It’s difficult if not impossible to convey what life was really like in 1968 to people who weren’t even born then. IMHO, most films set in the sixties are cliched embarrassments. The best was “The Big Chill” but even that was nothing like my reality.
I never considered running away. My father made a concerted effort to stay close. He would sit beside me and listen attentively to both sides of a new Beatles album – not to censor my music but to stay connected to my world. He took me – my opinions, my passions – seriously. Since I was still a self-involved child, it never occurred to me to exhibit similar interest in his music. My loss.
Baby boomers like me – teenagers in the late sixties – weren’t all about sex, drugs and rock’n’roll although “revolution” was in the air. My friend JoAnn, an aspiring model, had been obsessed with appearances – her personal revolution was reflected in a new craving for more authentic relationships.
The times exerted a powerful effect on Tal Pomeroy, who drew a high number in the draft lottery. One of the smartest boys at Wilcox, he was successfully challenged in his efforts to help me grasp the periodic table of the elements. He didn’t take a traditional route to his eventual M.D. like he might’ve in the fifties. Instead, he criss-crossed the US, worked all manner of jobs and got to know all kinds of people. Along the way, he handwrote long beautiful letters which could never be condensed to a text or tweet.
I’m grateful I came of age in the sixties. Were they better or worse than other times? I don’t know – but I doubt any other era could be as interesting.
Kathy Wood-Barner April 30, 2017 at 8:07 am
Yes, the Sixties were interesting. After marrying my first husband, a Navy jet pilot, and divorcing in the late sixties, I took it upon myself to become really alive with the music. Never a hippie, understand, but loved the diversity of men I dated whom I really could invite only a few to my house and introduced to my children. No regrets, as I never planned to remarry until I met Terry, the real love of my life. Your blogs bring to my mind lots of good memories!
Dr. J. Talisman Pomeroy IV, MD September 4, 2017 at 12:18 pm
Thanks for the pics. They are the only ones that I have seen until a decade later. I always thought of my years (17) in the barbarían wastelands as my years organizing. I was only shot once and spent 4 years In Louisiana, but also lived in Wyoming, Florida, my most hated state,Missouri, Wisconsin Tennessee, San Diego and LA if you count a 3 month minimum. Remember that party you had where I cross dressed and took acid? My Jewish friend here in Santa Cruz would say “But Tal you’re a doctor”.