Living the Life: An Account of Life in the Late 1950's and the Early 1960's

My grandmother, Beverly Perry, grew up in the city of Lowell, Massachusetts, she was born in October 20, 1945 (see fig. 1). She grew up in a household where culture and religion ran deep, shaping how she lived. Her family had very strict rules and a very strict schedule that they stuck to and that is how her family ran. She lived in an area where she was able to walk to everything that she needed and instead of super stores, everything was little shops. Instead of three TV's per household, everyone had one, instead of two cars per household, everyone had one family car. Times were different then, my Grandmother found it to be a "slower, better more simple lifestyle and where everyone knows everyone" (Perry, Personal). This research project delves deep into the day to day living of someone in the 1950's and 1960's, showing how daily life and trends were different than what they are today, and the different expectations that are put upon a person.

Figure 1. My Grandmother and Grandfather, (left) from 1964 and (right) from 2010.

GROWING UP

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When my Grandmother was growing up there were many different expectations while living with her parents. In her household her mother stayed home taking care of the house while her father went off to work. When her father arrived home, everything was supposed to be spotless and her and her brother had to be a picture of perfection and there was a family dinner laid out like always of something along the lines of spaghetti, pork, and a vegetable. When leaving the house she had to be spotlessly clean, and no wrinkled clothes. At this time is was very important on how other people viewed you. My Grandmother was not allowed to spend time with any boys alone and dating was completely prohibited, also her curfew for every day was nine o'clock. This at the time was very common to have this routine and her family was living the definition of the "American Dream". It was the idea that man should marry a young woman and have three children. They would live in a cutout house in the suburbs. Every house to look the same, with a small TV, cute kitchen, well kept yard, and the white picket fence out back (T, Jeffrey). My Grandmother found that she enjoyed this time period the most enjoyable than others, even with the strict rules in her household. During this time, "everything was more relaxed, without cellphones and computers. You could just walk down to the corner store and not be afraid of anything and be able to stay out all day without your parents worrying" (Perry, Personal).

FUN

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Even though my grandmother had an early curfew, she would still go out with her friends. Things to do that were fun were taking walks downtown with her friends. Back then it was ok to have your kids walking around and you would know that they were ok (Perry, Personal). Also, she liked to go to the movies, which was a very big deal. "There was one theater in town and it would be planned way in advanced for when we would go see a picture" (Perry, Personal). My Grandmother's favorite movie that she went to see was Sound of Music. It is in the top ten movies for the decade of the 1960's ("Top 10").Her and her friends would often exchange their records and bring them over each other's houses (see fig. 2). Or to be outside they would gather everyone up and play softball down at the park.

Figure 2. An Elvis Presley vinyl record that my Grandmother owned (Perry, Stephanie).

SCHOOL

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During her years in high school she would walk to school everyday both ways, very few kids drove to school during this time unless they had important jobs and could afford to. While she was growing up Brown vs. Board of Education went through and brought down the law that declared state laws establishing separate public schools for African-American and White students unconstitutional("Separate") (see fig. 3). I questioned my Grandmother if this effected where she lived at all or if this caused any difficulties, and to my surprise, she said it did not at all. In her high school there were a few African-American people and everyone seemed to get along with them and there were no protests or outbreaks.

Figure 3. A photo representing integration in schools (Liptak).

TRADITIONS

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My Grandmother and her family grew up very strongly Portuguese, and one of the Portuguese traditions is the Holy Ghost ceremony. This is when a decorated alter is created in a chosen person's home and stays there for a week. People can come to their house to pray and be with others of their religion. This ceremony started in the Azores, Portugal where my Great Grandparents came from. There is a larger ceremony that occurs once a year and there is a parade a mass and a feast, "the traditional carrying of the crown and scepter in the Portuguese processions is a reminder of the love and devotion Queen Elizabeth had for God, the Holy Spirit and for the poor and less fortunate of Portugal" ("Holy"). My Grandmother stated in her interview that she "remembers this time very well and she enjoyed all of the people coming to the house" (Perry, Personal).

TRENDS

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What people think of as "cool" or "stylish" today, was very different to what it actually was in the 1950's and 1960's (see fig. 4). The clothes were different, the cars were different, the music was different, the shows were different, and so on. The top shows of this time period are Gunsmoke, Wagon Train, and I Love Lucy ("Top"). The westerns and comedies seemed to draw the biggest amount of attention during the late 1950's and early 1960's. Not only were the shows different but the styles, the hair was shorter and worn curly, and the woman were expected to wear skirts to the knee and respectable shirts. My Grandmother noted that by the end of the sixties, this was not expected anymore and girls could wear pants and and have longer hair (Perry, Personal). The number one family car that she remembers is the Pontiac, many people in the town had one. Lastly, another big influencing trend is music. Elvis was the absolute favorite of my Grandmothers and to this day he still is (see fig. 5), he may not have been the favorite of everyone in this decade, but he was up there. Many people also like Ray Charles, The Beatles, and the Beach Boys.

Figure 4. Trends of the late 1950's and the early 1960's. The first slide are my

Grandmother's favorite TV shows, while the rest are the popular trends of the time (Perry, Stephanie).

Figure 5. Elvis Presley, Jailhouse Rock ("Elvis").

MEETING A MAN

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Growing up my Grandmother was not allowed to date or have boys call the house. My Grandfather was the first boy to do both of these things, which made my Grandmother's parents dislike him very much. He also was not fully Portuguese and they wanted their daughter to marry someone one-hundred percent portuguese. During this time a person was judged by their family and what the father did for work. She said that, "The first question I was asked when I told my parents about him was 'what does his father do?' that was how people made their first judgements" (Perry, Personal). She also told me that when she told her parents that he asked her to marry him that they tried to bribe her with a car to not marry him (Perry, Personal). That is how much they disliked him. She denied the car and married him even though it was against their wishes and they came around, and my Grandparents are still together to this day.

LEAVING THE HOUSE

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When my Grandmother was eighteen she got married to my grandfather in 1964. This was normal for this time to get married, but to me it seems crazy to get married now. My Grandmother said that, "It was much more commonplace then and college was not necessary, if I had been born when you were [1992] there is no way I would have gotten married so young" (Perry, Personal). After getting married she got pregnant with my father in 1965 and then with my aunt in 1966. My Grandfather did not allow her to work, because he felt that it was his job to. When the time of the drafts for the Vietnam War came around, my Grandfather was never considered. This is because he was diagnosed as a hemophiliac, and therefore he could not go. My Grandmother said to me that "she has lived a happy life with no regrets, and I hope the same for you" (Perry, Personal). My Grandmother is a very strong and smart woman and I enjoyed hearing about her life.

Works Cited

"Elvis Presley - Jailhouse Rock." You Tube, 26 March 2011. Web. 10 May. <<2011.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSwmFiFN3gA&feature=player_embedded>>

"Holy Ghost Tradition." Portuguese American Social & Athletic Club, 40 Fenwood Avenue, Smithfield, RI 02917. Web. 17 May 2011. .

Liptak, Adam. "Brown v. Board of Education - Supreme Court - Segregation - Schools - NYTimes.com." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 10 Dec. 2006. Web. 17 May 2011. .

Perry, Beverly. Personal interview. 24 April 2011.

Perry, Stephanie. 10 May 2011. Picture.

Perry, Stephanie. 10 May 2011. Slideshow.

"Separate Is Not Equal - Brown v. Board of Education." National Museum of

American History. Web. 10 May 2011. .

T, Jeffrey. "1950's American Dream." The Haps. 1 Aug. 2005. Web. 17 May 2011. .

"Top 10 Movies of the 1960s - TopTenReviews.com." TopTenREVIEWS Movies Reviews

-TopTenREVIEWS. Web. 17 May 2011.

"Top TV Shows, 1950's." Entertainment Scene. Nielsen Media Research, 28 Mar.

1997. Web. 10 May 2011. .

Behind the Picket Fence: Life of an Army Soldier in the 1950's

INTRODUCTION

The baby boom, white picket fences, and blue jeans were a few things that came to mind when I thought of the fifties. After talking with my Grandfather, Philip Casavant, I learned there is more to this decade than I had imagined. This research project focuses on an Army soldier in the 1950’s returning home and transitioning into civilian life. I will focus on the real life experiences of my grandfather during this era and empathize on his achievements in this decade.

AFTER HIGH SCHOOL
My Grandfather graduated high school in 1951. From there, he attended Nichols College where he studied and played on the football team for about a year and a half until he decided to sign up for the Army. In the Army, he also played football for the 2nd Armored Cavalry for about a year until he was sent overseas to Germany following World War II (see fig.2). This was now the Korean War going on. While in Germany, my grandpa described the natives as, "pretty good people"(Casavant). The Nuremberg Trials were two sets of trials that started in 1945 and ended in 1949 and involved the Nazis who committed crimes during the Holocaust of World War II (American Experience). My grandpa was in Germany after the trials had ended, but even after the trials were over one of my grandpa's jobs was to guard in front of the gates at the Palace of Justice where the trials had taken place because things were still wrapping up inside. Also in Germany my grandpa patrolled the boarders of Bamberg, and Furth Germany, because the Russians were on the other side and we still had problems with them at this time (Casavant). My grandpas duties in Germany ended in 1957 where he then returned back to the states.

Fig.2. Army football, Second Armored Cavalry 1953. Source: Casavant, P.

TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER
When my Grandfather arrived home from Germany, he was chosen to guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers in 1957. This is located at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA (see fig.3). The Tomb contains the remains of unknown American soldiers from World Wars I and II, the Korean Conflict, and the Vietnam War (Unknown Soldier). This tomb is also described as, "An American shrine dedicated to the memory of all the unnamed men who breached the walls and died before the gates in our nations wars" (Virden). My grandpa described his opportunity as, "A big honor, not many people got chosen to do this like I did" (Casavant). As much of an honor as this was, my grandpa did describe this job as "tedious work" and he "anticipated going home" (Casavant). Tourists were not allowed to touch the Tomb so the guards had to prevent the onlookers from getting too close. When the soldiers were on duty to guard the Tomb that day they had to sleep at the quarters in which my grandpa described them as being beautiful (Casavant). The quarters were located underneath the Tomb and behind it overlooking the Potomac River. Along with guarding the tomb the soldiers were moved around and also guarded the steps of the capital, as well as the airfield where the planes were located (Casavant). Not only did my grandpa get to honor the fallen heroes he had some fun while being a part of this experience. During his 6 month stay in VA, he got to meet Johnny Antonelli who at the time was a MLB player for the Braves.

BACK TO REALITY

After the 6 months of being an Honor Guard, and being done with the Army, my grandpa was at a standstill in life. Not quite sure of what to do for work, he moved to California to work for his brother-in-law. In California my grandpa helped build Disney World under his brother-in-laws command. My grandpa was lucky enough to meet the famous Walt Disney while working one day (see fig.4). My grandpa said, "Walt would walk around and randomly shake the workers hands and thank us for our hard work" (Casavant). After working in CA for about 2 years my grandpa decided to take all the skills he had learned and came back to his home town, Winchendon, MA. In 1959 my grandpa started his own drywall business. This business took off quickly, and my grandpa said, "I had 16 men working for me, business was good, so I started my own lumber yard on School Street as well" (Casavant). A lot of the success of my grandpa's business achieved in the 1950's can be attributed to the thriving economy after World War II. After World War II, soldiers were returning home and starting families (Nelson). With this came the baby boom. With all the increasing families, houses were needed to accommodate the growing families which was great for the construction industry and hometown businesses such as my grandfathers. The Housing Act of 1949 was also a factor that helped the construction boom. This act, "pledged a decent home for every American family (The New). This act helped extend home ownership to lower-income families and racial minorities (The New).

LOOKING BACK

Overall the 1950's era was a successful decade for my grandpa as he adjusted to civilian life and took advantage of the thriving economy. Looking back on this era, there are a few things he does miss. When asked what he misses most from this decade he responded quickly with, "I miss Nancy (his late wife) being alive" (Casavant). Being 80 and retired now, my grandpa said he really misses his business and how busy it kept him. The last question I was most anxious to ask my grandfather was what is the most significant difference between today and the 1950's. After pondering for a minute my grandpa expressed, "People were a lot closer back then, not like today, everyone is out to get each other, people use to help each other out more then, times were different" (Casavant). One quote my grandfather has always lived by is, "I'll find a way or make one" (Casavant).

Works Cited

"American Experience: The Nuremberg Trials. PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 16 May 2011

Casavant, Philip. Personal interview. 3 May 2011

Nelson, Arthur C. "Catching the Next Wave: Older Adults and the 'New Urbanism'." Generations 33.4 (2009): 37-42. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 17 May 2011.

Sims, April. "Millions of Tourists Flock to Arlington National Cemetery Each Year: Free Admission." Washington DC Budget Recreation | Examiner.com." Spokane News, Spokane Information, Spokane Events | Examiner.com. 18 July 2010. Web. 15 May 2011.http://www.examiner.com/budget-recreation-in-washington-dc/millions-of-tourists-flock-to-arlington-national-cemetery-each-year-free-admission

"The New Frontier’s Housing Program." Congressional Digest 40.6/7 (1961): 163. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 13 April 2011.

"Unknown Soldier, Tomb of the." Encyclopedia Americana. Grolier Online, 2011. Web. 13 Apr. 2011.

Virden, John M. "Let Our Remaining Unknown Soldiers Rest in Peace!" Saturday Evening Post 31 May 1958: 10. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 17 May 2011.

Waite, Jeremy. "Walt Disney : “I’ve Heard There’s Going to Be a Recession. I’ve Decided Not to Participate"Jeremy Waite | What Can Brands Learn From Celebrities? 28 June 2010. Web. 16 May 2011.http://jeremywaite.wordpress.com/2010/06/28/walt-disney-%E2%80%9Ci%E2%80%99ve-heard-there%E2%80%99s-going-to-be-a-recession-i%E2%80%99ve-decided-not-to-participate%E2%80%9D/

Life of a Sailor: The U.S.S Winston aka 94 and culture in the 1950's

Introduction

When one would think of the 1950's, It seems to be a decade of unprecedented economic and population growth in the United States. This consisted of the years following the baby boom that occurred during WWII ("Baby Boom"), the rise of television, and the major transitions that took place in the science and technology of the 1950 era. For entertainment, 3D movies were introduced, hula hoops became a hit, and the well known "Poodle Designs" began becoming popular among the youth ("Culture of the 1950's"). Though in seemingly good times, the Korean war also changed the lifestyles of many Americans.

Television Guide, showing the

lightheartedness of the era.
September 1950. ("1950s Style Dresses").

Culture in the 1950's

Within the 1950's era it was a time for transition in technology and science. Television was beginning to become more of a popular media of entertainment and therefore lead to the creation of commercials to advertise new products such as the hula hoop or Mr. Potato head ("Culture of the 1950's"). This was also the time when 3D movies first came about and the style of the well-known "poodle skirts."

Argus 300 Projector Manual, provided by

Bill Hart on behalf of Bartholomew Hart

The peanuts comic was created during this era as well. Before the 1950's music tended to stay towards classical, but the new rock and roll movement lead to much youth rebellion and a different outlook on relationships compared to the older generations. Record players were still in heavy use during this time, and even record players were created in order to rotate through but generally reached the last record and then played that endlessly. During this era there was also the creation of the hydrogen bomb where the scare from other countries lead to more bomb shelters being made for residential houses.

Slide show Of Documents from Bartholomew Hart during his Service in the Navy. Video Created by Smilebox

Ship Life

Bartholomew Hart grew up with 12 children in his family and ended up joining the navy for job purposes. My father stated that he, "Often more times then not had to go out and make sure that he could help support the family" (Hart, Personal). He graduated from the United States Naval Training Center in Bainbridge, Maryland as a pipe fitter and was put aboard the USS Winston.

"He was supposed to take any ship that had received damage and repair it along with anything else that had to be fixed on the ship" (Hart, Personal). My grandfather's book included shelving instructions and measurements within it for storage shelves that he built while he was on the ship. Though he never personally saw any fighting, he still was able to talk to troops.

Sailor on the USS Winston washing the deck
Original photography by Bartholomew Hart

"The USS Winston turned into a delivery ship that ended up going back and forth from Korea and 0name of place- bringing troops and supplies for the people in the war. They were responsible in making sure everything went smoothly for aiding the soldiers on land." (Hart, Personal).

When I was looking through his Brief case that held all the important documents from my grandfather;s time in the Navy, I managed to find a page in his book with many numbers written on it (See video above) My father chuckled when I showed it to him before he explained,

"Your grandfather never really drank any alcohol like others did in that time. During stops, they would all go out and drink while they were stopped for supplies in places such as Japan. Your Grandfather pretty much took pictures while he was on shore and he just had people pay him so that he could ge them back to the ship on time before they got into trouble" (Hart, Personal).

He also received a book about the Korean culture which was easily written to keep the sailor's focus so they could at least learn something about the Korean culture (pictures in Video above) Within this book it explained everything in simple terms for the people in the navy about the ways of the Korean people that way they were able to respect the people they encounteered while on land even though they were not allowed to buy certain items unless it was allowed and confirmed by the U.S first. My father then told me story about how his father knew some people who managed to buy restricted items such as jade earrings for their wives or girlfriends back home.

"I remember him telling me how some people however didn't follow the regulation rules for purchasing items in a foreign country, and still bought the restricted items such as china or small jade pendent since they could find a way to smuggle it in past the checkers back in the U.S" (Hart, Personal).

Therefore I found it very interesting that they were able to get away with something like that due to loop holes in security checks. and the amount of leniency back then compared to today in the military. According to my father, my grandfather found it as a large trip where he didn't have to pay a single dime to see the world and still have fun in the process even though it was during a war.

Works Cited

"1950s Style Dresses, 1950 Style Dress." Fotos.fr. Web. 10 May 2011. .

"Culture of the 1950's and Fun Facts from the 50's - 1950s Birthday Candy Party Ideas | Choose Your Year." Fabulous Retro Candy Gift Ideas | 50th Birthday Party Gift Ideas. Web. 10 May 2011. .

Hart, Bill. Personal interview. 14 Apr. 2011.

O’Brien, Patricia. “Re: Photographs.” Message to the author. 13 Apr. 2011. E-mail.

Thomas, Pauline W. "1950s Timeline Chart - 1950-1960." Fashion History Costume Trends and Eras, Trends Victorians - Haute Couture. Web. 10 May 2011. .

"The Baby Boom." 1950's Lifestyles and Social Trends. Gale Cengage, 1994. eNotes.com. 2006. 10 May, 2011 <http://www.enotes.com/1950-lifestyles-social-trends-american-decades/
baby-boom>