Clinton High School - Eagles Nest Yearbook (Clinton, LA)

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1971-The Supreme Court ruled that busing might be used as a means to achieve racial balance in schools. The voting age was lowered to 18. The U.N. seated Communist China and expelled Taiwan. The Class of 1971, the first majority black class, graduated from Clinton High. Patty ,lo Charlet tDartJ '71: I start crying when I think of all the pep rallies. I was a cheerleader, and school spirit was so important to me. When the schools integrated and all the extracurricular activities were abolished it almost broke my heart, but I'm glad I stayed. l-President Nixon became the first U.S. President to visit China. Edwin Edwards became governor. Gov. George Wallace was shot in Laurel, Md. at a political rally. Five men were arrested while attempting to bug Democratic Committee Headquarters in the Watergate Complex. The Supreme Court declared the death penalty unconstitutional. The War in Vietnam went on. One of the few extra-curricular activities allowed the Class of '72 was their graduation. Bridget Matthews '72: I was one of the first freedom of choice transfers from East H.S. in the 9th grade. There were just a few of us, and it was like stepping off into a whole new world. I can adapt, and by the time I graduated I was a part of CHS. I was president of my class. 1973-Firings, resignations, protestations of I am not a crook, marked Nixon's response to the mounting scandal of Watergate. The twelve year Vietnam Conflict ended. The supreme Court ruled that abortion in the first six months of pregnancy was legal. The Class of '73 became history. Debbie Kemp '73: My strongest memory of the building is of the chemistry room. It was like a combination of Dr. Frankenstein and the nuclear age, on a time line between the old and the new. 1974-Impeachment hearings against Nixon began. In July the House would vote to impeach. In August President Nixon resigned, becoming the first U.S. president to do so. The country reeled with shock. Gerald Ford was sworn in as the 38th president and immediately pardoned Nixon. The Class of '74 graduated. john joe Rouchon, jr. '74: Being a member of one of the classes that went to Clinton High twice, once in the 7th grade before desegregation and in the 11th and 12th grades, my memories of Clinton High School center around the teachers and administrators. Desegregation was an overblown happening. It worried the parents a lot more than the students. 1975-U.S. civilians were evacuated as Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese. Vietnamese refugees fled to America. Former presidential aides John Erlichman and H. R. Haldeman were found guilty of charges stemming from the Watergate cover- up. America's values and self-esteem fell to a low ebb. Out into the world marched the Class of '75. Laura Byrnes lMoodyJ '75: The years I spent at Clinton High School were a time of rebellion. I, and many of my classmates were attempting to establish our own set of morals as well as discover who we were. For me those years were not pleasant because of the confusion that existed in my own mind and the confusion that I felt around me. Since that time I have come to find peace and a meaning for my life in jesus Christ. A new building has changed the physical atmosphere of our school. It is my prayer that a new sense of depth and purpose is being kindled there. 1976-The United States, fresh from the divisive conflicts over civil rights, Watergate, and Vietnam, and feeling every year, celebrated the zoofh anniversary of its independence. A year-long birthday party was declared. Gov. Edwards was re- elected. The Bi-centennial Class finished at C.H.S. jay W. Kemp '76: I was in a work program and only went to school four hours a day in the 11th and 12th grade. I got moved around, only went to school at old CHS those two years. I felt like I missed out on high school the way you think of high school. 1977-Jimmy Carter of Georgia was inaugurated President. He pardoned Vietnam draft evaders. The first woman was ordained an Episcopal priest. The death penalty was brought back. Class of '77 moved on down the line. Joyce Armstead '77: We worried that the old building would collapse. We also worried about getting jobs and having enough money. The basement holds fond memories. 106

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Mary Lee T. Wilson: 1We neededl more help from the central office. The employ- ers, were to administer the public school system, but their children attended private schools. You couldn't very well have the interest of the public schools at heart. You won't put in the extra effort. Helen Franklin: I didn't have any resentment nor a chip on my shoulder but I felt my identity had been taken from me. The adjustment was very, very hard. Dee Dee Hodges: The transition was hardest on the students. They are the ones whose lives were turned upside down. Debbie Kemp: l always thought the school board was the biggest sell out of the whole thing. I know of at least two cases when they interviewed teachers they told them to take it easy, the kids were dumb. They weren't helping us at all. Doug Beauchamp: One of the big things I had worried about was getting the correct education. l wasn't too worried about the social aspects. The reality was just the opposite. Theresa Berryhill: We were allowed to learn about others. Maybe I thought Whites are perfectionists. Every thing they do: their schools are perfect. After 16 years I can say: people are people. Kathleen H. Hopewell: There are some things in my life I am very proud of, and one of them is staying at Clinton High School . . . We were ostracized and called ugly names by other white kids because we stayed. Sixteen years after the transition, teachers and students gave their impressions and memories for this commemorative section. Clockwise from bottom left: Mrs. Theresa Berryhill, Coach Calvin Chapman, Mrs. Dee Dee Hodges, Mrs. Nelwynne Tynes, Mrs. Mary Lee Wilson, Ms. Helen Franklin, Mrs. Ola Pinkney, Ms. Debbie Kemp, Mrs. Earnestine Gordon, Mr. Doug Beauchamp, Mrs. Kathleen Hopewell. Nelwynne Tynes: I think we're better people for having done it . . . Some white parents have said to me 'l wish I'd kept my children in the public schools to start with.' Some are coming back. Ola W. Pinkney: It had an effect on me 'cause I'm back here. l'm very proud to say . . . I'm a graduate of Clinton High. Earnestine Gordon: We had to use our common sense, and common judgement land sometimes our sixth sensej during integration. Calvin Chapman: Every body was scared of the social factors. Coach Polk asked me to ride the gym bus both ways as a peacemaker, as a chaperone. For the first two years everything was lovely, but riding that bus put a strain on me.

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1978-The U.S. Senate voted to return the Panama Canal Zone to Panama in 1999. Proposition 13 to limit government spending by severly cutting property tax rates passed in California. Inflation and unemployment soared. 5 'A ,iVftf-. The Class of '78 graduated, the 40th class to do so from the weary old school. 'ii 5 M. 3 ZV.,, Zyv . ,,, rss Regina Kilbourne '78: By the time I got to Clinton High 111th to 12th jjj . V, . ,,.f ,,,.V, ,Q 5 5 gradesj the building was in pretty bad shape. It could have used some vt'1V ...EA :: ' :': ' K ' renovation. . Band under Mr. jackson was the most enjoyable activity, and my favorite LZA ::--..1- ., I I 5 'AA Q class was world history under Mrs. Gordon. V' V VVVIZA 1 1 .tr , .Y 1979-A nuclear accident at Three Mile Island, Pa., allowed radioactive gas to 1 ffl escape. The worst airline disaster in American history occurred in Chicago. Pope John Paul II visited the U.S. Sixty-three Americans were taken hostage at the 'U.S. Embassy in Teheran. The U.S.S.R. invaded Afghanistan. The r 0, - - - - 1 f : -1-f, -I f E creaking floors of the auditorium creaked once again as the Class of 79 s'se lvci , g g . gg, began the decade of graduation. ' ..... Angel Matthews fButlerJ '79: CHS was just right, it was the way I think In the band room Prior to a football game' 1977' high school should be for everybody. The faculty and student body were all on the same wave length. We just fit. The building was old, and we didn't have air conditioning, but we still learned and had fun. The building wasn't important in what it didn't have. It was our school, and it gave us a lot. 1980-Six U.S. Embassy aides escaped from Iran with Canadian help, but an abortive raid to free the other hostages failed. The U.S. boycotted the Olympics in Moscow. Ronald Reagan defeated President Carter in a Republican sweep. David Treen, the first Republican elected as governor in over a century took office in Louisiana. The Class of '80 graduated. Hanna Williams '80: Our class was basically serious, not a lot of horseplay. Everybody was anxious to graduate. The auditorium was a great place to hang out at recess. We had tough teachers, and I feel well prepared for life. 1981-Just after President Reagan took the oath of office Iran freed the 52 hostages. President Reagan was shot, but recovered, as did Pope John Paul after an assassination attempt in Rome. The first female justice of the Supreme Court, Sandra Day O'Connor was nominated. Prince Charles wed Lady Diana Spencer. On a hot night, the Class of '81 graduated. Darryl Buhler '81: I think of the history associated with CHS where two generations of my family Cboth my parents, my wife, and mei have been educated. My fondest memory is of receiving the American Farmer degree in 1983 fl qualified for this in high schoolj at Kansas City, Mo., in front of 25,000 people and saying I'm proud to be from Clinton. 1982-Great Britain won the Falklands War against Argentina. Warring factions in Lebanon heated up the civil conflict there. Soviet leader Brezhnev died. The first space shuttle completed a five-day trip. The Class of '82 took off into the future. Cheryl Lynn Matthews '82: I remember the way the stairs creaked and being up on the balcony during pep rallies and hollering down stairs. I appreciate the relationships between the teachers and the students and how we all participated in activities. 1983-The Supreme Court ruled that discrimination against older Americans is unconstitutional. Sally Ride became the first U.S. woman in space. Record floods left many homeless in South Louisiana. A rapidly aging Clinton High graduated the Class of '83. Calvin Chapman, jr. '83: I remember trying to decide which college to attend and what my subsequent career would be. The old building looks like a penitentiary. It's old and creaky with creaky floors. The band is my greatest memory. I really enjoyed the halftime shows. WITHIN THESE WALLS . 3 f