WITH VIETNAM LOOMING, BHS KIDS CLUNG TO INNOCENCE

(Ed.'s Note: Death in the rice paddies of Vietnam and gold-star mothers in the barrios of Brownsville - including a  Brownsville High School boy who is still  be Missing in Action there - was a reality that was just around the corner for them. But just before that, kids in Brownsville lived in an age of innocence when boys looked forward  to steal a kiss from their girls or to dance the night away to the tunes of local crooners.We revisit those days of innocence.)

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

Dear reader, it’s time to go back and take a journey to your teenage years that were punctuated by Friday “Night Lights,” and the sock hops that followed.

It’s fascinating what you can find when you go through old Brownsville High School yearbooks, if you can find them. The “Palmetto,” stowed away with hidden treasures of student activities demonstras that buried treasure is not necessarily underground.

And, finding the school newspaper, “The Screaming Eagle,” reporting the  happenings of Brownsville High School in the early 60s, made the digging for me, worth the effort.

Of the many students that walked the halls of Brownsville High Schools in the 1960s— many lived thriving in the face of setbacks of the era.

The decade was tied up into causes, chants of change, like the sexual revolution, feminism, black power, civil rights and Vietnam were the causes that drove the voices of revolt.

But teeneagers, being teenagers, we turned to music. It was the sounds of music that BHS students turned for mood. They were jamming to 45s at house dances and attending the sock hops after the “Friday Night Lights."

It was maybe then, that the girls had their first brush with a stolen kiss by a beau that sparked puppy love in many a teenager's heart.

What musical group made the teenagers dash to the dance floor? At BHS, during that period, it was the “Unitones.” They didn’t engage in eye-catching routines or worn trendy outfits, but they had loads of talent.

Others that strutted on stage during that time were groups like the Dixie Landers, the Rockin’ Beats, the Esquires, and the BHS Dancing Band. All strutted their stuff and competed in the annual ever-popular school “Talent Show.”

The Unitones, the pride of Brownsville High…

Their voices blended in harmony. The were the pride and joy of BHS. The group was composed of  Jerry Gutierrez - who had a reservoir of talent - and was given credit for forming the group.

Jerry was voted as “Most Handsome” in 1960. He had the double duty of singing and playing the guitar.

But it was the silky voice of Jimmy Gutierrez - who was chosen most talented in 1961 -that induced dancers to dash to the sawdust floor.

They were Brownsville boys, and well-known among the student population. The other members were senior Steve Ruiz, the “Who’s Who” of the outfit
who was himself chosen most talented in 1960, and Joe Olivarez, the elder of the group, a BHS graduate, and just as gifted as the rest.

Aside from singing the top music of the decade, they struck a chord with students by composing two original pieces, “Not Loved” and Dream Girl.” When asked what their favorite song was, they chose the current hit at the time, “That’s My Desire.”

Their popularity grew with every song and they were in demand playing for many BHS organizations and activities. The admiration for the foursome expanded to the point that they were the natural choice to be asked to play at both the Junior-Senior Prom and the Barn Dance.

On this side of the curtain, they were typical teenagers. Singing was one of their favorite pastimes and  they religiously practiced playing and harmonizing weekly. The other choice were girls, with the idea of electing a Unitone Sweetheart left on the table as events overtook their plans.

For us seniors, dancing to their music during our teenage years left us with indelible memories, only to face the daunting times of adulthood, the tearing of the county with war, civil right struggles, and the emergence of feminism and the threat of global nuclear war.

However, great or trivial, the musical groups of BHS - though they could not defer the coming trials or put off the blows of time - set the right tone for those innocent times.