three day ordeal. Back in those days it didn't matter if you were a Democrat or Republican. You voted, and got over it if your guy didn't get in. Your president was your president. The assassination of John Kennedy was very painful for me. I was glued to the TV for three days, and cried the whole time. It was very similar to the 9/11 event. My brother Dick was at Northwestern Collage, waiting for a friend to go to lunch. He was in the teletype room, when all of a sudden, news that the president had been shot came over the teletype machine. He called me and I turned the TV on. I had to go pick up my other brother Paul who was at Vocational school. On the drive through the center of downtown the two most prominent stores, Dayton's and Donaldson's had immediately placed a huge photo the size of a store window up. Crowds were gathering, staring and crying. Just saying all this is making me cry right now. I remember it being a dark and misty sort of day. We didn't have the internet in those days, only TV if you could afford one. Most of the time we didn't because we were so poor, so the newspaper was where we got our info from. When the JFK Assassination happened we had a TV, it was a Blonde Wood with a round hole like a port-hole. I've never cried for so long and so hard as that weekend. The death of my precious brother Dick was and still is painful, but he was in so much pain, and I know I will see him in heaven with Jesus one day.

One of my best friends in high school was black. I never much thought about the color of one's skin. We were taught that God created us all equal. My high school was white, black, and American Indian. I never thought a thing of African Americans getting the right to vote, not even sure I was aware of it. I do think some of my older relatives may have been somewhat prejudice, although they would have never admitted it to themselves or others.

The Cold War? Yes, as a small kid it was our biggest fear. We would have drills at school learning how to hide under our desks and hold our hands behind our heads, and other things like that. We would do them like kids do fire drill today. Looking back, it was nothing compared to what the world is facing today. But we must try to learn from history. It doesn't look like we have done a very good job of that."

The next person I interviewed was my cousin Janet. She was a little kid during the 60's.
"In 1965 I was a 10 year old. I was a pretty normal but sassy kid. We were outside playing all the time without adult supervision. Compared to today, things then were very tame, safe, and innocent as far as my own life. I liked school and had a good group of friends. We rode our bikes everywhere, sometimes in groups, sometimes on our own. We were very independent. One thing that stands out to me now about daily life was the news shows were changing. Vietnam was happening and the war was televised daily in the news, that along with the civil rights issues the world outside of my reality looked a bit scary to me. Politically it was a volatile era and overwhelming through the eyes of a kid.

I was all about my barbies and my bike. My favorite band was The Monkees, and I loved to watch shows like Bewitched and Mannix. Mannix was a fun one because it was a detective show that my dad would let me stay up late on Friday nights to watch it with him. I remember that we all wanted to look like Lori Partridge (Susan Day) of the show The Partridge Family."

A very interesting point of view I received from my grandfather, who began the 60's by joining the Navy. "I graduated in 1960 and in October of 1960 joined the Navy. In November of 1963 when the JFK assassination happened I was in Long Beach California on the USS O'Brian DD275. There were some others that weren't actually surprised about Kennedy in the Navy station where I was at, while I was very shocked. Then in 1964 I was on the G-PA, going up the Sygonr river in Vietnam. After that I left the Navy. I then went and worked for the North American Aviation Rocketdyne. I was put to work build rockets F1 and J2 of one of the Apollo space crafts.

When African Americans got the right to vote I felt no different, they were were entitled to vote.

Then in 1965 I married your grandmother. From there we moved to Wisconsin, then Colorado, and then all over the place."

My grandmother was pretty cool, she was a working lady as she put it.
"My first job was in a Pacific mail room, I remember there was the switch board for boats to tell us when they would arrive. Another job I had was working at a CPA firm as an accountant. The next job was something with assurance. I was mostly a working girl in San Francisco.

When I heard that Kennedy had been assassinated, I was somewhere in California. I was in shock, just filled with a sad shock. I don't think any president since President Lincoln had been assassinated. When we found out, nobody cared what he had done, we were all just in a sad shock.

When African Americans got the right to vote, we were all fine with it, they deserved the right to vote.

We felt like the Cold War was just a sarcastic comment by the late 60's. Most of the fear was in the 50's when you didn't know if tomorrow was going to happen.

I was introduced to your grandfather because my friend and his friend knew each other and introduced us. In 1965 I married him."

The next person who I interviewed was my "Church Grandma" Marie.
"In the 60's I was living first in a trailer house, then apartment, then we built a house. I was married to my husband Vic, and we both had teaching jobs. We had two sons, one adopted. We basically lived on one income so we always had to watch what we did. In the morning I always got up and made a hot breakfast, got the kids going, checked and made the house clean, washed clothes, baked, and decided what to make for dinner. I would go to and help a kids Bible study around once a week, a ladies Bible study for mothers around once a week, and a youth group at our house at night once a week. At night Vic and I would help the kids with their homework.

We had fear about the cold war, Vic was in the National Guard and during the Cuba invasion he was told to get ready. I remember his duffle bag by the door. In the end he didn't have to go.

We knew several African American people, some were students, we didn't have any fear of them. They maybe showed their anger in a wrong way but they were short chained in so many ways. They desired the right to vote as much as anyone, and they deserved it. They worked, paid taxes, lived in our towns along side of us. Most people we knew felt that it was the right thing to do.

When I found out about the JFK assassination I was teaching. A little boy who had went home for lunch came running back crying because he heard that JFK had been shot. I ran to the office and turned the radio on with other teachers and heard it. We didn't know until after school that he had died. The school was closed the rest of the week. No matter where you went there was a deep sadness and quiet somber. Vic and I watched everything on TV and it brought us an empty feeling. Not only had JFK been shot but that it could happen here was a shock. It was something the kids in class talked about for many weeks, sadness and some fear. Most people we knew had the question why."

A few weeks later a couple of others contacted me with amazing information about their lives in the 60's. One of them was friend Colleen. " Since my parents were missionaries and lived by the faith, our daily lives were like none others! Our 'Living by faith' meant that no one supported us, we trusted in God and lived off people's generosity in letting us stay in their homes and churches and others that gave free-will offerings! I'm still amazed what faith dad had in God, how we traveled all over, never went hungry and are still alive, Thank you Jesus!

I was in Cuba when Castro took over and that is one of my earliest travels out of USA that we went to. Like I said, a day in my life was one of prayer, learning to read and write from the Bible and never knowing where we would be off to the next day or what God had in store for us! Dad kept us very sheltered from the outside world, no radios, no TV's, no newspapers, so basically unless we witnessed it, in the midst of it, we were basically unaware of it happening!

After Cuba, we traveled in a car pulling a trailer. Usually down south because of the weather. We got caught up in the whites versus the blacks because we treated everybody the same! Dad got thrown in jail because we associated with black people, we'd been run out of town, had crosses burnt on homes we stayed at, but boy did I enjoy the black churches and they way they worshiped God! You could really feel God's presence there!!! To this day, no matter the color of their skin, where they live, what church they go to, whatever, there are good and bad everywhere!

We happened to be in the airport, don't recall where we were headed, that I heard and saw on TV that JFK had been shot! I recall people around me hysterical and I couldn't believe that was happening here in our country! See, I'd seen it in other countries but not here. I was taken aback!

I recall losing friends, neighbors and others in the Vietnam war. horrific! Again, I could understand both sides, those that fought for freedom of others and the "hippies", peace loving people who didn't believe in fighting. It was a tough time! I saw results of those who lost their loved ones, results of the soldiers who came back only to freak out at every lil noise or just lost it all together. praying when my brother went to fight in Vietnam. Thank God he came home, but was really messed up with the hell he witnessed and survived. In 1967 or so, we flew into Berlin, took the train in surrounding countries. So much unrest, soldiers with their guns or rifles, constantly in the alert, makes you really watch your step. We passed from West to East Berlin, very scary!

Oh yes, we were in Haiti when the son was trying to overthrow his dad, the president. Barrels of gasoline were being dropped like bombs around us. Through it all, God has protected us and brought us home! Again, we NEVER knew where dad was taking us next as he always told us that "the Holy Spirit" would lead and guide us."