Pop Pop Epistle #108 – The Year That I Was Born: 1958

Dear Grandkids,

So I am about two weeks away from my 62nd birthday. And it got me thinking back to the year that I was born. I was born in the middle of the Baby Boomer generation. (Your parents are considered Millennials and all of you are called Generation Z – though I suspect that could change for some of you) The world was a much different place back in 1958. Here are some things that were true way back then…

I was born in Columbia SC at Providence Hospital.

Dwight Eisenhower  was president. So at present I have lived under the administration of 12 different presidents. His Vice-President was Richard Nixon who would later become president in 1968.

Elvis Presley, already a Rock and Roll star, was inducted into the US Army. Interesting fact: Earlier in the decade, before he really made it big time, he was passing through Lexington NC and got sick. My grandfather (your great-great grandfather), who was a physician, gave him a shot of penicillin in the buttocks.

The Beatles were known as The Quarrymen. They wouldn’t be known as The Beatles until 1960.

NASA was established and Project Mercury, the first spaceflight program began.

Gunsmoke was the top rated TV show.  The Bridge Over the River Kwai was voted Best Movie of the Year.

The New York Yankees won the 1958 World Series. It was their 7th championship in 10 years. Their roster included MLB Hall of Famers Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Enos Slaughter, and Whitey Ford. The Baltimore Colts won the NFL Championship. Arnold Palmer won the first of his four Master’s titles.

The United States was between wars. The Korean War had ended in 1953 and the Vietnam War for America  would not escalate for a few more years.

Famous people, besides your Pop Pop, who were also born in 1958 include Michael Jackson, Madonna, Ellen Degeneres, Mark Cuban, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Alec Baldwin. And your Nona.

62 years may sound old to you and it may seem like a long time. But when you are 62 you will understand just how fast 62 years can fly by.

Moses says this in Psalm 90 verses 12 & 14:

¹² So teach us to number our days
    that we may get a heart of wisdom.
¹⁴ Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
    that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

These verses echo two things that I pray for you: 1) That you will make wise choices as you grow up and 2) that you will find joy and satisfaction as you embrace the Father’s magnanimous love.

Never forget that you are very loved!

Pop Pop