Truman State University - Echo Yearbook (Kirksville, MO)

Page 14 text:

' The Torch Has Been Passed Politics also felt the impact Of the young, who, as never before, Tried to gain a voice in Government. ' The Generation Gap became a popular phrase, Depicting the unwillingness Of the young to accept the Totality of their parents ' Society. In 1965 the unpopular War came to America. As our Military involvement Increased, so did the Dissension on campus. Never Before had the morals of Our Country been more Severely questioned. The Draft became an object of Rebellion and a symbol Of the war. Many refused To serve; many who served Died. Many great men died in this Decade, among whom were. Dag Hammorskjeld, Dwight Eisenhower, Adlai Stevenson, Albert Schweitzer, Robert Frost, Winston Churchill, and Ernest Hemmingway.

Page 13 text:

THE EXPLOSIVE YEARS Four presidents served in the 1960 ' s. Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, And Richard Nixon ail had a Hand in shaping the decade, And were, at times, objects Of both deserved and Undeserved criticism. The Gallup Poll became the New prophet of the age in its Search for the elusive Silent Majority. In the sixties we learned That we could no longer Smoke our cigarettes, drink Our diet soda, breathe our Air, swim in our water. Or watch color television. Parents ' worries were Complicated by sexier movies And more violence on Television. Youth became a powerful Force in the sixties. Young People dictated the trends In music, fashion, and Education. Music progressed From the simple melodic Style of the early Beatles, And became a powerful vessel Of social comment.

Page 15 text:

To A New Generation ' (President John F. Kennedy) 1969 was the year of the Underdog. The Jets won the Super Bowl, the Mets won the World Series, and the United States beat Russia To the moon. However, Avis never quite became Number one, and Shirley Temple never quite became Congresswoman from California. Machines ran American industry Inthel960 ' s. Faced with the prospect Of more free time, many Americans Turned to such dubious diversions As alcohol, drugs, sex, and golf. In looking back at the Sixties, one can see a decade Of tremendous motion. Some, Of course, would say that It was motion in the wrong Direction. Others, however, Feel that in the latter Half of this decade people Truly began to get Together — an act which, If allowed to continue, could Be the greatest omen of the Century.