Southside High School - Southerner Yearbook (Fort Smith, AR)

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AS TI-IE WCRLII World scope of events e As our story opens today we find ourselves looking back over 1976 Cfade in organ musicl. It Was a year full of memorable events. Perhaps the most exciting of which was the countryls observance of the Bicenten- nial. We also watched two men battle for the countryls highest position-the Presidency. These two men, Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, both had strong platforms and the election couldn't have been closer. In the end, however, the deciding vote would be for Jimmy Carter. It must be true that any boy in the United ,..,. f ',- States can become President because Jimmy Carter, a ' J, E peanut farmer from Plains, Georgia, went from a virtually unknown governor of a southern state to the Presidency of the United States. While politics were raging, Americans attended a year-long birthday party as the nation celebrated its 200th birthday. From the smallest village to the largest cities, citizens observed this event with parades, pageants, time capsules, and gigantic firework displays. And 1976 also marked the death of one of the n powerful men in the world-Mao Tse-Tung. He was chair- man of the Central Committee of China, and ruler of some 800 million people. Mao helped found the C Communist Party in 1921 and became a member of the governing party in 1924. A vast nation of people fol- lowed his every direction. Perhaps the biggest mystery of 1976 was the unex- Mi- . ms,-2,4 -Fans- Top news events of the year caused mixed , . among the public. The killing of Fort man Randy Bassnett by murderer John Swindler Economy-minded motorists battled soaringgasoline prices with the Shocked many area residents. Gerald Ford stepped revolutionary electric car which locally retails for about 83200. dgwn from the Presidency, allowing Georgian The popular compact can travel 50 miles on a single charge. Jimmy Carter to take the reins after a close election. Swine flu innoculations were begun hurriedly only to be stopped because of 60 possible medical complications. 1. I

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1 :ia i l s, it I 1 Q Surrounded by roses, senior Priscilla Rhodes Expressing his emotions, junior Roger Day por s M 5 1 Q fleftj sang They Were You in Showboat. trayed David Larabee frightj in Sabrina Fair v-st portion of the Showboat',set nears completion in February, as iespians earn additional points required to stay an active member of .e honor group. Boat docks again Reveliers' set workers tried to duplicate the Broadway set for the play, giving an authentic backdrop for the humorous play about a chauffeur's daughter and her effect on an affluent Long Island family. The second production of the year was a variety show entitled Southern Showboatf, It was actually a revival of an old Southside tradition, canceled two years ago be- cause of the difficulty of scheduling around Ramsey's events. It was revived as a joint effort of the choral music and drama departments, and provided its audience with a look at show business in this century. I was so pleasantly surprised, said Mrs. Katherine Sandahl, Southside parent. I went expecting pantomimed songs and dumb skits, and really enjoyed a show full of talent and humorf, Mrs. Sandahl's reactions were typical of the audience for the show, which contained something for everyone. Before each decade, the emcees, John Thiele, senior, and Linda Smith, junior, did a dance typifying that period. They jitterbugged, Charlestoned, disco danced, and even did a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers routine. Other highlights of the show included choral montages by the Johnny Reb Singers from the 20's and 30's and a rendition of the popular Andrew Sisters' hit, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,'i performed by Julie Hendrix, Holly Cameron, and Kelly Easley. Chris Walker and Alan Brents did a 70's dance routine and a skit com- bining a gymnastic routine and the popular robot. The show was brought to a close by Southside's live rock band t'Stealer. 59

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Fort Smith students were granted an extra week of vacation due to record-breaking snowfall. Sophomores Laura Smith and Ricky Atchison enjoyed frolicking in the snow. plained deaths of 27 delegates of the American Legion Convention which was held in Philadelphia. The illness which led to the deaths was commonly called Legionnaires Disease and it completely baffled specialists all over the United States. Many of those who died had stayed the convention was held. Eventually, even the succumbed to the Legionnaires Disease. Scandal rocked the country when Elizabeth Ray, a ashington secretary in the office of Representative ayne Hayes, accused him of keeping her on the govern- payroll as a mistress rather than a secretary. Hayes denied these charges at first, later resigned his position. A national survey that 47'Zv of the people believed this be- Was typical of government officials. Was 1976 the year of the earthquake? It seemed that way as more people were killed by earthquakes than any year since 1927. The tremors hadnit been un- usually numerous, but most of them were in highly pop- ulated areas-Guatemala City, the southern Philippines, and Hope Province in China Where foreign estimates were four story will continue on page 625 November elections resulted in the reelection ofArkansas Governor David Pryor: Governor Pryor proposed that financing for public schools should be the responsibility of county voters instead of state financing. 61