James Madison University - Bluestone Schoolmaam Yearbook (Harrisonburg, VA)

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I uban refugees fled Cuba ' s ptrCertv ' and hunger in rafts made of oil drums, inner tubes, and wooden planks. The United States reversed a 28-year-old policy of not granting Cubans asylum, letting in at least 20,000 a year. I | ' il war in Bosnia was de- structive, withmore than200,000 people dead or missing. Even vqth NATO air strikes and U.N. sanctions, Bosnian Serbs rejected international peace plans while receiving war supplies from their allies. sot Japan experienced js earthquake on J 17,1995. Hundreds of buildings ' toppled to the ground starting fires and killilng more than 5,000 people. before the the public con- cern about the direction America ' s health care plan was taking. The First Lady led the health care task torce.

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ithe JMU community lived, thought and leamedMthe ' small Harrisonburg microcosm that made up our surroundings, occurrences elsewhere shook and shocked the world. The year was marked by surprises and stories as we experienced 1994 and 1995. One of the biggest news stories of the year was the O.J. Simpson murder case. Simpson was a suspect in the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Simpson and her friend, Ron Goldman. After an absurd highway chase led police and T.V. viewers over miles of California freeways last summer, the entire fall was devoted to pre-trial deliberations. When the trial finally began on January 23, 1 995, most T.V. programs were pre-empted as the country waited to see what would happen to this former football star. With war as an obvious possibility in Haiti, an American military invasion was prevented when Hai- tian militar) ' rul ers finally bowed to United Nations requirements. Fortunately, peace was maintained when the duly elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, was reinstated. U.S. troops still landed on the island to help keep control while Aristide regained power. Civil strife continued to destroy both Rwanda and Bosnia as factions fought over religious and politi- cal issues. In Rwanda, over 500,000 people were killed and another 2 million fled to refugee camps. The United Nations attempted to control the violence in Bosnia with sanctions and peace talks, but the conflict COM MON Worlds did not resolve itself. Although we hoped for peace in our world, conflicts still exists in many places around the world. There was a glimmer of hope as President Clinton played host to Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and King Hussein of Jordan. The two leaders, enemies since the 1948 creation of Israel, shook hands on the South Lawn of the White House and agreed to find peace in the Middle East. President Clinton said that the two men gave their people a new currencs ' of hope and the chance to prosper in a region of peace. It was also a year of surprises in the social world, as Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley were married. Heather Locklearand rocker, RickieSambora were another couple to tie the knot. Break-ups in Hollywood included Cindy Crawford and Richard Gere, Kevin and Cindy Costner, and Roseanne and Tom Arnold. The 68th Miss America was crowned in Atlan- tic City when Heather Whitestone danced a two-and- a-half minute ballet performed to music she could not hear. The deaf woman from Alabama promoted her slogan, Youth Motivation: Anything is Possible. The year was one of excitement as the world neared the end of the 20th century. As we looked to the next century, the JMU community joined our brothe rs and sisters everywhere with anticipation and hope for our futures. Mlia iell 1 his infamous picture of O.J. SiApwjn and Nicole Brown has beenonthecoverof tabloid maga- zines and flashed on the news. The trial of the ex-football star be- came a national infatuation as the media trailed Ihe episode from he beginning. v fighters work to control Sb fires that spread across the woodland of the Western States. The battle against the scorching lire took place over the entire summer of ' 94 for the pro firefighters and the new recruits. 390 Current Events

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Tot from ■ jo those who spent an unknowingly amounfof time in a room with no windows, with four computers in discontent, and with an abstractly decorated floor of tossed pic- tures and negative sleeves... ho v you all will never forget this experience. Visions of black bombs vxill forever dance in your head and the pleasant sound of Vince spitting his chew will haunt you for years. Ah, remember the davs. Shall I be trite and say it was the little things that pulled us through. The happy song somehow provided quick energy. Twizzlers and diet coke pro ided a stable diet of sugar and caffeine. Sonal ' s laughter... ah, Sonal ' s laughter... it was like the voiceof angel parting the dark clouds that lurked in our minds. Dramatic, yes, but the toils and trau- mas of room 215 217 were damaging. All tragedies aside, creating the year- book proved to be a challenging and reward- ing experience. In the beginning we were all on shakv ground as we entered a new envi- ronment with new responsibilities. 1 tried to appear responsibleandknowledgeableabout my position, but you all quickly saw through my professional facade of calm composure, yearbook lingo, and different color markers. Were we suppose to have a workshop the first weekend back? Did I ask you all to come back early, or something? You all deser e praise, thanks, and apologies. Somehow, with a joint effort we managed to produce this book. Kristi, I know your last semester was difficult, but look at vou now. Incredible how your life can change so quicklv... best of luck. Also, thanks for the dinners and morale boosters. Annie, you are amazing. I don ' t know how you dealt with all our FedEx forms. Whose signature is that? How we did lei those forms pile up on your desk. Thank you for working ith me so patiently. Hani Hong- Madonna surely helped a second time around. I ' m glad to see vou put the 9 lbs back on your tiny bod ' . No more talking to the roommates till 5 a.m. Val, all 1 ha e to say is the American flag, babe. Now you know you should smile. So are you still eating nothing, exercising constantly, and at- tending five meetings a day? To my tivo inseparable sports nuts. Amy and Sonal, oh how 1 did let thou floun- der. Is an I ' m sorry to late. Not saving the changes and closing the spread always works too! Amy, have you burned that sweatshirt vet or did it walk a way? Remember, working under the table is the only ■ay to go. I know you will do an incredible job next year... and the year after... ha-ha. Sonal, my gigglin ' friend, you better ask Tara about Durham! All I have to say is Dante. To my country listenin ' , chew spitKn ' , light house drinkin ' , and BBQ potato chip eatin ' fool. Watch out for your health. So Petrolle,doyouacceptdiningdollars? Maha... it all started when you asked if you could write a few stories. Did you ever thinks ' Well, make it happen. 1 know you will miss hearing proofs are here and canyon get me a quote. Morgan Freeman, Sam Elliot... nothing beats an older man. Tara, why did vou go with one word headlines., the gall. How 1 will miss our trips down tlie hall (so,howdoyou likesledding?) and our late night early morning talks (my did wc get serious). Thank vou for coming into m life. To the photogs... I ' d like to tank you all. Did you all realize that all of vou ha ' e more than one job? Trang, don ' t worr - about slanting pictures. Lisa, ive need our pictures lor the gallerv! Dave, don ' t forget that apron and can you turn up the music... I can ' t hear it. Andeman, photographer extraordinaire, harlev... vou ' ve got the open- ing and the closing, baby. I ' m sorry you don ' t like my new face... that ' s why you vax me eh?. Jason (or is it Jay), vvciuld vou like some cheese with that whine? Don ' t take it personally; it xvas all for fun. Hev what about Porter, what did vou do with her? Sharley, my waif girl, how the sun glistens upon your golden locks. When you spilled the coffee we should have taken it as a sign and walked out the door... and we should have gone to Pargo ' s and passed out in biol- ogy- I would also like to send many thanks to our volunteers and to those people who were not on the staff. Racheland Nirav I believe getting 50 hours proved not to be a problem. To the floofs of 895 KIcsha, thank you for dealing with my insanity. I ' m just happy to say that you all are still my friends... right? You all provided constant support. Jerry Weaver, you are a true miracle worker, but it is still all your fault! Thank you to Pete Lori Griffin for handling my paranoia. SorT ' I left a novel each time I talked on vour answering machine. Linda — vou are such a patient woman. I do hope you get paid well I would also like to thank the media board for supporting each of the mediums and for looking out for our best interest. And so 1 conclude... Todd and Tara sitting in a tree... oops. Kathy needs a... Iet ' not go there. Anyway, 1 hope this book is enjoyed and appreciated. The time, energy, and care that went into creating a permanent record of the uni versit) ' is indescribable. My staff is an amazing group of people who dedicated their year to reproducing your year. Since the book is finished, I think I can say in an elated state of mind that I am glad 1 had this yearbook experience, but 1 am also quite glad that it is over. If you have anv problems with the book, it ' s jerry ' s fault. Sincerely, Katherine A. Hawk Editor-in-Chief 392 Closing