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How things have changed

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Harry S. Truman was President of the United States.

Buddy Holly, Ray Charles and June Carter Cash were some of the leading singers of the day.

The population of Oklahoma was 2,229,000.

The population of Purcell was 3,529 while Blanchard had 1,303 residents.

McClain County’s population was 14,681.

Cleveland County had 914,808 residents.

A gallon of gasoline was 18 cents.

The great depression was becoming a faint memory and families were moving out to the suburbs.

Kids watched “Howdy Doody” on 12 inch black and white TV sets and spent Saturday afternoons watching cartoons at Cinema matinees.

Times were gentler with little violence and the consumer revolution was about to start in a big way.

The man of the household became the sole breadwinner with the median family income $3,300 a year and milk was still delivered to the doorstep.

Inflation was resting comfortably at 1.09 percent and the average cost of a new house was $8,450.

Diner’s Club issued the very first credit cards that were made out of cardboard.

James Dean got his break making a Pepsi commercial.

It was 1950 and on June 9 that year John Montgomery and Carolyn Flow got hitched.

I wasn’t even a thought but soon was war.

Just a few days later on June 25, 1950, the Korean War broke out and my dad was shipped out as a newly commissioned Ensign in the US Navy.

He served on the battleship Missouri on Admiral Arthur Struble’s staff.

If Dad was still alive they would be celebrating their 72nd anniversary.

My how things have changed.

Gasoline is now over $4 a gallon.

The population of Blanchard is now 8,362 and Purcell has 6,508 according to the latest census figures.

The State of Oklahoma sports 3,949 million folks.

McClain County has ballooned to a population of 42,235 and 292,558 folks now reside in Norman.

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