Elkhart Memorial High School - Monolith Yearbook (Elkhart, IN)

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Charger Cha The party of the century is a hit Crash! boom! bang! these ere the sounds that marked the deginning of the Statue of Liberty's pecond century in July of 1986. Miss Liberty was given to the iPnited States as a gift from France in 1886. Through the years, she had suffered serious deterioration in Several parts of her framework. But ‘wo years of renovation and $75 Jnillion later, Miss Liberty was ready ‘0 reopen. Of the many operations ‘hat contributed money for the ‘enovations, the Memorial student yody made a contribution of $700 tarned with a dance held in honor of Miss Liberty last year. The Statue of Liberty received | | Elkhart may not qualify as ‘ruins,’ but the city project to im- srove the area has been named for he mythical phoenix bird that is ‘eborn and ‘“‘rises from the ruins.” ‘vhe Rebuild Elkhart || Phoenix Pro- rect, a long-term plan to improve the ! nconvenienced motorists were forced to Jetour around the Jackson Street bridge as renovations of newly built iron stan- dards, and, as a new effect, the torch was changed to have a gold leaf ap- pearance. Miss Liberty was also bathed and scrubbed before her grand reopening. The 100th birthday celebration for Miss Liberty, held in New York, hosted six million spectators from all over the country, including the presi- dent of the United States and his family. The French president, Fran- cois Mitterand, made the trip to the United States for Liberty weekend. Included in the ceremonies was a naval procession consisting of over 40,000 ships from 30 different na- tions in New York harbor, an elab- Elkhart gets city, was cause for objections from Elkhart citizens. One of the most controversial undertakings was that of the com- munity center on the corner of Benham and Indiana Avenue. Many objected to bringing people, it was under reconstruction to be widened, a project that took all summer to complete. LUCCHESE’S ITALIAN DELI OPEN — DETOUR TO EAST JACKSON especially youngsters, to an area that is already occupied by taverns an lounges. orate fireworks display, the relighting of the statue, a rededication of the statue, and a big birthday bash for Miss Liber- ty. The weekend was a time that the people of the nation were able to cut loose and be themselves for a little while. The Fourth of July weekend ended with a bang—as a 25- minute firework finale conclud- ed the weekend in New York harbor. Spectators all over the nation could watch the phenomenon on their television sets all day long as Miss Liber- ty was entering her 101st year of existence. -¢- a face lift into a farmer’s market. The Bucklen Opera House, a historical downtown structure, was demolished late last year, despite attempts to save the run-down building. The space will be used as a parking lot. The city also has plans to build a deck over the Ar- thur’s Midway Motor Lodge parking lot that would be on street level and open to the public to enjoy. The proposal to close Waterfall Drive behind Midway Motor Lodge and make it into a riverside park was rejected because some people believed it would cause traffic pro- blems. Many Main Street storefronts have undergone improvements and others are still in the process of gettin face-lifts. New stores may soon be added, with the help. of the city, d generally to help make downtown a nicer place to Ictober’s tornado that touched down near elkhart Central High School damaged parts Mf Elkhart’s east side, including this fallen ree at Rice Elementary School. The idea was passed, however, and the center will be set up in the old A?P store building. A variety of educational and recreational pro- grams will be available to everyone, and it should be a fun place to go, according to Mayor James Perron. Programs would be set up to in- clude teen help programs as well as facilities for sports. Most of the Phoenix projects are centered around downtown Main Street. Plans were made to make the old railroad depot on Main Street in- to the National New York Central Railroad Museum, as well as developing part of the freight house be, in the hopes of Mayor Perron. In addition to these building im- provements, the city water, sewers, and road- ways are being repaired and improved. According to Mayor Perron, this program can benefit everyone in the community but needs support—not only from adults, but from the young people of Elkhart as well. -0- Hooray for Dennis Conn : er who b te only American to win the America’s Cup rps after losing it in 1983. Even the tough ustralian team was little Challenge for the ne of “Stars and Stripes,” mericans had another reason to cheer j : ee ay a as Jeana Yeager iis Plane that would fly non- around the world ... and they didl Te Voyager took seven d : history-making journey. one te At the same Celebrating a victo Ing a tragedy. Ja Prepared by Activitie McKeehan. Marcos left behind her col- lection of 3,000 pairs of shoes when she and her husband Fer- dinand Marcos fled the Country. AIDS con- tinued to claim lives, one of ‘a hich was amous — piani den Some People argued that aon ads on national TV. would help reduce that Psa Goa but because of the con- , these peu a have not been put on The world may not have been perfect place, but People were ape make it better. The campaign against drunk driving grew as the local police enforced the ge Taal ia drunk drivers. The Ace any a j oe Die ah SO gave free rides home on The race for Indiana's Repr i ae Third District grew hot as Sayegh a Ward competed for the position. INS were even hotter after (yes, after) : election. The punch card ballot system nae Was put to the test when Ward : le Of a recount. Each candidate claimed oh oper the real winner of the race down to Noe’ end when Hiler was Officially This year May go down in History books as “the year the Reagan Administra- tion goofed.”’ With the controversy of the tran Scam surfac- ed many claims of Reagan's i i gan’s incompetency Photos Courtesy of The Elkhart Truth, 4

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q the insider White House shaken President Reagan has often been refer- red to as the most personable man to oc- cupy the White House in years. His image of a confident, capable man earned him two terms in office and the trust of a great many Americans. That trust was severely shaken in the President's second term, however, when he and several of his top advisers were accused of being involved in an illegal operation with the countries of Iran and Nicaragua. In July of 1986 a number of American hostages had been released by Lebanese terrorists. The speaker of Iranian Parlia- ment had played a major role in per- suading the terrorist group to let the Americans go—and Reagan seized the moment to express both thanks and hopes for improved U.S.-Iranian relations. The Iranians seemed to want the same. They said Reagan could take the freeing of the TWA hostages as a sign of their sincerity. This began what would eventually become known as ‘Project Recovery,” a well-meaning but misplaced attempt to heal the relations between the two coun- tries. Reagan hoped that he could not only end the bloody six-year stalemate war between Iran and Iraq, but also secure the release of hostages in the Middle East. But the deal didn’t turn out as planned. Soon after these new relations were open- ed, the National Security Council Chief Robert C. McFarlane, along with Chief of Staff Donald Regan, National Security Ad- visor John Poindexter, and Lt. Colonel Oliver North came to the President with a request. They wanted to use the new channels of communication to obtain the release of CIA station chief William Buckley, who had been kidnapped in Beirut, Lebanon in 1984. According to McFarlane, Reagan gave the okay. But Iran wouldn't cooperate for free. It hardened its position by flatly demanding 500 U.S. made anti-tank missiles in ex- change for Buckley’s life. U.S. officials agreed—but the wrong hostage was released. It was later discovered that Buckley had died several months before. But they had gotten some results, so the shipments continued—largely organized by the CIA. The sales generated around $30 million in profit. Why not, recognized an unknown per- son, use the Iranian money to buy weapons for the Contras in Nicaragua? Although Congress had already established a law denying military aid to the Nicaraguan rebels, North set up just such an operation with the CIA. The shipments began in January of 1986 and continued until early October, when one of the resupply flights was downed over Nicaragua. The pilot was captured at the crash site. By that time, the Iranian arms scandel was already starting to unfold to the public. Reagan immediately assured Con- gress that he knew nothing about it. But as time passed, discrepancies in his story began to surface. By the beginning of the new year, Reagan seemed to have trouble remembering many aspects of the deal. Americans began to wonder about the ef- fects of the President’s age, as well as his ability to keep informed about staff ac- tivities. Although the President finally ap- peared on national television in March to clear up confusion over the event and where the guilt lay, the entire episode had already left the American people with a severe lack of confidence in their national leaders. -o- Terrorists Threaten US), In late December 1985, three young men entered the Leonardo da Vinci Airport in Rome. They moved toward the TWA counter and suddenly pulled out machine guns. In another part of the airport, four more did the same thing. Bursts of gunfire and explosions echoed through the terminal. People dove for cover as grenades went off and bullets whistled by. Just as quickly, the firing stopped, with only the footfall of running men to be heard. The terrorists left behind 14 dead and over a 100 injured. Among the Sha was an 11-year-old American girl. It was by no means the deadliest terrorist incident of recent years, but it was Clearly one of the most vicious. In the past five years, terrorism has gone from rare and unheard of, to a level before unthinkable. Within the last year alone there were nearly 900 reported acts of terrorism ave to the State Department). Over a third of these hundreds took place in the Middle East. The reason for the excessive number of incidents taking place in the Middle East was the many hostile organizations and groups that existed. Some were new, like the Hamadi Clan, but other groups, like the PLO, have existed for decades. All these groups were fighting in the same general area; the close confines made clashes frequent. All these organizations saw terrorism as the easiest method of gaining power. Many of these groups, if not all, see themselves as the future leaders of the Middle East. The Middle East was not the only region of the world that was plagued - with terrorism. Europe too had seen its share of death and destruction. Bombings in French cities. Outright assassination in Germany. Hijacking had also taken its toll, not only on airplanes, but ships too. The Achille Lauro, an Italian cruise ship, was hijacked in mid-1985. During this crisis an American was murdered, | just as in the TWA hijacking that took place in 1985. One form of terrorism many European groups didn’t seem to indulge in is kidnapping. This was mainly a Middle Eastern activity. The most popular nationality of hostages seemed to be American. Lebanon alone held nearly a dozen American hostages and at least 23 from other countries during the year. For the past several years, one government after the other has tried their hands at hostage situations. Even though a few resulted in the release of a hostage, many only led to even more trouble. Church of England envoy and negotiator Terry Waite had secured the release of a few of the hostages but he was also captured, probably by the same group he was working with, the Shitte Muslims, some sources said. Until early 1986, terrorism was viewed as something that couldn't happen at home, but some government officials believed that wouldn't be true for long. The National Security Adviser and his aides said that it may be only a matter of time before terrorists turn their eyes to the U.S. -¢- They paced states in search of peace 400 people ... 3,701 miles ... Nine months ... Across 15 states ... Why? To set an example in the name of peace. Indiana was among the 15 states the protesters passed through. Not only did they pass through Indiana, they stayed in the city of Elkhart. Churches opened up to prepare food and feed the protesters. They camped in the open area of McNaughton Park and distributed flyers to promote the Peace March. David Mixner, grand marshall of the Great Peace March, set out with 400 supporters across America from Los Angeles early last spring (1986) destination: Washington, D.C. These people had begun a protest against nuclear weapons. Among the 400 people were 42 children—the youngest of whom was 10 months old. Each of the 400 people were expected to pay $1.71 each day of the march to assist with the costs of the food and supplies. The marchers had some initial problems with getting their permit, but the march went on. (The permit was necessary since the march was. like a parade). Still the marchers began to have money problems the | second week after they started. They almost gave up, ‘‘but with courage and determination they finished their symbolic action” (Life, Jan. 87). The Great Peace March raised both com- |} munity and national awareness of |} the potential danger that the interna- |} tional arms race poses for citizens all over the world. -o- | i | | | t || | I | | ih 1)

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the inside Out with old, in with new rooms Memorial underwent over $750,000 worth of renovations to several areas of the building during the summer and throughout the school year. The replacement of carpet in A-hall, the remodeling of the library, the addition of the new freezer and cooler in the cafeteria, the addition of three classrooms and the remodeling of two classrooms in the science and math departments, updating of the lights in the auditorium, plus the lowering of the drinking fountains and remodeling of “Bless this mess” a plaque in her office read, but most people considered the office of Activities Director Miss Alice McKeehan to be spirited and busy rather than messy. With a smile and an occasional stern repri- mand, Mrs. Coe Strain guided enriched sophomore English students through ac- tivities from mythology to “personality projects.” 28 the restrooms for the handicapped in B-hall are the things that kept the in- side of EMHS looking good and working better. Many students found the library the one renovation that really caused a true change to the school. Linda Sigler felt that the school had lost something when the open library ceiling was remodeled. “| had a Central exchange student visiting with me last year, and she said the most exciting thing about our school was our library. | think we've lost that,” said Sigler. Freshman Sharon Brotherton said she felt the school had lost some of its character and variety from other schools. “At first they (students) didn’t like it, but they are now beginning to,” librarian Mrs. Della Mitchell said. -¢- Reconstruction work on Memorial’s library began last school year and lasted throughout summer. Librarian Mrs. Della Mitchell works to restock the shelves for its reopening. McKeehan, Strain leave EMHS “It’s time to get on with another part of life,’ ad- mitted Mrs. Coe Strain. Mrs. Strain, along with Activities Director Miss Alice McKeehan, retired from their posi- aol tions at EMHS at the conclusion of the 1986-1987 school year. Both Miss McKeehan and Mrs. Strain have worked at Memorial since the school’s inception in 1972, after a number of years at the old Elkhart High School. Mrs. Strain was instrumental in setting up Memorial’s drama program, after do- ing drama at EHS, and served as the drama coach for several years. “| learned a lot about music the first couple of years,’’ said Mrs. Strain, of her work on Memorial’s musicals. Her background in college had prepared her only in drama and English. Naturally, it took a lot of work to put on four shows a year, usually working four nights a week through the end of each school year. ‘| had to take naps on the floor of my office sometimes,’’ she remembered. “After a while, | got to the place where | was physically unable to get here at 7 in the morn- ing and leave at 10 at night, September through April.” Eventually, Mrs. Strain also joined the Humanities teachin team—while still teaching Englis and Drama, of course. All three of Mrs. Strain’s children are graduates of EMHS. Being at school with them proved to be an ex- perience at times. “I'll never forget the time my son came into class—in the middle of it—with the sliding door of my Volkswagen on his arm,” she laughed. “Memorial is a big part of my life, but | guess (wanting to retire this year) is just wanting to get out before they start to say, ‘Is she still here?’ ” But Mrs. Strain said that there are a lot of things she will miss next year. “You don’t do anything for 30 years and not miss it,” said Strain. Organizing Memorial’s drama departmen t was also what first brought Mrs. Strain into working with Miss McKeehan. When Elkhart High School was split, Dr. Palmer Mart needed someone to help take the load off of Mrs. Strain by hand- ling the financial end of the drama groups’ performances. The position of ‘‘Activities Direc- tor’’ was established by Dr. Mart in 1968, and ever since the role has been filled by Miss McKeehan. “Dr. Mart had some pretty definite ideas about what he wanted done,” said Miss McKeehan. “‘I guess | was fortunate. | did a good job, and when the two schools split, they maintain- ed the position in both schools.” There was at one time in Memorial’s history, however, a dispute over whether or not the position of ac- wile director would continue to exist. ‘About eight or nine years ago we | | were in a big financial bind in the school corporation,’ remembered Miss McKeehan. ‘‘They wanted to eliminate this position ... the staff got really uptight about it. They had a meeting. | didn’t know anything | about it. But they were so concerned | about it that they called the) superintendent—who was .in con- ference at the time—and called him | out of the conference to talk about it. So they made a couple of changes for that year, and the position stayed.” | The main purpose of having an} “Activities Office’ was to alleviate some of the duties of group spon- sors and the assistant principal. Miss McKeehan’s office handles everything from organizing the mor-. ning announcements to fitting the seniors for caps and gowns. For what seems to be a rather high-pressure job at times, Miss McKeehan has missed surprisingly few days in the past 15 years. She admitted to about 15 or 20 total—a record that few people could match. But the hardest thing to replace after this year may be the ex-| periences of a lifetime that both Mrs. | Strain and Miss McKeehan have of- | fered to Memorial and its students. From Day One 15 years ago, both} have played key roles in raising ‘‘the | new school” to its working place in; the Elkhart community—and its students along with it. “It's going to be a difficult transition,’ said Principal Carolyn Cook. -2-