{"id":1709,"date":"2026-05-27T17:55:43","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T17:55:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/musiclegacy\/?page_id=1709"},"modified":"2026-05-27T17:55:44","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T17:55:44","slug":"class-of-1966","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/musiclegacy\/class-of-1966\/","title":{"rendered":"Class of 1966"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Times<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As 1966 graduates were packing to return to Cortland for their senior year, a sonic boom hit the world of music for Bob Dylan because the country\u2019s acoustic folk hero went ELECTRIC at the Newport Folk Festival on July 25, 1965.  Backed by Paul Butterfield\u2019s Blues Band, the audience reaction was mixed between folk purists and rockers.  Dylan performed electrified versions of \u201cMaggie\u2019s Farm\u201d followed by \u201cLike A Rolling Stone\u201d and marked a musical transition, legitimizing folk-rock as a genre. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, 1966 graduates are currently benefiting from the nation\u2019s Medicare program.  They can thank President Lyndon B. Johnson who signed the bill into law on July 30th<\/sup>, 1965.  Former President Harry Truman was present at the ceremony and enrolled as Medicare\u2019s first beneficiary.  And just a few weeks later, on August 6, 1965, President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law guaranteeing African Americans the right to vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On November 9th<\/sup>, 1965 at 5:27pm, Cortland students were plunged into total darkness due to the Great Northeast Blackout affecting 25 million people across 9 states in the US and Canada.  For 13 hours, the Cortland campus halted all activities with no power to the dorms throughout a cold autumn night.  Students relied on candles, flashlights and transistor radios as students held their own dorm-style hootenannies!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In January 1966, as seniors arrived for their final semester, the Northeastern United States and Eastern Canada experienced a blizzard, from January 29 to February 1st, often referred to as the \u201cBlizzard of \u201966\u201d.  The Syracuse\/Cortland area received a record snowfall of 42.3 inches. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And on the West Coast, the Haight-Asbury district in San Francisco opened its first \u201chead shop\u201d called \u201cThe Psychedelic Shop\u201d on January 3rd<\/sup>.  As a lead-up to 1967\u2019s formal \u201cSummer of Love,\u201d brothers Ron and Jay Thelin, inspired by Timothy Leary aimed to create a community hub for the growing counterculture movement. The store sold items such as Indian paisley fabrics, books, records, incense, posters, and drug paraphernalia including pipes and roach clips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On March 4th<\/sup>, 1966, John Lennon sparked his first controversy in America claiming that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus.  This led to Beatles bonfires where fans mainly in the South burned Beatles records and memorabilia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As seniors were getting ready for their graduation commencement on June 5th<\/sup>, 1966, a few weeks prior, on May 28th<\/sup>, Fidel Castro declared martial law citing a potential attack from the United States continuing the Cold War tensions. Seniors were deeply worried about this new escalation as the current draft started closing loopholes that had previously protected them from fighting in the Vietnam War.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The music of 1965\/1966 brought about a seismic shift from folk and pop to soul, folk-rock, and experimental rock.  This was also a time of real change for the Beatles as they went from light pop songs on Help! to studio experimentation and album artistry with the release of Rubber Soul.  The Beach Boys and The Byrds released sonic experiments featuring psychedelic-themed songs like \u201cGood Vibrations\u201d and \u201cEight Miles High.\u201d  The British Invasion was at its peak with The Rolling Stones, Petula Clark, The Kinks, The Animals and The Who. Carnaby Street in \u201cSwinging London\u201d was at the epicenter of fashion for youth culture.  This was also a peak time for Motown-driven hits from The Supremes, Four Tops, The Temptations and Stevie Wonder. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notable Events<\/p>\n\n\n\n