Marion High School - Cactus Yearbook (Marion, IN)

Page 31 text:

4 In 'ffl' 4 m..qf..Q ai I' sg' 9' f ' if wr '. . QQ EDQQQZSC5 Q59 Winter

Page 30 text:

l r- V' Q3 ll ln, 3 I K -0- ww .I gy: l ,-u , f if .Q ,f ,mf-'fs-F ., -A ' - A - Jr' y X 'r F V ' 1. .-. 'Wig ?-' Q , 'FDD 'Q t if Rr, 'iii l 5 1' ,P-, 1 --w it! ' ,15 1 L--A Q - -: , ,Q F, 1. ,Q 5 1 me , s, , T +,g:?g.,gf4 it , 4, Q, Q ', I' F ,,, 'V , A- -- u ., , l I ' 'W ,Q -,L v-' . llll..,, 1 T ' i ' Q .s- ' ' t aving already been endowed with more than our share of snowfall, it hit us. What has now become known as the Blizzard of '78 began slowly, building up as the minutes passed, until it was hazardous for neither man nor beast to be out. Radios and televisions blared blizzard wamings to all who would listen. All of the warnings, however, did nothing to stop one of the worst natural winter disasters ever. The moming after brought streets that would be closed impossibly for days to come. Street crews could gain no leeway against bitter winds that made for extremely high drifts. The Marion Armory provided shelter for the stranded and also at- tempted to get food and supplies to the snow- bound. Virtually all of Marion, barring rescue units, was at a standstill. Hospital doctors and nurses were kept at their posts for more than 30 straight hours. Only snowmobiles and four wheelers could mobilize. On top of everything, a national coal miners strike brought concem to everyone for fear of loss of heat in their homes. Distressed mayors from all over proceeded to cut down on their city's energy use, in some instances cutting off city street lights during the night. The elderly who witnessed the blizzard may have been talking that they had never seen anything like the nearly two feet of snow that bombarded the area. Younger people may have been storing thoughts about the high winds and subzero tem- peratures, perhaps to share with future grandchildren. But to the families of the 225 people who died because of the Blizzard of '78 it will always be more than just something to talk about. To those tragic victims, Mother Nature whipped up an un- forgettable, traumatic experience. FULL SPEED ASLED- Stacked five to a sled, a group of students utilize their unexpected vacation by par- ticipating in winter games. TRACKED DOWN- The great snowfall that hit Marion made for some very hazardous driving and some motorists were forced to tum from their original course. FROZEN FOODS- After finally getting out of the house to go for their necessary groceries, a Marion area family pulls their supplies homeward. 2 6 Winter

Page 32 text:

. Keg, United Sw in-U I 1 A i Lf 7 ,vff N .. ,ff .-'qs ' .JA fi .i ZZZZZ Huh?! What? What time is it? Where am I?! Suppose you had just awakened from a Rip Van Winklev nap and you found that it was a full year later. What great things took place while you were snooz- ing? If the past year was the one you slept through then you may have missed out on quite a lot. The year was marked by employee strikes of all sorts. Throughout the nation, policemen, firemen, farmers, miners and teachers hit the picket lines. In is nearby Elwood, streaks of violence broke out due to a tension filled factory strike. ln a strike of a different sort, the lights in New York City stopped working for a brief period as the city experienced their first blackout in 12 years. In 1977 alone there were 56 presidentially declared disasters, from fire and flood to ice, drought and hurricanes. Not to be outdone, 1978 started its total with an overwhelming January bliz- zard. RIDING PIGGYBACK- A major advancement in space travel was the testing of the NASA Space Shuttle, which will be launched into orbit by a 747 jet. OUT WITH THE OLD- A Marion landmark, the old Jones Junior High School, was tom down last fall to make way for a new senior citizen center. 28 News