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

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MARINES TOP NATIONAL NEWS On the morning of October 21, 1983, the Marines of the U.S. peacekeeping force in Beirut, Lebanon, were sleep¬ ing in their barracks at the Beirut International Airport. At 6:20 AM, a terrorist truck laden with dynamite barged past the guards and crashed into the building. Moments later the building exploded. During the next several hours rescue workers re¬ moved the bodies of 241 dead U.S. Marines. Rescuers lift a U.S. Marine on a stretcher out of the wreckage of the U.S. Command Post in Beirut. U.S. LOSES The United States lost the American Cup for the first time in the 132 years history of the event. In September, Australian II beat the U.S. Liberty in the seventh leg by 41 seconds, making the final score 4-3. The event, one of yachtings most prestigious, was held off the coast of Newport, Rhode Island. EVACUATED The late winter early spring of 1983 brought record warm temperatures to the midwest states. However, the West Coast was not so lucky as rain storms caused millions of dollars in damage. The tides pounded the coastline forcing families to leave their homes as the water swept houses and trailers into the ocean.

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The Hammond election also produced another unique twist-a tie vote in the 4th Dis¬ trict Council race that was de¬ cided on Dec. 23. Lake Superi¬ or Judge Cordell Pinkerton ruled in favor of Republican Janet Moran and declared Democrat Mark Scholer ineli¬ gible to serve because he is a police officer. Scholer is ap¬ pealing the ruling. CH. ELECTION In a radically charged elec¬ tion campaign, Rep. Harold Washington was elected Chi¬ cago’s first black mayor on April 12, defeating Republican Bernard Epton with more than 51 percent of the vote. Soon after taking office, Washington’s 21 black and liberal aldermen squared off in council chambers with a group of 29 white aldermen led by 10th Ward Alderman Edward Vrdolyak. WEATHER With the exception of Cook County, every county in the Calumet Region was declared an agricultural disaster last summer because of the long, dry spell. Corn and soybean yeilds were 30 to 50 percent lower than last year’s levels in most Region counties. New¬ ton County crops were the hardest hit, with a 70 percent loss reported. Because of agriculture di¬ saster declarations farms are eligible for federal assistance for 1984 plantings. But tighter federal restriction on disaster loans mean the number of peo¬ ple who can apply is limited. WILLARDO Lake County Coroner Dr. Albert T. Willardo, convicted of theft by a Lake County jury, resigned May 22. Lake Criminal Judge James Clem¬ ent reduced Willardo’s felony conviction to a misdemeanor, then suspended a one-year prison sentence on the condi¬ tion that Willardo resign. Clement also ordered Wil¬ lardo to make restitution for $4,299 in fradulent milage claims which were diverted to his campaign in 1978. Willardo’s successor — Dr. Daniel D. Thomas of Gary — was elected June 4. KOMYATTI A Hammond mother and son, a Morton graduate, each were sentenced to 100years in prison on December 28 for the March 20 dismemberment¬ slaying of Paul Komyatti Sr., whose badly decomposed body was found buried in six plastic bags along the Lake Michigan shoreline in May. Lake Criminal Court Judge James Letringer sentenced Rosemary Komyatti, 58, and Paul Komyatti, Jr., 18, each to 55 years for murder and 45 years for consipiracy. Mrs. Komyatti is to serve the time consecutively; Paul Jr. is to serve the sentence concur¬ rently. William Vandiver, 35, the elder Komyatti’s son-in-law, faces the death penalty for his December 19 murder convic¬ tion. Vandiver’s wife, Mar- iann, testified against her mother, brother, and husband. Charges against her were re¬ duced from murder to a lesser felony in exchange for her tes¬ timony. ANTON Lake County Sheriff Chris Anton died Oct. 9 of cancer after serving just nine months in office. In an election decided by Lake County Democratic pre- Former Lake County Sheriff Chris Anton died of cancer last year while serving in office. cinct committeemen on Oct. 29, former Lake County Com¬ missioner Rudy Bartolomei was elected sheriff over An¬ ton’s widow — Anna Nuzzo Anton — by 10 votes. DRUG BUST A total of 41 persons were indicted in July after a five- year federal drug investiga¬ tion, dubbed “Operation Sky- Caine”, revealed that 120,000 pounds of marijuana and 2,300 pounds of cocaine valued at $139 million were illegally im¬ ported. It was the largest drug conspiracy case in Indiana’s history. Federal authorities charged two Calumet Region men — Ronald Markowski, 44, of East Chicago and George Chiatello, 42, of Burnham — with oper¬ ating a continuing criminal enterprise involving the il¬ legal importation of cocaine and marijuana. Local

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HISTORY MADE KOREAN JETLINER SHOT YAZ RETIRES On September 1, a Korean jet- On September 6,1983, some 5,000 liner with 269 passengers was Korean Christians gathered for shot down by a Soviet fighter i n a 2 ti ' Soviet ra,, y to protest the pilot. No apologies were of- Sov,e ' ‘ e “° s , “ ' ie lo ‘ r - fered. THE DECEASED OF 1983 George Balanchine, Eubie Blake, Paul (“Bear ) Bry¬ ant, Luis Bunnuel, Lilian Carter, Cardinal Cooke, Bar¬ ney Clark, Joe Edlaney, Jack Dempsey, R. Buckmin¬ ster Fuller, Arthur Godfrey, Ira Gershwin, Henry (“Scoop”) Jackson, Herman Kahn, Arthur Koestler, Meyer Lankey, Raymond Massey, David Niven, Pat O’Brien, Frank Reynolds, Sir Ralph Richardson, Jessi¬ ca Savitch, Gloria Swanson, Rebecca West, and Tenne- see Williams all passed away in 1983. David Niven Pat O ' Brien Arthur Godfrey National 29