Weldon E Howitt High School - Hi Life Yearbook (Farmingdale, NY)

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Local News Sports New Hue During October and November of 1980, streets throughout the areas under the jurisdiction of the Town of Oyster Bay began to glow with a new hue — orange. The Town had bought the contract for the many streetlights that line our blocks and major roadways from LILCO, the previous operator of the facilities. A worker installing the lights ex- plained that the new lights were more economical. They cost less to operate, saved energy and would actually be brighter than the previous streetlights. The two teams finally met each other and Oakland’s confident spirit led them to victory. Mistake-prone Philadelphia wasn’t able to keep up with the Raiders, and the underdog came out victorious. Doctor Shot Tragedy occurred on December 7, 1980, when Dr. Hugh Ashford of Melville Road, Farmingdale was shot and killed as he was putting up Christmas lights in front of his home. The man who was accused of the shooting was a former patient of Dr. Ashford who was apparently displeased with the doctor’s diagnosis. He drove up to Dr. Ashford’s home, pulled a gun, fired six shots and drove off. He was later arrested and identified as Robert Cohen. Gregory Carman, former Town Councilman and resident of Farm- ingdale, was elected to the United States House of Representatives on November 4, 1980. Carman beat the incumbent Jerome Ambro in a sur- prising race. Former FHS student, Douglas Hynes, was appointed as the new Town Councilman, filling the vacan- cy left by Greg Carman. Local Politicians Phillies Are 1 The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Houston Astros and won its first National League Pennant in 30 years. The Kansas City Royals beat the New York Yankees to clinch the American League Pennant. But that was only the beginning. These two teams were to become adversaries in a grueling six game competition to decide who would become the 1980 World Champion team. In the action-packed first game of the World Series, the Phillies defeated the Royals by the score of 7 to 6. This was quite an achievement considering that the Royals were leading 4 to 0 in the third inning. The second game was also won by the Phillies by a margin of 6 to 4. The third game was tense and thrilling. Isles Win Cup The Islanders, for a while made Long Island the spotlight for nation- wide attention last year as they won the coveted Stanley Cup by defeating the Bullies of Broad Street — the Philadelphia Flyers. The team had a hard time in the series. Again and again the score was tied and the game went into over- time. But everytime this happened, they won! Long Island went wild for its retur- ning heroes. Crowds turned out wherever any of the team members went, especially Ken Morrow. In ad- dition to being an Islander, Morrow was also a member of the triumphant United States’ Olympic Hockey Team. The Islanders are on their way to doing a repeat performance this season. Mike Bossy had 50 goals in 50 games, equaling Maurice Richards’ unofficial record. The score was tied at 3 at the end of the ninth and the game was forced in- to extra innings. In the tenth the Phillies scored and won the battle. However, the fourth game was won by the Royals, as they tried to tie up the series. The Phillies, filled with determina- tion, charged ahead and won the next two games. They had won the series. They were the champs! This was the first time since 1915 that Philadelphia had won the series. The traditional award of Most Valuable Player was presented to Mike Schmidt for his excellent per- formance on the field. Raiders Come Out Tops The noise level increased, chants began, and the crowd stirred. The two teams were about to take the field in the jampacked New Orleans’ Superdome. The starting offense was introduced to the crowd. The coin flip took place, and the whistle blew to start the action. Six months of hard work all came down to one game. The outcome of the Superbowl would be the final achievement of an outstanding season for one of the participants. For the other it would be a disappointing conclusion to a great season. The Oakland Raiders had just gone through a great season with a record of 12-4. Picked for last place, they were the underdog team of the year. They competed against powerhouses such as Houston, Cleveland and San Diego and came out on top. Philadelphia had been building for years, gradually showing im- provements. This year they proved they could beat the top teams. 'fhe two teams finally met each other and Oakland’s confident spirit led them to victory. Mistake-prone Philadelphia wasn’t able to keep up with the Raiders, and the underdog came out victorious. Photo Credits: Islanders — World Wide Photos Standing Outside Local News and Sports 27

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Hail Columbia A clear April morning set the scenario for the beginning of a new era. The space shuttle Columbia pushed the United States some ten years ahead of the Soviet Union, and set the country on fire with en- thusiasm and confidence. John Young, commander for the flight, and pilot Robert Crippen lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida to begin their 54 hour, 36 or- bit voyage. Despite earlier complica- tions with the computer and heat resistant tiles, everything functioned flawlessly and most of the critics of our space program were silenced. After a perfect desert landing before thousands of spectators, Col- umbia began preparations for a September flight. — U.S. World News Refugees Flood U.S. In April of 1980, Fidel Castro open- ed up all the prisons and asylums in Cuba, releasing thousands of Cubans and literally kicked them out of the country. But the United States open- ed its arms and welcomed the Cubans into our country. Boats began bringing the refugees from Cuba to Florida. Special camps were built so the processing of the Cubans could be done. Within a cou- ple of weeks, many of these people were on their way to other cities to begin a new life. Quake Hits Italy It registered 6.8 on the open-ended Richter scale. The devastating earth- quake that hit several Italian pro- vinces from Naples to the Apennines on November 23, 1980 was a human tragedy of vast proportions. It will take many months to restore the sur- vivors to normal life. The earthquake was the deadliest to hit Europe in 65 years. Before the quake had ended, 234,000 Italians were left homeless. The tragedy was compounded by the ineptitude of the Italian government. When the relief operation began, the attempt was bumbling and disorganized. However, countries around the world began campaigns to help the earthquake victims. Pope John Paul II and the President of Ita- ly toured the country, offering moral support for those who wanted it. Photo Credits: World Wide Photos Saturn Explored Question: What weighs 1,820 pounds, is driven by nuclear generators, and visited a destination 815 times the size of the Earth? The answer, of course, is the Voyager I Spacecraft. On November 12, 1980, Voyager I came within a few thousand miles of Saturn, the famous ringed planet. This event was a nonpareil technological achievement that gathered more infor- mation about Saturn in a week than was collected in all of history. New facts were also discovered about Saturn’s at- mosphere as well as the number of rings surrounding it. 26 Standing Outside U.S. and World News Unrest in Poland The recent labor unrest in Poland poses the gravest threat to the Soviet Union since it formed the Eastern Bloc after World War II. Solidarity, the workers’ union under the leader- ship of Lech Walesa, has been formed to make known the widespread dissatisfaction with the deteriorating economic conditions. A five-day work week and access to the media are two recent issues won by Solidarity. Solidarity has grown in number and power to become the third major power in Poland, behind the ruling Communist party and the Roman Catholic Church. This has made the Soviet Union anxious, and the presence of 55 Soviet divisions within striking distance of Poland is a real threat to the existence of Solidarity. Renewed disputes and labor strikes, and the inability of the government and unions to cooperate, could give the Soviet Union the ex- cuse it needs to interfere. We Count 1980 was also the year for the 10 year Census. Eighty-eight million forms were sent out and about 91% of those were returned. One of the major outcomes of the Census was that the Northeastern states’ populations decreased as those in the Southwest increased. As a result, states such as New York, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, lost representative seats in the House of Representatives while those states in the “Sun Belt,” such as Arizona, gained the lost seats.

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—Late Greats Mae West American actress and playwright Mae West died at the age of 87 on November 22, 1980. She was American show business’ bawdy personification of the brazen vamp for more than 60 years. She was known for making the quote, “Come up and see me some time,” universally famous. Elston Howard Star catcher for baseball’s New York Yankees and the first black player with the team, Elston Howard, died at the age of 51 in December 1980. Howard played with the Yankees from 1955 to 1967 and with the Boston Red Sox in 1968. He was named the American League’s Most Valuable Player in 1963. Colonel Sanders The founder of the Kentucky Fried Chicken fast food chain, known as Colonel Sanders, died of pneumonia on December 16, 1980. Sanders was considered an ingenious entrepreneur and salesman who established a famous worldwide chain of restaurants from a small restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky. He was also the perfect image of a Southern gentleman known for his white hair, black string tie, and double-breasted white suit. Shah of Iran More commonly known as the Shah of Iran, Pahlevi was in power from 1941 to 1979. He applied Iran’s immense oil wealth to a massive modernization program known as the White Revolution. He suppressed all opposition to his absolute power and established working relationships with Western powers, the Soviet bloc, Israel and Arab states. Pahlevi was driven from the throne and into exile in January 1979. He died in a military hospital near Cairo, Egypt, after treatment for cancer in the United States, Panama and later, Egypt. 28 Standing Outside Obituaries Ella Grasso Connecticut governor, 61-year-old Ella Grasso, died of cardiac arrest following a long bout with cancer on February 5, 1981. Grasso was the first woman in America to become a state’s top executive without suc- ceeding a husband. Bill Haley Bill Haley, the Father of Rock and Roll,” died on February 9, 1981 at the age of 56. Haley was best known as the leader of his group, Bill Haley and the Comets. One of his most famous recordings was the 1950s “Rock Around the Clock.” Steve McQueen Steve McQueen, famous Hollywood actor, died on November 7, 1980, at the age of 50. McQueen became one of the highest- paid motion picture stars of the 1960’s and 1970’s through the popularity of his portrayals of tough, cool loners with sex appeal. He was also known to perform dangerous stunts himself in his movies. Peter Sellers British comedian, Peter Sellers, died of a heart attack in London, on July 24, 1980. Sellers was known as one of the most versatile satiric actors of his time and as the screen’s star “great imper- sonator.” He was also the famous star of the Pink Panther series of the movies. Matthew Beard Matthew Beard, “Stymie” from the Our Gang series, died of a stroke on January 8, 1981. Beard began his career joining the Our Gang team in the 1930s. He spent six years in a bat- tle with drugs but recovered from his addiction in 1966. His last ap- pearance was in the T.V. miniseries, Backstairs at the White House.