I am not one who believes that we would be better off if we could return to the way things were in the 1950s. Personally, I would hate to do without many of today’s conveniences, such as color television, VCRs, microwave ovens, air conditioning, and personal computers. Those items, which are now taken for granted by almost everyone, were either non-existent or only appeared in very few homes or businesses when I was young.

Despite the fact that I have no desire to return to those “good old days," I still enjoy reminiscing about the past. After all, it seems that we all tend to remember the good things that happened and tuck the not so good things away in the deepest recesses of our minds. Although far from perfect, the 1950s were a time when many good things happened, both in my personal life and in the country as a whole. The 1950s gave us rock and roll and a generation of music stars that most of us baby boomers will never forget. There are still legions of avid Elvis Presley fans and Chuck Berry is still rocking away after almost half a century. Now, each year, my wife and I join over two thousand fans to make the pilgrimage to the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. At the Surf, the last place Buddy Holly played before dying in a plane crash, we are able to celebrate rock and roll while paying tribute to the music of Buddy Holly. Figure 2, Buddy Holly Record, shows a copy of the record "Not Fade Away" recorded by Buddy Holly and the Crickets.

Figure 1.  Buddy Holly Record

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