Telling My Story - Throwback Thursday - Prom 1967

Dear Grandparents,
In addition to telling your stories, I'm trying to ensure that the stories of my life are passed on to my children and grandchildren. Hopefully, they won't have to look so hard for them. Several different media outlets have designated "Throwback Thursdays" as a day to share photographs and stories.

Cecily Louise Cone with date Edward William Kelly circa April 1967
Rancocas Valley Regional High School Prom
photograph from my personal collection

This photograph of Ed and I, ages 17 and 16, is from his prom. We had only been dating about a month and believe me neither of us would have imagined that we would marry.

Prom was different in those days, no limousines, fancy hotels and restaurants. The dance was held in the gymnasium of Rancocas Valley Regional High School in Mount Holly, New Jersey. A prom committee spent hours transforming the space to be "An Evening in Paris" (okay, I admit it took a stretch of imagination). I may be wrong about the theme but hopefully some RVRHS 1967 graduate will correct me. I'm certain that Ed doesn't remember.

I would not have spent hours shopping for a designer dress and dropping several hundred dollars. My mother made my dress (I should admit here that she majored in clothing and textile design at Oregon State). My two big splurges were shoes dyed to match the dress and having my hair professionally done. I wasn't really happy with the way it looked and combed most of it out before the dance.  Little white gloves were a must.

There was no chartered limousine. Ed came in his mother's car to pick me up. He had purchased a lovely corsage of yellow orchids, I still have the dried corsage in an old hat box. It looks better in the photograph. I should really throw it out. Wasn't he handsome in his rented white dinner jacket?

Dinner was served in the gym. I expect someone tried to spike the punch but I didn't have any. It was bright red and I was terrified I would spill it and stain my dress. The evening ended about midnight. There was no hotel suite for a cozy overnight. My parents would have killed me. I wasn't even allowed to go to the shore for breakfast the next morning. It wouldn't have worked out anyway... Ed had to be at his job selling shoes at Terry's Shoe Barn, in Rancocas Woods the next morning.

Still, we had a good time and continued to date.... in fact next month we'll have been married 43 years! Still love you, honey.

Love,
Cecily Cone Kelly