Perry Meridian High School - Passages Yearbook (Indianapolis, IN)

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Economy is Number One Story The US economy, struggling through its worst year in four decades, was overwhelmingly chosen as the top story of 1982 by the Associated Press newspaper and broadcast member editors. Indiana ' s unemployment rate reached a record high of 14% in November of 1982. An estimated 341,000 Hoosiers were imable to find jobs in November. This amoimt decreased only slightly to 335,800 xmemployed in December. Indianapolis really pulled together to help those looking for jobs. Televi- sion stations WRTV, WISH, and WTHR allowed job himters to come on their ne wscasts and state their qualifications. Employers could call in if they had suitable jobs. The city set up an angel fund to help financially and to provide food to those in need in Indianapolis. However, President Reagan said, in early spring, that he felt the recovery had begim and the economy was on comeback trail. He stated that through his economic policies, America was getting back on the road to prosperity. 15% Jobless y Blacks- 9-4% (annual 8-6% Averages) 4.3% Whites o| I I I I I 11 I 1973 ' 74 ' 75 ' 76 ' 77 ' 78 ' 79 ' 80 ' 81 ' 82 Vn Clark Dies Despite Artificial Heart On December 2, 1982, Barney Clark became the first recipient of an artificial heart. The sixty-one year old retired dentist from Des Moines, Washington, imderwent the delicate operation at a Salt Lake City hospital. While the surgical procedure was a success, Clark suffered several setbacks, including pneumonia and a faulty heart valve. Only 13 days after receiving his plastic heart, Clark was rushed back into surgery after his blood pressure pltmged due to a faul- ty heart valve. In just four hoxurs, doc- tors at the University of Utah had replaced Clark ' s left ventricle. Three days later, Clark suffered from pnetimonia and doctors were forced to ttim up the speed of his ar- tificial heart. They helped to pump off any excess fluid in the body. Dr. Chase Peterson, attending physician, had hoped Clark would be up moving around shortly thereafter Barney Clark, who made history as the first artificial heart recipient, is shown with wife Una. which would also help to alleviate fluid build-up. But on March 23, 1983, despite the good condition of the artificial heart, Barney Clark died because of hero of science. the progression of his degenerative heart disease. America was deeply saddened by the loss of Barney Clark. He would always be considered a lU Students See Spots Something was spreading on the Indiana University Campus, and it wasn ' t Hoosier hysteria. It was measles. On February 11, the first outbreak of measles occurred. From February 11 until March 14, 145 in- cidents of measles had been record- ed. Sixteen cases were discovered at Purdue University. There was much concern for In- diana students who spent their spring vacations in Florida. Emergency im- munization vehicles were posted at the beaches, and hospitals were prepared for the epidemic. In order to return to school, I U students had to present one of the following: documented vaccination records, written documentation which told who had previously had the measles disease, or a laboratory test proving immunization to measles. J HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 43

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—— — imrn i nwi i Indiana is Eye of Storm Waves beat against houses along California coasts. sion While Indiana experienced one of its mildest winters in years with no snow at all, the rest of the country was the extremes. El Paso, Texas, otherwise known as Sun City, had a record of 29 inches of snow since November. Daytona Beach, Orlando, and West Palm Beach shivered through some record lows in the early spring. Fierce storms accelerated the ero- of many Cahfomia beaches. Homes that stood fifty to sixty feet from cliffs in Pacifica were in danger of falling into the sea. The system of storms caused 8203 million dollars damage in California. Sacramento recorded its wettest winter in a centry and numerous mudslides reportedly were blocking roads up and down rocks. Many words were used to describe the winter ' s weather, but duU certain- ly wasn ' t one of them. Hoosier Dome was the name submitted by Todd Kemple and chosen from over 50,000 entries (photo by W. Strange). Domed Stadium Gets a Name . . . Finally Expecting parents generally have a tough time deciding on the name for baby, but that ' s nothing compared to the confusion that surrotmded the naming of the not-yet completed domed stadium. Todd Kemple, 21, submitted the idea of Hoosier Dome for the name and was selected from more than 50,000 entries. PE MacAllister, president of the Capital Improvement Board, said the name Hoosier Dome was chosen because there was no other place where it applied. Todd won 8500 in prize money and free tickets to all events in the staditmi the first year it opens. Later however, officials reopened the idea for the name saying it was imsuitable. The name Indy Dome was then submitted. A vote was taken by officials between two names. Hoos ier Dome again came out the winner and remained the name. The 78 million dollar domed stadiimi adjacent to the Convention Center held 63,000 people and imight become the home of pro- fessional football as well as major lea- gue baseball franchises. ■In 42 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

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Laws Crack Down On Dangerous Drivers On September 1, a new law went into effect that attempted to decrease the number of drunk drivers on In- diana roads. The law stated that anyone caught with .10 or greater alcohol percentage would have his Ucense suspended and face drunk dri ' lng charges. The new law allowed police to pull drivers over and con- duct a breathalyser test at their own disgression. A license would be suspended an . ' where from 30 to 180 days. The driver would receive a 8500 fine and or up to 60 days in the coimty jail. The new law brought harsh pimish- ment on habitual traffic offenders. It defined a habitual traffic offender as anyone who committed the following If W P You Over, You Had Better Be Sober. This familiar billboard of the Indiana State Police clearly states the seriousness of the penalty for any persons who are driving under the influence of alcohol, (photo by Lyndon Wall) in a period of ten years : Two vmrelated accidents causing death. Three major driving offenses such as driving without a license or a hit and run. Ten minor driving convictions such as improper driving procedure. The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles began a search for 15,000 habitual offenders on September 1 . In Indiana, 9,000 residents were caught and mailed license suspension let- ters. These letters stated that their licenses would be invalid for 5 to 10 years depending on the charges. Before the institution of the new law, punishment for a habitual traffic offender was left up to the county prosecutor. There were many questions on whether or not the laws were con- stitutional, but most agreed that they would bring about safer roads. Russia Downs Jetliner Killing 269 On September 1, a South Korean jetliner carrying 269 passengers, in- cluding 61 Americans, was shot down by Soviet fighter planes when it mysteriously entered Soviet airspace. The Boeing 747, traveling from New York to Seoul, South Korea, was struck and destroyed by two heat- seeking missiles after being stalked and targeted by the Russian fighter pilots. The Soviet Union denied the murder for six days after the incident happened. Their final admission oc- curred less than an hour after Am- bassador Jeane J. Kirkpatrick presented tapes of the Soviet pilots ' radio conversations to the UN Securi- ty Council. The Kremlin immediately blamed President Reagan and said it would take similar actions against any planes entering its airspace. The USSR supposedly suspected the plane of being a RC-135 Air Force reconnaissance craft which often is used in spying missions. The Soviet military concluded this after claiming radio control services picked up cod- ed radio signals transmitted from time to time, such signals that are usually used in transmitting in- telligence imformation. White House spokesman, Larry Speakers, stated the Soviets excuse of mistaken identity was an impossiblili- ty because of the distinctive shape and radar image of the Boeing 747 and markings common to civilian airliners. In response to what President Reagan called a crime against humanity, he imposed limited diplomatic and aviation restrictions against the Soviet Union. Among these were the canceUation of an agreement on transportation cooperation, the continuance of the ban against allowing scheduled Soviet aircraft to land at US airports, and a suspension of negotiations for the opening of a US consulate in Kiev. Canada also annoimced it was suspending la nding and refueling privileges for the Soviet national airline, Aeroflot, because of Moscow ' s failure to explain its posi- tion in the downing of the airliner. Montreal and Gander, New Foundland had previously been crucial and money-saving stops for Aeroflot. President Reagan commended Canada for its harsh stand against Russia and concluded by saying, Our immediate challenge to this atrocity is to ensure that we make the skies safer and that we seek just compen- sation for the families of those who were killed. President Ronald Reagan charges the Soviet Union of committing a barbaric act, while speaking at a press conference shortly after the downing of a Korean Jetliner. 44 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND