Elkhart High School - Pennant Yearbook (Elkhart, IN)

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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

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 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

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 by Mary White Girls' Swimming Hard work propels Wave to sectional win Hard work. . . coming in to morning practices and practicing five or six times a week,” largely led to the success of this year’s Blue Wave girls’ swim team claims coach Karen Leeth. With goals set as high as winning the Sectional, the Goshen Relay, and placing second in the Diving Invitational, the team had much to strive for. They accomplished these goals and more by winning all three. The Blue Wave also finished an outstanding third in the NIC. Out of the Sectional championship team came the following State qualifiers: Sue Harreld, Marianne Arko, Jamie Sachs, Karen Ferguson, Chris Merchant, Tracy Grubb, Tracy Raff, and Miki Miller. These girls compiled enough points to place the team 16th in the state. Sophomore Tracy Grubb received the highest honor of the Central swimmers by placing 4th in the diving competition. The divers, who will all return next season, were helped greatly by the new assistant coach Chuck Best. “Having a diving coach who could stay there with the divers all the time and work with them really helped,” commented Mrs. Leeth. Honors were also given to other members of the team for their outstanding performances. Nina Free, Tracy Grubb, Sue Harreld, and Karen Ferguson all received High Point awards for their respective classes. Miki Miller was this year’s High Point diver while Sue Thompson received the Mental Attitude award. The Most Valuable Participant and the Over All High Point trophies were won by Sue Harreld for her outstanding leadership and swimming ability. With her powerful freestyle stroke, Kim Lidy swam her way to the girls’ swimming scholarship. Coach Chuck Best instructs Tracy Pfaff on her next dive during the Diving Invitational. In flight, Tracy Grubb strikes a front dive with near perfection. Coming up for a breath, Marianne Arko, checks her opponents during the breaststroke competition. 26 Girls’ Swimming