Thornwood High School - Thunderbird Yearbook (South Holland, IL)

Page 150 text:

Reagan hopes for new future With the hostages still being held in Iran and the economic stability of the country quickly declining the 1980 presidential election campaign began. Candidates rode their band wagons in hopes of landing on the front steps of the Pennsylvania Ave- nue mansion. As in every election, promises were made, platforms were elected, and scandals arose. The biggest battle raged in the Democratic Party between Jimmy Carter and Edward Kennedy. After all the nominations at the conven- tion were counted Jimmy Carter was again chosen to represent the party. Though the Republican field was replete with numerous candidates, of the nominees the choice was obvi- ous, ex-California Governor Ronald Reagan was the easy victor during the convention. B During the final months of cam- paigning the two candidates battled oratorically for the office of Chief Executive. Name-calling finally led to a nationally televised debate between Carter and Reagan to dis- cuss the many pending issues that plagued the election. The hostage crisis and the economy were two of the major concerns of the American public. Besides Reagan and Carter, an in- dependent candidate, John Ander- son from Rockford, Illinois, made his bid for the presidency but was over- shadowed by the heavy political campaigns of the other two candi- dates. Before the elections the polls showed that many voters remained undecided about their choice for the presidency, but as November fourth rolled around Americans obviously had made up their minds. Ronald Reagan won by a landslide sweeping the electoral votes with a total of 489 to Carter's 49. Reagan became the oldest President to enter the White House at the age of 69. By 8:15 NBC T.V. projected Reagan and his run- ning mate George Bush as the win- ners and soon after Carter and Mon- dale conceded the election to Rea- gan. As January approached the President-elect promised an eco- nomic recovery program and a stronger defense unit due to the Iranian hostage incident, 146 FEATURES f ,,,,. ,- ,nh ,sf I -. 'xv'

Page 149 text:

ii .f Hmm mf? ers, who died very unexpectedly just after finishing a movieg Mae West, the original blonde bombshell, fam- ous for her words C'mup 'n' see me some time. Also passing away this year were Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, better known as the Shah of Iran, Alfred Hitchcock, Alan Ludden, emcee of Password Plus, Jesse Owens, four time Olympic gold medalist, and the man who made a mockery of Adolf Hitler's attempt to showcase Aryan supremacy, and the great Schnoz- zola himself, Jimmy Durante. LOCAL In an attempt to combat rising vio- lence in the city of Chicago, Mayor Jane Byrne retaliated by making a surprise move into one of the city's most feared housing projects, Ca- brini Green. For several months, Mayor Byrne came and went at her pleasure, attempting to keep the peace she had acquired while living there. One very major problem facing Chicago and its many suburbs was the possibility of an RTA strike which would leave the vast urban area without a mass transit system. Governor Thompson and the State legislature attempted to cope with the statewide transportation prob- lem and to find monies to keep things moving in Chicago. SPORTS For the first time ever, Philadel- phia, Pennsylvania, had a world champion baseball team by the WW J, 1,1 Waal- M9i',?QFFi1f1 0 wil, 75 Wiiffiig 90010: . . :fi A f hs, name of the Philadelphia Phillies. They swept the series, led by Mike Schmidt, who was named MVP of the 1980 World Series. In the Super Bowl, the underesti- mated Oakland Raiders made their move and showed the world that they could win the most unforgeta- ble, gruelling game in a football player's career. Under the new ownership of the Jerry Reinsdorf Corporation, the Chicago White Sox acquired such veteran players as Carlton Fisk and Ron Le Flore, who kept the team on the move and vying for first place. But, unfortunately on the other side of town, the Chicago Cubs were find- ing it very difficult to win games, until the strike which paralyzed ma- jor league ball in 1981. FEATURES 145

Page 151 text:

Hinckley's shot stuns U.S. March 30, President Reagan's 70th day in office, began just like any other day for the President. During that morning he held meet- ings with his senior staff officials, and with two dozen Hispanic lead- ers. Later the President had lunch at the White House family quarters, then worked on a speech to be deliv- ered at the Washington Hilton, stretched out for a brief rest. The President left for the drive to the Hilton at 1:45 p.m. With him was his personal aide, the Labor Secre- tary and two Secret Service agents. Following them in the motorcade were Press Secretary Jim Brady and Larry Speaks. President Reagan received a standing ovation as he entered the Hilton's International Ballroom to address 3,500 union representatives. After his speech he greeted a recep- tion line and then gave another speech on various topics, ranging from bvdgit cuts to violent crimes. A group of reporters and photog- raphers awaited Reagan's exit. As the Presidential party came out Mi- chael Putzel, a reporter, shouted Mr, President, Mr. President. The President smiled and raised his left arm to wave. At that moment a man by the name of John Hinckley pulled out a gun and began to shoot. Within two seconds, Hinckley had fired six shots. The President's smile vanished, and he was quickly pushed into his limousine. It ap- peared that the President had not been shot, but a bullet that hit the car richocheted off the door and hit the President below his left arm. In Hinckley's attempt to assassi- nate President Reagan, three other people had also been hurt: Press Secretary Jim Brady, Secret Service Agent Timothy McCarthy, and Dis- trict of Columbia police officer Thomas Delahanty. All four men were quickly taken to nearby hospi- tals. After only spending two and one- half weeks in the hospital, President Reagan returned to the White House and began his normal sched- ule again. Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy and Officer Thomas Delahanty spent over three weeks in the hospital. Press Secre- tary Jim Brady spent several weeks in intensive care. Due to an injury to the brain, his recovery will be a slow one. Speculation continues over the reason for Hinckley wanting to as- sassinate the President and is linked to his infatuation with actress Jodi Foster. By killing the President, Hinckley had hoped to gain the re- spect and love of the young actress he had admired for many months. '-at ii X vw -aa sesss it FEATURES 147