In the AYA, once you came through the front door, off to the left,  there was a private room. We put in couches and small round tables with wine bottles and multicolored melted candle wax. This was quiet room for couples to sit and talk, away from younger, prying tattle-tale eyes. We painted the glass in the doors black with a white logo of a rabbit in the middle. (Sort of a Whiny the Pooh motif)...You had to be a Teen to enter, "twelve & unders" were   verboten. We have named this series in honor of that special place.

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The Dating Game-Part I

by  Kym '68

   I remember my first date.....not fondly, however. His name was Dick O'Brien and he was a Senior, went to my church and also lived next door. He was a "man" and drove a school bus....in the days when Seniors were allowed to drive for their high schools. He played football and was built like a god and his presence made me nervous, sweaty palms....the whole nine yards.

    My parents didn't allow me to date (I was a freshman) but when Dick asked my Dad he said yes without my permission. I went along with the whole thing reluctantly because my parents said he was "such a nice young man" and besides he went to church. Of course, true to 60's style dating I had to have a new outfit and since funds were nonexistent I made my own. I looked like the old woman sewing in the movie Three Amigos (check it out and think of me).

    I had three days until "the date." I put together an ensemble fit to kill. I produced an A-line red corduroy jumper scooped with a big U that made what breasts I had look bigger with the help of a Maidenform bra (remember the points)? I accented the jumper with a pinstripe red and white oxford blouse and black flat pointy shoes, and of course the traditional matching head band for my long locks.

    Date night arrived and Dick picked me up in the "family wagon"....actually, I walked next door! He took me to see Thunderball   (what a romantic eh?) at the local show and bought me popcorn. This was "the" place for all my friends to see that I actually could get a date. After all I was dating a Senior! I was nervous about all the date things....the horror of the hand holding and the arm around the shoulder and God forbid a kiss. My mother told me "nice girls" didn't kiss on the first date. Each time he attempted to do any of the above I excused myself to the ladies room. I am convinced he thought I had a serious bladder problem or kidney disease.

    After the movie we went to the local drive-in burger place. (Remember those?)  I couldn't eat a thing for fear of what he might expect in exchange for a burger basket with fries. I had heard the other girls talk about dating in the locker room and I had to be prepared. Soon we were on our way......home is what I had hoped for but instead, he drove to the local "make-out" place along the beach.

    When he parked and turned off the lights panic set in and I began talking a mile a minute in hopes that doing such would buy me time, Plan A. I was wrong! I quickly went into Plan B and asked him to take me home because I had a test the next day. Reluctantly, he agreed and barely talked to me all the way home. Needless to say, I wasn't ready for a "man" and quickly hopped out of the car and went... uh.....next door. Dick O'Brien never asked me out again. I had forgotten one important element to Plan B......it was the end of the summer.....and school hadn't even started yet. Consequently, no test!

    SO....what does a girl learn from her first date? As I was to find out over the years.....NOTHING....we learn nothing at all. We just get better with Plans A and B.

    P.S. I carried Dick's Senior picture for years.....it said "Luv ya..Dick" on the back. It served its purpose many times just to prove.....I really could get a date!

    P.S.S.  I retired the jumper after realizing when I laid out the pattern I had reversed the corduroy making it look two-tone. In the daylight it was a disaster. Maybe that's really why he never asked me out again?

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The Dating Game....60's style - Part II

                                                                 by Kym  '68


    In "The Dating Game Part I" , I wrote about my first date. The whole experience shaped the dating phenomena for me. I began to think about the game that took place in the "good ol' days." This is what I remember. What about you? Dating in the 60's went something like this:

   Your best friend tells you "HE" likes you and wants to know if you like "HIM." She, then gets your answer and gives the news to her boyfriend who, then passes it on to "HIM." Later, at the snack bar perhaps, he takes the seat next to you and you exchange glances....not too long though.

    As time goes on, you meet in a group setting and begin to be a little more free with your dialogue. Eventually, the group goes out ... let's say to the Pizza Haus and you walk home together. At this point, you may or may not be holding hands, yet. He walks you to the door and you run up three flights of stairs in record time to avoid "the kiss." Remember what mom said about "nice girls"?

    "HE" sends a note with a brother or sister (you have no phone) and asks you to the show. The two of you slide into the show for all to see you together. The smiles from the other girls and whispers makes you feel victorious. The first arm over the shoulder occurs and you know that eventually you are going to have to kiss him.....probably at the door. This makes you very nervous but since you brushed your teeth and passed on the popcorn, you are up for the challenge.

    Sure enough, you called it...."HE" walks you home and you get the first kiss and "HE" asks you to go (steady) with him. He gives you a class ring or something close to it......and you rush upstairs to prepare "the trophy"... 60's style.

    In preparation for the big event you previously purchased yarn in your favorite color or "HIS" if you had enough conversation with him to find this out. (Some of us had to know a blood type before actually dating any guy! After all you may eventually marry! ) The next day at the bus stop the girls form a huddle of squeals checking out your spoils of the kill. Now, that you have had the date, gotten the kiss, received a ring....and claimed
your stake you are bound and authorized to......make-out.

    You begin to doodle all your future children's names in English class and hope that you don't get caught. You decide how many children you will have.......and write Mrs. "HIM" all over your stuff! He doesn't know you do any of this and you have to be careful that only your girlfriends see it. Otherwise, it becomes the "kiss of death" and you find yourself going "to jail" without passing go or collecting $200. You sure don't want to start back at square one! After all, it is a game and you are determined to WIN!

    Alas! Eventually you slip up or a new girl comes into town and you are history.......and you lick your wounds and determine his unworthiness and pay to get out of jail. Then one day (hopefully soon enough to throw it in his face) your best friend says another "HE" likes you and wants to know if you like "HIM." She tells her boyfriend........and you buy new yarn!

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The Dating Game.... .the Ritual

by Kym '68

Getting ready for a date was a real feat in the 60's without the aid of curling irons, hot rollers, blow dryers, panty hose and polyester. The
ritual of preparation sometimes took all day.

The first item of business was the outfit as I mentioned in an earlier article. It was unthinkable to wear something "HE" had seen you in at school. School clothes on a date? I don't think so! Unfortunately, for many families funds were limited and we had to pounce on our creativity quite quickly. Many of us made our own clothes and would sew "like the wind" a very chic garment that our girlfriends would die for.

The other option used more frequently for the "last minute date" was a visit to our friends closet whereby we quickly tried on everything they had and with plenty of input , decided on the right look. Once that was established there was the matter of pressing each item perfectly....after
all, how tacky to be wrinkled. The next item of business was the hairdo......not an easy quick task. After a good shampoo and a good conditioner  (I used mayonnaise with an egg) the long tedious job of rolling all that hair took place. Several items come to mind here.

First there were the sponge rollers (pink), that could actually be slept on, topped off with a frilly curler bonnet in case someone came over or you needed to go to the PX. Sponge curlers were somewhat problematic in that they left lines in our hair.

Later the brush rollers came into play with little picks that looked and felt like a crochet hook in your head. The problem with these prickly little
things was the headache you had before you ever got to the date. For the girls with the really long gorgeous locks (not me) the orange juice cans came
in handy and were cheap and were held in place with Bobbie-pins. You can't imagine what it was like to have a dozen orange juice cans on your head all day. While my hair was drying under the hairdryer with the big plastic bonnet, in what ever choice of torture (rollers) I preferred, I polished my
nails. Later in the program I slipped into a nice bubble bath and tied up the only bathroom the family had. Family members beating on the door was
part of the scene every weekend. After a nice long soak a proper amount of my favorite powder was applied....usually baby powder! Every guy is a sucker for a baby right? Ok....by now I must be ready? Hardly!

There was still the make-up to apply and that presented new challenges. After a heavy coat of liquid make-up (Cover Girl) and a good amount of face powder and misuse of blusher, I was ready for the eyes. Several coats of thick black mascara (Maybeline) and I was just getting started! It was important to get it on really thick to give the appearance of beautiful long alluring lashes (mine had been burnt off after a run in with a cigarette lighter, and my eyebrows never really came back either). Time for the liquid eyeliner! I had trouble with that one because I didn't see well or have a steady hand. It didn't stop me from succeeding however and I just made the lines wider with a little flip at the edge of the eyes. (The Cleopatra look was in vogue and most of us used that as our model) Wait......the eye shadow......blue of course......to go with my brown eyes! Hmmm? Almost ready?

Well, almost.

I still had to pick out a lipstick shade to finish my objet d'art. I didn't have many choices but there were a couple of favorites. Bubblegum or Pineapple...which would it be? The deal was after all, in preparation for "the kiss." Yes....Pineapple...definately pineapple! OK...curlers out, hair teased
(ouch!), clothes pressed, bath, make-up on.....I must be ready by now you ask? Hold on there......no panty hose in those days! Uh oh........out comes
the savior of every young girl.....the PANTY GIRDLE! Well,.......after all what else are you going to use to hold up the stockings? A crowbar near by
just in case, I donned the rubber suit and my (Maidenform) WHITE bra and I was almost good to go. Ready at last to slip into the button-down dress with the peter pan collar (by Lady Bug) that my girlfriends helped me pick out.

Wait just a minute......hold on.....C-buckle belt.....gotta have that. On with the Weejuns.. perhaps the Cordovan pair...."HE" likes those and if I am
lucky "HE" will wear his too and we will match. Good plan! Last minute touches........gold posts in the pierced ears (my dad did mine one night
after a couple of Jim Beam and cokes). OK.........I am ready......a nice smile........well forget the smile......DANG braces! Time to sit around and
wait until "HE" shows up, get another lecture on curfew rules from my dad and yet another pep talk from mom on the virtues of a "nice girl." One last
nasty remark, from me, to my brothers and sisters hanging over the balcony railing and taunting my date. (who by the way had to walk up three flights of stairs and look my dad in the eye.) I don't know about you but a bowling date just didn't get any better than that!

The Bunny Hole

by Kym '68

The Bunny Hole was a large room in the AYA with swinging glass doors that had
windows blacked out with paint and the Playboy bunny symbol on them in white.
Even the outer windows were painted black and it was very dark in there.
Several genuine naugahyde couches lined the room for sitting (of course). A
few other special things like candles lined the windows and tables to give it
that cool "playboy swinging pad" style.

My first visit to this site was with Lars Larson, Topher and Sandy. I was with Lars and Topher

and Sandy were a long standing couple at that time. Lars wasn't going to be in town long due
to his family rotating back to the states. I had to make my move.

We skipped the dating routine (see The Dating Game Part II) and went right for the going
steady thing. Topher and Lars were friends and Sandy and I were friends, so
it was only natural that the four of us would be there together as you rarely
went to the Bunny Hole alone! I think it was some kind of unspoken rule or
something. At any rate we spent what few days Lars had left in town
frequenting the Bunny Hole.

It was the place to go for........uh....visiting
while the NCO director in charge played his bagpipes in the other room.
Though I personally would have preferred a nice game of checkers, it was just
too darn dark in there for that. Mostly, Lars and I talked in our corner
while Topher and Sandy talked (yeah, sure!) in theirs.

Eventually, Lars left
town and I was "single" once again and my Bunny Hole visits came to an end
until Steve came into my life and we began going steady for the remainder of
my time in Germany. We spent countless hours in there scheming, planning and
talking. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it!)

The days of the Bunny Hole
eventually went by the wayside after my dad heard an ugly rumor about kids
going in there to ....uh...make out! (WHAT?...no way dad!) Dad promptly
marched up to the AYA and probably paid a visit to Col. Dragisity too while
he was at it! In his day ....making out had other connotations and even
though I told him it was a place to go and talk and play checkers, he wasn't
buying it. (Soon after this confrontation I spent time on restriction.)

The Bunny Hole was later turned into something more practical and useful to the
less fortunate and Steve and I took up studying (another story I'm sticking
to) and the bagpipes played on!