That 70s Thread

[donheff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by REWahoo We suffered some significant side effects - including strange clothing, excessive hair growth and funky dance music....

Since the OP was looking for amusing anecdotes here is mine. I graduated from college at the end of the fall semester of 1972 - about 1 1/2 years late . I was working my way through college as a school janitor and used to talk to the 8th grade science teacher about my interest in teaching science when I graduated and got my teacher's license. Oh yeah -- and I had gray hair down to middle of my back and a fu manchu mustache. In any event, I was moved off to another school right after graduation while I was waiting for my Chicago Schools certificate. One day I get a call from the principal at the old school - the science teacher had a heart attack and was out for the rest of the spring semester, could I come in as the sub? Soon I had a bunch of parents coming to the class room to find out what's up with their kids coming home saying, "our hippy janitor took over as the science teacher." The rest of the surrounding ten years is a blank

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jambo101 Amazes me how we survived without Computers,cell phones,credit/debit cards,no cable tv.

(emphasis mine)

We had credit cards in the 1970's. Remember? Instead of sliding the card through an electronic credit card reader, the cashiers would put the card and a three part credit slip in a manual machine with a slider, that would copy the (raised) CC numbers onto the slip, which we would then sign.

Couldn't use those cards for debit, though. For that, we had ATM cards from the bank that could only be used at the ATM.

I was so busy during the 1970's that I really don't have any stories or episodes to recount. I was just out of college, in grad school, then married a sailor, then moving constantly with him and finding teaching jobs wherever we landed, then having a baby.... that part of life. I was pregnant when disco became popular and I never learned to dance that way since I was married and not dating, and was busy with other things. My ex got a cheap looking tan leisure suit from his parents for Christmas and never wore it.

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donheff -- and I had gray hair down to middle of my back and a fu manchu mustache. In any event, I was moved off to another school right after graduation while I was waiting for my Chicago Schools certificate. One day I get a call from the principal at the old school - the science teacher had a heart attack and was out for the rest of the spring semester, could I come in as the sub? Soon I had a bunch of parents coming to the class room to find out what's up with their kids coming home saying, "our hippy janitor took over as the science teacher."

Otto, is that you?

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I entered the military in early January of 1970. One of my most vivid memories of those first few days is of one of my classmates from Chicago.

Otto, all 5 feet, 4 inches of him (the minimum height for USAF flight school at the time) stepped off the bus at Lackland AFB dressed as a hippy Chicago school janitor . Along with shoulder length hair and large "peace" medallion hanging around his neck, Otto was wearing sandals, a tie-died shirt and a pair of red bell-bottom trousers made from a Soviet flag - complete with a bright yellow hammer and sickle on one leg.

The TI's had a feeding frenzy over Otto and abused him mercilessly teased him repeatedly that first day regarding his appearance. On day two, in an ill-fitting olive drab uniform and after an "I survived Auchwitz" haircut, he blended in to become just another piece of human cannon fodder like the rest of us.

Otto retired after 20 years, much of that as a B52 pilot.

[kumquat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rustward Yeah . . . If you can remember the 70's you weren't really there.

Isn't that the sixties

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kumquat Isn't that the sixties

I don't remember.

[bbbamI]

In 10 years I'll be in my 60s......

[Westernskies]

Quote:

Originally Posted by REWahoo CFB = Chicken Fried Bacon...

No, I think he's toast.

[Nords]

High school Class of '78 from a suburb of Pittsburgh.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jambo101 Amazes me how we survived without Computers,cell phones,credit/debit cards,no cable tv.

Gosh, I could teletype in (at 300 bits per second) to the Penn State mainframe from our high school anytime I wanted to. And we were always welcome to use the punchcard machines at Carnegie-Mellon... those BASIC and FORTRAN skills really came in handy with the hot chicks.

Who needed cell phones? The backs of my high-school yearbooks are filled with Ma Bell ads for getting your daughter a "Princess" phone for her own room. I think they came in both pink and baby blue.

Credit/debit cards? I was allowed to use my parent's card to buy gas anytime I wanted. When I was using my mother's card, I can't ever remember anyone even glancing at my signature or the card.

Cable TV? We had a cable going from our TV up to the broadcast antenna that was bolted to our chimney. We had one of them there fancy steerable antennas, too, so we could pull in something like nine or ten channels. Which was irrelevant on Sundays since the TV was always locked on to Steeler football games.

Speaking of disco, I've reminded our kid that when I was in high school I wore higher heels than she does now. And as the father of a 16-year-old daughter, I've gained an entirely novel perspective on my teen behavior. I've been mentally adding up the number of women I'd be apologizing to if I attended a high-school reunion. Not, of course, that I've discussed this with either my spouse or my daughter.

When it became known that I was contemplating joining the military, nearly every one of my male high-school teachers was a veteran who pulled me aside to "warn" me what I was getting into. One was in WWII, a couple had fought in Korea, and most had been through various stages of Vietnam. My woodshop teacher was a long-haired hippie who'd had one of his feet blown off in a Vietnam rice paddy.

However all my high-school years have made a positive contribution to the current world. After a tough day at her school, when our kid comes home angry or depressed (or both), it always cheers her up to look through my high-school yearbooks...

[freebird5825]

If you can't make it through all 9 plus minutes, fast forward to 2:33 for some nice young tight John Travolta shaking it, baby. He gets really serious at 4:23.

Whooooooooo! <faints>
.

YouTube - Medley - Saturday Night Fever

[CuppaJoe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Purron Just a place to reminisce, share stories, discuss music, fashion, literature and whatever else comes to mind. ...

Quote:

Originally Posted by donheff Since the OP was looking for amusing anecdotes

I'll think about amusing tomorrow. That was a great story, donheff. All I can think about today about my personal life was the way the decade was bookended starting with a sub-zero walk across campus in cap and gown and too light a coat, war/war protests until the middle, and ending with an interminable phone call from my best friend about the murder of a mutual friend. Ah, but OP also mentions literature, here we go, take it, Mr. Dickens!

Quote:

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way--in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.” ....It was the year of Our Lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five.

Yes, times very like our own.

[Rustward]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Want2retire (emphasis mine) We had credit cards in the 1970's. Remember? Instead of sliding the card through an electronic credit card reader, the cashiers would put the card and a three part credit slip in a manual machine with a slider, that would copy the (raised) CC numbers onto the slip, which we would then sign. ...

Remember when some of the cashiers had a little book of "bad" credit card numbers? Occasionally they would look up your card number in the book to see of they should reject the card.

From there the slip probably went to some data entry clerk sitting at an IBM 029 or 129 keypunch machine and was converted to a card with holes in it then read into a 2540 reader-punch . . . I was always amazed how a good data entry operator could rip through a stack of input data, deciphering poorly handwritten material and keypunching with remarkable speed and accuracy while telling you about their grandkids or what their DH did yesterday and having side conversations with the other operators. Yep, we had credit cards and computers in the 70's. Either that or I was having waaaay too much fun.

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rustward Remember when some of the cashiers had a little book of "bad" credit card numbers. Occasionally they would look up your card number in the book to see of they should reject the card. From there the slip probably went to some data entry clerk sitting at an IBM 029 or 129 keypunch machine and was converted to a card with holes in it then read into a 2540 reader-punch . . . I was always amazed how a good data entry operator could rip through a stack of input data, deciphering poorly handwritten material and keypunching with remarkable speed and accuracy while telling you about their grandkids or what their DH did yesterday and having side conversations with the other operators. We sure did have computers in the 70's. Either that or I was having waaaay too much fun.

Yes, I DO remember those little books of "bad" CC numbers!! I still halfway expect to see the cashier pull one out when people pay with credit cards. You're right about those data entry operators. They weren't paid much to do that either, as I recall.

[Purron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords Speaking of disco, I've reminded our kid that when I was in high school I wore higher heels than she does now.

Now THIS I would pay cash money to see!

[Purron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Want2retire Yes, I DO remember those little books of "bad" CC numbers!!

Me too! I was a bank teller in the 70s back in the days of passbook savings accounts. We would update the passbooks with each transaction. When the bank went to statement savings accounts, many of our customers objected, so we'd continue to keep their passbooks up to date for them. We also had those CC number books along with the EE savings bond books at our stations.

[Moemg]

The 70's were a busy time for me . I was married and had two children in the 70's . I did have a shag hair cut , John Lennon glasses and a pair of hot pants .

[Purron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moemg I did have a shag hair cut , John Lennon glasses and a pair of hot pants .

Woop!

[guest]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kumquat Isn't that the sixties

It depends on how many colors you remember nothing .... 'Wow! Isn't that far out man. Look at it man, it's moving in the center...and all those colors too! Grooooovy'!

[mf15]

Like REwahoo sometime in February 1970
I swore to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic..."
Was in the army, went to Korea of all places. got married, had kids, the rest is a
blur.
But today had 35 anniversary, who wooda thought that. Also today is daughters 33rd birthday,go figure.
Actually love 80's music.
Old Mike

[Stevewc]

Remember remember Uh I can't remember.
Steve

[Walt34]

Graduated with a AA degree in Criminal Justice in 1971, was working full time during the summers in the office of the Sears repair center and part time during school. I did get a Sears credit card in 1972 just to establish a credit rating, and I think the only reason they gave it to me was I worked for the company. It had a $400 limit. After graduating I applied for the county police department and started there in March of '73.

Had a bachelor apartment by 1974, complete with 650 Yamaha motorcycle parked in the living room. No pictures or plants - what for? - I was hardly ever there except to sleep. Resumed the flying lessons I'd started at age 15, bought an airplane, had that for two years and was having a ball.

1976 was a wake-up year - two officers were shot and killed trying to apprehend a bank robber. One of them was my field training officer. Then it dawned on me - I could get hurt doing this! After that I paid much closer attention to safety issues.

Got married in 1978 to what turned out to be Spendarina, divorced in 1983.