Forty-five years ago, in 1972, it was graduation time for the local schools. Flomaton High School graduated 63 seniors that year. Valedictorians and Salutatorians were named and the usual parties and celebrations were being held.

There was a write up about the shooting of Gov. George Wallace, while he was on a speaking trip to Maryland. In fact there were several mentions of the shooting in The Atmore Advance.

James H. Kizer, retired principal from Ernest Ward High School, passed away.

West Brothers Department Store had a big sale going on. They had bathing suits for $6; shorts for $2.66; Jamaica sets for $3.97; and a lawn mower for $46.97. Some of these prices seem pretty cheap, but they probably didn’t seem that way 50 years ago.

Helton’s Tires and Appliances were having a big sale on televisions and they were giving away a vacation trip to Florida.

B.C. Moore’s had a big Fiesta Sale featuring short sets for $5; towels for $1 each and men’s flare leg pants for $9.88. They were made out of knit fabric that no one would be caught dead wearing today, but back then, it was the style. My husband even had a pair of shoes that had stacked heels. He always gave someone a good chuckle when he wore them. In fact, he caused more than a chuckle. I think he got to the

point to where he refused to wear those shoes. To tell you the truth, I was glad when they went bye-bye.

There was a nice photograph of Mr. and Mrs. J. A. White in the newspaper who were celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary.

There were a couple of columns that ran in The Atmore Advance about Opryland near Nashville, Tenn. It could be that it was new at the time. I don’t remember when they put that in, but I do remember going there once. I looked it up and found out that the amusement park was closed down in 1997. No wonder I haven’t heard anything about it in several years.

Piggly Wiggly had 32 ounces of mayonnaise for 39 cents, ground beef for 88 cents a pound and fresh fryers for 26 cents a pound. Now there were some good prices. I spent $3.99 for a jar of mayonnaise just last week. And I remember the time when I cooked a lot of ground beef because it was cheap. It is no longer cheap.

Ninety-six people were arrested in Atmore during the month of May, according to The Atmore Advance. Most of those arrested were charged with assault and battery.

One last thing I noticed was the announcement of the graduation of Dr. Billy Whittle from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He received his M.D. degree. This article said he was a former resident of Atmore.

Most of you know Dr. Whittle, even though he has practiced in Brewton for many years. In fact, he is still practicing today.