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

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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

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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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space Shuttle Keeps Busy with Two Flights On Thursday, April 7, the first American space walkers in nine years floated out Challenger ' s airlo ck on the first of two flights. Story Musgrave and Donald Reter- son took a 3-hour, 40-minute walk out in space while Challenger pilots Paul Weitz and Karol Bobko viewed the operation through the rear cabin windows. Weitz and Bobko cautioned their crewmates to avoid various sharp edges that puncture the white spacesuits. The main accomplishment of the space walk was to retest the 250-potmd shuttle pressure suits which had proved ineffective during their debut five months earlier. This time, the suits worked faultlessly. Musgrave and Peterson were secured to safety lines while they swayed to and fro in the cargo bay. They tested tools and instruments that might later be used to mend broken satellites. They practiced emergency procedures to close the cargo bay manually. On Tuesday, August 30, Challenger departed on a six-day mis- sion which would take it 97 times around the globe. The shuttle ' s crew consisted of Richard Truly, Daniel Brandenstein, Guion Buford, William Thornton, and Dale Gardener. Buford was the first black American in space and Thornton, at age 54, was the oldest astronaut to fly in space. The astronauts were accompanied on their flight by six rats, scientific and engineering data, and 260,000 coUector ' s envelopes to be sold at 815.35 each by Postal Service. Challenger left behind in orbit the In- dian communion and weather watching service. A major ac- complishment of the mission was the first overnight landing of a spacecraft. The Labor Day landing was to take place on a three-mile desert runway at Edwards Air Force Base in Califor- nia at 2:40 EST. The runway was lit by six of the world ' s brightest floodlights, each providing 800 miUion candle power. They also employed flashing strobe lights, a string of green lights, white nmway lights, and a special kind of light that appears red if the shuttle is too low as it glides in toward a landing and white if it is too high. The landing was as flawless as was the entire flight. The only defects were a propellant leak in two of Challenger ' s steering thrusters and the forced replacement of 27 heat shields. The success of the night landing opened new opportunities to NASA. It means a great deal to us to have this night landing capability for the future, Lt. Gen. James Abraham- son, NASA associate administrator Space shuttle Challenger blasts off at night on the shuttle ' s eighth mission into space. in charge of space flight said. What that offers us is an improved capabili- ty at Kennedy Space Center. The climatology there is always much bet- ter at night than at day. Darkness Falls Early at Perry Meridian On August 23, at approximately 12:15 pm, the lights went out at PMHS leaving the school in complete darkness. Within fifteen minutes, the entire student body was taken to the football field where they would be away from traffic and still have access to the school. Because of the extreme heat out- side, some students became ill, and within an hour, everyone was moved into the gym. After a while, the heat of the gymnasium began to effect students, and they were moved to the hallways inside the building. Between 2:00 pm and 2:10 pm students were released to the buses. Sometime after 3:00, all the lights came back on. It had been discovered that because of high air conditioner use in the neighborhood, a fuse on an outside light pole had blown causing the blackout. Preparations were made in case another blackout oc- curred, and it did. On August 25 at approximately 1:40 pm, a second blackout oc- curred. This time, students were not moved. The administration knew the exact source of the problem. With the help of the Indianapolis Power and Light Company, the second blown fuse was replaced, and the hghts came on at approximately 2:25. Assistant principal, Mr. Ron Bolyard, stated that students should learn from this experience. He em- phasized that students should behave responsibly during an emergency. He added that they should act in a mature manner if this, or something similar, were ever to happen again. Many students were startled by the blackouts, but saw them as no more than an exciting change of pace. The blackouts left one question lingering in everyone ' s mind, Where were you when the lights went out? HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 45