In 1964, Bob Dylan declared that “The Times They Are a-Changin” on his third studio album. Dylan’s words embodied that revolutionary year, as the nation stood at a crossroad of change.
Between an approaching presidential election, the Civil Rights Movement, and the ongoing Olympics in Tokyo, Jackson-Reed (back then Wilson) students had much to anticipate in October 1964. Still, the 1964 tigers seemed to be plagued by the same issues of overcrowded classrooms and St. John’s sports rivalries that we see today. In fact, the lives of students attending Jackson-Reed 60 years ago weren’t nearly as different from students today as one may think.
The Beacon’s October 1964 issue highlighted student’s concerns about the presidential candidates. The belief that neither candidate was adequate paralleled what many current Jackson-Reed students were thinking just months ago (and some still do today) when the candidates were Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Biden is no longer in the race, as he dropped out and has been replaced by Vice President Kamala Harris. The current presidential candidates are reflected in ‘64’s candidates, Barry Goldwater and Lyndon B. Johnson. Having served as vice president, as Harris has, Johnson overwhelmingly won the 1964 election in a historical landslide, where he led the polls in 44 states! Goldwater was known for his steadfast conservative views and is often credited for shaping the modern conservative movement. Though Goldwater’s and Trump’s views are comparable, Trump did something Goldwater could not by winning the presidency in 2016.
It may be easy to draw comparisons to an election 60 years ago, but that doesn’t mean the nation hasn’t progressed. A student from 1964 would be indubitably shocked to see a woman and a person of color as vice president and as the democratic nominee for president, and that’s a good thing.
Additionally, although everyday life is different, certain aspects of school activities have remained the same. Jackson-Reed’s usual pep rallies can be summarized easily with details from the 1964 Beacon edition: “Certainly more excitement could have been generated at the assembly.” Every time pep rallies come around, the Tiger community tries to have spirit but always ends up lacking in the pep. What is the reason that the rallies are lacking? Activities? Student involvement? Who knows!
Over the past 60 years, there has been more continuity than one may expect, from the lack of school spirit to our football team. While football would ideally be our “main event” sport, the season’s outcome usually differs from that hope. The caption in 1964 encapsulates their football season with “Winless Tigers Host West-Leading Bell” and the first sentence of the article reads: “The Wilson football team, hoping to register its first victory of the season.” Seems pretty hopeful!
In conclusion, you aren’t as different as you may think from someone in the 1960’s. Maybe your clothes have changed or the slang is more up to date, but we all deal with similar high school struggles. That is what makes it high school! It’s cool to look back and realize how many people walked the same halls of Jackson-Reed and have a little bit of their perspective and timeline. Some things just never change, for better or for worse.
