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Growing up in the U.S. 1970-1979 (Part 3B)
National Life
What a difference the changing of a decade can make. The end of the 1960’s was like the end of a theatre play that ended and the curtains were dropped.
The 1970’s were not a continuation of the 1960’s. It was as if the majority of the country took a pause to digest what occurred during the 60’s. The Vietnam War continued along with anti-war protests climaxing in the deaths of 4 students killed at Kent State University by Ohio national guardsmen.
The Civil Rights Movement gained some political ground with the passing of the Civil Rights and Voting Acts signed by President Johnson. During the 1970’s, the US government and American businesses began to implement programs and corporate standards to distance themselves from discrimination and injustice which was prevalent in the past.
Nevertheless, activities during the 60’s caused a backlash from some in the majority of the American public (whom President Nixon labeled as the “Silent Majority”). The Great Society programs initiated by President Johnson in part was expanded in the 70’s but some were dismantled. Some in the middle class objected to their tax dollars being spent on social programs and opposition groups formed.
President Nixon resigned the office of presidency due to the Watergate scandal but ended the war in Vietnam before his resignation.
There were two oil crisis where the OPEC group stopped exporting oil to the US which affected the economy.
The music industry experienced big changes in the genres with rock music being over-shadowed by soft rock, jazz music with smooth jazz, and the introduction of disco music. The Motown sound (soul music) and blues music being relabeled as R&B.
A major conscience awakening activity promoted during the 70’s was concern for the environment, i.e. air and water quality, emission from vehicles, factories and the quality of the food supply. In addition, people were concerned about their personal life habits such as smoking, drinking, over-eating, exercising and others.
Furthermore, the Women Rights Movement challenged society by making their concerns known for the equal treatment of women.
The hippy counter-culture of the 1960’s did not have the same cultural influence in the 1970’s, although some of their ideology did influence mainstream society.
College Days
After graduating from high school it was 6 months before I attended college. Therefore, I worked and paid my first quarter tuition and housing costs.
Leaving home for college
When the time came to attend college (which was located in up-state Michigan far from home) my dad accompanied me and we rode a bus to the college for entry into the dorm. After getting settled in, we bid each other farewell and dad returned home.
The dorm was an 11-story building nick-named “The Zoo” by the students. It was an all-male dorm located next to a shorter all-girls dorm. These were the dorms where the freshmen stayed.
The male dorm earned its name because it housed many new students away from home who acted somewhat crazy at times. Many students had mini refrigerators and hot plates along with stereos. On the main floor there were study areas with typewriters, a main lobby with couch and TV and a sign-in area. Also on the main floor was a place to purchase snacks at certain hours.
Dorm rooms & Roommates
Each room was connected to another room with a common bathroom. There were two students per room for a total of 4 students per suite. Therefore, the person in your room was called a “roommate” and the other two students in the other room were called “suitemates.”
One of my roommates was a football player on the college team and at another time I had a roommate from Florida. His name was Danny who had a sense of humor. One of his tales was that between him and his brother, they knew EVERYTHING!
So I tested him by asking him a question, his answer was, “I don’t know, but my brother knows!” So I asked him another question, and his answer was, “I don’t know, but my brother knows!” So I asked him a third question and his response was, “I don’t know, but my brother knows!”
I said to him, “Danny man, it looks like your brother knows everything and you don’t know nothing!” (double negative) We both laughed.
A Typical School Day
My day started with breakfast in the cafeteria located next to the dorm. The boys and girls shared the same cafeteria and cafeterias were located throughout the campus. Any student could eat in any cafeteria as long as you showed your school ID card.
My classes lasted from 8:00am-4:00 Monday through Friday and sometimes I had a late class. The classes were clear across campus and I had to walk unless I hitched a ride with someone. In the winter it was good to get a ride with someone instead of walking in the snow.
Sometimes I got a ride with a student that had a Firebird Formula and his sports car impressed me so that I wanted to own one after I graduated.
Freshmen could not bring their car to campus during their first quarter; parking was limited.
The instructors were very knowledgeable and had connections with important people in the automotive industry. I would benefit from this for my first job as I’ll describe later.
During class, students would help each other, if necessary. We had a lot of information to digest. At lunch time we went to the nearest cafeteria or to an off-campus restaurant to eat, and then we returned to class.
At the end of the school day, I’d walk back to my dorm, drop off my books and head down to the cafeteria. Cafeteria food was acceptable, although the scrambled eggs were not real eggs. Periodically the cafeteria would have a steak day and that was a good treat!
After dinner, I’d return to my room, chat with my roommate and then start doing homework. Sometimes I went to the library for a class project. This routine was repeated until the weekend.
Weekend Entertainment
After going through the week, students were ready for the weekend. Some students drove back to their homes, some went to other campuses and many stayed on campus.
For those who stayed on campus, there were two popular places: “Winter’s Creek Club” and “The Alibi.” Of the two, the Creek Club was the most popular and there was usually a line to get in. They had a lighted dance floor with a live band; during the recess, a disc jockey played popular music.
When the DJ played certain songs, the guys immediately started asking girls for a dance. If the girl didn’t like the guy, she wouldn’t accept the dance. The same held true at The Alibi.
There were also students who lived off-campus but this was not permitted for freshmen.
Finally, there was married housing for students who were married. They were a small minority of the student body.
Eating Out
Sometimes students wanted additional food (other than cafeteria food) and bought food from restaurants in town. A popular treat was ordering a pizza or submarine sandwich. Beer was a common beverage with college students back then and fraternity/sorority organizations were well-known for their beer parties.
Stranded on the highway
After the first term I was allowed to bring my second car (1965 Ford Galaxie 500) on campus, therefore, I returned home to get it. It was loaded with a lot of personal items, my stereo and other items.
At the departure time to make the drive back to college, I had mechanical trouble on the highway and my vehicle cut off and I was stranded on the side of the highway in a severe storm. What a bummer! I walked to the nearest phone at a gas station and called home to alert my parents of my dilemma; once again my dad came through and drove me back to school.
Life on campus with a car
Ultimately my vehicle was repaired and I was able to have it on campus. What a difference having a car on campus makes. For example, it meant I could drive to class, take a cruise or drive wherever during my free time. In addition a classmate friend also had his car on campus and we did car things together.
Final School Term
During my last term in college various recruiters came to campus to seek students to accept employment with their companies. I wanted to work in an automotive research and development facility. None of the major car companies were among the recruiters.
However, I had an instructor who had contacts with an important person in an automotive company. My instructor asked me if I would be interested in working in their facility. I replied “Yes!” As a result, he made the arrangements and I was instructed to report to the facility the day after my graduation commencement.
Graduation Ceremony
As you can imagine, this was a very satisfying experience. My parents, two main friends and a couple of neighbors came up to attend the graduation ceremonies.
We had a celebration the night before and enjoyed ourselves. After the ceremony, I bided farewell to my fellow students and we returned home.
First job after college
The graduation ceremony was on Sunday, and Monday I reported to my new job as instructed. The first day involved meeting the human resource person and filling out paper work and going through an orientation session.
The company had numerous engineering laboratories such as: mechanical, brakes, safety, air conditioning, and fuels and lubrication. I was assigned to the mechanical lab where were tested various automotive components. Eventually I was rotated to all of the other labs.
It was a very interesting job working on prototype vehicles that were not yet on the market and working at the test track.
First new car
Now that I was working with a steady income, my first goal was to purchase a Firebird sports car after being impressed by my fellow college student. After seeing a Firebird Trans Am, it was more desirable than the Firebird Formula 400.
Because the American economy is credit-based, the majority of people finance paying for a new vehicle by taking out a loan from a financial institution. Therefore, I applied for a membership in a credit union, ordered a new 1974 Firebird Trans Am (sight unseen) and received it when it arrived.
It was a gorgeous sports car, white exterior and interior, 4-speed manual transmission (4-on-the-floor) and most options.
I had my share of speeding tickets, it seems like the cops was coming out of the trunk!
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2851431/1974-pontiac-trans-am/
Cruising on Woodward Avenue
Americans have a love affair with the automobile, more so years ago. One of the favorite American past-times (for some) is ”Cruising.” Cruising is when you drive or ride in a luxury or sports car and enjoy the ride while listening to music and watching the scenery.
In the Detroit metropolitan area, sports car owners would cruise Woodward Ave in the suburbs to compete with other sports cars. This infamous street was a 3-4 lane highway in both directions with lights 0.5-1 mile or longer apart. Therefore, cars raced from light to light.
Well, I was cruising Woodward Ave. with my best friend and along came a red 1974 Firebird Trans Am and we both coasted to the traffic light that turn red. You can imagine what happened.
In a moment of indiscretion, when the traffic light turned green we both took off and the race was on. Two Trans Ams with engines roaring against each other to see who would win the race. It ended in a tie and we faded away from each other afterwards.
Along the way there were various drive-in restaurants, parks, or parking lots where young people would hang out, check out each other cars or whatever.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodward_Dream_Cruise
http://www.hotrod.com/features/history/stories/1208-detroits-woodward-avenue-cruise-history
The links above give a brief history of cruising Woodward Avenue and now there is an annual event in celebration on this memory that draws over a million people and 30,000-40,000 old cars to cruise Woodward.
Off to Jail
Back in the day, the Detroit Police could pull you over for any or no reason. Well one day I was driving in Detroit proudly driving the speed limit and the cops pulled me over. Officer comes to my window and asked me for my driver’s license and vehicle registration. Opps, I never left home without my driver’s license, but this time I left my driver’s license at home!
Officer says he has to take me to the police station (jail) for driving without a license. So he handcuffed me and put me in the back seat of the police car. Another officer drove my car to the station.
On the way there, we talked about muscle cars all the way to the police station.
Once there, I was allowed to make a phone call and got news to my dad to bring my license. Dad came and got me out of jail and the police returned my car.
At this point in this article I will separate the remainder of “Growing up in the US – 1970-1979 into another part.
The next part (Part 3C) will cover:
Moving out of the house, New Birth Experience, Marriage, and Change of Life Style.
Thank you for your patience and I welcome your comments!
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