Concordia Lutheran High School - Luminarian Yearbook (Fort Wayne, IN)

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BELOW: President Jimmy Carter re- sponds to applause in the House Cham- ber of the Capitol just prior to the begin- ning his energy proposals to a Joint Ses- sion of Congress. Vice President Walter Mondale is at left, House Speaker Thom- as P. O ' Neill, right. (AP Laserphoto) ABOVE: Piles of snow created by plow- ing out the parking lot nearly hide this car from view. LEFT: Lowered thermostats comply with voluntary cut-backs during the energy crunch. SNOW — ENERGY 9

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Snow and little coal creates crisis For the people of Fort Wayne and other mid- western areas, the winter of 78 was considered a disastrous one due to the combination of a bliz- zard, an energy shortage, and a flood. On Wednesday evening, January 25, the bliz- zard warnings that had been predicted all day finally became reality. With ten inches of snow already on the ground, no one looked favorably at the thought of a blizzard. However, Old Man Winter felt otherwise. Within the next 24-48 hours, Fort Wayne received 12 new inches of snow along with winds gusting up to 50-60 m.p.h. For almost four days, only snowmobiles, four- wheel drive and emergency vehicles were permit- ted on the streets as plows struggled to remove the drifted snow. Concordia canceled six days of classes, delaying the start of the second semester by a week. In spite of the conditions, a small group of Concordia students and faculty helped deliver food supplies to elderly people in Fort Wayne during the emergency. As if the snow emergency situation wasn ' t enough, less than four weeks later striking coal miners threatened the country ' s supply of elec- tricity. Homes, businesses, and schools received orders from the Indiana Public Service Co. to cut back in their use of heat and electricity. The boys ' basketball sectionals were held immediately after school instead of in the evening to conserve ener- gy. After being on strike for 109 days, the miners finally agreed to a contract on March 24. Many students were glad to see the end of the cafete- ria ' s sack lunches and paper plates. The week of March 20 brought one more win- ter-related problem when Mayor Armstrong was forced to declare a flood emergency. The melted snow caused the three rivers to leave their banks, flooding many residential homes and streets. Over 100 CLHS students volunteered to fill sandbags for the city. As we reflect on the hardships and struggles of the winter months, we definitely learned the im- portance of adapting to situations beyond our control. We will remember the disasters of the ' 78 winter, but more important, the changes it brought in our lifestyles. RIGHT: Snow banks limit two- and four- lane streets to one lane throughout the snow emergency. 8 SNOW — ENERGY

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Changing together as we . . . relax in the lounge . . . work at summer jobs . . . prepare Homecoming floats and decorations try out for play parts . . gain experience as a radio operator . . . submit themes for Christmas Dance anticipate vacations . wait for weekends to see basketball games . . . study in the library ... try to get lockers open ... go to rock concerts and movies ... O STUDENT LIFE DIVISION