‘The Wonderful 50s

— Change, Change, Change’

Growing up in the 1950s was a great experience for many of us, while not so great for others.

On Monday, March 12, at 7:30 pm, in the community room of C.H. Booth Library, 25 Main Street (Route 25), Newtown Historical Society will offer a look at the best and worst of the 50s in a program presented by Gordon Williams, titled “The Wonderful 50s — Change, Change, Change.”

The decade was undeniably exciting for everyone. Veterans of World War II were still acclimating to civilian life when new hostilities broke out in Korea; the Iron Curtain had descended and the Cold War was reaching full stride; Joe McCarthy found Communists riddled throughout the government and the entertainment industry, finally to be slapped down by one of our most popular presidents, Dwight Eisenhower.

The economy, fueled by pent-up war demand, was solid, Americans felt safe, and confidence was imaged in automotive chariots that resembled a cross between the fins of a new breed of shark and the flight decks of the aircraft carriers that had helped win the war.

But the roses did have some wilt. The Korean War dragged on for three years before reaching the uneasy ceasefire that still rules the peninsula; prosperity was fine if you were white and working in the North, but maybe not so nice if your color was darker and you were a tenant farmer in the South. Segregated schools were declared unconstitutional in 1954, but by 1957 Eisenhower had to mobilize the National Guard to escort nine black children to school in Little Rock. Rosa Parks found a seat on the bus in 1955, leading to the birth of the massive Civil Rights movement and making Martin Luther King, Jr, a hero.

Meanwhile, we were at home watching the test patterns broadcast by the still fledgling TV industry, along with Milton Berle, Ed Sullivan, Lucy, and dancing to American Bandstand. Rock and roll hit the airwaves, along with the corruption of the payola scandal, and the King himself, Elvis Presley made his appearance. Presley received perhaps the most famous haircut since Samson when he was inducted into the Army through the peacetime draft that sat on the shoulders of all males.

The Soviet Union had the atomic bomb, schools held regular A-bomb drills that didn’t fool even the kids, and the threat increasingly colored our lives throughout the decade.

Mr Williams will cover these and many other events that will jog our memories of that now long ago era of the 1950s.

Gordon Williams is a historian and retired teacher. He was Trumbull’s Teacher of the Year, a Fulbright scholar and exchange teacher, and still loves to spin a historic tale.

He has spoken before for the historical society, of which he is a former president, and other local groups many times. He is also active with the Lions Club in Newtown.

All Newtown Historical Society programs are free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served following the presentation.

For further information call the society at 203-426-5937.