University of Tennessee Knoxville - Volunteer Yearbook (Knoxville, TN)

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-Larry Maloney cont. Community In Tennessee, Gov. Lamar Alexander, to promote good university relations. ap- peared at the Music Hall for a brief per- formance 0n the piano. However, in his state of the state address. Alexander presented a fiscal budget that called for drastic cuts in higher education. Students angrily pointed out that Alex- ander promised to give education top priority in his campaign speeches. In response, SGA Vice-President Avery Goss led students on a campus march to protest. An even larger storm broke in Nashville as the clemency-for-cash trial began in the state capital. Former employees and ex- governor Ray Blanton each took the stand on charges of bribery. illegal sales of li- quor licenses and the granting of pardons for prison inmates. Blanton and co- defendants Clyde Hood and Jim Allen were each found guilty of extortion. con- spiracy and mail fraud on lune 9. While the trials were in progress. con- victed murderer Steven Iudy was elec- trocuted in Indiana, marking the first ex- ecution since Gary Gilmore's in 1979. Nashville police chief Ioe Casey, stirred up a state controversy on the subject of capital punishment by remarking that he believed the death penalty should be in- voked for convicted drug dealers. Concern over the Violence of crime changed to worry over the violence of war as the US. took first-step measures toward arming itself. The draft registration of four million 20-year-old males turned troubled minds toward controversies taking place in Poland, Afghanistan and El Salvador. For the first time since Vietnam, the threat of war loomed as more than a mere possibility. The western world closely monitored the labor strikes in Poland and the guerrilla warfare being staged in El Salvador and wondered what would hap- pen if Russian intervention became a reality in allied countries. Ann Wayburn, a second degree student in computer science, said she thought America should stay out of any problems in Poland. 'tI've already lived through one war. We should not get involved especially if we don't have any business there. The front steps of the capitol are cluttered before the inauguration. The Pride of the Southland Marching Band performed in the inaugural parade. eLarry Maloney News of Ronald Reagan's election causes an outbreak of cheering at Reagan headquarters in Knoxville, Knoxvillians and students alike gathered at the head- quarters to watch the election returns.

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iliarr-x Mulont't Community It began like any other Monday after- noon. A few stray students watched One Life to Live in the lobby of Strong Hall. In the middle of an argument between the soap characters Karen and Ed, ABC news interrupted the program with the an- nouncement that there had been an assassination attempt on the life of the new president, Ronald Reagan. What followed in the next few hours was a recurrence of a nightmare that hurtled the American public back to the events of 1968 and 1963, and the shooting deaths of Martin Luther King and John F. Kennedy. Though at first Ronald Reagan was believed to be unhurt. it was later dis- covered that he had indeed been shot. Af- ter undergoing nearly three hours of sur- gery for the removal of a bullet lodged in his lung, the president, a former actor. seemed to recover well. He even joked to doctors. ttIf I had received this much atten- tion when I was in Hollywood I never would have left. John Hinkley, Ir., the alleged assailant, was revealed to be a confused man, desperately in love with actress Jodie Foster. He believed by commiting this act that he would gain her admiration. His at- tempt tragically wounded three other men a a Washington policeman, a secret ser- vice agent and the president's press secretary, James Brady. On campus, student reaction was a mix- ture of alarm and disbelief. Billy Cook, a senior in marketing, said, llWhen I heard the news, I didn't believe it at first. It was unreal that someone of Hinkley's background could do it. Shockingly, Tennesseans learned that Hinkley had been arrested late last year in Nashville, during a campaign by Jimmy Carter. Charged with possession of three illegal handguns, Hinkley spent some time in the city jail. But his arrest was never ,V reported to the CIA as a man who might be a potential assassin. While the public breathed a sigh of 7V relief that the assassination attempt had spared the president. for many, the event brought back sharp memories of another shooting in December which ended the life of one of rock music's greatest heros, John Lennon. On December 7. Lennon was shot by Mark David Chapman in New York City. As the world sorrowed. approximately 200,000 people gathered in Central Park to grieve for him. At the request of Lennon's wife, Yoko Ono. the crowd joined her in a 10 minute memorial vigil for the legendary .. musician, best known as a former Beatle. The year brought Americans together in many ways. The presidential campaign brought all three major candidates to the state. Carter held a town meeting in Nashville at the Grand Old Opry. but despite this, Reagan carried Tennessee The Washington Monument is silhouetted in the night sky by brightly colored fireworks the night of Ronald Reaganis presidential inauguration. and most of the south in a landslide vic- tory for the Californian. The win seemed to denote a new feeling of conservatism. Voters showed their dis- approval with their present government by turning long term liberals. including Senators George McGovern and Morris Udall. out of office. The Senate gained a republican ma- jority for the first time in 20 years. The senate majority leader. Howard Baker. took the reins of senate power firmly in hand. determined to respond to the coun- try's demand for change. His first major problem-passing the Reagan budget. which called for massive cuts in govern- ment spending and tax cuts. Reporters gearing up for coverage of in- augural activities of January 23. also closely watched events happening in Iran. That day. seven months after the death of the ex-shah. the news broke that the 52 American hostages had finally been released after spending 15 months as cap- tives in Teheran. Yellow ribbons. tied around trees in Cir- cle Park and elsewhere, signified the joy and relief of Americans as the hostages made their way home. New York rolled out the red carpet with a ticker tape parade down Fifth Avenue and Memphis's own Thomas Cook was awarded a hero's Welcome in West Tennessee. Ribbons were also used by the public to draw attention to another event, though this time not a happy one. Members of the Tennessee basketball team and others. wore green ribbons on their uniforms at the NCAA basketball tournament in Atlanta, to show their sympathy for the 28 murdered black children of the city. The killings began in 1979 and though police believed the suspect was probably a black man or woman, no arrests were made and the murders remained unsolved as of June. -m ltarry Mulontey Surrounded by secret service agents. Ronald Reagan greets Knoxvillians during his campaign visit Soptema her 25. The Visil helped him carry Tennessee. Communily027

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-Iim Sexton Hours after John Lennon was shot in front of the One person at the inauguration reveals his joy at the Dakota apartment building, fans gather to share their release of the American hostages from Iran The grief A week later, an international silent vigil was hostages were freed only a few hours before Ronald held at the request of Yoko Ono, his wife, Reagan was sworn into office. 7Larry Maloney Students show their displeasure with proposed tuition hikes by staging a protest march. Avery 0055. SGA vice-president, Michelle Warner, a junior in liberal arts, David Bradley, SGA president, and Steven Hyers, student member of the board of trustees from UT- Chattanooga, lead the students around campus. -Larry Maloney Communityhzg