Griffith High School - Reflector Yearbook (Griffith, IN)

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NAME GAME Digits judge students’ fates With television sets blaring and newspapers scattered over the floor, three seniors discovered their diverse futures hingejd on the roll of the big wooden drums in Washington, over 700 miles away. A guy’s vulnerability to the draft is determined by the annual lottery established in 1969. The drawing is held early each year to assign numbers to young men who turn 19 that year, pairing each date with numbers from 1 to 366. If a boy receives a very low number his chances of being drafted are great. If he receives a high number, his chances of being drafted are much less, the safe cut-off number being around 150. Greg Roe’s future is one of almost certainty in being called for duty. Larry Gradek’s is one of uncertainty as to whether he has to go or not. Eutiquio Soto’s is one of relief in that he probably won’t have to go. A high, medium and low number drawn by the boys is the why. Wednesday. Feb. 2, the night of the drawing, Greg was working. Because he starts work immediately after school, he would not know his number until late at night when he returns home. With sweaty palms and anxious faces his parents were home awaiting the results of the lottery. The list was reported on the 5 p.m. news. When the number for October 31 was broadcasted, his mother ' s shrill scream of, “Oh my God, no!” pierced the silence of the Roe’s living room. October 31 was Number 10. When Greg arrived home the only thought on his mind was getting his number. He was crushed when he learned what it was, because a number of 10 means almost certainty in being called for duty. Because he gets out of school at 11:10 a.m., Larry was able to turn to Channel 5 on his television set to watch the noon news and get a report of his number earlier than most other guys. December 21 appeared on the screen. Crossing Larry’s mind was the same question going through thousands of other 18-year-olds. Would he or would he not be called? Would he get a high or a low number? He didn ' t. December 21 was number 80. Larry’s parents aren’t bothered either. They know that the boys are coming home and not too many are going over to Viet Nam. If Larry is called, they’re prepared for it. They feel that every boy should have some military training, but they are still uncomfortable as to their son’s future, just as all parents whose sons get any type of lottery number, low, medium or high. As soon as the newsboy dropped the Hammond Times on the step, Eutiquio was out the door. Frantically scanning through the endless lists of birthdates. he finally spied September 27. “Number 248! September 27 is number 248! Thank God! I probably won’thave to go!” Eutiquio is the luckiest of the three. He got a high enough number to keep him safe from having to serve in the army. His parents are as greatly relieved as their son. They are glad Eutiquio won’t have to go fight in a war that they feel is “not the United States’ problem.” Although the three boys are affected by the lottery in three different ways, they all agree that this method is the fairest to all involved. “Everyone has the same chances of being called,” “the draft is set up so everyone has a year before he is called, and What other way could it be done?” are the ideas expressed by the three seniors on the draft. A statement from Greg summed up the feelings of all three, “Although the draft is fair to all guys, it still isn’t right. I don ' t think we should have to go if we don ' t want to.” Like a magnet attracting metal, the annual draft lottery drew clusters of shop students as they learned their fates. 13

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WHAT NOW? Approximately half of Griffith’s graduates attend some form of post-high school training. What about the other 50 per cent? What alternatives do they have? Two major ones: work, armed forces NAME GAME Financial, personal wants influence student employment What’s a teenager’s dirtiest four- letter word? WORK! Or is it? Those with jobs may disagree, and even claim that work has solved many problems. Money dilemmas mounted at an alarming rate as students shouldered more and more personal expenses. That mere $2-a-week allowance could not survive a barrage of demands for new nylons, tickets to the games, gas and church contributions. To solve financial troubles, students worked after school and on weekends in jobs which ranged from carhopping at Dog ‘n’ Suds to garbage collecting for the sanitation department. Farsighted college-bound students built nest eggs by putting the present to good use. Spending hours standing sentinel to a cash register, they discovered tennis shoes weren’t enough to buffer aching feet against a hard floor. Still others found work could even be fun. Hours passed quickly as the boredom of preparing double cheeseburgers was dispelled by camaraderie with fellow workers. Uncertain of what kind of career to pursue, other students took jobs for the experience. Working as gas station attendants, some discovered an interest in auto mechanics. Girls who enjoyed babysitting and watching younger siblings considered jobs in pediatrics and teaching, while acquiring practical knowledge for future motherhood. To earn both money and credits, students joined Distributive Education. Devoting half their school day to work, they fulfilled school requirements as they gained on-the-job experience. Payday compensated for hard work, late hours and limited free time. The new midicoat received extra care and Sports Illustrated was read with greater relish when bought with hard-earned money. Students discovered that the four-letter word work” actually spelled the 21-letter phrase, “financial independence.” For a gleam to attract prospective buyers, Larry Thiel polishes a gun stock. Rapidly taking another order, Denise Stokes hides her fatigue behind a pleasant face. 12

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T ■■ en-speeds, rock concerts, beach parties whittle at blissful days To assist Brian Konopasek in mastering the flutter kick, senior Jeff Allman observes swimming style. Jeff taught elementary students during the summer to earn extra spending money. Meditating on lyrics from a James Taylor song, Ron Smith and Jackie Starek pay attention to Bill Hart ' s melody at the Dunes The park is a popular gathering grounds for students during summer While screaming students dutch the safety bar. the sky wheel whirls amidst a blur of lights A panorama of tree tops, house roofs and upturned faces greets riders as they glide breathlessly over the top Heaving a sledge hammer at the Lion ' s Club Fourth of July fair, junior Mark Adams attempts to test his manpower 14