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VIPs from Searcy Arkansas in the 50's. Who are they? Searcy Sleuth's puzzle.

By
Real Estate Agent with RE/MAX Advantage

Searcy Arkansas in the 50's was evidently a fun place to live.  Looking back through an old annual I found two really lovely girls who were important persons in their school years.

First, I found this young lady who was co-editor of the yearbook.  That's a big honor!  Here she is?  Who is she?

Editors of the yearbook....

Then I found a real treasure.  This lady was named Miss Searcy High School!  What a thrill!  So who was she?  If you know who they are, you need to tell something about them when you identify them.

Miss Searcy High School

Be sure to note the styles.  Saddle oxfords and bobby socks for the girls, rolled up blue jeans for the boys. The girls wearing a formal certainly expected a corsage from the escort! 

Show All Comments
Don Thompson
Donthomp Associates - Sunnyvale, CA

Hey that's not fair. I'm in California and it's only 7 a.m. here or I would have gotten the IDs.

Of course, the full head of hair girl is my lovely wife, the former Paula Anne Windsor. She still has a head covered with beautiful protein.

Anita also has lovely hair these days  and goes all the way to Batesville to get her do.

Time to go to coffee with all my mates from my former workplace. Paula goes also.

Apr 04, 2011 03:11 AM
Anonymous
Anita Fuller

Nutsy, I would not be caught dead with a squirrel in my lap, unless of course it was a DEAD squirrel.  I guess that is an artificial flower and for the life of me I don't know where I got it, or why? 

I have probably looked at that picture a million times and never noticed Jimmy Dale was in a double-breasted suit.  What I like is Larry Killough's (DR. Larry Killough) rolled up jeans.  Not only rolled once but twice.  That was the style for guys in those good old days of l953. I'm thinking Paula's jacket is cordoroy...of course I love her saddles.

I think I've heard Mr. Searcy High School, Jimmy Dale Adams, has passed away some years ago.  Can anyone confirm that?

Apr 04, 2011 04:41 AM
#6
Barbara S. Duncan
RE/MAX Advantage - Searcy, AR
GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR

Don, what a sneaky way for me to honor your wife and the infamous Anita Tart Fuller!  They are both deserving, aren't they?

Anita, you made me wonder about something in your comment.  Jeans?  Were they deliberately made long for folks to roll up?  Or were they all one length and some guys could get two rolls and some one and some none?  Certainly there were no designer jeans that were made to look worn out and dirty.

Apr 04, 2011 07:31 AM
Anonymous
Anita Fuller

I think jeans were just one length, not like they are today.  In other words, size was waist size the the pants the same (long) length.  We girls in those days had to roll ours up about 3 times, to make them come to just below our knees.   I do remember some of the guys only rolled theirs once, but NO BODY would NOT roll them.

Apr 04, 2011 07:46 AM
#8
Steven L. Smith
King of the House Home Inspection, Inc. - Bellingham, WA
Bellingham WA Home Inspector

Godmother,

I am working overtime to resolve this question for you.

Godson

Apr 04, 2011 04:51 PM
Anonymous
Debbie Wantulok

Aren't you sneaky.  So that is our Ms Anita from the blog.  What a beautiful lady.  I just imagine she is as lovely today.  I'm very glad to know that Mr. Don would recognize his wife after all these years...hehehe...Yes, I like Ms. Paula's jacket too! 

Yes, lovely ladies and the guys are alright too.

Question about the jeans back then...I don't know...but the jeans from back then all looked like they were stiffer than the jeans kids wear today.  Were they thicker or just not prewashed?  Did they add starch or was it because they dried them on the clothes line?  Or it is my imagination? Just wondering?

Apr 04, 2011 06:57 PM
#10
Anonymous
Anita Fuller

Hi, Debbie. Thank you for the compliment. Answers to some of your wonderings:

Jeans back then were thicker than today, we hadn't heard of "prewashed".....Didn't even have dryers so yes, they were dried hanging on the clothesline so were stiffish when taken off.   Don't ever remember ironing them, though.  Guess we just put them on and away we went.   Another thing, I think guys wore the same pair for several days, maybe even all week.  Kids today change clothes 2-3 times a day.

 

Apr 05, 2011 01:52 AM
#11
Steven L. Smith
King of the House Home Inspection, Inc. - Bellingham, WA
Bellingham WA Home Inspector

Ms Anita can talk tuff about squirrels, but she has not heard me sing. I fill the room with sound.

Wheatloaf, cousin to Nutsy

Apr 05, 2011 05:45 AM
Barbara S. Duncan
RE/MAX Advantage - Searcy, AR
GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR

We got off the subject and onto the subject of jeans.  I tried to find a picture of how jeans were sometimes laundered.  Here's what I found.  A pants stretcher.

pants stretchers

These things were a friend to the one who did the wash.  Those jeans could be stuffed with this wire, hung on the line and they'd come out with a crease and no need for ironing.  As Anita said, kids were at one time used to wearing the pants all week.  In later years when kids became more spoiled and insisted on one-day wears, I remember one mom who admitted that she just stuck these things back in the pants without a wash and the kids never knew the difference.  LOL

Apr 05, 2011 06:00 AM
Don Thompson
Donthomp Associates - Sunnyvale, CA

Paula says that her memories of jeans, which she seldom wore, was that  they were made of a heavier denim that today.

Some moms did starch the jeans and those that could afford it, sent them to the cleaners.

Personally, I wore nothing but jeans and mine were usually covered with spots of dried model airplane glue since it was so handy to just wipe my fingers on a leg. = -). I remember having a pair with small holes from acid splatter in the chemistry lab.

Today, I seldom wear jeans. Paula wears an equivalent of jeans usually with something embroidered on the legs like peacocks. In fact, she has  on a pair of stretchy denim capri style jeans right now.

Here's a pic with her standing in front of my daughter's Hansel & Gretel Playhouse.

Paula in Jeans

 

Apr 05, 2011 06:52 AM
Barbara S. Duncan
RE/MAX Advantage - Searcy, AR
GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR

Don, what a lovely playhouse!  And a lovely wife.  She can still wear tight, rolled up jeans.  All she needs is to replace those sandals with her old saddle oxfords and resubmit her picture for the winner of this blog!!

Apr 05, 2011 01:51 PM
Don Thompson
Donthomp Associates - Sunnyvale, CA

I took the shoes off 1953 Paula and put them on 2011 Paula.

Paula Wearing Saddle Oxfords

I have to show the back of that green tee shirt also.

Tubing in Kauai

 

Apr 05, 2011 03:28 PM
Anonymous
Anita Fuller

Paula looks to me as if she has on a pair of jeans from l953-54.....with the legs rolled up to just under the knee.

GREAT Playhouse!  Does it have a fully loaded kitchen and bathroom?  (meaning functional)

Apr 06, 2011 02:18 AM
#17
Barbara S. Duncan
RE/MAX Advantage - Searcy, AR
GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR

Great improvement, Don.  Her stance is almost the same as in the 50's picture.  I don't remember Tshirts in the 50's however.  What do we need her to wear?  I know.  A sweater with the neckline pushed up under a tight string of pearls!!

Anita, how about an update on you????

Apr 06, 2011 02:29 AM
Anonymous
Cliff Wiggs

Dont know about any other time, but in the late 50's girls were not allowed to wear jeans to Searcy High School. Skirts and dresses only.  

Apr 06, 2011 02:54 AM
#19
Don Thompson
Donthomp Associates - Sunnyvale, CA

Anita, the playhouse doesn't have a kitchen or bathroom but it does have a functional fireplace and an upstairs.

Don from SJC airport.

One more girl in jeans shot. My granddaughter, Emily, went to school in jeans today.

Emily in Jeans

Her shoes weren't Oxford loafers but they were Converse Tennis shoes in the old style.

Converse Tennies

Apr 06, 2011 03:07 AM
Steven L. Smith
King of the House Home Inspection, Inc. - Bellingham, WA
Bellingham WA Home Inspector

I think it is hard to find better fitting jeans than right here. They fit just right.

Apr 06, 2011 07:34 AM
Barbara S. Duncan
RE/MAX Advantage - Searcy, AR
GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR

Don, how interesting.  As a basketball player back then I wore high top white tennis shoes with socks.  Now your granddaughter wears high top black tennis shoes with no socks.  Her feet will sure stink!!  How time changes!!  LOL

Nutsy, you did have the jeans rolled up just right.

Apr 06, 2011 09:13 AM
Anonymous
Anita Fuller

I have just bought my l0 yr. old granddtr. a pair of ORANGE Converse HIGH TOPS.  I was mortified when she said that was what she wanted....I tried to talk her into the low cut ones.

I, too, wore white high tops when I played basketball, but everyone did, girls and boys. When E.L. McCollough transfered to SHS from Beebe High, he wore white low cuts shoes....everyone laughed at him. (at his shoes, not HIM.  He was a really good basketball player)...

Cliff:  so that's why we didn't wear jeans/slacks to school, we weren't allowed to!  The only pants girls wore were our band uniform pants.

Apr 06, 2011 11:11 AM
#23
Barbara S. Duncan
RE/MAX Advantage - Searcy, AR
GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR

Cliff, I think girls in most places were denied the right to wear jeans to school.  I went to school in Georgia and mostly I remember skirts were worn to school.

Anita, they told us the high tops were better for the ankles and I think the school provided them.  When I saw college or professionals with low top shoes later in my life, I felt that they were ruining their feet and ankles!  lol

Apr 06, 2011 03:49 PM
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