1968

I often wonder what it would have been like getting married in 1968. It was just 16 days prior that Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. And then just two months later Robert Kennedy’s life is taken in the very same manner! Was there any thought that the Civil Rights Movement and the quest for equality would continue to be a struggle 50 years later? What was it like to see the athletes throw up their fists in the black power salute at the winter Olympics in Grenoble, France? 

I suppose those were issues closer to the hearts of Americans. Here in Canada, just 2 months after the wedding, Trudeau would become the new Prime Minister. This is the dad of the present one, though he was old enough to be his grandad. What would it have been like to see that man and wonder how long he’d last and what his leadership would bring? And then to wonder the same thing about Richard Nixon in the fall of the same year.

That year also saw the Beatles release a new album titled “The Beatles.” Quite a catchy title it was. Most people would just call it “The White Album.” Where was the music scene going from there?

Perhaps most significant is the new menu item that McDonald’s had introduced: the Big Mac. It was 49 cents. I wonder if they ate any on their honeymoon, or at any time that year.

And now I wonder what it must be like to look back while sitting here in 2018. Trudeau, Mulroney, Chretien, Harper, and a few short-lived PM’s all came and went. The Beatles broke up, the Big Mac stayed (though its price grew by 120%), and Both Nixon and Pierre Trudeau have passed away.

Since then they’ve had four great kids, eight wonderful grandkids, and a bunch of dogs. Pepper, Penny, Skippy, Roper, Mindy, and Holly are all remembered with fondness. If there were any others, I’m sure they’ll be remembered with fondness too, just not by me I guess. Thanks for everything Mom and Dad. Happy Anniversary.

Congratulations The Sound of Music. This is your week. Mainly because my mother picked you.

And the Oscar goes to…

Best Actress: Julie Andrews as both Mary Poppins in Mary Poppins and as Maria in The Sound of Music.

Best Actor: John Travolta as Danny Zuko  in Grease.

Best Quote: After being asked if Veruca Salt and Mr. Salt would actually burn in the furnace, Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder) replies, “Hm… well, I think that furnace is only lit every other day, so they have a good sporting chance, haven’t they?”

The best picture winner for the year 1968 was Oliver! For my brother’s birth year it was Midnight Cowboy. For my sisters’ birth years it was The Sting and The Deer Hunter. My birth year? The Godfather. Yup, the God-freaking-father! Read ’em and weep!