Retro RFH Junior ‘Pop’ Lounging — Rumson-Fair Haven Retrospect

When rainy days and Tuesdays got RFH juniors a little down, they just copped a squat with a pop in the Junior Lounge.

OK, so in these parts soda is what more midwesterners call pop. In this case, though, pop just sounds more fun. It also rhymes with cop — as in squat. Perfect together, like that old Jersey slogan, for this snapshot back in time.

As for the cop (a squat), if there was no seat in the ol’ Junior Lounge, it was no problem for the young. They just plopped atop a table with a smile, of course. Dank days or not, what was not to smile about, anyway? All was always good with any kind of RFH lounging time. Of course, those were the days of the modular system and “frees,” so lounging rather than studying was as cool as those dank weather days that kept the teens indoors. In the days of the “frees” students were allowed to roam the great outdoors of the RFH campus and sometimes beyond.

But, scenes like this one, likely captured on film in 1972, were pretty typical. So were those soda machines and the great Coke or Pepsi debate. Looks like Pepsi won the RFH popularity contest — or the vendor offered a better deal to RFH. And, lounging students always needed to have change for those vending machines that didn’t take dollars and certainly not any sort of card.

Remember the ol’ vending machine coin return lever that, if flipped after some purchase mishaps with bad change, sometimes returned a bonus of several coins? Back in the day, people always checked it once in a while for the prospect of a little slot machine kind of win. There were times, too, when no flip of that lever was needed. With a clink of the trap door and feel around, there was just a little bonus of change left behind. That’d get you another soda or a call on the pay phone. Maybe a hard roll or pack o’ Linden’s Chocolate Chip Cookies. Sometimes, too, an extra can of soda would fall. Now that was some pop bingo!

But, really, pop and vending machine bingo change aside, it was all about the bonus of just plopping down and hanging out in the Junior Lounge that brought a happy days smile to an RFHer’s face. That’s all it really took. Simple times among RFH friends. No fancy backdrop or bonus was needed — just that groovy paneling and worn vending machines.

No need to put another quarter in for any of it. Priceless. Now, what the heck does that frazzled sticker say on the machine on the right? Hmmmm … And who are these cool RFH kids and what were they up to?

— Photo/courtesy of RFH grad Louise Little