The Passing Scene – May 1969

May is rapidly slipping away, so I’d better post this month's selection of Gene Patrick’s The Passing Scene from May 1969. Gene cranked out five editions of his comic strip, so let’s check them out and see what was going on in Lorain County fifty years ago.

The May 3, 1969 edition is a mixed bag of topics. It pokes the usual gentle humor at local events, but also makes reference to an act of protest by nine individuals (including several priests and nuns) who broke into the offices of Dow Chemical and destroyed files and other property. (Dow was targeted because it had won a government contract in 1965 to manufacture napalm.)

Gene is back to his usual form in the May 10, 1969 edition, with two panels depicting high school students gone wild. I guess that’s Mayor “Woody” Mathna in the last panel.

Silliness reigns in the May 17, 1969 strip, with card-shark grandmothers and a stereotypical bad woman driver.

The May 24, 1969 edition (below) includes a reference to something covered on this blog: the demolition of the Ebenezer Gregg/Myron Foote House. Gene even drew a pretty good cartoon version of the house!

Gene was right to be skeptical about 1972 being the date for a new courthouse for Lorain County. The new Lorain County Justice Center would not open until 2004.

Finally, the May 31st strip has some funny reminder of the days when hippies hung out at Lakeview Park, and when the income taxes for Lorain and Elyria were still in their early days of implementation.