Big Sandy High School - Pioneer Yearbook (Big Sandy, MT)

Page 13 text:

1973-74: a year of giving, caring, living, sharing ... a year of love shown in many different ways. Many events in this year seemed to involve no love at all; yet the country and the world still overcame seemingly insurmountable obstacles through giving, caring, living, and sharing together. In early 1973, the native Americans of our country laid claim to their rights as they captured Wounded Knee, South Dakota, in an ironic reversal of history. Although the American Indians were still oppressed in many ways throughout this year, important gains were made in their fight for freedom climaxed at Wounded Knee. During this year, Americans began to realize that the media was an extremely important instrument of change in our country. Tele- vision programs such as The Waltons and Happy Days followed fashion trends in reviving the styles and moods of recent decades. Movies such as American Graffiti also carried the trend. Other movies were as varied as the American people - Felix the Cat, Jonathon Livingston Seagull, Last Tango in Paris, and everything in between. On the national political level, the energy crisis made the nation painfully aware of our limited resources. Thermostats were turned down, those wishing to buy gasoline were turned away, and a lot of people were turned off. Speed limits were reduced to 55 m.p.h. in each state, including Montana, and Americans began to learn to take their time instead of rushing from one place to another. The Arab-Israeli conflict resumed, as Dr. Henry Kissinger acted as chief diplomat in the Middle East and other locales. Meanwhile, Watergate hearings made impeachment a household word, as Presi- dent Nixon kept insisting upon his innocence. The Women’s Lib movement continued to relax traditionally strict roles for men as well as women, and many more states, including Montana, ratified the Equal Rights Amendment, almost making it an addition to the Constitution. Americans still found time to enjoy the eternal battle of the sexes, though, as Billie Jean King soundly defeated Bobby Riggs in the tennis match of the decade. Tragedy struck in 1974 as the Symbionese Liberation Army kid- napped newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst with a demand for additional food for welfare recipients. Meanwhile, the streaking fad struck the nation, as young people and not-so-young people let it all hang out in public. 1973-74: a year of many unforgettable historical landmarks; some good , some bad, some constructive , some destructive. Through it all, the people of the world, including the residents of Big Sandy, showed they cared through the ways they gave, lived, and shared throughout the year. 9