Plattsmouth High School - Plattonian Yearbook (Plattsmouth, NE)

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Fate of Mascot Decided At Board Meeting Plattsmouth High School on TV? And in the newspapers too? Yes, that's right, PHS was big-time news for a few weeks in March be- cause of the Blue Devil mascot. It all started when School Board Member Dave Nielson began a Kick the Devil Out of Our School campaign in representation of the people who are against the em- blem. He even went as far as to personally pledge $1,000 to the ef- fort. From there the concern over the mascot seemed to snowball. Many “Letters to the Editor were printed in the Plattsmouth Journal in favor of both sides. People from other towns even got in on the action. Everyone began to wonder how the school got the Blue Devil mascot in the first place. Joe York, one of the three originators of the logo, gave the answer. According to Mr. York, in 1939 Jim Yelick drew a blue devil on their new basketball knee pads. Not much later, 98% of the students voted for the devil to be their emblem. At a regular school board meet- ing on March 9,1987, the fate of the Blue Devil was decided. Television cameras as well as newspaper re- porters showed up for the event. There were approximately 800 people who came to watch and 26 who voiced their opinions to the board, among them past and pre- sent PHS students. After everyone spoke and a mo- tion to have a committee study the issue for 30 days was voted down, the board finally came to a deci- sion. The vote was 7-1 in favor of keep- ing the Blue Devil as the Plattsmouth mascot. Many students look on as Student Council President Brian Bresnahan and Senior Class President Craig Martin speak Blue Devil 23

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Blue Devil Endangered Another Thought Although the whole thing was based on a ridiculous notion, I feel it ultimately had a positive effect on the school. It brought a sense of uni- ty in the student body and stirred up dead emotions in the community. We all pulled together for some- thing we believed in. It was great to see all those people come togeth- er. I just wish we had this support for all our school activities. We did, however, appreciate the great community support given to us in this matter. —Senior Craig Martin The Blue Devil controversy caused lots of excitement and even merited the presence of television cameras and reporters at the board meeting. x. —’— ------- Many students made posters in support of y the mascot. Shown is Junior Tony Abercrom- y bie reading one of the many signs. ( 22 Blue Devil The parking lot was tilled with cars display- ing signs supporting the devil mascot. One boy even spray painted a logo on his car. Senior Brian Bresnahan made a wooden sign for his truck to show his support

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Senior Janelle Pecha and Junior Kelly Ogle enjoy the mild weather. Another Thought My 1986-87 school year had its ups and downs. I was starting my senior year and was excited about being a senior. I was going to cheer on our varsity football team. As the year went on I was looking forward to cheering on the wrestlers and go- ing to state with them. As everyone knows we did terrific at state. Terry Dasher received fifth and Spencer third and, of course, Jerry Dasher was our State Champi- on. Now that the weather is getting nicer, everyone's wearing the Ha- waiian prints and enjoying the sun. Girls are talking about their prom dresses and tans. All the seniors are getting anxious about graduation. — Senior Sonja Green Senior Jim Brooks takes a break from work- ing on the computers newly purchased by the school. Gubernatorial candidate Kay Orr speaks to a packed house at the Omaha Civic Audi- torium. 24 Current Events