Class of 1960

This weekend, members of the Nevada High School Class of 1960 will gather to celebrate their 50th class reunion. Here is a salute to all of you, and a warm welcome back home.

Time affects us all in many different ways. I was only 11 years old when the class of '60 graduated, but those seven years of age difference, seemed a lifetime to me then.

The seniors of 1960 seemed so much older and more mature to me. In fact, they represented to me the models of how I thought I should live as a future teenager.

Their cars, clothes, music, and dances, were of intense interest to me. In athletics, the players were heroes to a young tiger fan. Going to a local high school game was the highlight of my week.

A particular set of behaviors by this group was viewed by us youngsters very closely. It was their methods and practices of romance. There were set terms for the dating game in 1960, and we watched and listened to learn the proper procedure.

"Going Steady" headed the list of important romantic achievements. Kids in 1960 might have a date to a movie, school dance, or just to ride around and "make the loop." By the way, if you don't know what the "loop" was, you are way too young to appreciate this article.

These dates were closely observed by the other kids. Once a boy and girl were seen together, regardless of the type of date, the word spread quickly.

If there were follow up dates, and the couple decided to date only each other, they had some new rules to follow. A class ring was a big part of "going steady." Once a guy asked a girl to "go steady," he gave her his class ring to wear.

The girl would often have to put tape around part of the ring, so that it would not slide off her finger. She would then proudly wear the ring everywhere, including school. Showing off the ring to her friends was obligatory. If the new boyfriend was an athlete, she often could be seen wearing his letter jacket as further proof of their relationship.

For the guys part, "going steady" meant that their special girl was supposed to be off-limits, once the ring had been placed on her finger. As you can imagine, sometimes unfaithfulness ended these relationships.

As wonderful as the beginning of "going steady" was, the end was just as memorable. There was a term for that as well, "breaking up."

Neil Sedaka even had a famous song titled, "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do."

Music was a big part of life for the kids of 1960. There were no IPods. You listened to music in several ways. The most common was the car radio. WHB out of Kansas City was our first and foremost music connection. Most cars had only an AM radio, but that was alright with us.

Many teens had a 45 r.p.m. record player. All the top hits were rated by how many of these 45 r.p.m. single records kids bought around the country. There was no disco at that time. Live bands frequently performed the latest hits at local venues such as the pavilion at Radio Springs Park.

One thing I remember about the people from the class of '60 was that in those days, everyone danced. At the local "Youth Club" the classmates from the '60s danced almost every night.

I checked out Billboard's list of the "Hot 100" hits from 1960, and I smiled with pleasure as I recalled so many of my favorites. Number one on the charts was "Cathy's Clown" by the Everly Brothers.

Another American classic, was Elvis Presley's number 4, "It's Now or Never." Little Miss Brenda Lee came in at number six with her still memorable, "I'm Sorry."

A few of my own favorites that placed high on the list included, number 15, "El Paso" by Marty Robbins, number 20, "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" by Brian Hyland, and number 22, "Sixteen Candles" by Connie Stevens.

My top pick would have been the number 5 song, "Teen Angel" by Mark Dinning. Even today when I hear that song on the radio, I sing every verse from memory, and anytime you want to hear my rendition you would of course be welcome. One song that was to have a lot of impact over the next few years also came out in 1960. Number 10 on the charts that year was "Let's Twist Again" by Chubby Checker.

Once again, for those of you who don't comprehend the difference between dance steps like "the boogie woogie," "the Stroll," and "the twist," I have nothing but pity for you in my soul. It was a magical time for music and dancing, and if you missed it, I don't think we shall ever see anything like it again.

Something happened between the time of the class of '60, and those of my era in the late '60s. The Vietnam War came along, and with it there was a generation shift.

For many years, the gap between the kids of the early '60s, and those of the Woodstock generation seemed quite large. Time has changed all that as we have all passed the middle age mark.

Once again, we are all members of the famous and very large population in America, known as "boomers."

I will enjoy seeing the classmates who return for this first of several 50-year high school reunions, that began in the '60s. The class of '60 will always hold a special meaning for me. In fact, they represented to a young kid in Nevada, people that I looked up to. They were as in the words of another hit from the same era, "the leaders of the pack!"