1958 - The Beginning

AGAINST ALL ODDS(We Found The Perfect Love)

Chapter Two

1958 - The Beginning
 Copyright ©2016 Suzie Tyler

^“ For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  (Jeremiah 29:11)  

When God is directing your path, you can trust Him best by getting out of His way!

Disclaimer...... I was 15 years old, immature, silly and had not a clue about life! 

It is 1958!  An exciting time to be a teen!   

It was a “Happy Days” lifestyle with an “American Bandstand” atmosphere.  Lee’s Drive-In on 7^th Street was Texarkana’s own Arnold’s Drive-in where all the young people gathered on Friday and Saturday nights. Church attendance was a family affair.  Most Americans were patriotic and the boys were proud to serve in the military.  We had our teen idol, Elvis Presley, reporting for the draft in Memphis that year, and a few homes had television.  We watched Mickey Mouse Club, Lawrence Welk and Your Hit Parade. The Ed Sullivan Show aired on Sunday nights at 7 o’clock and probably the most watched television show.  It had the biggest rating when Elvis Presley appeared.  He was filmed from only the waist up because his hip gyrations were considered improper and a ‘no no’.

A student’s life was pretty carefree with no responsibility and no stress.  Words like recession, inflation, retirement and Wall Street were not in our vocabulary and there was no 24 hour cable news.  It was a trusting society and most families did not lock their doors at night.  Young people did not know about drugs and the biggest vice was smoking, drinking beer, stealing hubcaps off cars and stealing watermelons (Don’t ask me how I know about this). 

Households had at least one automobile and many families had two. Buying items on credit was introduced and the ‘dollar down, dollar a week’ mentality was initiated.  Young people saw it as a way to have what you wanted instantly and a ‘now generation’ was born.  It was the greatest time period to be a teenager and sounds like Utopia today!