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Page 9 text:
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There were the Roaring Twenties, the Depressed Thirties, the War Marred Forties, the Rock-n-Roll Fifties, and the Radical Sixties . . . and then there are the Seventies. Wrapped up in the trials and tribulation of the late 60 ' s, the early 70 ' s were not clearly defined. Characteristics, too, of previous decades lingered as we moved into the new dec¬ ade, unsure of what was to come. Through our involvement in the Viet Nam War, the na¬ tion sadly experienced an overwhelming amount of vio¬ lence and death — not only from the casualties of the war itself, but also from the violent protests and riots such as Kent State that were a result of the war. Death became a reality at Groveton when fellow classmates; Bill Daly, Bob Alymer, Bill Bruso, Hartley Maddox, Willie D ' Martino and more recently Chris Hansen and Robert Brummett lost their lives. We said good-by to some of our heroes, B-B-B Bing, The King (Elvis), Golda Meir and Groucho. If the public had their way some government leaders would be serving their life sentences in jail. Corruption hit an all time high when Tricky Dick and his gang of faith¬ ful White House aides pulled the plug on trust in govern¬ ment. The question: was justice done? . . . Pardon me, Gerald. The Fairfax School Board was not untouched by the scandalous trend as the recently appointed student member embezzled funds for personal use (scuba diving equipment) glug . . . glug . . .! In 1976 we realized our age but didn ' t lie about it. A new and fresh spirit transcended — The Spirit of ' 76. While the nation was reviewing its heritage, the Groveton Com¬ munity, too, looked back with the publishing of Snake Hill to Spring Bank. But as we celebrated the Bicentennial, prices went up and the dollar went down. The government had survived 200 years but couldn ' t stop the price of a 100 candy bar from going up to 250. Then came the Energy Crisis. We helplessly watched the price of gas sky-rocket beyond our pockets and black was surely beautiful when oil became more scarce than gold. Realizing our resources were diminishing, our unwritten motto became Bring in the new and recycle the old. At Groveton G.A.S.P. started its aluminum can raffles. Solar energy became a serious consideration for the future and Groveton heralded the idea by having its own Sun-day (G.O.R.P. and all). We even attempted to save energy by coming up with a test-tube baby. With a slap on the beaker a cry of new life was heard ' round the world. We were getting more intelligent and the School Board gave birth to the idea of a competency test to prove it. The new grading scale followed and students began to really sweat. Another hot item was arch rival Fort Hunt, which tragi¬ cally burned to a crisp. The issue was a hot potato passed between parents and the School Board as the solution to who gets Fort Hunt, and for how long was solved. Yet somehow the students of Groveton always found a way to step out of the frying pan. We mastered the art of getting cool. Streaking was a craze that brought relief from the heat along with stares, laughs, gasps and worn-out sneakers. And yes, Groveton had its share of the bare. Water Day became a tradition when one hot day a rowdy senior drenched an unsuspect¬ ing junior (or was it vice versa?). The Blizzard of ' 79 cooled everyone off. And the utmost in cool came with the Fonz .Ahayyy! The fashion change was remarkable. We left behind the leather jackets of the 50 ' s, minis of the 60 ' s and turned to everlasting Levis and down jackets. It was TOGA! TOGA! and I can wear higher heels than you. With the new fashions came the new hair styles. We compromised between the hippie look and the crewcut with permanents, crimping, feathering and wings. Farrah Fawcett-Majors, Dorothy Hamill and the capital of the shampoo companies grew as fast as the world ' s hair. Spurred on from the 60 ' s was the fight for equal rights. Billie jean scored a point for Women ' s Lib and ERA. Anita Bryant tried to put the squeeze on gay rights and Bakke moved forward with the court decision over reverse dis¬ crimination. Eighteen year olds got their right to vote, but stayed away from the polls. The decade was not without fads. Citizen Band radios had the nation speaking a whole new language . . . Do ya copy. Good Buddy? Vans were movin ' and skateboards groovin ' as the nation set to wheels. And for those craving for good old fashioned huffing, puffing, wheezing and keel¬ ing over, jogging was something to run for. The Junk Food Junkies were over shadowed by Ewell Gibbon and his hic¬ kory nuts as people got back to nature. When folks weren ' t running, riding or eating they were planted in their neighborhood theaters spending $3.50 and breaking box offices records. We jumped while Jaws munched, we cheered while Rocky punched and we roared at Marty (Young Frankenstein) Feldman ' s hunch (what Hump?). Star Wars and Superman brought back fond memories of Buck Rogers. Yet John Travolta (Saturday Night Fever) made the most impact. John pranced, girls glanced and the disco craze was suddenly the in thing. Yet somehow Groveton was left in the cold for still school dances drew amazing crowds of 5 to 10 people (including the 4 chaperones and the janitor on duty). Groveton had its share of entertainment mostly in the form of pranks. Ronald McDonald (with a beer can) on top of the old Groveton can ' t be matched for guts and class. Numerous spray paint attacks on Fort Hunt will always be remembered. And recently Mr. Big Boy climbed aboard our roof top. Several athletes of the 70 ' s made their mark in history. In the ' 72 Olympics, Mark Spitz swam for gold and in ' 76 Nadia Commenci was perfect. The Redskins made the Super Bowl and the Bullets became World champions. Groveton produced some winners also. We had our speedsters in Herbie Carter and Sherry James. Nancy Soltis was a grand slam in tennis and Vincent Bailey a homerun in baseball. The achievements of Alvin Cowans in football will probably never be matched (at least at Groveton), as he rushed his way to full college scholarship and a shot at the World Champion Pittsburgh Steelers. The girls hockey team made a name for Groveton by capturing a state title . . . Groveton ' s one and only. Coaches came and went but none so fast as football coaches, who changed as frequently as principals Mr. Turner to Mr. Rayburn and most recently (drum roll please), the seniors ' departure this year, the last class to attend the Ross to the incomparable, incumbent Mr. R. Don Ford. As principals and coaches changed so did schools. With the senior ' s departure this year, the last class to attend the old Groveton, the transformation from the Old Groveton to the New will be complete. This will not only mark the end of nostalgia for the old Groveton but the termination of the decade — one of changes and unpredictables. Nancy Grindlay, Mike Rickard
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