Ben L. Smith Class of 1966

We were the class of '66. We came from Jackson, Central,
and Gillespie to open the doors of Greensboro's brand
new high school, Ben L. Smith. The day we had anticipated
for so long had arrived; we were finally going to high
school! At last , we had made it. We were big time now.

Things were different in 1966. Most of us didn't have a
car,but the lucky ones that did,would pack us in and haul
us to school so we didn't have to ride the dreadful bus.

I can still remember, particularly our sophomore year,
standing on the corner, freezing to death, waiting for
that yellow chariot. You didn't wear a coat(except maybe
a London Fog) because you didn't want to cover your new
monogrammed sweater. Of course, you didn't wear a hat or
boots because they just weren't cool and being cool was
a real priority.

If standing in the cold had not awakened you in time for
homeroom, then the bus ride to school would do the job.
The mingling aromas of Jade East, Canoe, and English
Leather (that must have been purchased by the 55 gallon
drum) along with the Intimate and Windsong the girls
bathed in, would certainly get your attention.

The maturity level of a high school student was never
more evident than it was in a crowded school bus.
Spit balls flying, screaming from one end of the bus
to the other, and tripping people as they came down the
aisle, were all conducive to preparing us for the serious
business of education.

Yes, things were different in 1966. We had major social
obligations and commitments. Friday nights- would it be
the football game or the dance at the Glenwood Community
Center? And Saturday night, date night; first, you hoped
and prayed that you had a date, then you had to decide
between a drive-in movie(and hope your parents didn't find
out) or a trip to the Boar and Castle.
If you chose the Boar and Castle,would
you park on the light side or the dark side(under the
grape vines) and hope your parents didn't find out.

Then we would cruise. Now, wasn't that wonderful! We would
start at the Castle, sometimes take a left and circle through
Ernie's parking lot (where the guys would try to buy beer)
before heading downtown. We would drive all the way through
town, exit on Summit Avenue, cruise Hot Shoppes and maybe
Monroe's before heading back to the Castle and starting all
over again.

Our parents could not understand how we added 75 miles to
the odometer in one night. Now, to finance these cross-
country treks, we would each chip in a quarter,and put in
a $1.00 worth of gas in the driver's car. Of course, this
was when you could buy gas for $.29 a gallon.

We can't talk about the way we were in high school without
remembering the way we dressed...girls with their round
collared blouses and wrap around skirts, shirt waist dresses
and Cappezio shoes.

Guys wore button down collars(madras or oxford cloth,of course.)
Oh yes, their socks had to match their shirt. Navy slacks, yellow
button-down shirts and yellow socks, gray slacks, pink button
down shirts and pink socks, and Weejuns or Nettletons to
finish the look.

And remember those dress codes at school; no shirttails out
for the boys and you didn't dare go to certain classes without
socks( I want mention any names).Girls could not wear pants,
and blue jeans were out of the question. However, I don't
think we would have been caught dead in them even if they had
been allowed. They just weren't cool in 1966.

We all looked alike, down to the princess rings on our fingers
and the circle pins on our collars. We were so afraid to be
different.

Ladies really had some lovely hair styles in those days. Those
teased up bubbles, bouffants and long straight look just barely
flipped on the ends. And what about that beehive?

One thing we really had going for us in the 60's was our music.
We did have some great music. It was February 9th,1964 when we
saw the Beatles' first appearance on the "Ed Sullivan Show",
and we liked them,(they were different)but the music we really
loved and grew up with came from Detroit and the music machine
known as Motown. We danced and romanced to the Supremes, the
Shirelles, the Four Tops, the Temptations and the Drifters.

We couldn't wait for Beach Week-end to roll around so we could
head out for Myrtle Beach and shag all week-end to the sounds
we loved. It's amazing how you can listen to some of those old
songs today and remember exactly what you were doing when you
first heard them. We didn't have CD players or sophisticated
stereo equipment, but we could turn up our radios and hi-fi's
full blast and really get into it.

Yes, we really had some good times, but we had our serious
times too. We worried about S.A.T.'s and getting into the
college of our choice. Things were happening that we didn't
understand: the Civil Rights Movement, with the integration
of the schools our sophomore year, the Vietnam War, with the
guys worrying about getting drafted after graduation. Then
there was the tragic announcement over the P.A. system in 1963
that our President, John F. Kennedy, had been assassinated.

For many of us this was our first brush with tragedy, a part
of growing up that we didn't want to face. We had no idea
that this was just the beginning, but we did face it and
continued.

Yes, things have changed since our graduation that night in
the Greensboro Coliseum. We all went our separate ways; some
of us went to college, some went out into the work force,
some of us married(some more than others), some didn't.
We all pursued different careers and different lifestyles.

We look in the mirror and see gray hair and wrinkles around
the eyes and realize, yes, we have changed, but there is one
thing that will never change. There was a time in our lives,
a brief period, when we all shared a common bond. We shared
our fears, our hopes and aspirations as we face adulthood.
Those memories will never change, those memories that bring
us together, those memories of our days at Ben L. Smith.

Written by Carol Regan Mata for the Class of '66 Reunion