West Mecklenburg High School - Tomahawk Yearbook (Charlotte, NC)

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Landmark ‘tumbles down,’ ending era, challenges On November 4 a landmark, which had stood for approximately twenty- four years, came “tumbling down.” This was the tower erected when the school was built in 1950 to store the water supply for the student body. The tower had long been out of use be- cause the region had changed over the years from a rural one to a metropolitan area, and the school had been put on city water. No longer would the structure offer a challenge to students wanting to climb it to paint their class year on it. In some A . instances over the years, several suc- Faculty members Eddie McCarver, Fred ceeded. With the removal of the tower, Kessler, Donnie Lemmond, Brooks an era ended as changes continued to | Piercy watch the tower “tumble down.” alter the appearance of the campus. ss agnor Sos UN

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28 Students learn customs, culture Representing the school as a foreign exchange stu- dent, Brenda Cannon lived for eight weeks with Eva Meyer and her family in Borga, Finland, where she learned about the customs of the Finnish people. According to Brenda she learned enough of the language to get by. During her stay she went to Helsinki and to the Artic Circle. Of the food, Brenda stated she liked most of it, and her favorite was hapankorpuja (a sour bread). Attending the school as foreign exchange student was Klaus Kristensen from Denmark. He became in- volved in school activities after arriving in August and served as the foreign exchange editor on the Bow and Arrow. ABOVE: Brenda Cannon and her Finnish sister enjoy a lunch of bread, butter, sausage, and yogurt. RIGHT: Stealing a moment from their daily routine, Brenda and Eva read in a sunny meadow. Klaus Kristensen speaks of life in Den- mark at a meeting of the West Charlotte Rotary Club.

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Changes. At no time in history were changes more evident than in the ’74-’75 school year. Students lived through a first — the resignation of a President and a Chief Executive taking power whom the people had not elected. The name Watergate came to represent corruption in government, while the term “expletive deleted” became a joke. Students saw a national crisis as energy continued to be a big issue and as un- employment began to rise. The local scene was not without changes. Disclosure of an alleged “slush fund” led to an investigation of Southern Bell. Also, a World Football League found a home in Charlotte. Students still shivered because of the lower heat in the rooms caused by the energy crisis. Classes at 7:30, an hour earlier than previous years, caused them to arrive at school very sleepy. ABOVE: The sign on campus is covered with ice providing students with a holiday February 4. ABOVE RIGHT: Working after school, Jane Littlejohn rings up groceries at a local supermarket. RIGHT: Wes Parker reaches to turn the school clock back, to indicate the new 7:30 starting time. ODE IS CHART Mie | haa? EF RO ‘74-75 school year reflects national, local changes