Elkhart High School - Pennant Yearbook (Elkhart, IN)

Page 28 text:

 Where were you during the Blizzard of '78? Since Steve Ball didn’t winterize his car. Leslie Granger and Mike Wargo have to help him pay his slippery dues. After a week away from school, these students measure the height of the drifts by the sidewalk. 24 Blizzard of’78

Page 27 text:

Crew heads were Angie Bierbaum, Michele Anderson, Dan South, Tom Shoff, Mike Yeakey. Debbie Smith. Mike Ehret. and Marilyn Elliott Members of the crews were Tim Armstrong, Joe Bostian. Jorma Latua, Alan Lowe. Marco Morgan, Mark O'Brien, Joe Peterka. Liz Peters, Phil Rees, Diane Stone. Nancy Watson, Barb Pairitz. Jay Schrock, Bill Matthews. Tony Delserone, Chris Kelly. Tim Schenk. Janet Bierbaum, Larry Crump, Linda Duvall. Kathleen O'Connell. Becky Schwmndaman. Cathy Stephenson, Eileen Stephenson, Lon Stickel, Paul Heaton, and Carol Thornton. Sound of Music 23

Page 29 text:

Cross country skis were the only way Bill Johnson could get around after the Great Blizzard of '78 struck. o n the morning of January 26 Central students woke up to snow piled to car tops. Cries of joy came from all directions when R. C. Rogers of WRBR said, “We have so many announcements that we're saying just stay home. All businesses are closed, all schools are closed, everything's closed. So, go back to bed! Many students saw the blizzard as a blessing, but, in fact, it was one of Indiana’s greatest disasters. President Carter declared Indiana a state of disaster. Federal funds were sent in for payment of snow removal crews and for food, shelter and business repair. Hurricane winds of 52 mph, with wind chill factors of 30 below zero swept 24 of snow to roof tops, across driveways and through the busiest of streets. Most Central students were shut in for four to six days and had to find means of keeping warm and content. The movie theaters, malls, and other crowd- gathering places were closed. It was difficult to snowmobile or cross country because of the snow's record-breaking depth. Central students involved themselves in other exciting activities. John Singleton, Pat Kelly, Jay Cavitt and Jeff Lyons, better known as the Boys from Room 318,” spent three and a half days at a Quality Inn in South Bend. After seeing the Nazareth concert at the ACC they discovered that their car had been locked up in a garage and, because of deteriorating road conditions, they had no way of getting home. For the next 3 2 days they entertained themselves by participating in elevator races, pitching pennies and eating lots of roast beef. Because their savings totaled twelve dollars. Jay’s mother asked that their bill be sent to her. The whole affair, they said, was a lot of fun but, when the three hundred and eighteen dollar bill from the inn came home, another disaster began to blow. Senior Mike McAfee used his four wheel drive to transport WTRC people to work. This was a break from the monotony of cabin fever. Several people made money from shoveling out driveways, pulling cars out of drifts and hiking to stores for food and other supplies. Central students had an opportunity to speak to neighbors they hadn’t seen in a long time. By the Wednesday after the storm, many had had their fill of reading and listening to albums, and many students were eager to see their friends again. On February 2 at 8 a.m. students piled into Central for their weekly classes again, only this time there was a different atmosphere that filled the air. Excitement, joy, and happiness were all around. The snow from that storm stayed well into March, but surely stories about Central students’ winter experiences will remain. Blizzard of’78 25