Cambria Heights High School - Highlander Yearbook (Patton, PA)

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A 71 UE OF LEARNING • . .

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1972 — ATT UETO REMEMBER It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. It was a season of hope and joy; it was a time of fear and sorrow. It was a time for looking to the promise of the future, for dreaming dreams and building the courage to reach those dreams. It was a time for looking back nostal- gically to an earlier age — the 50’s — for a simplicity and innocence that our age could not offer. It was a period of laughter, excitement, thrills, tears, and wonder. It was 1973. Internationally, 1973 was a most beautiful year. It brought PEACE. The Vietnam War ended on January 27 giving us in high school our first real taste of peace ever. Warmer relations with both China and the Soviet Union give us hope that this newly found peace may continue for a genera- tion. Yet, the joy of peace also reminds us of the sadness of loss suffered by so many during the war. Nationally, 1973 was a year of many faces. It brought the re-election of President Nixon and gave some of us the privilege of participating in our first election because the voting age was lowered to eighteen. 1973 then brought the deaths of two great presidents, Truman and Johnson, leaving the United States with no former presidents for the first time in a century. The electronic wonder of television allowed us to intimately share the reunion of the prisoners of war with their families, to sense the emotions of men who had never seen their seven year old sons, to feel the love and courage maintained by men and women through horribly long and cruel separations. 1973 also ended the draft, easing the apprehension of all young men who approached the draft lottery hoping not to win. But 1973 had its bad moments, too. Crime and drugs continued to eat away at the moral fiber of our nation, leaving good citizens living in fear. A U. S. Senator, John Stennis, was shot by young muggers on a quiet street for no reason. We felt our parents quietly struggle against ever increasing prices and listened as they wondered how long things could go on this way. Locally, 1 973 offered something for everybody. For the sports fan 1 973 was unforgettable. The Pirates came within 1 wild pitch of making the World Series while the Steelers for the first time ever won a division championship and took one giant step towards the Super Bowl on Franco Harris’ miracle reception. Then, on December 31 the sports world caved in. First, the Steelers lost to the Dolphins; then Roberto Clemente tragically died on his way to help earthquake victims. The work scene was better as the mines and mills that are the backbone of the income in our area provided steady work for our fathers. Finally, the year brought another election to the Cambria Heights area with Arnold Miller, a disabled miner, challenging and defeating Tony Boyle for the leadership of the powerful miners union. Still, our concerns in 1973 were more with personal matters than international or even local problems. 1973 was a year of decision. First we had to decide our form of education, whether to continue with traditional education or to attend the new Vo-Tech school. Then as graduation approached, we had to make decisions that could affect us for a lifetime — to look for a job (what kind of job?), to attend college (despite warnings that there were too many college gradu- ates?), to get married? to travel and put our heads together? 1973 was a year of personal growth too. Faced with the reality of losing the security of school, we realized why 1 8 year olds are now considered adults. Still, no growth is made without mistakes and personal embarrass- ments which seemed so tragic at the time but now can be looked at with laughter. But most of all 1 973 was a time to build memories — memories of Yaba Daba Doo, hit songs quickly forgotten, special dates, flunked tests, term papers that seemed impossible to complete, demanding but con- cerned teachers, and friendships that will lighten our lives forever. This was the school year 1 973.

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A TIME OF LONELINESS . . .