Lanier High School - Viking Yearbook (Austin, TX)

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eniors grew tired of present day news: Patty Hearst, Watergate and Kennedy problems rehashed, Presidential Primaries. Instead, we looked back to our own form of nostalgia -the past 1 1 years of growing, learning and experiencing as individuals that ultimately melted us into Lanier's Seniors of '76 With common backgrounds, primarily from Webb and Burnet Junior Highs, we shared many memories. Those were the days. lVlacDonald's boasted a hamburger, french tries and a coke -with change back from your dollar. Strict dress codes demanded boys tuck in their shirt tails and keep hair trimmed above the collar. Girls couldn't wear pants to school unless the temperature dropped below 32, and when jeans were finally allowed, to us it was a bigger thing than the mini-skirt. The days weren't all sweet and innocent. Student unrests at the High Schools caused by busing carried over to Junior Highs. Riots, racial fights and shake downs for moeny in the restrooms resulted in police squads in the halls. Teachers locked their classes in and an alarming amount of knives, afropicks, bigibelt buckles and even razor blades appeared as weapons. At this time a date was a group walking around Highland Mall, with a stop at Mr. Gatti's. You changed steadies and l.D. bracelets once a week, and spent Friday nights at Pizza lnn with half the school chattering around you. At parties, no lights ever stayed on and Spin the Bottle was THE party game. Puffing your first cigarette made you tuff while Hrunning around gave you a reputation. We didn't really notice the gas war was on, because we mostly walked or rode bikes wherever we needed to go. We cried through Love Story, and passed around rumpled copies of The Godfather whispering l'Fiead page for the good part. The shag haircut appeared everywhere, along with bell bottoms, the layered look, wire rim glasses and smocks. We wore our POW-MIA bracelets hopefully, and for the first time had some interest in Vietnam and world affairs. Being accepted, pushing for a position in a circle of people in the halls, or knowing the Popular People was very important to us. We wanted to belong, and we depended on others to lead and accept us. We were so young and gullible -we had a lot to learn. It was quite an experience, to say the least. But do it over again? Probably not. The future has so much more in store.

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semorms 37

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e Past We Shared P l MF A id I :- Pg' Q g 'I X ,. V EER AD we g ' x if 4 A . 415,35 ev l 'Q' ov 1' Eb ri Xt ,li if 'mfg -1 2 , QW' 1X 2 X? 'I A '- H 1 fit Ili A A od. Being accepted, pushing tor a position in a circle ot people in the halls, or knowing the Popular People was very important to us, It was practically a pecking order as we put Them on a pedestal. 'I DEfENTl0N P P Joss? VQAE35' 'HR' ,Wil mart ,f gy ,s 1 f r tt Q2 l x s f 7551 :5 1 all K l Q lf tl ii r O , I To us, our teachers always looked about 70 years old, and the classroom looked like a playground. Shooting rubberbands, spit- wads or paperballs, Putting tacks in chairs Cor gum under themj all became part ot the classroom scene. ea '7 4 Aff 59-,guy l a G SZ? J ' as 9 . Q 6 I if X f ll, 'X kc 5 V 3. f 'O Q l . i J 9 It Q lx ! It Love was walking arm-in-arm, passing notes, trading l.D. bracelets, sharing a soda or dancing cheek to cheek at a party. l I s SOUL -rl-FN Police patrol in the halls wasn't unusual in some junior highs. Fights, fires in the lockers and bathroom shake downs only increased the problem. shared past 39