University of Pittsburgh - Owl Yearbook (Pittsburgh, PA)

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former Becomes (9th President Alaska Arizona California Colorado Connecticut Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Maine Michigan Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jcrsev New Mexico North Dakota Oklahoma Oregon South Dakota I tah ermont irgmia ashington W voming Total (ieruld lord became the nation's first unelected President

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( ARM R ST ATI'S BY 1 1 IT TORIAI ( Ol 1 1 Til Alabama « Arkansas c. Delaware i 1 lorida n CiciHgl.1 12 Hawaii 4 Kentucky X 1 ouisiuna 10 Maryland 10 Massachusetts 14 Minnesota 10 Mississippi 7 Missouri I s New York 41 North C arolina u Ohio 5 Pennsylvania 27 Rhode Island 4 South Carolina X T cnnesscc in Texas 2b West Virginia 6 Wisconsin II W islnngton. IX t Puerto Rico 1 Total 2 7 Georgia Peanut United State’s On November 2. 1976, James Earl Carter. Jr., a Georgia peanut farmer, was elected the 39th President of the United States by just under 2 million votes. Jimmy Carter (refusing any other name and suing two states to have the ballots changed to his nickname rather than his proper name) thus became the first Southern President since the Civil War and made Gerald Rudolph Ford the nation’s first unelected President The 1976 Presidential Campaign marked the return of the Presidential Debates with the unpresidented twists of an incumbent challenging the challenger and Vice Presidential Candidates Walter Mondalc and Robert Dole meeting for one television debate. Educated at the United States Naval Academy, Carter a Baptist peanut farmer, preached efficiency, reorganization of the federal bureaucracy, and a cleansing of both Washington's immorality and ineptitude. He entered all 31 Presidential Primaries due to his need for National exposure, as well as Party delegates, and burned out a last minute bid by California's Governor Jerry Brown. This primary approach resulted in the most peaceful Democratic Convention in 12 years at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Here, Carter selected Minnesota’s Walter Fritz Mondale, a liberal U.S. Senator who had taken over Hubert Humphrey’s Senatorial seat when H.H.H. ran as L.B.J.’s VP in 1964. Jimmy Carter thus added a Washington insider, balanced his ticket with a Northerner, and won over the Humphrey Dcmocratcs. Gerry Ford had a more difficult time making it to the finals. After a number of early primary wins, Ronald Reagan tuned up his campaign and raced Ford down the stretch. The GOP nomination became a tossup. So a couple of days before the GOP Convention in Kansas City, Ronald Reagan gambled and chose a Vice President to round out his ticket. Pennsylvania’s liberal Senator Richard Schweikcr. The stalemate was broken and Ford won the Republican nomination by 60 delegates. Ford chose Iowa’s Robert Dole after failing to convince Reagan to round out the ticket and in his Republican Acceptance Speech (being fully aware of Jimmy Carter’s lead in the opinion polls) challenged Carter to a series of Presidential Debates, an unpresidented move by an incumbant President. The Economy, candidate characters, foreign policy, and the desirability for change became the basic issues. But the situation was ideally suited for Jimmy Carter, a Washington unknown with little political experience (one term as Georgia Governor). In the end, Gerald Ford was credited with restoring public trust and confidence to the White House, while Carter’s lackluster campaign was credited with dissipating one of the largest leads ever held by a Presidential Candidate. Jimmy Carter just responded. The only reason it was so close was that the candidate wasn’t good enough as a campaigner. But he’ll make up for that as President.’’ On January 20, 1977 Jimmy Carter, a Georgia peanut farmer became the 39th President of the United States of America. Jimmy Carter appears to be watching the election returns

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Tragedy struck the Pitt Campus on Thursday. January 20, 1977 with an explosion in Langley Hall. The explosion knocked apart lecture hall 221 and sent the dividing wall into adjacent lecture hall 223. The ceiling immediately collapsed. Fortunately no class was in session in 221, but an Animal Psychology lecture was taking place in 223. An eyewitness in room 223 recalled the events clearly. “I heard a rumbling noise behind me and turned to sec the walls coming down. Students fled in all directions. It was horrible! Between 150 160 students were present in the specific area of the explosion. Most made it out unscathed, but 49 were injured, and two died, Carlccn Cum a Project Right-Start secretary, and Patricia Hostetler, a student from Donegal, Pa. No fire accompanied the blast, but rescue crews and twelve fire companies were at the scene soon after the 12:40 PM explosion. Heavy cranes, power saws, and acetylene torches had to be used to remove the few trapped victims from the ruins. Nine of the firemen were treated at area hospitals as a result of methane and nitrobenzene gas inhalation. Throughout the day. hundreds of Pitt students and Oakland residents responded to the request for blood by nearby blood banks. There was such a surplus of volunteers that many had to be bused downtown because of congestion at Oakland facilities. Clergymen of all denominations offered services for the dead and injured throughout the Pittsburgh area and a special Memorial Service was held Monday, January 24. 1977 in Heinz Chapel for Carlccn Curry and Patricia Hostetler. Though the cause of the blast has yet to be determined. the theory of gas has come to be the most accepted reason for the explosion. Explosion Rocks Langley Hall Men mount a pulley later used to clear beam debris. Equitable Gas workers gaze at the damage to Langley Hall.