North High School - Tower Yearbook (Wichita, KS)

Page 11 text:

score was 52-53, Hutchinson. It the last game of the season, the finals and North's girls basket- team had only eight seconds to PUR TS is Result in Wins, Losses, and Memories end the year as champions. Coach Dwayne Schmidt's strategy was simple - give the ball to Lynette. Lynette Woodard, '77, the All-American owner of nearly every basketball record in the state, took the ln-bounds pass from Shelley Harrington, '78, and be- gan the six-second journey to the bas- ket. Despite her triple coverage levery- one In the arena, Including the Salt- hawks, knew North's strategyj Woo- dard was at mid-court with slx seconds to the gun. With five seconds left, she was driving and twisting around her opponents from thirty feet out. With four seconds left, she was at the top of the key, only one girl between her and the basket. With three seconds left, she put the ball up, and through the basket to wln the title. Of course, North has not always been so furtunate, as ln 1930, when the boys basketball team did not win a game, or In 1965 when the football team was outscored by their oppo- nents 58 to 222. The nearly endless number of seasons that North has fielded an athletic team has brought differing fortunes of victory and de- feat, and many seasons of plain old medlocrlty. But few, lf any, ahtletes of either a wlnnlng or losing team regret partici- patlng, and llvlng through the broad- e n I n g e x p e r - Iences of sport. During the K.U. Relays of 1935, several members of the track team decided to broad- en themselves by renting bicycles In Lawrence. Be- lng deprived of hllls in their home town, they figured to build up Incredible speeds on the slopes of Mount Oread. Not only were their speeds incredible, but uncontrollable as well, as North's track team ca- reened into trees and curbs enroute to their first-place flnlsh ln the meet. Thirty-one years later, in 1966, North earned its way into the state baseball finals, to play against rival East High. Scott Lemon, '66, was throwing a baseball to a teammate during warm-up, when he was distract- ed and turned his head. He looked back at his teammate just In time to catch the returning ball in his mouth, and was immediately taken to the hos- pital to get stitches on the Inside of his lips. He returned to the diamond mid- way through the game, only to fretful- ly sit the bench In a haze of novocalne. The game goes down to the wire, and by the ninth inning North is he- hind three to four. With one out and Jerry Bulllns, '66, on second, Lemon frantically mumbles through his swol- len mouth to Coach Maurice Hender- shot to let hlm bat. Hendershot re- Ients, and on the first pitch Lemon swings feroclously at the ball. He hits it solidly, and the ball rockets up and comes down only feet away from the home run fence. Lemon staggers to- wards flrst base as the North dugout cheers Bullins into home. On the throw to home plate, Lemon heads for second, and the East catcher throws the ball In the base's general direction. No Ace ls near and the ball rolls into center field again, as Lemon pushes on to thlrd, vlslbly slowing down under the influence of paln-klllers. The dug- out goes berserk, adding their noise to that of the screaming, pleading crowd. ln their attempt to tag him at third, the Aces again over-throw the base, and three players rush to the side to retrieve it. Lemon staggers on, moving almost ln slow motion as the shouts of the crowd grow to a deafening level. The East players reach the ball just as Lemon hlts the dirt, ten feet from home plate. Not taking the time to get back up, he crawls towards home. He finally, after grovellng and scrabbllng for an eternity, reaches out and slaps the plate with his hand, wlnnlng the state championship. The thousands of Redskins who par- ticipated ln sports, whether state champions or not, have thousands of experiences to remember. The elation and the despair of sports have helped them to grow and broaden their lives.

Page 10 text:

f ff- 1. Redskln quarterback Marc Messner, '80, recelves the snap from center Mlke Chltwood, '79, enroute to North's 21-19 vlctory over East in the flftleth anniversary game. 2. North's football team of '36 had a bad time only weatherwise. They flnlshed the season with a record of six games won out of elght games played. 3. Third year tennls Ietterwoman, Stephanle Rader, '79, concentrates on stroklng smoothly to be reassured of a good return. 4. Keeplng her head down and her eyes on the ball Karen Lanham, '79, prepares for the follow-through. 5. At halftlme, Clyde Prlddle, new coach of '36, gives hls basketball team all the encouragement they need to flnlsh the game.

Page 12 text:

TRABITMNS Students Still Value Time-Honored Annual Customs Dances, Homecomlng, and Senior Prom are memories cherlshed by ev- ery hlgh school graduate. But only North alumnl can look back and smlle at tradltlons Ilke Redskln Rhythms, Rlng Turning under Butch, and Tower Slgnlng. Through the flfty years of North, many tradltlons have come and gone. But one that has been popular slnce North's openlng ls the dances. Dances are held throughout the year for dlf- ferent occaslons and sometlmes even wlthout occaslon. The annual Home- comlng Dance ls held ln the fall of the year and ls one of the most tradltlonal. Instead or Homecoming Klng and Queen Ilke other schools, North has always crowned Plgskln Pete and Varsity Sue . Also, alumnl from North are Invlted to return for one last dance. The flrst Homecoming Dance held was formal. It was changed to seml-formal ln the flftles and eventu- ally moved to casual, slnce lt was held dlrectly after the Homecoming foot- ball game. ln 1978, however, It was held on a Saturday nlght and was once agaln seml-formal. Homecoming nlght may seem a little awkward for the guys, because the whole affair ls Sadie Hawklns style. The glrls ask the guys to the dance and continue to treat them throughout the evenlng. When sprlng rolls around, it's the guys' turn to domlnate the evening at another of the yearly dances, the Prom. Slnce the Prom has always been formal, the nlght turns out pretty ex- pensive. Dennis Wright, '58. talked of one of the expenses. The teachers used to always search the guys for booze, he remlnlsced, so we made the glrls sew pockets underneath those big pettlcoats they used to wear and they sneaked our booze ln for us. Carolyn Eby Grier, '55, said that slnce the dances were always held ln the gymnasium, lt always smelled Ilke a gym and there was lots of crepe pa- per. North has not always had a Prom. In the '30's, graduation dances for the seniors were held at the Forum. Like- wlse, because of the lmposslblllty of havlng both Senior and Junlor-Senlor Proms as usual, the Class of '78 dl wlthout. Instead, Senlor Celebr tlon, a seml-formal dance and dl ner,along with entertalnment,was hel ln the school cafeterla. Who knows, lr may be the start of a new tradltlon. Muslc and danclng have gone hanl ln hand at North slnce 1929. Wha true Redskln doesn't know the Nortl High War Cry, written by Dui Middleton, then an Instrumental m slc Instructor here. For flfty year nothlng has distressed our opponen more than the sounds of drums an brass that revlve the splrlt of Redskl warrlors on the field and on the court North's Alma Mater, another a the tradltlonal tunes, started out as poem. ln 1949, Student Councll spo sored a contest In the hope of recelu lng an artlstlc Impression of Redskl loyalty. The winning poem, written Charles Habernlgg, '50, was set to t tune of The Halls of Ivy. One of t muslc teachers, Mrs. Todd Woolf, w granted permlsslon to do so, but lat she composed her own arrangemen The revlsed Alma Mater Is su