University of Kentucky - Kentuckian Yearbook (Lexington, KY)

Page 28 text:

1 i The year 1958-59 was no more significant than most years to anybody except the seniors, perhaps, yet in many ways it produced things that will defi- nitely linger in the minds of people who were on this, or any, campus then. Certain styles such as Como sweaters the men wore and the crazy pointed- toed shoes the girls began wearing were peculiar to this year, a year which of course featured carry-over styles from the last season. The rapid influx of for- eign automobiles also became quite noticeable around campus, as sports and economy-minded students and professors alike began taking advantage of their low- mileage performance. Pizza Pie continued to gain in popularity as a tasty, casual meal, which caused several shops featuring the Italian food and its ac- cessories to spring up near the campus. Hi-Fi lost some ground to stereo during the 1958-59 time in- terval, and the jazz music of Brubeck, the Four Freshmen, Garner, Winding and others was heard with increasing frequency from private phonographs, radio and occasional concerts. Playboy magazine did anything but lose its wide following, as its presenta- tion of men's clothing sty'es, music, art, travel, cheesecake and fiction made the monthly worth the required 50 cents for many UK males. Some elements locally found Mad's sattire entertaining, while others studied, and some imitated, characters of the Jack Kerouac variety, who became generally known as the voice of the beat generation, for his books, On The Road, and Dharma Bums. The racks of con- temporary cards in city bookstores provided good browsing and timely gags of sharp wit for use on friends—or enemies. Though it probably won't occur to the class of '59 until it happens, it will be interesting to observe current slang expression such as out to lunch, cool, crazy, don't bug me, man, and others as they gradually suffer the same fate as the 23 Skidoos, etc. of the previous generation. The Contemporary