Great Neck South High School - Vista Yearbook (Great Neck, NY)

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Edward Sinrich Assistant Principal 23 Dr. Paul Rupff Assistant Principal

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Gilbert Blum Principal Class of 1976 This bicentennial year our thoughts have been focused on our founding fathers and the men and women who contributed to the establishment of our country and society. They have provided us with the opportunity to enjoy a free education which has too often been taken for granted and which still remains beyond the reach of millions of people throughout the world. John F. Kennedy said, “Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education.” 1976 is a time to reflect and to appreciate. Benjamin Franklin expressed it vividly when he said, “Wise and good men (women) are the strength of a state much more so than riches.” He also was quite prophetic in referring to the lack of education by stating, “It is hard for an empty sack to stand upright.” Our country and our revolution have made slow but steady progress toward the ideals expressed in the documents signed by our founding fathers. We all realize that the attempt to wipe out racial discrimination has been slow paced and still far from being fully attained. We also recognize the general acceptance of sexism and the very late understanding of what this is doing to and for the women in our nation. Our country has made great strides in a technical sense as demonstrated by our placing people on the moon, creating instant entertainment and communica- tion through television, and all sorts of other electronic, scientific, and computerized wonders. However, we still have not found the answer to a lasting peace, nor have we made much progress in having people understand and accept each other’s differences, each other’s needs, each other’s wants, and each other’s feelings. In spite of this we take heart because we are a free nation and as Thomas Jefferson said, “Where the press is free and every man (woman) able to read, all is safe ...” “Enlighten the people generally and tyranny and oppressions of both mind and body will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn of day.” The hope of all of us is that the young such as those in the Class of 1976. will take up the torch and continue and perhaps accelerate our revolution. It is a charge which we give to the young that they follow the guidelines of whose who came before and move us toward a society where all men and women are created equal and truly free of anxiety and restrictions in their pursuit of happiness. Adlai Stevenson said of Eleanor Roosevelt what we would hope would be the motto of all our youth — “She would rather light candles than curse the darkness. To the Class of 1976 may I offer the wish for a future with very little darkness and the hope that you will have the strength, the wisdom, and the desire to light candles throughout your life and thereby create a better world for us all. 22

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