Morton High School - Top Hat Yearbook (Hammond, IN)

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Standard of Living to Decline Rebates spur sales The war is over, soldiers are home and college campuses are at peace with the Establishment. So what ' s there to worry about in 1975? Issues in the 60 ' s didn ' t directly affect high school students. Today, national matters concern all students — directly or indirect¬ ly- How long does $10 last? A dollar or two can be easily spent at a restaurant. Three or four just for some type of entertainment, the remainder blown throughout the week on trivial items. Expenses are high, especially if the source of income comes from parents. A pair of Levis is $14, an album anywhere from $4 to $8. Complaints are heard continuously, Wow, these pants are $28; but consumers still buy and prices rise. Last year the Watergate scandal stirred the emotions of many. This year a number one best seller All the President ' s Men appeared on the shelves of bookstores. The true account written by Carl Bern¬ stein and Bob Woodward informed the public of the details involved in the story of ' 74 — Watergate. Remember the block long lines waiting for a fill-up before the gasless week-ends? Worrying about gasless Sundays is now obsolete, but finding a gas station with gas lower than 55 cents a gallon is the problem facing automobile owners. Small economy cars, like the Pacer, replaced larger ones. 75 Unemployment in 1974-1975 7Q Seasonally adjusted Per cent of work force Experts rip optimistic forecasts on economy

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Hammond 10 Chicago 34 1. Contractors invade — trees fall, the ground is broken. The birth of a new shopping mall. Cars fill the parking lot. People from all over, not just the general vicinity, arrive to take advantage of the 83 stores. 2. Millrats — a stereotype applied to people living in the Calumet Region. One hundred thousand people work at the five steel mills. Inland alone has 23,000 employees. 3. Industries build on the lake- front and what little exists is threatened by nature. Because of high waves, Whiting may someday lose its beach. Once a well used park, Whiting Beach was closed for swimming because of contaminated water. Now huge boulders, placed by government engineers, replace sandy beaches. 4. Jump into the car, choose one of three main routes, fight heavy traffic and then — the Loop. As close as Chicago is, 24 miles, seldom do students travel there — a Christmas shop¬ ping excursion or once every four months for the average concert-goer.

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Slitter, sparkles, earth shoes, latforms dominate fashion scene Anything goes. That ' s a good way to describe the styles today. Blue jeans and Earth shoes fit hand in hand. Earth shoes, a posture improving shoe, have rubber soles with the heel one inch lower than the toes. Glitter and sparkles and blue jeans and Indian gauze shirts prevailed in almost all atmospheres. Style had no relevant meaning — whether something was purchased at a boutique or a thrift store — it was considered hip. Avid movie goers also felt the money pinch. But despite the $3 admission for the cinemas, long lines of people stood waiting to see such movies as The Towering In¬ ferno, Freebie and the Bean and Chinatown. Dustin Hoffman and Valerie Perrine made the headlines for their roles in the widely acclaim¬ ed Lenny. Some couldn ' t afford to party as much as they liked, attend movies and concerts or ride around, so television provided en¬ tertainment. Rhoda became a week¬ ly goddess. Norman Lear ' s All in the Family, Sanford and Son and Channel Seven ' s Movie of the Week found their way into the homes of millions. Godfather II took the 1975 Academy Award. Movie goers experience money pinch President Ford: | Whip Inflation Now 25