Technical High School - Tech Tiger Yearbook (Springfield, MA)

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22 The Military Ball One of the most exciting events of the year is the Military Ball soonsored by the ROTC. This event is very similar to a high school prom. It is a formal occasion where there is a dinner and live entertainment. The 1984 Military Ball took place at Westover Air Force Base in Chicopee on Friday, January 13th. The event was primarily for ROTC cadets, but some students who were not in the ROTC program were allowed to attend as guests. This year’s Ball began at 6 p.m. and lasted until midnight. Some cadets who attended chose to arrive in the luxury of a limousine. Others managed to get there any way that they could. The event started with a social hour before dinner. After dinner, students heard from Sgt. Palmer, Col. Potter, School Superintendent Thomas Donahoe, and the Principals of the three participating high schools: Mr. Willard Wright of Technical; Mr. Eugene Basile of Commerce; and Mr. Neil Yesu of Classical. The 1983-84 Drill Teams were introduced, along with the Senior Cadets. After all of the introductions were made, the band began to play. Everyone enjoyed himself on the dance floor. However, all good things must come to an end, and at midnight the Ball came to a close. Sigfredo Chiclana

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24 scott Carpenter Visits Tech On Wednesday, October 26, 1983 at 1 P.M. in our auditorium, Tech experienced a great honor. Scott Carpenter, one of the seven original astronauts, was a guest speaker. The audience was made up of ROTC cadets, the students council and some select science students. Scott Carpenter retired in 1969 and now is a private citizen with business interest. He spoke to us on science and technical abilities. Before retirement, he was highly involved in space and ocean explora- tion. He envies todays youth tremendously because of the amount of potential of exploration in these areas. Dr. Carpenter had two major messages to deliver. One was to strive for excellence and develop potential because adventure awaits in space and ocean explorations. Along with this message, he encouraged us to study long and hard, because there are more demands for future explo- ration in both space and ocean. The second message was to stay away from drugs, because they can ruin lives. Dr. Carpenter was asked several questions by the Tech students. An ROTC cadet asked how he felt going into space and not knowing if he would return. Dr. Carpenter said that he had alot of confidence in his return because of the high technology involved. Besides, he was too busy to be afraid. There was some fear, which, as he explained, was a useful emotion. Curiosity overcame his fear and exhilaration came about because of discovery. Another student asked why he became an astronaut. His answer was that he wanted to fly in space because of curiosity. Also, he felt that the position of an astronaut was an extention of a test pilot’s action. Scott Carpenter told the audience that if they were interested in being astronauts, the skills to study would be physics, geology, chemistry, biology, physiology, medicine, and trades. A student wanted to know if there were any restrictions for women in space exploration. Mr. Carpenter said, ‘‘No, in fact, they qualified because of their weight and intelligence.’’ There used to be restrictions on females, but times have changed. Someone else wanted to know if he would go again if he had a chance. Dr. Carpenter said yes, but it really was someone else’s turn. He said that space travel was a closed book for him. Besides, he wouldn’t want to go through the 3 years of NASA’s training. However, he would be willing to ‘‘jump on board’’ should an offer to do so come along. Sigfredo Chiclana