1969

[RPS]

I'm doing some research on Durham and Duke in 1968-69 for a personal project I'm working on. I didn't get there until 1978. Do those of you who were there then have some suggested reading for me to get a sense of what it like then? Personal reminiscences welcome too.

Many thanks.

P.S. I meant for this to be on the Off-Topic board. Mods -- Would you kindly move it. Apologies.

[OldPhiKap]

Here is a recent program, showing how some interpret the 1969 takeover of the Allen Building (Duke’s administrative building on a West Campus):

https://fhi.duke.edu/story-plus-proj...ver-50-exhibit

I don’t vouch for it, just pass it along.

[BigWayne]

At a minimum, I would download this and go through it.

https://archive.org/details/chanticleerseria1969duke

1912-2014 are available here:

https://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/...ed/chanticleer

[OZZIE4DUKE]

3 years before my time.

(Thread hijack alert!) But in 1972 I remember eating at such fine establishments as Anna Maria’s (Bat’s), Nance’s and of course the Haffbrau Haus!

[OldPhiKap]

3 years before my time.

(Thread hijack alert!) But in 1972 I remember eating at such fine establishments as Anna Maria’s (Bat’s), Nance’s and of course the Haffbrau Haus!

I had a chance to experience Bat’s my freshman year (and it’s last year) — 1984-5. Yummy.

Don’t recall why it was called Bat’s though.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

I had a chance to experience Bat’s my freshman year (and it’s last year) — 1984-5. Yummy.

Don’t recall why it was called Bat’s though.

Bat owned it. Anna Maria was his very young daughter when it opened. She was a teenaged waitress when I was there.

[RPS]

Bat owned it. Anna Maria was his very young daughter when it opened. She was a teenaged waitress when I was there.

When I was visiting as a prospective law student in the spring of 1978, Jack Marin took me there for lunch in his Maserati. I was sold!

[Indoor66]

Bat owned it. Anna Maria was his very young daughter when it opened. She was a teenaged waitress when I was there.

Annamaria's was owned by Benny Melanga and his wife, Annamaria. Benny and Anna moved to Durham in about 1949 or 1950 because their daughter, Agnes, had a disease that required specialized and advanced treatment that was available at Duke Hospital.

Benny had been a bricklayer in Newark, where they were from. He worked at different things in Durham to support his family. Part of that effort included Anna cooking and Benny serving food in their home - to paying customers. Many students learned of this and were regular - including quarterback Sonny Jurganson, originally from Wilmington and later in Philadelphia and then Washington.

In the late 50's the restaurant was opened on Albemarle street.

Benny (Batman or Bat) loved to sing and joke. He also loved to play the horses. But he never forgot Duke and the fact that Agnes was cured there. Many a student was fed for free when they were broke.

Bat had a heart of gold and a wit and tongue like a whip. He could make you laugh or cry. Sometimes I cry when I think of him and Anna and Agnes and those wonderful days...

[OldPhiKap]

Annamaria's was owned by Benny Melanga and his wife, Annamaria. Benny and Anna moved to Durham in about 1949 or 1950 because their daughter, Agnes, had a disease that required specialized and advanced treatment that was available at Duke Hospital.

Benny had been a bricklayer in Newark, where they were from. He worked at different things in Durham to support his family. Part of that effort included Anna cooking and Benny serving food in their home - to paying customers. Many students learned of this and were regular - including quarterback Sonny Jurganson, originally from Wilmington and later in Philadelphia and then Washington.

In the late 50's the restaurant was opened on Albemarle street.

Benny (Batman or Bat) loved to sing and joke. He also loved to play the horses. But he never forgot Duke and the fact that Agnes was cured there. Many a student was fed for free when they were broke.

Bat had a heart of gold and a wit and tongue like a whip. He could make you laugh or cry. Sometimes I cry when I think of him and Anna and Agnes and those wonderful days...

Really appreciate this story, it fills in a lot of gaps for me. Must spread sporkz unfortunately.

[budwom]

I remember Bat telling a bunch of us, "I'm a love all the Dukes!"...and he meant it.
As for summarizing 1969, you've got your hands full, SO many things went on that year. I wouldn't even know where to begin.

[ricks68]

I remember walking around the overturned and burning police car to get to the back of Allen Building where I saw waiting in the large grass field of the Duke Gardens many military vehicles and National Guard troops that were never given permission by Duke to join the fray. It was scary. Tear gas was everywhere and students were running in all directions. The police even entered the Chapel with their tear gas "cannon"(?) to fog the inside. A friend of mine burned his hand from picking up a tear gas canister and throwing it back to the police. It was mayhem.

ricks

[Tripping William]

I remember Bat telling a bunch of us, "I'm a love all the Dukes!"...and he meant it.
As for summarizing 1969, you've got your hands full, SO many things went on that year. I wouldn't even know where to begin.

I'm completely biased, but I'd start with June 18th of that year. Because it was the day I was born, so where else would I start?

[ricks68]

Annamaria's was owned by Benny Melanga and his wife, Annamaria. Benny and Anna moved to Durham in about 1949 or 1950 because their daughter, Agnes, had a disease that required specialized and advanced treatment that was available at Duke Hospital.

Benny had been a bricklayer in Newark, where they were from. He worked at different things in Durham to support his family. Part of that effort included Anna cooking and Benny serving food in their home - to paying customers. Many students learned of this and were regular - including quarterback Sonny Jurganson, originally from Wilmington and later in Philadelphia and then Washington.

In the late 50's the restaurant was opened on Albemarle street.

Benny (Batman or Bat) loved to sing and joke. He also loved to play the horses. But he never forgot Duke and the fact that Agnes was cured there. Many a student was fed for free when they were broke.

Bat had a heart of gold and a wit and tongue like a whip. He could make you laugh or cry. Sometimes I cry when I think of him and Anna and Agnes and those wonderful days...

I had pizza and beer at Bat's before showing up after midnight for surgery at Duke Hospital (during TG break in 1964) the next morning at 7:00. I was pretty inebriated, yet they still did the surgery at 7:00. It was a pretty eventful experience, between climbing into a hospital bed with a Durham High cheerleader, having my Duke light jacket (the one with the cool old logo) stolen by my hospital roommate, having my surgery done by staff under UV light while wearing "space" suits, and so very much more. Really.

ricks

[Reilly]

From Open Durham: http://www.opendurham.org/buildings/annamarias-pizza

[brevity]

I'm doing some research on Durham and Duke in 1968-69 for a personal project I'm working on. I didn't get there until 1978. Do those of you who were there then have some suggested reading for me to get a sense of what it like then? Personal reminiscences welcome too.

Many thanks.

I don't know if you need visual aids for this project, but the Library Archives website is a good place to start. BigWayne already linked to the 1969 Chanticleer, but here are a few more options.

1969 issues of The Chronicle:
https://library.duke.edu/digitalcoll...cle/Date/#1969

1969 issues of Duke Alumni Register:
https://archive.org/details/dukealumniregist551969

1969-1970 Duke University Calendar:
https://archive.org/details/dukeuniversityca1969duke

Duke Football Programs (limit your search from 1969-1969):
https://repository.duke.edu/dc/dfp

Duke Football 1969.jpg

You can also do a pretty deep dive into the Flickr account of Duke University Archives. I've linked to the Albums tab, where you can look at "The Allen Building Takeover, 1969" or "1960s" or even "Posters & Flyers":
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dukeyearlook/albums

Vietnam Flyer 1969.jpg

Joan Baez 1969.jpg

[BigWayne]

From Open Durham: http://www.opendurham.org/buildings/annamarias-pizza

Thanks for that. I was fortunate to be at Duke just before Bat died and see him in his glory.

The whole checkout process was a bizarre scene. You would tell him what you had eaten and what drinks you had grabbed from the cooler. He would take a look at you, punch some buttons on his adding machine and crank the handle and announce a price. You could order the same thing every time you went and almost always get a different price than the last time, but it would be a bargain nonetheless.

[Reilly]

Might 1986 be a year of demarcation between the old Duke and the new Duke?

1986: Annamaria's torn down ... Wallace Wade dies ... K and Dawkins really arrive on the national scene ...

[sagegrouse]

I had a chance to experience Bat’s my freshman year (and it’s last year) — 1984-5. Yummy.

Don’t recall why it was called Bat’s though.

Well, the restaurant was named Anna Maria's for the wife of the proprietor. The proprietor was called Bat by everyone.

[OldPhiKap]

Well, the restaurant was named Anna Maria's for the wife of the proprietor. The proprietor was called Bat by everyone.

Thanks, I vaguely remember the real name though everyone in my sphere called it “Bat’s.” Great spag and balls.

[BigWayne]

Thanks, I vaguely remember the real name though everyone in my sphere called it “Bat’s.” Great spag and balls.

You have to scroll down the opendurham link above and read the comments to get the full story, which was very well done by Damian Stamer in 1996.
Here's a link that jumps you directly there:

http://www.opendurham.org/comment/12652#comment-12652