Do you remember 1971 and 1972? (Mexico, battle, army, battleship)

[Grandstander]

I was at FSU for all of 1971, graduating in March of '72. Right out of school I landed a job teaching at this ultra liberal private school where I was told on my first day..."You're the social studies department, figure out what you want to teach and teach it." That was the start of what amounted to two years where it was hard to distinguish class from just hanging out and having a good time. It was an incredibly soft gig, far too easy and undemanding to last, and it didn't, the school folded less than two years after I was hired. While it lasted I had a great time, it was all that was keeping me in Miami which I planned to exit anyway, so when the school went under I took off for California and have been here since.

A school like that could not exist in these days, it would be sued into oblivion over any one of numerous things we used to do routinely and I would have been justly drummed out of the teaching profession. But just being a school qualified it for exploiting all sorts of state funds and private offerings. I got free flying lessons and an all expenses free trip to Washington DC out of it.

So..I tend to look on those years as a blast, I had a great time, entirely a product of times and circumstances which will never be duplicated.

I would also mention March, 1971...that was the date of the biggest sports event of the Century, the first Ali-Frasier fight from Madison Square Garden. You would have had to have lived through these times to appreciate how huge this was, Ali, coming back from his draft refusal suspension, representing the entire rebellious under 30 generation, and Frasier, via clever promotion on Ali's part, being made to seem like the representative of everything old, conservative and ugly. Both undefeated, both claiming to be champion..it was the classic match up of the acrobatic and elusive boxer vs the plodding, relentless slugger. The entire world was captivated, you have never seen so many celebrities gathered for one sporting event, nor so many famous figures from literature who had decided that they wanted to write about this fight.

I watched it live on a closed circuit broadcast they set up in Tully Gym on campus. I was crushed when Ali lost.

[High_Plains_Retired]

Originally Posted by SunnyKayak

I was born in January 1972 and curious what was life was like for my parents of that year. If you remember it well feel free to share.
The good things, the bad things what was popular, what did you enjoy and what did you hate.

I married in January 1972. I had just spend four years in the Air Force but separated in June 1972 in order to attend college. Gas was in the $0.35 to $0.40 range and most cars got around 15 to 17 mpg. I owned a 1968 2-door Chevy Nova with a small block V8. My wife and I were singing and playing in the same church in which we were married. I drove a semi truck and we bought a small RV lot and a well-used 10'x50' mobile home while we were going to school. My daughter was born in 1974.

There are some great memories in those years and my wife and I were both young. However, I'll fight anyone who tries to take me back to those times.

[mainebrokerman]

i was 5 and 7 ,,,it was kinda scary for a kid, because the vietnam war was going on,,and you'd hear on the news all the people dying,,,or you knew someone that died,,,friends or family,,
the cold war was still going strong,,,,,
i remember talking to friends about watching wrestling,,,bruno samatino was a favorite..

[SunGrins]

I graduated from college in 1970 and expected to be drafted so I did pretty much what I wanted for a while. I did some temporary work for pocket money. Amazingly, I wasn't drafted. In 1972 I finally found a "real" job that required a college degree and paid a whopping $448.00 a month...gross. I had a large apartment (with a roommate) and a car and still had money to go out or attend concerts. I met my future wife on that job. I also made friendships that have lasted over 40 years. Much of that time was a smoky/boozy haze but I was with people I liked and we did work that we knew was important. I don't have any serious regrets and probably wouldn't want to go back. I wouldn't change anything from those days.

[Ohiogirl81]

I was in seventh and eighth grades, so my world was all bike riding, AM radio on tiny transistor radios (in the fall, the boys snuck their radios and earphones into school so they could listen to the World Series), listening to music and discussing its meaning, hanging out with my girlfriends, flirting with boys, taking the bus to the movies, town rec department weenie roasts and dances, school sporting events, and adjusting to high school.

I had a pair of baby blue polka dotted bell bottoms, green paisley jeans, and a white T-shirt that had "Peace and Love" printed all over it. I wore round purple sunglasses, beads and chains around my neck and waist, and a big floppy denim hat and a denim jacket.

I gave my Barbie dolls to my little sister. My parents bought a component stereo, with a cassette player/recorder. For Christmas in 1971 they gave me a set of headphones so I could listen to music without bothering anyone. I think by this time we already had a color TV, but if so it was only by a year at the most.

The war dragged on and much of our social studies class discussions seemed to veer into current events - especially the war, but also pollution and ecology, Nixon's trip to China and then Watergate, Ireland and the IRA, and whatever upheaval was happening in the Middle East at the time. 18-year-olds won the right to vote, but we had a ways to wait on that.

[ciceropolo]

Some what as I was 6-8 yr old. Helping my older brother as his extra pair of hands in the garage (tool stand by like a physicians assistant as needed, holding things for him torque wrench, lights, parts, etc) as he rebuilt a 340 cu in Dodge engine for drag racing.

Elementary school, walking the mile was fun, as I'd walk up with about 3-4 neighborhood kids mostly boys. Carrying those goofy lunchboxes. School lunch with Mrs D as lunch mother whose daughter Tanya I had a crush on - then they moved away. Mrs W the 1st grade teacher who refused to allow me to go to bathroom after asking twice and then needing to be 'helped' due to the 'accident'.

Miss H the young auburn haired second grade teacher I so wanted to have as my teacher married and left our district Always wondering if she was related to the manufacturer of the water fountains that bore the same surname. Running home to avoid the two bullies a block over. Getting in trouble for not being home in time for dinner.

The few times going home for lunch and my Mom wasn't home so I'd go to friends houses and their mom's would have treats like Oreos. Or the wonderful old lady we called 'Aunt' who always had ice cream in a downstairs freezer by those 1950's era bar / rec room set ups. her collection of porceline figurines of all types of dogs that decorated her occasional tables in her living room. The gaudy loud prints of most interior decorating in everyone's home.


Evening after school, getting home and hoping to watch some three stooges or speed racer / spider man and rushing out after finishing chores or any possible homework (about the only take home work were math problems and vocabulary) to play all manner of games in the street or kill the guy in the front yard. My Mom always lamenting why we played on our front lawn (we had the largest contiguous patch of grass when combined with neighbors). My mom having garage sales and having the opportunity to buy matchbox set and matchbox city with my own savings from odd jobs. My Mom having meetings of her friends of over our house and the veritable potpourri of ethnic foods I could gorge myself on endlessly and never gain weight.

Saturdays awakening early and getting the newspaper from between the screen and door and reading them while watching the Looney Tunes Warner Bro cartoons, Scooby Doo and Superfriends..."Back In The Hall of Justice". Pajama bottoms with built in feet for the winter months. Hating to have to 'dust' the louver doors around the house.

My Dad building or repairing furniture in the basement. Hanging sausage to dry in the basement to eat like beef jerky. Spending time over other friends houses who had hot wheel track and making the longest track that went down the basement steps and all over their basement. Other neighbor older son had those electric race cars and remember taking over produce from our back yard garden and going downstairs to race the electric cars. The smell of the electrical transformer from my older brothers Lionel Train Set in our basement which we set up on 4' x 8' plywood and then connected to a round table with huge city / country set up even though things weren't to scale.

One neighbor built an in ground pool and the daughter about seven years older was a hottie. The father a well known football and wrestling coach would wrestle the son in front yard to help him get better. Son ended up being a top NFL draft pick. Another neighbor down the street had about 4 daughters many of whom were same grade as my older sisters always enjoyed when they were visiting my sisters . or when my older sister who was cheerleader had the cheerleading team over for practice and being picked up and carried around by them.

Recall sharing room with my older brother and not having any bed space and being kicked out of the bed often when he'd stretch. If the bed was the map of world he had all continents except for Australia and that represented my little portion of mattress. Was so happy when he left for college and I had the whole room to myself.

Remember my older brother thankfully getting a high military draft number and being thankful he wouldn't be going to any war zones. Recall President Nixon on TV with his jowls and distinctive way of speaking. The Cle Browns playing well against Miami's unbeaten team but losing the playoff game. Sunoco gas stations had the albums where you could collect all the NFL teams starting lineups. First opening day baseball game at Municipal Stadium oh how that grass beckoned through the 'tunnel' on a sunny day. Meeting the Indians return plane and riding on the shoulders of the then second basemen, Eddie Leon through a portion of the airport after some good road trip.

Thankful for great parents and a good memory. As Rod Serling aptly pointed out, you can't go back.

[Montana Griz]

.......June 7th, 1971..........that day I made the smartest decision of my life.......I QUIT SMOKING!!!!!!
I was 39 years old, married and we had a 16 yr old daughter who convinced me to quit.

[John-UK]

Originally Posted by High_Plains_Retired

However, I'll fight anyone who tries to take me back to those times.

Flared pants had that effect on you eh?

[theoldnorthstate]

Just visited my Mom and pulled out her old photo albums. The pictures brought me back to the time you mention when I was about 19 or so, in college and having the time of my life.

Saw pictures and couldn't believe how young I was. And how it was a mix of the 60s styles and the 70s. some pix were taken in miniskirts some were in long colorful scarf type dresses. Hair either coiffed or loosely long. Basically the 60s part were more structured and proper and the 70s part more casual and loose. Wore hot pants


Every weekend a dance or party to attend. College was serious with esoteric discussions in the student union. Many of the females were going for their MRS degree (what females were allowed was limited in those days prefeminism), some were studying education so they could get a job anywhere their husband was assigned. Many of the males graduated and headed to VietNam to do their time in service. "Leaving on a jet plane" was a continual song playing in the dorms as we girls sent our sweethearts off to war. A few peacenik wanabees, a few vietnam vets, a few sorority/fraternity types, some serious students, some accounting student types, etc. A mix of clusters and we tended to slide and mix around each other fairly well. A little intellectual discussion but we did our own thing and got along well. People are just people after all.

I remember it being good and light hearted times. Life was good especially as a college student with no responsibilities other than working to pay for college and the life style. At that time, you could work a full time job during the summer and pay for the next year's college and living expenses. At least where I went, gov't backed student loans were unheard of and it was possible to pay your way through or patch together scholarships to make up the bulk of it. Some would drop out for a semester if finances required and then pick back up. But I made enough waiting tables each summer in my parents' restaurant to pay my way through school.

Entering the work world was hard, gas prices went up. Became harder in the mid 70s as economic factors hit us all.

Think 71 and 72 would be a good time to be born. Enjoy

[in_newengland]

It was fun back then. Not the emphasis on materialism, Disneyworld, helicopter moms, spoiled brats, buying things. For vacations we went camping in a tent and once we went to Europe (and camped in a tent when we got there.) It wasn't a keeping up with the Joneses world yet. MUCH simpler and more fun.

I had a new Pontiac LeMans convertible with bucket seats and a stick shirt on the floor. Women did a lot of craft work like embroidery. There were no drugs except marijuana which wasn't really a drug, just something people used at parties. The older people would whine about crime but there really wasn't much crime compared to today. i never heard of school shootings or any of that other craziness that we have today.

The early 70s were a continuation of the 60s and then it went downhill into the 70s which were kind of boring and aimless with a terrible recession around 1973.