A local clergyman was quitting his position, 57 years ago

In the summer of 1960, Pastor Burdett W. Wakeman of the First Church of Christ at 8th and Cass was giving up his ministry there after eight years.  But Wakeman wasn’t leaving the clergy for good.  He was organizing the La Crosse Evangelistic Association…aimed at starting new congregations.  Wakeman later became well-known for radio ministry, including a Sunday morning FM radio program called “Contact.”
 
During a leap year, the presidential race and the Olympics got the public’s attention during the summer.  Republicans met in Chicago to nominate Vice President Richard Nixon to succeed President Eisenhower, while in Los Angeles, Democrats chose Senator John F. Kennedy.  Harold Ristow of La Crosse, Paul Dahl of Viroqua, and Agnes Molzahn of Onalaska were 3rd District delegates to the L-A convention.  
 
The 1960 summer Olympics opened on this date in Rome, with American runner Wilma Rudolph and boxer Cassius Clay…later known as Muhammad Ali…winning gold medals.
 
And the Kroger grocery store advertised itself as “a girl’s best friend.”  Summer specials at Kroger included two pounds of ground beef for 89 cents, and a 30 pound tin of strawberries for $7.99…in 1960, 57 years ago, yesterday in La Crosse.