Southwestern University - Souwester Yearbook (Georgetown, TX)

Page 11 text:

1962. Pope John XXIII began to update and liberalize the Roman Catholic Church through the Vatican II Council. Americans joined in the race for space as John Glenn orbited the earth, and science claimed success. Horror set in when the danger of thalidomide on the unborn was discovered. Held-breath and taut nerves characterized the stare-down between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cuban missile crisis in the fall of the year. And the new pop art drew general public acclaim. 1963. The Supreme Court dominated the news with its decision to outlaw compulsory prayer and Bible-readings in public schools. Abroad, the United States, Britain, and Russia signed an agreement to ban nuclear testing in the atmosphere. At home, the first of the giant civil rights marches took place. Pope Paul VI was elected. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas; his assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, was murdered before millions of television viewers. Instant replay devices put a new slant into sports viewing.

Page 10 text:

I960. While we heard the sound of a banging shoe in the halls of the U. N. General Assembly, scientists succeeded in making the laser beam operable. The Pill was approved for public use. And it was the year of the first of the original Playboy club. A tense situation arose when Francis Gary Powers was shot down over Russia in his U-2. Foreign prob- lems gave way to domestic concern with the beginning of sit-ins in the drive for equality. And Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy debated hot topics over the screens of national television. 1961. Science again brought its saving grace to the general public through the new oral polio vaccine and opened the doors to genetic research by breaking the DNA code. Dis- cotheques grooved on through the nights, and Freedom Riders pushed through the days with their new campaigns. Russia brought us closer to the universe, putting the first man in orbit, and separated man on earth as the bricks and wires of the Berlin Wall were put in place. The infamous Bay of Pigs invasion dropped presidential popularity to a new low. Roger Maris hit 6 home runs.

Page 12 text:

1964. Voices were heard from university demonstra- tions beginning at Berkeley and underground presses began rolling. Television helped bring the Vietnam war into the consciences and into the living rooms of the country. Lyndon Johnson was elected to the presidency of the U. S. and Nikita Kruschev was deposed. The Supreme Court again was in the news with the Civil Rights Act. And mini-skirts set the fashion pace. 1965. The American mood darkened in the face of growing involvement in the Vietnam war. Teach-ins and draft-card burnings characterized the growing feelings of dissent. A long hot summer burned the country with race riots beginning in the Watts district of Los Angeles. Teacher professionalization and improved oppor- tunities for school children was provided for in the Elementary and Secondary Edu- cation Act. All areas of the military decided to get in on the act as thousands of troops moved in to quell the revolution in the Dominican Republic. Art turned op and religion became more and more secularistic. The Beatles were the top music makers and would be for another six years. HE MORE DEAD!