My dreams are slowly coming true this week, and in a column explaining our 1960s-themed front page, I’m going to reference The Sandlot (set in 1962) three times — something I’ve also been waiting my entire college career to do.
Welcome to day four of The Post’s throwback week.
I’ll get the first reference out of the way and admit that when I first found out about this year’s Homecoming theme, I could only picture Bertram shoving Red Man chewing tobacco in his bottom lip while convincing Smalls that it’s “the best!”
Today, that is coincidentally fitting, as Bertram the second baseman “got really into the ’60s,” and nobody ever saw him again.
I think what opened my eyes to the cultural differences of this decade were the comments made by Andy Alexander, former Post editor (1969–70) and former Washington Post ombudsman, in an email conversation we had Tuesday.
“In 1966, when I came to Ohio University, coeds were required to be in their dorms by 10 p.m. on weekends,” Alexander said.
The Marching 110 sported green blazers and “actually walked to different formations before playing a song,” he added.
“Within four years, so-called ‘women’s hours’ had been abolished,” he said. “Smoking pot seemed almost as common as smoking a cigarette.”
Perhaps Ham “the Great Hambino” Porter wasn’t the only one baking like a toasted cheese in 1962.
Papers from 1964, the year inspiring today’s front page, were special in the sense that they had no remorse, and they were very funny. To the left and right of the flag sat little explainers, jokes and weather reports for each day, bringing an informal and friendly personality to the publication.
For instance, one day after running a photo upside-down, the paper explained that the picture was actually printed right side up, while the rest of the newspaper had been incorrectly positioned.
(I can only assume many of these quips came from the mind of former Post editor Joe Eszterhas (1965–66), who would go on to a successful screenwriting career, bringing us classics such as Basic Instinct and Flashdance.)
Anyhow, that’s about it for today. Tomorrow, we’ll take a jump back to the 1930s and print a Green and White to cap off the week.
If you have a spare minute today, check out the blog section of our website —former Post editor Laralyn Sasaki (1985–86) was nice enough to share some leftover stories from the mid ’80s.
Very quickly — I would like to tell Professor Paggione and Professor Tadlock that I swear I won’t miss a single class next week, as this one has been particularly busy.
In high school, I was a much better student, I swear. I got upset about a B once. Actually it was an A-minus — but it should’ve been a B.
Go Bobcats! Beat Akron. Beat everyone … in everything … all the time.
Pat Holmes is the editor-in-chief of The Post.
Email him at ph835608@ohiou.edu.
