Yesterday in La Crosse
New schools in the works, 54 years ago
In 1964, La Crosse was making plans for build a new Central High School on the south side. But city committees couldn’t agree on the size of the proposed school. The council’s finance committee voted for a building housing 750 students, while the plan commission wanted a school twice that size. Central was still located at 16th and Cass, now Weigent Park.
Westby was having a referendum on building a new high school for $50,000. The existing high school would become a middle school if the referendum passed. Westby was celebrating its 50th anniversary commencement that spring.
A civil rights dispute in Milwaukee. Newspapers reported that a group of “Milwaukee Negroes” demanded that Gov. John Reynolds appoint a black judge for Milwaukee County…or else, Reynolds would lose the support of black voters in the ’64 election.
Hit movies showing on a screen near you in the spring of ’64 included “Viva Las Vegas” with Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret…
“The Incredible Mr. Limpet,” starring Don Knotts as a man who turns into a fish (an animated fish)…
And “The Brass Bottle,” with Barbara Eden playing the girlfriend of a guy (Tony Randall) who finds a genie in a bottle. The genie was played by Burl Ives…1964, yesterday in La Crosse.
