Jon and Dating in the 1950s

Jon confirms what I had heard about the slogan with his photo in the class yearbook! See above.

Jon reports on the ‘50s dating scene in Florence, OR as follows:

In high school during the '50's, it seemed hard to be able to date within your own high school class. The first (& only) real date I had with a classmate, was when I had only a learner's permit, and therefore needed to have a licensed driver with me. Del Revis went with me in my '47 Plymouth half way up the North Fork of the Siuslaw River to pick up my date for that night. We almost ran off of the road a few times as we were spotting good duck hunting ponds on the way up.

At the end of the evening, when I returned my date to her house, (and she kissed me goodnight), I backed into a clay bank next to their driveway, and filled my tailpipe with dirt. As Del & I went down their driveway (with a gurgling sound from the car), we stopped to find a stick to clean it out. Beyond that, it was the Elks Club dances where we were able to socialize with our own classmates. Otherwise, I think they were focused on their futures, which meant those in classes ahead of us who had cars & jobs, etc.

I then started to date out of town. I had friends (previously from Myrtle Point - 80 miles south of Florence) who lived in Coos Bay. On one occasion, a friend and I had dates, and for some reason, were traveling by Taxi, when we had dropped off my date for that night, and were taking my friend's date home. I was in the front seat with the driver, and making small conversation, and I was reminded of the bumper stickers in various campgrounds (when Barbara & I tent camp on our travels), which say: "Don't Come A Knockin, When This RV's A Rockin."

Senior year of high school, I was dating a girl from Myrtle Point, who entered the UofO with a few of us in the Fall. After her first year, she decided to pursue other avenues, and I think married a doctor.

          Susan adds:  Those 50s were so polite.  Twenty years later, the slogan on the RV said “Gas, grass or ass—nobody rides for free!”