Lucy Reflects

When I opened my sleepy eyes, I knew immediately that it was a sunny and hot Tuesday morning. It was late July and the year was 1968. The sun beaming through the window panes assured me that summer would be a trustworthy companion for at least another eight weeks.

I was disappointed to have to run the air conditioner in my bedroom. I much preferred the windows to be open. I loved to hear the outside noises while I was inside drifting off to sleep. When the air conditioner ran throughout the night, I’d miss the music of the owls hooting in the trees, the rustle of the tree leaves as the nighttime breezes moved through the town, and the noisy songs of the katydids. I felt as if I’d missed every activity all throughout my nighttime neighborhood because of the endless clamor of that window unit. It was the sounds of nature and even the traffic that I wanted to hear as I fell asleep each night that summer. Now, as I was waking, I felt cooped up in a bedroom that was too cold on that sunny July morning. The brightness of the sun and the artificial cold of the room were at odds and created a discord in my waking mood.

I turned on my transistor radio to 560 on the AM radio dial. There is no FM radio on a transistor. In 1968, the transistor radio was the smart phone of today. It informed me of everything I needed to know and played the best songs. I was in the know and cool as could be with Famous 56 WFIL “where the hits just keep on comin’ 24 hours a day!” My radio went with me everywhere. My first crushes were on those cheerful disc jockeys - Dr Don Rose and George Michael. I had so much in common with them. We loved all the same music and they kept me in touch with the outside world!

WFIL was playing Judy in Disguise. I loved that song and immediately my funk dissolved. Unfortunately, I caught only the tail end of it, but I blissfully sang along “I guess I’ll just take your glasses” in that “wah- wah” kind of way of John Fred. Right after that song, Dr Don played the Yardbirds’ Shapes of Things. Wow, it was becoming the best day! I loved the Yardbirds and didn’t even know that Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton would remain faithful guitar players throughout the future soundtrack of my life.

I continued to begin my summer day. Get dressed, eat breakfast, and complete some chores. After lunch, I’d be free to go to the neighborhood ballfield where all the kids would converge. Every afternoon - that summer of 1968 - we played baseball to the Top-40 hits played on someone’s transistor radio. It was like the plot of a great movie. Only it was better. There were no big dogs.

We’d like to hear from you! What are some of your favorite memories growing up? What memories stand out for you?