Pete showed a film made at his
college and he was in (a Roman soldier). I was so impressed I considered giving
up my dream of architecture and going to Bob Jones University to learn filming.
I’m glad that didn’t happen. I would never have survived.
Many YFC banquets were held as an
alternative to a school dance or some other religiously unacceptable school
sponsored activity. We were always encouraged to dress up. This turned out to
be the perfect cover for purchasing a white sports coat with appropriate black
slacks, cummerbund and bow tie. As far as my parent knew I went to an awful lot
of YFC banquets. Yes, I lied. The sports coat was for the formal dances, but I
got some of use out of it at YFC.
Way before I bought the dinner
jacket, I had learned that very few of the kids from YFC had hang ups about
dances. For a while I thought they were all as deceptive as I was but in
reality most went to churches without the “no dance” restriction. It was news
to me that there were any churches that danced, except maybe the Catholics. Come
to find out many of their churches had no objection to dancing or movies
either. I wanted to be a Presbyterian.
I also wanted to learn to dance.
Gene helped me out on that point. He received an invitation for three free
lessons at an Arthur Murray Dance Studio and he asked me come along. The first
lesson was pretty good. We got the full hour promised plus a good half an hour
of a high pressured sales pitch.
The first day the pitch to buy lessons was together. When we returned for
lesson two, the lesson was shorten - a lot and we were divided for the sale
pitch that went on and on and on. If Gene hadn’t been there, I’m sure I would
have given in. After lesson two we were told not to come back for lesson three
if we were not going to buy the lessons. Gene tore into them showing them the
advertisement he got in the mail that promised three FREE lessons and we wanted
all three. We went back, but we were not very popular. I think the lessons
lasted about 20 minutes and our teachers were certainly disgusted with us. I
could hardly wait to get out of there. Gene thought it was great fun. After a
few days, I agreed. They promise three free dances and we got them – sort of.
At least I learned to ballroom dance.
When Gene and I went to first
dance without dates, I was pleasantly surprised to see several YFC club
members. I liked this group more and more. Friends to run with at an event I
wanted to attend. We both hung out with this group and enjoyed the dance.
I remember going our senior prom
with two other couples (Gene and Carolyn
were one of them) and we all agreed we would go to a steakhouse before the
dance. Sounded fun, but the only restaurant I had ever been in was a burger
shack. The food is quite different. It was fun until it came time to order.
The steakhouse was gorgeous. They
took our salad order. I was used to eating what was ser before me. “What kind
of dressing would you like on your salad?” I knew I was in trouble as soon as I
heard that question. What was a dressing? What kinds are there? Betty, my date
ordered oil and vinegar so I ordered the same (wish Ranch had been invented back then). It was awful. I thought I
was going to gag, but I downed most of it and plodded on. “How would you like
my steak cooked?” Huh? Completely, I thought. I requested it to be medium (as my date did). That turned out to be
perfect.
Our prom was held at Aksarben
Ballroom, a beautiful and large 40’s style ballroom with a spinning mirrored
ball. It was two steps down to the dance floor with plenty of tables and
seating on two sides and the full orchestra at the front. The ballroom was on
the grounds of the Aksarben (Nebraska
spelled backwards) Racetrack. The building was built in 1928 for the coronation
of the King and Queen of Aksarben. Central High Hussars performed at this
event.
I have no photos of the ballroom.
I found a few online, but none showed the room off as beautiful as it was,
sorry.
Me and Betty, my good friend and prom date.
5 comments:
Ya, our church had a no dance rule. Totally ruined my graduation. Wasn't allowed to go to the dance. Went to the Young peoples thing and instead of being a nice dress-up dinner fab thing like my sis had a few years before me....here I was in my graduation dress...and everyone chose to play Sardines!!! I cried all night up in my bedroom. I never forgave the Church young people's group for that. What a juvenile thing to plan for a graduation!! That's what I thought. If we didn't live so far out of the way I would have hitch hiked back into town to the dance.
You were a "better" person than I. I lied and went. Wasn't it awful back in the day? It took me years to get over the hang ups developed in those formative years of my youth.
And another thing. If you check on me from time to time you will see where the change began (in college) and how long it has taken me to Clear out the cobwebs and see clearly.
I think I drastically changed after my first year and half of college. Went into nursing and that gave such a hugely skewed look at the world and people... it changed my life entirely. I grew up, didn't believe any longer that the world would cave in/God would hate me if I played/had fun on sunday,went to dances or movies.
Why do churches do that to people?? I am amazed at my niece who has a totally different outlook, growing up so totally unencumbered with the shackles of the religious dogma taught back then... she is a wonderful girl with a strong faith, and finds the church a great place to be. I hated it.
Many changed in college. They still do. But the church has also changed. It changed from condemnation to hope, from derision to encouragement, from pain to joy. It took a strong will to find God in many churches in our day. I found that hope in the second church I attended, but was so indoctrinated from the first, my old thinking often prevailed. We are loved deeply by God and He continues to search for us — I know. I have just come out of another multiyear struggle with the loving God instead of the condemning one I grew up with.
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