Retro Patriotic Peace Pals — Rumson-Fair Haven Retrospect

Peace pals of Fair Haven circa early 1970s
Photo /courtesy of Karen Allas

A red-white-and-blue patriotic reprise, just because July 4th is tomorrow …

Peace out. Patriotism. Well-played play date, kids. They were not crooks and they were no Richard Nixon wannabes. But they were at least budding impersonators. Perhaps. Or just era-inspired posers.

One thing’s for sure. It was back in the Nixon era, the early 70s, when the trio got together on Church Street in Fair Haven to play and promote peace and coolness (or something), two clad in red white and blue, one a Hamilton. Not Alexander. Kate. She’s center sporting patriotic pants. Always the coolest in school. We’re thinking patriotic in light of the Fourth of July, though it’s clearly not summer weather here. Cool, like the girls.

The other unbeknownst patriotic poser besides Kate was Nancy Clark, also pretty darn cool in school and coolest on the block. She lived on Church and was tragically murdered in 1982, about a decade after the photo was taken. She could have used some peace. May she rest in peace.

The gal clad in plaid is an Allas of Church — Barbara. That’s her house in the background. We have no idea how Kate, from the other side of town, ended up with the Church Street gang that day, but the picture is definitely worth at least a few hundred words … and some speculation.

So what do you think these peace pals were up to? Sign of the times? We could all use a little now. In those 70s times of fighting for equal rights for women, girls had their own battle to wage at school — the right to wear pants.

Truth. This may have been right after the fight was won. Remember wearing pants under a skirt or dress in the winter? What year did it change? Tell us your equal pants rights story. Peace.

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