THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, June 9, 1995 TAG: 9506070160
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Ida Kay's Portsmouth
SOURCE: Ida Kay
LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
Although Portsmouth has survived many wars, including direct hits in the Revolution and the Civil War, probably none had greater impact than World War II.
The change that occurred during and after the war, which ended 50 years ago this summer, still marks us.
The cover of a special edition of Life magazine, dated June 5, says it best: ``The Old Order Dies. A New America Is Born.''
While the change was nationwide, this city was drastically altered in personality by that war. Later trends, such as the rush to the suburbs by middle-class America, changed it even more.
During the war, as the shipyard built in numbers, the city became grossly overcrowded. The housing stock was drastically altered to accommodate the influx of thousands of Navy yard workers.
As natives tell it, the city evolved before their very eyes from a community where everybody knew everybody to a city with many strangers. In some ways, the city ethic changed.
But during the war years, everybody was on the same side. Everybody was in that war - even the young people. In 1945 when the Allies took Europe, everybody took to the streets together to celebrate on May 8.
On Aug. 15, when the war ended with an A-bomb and the Japanese surrender, the rejoicing was even more boisterous and unanimous. People celebrated with no thought of what was next.
So many families were affected in so many ways by the war. Many native sons did not return, but many more did come back. By and large, they came back to a better life. Many went to college on the G.I. Bill. Money was plentiful and available to more people. Suburban development attested to that. More people than ever before owned homes and automobiles.
For old cities, such as Portsmouth, the suburban trend that started 50 years ago, was devastating. But that was unforeseen 50 years ago.
People saw only the immediate future. Loved ones would be coming home, days of rationing were over and most families had more money to spend than ever before.
In this city, where Navy and Coast Guard uniforms always have been part of the scenery, there are many who vividly remember that day in August 50 years ago. Most too young to remember certainly have heard stories about it.
V-J Day will be noted across the nation with media attention focused on the anniversary.
No place is more appropriate than Portsmouth for a V-J Day event.
Why not a celebration of life in Downtown on that date (a Tuesday) or on the weekend before?
Since the Olde Towne Portsmouth Association has discontinued its August event, mid-August would be an excellent time for a special one-time celebration of that day 50 years ago.
A street dance with some of the area's big bands playing songs from the 1940s would be a wonderful way to mark the date. Remember the dip? The jitterbug and the camel walk? The bunny hop? The hucklebuck and the Suzie-Q? The cha-cha? The Lindy and trucking?
Some of the big bands around here know all the pieces of the dance scene of the era. A block or two of High Street could be roped off - just like they were years ago - for an authentic street dance.
At another location, say Veterans Park at the foot of High Street, military bands could play patriotic music for listening.
A V-J celebration could be fun for those who remember and perhaps even more fun for those who don't. Surely, some of those who remember the old dances would turn out for the events and probably with a little prodding many of them would dance as they did 50 years ago.
A V-J celebration with big bands probably would attract a lot of people who, wherever they live, haven't been Downtown in a long time.
If the Olde Towne Association pooled resources with the Convention and Visitors Bureau and other city departments, I bet a celebration would not cost anybody a whole pile of money.
Good will and good public relations are hard to calculate. A street dance and other public diversions for this special day would be a terrific way to celebrate this wonderful day. by CNB