Montevallo High School - Montala Yearbook (Montevallo, AL)

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21 C uRRENT EVENTS Reagan and Gorbachev greet each other before the Iceland summit Ray Knight brings in the winning run which enabled the Mets to apture the world championship, 4 games to 3 The renovated ‘‘Miss Liberty ’ stands tall as a reminder of the nation’s mmigrant past and as a symbol of national unity

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20 URRENT EVENTS The final Democratic nominee, Bill Baxley, was defeated by Guy Hunt. Guy Hunt, the first Republican governor in 112 years Charles Graddick is one of the most contro- versial Democratic candidates in Alabama's history 1986: Celebrations And Controversy As the nation watched on televi- sion, New Yorkers and a multitude of out-of-town guests crowded the area surrounding the New York Har- bor. The millions of spectators gath- ered together to witness the extrav- agant celebration of the Statue of Liberty’s centennial. One of the most patriotic occurences ever was displayed to on-lookers during the four-day extravaganza which began on July 2 and ended July 5. A musi- cal salute, a French air show, and the arrival of Tall Ship Elissa were just a few of the events that got “Liberty Weekend”’ off to a suc- cessful start. On July 3, the high- lights of the day were the proces- sion of small ships, the arrival of President and Mrs. Reagan, and the relighting of the Statue of Liberty's torch by President Reagan. Next ca me the Glorious 4th! The long- awaited day began with the Parade of Tall Ships down the Hudson River into the New York Harbor. The night of July the 4th came alive with the biggest fireworks display in U.S. History. July 5 ended the memora- ble event. Liberty Weekend was an exhibit of national pride and patrio- tism. It was a chance for Americans, regardless of background, to cele- brate their country. In the 1986 World Series the New York Mets pulled a surprising victory over the Boston Red Sox in the ninth inning of the final game. This denied the Red Sox their first oppor- tunity at the world title in 68 years. The last time the Mets won the World Series was 17 years ago in 1969. On November 4th, the fate of our state for the next four years was determined. The race began at the gubernatorial primaries. From these primaries the Republicans chose Guy Hunt. The Democrats chose Charles Graddick. Then came the problems. Bill Baxley claimed that Graddick encouraged Republican cross-over-votes. The case between the two went all the way to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The court upheld earlier verdicts which named Baxley as the Democratic gubernatorial nominee. Graddick, of course, not pleased with the court’s decision, launched a write-in cam- paign. On October 30th Graddick withdrew his write-in idea. This made it a definite two man guberna- torial race. On November 4th the race was Over. Guy Hunt was elect- ed governor. For the first time in 112 years, Alabama elected a Republi- can governor. Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis pose asthe hilarious detectives, Maddie and Dave, on one of the hottest series of 1986, Moonlighting

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22 URRENT EVENTS Celebrations And ‘“Contra-Versy”’ In 1977 Jim Wilson Jr. had a dream and in February 1986 his fan- tasy became a reality. From a land- scape of rocky, unyielding moun- tains rose the Riverchase Galleria, a magnificent retail-professional-hos- pitality complex that rivals any in the South. This 330 million dollar pro- ject is filled with 200 speciality shops and six department stores, including Alabama's first Macy’s. On either side is the 17-story Gal- leria Towers for business and the 330-room Wynfrey Hotel. The quar- ter-mile-long mall bustles with activ- ity both day and night under the world’s largest skylight. The world suffered its worst nu- clear accident in history on April 25, 1986. The meltdown at the Cherno- byl Nuclear Power Plant was quoted as being ‘‘beyond even the worst nightmares of nuclear scientists.” Sen. Patrick Loahy said, ‘‘This is by far the worst nuclear-reactor acci- dent known to mankind.’’ What was the cause of the catastrophy and why the Soviet cover-up? The gov- ernment held back vital information mainly because they feared political embarrassment. The cause for the accident is not as apparent. For un- known reasons — a broken pipe, valve failure, or human error — there was a sudden loss of water used to cool the uranium fuel rods. The rods reached a temperature of about 3,500 degrees farenheit. The zirconium alloy surrounding the ura- nium-oxide melts, igniting the urani- um fuel. Finally operators flooded the reactor with water — but too late — forming highly flammable steam containing hydrogen, meth- ane, and carbon monoxide. The gases built up and exploded. The rea ctor was destroyed exposing the nuclear inferno to the open air. The cloud that poured from the reactor spread over most of Europe. The full effects have not yet been felt. With the radiation released the devesta- tion caused is not over. Only time will tell what the disaster at Cherno- byl will bring. It has been called ‘‘Armsgate.”’ It probably does not deserve such a comparison to the Watergate scan- dal, but it did bring political embar- assment to the Reagan administra- tion. What is “‘it’? It was the discovery of exchanges of arms to Iran for U.S. hostages and money. The money was then secretly given to the Contra rebels in Nicaragua. Perhaps the future will bring out the truth as to what exactly happened, and who was involved. “Fantasy becomes reality. ’ This is the theme of the new Riverchase Galleria which opened in February 1986 Lt. Colonel Oliver North is advised by his lawyer to take the fifth amendment when questioned about the Iran scam.