If you research what happened in 1953, you might come up with some of these:
- The Korean War ends after three years and one month;
- The first polio vaccine was developed;
- Dwight D. Eisenhower became president;
- Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay make the first successful ascent to the summit of Mount Everest;
- Ian Fleming publishes his first James Bond novel, Casino Royale;
- The first color television sets go on sale for about $1,175 in the US;
- The average cost of a new house was $9,550, while workers took home an average annual paycheck of $4,000. A new car would cost you in the neighborhood of $1,650, while the gasoline to make it go was 20 cents a gallon. A Kodak Brownie Flash Six-20 would set you back $13 bucks.
An event that happened August 12, 1953, in tiny Byers United Methodist Church didn't make the internet list. Janis Neelly and Bob Moore were married.
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| It's kind of amazing to see this big group of people that are in this world because two people got married 70 years ago! |
They were high school sweethearts. My Mom was 17 years old and had just earned her high school diploma from Byers High School. My Dad, at age 19, had finished his first year at Kansas State.
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| I hadn't seen some of these photos before. My niece, Madison, prepared a slide show featuring the anniversary couple. We all contributed photos, but I sure appreciate all of Madi's work to put it together! I think my brother, Kent, was sneaky and raided my mom's scrapbooks when they were gone to get some of these gems. | |
For some reason, I didn't realize until this year that they'd gotten married on a Wednesday. These days, most couples opt for the weekend and only marry after a year of planning. That wasn't the case back in 1953. Back then, school - including K-State - didn't usually start until after Labor Day. But their August 12 date got them married before they departed for Manhattan, where my dad was to report early for the K-State football team practices.
It also gave them time for a honeymoon in Colorado.