History Cars and high school,late 50s/early 60s,would you go back?

Class of 85. 85 graduated in 85. My own class had a running bet I wouldn’t make 21.
God loves long shots. Won’t get into the details but my first ride was a 56 3100. Built out of what I had. Went from 235/283/402/ and anything else I could put in it.Had a job in a furniture factory cutting poly foam. Half to college account other went to feed the habit. We ( and couple of class mates) built a dirt track car in secrete. We were so dumb we didn’t know we didn’t know. Columbus speedway/and Verona. WA Hankins always gave us 25$ back as we left each race. He was good to us. But that’s another story.
The girl I dated was from another town because most didn’t want there daughter riding with me. If you knew the whole story you would agree with them. ( my insurance was expensive that’s all I’ll say). I didn’t drink /still don’t. Didn’t dope /never did. Yep I was stone sober when all of this was going on.
Most of my friends in high school were a decade older than me. Dirt track /street racing /and US 78 ( Myrtle Dragway/Byhailia Dragway /Blue Mountain Raceway/and Fulton Dragway. ( all within 1 1/2 hours of the house.
Beat the odds. Several degrees and areas of endorsements . ( just a taller pile of paper) married the right girl the second time. Two wonderful children and a life long love affair of building and racing. Still have it.
Retired last year for good. ( no one would ever believe what I did for a living ) lol. God loves crazy people and it taught me life is a journey not a destination.
Would I go back. NO I survived and have it better than I deserve. And am smart enough to know it. The down side is most of the people that I looked up to /love / and consider family are passing the circle at one time was near a bakers dozen. We are five now. And I am actually the youngest
Time. Precious TIME. BUILD ALL YOU CAN WHILE YOU CAN.
Jokers and Thieves

 

my H.S. cars looked like this, fun times going to & from H.S., but not so much while being there!

 

I graduated in '66 from a H.S. in a sleepy little central Oregon town. My parents were on again, off again. Made it tough to live at home so I'd go to school and a 4PM I clocked in a the local lumber mill and worked 'till midnight. School was tough for me but I passed all my classes except algebra. Took school auto shop every year of high school and was assistant shop instructor the second semester of my senior year. Even though I had 2 '50 ford tudors, a 41 and a 40 tudor sedans I only had one [merc] engine between all of them. I had to sell all of 'em at the "request" of my dad and I bought a 56 Olds convertible. Had nothing but problems with it so when I graduated my parents spent $100 for a 55 Ford two door mainline with 272/ 3 speed O.D, as my graduation gift. That summer I spent about all I made on partying and ended up in jail a few times. Joined uncle Sam's army that October, praying they wouldn't send me to Viet Nam as it was rockin and rollin.
I'd love to go back and re-do those years. Buy all the Berkshire/Hathaway stock I could, stay away from alcohol and build a killer 33 ford coupe!

 

Note: When our granddaughter started high school, we were able to help transport her and her friends to and from school. It was a great way to spend the afternoon with some young, happy, new teens. All laughing, but wondering what is in store for them tomorrow on campus and for the future. Talk about "eyes wide open..." It was like 60 years ago in a rough and tumble school in Long Beach. We had no idea what was going to happen, it just did...

Cars in high school? Well, for three years, most did not drive. So, our station wagon just happened to have some custom made factory options for a great, rumbling sound. We heard many whispers from the back seat area during our trips home… “Gee, this car sounds outstanding… like an old hot rod!” It still works…Yes…!


Hello,
Four years later, it came to a close with a flashy new way to look at the world through a modern teenager's eyes and thoughts. Her school was different, as most current school scenes are. But, conservative as we were back then, this 2023 class had style and attitude built in to absorb what lies ahead. Confident to the point of being a little scary, but still hoping for the best...

If any graduation ceremony was like the one we attended with caution yesterday, there is no comparison as to how far education, high school activities, and a bright future holds for those that will be going forward. 400 is not a large class compared to 800 in my son’s H.S. graduation class. Even our own 1962 class of 600 was large for the times.

But, as I was one of the first students to cross the threshold during our own ceremony in 1962, it was hilarious. Luckily, I was in the first row of students. My marching partner was in the student government and I was sitting in the front and walked across the stage #8. As I got the HS grad diploma case, there were a few cat calls. As I walked down the stage to the ground floor again, more cat calls. But from that point on, what a drab not “low key”, but “no key” event for the rest of the ceremonies.

One last hurrah and tossed our caps. That was it. We were all wearing heavy duty robes at the time and once that was over, the funeral marched on outside. Sure, it was fun being a graduate, but there was a long road ahead for all of us. The ceremony was supposed to be a celebration of life as a teenager and high school student. But, it was 1962 and boy, have we come a long way since. We even had to return our caps and gown/robes the next day on campus!!!

Jnaki

My wife and I attended our granddaughter’s graduation ceremony. It was one rousing event. It may have been a preview, but out side of the event, great sounding music was playing. One could not help but bob our heads to the deep bass tones and “moving” sounds coming from some huge speakers. It made the long entrance lineup pleasurable.

Inside of the event was an electronic display taken from TV interview shows and variety shows we have seen over time. Moving screens, as per change of speakers, and two giant monitors on the outside walls for the massive audience to be able to see the speakers wink. It was reminiscent of a Hollywood production. The small percussion group was on stage to add to the event, when the singing groups and presentations of awards was in session.

The whole event ended with the graduates all getting up and marching up the aisles and out to the waiting outdoor concert structure with the huge electronic sign signifying Graduates of 2023.

But, it was not just the happy graduates all marching up the aisle and the parents, friends, and grandparents waving a happy/sad moment. It was the way those graduates and the School of Arts presented the whole class in one happy booming song. It made everyone sway to the movement of the happy grads, waving and laughing to their families and friends.



The high school production team made use of the big booming bass speakers and high performance sound.

Now, we cannot get our minds off of the rocking song by “The Black Eyed Peas.”

“I got a feeling

That tonight’s going to be a good night

That tonight’s going to be a good night

That tonight’s going to be a good, good night…”


It was… what a difference 60 years makes on the last vestiges of the high school teenage scene... YRMV

NOTE 2:
My wife and I must have done something right. Our granddaughter's mom came up to us and said, "Thank you.. you guys did such a great job with her from those early days... this is part of the rewards of those many hours... " Yikes, we did not see that coming from any distance!!! Ha!

 

simply wonderful times

 

Graduated in 1977 so don't actually fit in the time frame.
However...was actively buying and selling cars and parts by age 16.
Left the small town I grew up in(population 322) shortly after.
Never been to a high school reunion and never will even though I only moved 130 miles away.
My tag line sums up my thoughts on the subject.

 

Do it again? YES - hopefully find the opportunities that I missed. Graduated 1971 Mission Bay HS in Sandy Eggo. I was in all college-prep classes thru Jr and Sr high schools and gearheads were mostly absent there. I missed the fact that a beautiful classmate (not in my classes) was the daughter of Dave Schneider (Schneider Racing Cams) and the Scheiffer flywheels guy lived a block away from me. One of the LSR White family members was a classmate. Cousin raced stock cars at (El) Cajon Speedway. Great car shows in the downtown Civic Concourse and closing nite street exhibitions. But I did have my '36 Chevy PU with 327, muncie 4-spd and Pontiac rearend....until I busted a rod in it.

Fast forward thru cars, guns and motorcycles, an engineering degree, 2 wives and 4 kids, and I'm a healthy, happy dude still rocking cars, guns and motorcycles.

 

Well, it was the late 60's, but only as far as the high school parking lot, that's where I debuted my first car in 1969, a 61 Impala, replaced it with a 57 BelAir and snapped an axle the first week I owned it, had to limp it home three miles.
Some of my fondest memories come from that parking lot, it was a car show every day, 55-57 Chevys, Z/28's, Chevelles, Impalas, Cudas, Roadrunners, Sport Furys, even a tire frying Gremlin.
Yeh, to me, the 60's and early 70's were the best of times to be a car guy.
As a student..........not so much, but yes, I did gragiate high school.
Would I go back?
Wouldn't you if you had this at seventeen!

 

Graduated in 68. Guys 2 years older had enlisted and were coming back fucked up or dead. Guys 1 year older were still getting shot at. I was drafted in 69 and got shot at a lot in 70-71. Go back? Hell no.

 

I want to go back to Ron Funkhouser's school and steal his girlfriend!

 

Graduated in '67. A big YES I would. Seeing friends every day, dating 17 year old chicks, drive inns with my '40 Ford. The 50 years of hard work that followed, I'll get back to you on that one.

 

I graduated in '80 & if I had to write a post on this thread, it would mirror yours almost exactly! 4 credits of auto shop class every year (the last two years were as kind of a student teacher) Our car club was "The Over The Highway Gang" coined by the off-duty cop that was paid to watch the parking lot... who was a car guy also!. All of our cars were O.T. for here at the time & there was about 10 of us total. 4 or 5 of us rallied to school from my house every morning (the neighbors probably loved that). We lived for cruising. street racing & drive-ins. Via F.B. & in person get togethers every few months, I get to talk to a number of those guys/girls from back then. I honestly don't want to go back, only because I have been blessed to work in this hobby my whole life & really I haven't changed much from back then! I still LOVE cruising, racing, car shows, drive-ins (even though there are very few of them these days). I am also blessed to FINALLY have a wife who knew going in that even though I am a responsible adult, I still act like I am a teenager a bunch of the time

God Bless
Bill
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...ar-transport-hauling-open-or-enclosed.614419/

 

I would like to go back for one day so I could thank a few of my teachers and my Scoutmaster, but mostly so I could kick my asshole metal shop teacher in the balls.............