Fifty Years

As a year ends, it’s the time to look back on what’s happened during that last 12 months. Much will be written about 2017 as one of the most traumatic years in recent history. But as we look forward to 2018, we will be remembering the anniversary of the year that shook and changed the country and the world forever, 1968. Fifty year anniversaries are always a big deal, for marriages, birthdays, class reunions, and historically significant events. 1968 was full of such events, and a very significant personal one.

In 1968, a gallon of gas was 34 cents, a movie ticket was $1.50, and the average house costs, $14,950. The year started with a shock. It was the height of the Vietnam War, and the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong launched the Tet Offensive on the Vietnamese New Year at the end of January. It was a wave of attacks throughout South Vietnam in 100 towns and cities that stunned the US military, and led to more anti-war demonstrations. Two months later, President Johnson stunned the country by announcing he would not run for another term as president, primarily because of the war. Less than a week later, Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis which led to riots around the country. Two months later in June, Robert Kennedy was assassinated in Los Angeles after winning the California primary.

A month later in July, Pope Paul VI issued the encyclical “Humanae Vitae” which condemned the use of artificial birth control. It was one of the first times in history that many Catholics publically criticized a church teaching. In August, the Democratic convention in Chicago was overwhelmed by street demonstrations and rioting. Many blamed the police as much as the demonstrators. In November, Richard Nixon was elected in the one of the closest elections in our history. We know how that ended.

But it was not all bad in 1968. On Christmas Eve, the Apollo 8 astronauts orbited the moon live on television. They recited Genesis and took that iconic photograph called “Earthrise” where we could see the surface of the moon in the foreground of the spectacular blue marble of earth. It showed us our real place in the universe for the first time. There are other anniversaries to celebrate: Mister Rogers started on PBS, 60 Minutes on CBS, Laugh In on NBC, Intel was founded, and, of course, Elvis had his comeback special in December.

But, the night of February 9th of 2018 will mark the anniversary of the luckiest and best night of my life. I was a senior in high school. A friend of mine and I went to a high school dance at a nearby girls’ high school. He introduced me to girl I had seen before and her friend. I walked the girl home, and her friend walked home with another girl. I started dating the girl which only lasted about a year. But, I became good friends with her friend. We stayed in touch while I was away at college, and was engaged to someone else, which fortunately, didn’t last. We lost touch when I moved away for a job. On a visit home, I ran into a mutual friend at a bar, and asked about the friend. I was told she had been in the place the night before. I then made the smartest decision of my life. I wrote her a letter and she answered. I moved back home. We fell in love. Got married. Had two sons. Now, have four granddaughters. We enjoyed the good times, and plowed through tough times. Now, in retirement we spend more time together than ever before, and still get along, and realize how lucky we are.

So, when I looked back next year on February 9th, I’ll remember 1968 as the start of the best fifty years of my life.