The jitterbug lasts couple a lifetime
PENN TWP — When Jerry Klingensmith met his wife Sandy, they jitterbugged to songs like “Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Haley.
Some 50 years later, the couple still finds some romance on the dance floor.
To mark their 50th anniversary in September, the couple's three children hosted a surprise sock hop, where attendees donned saddle shoes and poodle skirts and a three-tiered cake was inscribed with the song title “Love Me Tender.”
“That was our time,” said a nostalgic Jerry, 72, describing how his son-in-law Mark Zelinka drove them to the party in a ‘54 Cadillac.
In planning the party, the Klingensmiths' son Kevin researched the time period by watching old movies like “American Graffitti,” which helped him devise a playlist for the DJ.Despite that research, Kevin, 44, cites existing 1950s knowledge acquired through childhood.“My mother listened to '50s music when I was growing up: I heard a lot of ‘Rockin' Robin' and a bunch of other 45s being spun too,” he said.Kevin said because of that exposure, he and his siblings, Lester Klingensmith and Barb Zelinka, already knew how to dance to the classic music, having done so at weddings and other events.“They watched us dance,” said Sandy, 68. “We did the jitterbug mostly — and we waltzed a lot.”“Oh, they can still cut a rug,” Kevin noted, explaining his parents and many the 50-some guests had fun dancing at the party.“I don't know what to say other than they had a great time, as did everyone else.”Although the Klingensmiths knew they were attending a sock hop, they had no idea the event was planned in their honor.“It was so great to see everybody,” Sandy said.
Both from Ford City, the Klingensmiths met in 1955. The continued dating until 1957, when Jerry joined the Army and served overseas in Germany for about three years.“He came back in May and we were married in September,” Sandy said.“We got married in a little church. It was just me and him,” she added, noting a small grouping of immediate family members also were present.“A week later they had a reception for us, but we had more fun at the sock hop than we did at our own reception,” she said.“We had a blast.”In addition to their three children and a Boston terrier named Buddy, the Klingensmiths have 11 grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and a step-greatgrandchild. Another great-grandchild is expected in June.
