Thirty five years ago, I was in third grade and Star Wars was everyone's favorite movie. My sister and I performed rollerskating dance routines to the soundtracks of Grease and Saturday Night Fever, and we wore silk screen t-shirts adorned with the faces of Shaun Cassidy and Leif Garrett. Every Saturday night we watched The Love Boat and Fantasy Island. Disco was reaching its peak on the music scene, so we were taught to do "the hustle" in gym class.
In 1978, no one I knew had cable TV yet, and the name Nike still generally referred to a Greek goddess, although no one my age knew her name. Simon, on the other hand, was an electronic game that featured different colored lights that flashed in increasingly difficult patterns, daring players to remember the sequence. I was still impatiently growing my hair out after cutting it short to look like 1976 Olympic ice skater Dorothy Hammill, and wishing beyond all hope that I might someday have locks like Farrah Fawcett or Jaclyn Smith, the stars of Charlie's Angels.
It was a simpler time, although not without its challenges. Jimmy Carter was president and he faced an energy crisis, rising unemployment and a plunging dollar. There was much unrest in the Middle East and growing tension between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. Meanwhile in Jonestown, Guyana, Jim Jones's followers commited mass suicide by drinking poisoned Kool-Aid.
All this happened 35 years ago, but there's something else too. Rental, the magazine, was founded. What better time than a 35-year milestone to take stock of where we've been, what we've done, and most importantly, where we're going? As you browse through the pages of this issue, you'll see we've made some changes. We've updated our design in keeping with our mission to offer readers the most modern, easy-to-read format in the industry. We've expanded our content to include not only equipment-focused articles and the latest product information as always, but also a deeper look into the big-picture issues that matter most to your business.
In 1978, our magazine made its beginning with the name Rental. For many years, we were known as Rental Product News, a moniker which aptly described our editorial focus at the time. We have returned to our roots, shortening our name back to Rental, because it best fits where we are today. We are, simply, Rental.
Let us know what you think of the new Rental. Your feedback means everything, so please send your comments to me at [email protected]. Here's to a happy and prosperous 2013 and the milestones and new beginnings it brings.
