Pulaski County High School - Cougar Pinnacle Yearbook (Dublin, VA)

Page 26 text:

Start VROOM! That was the sound the typical student ' s car made on its way out of the parking lot on Friday afternoon. That student usu¬ ally had a weekend full of plans, and the car was most likely a major part of them. The automobile was trans¬ portation, a way of showing off, and a friend. In other words, it took you there, you looked great because you had your own wheels, and it went cruising with you when no one else would. On weekends, the cars were taken on various roads, highways, and interstates across the country en route to the game, the store, or the movies. Sometimes these rit¬ uals were performed with a date. Sundays usually saw cars at church or parked in a friend ' s driveway. On week¬ days, the cars hobnobbed in the student parking lots about where they had been over the weekend, and where they would be going in the future. Many of the cars had the Your Engines same maker, so they resem¬ bled each other, but each car was different in respect to the personality of the owner. In one corner of the lot was a black Nova with a dual ex¬ haust and a V-8 under the hood. In the other corner was a Volkswagen Rabbit with Smurfette swinging from the rear view mirror. One of the most seen cars was the Chevrolet Chevette, but they came in a rainbow of colors and personalized license plates. Bumper stickers could tell you about the owner ' s fa¬ vorite team, radio station, college, and sport all in one glance. Some bumpers told you to Beware of Cougar, while others simply said ”K- 92 . Inside of the car was as personal as the outside. Where the owner just ate dinner was evident by the McDonalds and Hardees bags strewn over the back seat. The all-important op¬ tion, the car stereo, usually cost up to three paychecks and played a variety of tunes from cassette or radio. Some people had seat covers, oth¬ ers used a blanket. Carpeting was anything from plain black to red shag. Rebel flags and desert scenes often hung from the back win¬ dows. Having your own car was great, but there were also a few minor drawbacks. Mon¬ ey was one of the factors when cars sat idl e for days at a time. Rising gas prices were the reason for empty pock¬ ets, lifeless paychecks, and allowance advances. Cars also had a tendency to break down just when you needed them most. Many a student has felt the humiliation of sit¬ ting on the side of the road waiting for the tow truck. The massive metal mon¬ sters were a way of life. Ad¬ ministrators, teachers, and students all recognized the value of your own set of wheels. It was well put by Miller Bushong when he said his car was nothing fancy, the radio ' s broken. I love it! Varieties of cars — even in the teacher parking lot. Everything goes, from vans to Hondas to Buck Sta- tionwagons. Teachers weren ' t the only ones who couldn ' t afford brand new cars. 22 Cars

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Checking to see if a book had been checked out, librarian Mrs. Elinor Morgan waits for the computer to locate it. The system speeded up the time it took to locate books, and to check them in and out. While installing the cables for the new computerized air-conditioning system, a maintenance enginee r from the school board checks to make sure everything is hooked up correctly. Typing in the code number for a book, librarian aide Susan Riddle makes sure she hits the right key. 21 Computers

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Older cars were popular among the students. Here, )on Neblett and Mill¬ er Bushong cruise up to tennis prac¬ tice in Miller ' s sixty-five Mustang. Christmas is a time for all kinds of celebrations. Here, Lee Cox deco¬ rates her car with artificial snow for the last day of school before vaca¬ tion. Showing off a new car to a friend is the best part of buying it. Rana Whited displays the interior of an eighty-three red Transam to Julie An¬ derson. 23 Cars