White Pigeon High School - Wahbememe Yearbook (White Pigeon, MI)

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Ihi®m©©®mii(n)g) This year's Homecoming Queen is senior Cristi Harman, daughter of Corky and Carol Harman, who was crowned during halftime of the Centreville football game. Her escort was Mark Wentzel. Cristi plans to attend college after high school but her major is undecided. Senior Class attendants were Jodie Moore and Nancy Weiderman. Jodie is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Kruse. Her escort was John Luttman. She plans to attend college and make a career of working with children. Nancy is the daughter of Norm and Carolyn Weiderman. Her escort was David Kistler. After high school, Nancy plans to attend Western Michigan University, but her major is undecided. Student Council president Tim Crist presenting roses to 1981 Homecoming Queen Cristi Harman Homecoming Court (left to right) freshman Natalie Mathew, junior Colleen Stuck, sophomore Kim McBride, 1980 Homecoming Queen Rhonda Rodwick, seniors Cristi Harman, Jodie Moore and Nancy Weiderman Escorts (left to right) freshman Bob Airgood, senior David Kistler, junior Tim Crist, seniors Mark Wentzel and John Luttman, 1980 Queen escort Rob Mitchell, sophomore Greg Bontrager. 1980 Homecoming Queen Rhonda Rodwick and escort Rob Mitchell. 12

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Good afternoon and welcome to the graduation exercises for the Class of 1982 Throughout history, man has desired to understand what makes a life good The end of philosophy itself, some say, is the discovery of what the good' life actually is and how we, as human beings, can obtain it. At this moment in time, each of us is trying to put our lives in some form of perspective Our minds are filled with thoughts of remembrance Memories of past accomplishments and friendships can never be erased, only enhanced with time. Soon our graduation itself will joirTour list oF accmplishments ancf cherished memories Now we have reached the threshold of our own destinies; the time in our lives when we, as human beings, are responsible for our own decisions and are truly able to go in quest of our own personal utopia, or ideal, of the good' life. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow expressed his ideals in his poem The Builders The Builders All are architects of Fate Working in these walls of Time; Some with massive deeds and great, Some with ornaments of rhyme. For the structure that we raise, Time is with materials filled; Our todays and yesterdays Are the blocks with which we build. Let us do our work as well, Both the unseen and the seen; Make the house where gods may dwell Beautiful, entire, and clean Else our lives are incomplete, Standing in these walls of Time, Broken stairways, where the feet Stumble, as they seek to climb Build today, then, strong and sure, With a firm and ample base; And ascending and secure Shall tomorrow find its place Thus alone can we attain To those turrets, where the eye Sees the world as only vast plain, And one boundless reach of sky. Only each person can realistically judge what certain possessions and qualities he feels are necessary to attain his ultimate happiness in life. For instance, a man who seeks comfort in his existence may believe monetary wealth and possessions, such as owning a big and beautiful house and a sports car, would lead to a full life. A humanitarian, however, may feel that only service to others, such as working in the Peace Corps, would achieve the utmost good Towards the attainment of a 'good' life, opportunity exists as a main factor. A famous phrase states, Opportunity only knocks once ' Personally, I feel this phrase is only partially correct. Opportunity may knock more than once but it is the responsibility of the individual to wisely decide whether or not to open the door and let it in We must choose the right opportunities in our lives in order to reach the horizon of true happiness, and it is this freedom to choose which allows us to truly control our own human destiny. As we continue our search for the right opportunities, we must also encounter challenges. In the stream of life, challenges are the rocks which bar your way downstream to eternity. Until you conquer these challenges by dislodging them, you will never really reach your true goal of a good' life. After overcoming one challenge, you proceed to discover bigger and more important goals to strive for and attain. Relating this to life's stream, the rocks we have moved begin to wear down and become smooth, thus aiding to calm the turbulent currents as the water flows onward. This seeking of challenges is a fundamental part of the life of every human being who wishes to reach a philosophical Xanadu, a place where dreams come true. Without it, man would not continue to better himself as a person and thus the valuable inner growth, essential for life itself, would xeroain stagnant. Education guides individuals towards the accomplishment of a good life In order to distinguish important opportunities, it becomes necessary to be educated High school has presented us with a foundation for further learning. But this education need not be in the classroom, because human experience itself adds to our useful store of knowledge Thus education is an everlasting process and it is up to us to make use of our knowledge. In our ever-changing world, wisdom gives us the tool to evaluate doors to new horizons and other facades of life. Ignorance obviously helps to allow these doors to remain closed We cannot be afraid of opening the way to our dreams and applying our knowledge. A life of fear cannot possibly lead to one of true happiness and worth One goal hopefully achieved by a good educational system is a certain flexibility towards different ideals that could open up new opportunities in our lives. We must not shut out the beliefs of others, but must learn to keep our minds open. Once we refuse to acknowledge different ideals, our lives and beliefs become isolated. Education shows us how to avoid the isolation of how we think and lead our lives. Every human being created is individual. Individuality is defined as the qualities which distinguish one person from another or the state of being individual. Thus we were made to be different and not to be slaves to conformity. We can never be truly happy and attain our ultimate goal of a good life if we always conform to the beliefs of others. Henry David Thoreau once said, The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. Thoreau was referring to the fact that many human beings resign themselves to the fate of letting someone else decide how they should look or feel. They are afraid of individuality. A life of such resignation can only lead to an existence of mediocre conformity. You can never truly attain a good life if you are in fear of being yourself Once one gives up individuality, it becomes more difficult to judge what opportunities and decisions are honestly essential for your true goals in life The attainment of individuality is a goal each of us should be striving for in our lives. I hope that each of my fellow graduates is able to conquer the challenges and find the opportunities of which life consists, and that they achieve the ultimate goal of the human being - true happiness and individual worth. Thank you, Todd Cast Valedictorian

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Senior Queen Candidates Cristi Harman escorted by senior Mark Wentzel, Jodie Moore escorted by senior John Luttman, Nancy Weiderman escorted by senior David Kistler. Queen Attendants Freshman attendant Natalie Mathew escorted by freshman Bob Airgood, sophomore attendant Kim McBride escorted by sophomore Greg Bontrager, junior attendant Colleen Stuck escorted by junior Tim Crist. 13