Mayor Don Kuchta

Mayor's Report

February 25th 2010

I’m going to talk about the 60’s today.

I graduated from John Adams High School in 1960. You could buy a pack of Lucky Strike cigarettes for 25 cents a pack. You could buy a gallon of gas for 25 cents. It was the time that the Kennedys started to become a National force. I bought my first car in 1965. It was a Ford Galaxy 500 XL. It was gorgeous and very expensive. It cost $3200 and my Dad was very upset that I FINANCED IT! That was a sin. I bought my first house for $16 thousand dollars off of Buckeye Road. My brother and I started a business together to carry on my father’s name and reputation for fixing cars. My pay was $60 dollars a week with a wife and two children. Josephine Arceci our Council clerk made $1.17/hour at Franklin Simons. The electric guitar was invented. Cars started to have air conditioning installed in under the dash units. Some of our council members were just born or not even born yet. There were only A.M. radios. No F.M. and no stereo. Telephones had dials and live operators directed your calls and most homes had party lines! Your “business” was not your “business” on a party line. Everybody listened in. Phones started to be a different color than black. TV’s were black and white and just getting a foothold. Elvis Presley was making movies. Elvis could only appear on television from the waist up. Country music was only listened to by County Folk. A transistor radio fit in your hand! “One step for man and a giant leap for mankind” was uttered on the moon. The peace sign was everywhere. The world learned about “psychedelic experiences” and “tie dyed” became the style. Some Doctors still came to your house. It cost $600 to have a baby in a hospital. The Viet Nam war started and lead to “sit ins” and picketing and “non violent demonstrations” Movies were a Quarter. A new store by the name of “Wal-mart” appeared. In 1962 Congress passed the 24th amendment that gave every American the right to vote. There was no more discrimination.

In 1962 Macedonia passed its first, and only Real Estate Levy. It is still in effect today.