Penn State University - La Vie Yearbook (University Park, PA)

Page 25 text:

Control Data Institute. 3.500 Pittsburghers protested as President Reagan visited their i7 versary of independence. Israel celebrated its 35th anni- In Paris, French students protest- ed increased government control of the classroom. homes. It was the time of national pioneers. At Floridais Kennedy Space Center, after .months of delay, Challenger, Americais $1.2 billion space shuttle blasted into orbit. Its main mission was to launch the 2V2 ton TDRS-l, the Wofltl's largest, costliest, and most so- Phisticated satellite. The Challengeris fOllf-man crew was headed by Paul J. Weitz, a retired Navy captain and 1954 aerospace engineering graduate from Penn State. And, America lost a selfless pioneer. Bafqey Clark, the world's first and only artificial heart recipient, died in the mVersity of Utah Medical Center March 23. After living with the device Which kept his heart beating for 112 dayS, the 62-year-old retired dentist en- COUntered circulatory and secondary to mUltlplc organ system failures which led to his death. STATE Pittsburgh had a bit of unwant- ed trouble. Two inmates at the Western Correctional Diagnostic and Classifica- t10n Center pulled guns prior to a strip Search and took a guard and civilian employee hostage. After barricading themselves in a basement room for six days, the convicts freed their hostages and surrendered. Johnstown got 2800 new temporary jobs-all as extras for the filming of 20th Centuryls iiAll the Right Moves.u The movie, about a star athlete trying to escape from a depressed steel town, was good news to the city with the na- tion's highest unemployment rate. LOCAL The Patton Township Board of supervisors approved a plan for the pro- posed 602-acre Toftrees Planned Com- munity, which will include a 253-acre technology park and 200 acres of re- creation land. The community may not, however, be built for another 40 years. The presidents of the Central Coun- ties Bank and Mellon Corporation of Pittsburgh announced they will merge corporations allowing CCB to expand its services. They looked like some sort of space mobiles, but they were actually the new Centre Line buses. Proudly sporting their tinted windows and computerized message boards, the $155,000 Cata Na- poleon buses rolled onto the streets of Centre County. IN THE HUGE BOMB blast in West Beirut, the entire front of the seven story American Embassy Building collapsed killing 57 people. GOING UP in a cloud ofsmoke-the space shuttle Challenger leaves Kennedy Space Center as launched on schedule at l:30 p.m. ES Hideous Horror It was lunchtime Monday, April 18, when a power- ful blast ripped through the center section of the crescent-shaped building, easily collapsing eight levels of the American Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon. The cafeteria and consular section were immediately en- gulfed by the flames. At least 17 Americans and 40 Lebanonese were dead, and over 100 injured. Among the dead were at least eight employees of the CIA, including its chief Middle East analyst, Rob- ert Ames. Ambassador Robert Dillon escaped harm after his aides freed him from a collapsed wall. Witnesses said the blast occurred soon after a driv- er, on a suicidal mission, pulled up to the front of the embassy in a van believed to be carrying 500 lbs. of plastic explosives. The explosion was so great it shat- tered windows a mile away, melted a nearby traffic light, and sent shock waves that were felt by sailors on the U.S.S. Guadalcanal, five miles off shore. On a rainy April evening, five days later when 16 flag-draped coffins arrived at the Andrews Air Force outside of Wahington, President Reagan said, iiThese gallant Americans understood the dangers they faced. The act of unparalleled cowardice that took their lives was an attack on all of us. We would fail them if we let that act deter us from carrying on our mission: our search for peace in Lebanon and elsewhere? Backing his words, the President sent Secretary of State George Shultz to Lebanon to work on negotiations concerning the withdrawal of foreign troops from Lebanon. It seems whatever the target in the Mid East, Lebanon was always the victim. But this time, it was the US. Retrospect 21

Page 24 text:

Rimmed Barney Clark, the recipi- 223 cm of the first artificial heart, died at age 62. Variety. March was a month of changes and remarkable occurrences. March gave us as many changes in the leadership of the Environ- mental Protection Agency as there were changes in the weather. March gave us life-the first test tube twins born in America-and the deaths of people very close to our hearts. March gave us much more- visits by the Pope to Central America and Queen Elizabeth to the U.S., price cuts by OPEC, and disasters by Mother Nature. But through it allethe floods, volca- no eruptions, national scandals- Happy Valley re- mained intact. It did not escape from unfortunate happenings, though. Returning from break, Penn Staters were struck with some sad news when Charles A. llRip Engle, Nittany Lion football coach from 1950-66, died after a lengthy illness at the age of 76. Engle mounted a record of 104 wins, 48 losses, and four ties during his 16 years as coach of the Lions. In 1974, he was granted the distinction of being inducted into the National Football Hall of Fame. There were also more changes. University trustees approved the tearing down of the Nittany dorms and approved construction of student apartments, which would house about 128 people, and an academic activities building. The construction would take place near the site of the Theatre Arts Production Building and would cost $2.7 million. And. there were some sur- prises. After camping out in the infamous dorm lines in seemingly sub-zero temperatures, students who wanted dorm contracts for next year were allowed to spend the Saturday night of this weekend indoors. But the biggest shock about this event was, for the first time in ten years, all dorm contracts were accepted by the University. -Disne DiPiero Rain. April was rain. Along with record low temperatures, the month came in with rain and went out with rain. April brought us enough water to flood parts of the deep South. And it brought much much moreaa huge holdup in Britain, prison trouble in Pittsburgh, a spy sweep in France. Above the thun- deris rumbling we heard a reprimand for Watt, an answer from Andropov, and the picks of the pros. And through the heavy showers, we saw a satellite in space, protests in Paris, and bitterness in Beirut. Happy Val- ley laughed as James Watt banned the Beach Boys from the Capitolis 4th of July celebration, for being lihard rock,n then was reprimanded by the Reagans for his decision. April was also a month of hellos and goodbyes. Penn State welcomed Bruce Parkhill as their new menis basketball coach, and Penn State said goodbye to Brad, Janet, and Magenta. The cast of llThe Rocky Horror Picture Show left State College after its seemingly endless engagement at The Mov- ies. For nearly six years, midnight audiences enjoyed this film each weekend. Next to go were nine Penn Staters who were drafted to the NFL, including the first round draft picks Curt Warner tHB-Seattle Sea- hawksl and Todd Blackledge tQB-Kansas City ChinS-i -Rhonda Bershok 20 Retrospect INTERNATIONAL Pope John Paul II traveled to Central America to try to comfort the minds of the people living in these war-torn countries-Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Haiti. He trav- eled safely through the streets in his Bullet-proof ilpopemobilei' while giving hope to the people. OPEC was feeling its own kind of suffering as the world oil producers dis- puted over a price agreement. Thus, Americans were able to fill their gas tanks for less cash for several weeks. Finally, OPEC managed to agree on a 1562 price cut on oil. In Europe, 47 Soviet diplomats boarded a plane for Moscow this spring, after the French government ex- pelled these officials from France, claiming they were involved in espio- nage activities. Nobody liked Mondays-especially the Security Express in London which was robbed of seven million pounds in unmarked bills, equivalent to $10.5 mil- lion, in Britainis largest cash holdup. NATIONAL In the latest national scan- dal and with much reluctance from President Reagan, Environmental Pro- tection Agency Head Ann Burford was forced to resign from her position. Sen- ate investigations had been conducted on her performance for quite some time. John Hernandez, who filled in as ACTOR TOM CRUISE hugs his girlfriend. Re- becca De Mornay, during a break in the filming of uAll the Right Moves in Johnstown. DURING THE 55th annual Academy Awards. Meryl Streep and Ben Kingsley are named best actress and best actor, respectively. acting head of the EPA, was also asked to step down after only two weeks, after being questioned about his handling of dioxin waste in Michigan. Finally, an answer for the chief was found in Wil- liam D. Ruckelshaus, who was ironical- ly fired form the very same position during the Nixon administration. On her royal but highly unpredict- able visit to the U.S., Queen Elizabeth was met by the worst winter storms the Pacific had ever seen, but the Queen managed to find humor in the situation by joking how she brought the weather with her from London. As the floods in southern California were busy causing $160 million worth of damage and raining on the Queens parade, a totally different kind of del- uge was taking place in Hawaii. The volcano Kilauea erupted a 30-foot-high molten river, forcing the residents of Royal Gardens to flee from their

Page 26 text:

22 Rtrospect Viking I landed on Mars, but failed to contact the Earth. 5 Protests. May was filled with them. Through the crowds roar we both saw and heard demonstrations in several cities in Poland and at home in the US. Mothers and bishops llprotested the use of nuclear arms and sought for peace. But, the world was reawakening as spring finally warmed the earth. Alas, spring gave us its wet weather, a rainy continuation of last month. Every weekend contained some of the wet stuff. Despite the miserably rainy weather, avid fun-loving Penn Staters enjoyed them- selves at the Sy Barash Regatta, held for the first time at Bald Eagle State Park. Things were drawing to a close in Happy Valley. As April showers brought May flowers, they also brought finals which meant the end of spring term. As the end of spring term came, most of the students headed home-ready for a much need- ed break and to begin outdoor activity and bask in the summer sun. During this break, Penn Staters, along with the rest of the nation, eagerly stood in lines to see the long-awaited film Return of the Jedi, making its debut on May 25. The third of the Star Wars epics, Jedi completed the trilogy and answered the intrigu- ing questions the first two movies left for us. Becom- ing one of the summer's blockbusters, Jedi also made us sadly realize that the story had ended-would we ever see Luke, Han, and Leia again? May brought a sense of familiarity to campuse-a rather controversial face returned to campus this month. Bro Cope, the infamous preacher found near the steps of Schwab or Willard, left in July of 1982, after he had received a charge for disorderly conduct. But, the six-year Penn State veteran was back preaching earlier this month, with no talk of his alleged evil deed. Never a dull moment at Penn State. -Diane DiPiero Launchings. June was full of rock- ets. As the summer temperatures rocketed, the first American woman to fly in space took off in the space shuttle Challenger. And many new political careers were launched. Yuri Andropov became the president of the Soviet Union and Margaret Thatcher began her second term as Prime Minister of Great Britian. June brought us a homecoming for the Pope, expul- sion for Nicaraguan diplomats. and freer laws for abortion. Summer officially began in Happy Valley, as the student population dwindled due to the summer break. Life in Happy Valley slowed down as students still took classes, but also found time to work on their tans or perfect their frisbee throwing. Many students looked forward to the Simon and Garfunkel concert tour. The 60's and 70s singing duo announced their first American tour in 13 years, starting in July. Frat parties took on a sour note this month. Despite Intra- fraternity Council rules and Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board regulations, several fraternities accept- ed donations from partygoers. These fraternities could have been fined in excess of $300 for violating the rules that prohibit fraternities from taking any money other than that which is for philanthropies said Adam Levinson, IFC president. -Debbie Stephens Retrospect INTERNATIONAL Poland saw both turmoil and comfort during these months. In May. Polish opposers to the martial law stomped through the streets of Warsaw and 20 other cities holding large banners boldly reading iiSOLI- DARITYW Police had to control the protesters. But later, in June, Pope John Paul II offered words of support to millions of his fellow Poles on his second visit to his homeland. Millions came out in the rain to participate in the masses the pontiff said in several cities throughout the country. Yuri V. Andropov officially became the president of the Soviet Union, a position left vacant since the death of Brezhnev last November. Two days after Brezhnevis death. Andropov was named general secretary of the Com- munist Party, but in June the question was officially settled. Another world leader was confirmed when Margaret Thatcher was reelected Prime Minister of Great Britian in a landslide victory. The breadth of her victory was a surprise to many because of the rising unemployment and unsta- ble economic recovery. WILSON GOODE addresses a rally at Philadel- phia's Art Museum before the May l7th election when he beat out ex-Mayor Frank Rizzois bid for a political comeback. NATIONAL The MX missile landed back in the national news. The govern- ment agreed to allot $600 million in previously frozen funds to be used for flight testing of the missile and studies on how to modify the Minuteman silos in which they would be kept. Meanwhile, 262 US. Catholic Bish- ops met in Chicago to create a pastoral letter concerning nuclear arms policies. Some insisted the letter urge the US. to llcurbil the deployment of their weap- ons, while others wanted a completely lihaltedll deployment. The US. government expelled 21 Nicaraguan diplomats and their fam- ilies, after three US. diplomats were accused of assassination plots. Earlier. the leftist Sandinista government gave three US. officials 24 hours to vacate the country on charges of plotting the assassinations of Sandinista revolution leaders. In action closer to home, the Su- preme Court struck down a set of state and local regulations that could have made abortions more difficult to ob- THE NIGHT SKY was illuminated by a shower of Fireworks in celebration of the Brooklyn Bridgc's lOOth birthday.