MARY BRASWELL: Looking back at November 1968

In November 1968, 67 percent of the 28,000 registered voters in Dougherty County went to the polls on election day. Of those casting a presidential ballot, 9,317 voted for George Wallace over Richard Nixon and/or Hubert Humphrey. The nation, however, did not agree. See what else was happening that month and year.

— For the eighth consecutive general election cycle in Dougherty County, Donald Duck received at least one write-in vote for president of the United States.

—With two months still remaining in the year, building permits in Albany-Dougherty County topped the $24 million mark. One new apartment complex was included in this number, Miller Apartments at 2329 Stuart Ave.

— The Monroe High School Tornadoes scored in every quarter of the game against the Lowndes County High School Vikings taking a victory with a score of 27-13.

— Eight prisoners from the Terrell County Public Works Camp who staged a hunger protest over a meal including souse meat were transferred to the county jail after refusing to eat. The prisoners were placed in solitary confinement and given one meal a day at the jail. The inmates were expected to remain in solitary “until their attitudes change” or up to 14 days. The meal which drew complaints was a loaf of pork trimmings (souse), turnip greens, black-eyed peas and biscuits.

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QUIK QUIZ

In November 1968, a 22-year-old driver of a 1956 model car was stopped on Mock Road for not displaying a safety inspection sticker. What was found inside the car?

a) 115 gallons of moonshine

b) 115 capsules of illegal drugs

c) 115 non-registered vehicle inspection stickers

d) 115 black market LP records

Answer is at the end of the column.

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— A double dose of horror was playing at the Georgia Drive-In on Sylvester Road. In “ghastly color,” the films were “The Gruesome Twosome” and ” Something Weird.” Both movies were rated M for mature audiences.

— Albany’s new Wash-A-Rama on Dawson Road featured permanent press cycles on both washers and dryers. A 20-pound washload cost 25 cents and dryers ran for 10 minutes for each dime inserted.

— Albany Little Theater (now Theatre Albany) was set for opening day of the new season with its production of “Barefoot in the Park.”

— The Surrey Shop at 238 W. Broad Ave. held its grand opening. The store for menswear featured name brands such as Arrow, Swank, Bentwood, Hubbard and Cambridge. One of the many grand opening specials was $13.88 each for all alligator belts in stock.

— Sunday evening television shows available for Albany-area viewers included “Walt Disney,” “Bonanza,” “The Smothers Brothers,” “Ed Sullivan,” “Lassie,” “Gentle Ben,” “My Three Sons” and “Mission Impossible.” “The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show” was pulled after just a couple of months for its low ratings and replaced with “My Friend Tony,” a police series starring James Whitmore.

— The Albany Junior College Cavaliers were set to open the school’s first basketball season. Team members were Jack Ryan, John Forrester, John Smith, Mike Moran, John Salter, Ron Sims, Herman Wright, Melvin Thomas, Phil Greeman, Eddie Smith and Melvin Burns.

— The Georgia Baptist Convention, representing 3,015 churches, submitted a record budget of $3.544 million.

— A new band was playing at the Marine Corps Supply Center Teen Center. Made up entirely of sons of active duty Supply Center personnel, the boys practiced and played nightly. The band’s name was The Sobs and members claimed their musical inspirations were the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix.

— According to an advertisement in the Nov. 11 Albany Herald, women wishing to reduce their dress size before Christmas could do so by visiting the Elaine Powers Figure Salon at 910 W. Oglethorpe Blvd. Women could expect to drop from a size 16 to a size 12 by Dec. 17.

— According to a Nov. 12 article, Judge Asa D. Kelley Jr. granted 138 divorce decrees to Dougherty County residents over “the last few weeks.” Every case was listed in the newspaper.

— A father of six children suffered burns on his face, hands, neck and back in an effort to save his sleeping youngsters from a fire that broke out in their home around 3 a.m. Louis Myles of Willard Avenue managed to reach and rescue four of his six children from the blaze.

—Discussion was held during a family living class at Dougherty High regarding the equality of men and women. In addition to students, five parents participated. On student, a boy, had this to say: “I wouldn’t like to see the girls in the Army fight the Viet Cong or go out at all times and get drunk or play football or tell dirty jokes. Men weren’t meant to cook, keep house, buy food and take care of the kids. It’s just not the thing they were placed on earth to do.”

— Albany State College set an all-time high enrollment record in the fall of 1968 with 1,635 students.

— Poulan lost its oldest building to a huge fire. The town’s branch of the Tifton Cotton Mills was built in 1897. The mill shut down in 1963 and was used for storage of cotton yarn on cones and tubes in recent years.

— Voters in Dougherty County approved a $1.6 million school bond issue. The list of projects included building an elementary school for the West Town area, air conditioning the auditoriums at Albany and Monroe high schools, libraries for Palmyra, Isabella and Highland schools, an addition at Albany Area Technical School, an addition to Sherwood Acres Elementary and expansion of the central warehouse.

— Martha Livingston became the first Albany woman to receive benefits from the Widows and Wives GI Bill. Her Marine husband, Staff Sgt. Ersqin Dan Livingston, died in Vietnam the previous year. The benefits were also available for the wives of totally disabled veterans. Livingston and over 4,300 Georgia women were eligible for benefits which included $130 per month for 36 months for full-time students.

— Albany Junior College had its first team of cheerleaders. Team members were Kay Hardin, Martha Pelle, Sylvia Trawick, Diane Fralick and Sharon Field. Alternates were Katye Fendya and Candy Hancock.

QUIK QUIZ ANSWER: a) 115 gallons of moonshine (some things never change)

Each week Albany Herald researcher Mary Braswell looks for interesting events, places and people from the past. You can contact her at (229) 888-9371 or [email protected]. Follow @ABH_MBraswell on Twitter