University of North Alabama - Diorama Yearbook (Florence, AL)

Page 31 text:

verything old IS new again By Laura Gray You say you want a Revolution? It wasn ' t exactly freedom rock around campus, but the ' 60s definitely made their comeback as one of the many trends seen by col- lege students everywhere. Popular television shows from the ' 60s and ' 70s emerged from syndi- cation and entertained many stu- dents with their old-fashioned comedy. The Brady Bunch, Gilligan ' s Island, and Batman aired daily on many dorm-room televisions. Along with the Vietnam Era tele- vision reappearance came the outfits that dominated the college scene in the ' 60s. Black was back, long hair was in, and the peace-theme music made its comeback on the Top 40 charts. Today ' s music is like the music of the ' 60s and ' 70s because singers are remaking the old hits, said Tammy Cox, a ju nior from Corinth, Miss. Ahhough the ' 60s style has returned, the attitudes of the people are much different from the past. Vietnam was foremost on everyone ' s mind in the ' 60s, but today the trou- bles range from illegal drugs to the AIDS virus. There is a definite trend back toward the ' 60s, but it is a copying of the ' 60s style and not the atti- tude, said Mark Casteel, a junior from Florence. Besides the trend toward the ' 60s, other distinctively new trends came in with the ' 90s. Skin tight bicycle shorts, iguana skin tennis shoes, and acid-washed blue jeans made their mark on cloth- ing style. Personalized car tags, com- pact sports cars, and band re-union tours also burst onto the scene. On the darker side, relaxed morals brought about more unwed mothers, sexually transmitted dis- eases, and drug problems that claimed many young lives. These problems have always existed, but now they happen so much that they seem new, said Diana Lewis, a sophomore from Elkmont. Trends seem to run in circles. What is hot one year may be laughed at the next. But a good piece of advice to follow is never throw any- thing away. Just save all of your out- of-style junk for your children — someday they will think it is great. THE PEACE SIGN, once the exclusive prof erty of the flower children and the Summer of Ixjve, has been rediscovered more than 20 years later by children of the ' SOs. Peace signs began cropping up in jewelry, on clothes, and in graffiti. Other legacies revitalized from the Vietnam era include paisley prints, well-worn jeans and tie-dyed everything. (Photo by Alfred Dunhill) HOLY LATE NIGHT TELEVISION! With the summer release of the movie Batman star- ring Michael Keaton, a cult sprang up around the Caped Crusader. Television stations were quick to jump on the band wagon and began running the old ' 60s series starring Adam West and Burt Ward. Fans who missed the Boy Wonder in the movie version could tune in to CBN every night for a double dose of the origi- nal Dynamic Duo at 10:00 and 10:30. (Photo by Otis Dewberry) ZJnndi 77

Page 30 text:

PONYTAILS on men were a common sight during the turbulent ' 60s and ' 70s, as hair became a major issue in the generation wars. Now hair length and style are more a matter of personal taste than politics. (Photo by Brenda J. Hill) THE SHOALS THEATRE dosed in the late ' 70s, but reopened in 1989, offering live enter- tainment as well as retrospective films. Enter- tainers such as Leighton, Ala., native Percy Sledge (best known for the ' 60s classic When a Man Loves a Woman ) played the theatre after its grand re-opening in the fall. (Photo by Stephanie Sobranie) X PERSONALIZED LICENSE PLATES were one relatively new fad that reached campus in a big way. Some of the tags are enigmatic — but many, like this one, are fairly straightfor- w ard. (Photo by Spanky Bankhead)

Page 32 text:

ime of turmoil By James L. Rhodes Controversy, as a general rule, is not something which people seek after for sport, but it definitely serves to make life a little more interesting. Both locally and nationwide, con- troversies ran rampant during the school year. It was a year which saw the government ban the import of foreign automatic and semi- automatic weapons, as well as a year in which that same government said it was an individual ' s right to burn the United States flag as a means of political protest. The veterans I have spoken with consider it a personal insult, said Butch Garner, Lauderdale County Veterans Service Officer. Most of the people who would do this have never been out of this country and don ' t realize the free- dom that they have here, said Garner. Another view, expressed by Wayne Nix, showed the other side of this problem. A constitutional amendment against this action [burning the flag] would be like holding a torch to the Bill of Rights. It would be very easy to tack on a clause prohibiting the criticism of the President. After all, he is a symbol of this country, said Nix. Other controversies that drew worldwide attention included the stu- dent protests in China, the ousting of Pete Rose from baseball, and the ever-present abortion question. During the heart of the Rose investigation, attention shifted to the local scene where two high school coaches were arrested on suspicion of betting on and fixing area football games. If the allegations of fixing the outcomes of football games are tru( those involved should be prosecute to the fullest extent of the law, sai Mollie H. McCutchen. I can ' t believe that money i worth ruining the future of thes high school athletes. Controversy surrounds us dail; The way we live, the way we dres: and the way we express ourselve; Without it the world would be dul and reporters would probably starv to death. But there comes a tim when enough is enough. Accordin to McCutchen, that time is now.- We live in one of the mo; prosperous eras in history, yet coi troversies rule our lives. That is hard thing to accept when we ar living in one of the strongest nation in the world. 28