Class of '68

Class of '68
711,759 Days, 12 Hrs, and 58 Sec. as of 6/29/99

Most common Moon Phase: Waning Crescent

Literary Figure: Thomas M. Kemeally (BORN: 1935), Australian Novelist, who
trained for several years to become a Catholic priest, but became a school
teacher instead. He wrote his first novel, A Place at Whitton, while teaching.
He has written 19 novels. His book, Schindler’s List, won England’s Booker
Prize and was made into a movie by Steven Spielberg, which won an Oscar.

Postage Stamp: 3 cents
Pesident: Harry Truman
V.P.: Alben Barkley

Historic events: 1950--Palestinian gunmen hijacked Achille Lauro, an Italian
cruise ship in the Mediterranean with 400 passengers on board. 1945--The
United States led UN forces into North Korea, but Chinese Communist troops
recaptured Seoul and reestablished the 1945 division of Korea that still exists
today despite the three bloody years of the Korean War.

Historic Figures: Bo (David) Rather, Football Player, and Kiernan Kane,
Country Singer with the group ‘The O’Kanes (Both born in 1950).

Entertainer: none found

Song: Nat King Cole had the top song – Mona Lisa

T.V.:Top Shows--Howdy Doody, which was the FIRST television show
especially for kids. The 50’s was known as ‘The Golden Age of Television.
Television was seen in BLACK & WHITE only! There was no REMOTE
CONTROL. So, does that mean there were no ‘Couch Potatoes’ since you
had to get up to switch channels? Also, there was not much programming in
the mornings. The afternoon and evenings were when the major programs
were on. Soap Operas started much later.

Toys: Marbles, Barbie, Betsy Wetsy, and Tiny Tears Dolls

Movie: Singing in the Rain starring Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor and Debbie
Reynolds. (1952 – the best I could do!)

Most popular girl name: Judy

INTERESTING INFO: The 50’s was the decade that gave birth to Rock ‘n Roll,
Space Exploration and the Barbie Doll!!!!!

Ms. Merashoff--Jefferson Middle School-- Merritt Island, FL


My name is Judy (which means praised) A. Merashoff. I am a Specific
Learning Disabilities teacher at Jefferson Middle School in Merritt Island, FL. I
will be teaching 7th & 8th grade students Language Arts, Math, Reading and
Character Education or Ethics (I don’t think the course has really been named
yet.) I was born on October 7, 1950. My Viking Name would be LLNMVLL
MXMRFSN^XFF. I am 711,759 days old as of 6/29/99. If my students want to
know how many years old I am, they can do the math on it! (I was born during
a waning crescent moon phase (3.3 days before the new moon), which must
have been good for me because I feel younger than I am (low mileage) and I
am happy with what I have accomplished in my lifetime so far. Yes, I’ve made
mistakes, but I have learned from them and became a better person because
of them. I consider myself a ‘classic’ and the junkyard will be waiting a long
time for me to arrive.

Thomas M. Kemeally, an Australian novelist was a literary giant when I was
born. I found him interesting. He trained for several years to become a
Catholic priest, but then decided he really wanted to become a teacher. He
wrote his first novel, A Place at Whittan, while teaching school. He has written
19 novels. His book, Schindler’s List, won England’s Booker Prize and was
made into a movie by Steven Spielberg, which won an Oscar. I hate to admit
that I have neither read the book nor have I seen the movie. I have heard that
both are excellent.

The top song on my birthday was Mona Lisa by Nat King Cole. I couldn’t find a
recording artist that had my same birthday, but I did find out that the 1950’s
was the decade that gave birth to Rock ‘n Roll, Space Exploration and the
Barbie doll. The only movie I could find for my year of birth was ‘In Opera and
Song’ starring Helen Tranbel.

The 1950’s was known as ‘The Golden Age of Television.’ Howdy Doody was
the top show and it was also the first kids’ show on television. I found out that
morning television shows were almost nonexistent at this time. Most programs
were shown in the afternoon and evenings. The television programs were also
in black and white. They said that you would become popular in those days, if
you owned a television set. I guess I was popular, because we did have a
television. There was also no remote control, so it was hard to become a
‘couch potato,’ because someone had to get up to change the channel.

I had a hard time finding 1950 toys. I know that marbles came out then, along
with the Barbie doll. I do remember two of my baby dolls. One was called ‘Tiny
Tears.’ She cried real tears when you gave her a bottle of water. ‘Betsey
Wetsey’ was another one of my dolls. If ‘Tiny Tears’ cried when you fed her,
you can guess what ‘Betsey Wetsey’ did. Yep, you’re right. She wet her pants.
I remember how amazing this was to me. Of course my mother had to cut a lot
of material to make diapers for my doll, because I remember feeding her all
the time.

It is amazing how cheap things seemed to be back then. Of course, people
made a lot less than they do today. A postage stamp is 33 cents today and
only 3 cents in 1950. A house was only $15,000 and today it is hard for some
to even afford one. Harry Truman was president then and now we have Bill
Clinton. Alben Barkley was Vice-President then and Al Gore is
Vice-President now.

Back then, my parents didn’t have to worry about me walking home at night
(not that I was allowed out past dark.) We didn’t even lock our door at night or
when we left for short periods of time. Drugs, school violence, truancy, and
misbehavior in the classroom were unthinkable at that time. We were in
school to learn and we respected our teachers who were there to help us learn
and grow into good citizens. Deals were sealed with a handshake, not a
written contract, because your word was worth something then. Honesty, trust,
manners, and common courtesies were a must or your parents dealt with you
in a serious manner. Yes, things have changed since I was born. But, they will
keep on changing until the day I die. I guess not only love makes the world go
round, but changes do too.

I thought this project was a lot of fun. It gave me the chance to reflect and
reminisce on my childhood years. I learned that it is OK to be getting older
because of the many memories I have stored to share with others. I didn’t
think this project was too hard, but it did take some time to complete. I am
thinking that with only a couple computers online in my classroom, my students
may not have time to complete the whole project. The project was set up
conveniently and was very easy to use. In other words, it was student oriented.
I do not teach a computer class, so this project will be incorporated into their
Language Arts class, which means time on this project will be limited. We will
do our best to complete as much as we can. Thanks for allowing Jefferson
Middle School to be apart of this project.