Through the Years is an attempt to write our class history. It is presented by individual years beginning with 1940 when most of the Class of 1958 made their entrance into this world and will end on May 27, 2008, marking 50 years from graduation. In some cases, we merely observed the events presented but in other instances, we were participants as individuals, as small groups and for a brief time as a body of students attending Woodrow Wilson High School.
When the pages of our story are complete, hopefully we will have created a journal through the 1940s, the last half of the 20th Century and the beginning years of the 21st Century that Mr. Lee Summers and Mr. Herbert Kiser would give us a passing grade for completing. If there is an event in your life that should be incorporated into the class history, please contact the web site.
The Census Bureau set the population of the United States at 131,669,275. In Europe, Germany invaded Belgium, Denmark, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Norway and conquered France. The first antibiotic was developed and life expectancy in the United States reached 64 years as compared to 49 years in 1900. A survey concluded that radios were present in 30 million homes.
New book titles: The Hamlet, For Whom the Bell Tolls and You Can’t Go Home Again was published more than a year after author Thomas Wolfe’s death.
At the movies: The Grapes of Wrath, Fantasia, Rebecca, The Baker’s Wife, The Great Dictator, The Philadelphia Story and The Westerner.
January 8
Clela Jane Crawford was born and the future Woodrow Wilson High School Class of 1958 began to assemble in, around and beyond Beckley, West Virginia.
In Europe, Germany invaded the Soviet Union. As the Arsenel For Democracy, American industry reached full capacity. Penicillin began production in the United States.
New book titles: Berlin Diary, Random Harvest and My Friend Flicka.
At the movies: Citizen Kane, How Green Was My Valley, Sergeant York and Suspicion.
January 1
Effie Eleanore Plumley was born in Beckley, West Virginia and Gary Schiffer was born in Logan, West Virginia; the first members of our ’41 contingent.
December 7
The Empire of Japan attacked American military and naval forces at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and the United States plunged into World War II with vengence never before witnessed on planet Earth. Not only against Japan but declaring and effecting war against Germany and Italy as well.
American military losses in the Pacific, especially island bases gave way to stabilization and eventual naval victories in that theater of operations. Price controlls were set in place to fight inflation on the home front and in golf, Ben Hogan was the top money winner with $13,143.
New book titles: The Robe and See Here Private Hargrove.
At the movies: In Which We Serve, The Magnificant Ambersons, Johnny Eager, Mrs. Miniver and Yankee Doodle Dandy
January – December
In Beckley, our fathers and oldest brothers went into the Army, Navy and Marine Corps to fight a war on many fronts.
Americans learned the names of places including New Guinea, Tarawa and much about the geography of North Africa. The United Mine Workers went on strike, the only labor union to do so during World War II, declining enrollments at the nation’s colleges and universities were reversed with creation of officer candidate programs and in male fashion, the zoot suit was introduced.
New book titles: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and The Human Comedy as well as books with war themes including Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, Here Is Your War, God Is My Co-Pilot and Guadacanal Diary.
At the movies: Casablanca, For Whom the Bell Tolls, The More the Merrier, The Song of Bernadette and Watch on the Rhine.
January – December
With our fathers and brothers gone to war, Beckley became a community almost void of young able bodied males. Our mothers and older sisters did their part on the home front, which included taking care of us.
Gasoline was rationed (to save rubber) as was sugar and other commodities. We saved string, rubberbands and peeled tin foil off cigarette wrappers to donate to the war effort, sometimes getting free admission to a Beckley movie theater in return for our collection. Scout troops organized scrap metal collections under the supervision of our grandparents. Italy surrendered to the Allies.
By the end of 1944, the Allies were winning major battles including Guam, Saipan, the Invasion of Normandy and The Battle of the Bulge though at a terrible cost. Railways that had been seized by the federal government resulting from a wage dispute were returned to their owners and a German Shepherd was awarded the Army’s Distinguished Service Medal for bravery during the Invasion of Sicily.
New book titles: A Bell for Adano, Brave Men, Forever Amber and Immortal Wife.
At the movies: Gaslight, Going My Way and None But the Lonely.
Television premiers: The War as it Happened, first regularly scheduled news program (NBC).
June 27
The Federal Communication Commission reserved 13 channels for public expansion of television. Channel 1 was later redesignated for noncommercial use.
October 30
The rationing of shoes was discontinued.
November 7
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was reelected president of the United States, the only president ever to win a fourth term.
Victory in war and transition to peace on Earth was anticipated throughout the nation. The United Nations was created and Gen. George S. Patton died in Heidelberg, Germany resulting from injuries received in an automobile accident. Scientists debated the ethical and moral responsibilities of applying nuclear energy and the phrase Kilroy Was Here spread all over the world, led by American GIs.
New book titles: Cass Timberlake and Captain from Castile.
At the movies: The Bells of St. Mary’s, The Lost Weekend, Mildred Pierce, National Velvet and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
April 12
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt died at Warm Springs, Georgia.
May 7
Victory in Europe! Germany surrendered to the Allies.
August 6
The United States destroyed the entire city of Hiroshima, Japan with a single atom bomb, atomic energy’s first application in warfare.
August 15
Victory over Japan. Japan surrendered to the Allies aboard the battleship U.S.S. Missouri. The war was over. Why were our mothers crying on such a happy occasion?
Fear of the Soviets replaced the fear of NAZIs and fascism. Post war conflicts between management and labor unions played out with 4.6 milion workers participating in strikes, the United Mine Workers Union was readmitted to the American Federation of Labor and the ENIAC (computer) was dedicated in Philadelphia.
New book titles: All the King’s Men, This Side of Innocence and Mr. Roberts.
At the movies: Brief Encounter, Henry V, The Best Years of Our Lives, To Each His Own and The Razor’s Edge.
March 23
Woodrow Wilson High School won the West Virginia basketball championship by defeating Stonewall Jackson High School by the score of 40-37 in Morgantown.
August 6
Radio station WWNR signed on the air.
September 3
First day of school for the future Woodrow Wilson High School Class of 1958. Early in the school year Mrs. Hazel Davenport took over one of the first grade classes at Central Elementary School for the ailing Miss Figley. George Arnold, Judy Benson, Pat Costelli, John Gorsica, Mary Lou Forren, Sandy Jones, Elizabeth Gayle Mount, Carol Ann Snyder, Micki Wender and Jenny Wilkes were students at Central Elementary School.
The Marshall Plan was adopted to insure economic recovery in Europe and a new term was created for the uneasy peace that persisted – Cold War. The United States Air Force was created as a seperate branch of the United States military establishment. The Taft-Hartley Bill passed overturning gains made by organized labor and plans were laid to improve the nation’s expanding educational system.
New book titles: Gentlemen’s Agreement, I, the Jury, The Harder They Fall and Aurora Dawn, Herman Wouk’s first novel.
At the movies: Gentlemen’s Agreement, Life With Father, The Farmer’s Daughter, and Miracle on 34th Street.
Television premier: Meet the Press (NBC).
Veterans were returning to the Beckley area in large numbers seeking a return to normal. Education, housing and employment were in demand to accomodate those who had served.
September 2
The Class of 1958 entered second grade. Thelma Adams, Kenneth Akers, Wilma Mae Caudill, Loretta Clark, Jean Crawford, Carol Fitzgerald, J.C. Francisco, Drema Hatcher, Karen Sue Hatfield, Frank Heatherly, Linda Lawson, Joe Maddox, Patricia Ann Maxey, Barbara McGoskey, June Richardson, John Pruett, Ramona Jo Roles, Barbara Scott, Sandra Stanley and Shirley Lea Sutphin were students at Sylvia Elementary School
October 14
A Bell X-1 expirimental jet became the first aircraft to fly faster than the speed of sound. Military test pilot Charles E. “Chuck” Yeager a native West Virginian was at the controls.
November
Woodrow Wilson High School and Stonewall Jackson High School of Charleston were declared co-champions having completed the football season undefeated.
In Germany, the Soviets cut off Allied access to Berlin via highways and rail lines. The Allies started flying supplies to support military and civilian neccessities alike in a test of wills, technology and logistics that became known as the Berlin Air Lift. President Harry S. Truman who had assumed the presidency upon the death of Fanklin Delano Roosevelt won a term as president of the United States in his own right.
New book titles: Crusade in Europe, The Naked and the Dead, Raintree County , and The Young Lions.
At the movies: Hamlet, Johnny Belinda, Key Largo and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Television premiers: Candid Camera, Kukla, Fran and Ollie, News and Views (ABC), Nightly News (CBS) and Saturday Night Jamboree.
In Beckley, we were surrounded by heros, but we knew them only as dads, brothers, uncles, cousins and neighbors. Tommy Ison’s father would never return, except for burial. Neither would some older brothers including, Dillard Earehart. The Kinzer family who lived on South Kanawha Street never would learn what happened to their son Charles, who had been lost on a air mission over Europe.
September 7
As third graders, Kay Weikle, Ray McManamay, Agnes Rae Bowling, John Luther Maddy, Teresa Hensley, Robert Hancock, Pauline Bailey, Corky Lively, Carolyn Smith, James Bays, Nancy Smith, Larry Kesler, Eugene Chappo and Larry Martin were students at Teel School.
November
Woodrow Wilson High School won the West Virginia football championship completing an undefeated season.
The Berlin Air Lift continued into May when the Soviets reopened roads and railroads leading to Berlin, Germany. The crisis passed into a continuing competition of political systems Capitalism vs.Communism. Six million cars and trucks rolled off American assembly lines and an Air Force XB-47 jet bomber flew transcontinental in 3 hours, 46 minutes.
New book titles: Peace of Soul, The Greatest Story Ever Told and The Man With the Golden Arm.
At the movies: All the King’s Men, The Heiress and Twelve O’Clock High.
Television premier: Hopalong Cassidy.
In Beckley, the economy in the Smokeless Coal Capitol was booming. No small part of this boom was the contribution of the area’s coal miners. Darol Brewster, Terry Fitzpatrick, Martha Kershner, James Kilpatrick, Mary Belle Lyons, Fred Maddow, and Eddie Phipps were but a few classmates whose fathers brought home a livelihood earned on coal mine payrolls.
April 10
Sam Snead, a West Virginia native won the Masters Golf Tournament in Atlanta, Georgia.
September 6
Fourth grade for the future Woodrow Wilson High School Class of 1958. Larry Belcher, JoAnn Chambers, Cecilia Conner, Virginia Cox, Janice Curtis, Frankie Ferro, Tamara Harrah, Sue Hedrick, Brenda Holliday, Barbara Riddick, William Oliver, Jeanette Premo, Sue Redden and Florence Thomas attended Mabscott School.
The Census Bureau set the population of the United States at 150,697,361. The new enemy was Communism. Communist North Korea invaded Democratic South Korea. President Harry Truman sent American troops to fight the North Koreans and later the “Red Chinese” under the auspices of the United Nations.
New book titles: The Cardinal, The Disenchanted and The Wall.
At the movies: All About Eve, Born Yesterday, Cryano de Bergerac and Harvey.
Television premier: What’s My Line
The first American casualty of the Korean Conflict was Pvt.Kenneth Shadrick whose parents lived at Skelton, near Beckley. A noble but unrewarding first for West Virginia.
September 5
The future Class of 1958 entered fifth grade. William Lee Ball, Marvin Bostic, Sherry Evans, James Ballard Hatcher, Linda Henson, Judith Kobelia, Sandra Ann Peraldo and Kenneth Zemerick attended Sprague School.
More than 11,000 book titles were published in the United States as paperback books grew in popularity. Employment of women set a new record surpassing even the numbers employed during World War II. The federal government tried (and failed) to curtail inflation by restricting production of consumer items coupled with freezing prices and wages. The last Frazier automobile rolled off the assembly line.
New book titles: The Grass Harp, Lie Down in Darkness, The Morning Watch and The Caine Mutiny.
At the movies: A Streetcar Named Desire, An American in Paris, Bright Victory and The African Queen.
Television premier: I Love Lucy.
February 26
The Twenty-second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States was adopted, limiting our presidents to two terms in office.
March 24
Woodrow Wilson High School won the state basketball championship defeating Charleston High School by the score of 62-54 in Morgantown. It was Coach Jerome VanMeter’s second state basketball championship and the second state basketball championship for Woodrow Wilson.
September 4
The future Class of 1958 entered sixth grade. Ida Rose Adkins, Jim Anderson, Rita Bright, Henrietta Broome, Mary Ann Butterworth, Blain Casali, Paul Chickos, Joyce Cooney, Judy Coram, Jim Fazio, Becky Freeland, Ann Janutolo, Susan Johnson, Wanda Lyons, Martha May, Faye Morgan,L.C. Sarrett and Kitty Walker were students at Institute School.
November
Woodrow Wilson High School won the state football championship by defeating Gary High School 26-0 in a post season title game. Coach Jerome VanMeter had offered Gary the opportunity to serve as co-champions but Gary insisted on a title game.
Combat in Korea continued, new architectural innovations were unveiled and flying saucer sightings were reported across the nation. The last Crosley automobile rolled off the assembly line.
New book titles: East of Eden, Invisable Man and The Old Man and the Sea.
At the movies: High Noon, Come Back Little Sheba, The Greatest Show on Earth, and The Bad and the Beautiful.
Television premiers: I’ve Got A Secret, My Little Margie, The Adventures Of Ozzie And Harriet and The Jackie Gleason Show.
Songs we listened to included: You Belong To Me, Glow Worm, Blue Tango, Wheel Of Fortune, Don’t Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes, Walkin’ My Baby Back Home, Because You’re Mine, Tell Me Why, Jambalaya and Shrimp Boats.
March 22
Woodrow Wilson High School won the state basketball championship defeating Fairmont West by the score of 53-52 in Morgantown. It was the second state basketball championship in as many years and the third state basketball championship for Woodrow Wilson.
April 6
Sam Snead, a West Virginia native won his second Masters Golf Tournament in Atlanta, Georgia.
May 20
The future Class of 1958 graduated sixth grade. Lincoln School held a cap and gown commencement at the Beckley Junior High School Auditorium awarding 59 diplomas: Patty Amond, Lois Arnott, Patty Ballard, Ida Mae Canterbury, Robin Cornett, Peggy Davis, Nancy Dillinger, Margie Edwards, Nancy Fink, Barbara Fitzpatrick, Sandra Goodall, Judy Griffith, Evelyn Hamilton, Jacquline Hollandsworth, Mildred Homes, Nancy Kay Johnson, Carol Ann Lewis, Nellie Lilly, Celia Maples, Janet McCary, Carol Sue Pack, Betty Parker, Georgia Roberts, Sandra Schwartz, Jacqueline Short, Suzann Smith, Barbara Thorne, Teresa Thompson, Linda Triggs, Shelby Tassitino, Martha Jane Wood, Sam Allen, Jerry Allison, Clarence Arthur, Charles Bales, Edward Bryan, Lewis Burford, J.B. Cole, Sam Cumbo, Swanson Eans, Andy Earehart, Billy Hager, James (P.A.) Hatcher, Richard Highlander, Thomas Ison, James Lawson, Fred Lilly, Frederick Maddow, Tom McGrady, John Meadows, Richard Meadows, Robert Metrick, David Miller, Pat Porterfield, Bill Powers, Ed Snuffer, Larry Stafford and Robert Wills.
September 2
The future Class of 1958 entered seventh grade, most at Beckley Junior High School. As seventh graders we were alloted two positions on the school cheer leading team. Our two cheerleaders were Pat Costelli and Carol Lee Snyder.
November 4
Dwight D. Eisenhower, a military hero of World War II was elected 34th president of the United States.
Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin led a witch hunt seeking Communist infiltration of the federal government, 3-D movies hit the Beckley theaters giving an illusion of a third dimension to characters and objects on the screen, Bermuda shorts for men were introduced, and Rocky Marciano defended his world heavyweight title two times. Vanity license plates and other signs began to appear proclaiming Beckley as a City of Champions.
New book titles: Battle Cry, Go Tell It on the Mountain, The Light in the Forest and The Bridges at Toko-Ri.
At the movies: From Here to Eternity, Roman Holiday and Stalag 17.
Television premier: You Are There
Songs we listened to included: Stranger In Paradise, Song From Moulin Rouge, Rags To Riches, How Much Is That Dogie In The Window, Pretend, Vaya Con Dios, Till I Waltz Again With You, Ebb Tide, That’s Amore and Crying In The Chapel.
March 21
Woodrow Wilson High School won the state basketball championship defeating Parkersburg by the score of 74-58 in Morgantown. It was the third state basketball championship in as many years and the fourth state basketball championship for Woodrow Wilson.
July 27
An armistice brought the conflict between United Nations forces and Communist armies in Korea to a conclusion. Once again the losses had hit the Beckley area. David Kennedy’s mother became a Gold Star Mother when his brother Kendall was killed in action.
September 8
The future Class of 1958 entered eighth grade.
The French were defeated at Dien Bein Phu and abandoned Indochina. It did not seem important to us at the time. In transportation, plans for the transcontinental highway system we know today as the Interstate Highway System, and development of the St. Lawrence Seaway to open a lane between all of the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean were unveiled. Television sets graced the living rooms of 29 million American households representing 60 percent of those available. A business recession brought hard times to the coal fields. Signs proclaiming Beckley City of Champions were extended to the city limits with official sanction. The last Nash automobile rolled off the assembly line.
New book titles: A Fable, No Time for Sergeants, Sweet Thursday and The Bird’s Nest..
At the movies: On the Waterfront, The Barefoot Contessa and The Country Girl.
Television premiers: Lassie and Walt Disney.
Songs we listened to included: Secret Love, Three Coins In The Fountain, Little Things Mean A Lot, Mister Sandman, Hey There, Young At Heart, The Naughty Lady Of Shady Lane, Hearts Of Stone, Cross Over The Bridge and Sh-Boom.
January 1
West Virginia University lost to Georgia Tech by the score of 42-19 in the Sugar Bowl played in New Orleans, Louisiana. WVU’s first major post season bowl appearance.
March 20
Woodrow Wilson High School won yet another state basketball championship defeating Mullens by the score of 40-32 in Morgantown. It was the fourth state basketball championship in as many years and the fifth state basketball championship for Woodrow Wilson.
April 12
Sam Snead, a West Virginia native won the Masters Golf Tournament in Atlanta, Georgia, his third Masters victory.
May
Classmates James Daniel, Francene Mitchell and Jerry Williams were awarded Knight and Lady of the Golden Horseshoe awards resulting from the state wide competition in knowledge of West Virginia History. The annual competition began in 1931.
May 24
Mary Anderson, Nancy Arthur, Edna Balaskey, Keith Brazzie, Shirley Bryant, Donna Cox, Phyllis Faykus, Phyllis Fitzwater, Dewey Laws, Billy Nowlin, Lynda Oscar, Darrell Pettry, Eugene Solonka, Frances Solonka, Patsy Thornton, Dean Walker, Roger Williams and Gene Wiseman graduated from Eighth Grade at the Prosperity School Commencement.
September 7
The future Class of 1958 reached its full potential as ninth graders when students from the feeder schools joined those already enrolled at Beckley Junior High School.
October
Home coming at BJHS. Homecoming Queen was Loretta Bays. Her attendants included Peggy Phlegar and Vicki Christopher.
Public works projects were instituted to rebuild American cities, black and white television sets began to give way to color television sets, organized labor numbered 15 million workers and comic book sales exceeded one million. The last Kaiser automobile rolled off the assembly line.
New book titles: Band of Angels, A Good Man Is Hard to Find, And Other Stories, The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit and Majorie Morningstar.
At the movies: Marty, Night of the Hunter, The Rose Tatto, Mr. Roberts and East of Eden.
Television premiers: Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Gunsmoke, The Grande Olde Opery, The Honeymooners, The $64,000 Question, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Lawrence Welk Show and The Micky Mouse Club.
Songs we listened to included: Ballad of Davey Crockett, Love Is A Many Splendored Thing, Something’s Gotta Give, Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White, Unchained Melody, Sincerely, Ain’t That A Shame and Love and Marriage. But the favorite song in West Virginia may have been Sixteen Tons and teen music changed dramatically with Rock Around The Clock by Bill Haley and The Comets, introducing Rock And Roll.
May 25
Graduation from Beckley Junior High School for 512 students of the future Class of 1958.
September 6
First day at Woodrow Wilson High School for the future Class of 1958.
Some Southern states ignored The United States Surpeme Court’s ruling against racial integration in the public schools while others openly rebelled against it. Blacks boycotted public transportation in Montgomery, Alabama, the last living veteran of the Union Army died (at 109 years of age), farm production set new records, Rock and Roll became the music of choice by our age group and Rocky Marciano retired as undefeated heavy weight chamipon of the world.
New book titles: A Single Pebble, The Last Hurrah, Peyton Place and Seize the Day.
At the movies: Around the World in 80 Days, Lust for Life, Anastasia and The King and I.
Television premier: Broken Arrow.
Songs we listened to included: Don’t Be Cruel, Great Pretender, My Prayer, Wayward Wind, Whatever Will Be, Will Be, Heartbreak Hotel, Lisbon Antigua, Canadian Sunset, Moonglow (from Picnic) and Honky Tonk.
An important event around Beckley occurred when most members of the future Class of 1958 became elgible to obtain an operator’s permit to drive motor vehicles.
September 4
Our junior year began.
The Soviet Union launched Sputnik I, first man made satellite to revolve around Earth. The monetary value of art pieces and collections achieved prices previously thought to be unattainable. The average wage for factory workers reached $2.08 per hour and the desire for professional baseball on the West Coast was answered when the New York Giants moved to San Fancisco and the Brooklyn Dodgers to Los Angeles. The last Hudson automobile rolled off the assembly line.
New book titles: By Love Possessed and A Death in the Family.
At the movies: The Bridge on the River Kwai, Heaven Knows Mr. Allison, The Three Faces of Eve and Sayonara.
Television premiers: Blondie, Paladin and Zorro.
Songs we listened to included: Tammy, Love Letters In The Sand, It’s Not For Me To Say, Young Love, Chances Are, Little Darlin, Bye Bye, Love, All Shook Up, So Rare and Round And Round.
February 11
Class of 1958 representatives Judy Coram and Bill Highlander participated in the annual Know Your State Government Day Conference held in Charleston. A meeting with Governor Cecil H. Underwood was included in the program.
February 22
Woodrow Wilson placed third in the 10th Annual State Wrestling Championship. Mainard Hicks placed second in the 106 pounds weight class, George Thompson placed second in the 115 pounds weight class, John Spinelli placed forth in the 123 pounds weight class, Harold Meade placed second in the 136 pounds weight class, John Pyles placed fourth in the 141 pounds weight class and Gene Wiseman placed second in the 148 pounds weight class.
February 26
A two act operetta, Mississippi Melody based on Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn was presented in the WWHS auditorium by the Vocal Department. Mrs. Paul McClure directed the production assisted by Mrs. Frank Vass. Classmate Susan Johnson played the part of Aunt Polly.
March 11
Classmates Mary Anne Butterworth, Carole Ann Meadows and Judy Shumate were among five WWHS students who attended the Raleigh-Wyoming Press Conference under the supervision of Mr. Herbert Kiser, WWHS journalism sponsor. The conference was held at Marsh Fork High School and featured a talk by Mr. Jack Van Dyke an instructior at Beckley College.
March 18
Sgt. John B. Kerridge, United States Marine Corps spoke of his experiences and observations while stationed in Moscow, Russia for 18 months on embassy duty. His narration, which was accompanied by color slides was the feature of a student assembly.
March 23
Woodrow Wilson High School won the Class A state basketball championship by defeating a much larger Charleston High School team by the score of 82-70 in Huntington. It was the sixth state basketball championship for Woodrow Wilson. Classmate Buddy Bales who was in his junior year contributed to the title victory.
March 27-28
The Flying Eagle Band presented the annual Ministrel.
April 25
Thespian Troupe 754 of Woodrow Wilson High School presented a one act drama Fog in the Valley authored by Verna Powers. Mrs. Frank Vass and Miss Virginia Reardon co-directed the production.
April 26
The Sophmore class (WWHS 1959) held the annual Sophmore Party in the WWHS gymnasium. Oriental Gardens was the theme of the party with decorations that included Chinese lanterns. The party was directed by Mrs. Lawrence Wiseman. Dancing in the gym followed the program.
May 29
The Annual Commencement Program graduated 315 members of the Woodrow Wilson High School Class of 1957.
June
George Arnold, Buddy Bales, Blain Cassali, John Gorsica, Willie Highlander, John Spinelli and Bob Wills were delegates to Boys State at Jackson’s Mill, Jefferson County, West Virginia.
June 9-15
Rita Bright, Mary Anne Butterworth, Judy Coram, Carolyn Darnall Susan Johnson, Kitty Walker and Martha Wray were delegates to Rhododendron Girls State at Jackson’s Mill, Jefferson County, West Virginia. The 1957 annual session of Girls State was the 15th year the American Legion Auxillary sponsored the event.
August 23
Andy Earehart, Bill Highlander, MacRay Pennington and Ray Vest were announced as the four co-captains of the 1957-58 WWHS football team. J.C. Francisco, Ed Grygiel, Melvin Jamison, Dennis Mahoney and Lewis Williams were mentioned in the announcement appearing in the Beckley Post-Herald as contributors to the team.
September 3
First day, 12th grade. Now we were the WWHS Class of 1958. The class bid ado to Nancy Fink who moved to Charleston for her senior year and welcomed foreign student Karl Goran Dalfelt a citizen of Sweden.
September 6
Opening game of the football season was played in Beckley against the Mullens Rebels. The Flying Eagle marching band made it’s first public appearance of the school year 126 pieces strong led by majorettes and Swiss flag girls. Mary Lou Forren, Brenda Booth, Ida Mae Canterbury, Ramona Jo Roles and Martha Wood were among the majorettes. Flag girls included Linda Henson, Ann Janutulo, Celia Maples and Kay Weikle. Rosemary Amato, Henrietta Broome, Peggy Davis, John Estep, Gail Fitzpatrick, Sandra Goodall, Tamara Harrah, James Ballard Hatcher, Karen Hatfield, Frank Heatherly, Bob Klein, Clark Martin, Phil Munsey, Melvin Pennington, Edna Pettry, Carol Potts, Barbara Scott, Mary Louise Smith, Nancy Earle Smith, Suzann Smith, Shelby Tassitino and Micki Wender played instruments. Beckley won the game by a score of 27-0.
October 23
The Senior Class Play – Melody Jones was presented. Jim Anderson, Phyllis Holdren, Jackie Hollandsworth, Susan Johnson, Sandy Jones, Corky Lively, Wayne Manning, Katie Belle Pickett, Bobby Jean Snyder, Kitty Walker and Martha Wray were members of the cast.
October
Susie Hensley reigned as Homecoming Queen and Drema Hatcher was Miss Flying Eagle. Janey Cooke, Judy Coram, Sandra Reed, Sherry Evans and Nancy Dellinger were among their attendants.
October 25
Beckley 20 – East Bank 13. Brenda Jackson and Susan Lowe were the first female cheerleaders to represent WWHS within our memory. Previous cheerleading squads had been all-male.
November 8
Last game of the 1957 football schedule. George Arnold, Paul Chikos, J.B. Cole, Bill Harsanyi, John Pruett, Wayne Tucker and Gene Wiseman retired their uniforms following a loss to Stonewall Jackson by the score of 19-13.
United States Postal System surface mail rates rose from three cents per ounce to four cents and domestic air mail rose from six cents per ounce to seven cents. Economic recession continued to affect the coal fields adversely. State authorities in Little Rock, Arkansas closed the public school system and reopened them for a time as private schools in an unsuccessful attempt to continue racial segregation. The United States launched its first Earth satellite – Explorer I and it’s second – Vanguard I. The last Packard automobile rolled off the assembly line.
New book titles: Home From the Hill and The Gingerbread Man.
At the movies: The Defiant Ones, Separate Tables, I Want to Live, Gigi and The Big Country.
Television premiers: 77 Sunset Strip, The Donna Reed Show and The Lawman.
Songs we listened to included: Volare, It’s All in the Game, Patricia, All I Have To Do Is Dream, Bird Dog, Little Star, Witch Doctor, Twilight Time, Tequilla and At The Hop.
February 6
Co-captains Harold Meade and George Thompson along with Bob Wills and John Pyles won their individual wrestling matches contributing to a 25-13 victory over the Hinton Bobcats in Hinton.
February 18
Classmate Glenna Jean Crawford was recognized in the BeckleyPost-Herald for having two poems intended for the ECHO published in Seventeen Magazine.
February 22
Woodrow Wilson placed third in the 11th Annual State Wrestling Championship. George Thompson placed third in the 115 pounds weight class, John Spinelli placed third in the 123 pounds weight class, Bob Wills placed third in the 130 pounds weight class and Harold Meade placed second in the 141 pounds weight class.
March 4
The Vocal Music Department presented a two-act musical comedy Old Fashioned Girl. Classmates Ida Rose Adkins, Keith Cooke, Barbara Fitzpatrick, Phyllis Holdren, James Lowe, Larry Kesler, Katybelle Pickett, John Spinelli, Barbara Thorne, James Walker and Nadine Walls had parts in the play. Classmates Margaret Fitzpatrick, Susan Johnson, Joan Sweptson and Mary Ellen Thorpe were in the chorus. Classmates Nancy Lewis and Shirley Sutphin were dancers.
March 7
The Woodrow Wilson High School basketball team defeated Marsh Fork in the semi-final game of the Section 10, Class A state basketball tournament. Captains Ron Manning and Charles “Buddy” Bales, along with classmates Mike Howery and Gene Miller contributed to the victory. The Flying Eagles were defending state champions in 1958.
March 27-28
The Flying Eagle Band presented the Annual Minstrel. Jerry Bledsoe played the part of the interlocutor with George Arnold, J.C. Francisco, Mike Howery, Denny Mahoney, Bill Rose and George Thompson playing end men.
April 26
The Latin Club held their annual banquet. A group of classmates dressed in togas appeared on the front page of the Beckley newspaper following this event.
May 1
Tie & Heel Day – Seniors.
May 7
Kid Day Picnic – Seniors.
May 9
All books due in library.
May 10
Junior-Senior Prom – Ida Mae Canterbury reigned as Prom Queen with Judy Coram, Pat Costelli, Janey Cooke, Sherry Evans, Susan Lowe and Kitty Walker attending. Harold Casali, vice president of the Student Council crowned Ida Mae as Queen, Errol Stokley served as announcer accompanied by Janice Mynier and Susan Bailey served as Flower Girl.
May 15
Rehearsal of Seniors for Class Sermon.
May 16
The Woodrow Wilson High School Band presented a commencement musical concert.
May 18
The Woodrow Wilson High School Vocal Department presented a musical concert directed by Mrs. Cary McClure. Miss Katybelle Pickett sang a solo during the program presented in honor of National Music Week.
May 19-20
Examinations for seniors. Seniors having a “B” average or better for a given subject were excused from taking a final examination for that subject.
May 23
Second Senior Class Rehearsal for Sermon at 9 a.m.
May 25
Class Sermon – 8:00 p.m.
May 26
Final report cards
May 27
Graduation: Wiliam Lee Ball, Agnes Rae Bowling, Elizabeth Ann Brash, Phyllis Marie Faykus, Sharon Jeanette Goodman, Phyllis Anne Lilly, Martha Eloise May, Lynda Sue Oscar, Darrell Franklin Pettry, Ruth Anne Pipkin, Joyce Kay Shumate, Demetria Ann Stanley, Lois Ann Arnott, Judith Faye Bowers, Charleen Carson, Jo Ann Chambers, Robert Earl Clifford, Rilla Mae Cook, Janice Gayle Curtis, Mary Alice Daniel, Shelby Lee Dozier, Carol Gaye Fitzgerald, Billie Sue Hedrick, Johnnie Herbert Hoskins, Archie Lenord Hughes, Nancy Kay Johnson, Mary Catherine Lagos, Norma Jean Laws, Virginia Lee Mackey, Janet Ruth McCary, Betty Jo Mitchem, Patty Ann Moses, William Newton Oliver, Betty Lou Osborn, Patsy Porterfield, Alice Faye Riffe, Jan Eldridge Riffe, Georgia Ann Roberts, Larry Franklin Stover, Betty Lenore Suddreth, Barbara Sue Thorne, Patsy Ruth Thornton, Mary Ellen Thorpe, Mary Nadine Walls, Nina Louise Williams, Leonard Berkeley Wright, Thelma Mae Adams, Ida Rose Adkins, Kenneth Ivan Akers, Barbara Jean Alderman, Michael Keith Allenbaugh, Norma Lee Angle, Mary Arbaugh, Sue Ellen Arnett, Clarence Norvell Arthur, Mary Anna Atkins, Carmellia Faye Ayers, David Robert Bailes, James Linton Bailey, Pauline Janette Bailey, Ruby Gay Bailey, Barbara Lee Baker, Ronald Gene Baker, Betty Jean Ballard, Larry Keith Bazzie, Jerry Gordon Beavers, Janet Elouise Bennett, Judith Kay Benson, Jack Lee Berry, Nancy Kay Biggs, Jerry Wesley Bledsoe, Judith Kay Boleratz, Michael Whisler Bowman, Jackqueline Harwood Bragg, Deta Raye Brogan, James Lee Broome, Dalton Reid Broyles, Lewis Glenn Buckland, Guy Lewis Burford, Shirley Jean Calhown, Wilma Mae Caudill, Eugene Edwin Chappo, Reba Jane Pittman Cline, James Harold Cole, Sharon Louise Coleman, Nancy Gaye Combs, Cecilia June Conner, Keith Lucille Cooke, Joyce Ann Cooney, June Irene Cooper, Virginia Rose Cox, David Lloyd Craig, Clela Jane Crawford, Glenna Jean Crawford, Antonio Manuel Cueto, Benjamin Von Daniel, Eleanor Sue Daugherty, Richard Harrison Davis, Margaret Ann Dunn, Marjorie Ann Edwards, John Franklin Estrada, Jr., James Joseph Fazio, Carol Ann Fearn, Franklin Delano Fekete, Frankie Marie Ferro, Don Jerry Fink, Barbara Elizabeth Fitzpatrick, Margaret Rose Fitzpatrick, Phyllis Ann Fitzwater, Rebecca Ann Freeland, Clyde Morris French, Shirley Ann Garland, Gloria Lou Garten, Prudence Gaziano, Mildred Jean Gilliam, Leon Alva Goins, Shirley Louise Goins, Sandara Lee Goodall, Judith Lynn Griffith, Pauline Frances Grimes, Richard Allen Grubb, Robert Eugene Hancock, Norman Holt Harless, Jr., Clyde Douglas Harper, Jerry Lee Harrah, Maurnetia Harris, Ronald Lee Harvey, Judith Anne Hayes, Maynard Franklin Hicks, Brenda Sharron Holliday, Jimmie Gennell Houston, Cecilia Ann Hovanski, James Morris Hoye, Charlotte Ann Hunt, Frank McKinley Huston, Richard Brient, Hutchens, Larry Wayne Kesler, Margaret Ellen Kirby, Judith Evelyn Kobelia, James Warren Lawson, Nancy Ellen Lawson, Elizabeth Lee, Carol Ann Lewis, Nancy Hamilton Lewis, Fred Vivan Lilly, Orville Eugene Lilly, James Ethan Lowe, Cecil Jackson Luther, Wanda Marie Lyons, Anthony Joe Maddox, Billie Isabella Maddy, John Luther Maddy, Betty Jo Mahaffey, Robert Grant Mankin, Larry Martin, Lois Jean Maxey, Patricia Ann Maxey, Ted Curtis Maxey, Reba Ann McClaugherty, Emma Lou McComas, Wanda Vera McDaniel, Gene Raymond McElrath, Thomas Streibeigh McElrath, Mildred Louise McGoskey, Thomas Ray McKinney, Leonard Ray McNulty, Della Marie McQuillen, Carol Ann Meadows, Greta Mae Meadows, Jessie Meadows, John Norwood Meadows, Norman Richard Meadows, Retha Belle Meadows, Scotty Leon Meadows, David Lee Miller, Melva Ann Miller, Miranda Adair Mills, Joyce Ann Mize, Ann Louise Moore, Marlene Deloris Moore, Wyona Faye Morgan, Myrna Kay Morris, Vivien Mintle Moss, Elizabeth Gayle Mount, Rachel Pearl Mullens, Coy Lee Nicely, Jr., Russel Hill Nickell, Jr., Particia Louise O’Dell, Aubrey David Pack, Carolyn Sue Pack, Patricia Ann Patrick, Jackie Lee Payne, Sandra Ann Peraldo, Shelva Jean Persinger, Carolyn Dale Plumley, Effie Eleanor Plumley, Carol Ann Potts, Barbara Sue Quesenberry, Anna Marie Radford, Sue Ellen Redden, Marjorie Rea Redmond, Alice Fay Rice, Lillian June Richardson, Barbara Ann Riddick, Cecil Owen Riffe, Jr., Linda Carol Lawson Riffe, Margaret Christine Rogusky, John Griffin Roles, William Franklin Rose, Betty Louise Sanger, Glyndon William Sawyers, Graham Everett Sayre, Gary Lee Schiffer, David Ray Scott, Judith Ann Shumate, Lavone Joyce Skaggs, Gene Douglas Skiles, Carolyn Louise Smith, Ernest Wade Smith, Howard Wesley Smith, Jr., Robert Franklin Smith, Jr., Merry Ellen Snuffer, William Edward Snuffer, Margaret Carlyn Soltes, Larry Eugene Stafford, Errol Suthard Stokley, Richard Pierson Summers, Shirley Lea Sutphin, Joan Gay Swepston, Lorene Vivian Taylor, Wilma Joyce Taylor, Florence Ethel Thomas, Ruth Ann Thomas, Gloria Jean Thompson, Geraldine Ola Tolbert, Laura Sharolet Tolliver, Carol Ann Tyree, Joan Ruth Underwood, Linda Lou Underwood, Gloria Jean Vaughn, James Franklin Walker, Geneva Annette Wallen, Annette Yvonne Walney, Betty Jean Walton, Barbara Lee Warden, JoAnn Watson, Robert Douglas Wickline, Elizabeth Ann Wilbur, Virginia Florence Wilkes, Alice Faye Williams, Frederick Lee Williams, Larry Lee Willis, Shirley Jean Wooten, Willis Walter Wooten, Edna Maude Wriston and Kenneth Charles Zimmerick were among 343 clasmates who received diplomas.
July 6
Classmate Florence Ethel Thomas married John Denny of Sophia, West Virginia.
August 23
Classmate Brenda Gaye Jackson married John Thomas Thios, WWHS 1956. The wedding ceremony was performed at the Methodist Temple in Beckley. Brenda had just graduated from WWHS and Tom was a student at West Virginia University at the time of the marriage.
August 30
Classmate Sharon Louise Coleman married classsmate John Franklin Estrada, Jr.
December 26
Classmate Phyllis Marie Fakus married classsmate Gene Burton Wiseman.
Vice-President Richard M. Nixon visited the Soviet Union and Soviet Premier Nakita Khrushchev visited the United States. The New York Philharmonic Orchestra toured Europe. The United Steel Workers struck steel mills for 116 days, the longest such labor stoppage in American history.
New book titles: Advise and Consent and Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
At the movies: Anatomy of a Murder, Ben-Hur, Room at the Top, The Diary of Ann Frank and The Nun’s Story.
Television premiers: Adventures in Paradise, Bonanza, Rawhide, The Many Loves of Dobbie Gillis, The Twilight Zone and The Untouchables.
At college, in military service or at work we listened to: Mack The Knife, Battle of New Orleans, Venus, Lonely Boy, There Goes My Baby, Personality, Three Bells, Put Your Head On My Shoulder, Sleep Walk and Come Softly To Me.
March 14
Classmate Sue Ellen Redden married Fred Walters of Sophia, West Virginia. The wedding ceremony was performed in Tazwell, Virginia. Sue Ellen was working in the accounting department of Higgens Grocery Supplies at Beckley Junction attending Beckley College. Fred had employment pending in Washington, D.C. at the time of the marriage.
April 24
Classmate Barbara Lee Warden married classmate Richard Allen Grubb.
June 6
Classmate John Gray Pruett married Shelby A. Callahan of Daniels, West Virginia. The wedding ceremony was performed in the Daniels Baptist Church.
June 20
Classmate Richard William Highlander completed a one year college prepatory course at Greenbrier Military Academy.
August 19
Jerome Van Meter was named principal of Beckley Junior High School, succeeding Charles D. Munson.
September 4
Classmate Judith Ann Shumate married classmate James Lee Broome.
September 23
Classmate Patricia Ann Patrick married classmate John Griffin Roles.
October 23
Classmate Patricia Ann Maxey married classmate Larry Eugene Stafford.
October 29
J.B. Cole made an untimley departure from this life. James (P.A.) Hatcher learned of the tragedy in a letter from home, written by Elizabeth Gayle Mount.
November 22
Classmate Lynda Sue Oscar married classmate Glyndon William (John) Sawyers, Jr..
November 22
Classmate Ernest Wayne Tucker married Gloria Vila, WWHS 1954. The wedding ceremony was performed at St. Francis DeSales Catholic Church in Beckley. Wayne was working in sales at George’s and Gloria had an administrative position with United Mine Workers in Beckley at the time of the marriage.
December 29
Classmate Mary Louise Smith married James R. Roser of Dayton, Ohio. The wedding ceremony was performed in Dayton. Louise was just out of beauty school and Jim was a firefighter in Dayton at the time of the marriage.
The Census Bureau set the population of the United States at 179,245,000. A controversial mutual security treaty signed by Japan and the United States led to rioting in Japan, which in turn caused cancellation of a planned trip by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The Soviet Union shot down an American U-2 spy plane and captured the pilot – Francis Gary Powers. The United States orbited the first weather satellite – Tiros 1. The 50-star United States flag reflecting admission of Hawaii to statehood became official. Hurricane Donna ravaged east coast states. The first series of televised debates between American presidential candidates took place. California death row author Caryl Chessman was put to death in the gas chamber at San Quinten Prison and Chrysler Corporation announced discontinuance of the DeSoto automobile, manufactured by Chrysler since 1928. The worst air disaster to date occurred when a United Airlines DC-8 jetliner and a Trans-World Airlines Lockheed Super-Constellation collided in fog over New York Harbor resulting in 132 fatalities. John Fitzgerald Kennedy was elected 35th President of the United States – first American president born in the 20th Century. Few WWHS – 1958 alumni were elgible to cast a ballot.
New book titles: To Kill a Mocking Bird, The Child Buyer, No High Ground, Ourselves to Know and Apologies to the Iroquois.
At the movies: The Apartment, Butterfield 8, Sons and Lovers, Elmer Gantry, Spartacus and The Sundowners.
On stage: Becklet, Bye-Bye Birdie and A Taste of Honey.
Television premier: The Flintstones first cartoon created for an adult audience in the United States.
At college, in military service or at work we listened to: Theme From a Summer Place, Georgia On My Mind, Mack The Knife and We Got Us.
March 16
Mrs. Hazel Davenport, a first grade teacher at Central Elementary School was welcomed to the White House in Washington, D.C. by Vice President Richard Nixon as 1960 National Teacher of the Year. The WWHS Class of 1958 was the first class Mrs. Davenport taught at Central Elementary.
May 18
For the first time since 1850, Beckley and Raleigh County lost population according to a national census. The city’s population fell from 19,397 in 1950 to 18,489. The county population fell from 96,273 in 1950 to 76,525.
May 26
Several classmates received degrees and certificates from Beckley College. George T. Arnold, Jr., Joyce Ann Cooney, Harold Andrew Earehart and Melvin Storm Jamison received Associates in Arts Degrees. Larry Wayne Kessler received an Associate in Science Degree and Mary Lou Forren received an Advanced Secretarial Certificate.
May 27
Classmate Carol Gaye Fitzgerald married James E. Hodges, originally from North Carolina. The wedding ceremony was performed at the Memorial Baptist Church in Beckley. Carol was working as a bookkeeper for Asssociated Cemetery Estates and Jim was employed by Biggs, Johnson and Withrow Printing at the time of the wedding.
June 5
Classmate Betty Lenore Suddreth married classmate Melvin Storm Jamison. The wedding ceremony was performed at the Hollywood Missionary Baptist Church in MacArthur. Betty was entering her junior year at Concord College (now University) and Mel had finished an associates degree at Beckley College and was employed at H&M Shoe Store at the time of the marriage.
August 5
Classmate Phyllis Ann Fitzwater married Eddie Marshall, WWHS 1955. The wedding ceremony was performed in Prosperity. Phyllis was a student at Beckley College and Eddie was a heavy equipment operator at the time of the marriage.
August 9
Classmate Joyce Kay Shumate married Dallas Phipps of Beckley. The wedding ceremony was performed at Rich Creek, Virginia. Joyce had completed two years of college and Dallas was serving in the U.S. Army at the time of the marriage.
September 1
Classmate Bill Rose arrived at the United States Marine Corps Recruit Training Center at Parris Island, South Carolina to begin basic training.
The United States severed diplomatic relations with Cuba and sponsored a hostile invasion that failed to dislodge Fidel Castro’s government. President Kennedy announced plans for The Peace Corps as an alternative to compulsory military service. The first American in space, Navy Commander Alan B. Shepard, Jr. made a suborbital flight in a Mercury capsule named the Freedom Seven. The Alliance for Progress was created and the United States reaffirmed United Nations membership for the Nationalist Chinese government on Taiwan. American families were advised to build private bomb shelters. Gen. Douglas MacArthur returned to the Philippines for his first visit since 1946. New York Yankee outfielder Roger Maris hit 61 home runs setting a new major league record for schedules more than 154 games in a season. The last DeSoto automobile rolled off the assembly line.
New book titles: The Coming Fury, Spirit Lake, The Winter of our Discontent and The Agony and the Ecstasy.
At the movies: Two Women, West Side Story, and Judgement at Nuremberg.
On stage: The Night of the Iguana, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and A Man for All Seasons.
Television premiers: The Dick VanDyke Show and The Avengers.
At college, in military service or at work we listened to: Never on Sunday, Where the Boys Are, Apache,Don’t be Cruel and It’s Now or Never.
January 27
Classmate Marlene Deloris Moore married John Roger Crowder of Prosperity. The wedding ceremony was performed in Beckley. Marlene was employed in the traffic department of Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company in Beckley and Roger was serving in the United States Army at the time of the marriage.
January 27
Classmate Sherry Lee Evans married Jerry Rose, WWHS 1959. The wedding ceremony was performed in Beckley. Following a one night honeymoon in Princeton, West Virginia, the newly weds traveled to New York City where they studied dance and performed in a small company – Ballet Cirque. Initially, they lived in a huge scary house with other company members.
March 1
Marshall College became Marshall University when legislation passed by the West Virginia Legislature approving university status was signed by Gov. W.W. Barron.
May 18
Classmate Frank Huston was released from active duty in the United States Army.
June 26
Honey In The Rock was introduced at the outdoor theater in Grandview State Park. This premier was attended by 1,020 invited viewers. Classmate Linda Carrol Lawson appeared in the production as a dancer .
July 8
Classmate Norman Richard Meadows married Connie Ballard, WWHS 1961. The wedding ceremony was performed in Beckley. Richard was serving in the United States Army at the time of the marriage.
July 14
Classmate Janice Gayle Curtis received a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Concord College (now university).
August 28
Classmate Mary Ellen Thorpe married Ed States of Roanoke, Virginia. The wedding ceremony was performed in the First Christian Church in Beckley. Mary Ellen was a student at Concord College (now University) and Ed had just graduated from Concord at the time of the marriage.
September 29
Classmate James Cole was released from active duty in the United States Army.
China invaded India and United States troops were placed in Thailand to guarantee Laotian sovereignty. American communists were barred from travel abroad. U.S. tanks were withdrawn from the Berlin Wall and the United States resumed nuclear testing in the atmosphere. Lt. Col. John Glenn, USMC became the first American to orbit the Earth in space by circling it three times in a Mercury capsule. The Cuban government began releasing prisoners captured during the Bay of Pigs invasion. President John F. Kennedy revealed the presence of Soviet offensive missles in Cuba, setting off a confrontation to become known as The Cuban Missle Crisis. Basketball star Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors scored 100 points in a game against the New York Knicks.
New book titles: Ship of Fools, Another Country, Fail Safe, The Thin Red Line and Silent Spring.
At the movies: Lawrence of Arabia, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Miracle Worker and Sweet Bird of Youth.
On stage: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Stop The World – I Want To Get Off. My Fair Lady closed following 2,717 performances on Broadway.
Television: Walter Cronkite became the CBS Evening News anchor and Johnny Carson took over the Tonight Show.
At college, in military service or at work we listened to: I Left My Heart in San Francisco and If I Had a Hammer.
January 5
Classmate Jacquline Harwood Short married classmate Patsy Mike Porterfield.
March 24
Woodrow Wilson High School won the Class A state basketball championship by defeating Wierton High School by the score of 71-69 in Morgantown. Beckley had trailed by 20 points at one point in the game. It was the seventh state basketball championship for Woodrow Wilson.
May 31
Classmate Norman Richard Meadows was released from active duty in the United States Army.
June 1
At Concord College’s 87th annual commencement, classmates Betty Suddreth-Jamison, Charlene Carson, Kay Weikle-Davis and Sandra Lee Goodall received Bachelor of Science in Education degrees. Betty Suddreth-Jamison graduated Magna Cum Laude. Patricia Gail Fitzpatrick received a Bachelor of Science in Home Economics and Franklin Davis Heatherly received a Bachelor of Arts with double majors of psychology and English.
June 3
St. Francis DeSales Catholic School in Beckley graduated the school’s first class of eighth graders.
June 4
At West Virginia University’s commencement, classmate David Lloyd Craig received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, Brenda Kay Booth received a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education, Tamara Dale Harrah received a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, Shelby Lee Dozier and Sandra Kay Reed received Bachelor of Science degrees in Home Economics and Robert Staney Klein received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. West Virginia University also graduated the first 15 doctors of medicine in the history of the school.
June 4
Classmate Katherine Ingals Walker received an A.B. degree from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College in Lynchburg, Virginia. Kitty’s major was religon and her minor was history.
June 5
Classmate Nancy Fink received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Russian Linguistics from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
June 10
Classmate Susan Johnson received a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Music from Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Virginia.
June 20
Classmate Michele Ellen Wender received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ohio State University.
July 15
Classmate Alfred French (Corky) Lively was released from active duty in the United States Air Force.
July 31
Classmate Alfred French (Corky) Lively married Muriel Clement, originally from Manchester, New Hampshire where the wedding took place. Corky was working for Vitro Labs in Wheaton, Maryland on a Polaris Submarine project and Muriel was employed by the Bell Telephone business office in Wheaton, Maryland at the time of the marriage.
August 11
Classmate Tamara Gale Harrah married Mike Jones, originally from Charleston, West Virginia. The wedding cremony was performed in the Methodist Temple in Beckley. Tamara was getting ready to start her first year of teaching in Morgantown, West Virginia and Mike was finishing his last year at West Virginia University at the time of the marriage.
August 15
Classmate Martha Jane Wood received a Diploma in Nursing from Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina.
A federal budget totaling $98.8 billion including an anticipated deficit amounting to $11.9 billion was submitted to the United States Congress. Informal nuclear test ban discussions with the Soviet Union collapsed and underground nuclear testing was resumed. The nuclear-powered submarine Thresher sank in the Atlantic Ocean. Medicare was submitted to the Congress. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of free counsel for indigent suspects facing serious criminal charges. Canada accepted American nuclear warheads for missiles stored on Canadian soil. President and Mrs. Kennedy made a ten-day tour of Europe during which he gave his Ich bin ein Berliner speech. The Mona Lisa was exhibited in New York City and Washington, D.C. A bill requiring equal pay for equal work, regardless of sex, was signed into law by President Kennedy. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. He was the fourth American president to suffer this fate.
New book titles: Terrible Swift Sword, The Sand Pebbles, The American Way of Death, Idiots First and Cat’s Cradle.
At the movies: Cleopatra, Lilies In The Field, Tom Jones, Hud, 8 1/2 and The V.I.P.’s.
On stage: Strange Interlude, Luther and The Trojan Women.
Television premier: The day time soap opera General Hospital.
Popular music: Days of Wine and Roses, Hard Days Night and Blowin’ In The Wind.
January 4
Classmate Mary Lou Forren married Thomas J. DePolo originally from Windber, Pennsylvania. The wedding ceremony was performed in the Presbyterian church in Beckley. Mary Lou was working at Appalachian Hospital in an administrative position and Tom was an x-ray technician at the same hospital at the time of the marriage.
April 19
Classmate Charles Woodrow Bales received a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education from the University of Flordia.
May 6
Classmate Martha Jane Wood married Army 2nd Lt. Jon Ventura of Clarksburg, West Virginia in a civil ceremony at the Rathus (city hall) in Kornweshim, West Germany. Their marriage certificate is written in German.
May 18
Classmate Martha Jane Wood married Army 2nd Lt. Jon Ventura of Clarksburg, West Virginia in a church ceremony at the Army Chapel in Kornweshim, West Germany.
June 5
Classmate Richard William Highlander received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Rutgers University. Having served as cadet colonel in the Army ROTC during his senior year, he also received a officer’s commission in the United States Army.
June 20
West Virginia celebrated 100 years of statehood. (35th state admitted to the Union.)
July 12
Classmate George Thelbert Arnold, Jr. received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, Social Studies and Journalism from Marshall University.
August 31
Classmate Michele Ellen Wender married Laurence Michael Zak, originally from Cleveland Heights, Ohio. The wedding ceremony was performed in Beckley. Both Micki and Mike were graduate students at UCLA at the time of the marriage.
September 13
Classmate Gary Lee Schiffer was released from active duty in the United States Army.
The Twenty-fourth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States abolishing the poll tax became effective. Jack Ruby was convicted in Dallas, Texas for the mudrer of Lee Harvey Oswald. We were introduced to The Great Society and racial riots in New York, Philadelphia and Florida. Americans and Europeans were taken hostage in the Congo. The State Department announced that the United States embassy in Moscow had been bugged by the Soviets. The first close-up pictures of the moon’s surface were gathered by an American satellite and a joint U.S./U.S.S.R. space program – Echo 2 was established. Lyndon Baines Johnson was elected to a full term as president of the United States. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution passed in the Congress resulting from North Vietnemese patrol boats attacking the U.S.S. Maddox, a destroyer in the Gulf of Tonkin and the Cold War in Southeast Asia turned into armed conflict. Our classmates would see combat.
New book titles: A Moveable Feast, Herzog, Little Big Man and Julian.
At the movies: My Fair Lady, Mary Poppins, Topkapi and Zorba the Greek.
On stage: Hello Dolly, The Subject Was Roses and Fiddler on the Roof.
Television premier: Jeopardy. The Beatles appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show set a new television ratings record.
Popular music: The Girl From Ipanema and Hard Days Night.
April 11
Classmate Sandra Lee Goodall married James Edward Gunter of Charleston, West Virginia. The wedding ceremony was performed at Cavalry Baptist Church in Charleston. Sandra was in her second year of teaching (high school) and Jim was employed by Wholesale Services in Dunbar at the time of the marriage.
June 15
Classmate Charles Woodrow Bales received a Master of School Administration degree from the University of Florida.
June 18
Classmate John Franklin Estrada, Jr. received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion from Columbia Union College, Takoma Park, Maryland.
August 14
Classmate Ida Mae Canterbury received a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Technology from Marshall University
December 26
West Virginia University lost to Utah by the score of 32-6 in the Liberty Bowl played in Memphis, Tennessee.
Public demonstrations against United States involvement in the conflict in Vietnam were held across the nation. American troop strength in Vietnam was increased from 75,000 to 125,000 and conscription of troops for the military rose from 17,000 draftees per month to 35,000 per month. Defense appropriations approached 40 percent of all government expenditures. The Medicare program was approved in the Congress as were programs to address antipoverty (including the development of Appalachia), voting rights and aid to education. Pope Paul VI visited New York City to address the United Nations General Assembly about world peace. A power blackout lasting up to 13 hours in some areas affected New York, most of New England and parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania along with Ontario and Quebec, Canada. The Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri was topped out. The first American space walk and the rendezvous of two Gemini capsules 185 miles above the Earth were representative of progress in outer space exploration.
New book titles: Kennedy, A Thousand Days, Going to Meet the Man and Never Call Retreat.
At the movies: A Paatch of Blue, A Thousand Clowns, Cat Ballou, Darling, Ship of Fools and The Sound of Music.
On stage: Marat/Sade, Man of La Mancha and The Lion in Winter.
Television premiers: Green Acres and the day time soap opera Days of Our Lives.
Popular music: A Taste of Honey, It Was a Very Good Year, My Name Is Barbara and We Dig Mancini.
March 8
The first United States combat forces into Vietnam, 3,500 Marines joined 23,500 Americans already on the ground as advisors.
March 20
Woodrow Wilson High School won the school’s eighth state basketball championship by defeating Williamson High School by the score of 69-67 in Morgantown.
June 6
Classmate Ida Mae Canterbury married classmate Richard William Highlander. The ceremony was performed at The Methodist Temple in Beckley.
August 14
Classmate Robert Douglas Wickline married Ruth Ann Lee Bryant, WWHS 1962. The wedding ceremony was performed in Radford, Virgina. Bob was working at Harvey’s in Beckley and Ruth Ann was working at Appalachian Regional Hospital at the time of the marriage.
August 17
Classmate George Thelbert Arnold, Jr. received a Master of Arts degree in American and European History from Marshall University.
Both involvement in the Vietnam Conflict and protest of that involvement grew. Slightly less than 400,000 troops were committed to southeast Asia by the end of the year. Protests of American involvement in Vietnam spread to foreign nations. The Department of Housing and Urban Development was added to the government of the United States. The worst blizzard in memory (about 70 years) struck the eastern United States, including West Virginia. We were introduced to the Miranda warning when the Supreme Court ruled that police officers must advise those they are arresting of certain rights at the time of apprehension. Black power and white backlash entered the American lexicon. Muhammad Ali consolidated the heavyweight boxing championship by defeating five contenders during the year. Gemini 12, the last mission of the Gemini program was launched. Astronauts James Lovell and Edwin Aldrin rendezvoused with a target vehicle and took pictures of a solar eclipse. Merger of the Pennsylvania and New York Central railroads won approval by the Interstate Commerce Commission. A strike by the International Association of Machinists grounded all major American airlines and the last Studebaker automobile rolled off the assembly line.
New book titles: In Cold Blood, The Embezzler, Tai-Pan, Rush to Judgement and Valley of the Dolls.
At the movies: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Dr. Zhivago, Torn Curtain and Thunderball.
On stage: A Man for All Seasons, Cabaret, Gregory Girl, Mame and Mark Twain Tonight!.
Television premier: Star Trek.
Popular music: Strangers in the Night, If He Walked Into My Life and A Man and a Woman.
February 1
Classmate Larry Stafford pulled his first shift as a Beckley police officer.
June 2
Surveyor 1 made the first American soft landing on the moon and immediately began to transmit television pictures of the surface it sat on.
June 15
Classmate Michele Ellen Wender-Zak received a Master of Arts degree from UCLA.
July 12
Classmate Sandra Goodall-Gunter received a Master of Arts degree in Business Education from Marshall University
November 19
Classmate Peggy Davis married Horacio Davila, originally from Santa Deo (a ranch), Zacatecas, Mexico. The wedding took place in Chevy Chase, Maryland where Peggy was employed by Mariott. Horacio was a journeyman plumber for Krick of Maryland at the time of the marriage.
The Green Bay Packers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs by the score of 35-10 in Super Bowl I. Troop build up in Vietnam continued, casualty rates increased and protests against American involvement there continued. For the first time, counter demonstrations in favor of American military involvement in Vietnam were organized. Appropriations were made by the Congress for increased Social Security benefits, education and antipoverty programs but it was the defense appropration that increased faster and higher than would have previously been thought possible. A lottery system was implemented by Selective Service to conscript elgible American males into military service. Thurgood Marshall was sworn in as the first black associate justice of the United States Supreme Court. Lester Maddox, a restaurant owner who had made public demonstrations against racial integration was sworn is as governor of Georgia. New York congressman Adam Clayton Powell was denied his seat in the 90th Congress due to misuse of government funds. The United States experienced the worst racial riots in its history following the shooting of Dr. Martin Luther King in Memphis, Tennessee. The American space program made three successful soft landings on the moon and Mariner 5 sent back data about the asmosphere of Venus.
New book titles: The Arrangement, Death of a President, Tales of Manhattan, The Chosen and Rosemary’s Baby.
At the movies: Bonnie and Clyde, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?, Cool Hand Luke, In the Heat of the Night and The Whisperers.
On stage: The Homecoming, I Can’t Hear You When the Water’s Running and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.
Television premiers: The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and The Carol Brunette Show.
Popular music: Up, Up and Away, By the Time I get to Phoenix, Ode to Bille Joe and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
January 27
A launch pad fire at Cape Kennedy, Florida took the lives of astronauts Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom, Edward H. White, II and Roger B. Chaffee during Apollo testing.
February 10
The Twenty-fifth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States providing for presidential succession took effect.
March 25
Woodrow Wilson High School won the school’s ninth state basketball championship by defeating Charleston High School by the score of 75-69 in Morgantown.
December 15
The Silver Bridge over the Ohio River linking Point Pleasant, West Virginia and Kanauga, Ohio collapsed resulting in the deaths of 46 people.
December 30
Classmate Bill Rose received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, majoring in Accounting from West Virginia Institute of Technology.
The U.S.S. Pueblo, an intelligence gathering ship was seized by North Koreans off the coast of North Korea. A nuclear nonproliferation treaty was signed by 61 nations including the United States and Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The Tet Offensive in Vietnam ended further presidential asperations of President Lyndon Baines Johnson. Descent toward the United States involvement in Vietnam and racial unrest at the nation’s colleges and universities produced headlines, almost daily. Gov. George Wallace of Alabama waged the strongest third party bid for the presidency in our memory. An income tax surcharge and inflation cost average Americans hard earned gains in their economic well being. Dr. Denton Cooley of Texas performed 17 heart transplants. Crime became the number one concern of the general public. Presidential candidate Sen. Robert F. Kennedy was shot and killed in Los Angeles, California. Dr. Martin Luther King was shot and killed in Memphis Tennessee, setting off a series of racial riots in urban black gettos. High hemlines and leather garments were prominent in the world of fashion although pant suits won acceptance among women. In sports, both the American and National baseball leagues formed two divisions to create an expanded playoff schedule.
New book titles: Couples, A Small Town in Germany, The Salzburg Connection and Cancer Ward.
At the movies: Charity, Funny Girl, Oliver!, Rachel, Rachel, The Lion in Winter, The Subject Was Roses and Rosemary’s Baby.
On stage: 1776, Forty Carats, The Boys in the Band, The Man in the Glass Booth and The Great White Hope.
Television premier: 60 minutes. The first live transmision of video from inside a manned American space capsule became a television first.
Popular music: Mrs. Robinson, Light My Fire and Do You Know the Way to San Jose?.
January
Classmate Coy Nicely was killed in Vietnam. Coy was in that country as an employee of Bell Aerosystems.
January 15
Classmate Joyce Kay Shumate-Phipps received a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Concord College.
May 30
Classmate Gary Lee Shiffer received an Associate in Science degree from Beckley College.
August 6
Classmate Jo Ann Watson married Robert (Red) Rhodes. The ceremony was performed in Virginia. Jo Ann was employed by the Tip Top in Beckley and “Red” was employed by Acme Super Market at the time of the marriage.
November 5
Richard Milhous Nixon was elected 36th president of the United States of America.
November 20
A mine explosion and resulting fire killed 78 coal miners in Farmington, West Virginia.
December 16
Classmate Edward Ildon Phipps married Cora Sue Lester originally from Helen, West Virginia. The wedding ceremony was performed in Vienna, Virginia. Eddie was working as a machinist and Cora was working as an electronics assembler at the time of the marriage.
Paris peace talks failed to bring an end to the conflict in Vietnam, but troop levels were reduced. We were introduced to The Silent Majority theory. The size of peace demonstrations and counter demonstrations grew. Mudslides took more than 100 lives in California and destroyed approximately 10,000 homes. Two Apollo space craft reached the moon. The prime lending rate of the Federal Reserve Board reached an all time high and skyjackers seized 65 aircraft during the course of the year. James Earl Ray was sentenced to 99 years in prison for the killing of Dr. Martin Luther King. Sirhan Sirhan received a death sentence for the killing of Sen. Robert Kennedy.
New book titles: Naked Came the Stranger, Portnoy’s Complaint, The Making of a President, An Unfinshed Woman and The Godfather.
At the movies: Midnight Cowboy, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, True Grit and They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?.
On stage: Child’s Play, Oh Calcutta! and Borstal Boy.
Television premiers: The Brady Bunch, Sesame Street and the PBS network. A worldwide audience of 600 million viewers watched live coverage of astronaut Neil Armstrong’s moonwalk.
Popular music: Aquarius, Is That All There Is and Blood Sweat and Tears.
April 3
Combat deaths in Vietnam exceeded those cost by the Korean conflict.
July 4
Classmate John Franklin Estrada, Jr. was ordained as a Seventh-day Adventist minister. The ordination took place at Roanoke, Virginia.
July 20
The Lunar Excurison Module Eagle landed on the surface of the moon. Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong exited the vehicle becoming the first human to set foot on the moon. He was joined by astronaut Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr, and together they made a two-hour moon walk during which they collected rock samples and set up expiriments.
November 22
Harvard University scientists announced isolation of a single gene as the basic unit of heredity.
December 30
West Virginia University defeated South Carolina by the score of 14-3 in the Peach Bowl played in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Census Bureau set the population of the United States at 203,302,031. Unsuccessful United Mines Workers presidential candidate Joseph Yablonski, his wife and his daughter were found murdered in their Pennsylvania home. Inflation and unemployment dominated news headlines. A second Supreme Court justice nominee in as many years was rejected by the United States Senate. The United States invaded Cambodia leading to violent antiwar demonstrations. Major budget cuts were made in the space program. An explosion of liquid oxygen crippled Apollo 13, cancelling an intended moon landing. However, the space craft did return safely to Earth after orbiting the moon.
New book titles: Deliverance, Islands in the Stream, QB VII and Zelda.
At the movies: Catch 22, The Graduate, Patton and Woodstock.
On stage: Of Mice and Men, Childs Play, Conduct Unbecoming and Home
Emmy awards: Peter Ustinov for A Storm In Summer; Patty Duke for My Sweet Charlie; Robert Young for Marcus Welby, M.D.; and Susan Hampshire for The Forsyte Saga.
January
Actor Chris Sarandon (Woodrow Wilson High School Class of 1960) was nominated for an Academy Award as best supporting actor for his role in A Dog Day Afternoon.
April 22
The first Earth Day was celebrated across the United States.
May 4
Four student antiwar demonstrators were shot and killed by Ohio National Guard troops on the campus of Kent State University.
August 12
The United States Postal System became an independent agency of the United States government.
August 20
Classmate Franklin Davis Heatherly received a Master of Arts degree in School Administration from the University of Alabama.
November 14
Forty-three members and coaches of the Marshall University football team were killed in a crash of their chartered aircraft at Kenova, West Virginia. Sportscaster and former Beckley Man of the Year, Gene Morehouse who had broacast our high school football games also died in the crash.
We learned of The Pentagon Papers through the New York Times. American troop strength in Vietnam dropped to 184,000. A bomb planted by the Weather Underground exploded in the United States Capitol. Inflation and unemployment continued to rise. A prison riot at the New York State Prison at Attica cost the lives of nine prison guards and 28 inmates. The National Railroad Passenger Corporation (AMTRAK) began operations.
New book titles: The Vantage Point, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, The Book of Daniel, Honor Thy Father and The Winds of War.
At the movies: A Clockwork Orange, Klute, The Last Picture Show and The French Connection.
On stage: Follies, Godspell, Jesus Christ Superstar and The Prisoner of Second Avenue.
Emmy awards: George C. Scott for The Price; Lee Grant for The Neon Ceiling; Hal Holbrook for The Bold Ones; and Susan Hampshire for The First Churchills.
March 2
United Mines Workers president William A. “Tony” Boyle was indicted on charges of conspiracy, embezzlement and illegal campaign contributions.
May 1
Classmate Wayne Tucker pulled his first shift as a member of the Beckley Fire Department.
June 30
The Twenty-sixth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States became effective, reducing the voting age to 18 years.
August 2
The People’s Republic of China was admitted to the United Nations and Nationalist China was expelled.
August 15
Wages and prices in the United States were frozen for 90 days in an attempt to fight inflation.
October 6
Classmate Gene Raymond McElrath’s body was discovered in West Raleigh, a victim of homicide. We do not believe anyone has ever been charged with this crime. Gene was raised in Crab Orchard where he continued to live following service in the United States Army. He had been employed for a time as a taxi driver in Beckley.
President Richard M. Nixon visited The People’s Republic of China and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. U.S. representatives walked out of the Paris peace talks. North Vietnam troops moved into South Vietnam from two directions. The Paris peace talks resumed. A treaty banning the use of biological warfare was signed by 212 nations, including the United States. Alabama Gov. George Wallace was shot while campaigning for president in Laurel Maryland. Gov. Wallace would never walk again. Inflation and unemployment decreased while economic growth increased and we were introduced to the Chinese medical practice of acupuncture. Metropolitan police from the District of Columbia arrested five political operatives at the Democratic National Headquarters located in the Watergate apartment complex.
New book titles: August 1914, Eleanor and Franklin, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, The Boys of Summer and The Best and the Brightest.
At the movies: Caberet, Cries and Whispers, The French Connection, The Godfather and Sluth.
On stage: Sticks and Bones, The Changing Room and The Sunshine Boys
Emmy awards: Keith Michell for The Six Wives of Henry VIII; Glenda Jackson for Elizabeth R; and Peter Falk for Columbo.
February 26
An earthen dam collapsed at Buffalo Creek, West Virginia desulting in 118 fatalities.
May 14
Classmate Gary Lee Schiffer received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia.
June 6
Classmate Richard William Highlander received a Master of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Georgia.
July 29
Classmate Connie Jean Kish married classmate George Thelbert Arnold, Jr. in Beckley. Connie was a registered nurse at the Veteran’s Hospital there and George was a journalism faculty member at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia at the time of the marriage.
August 12
The last American ground troops were withdrawn from Vietnam. Classmate George Winton Thompson continued to be listed as missing-in-action.
December 30
West Virginia University lost to North Carolina State by the score of 49-13 in the Peach Bowl played in Atlanta, Georgia.
We learned that President Richard M. Nixon had recorded his official conversations and he tried to withhold them as evidence from investigations under executive privilege. Vice-President Spiro T. Agnew resigned his office and entered a plea of no contest to one charge of income tax evasion resulting from a plea bargin. The United States House of Representatives openly considered whether impeachment of the president would be in order. The two Watergate burglars who chose to stand trial rather than plea guilty as did five others, received guilty verdicts. Record levels of economic achievement were accompanied by record level inflation. The United States Supreme Court struck down most laws restricting abortion as a medical procedure and the draft calls were terminated. Secretariat won horse racing’s Triple Crown, the ninth horse to do so.
New book titles: Gravity’s Rainbow, Recovery, The Ascent of Man and The Taking of Pehlam One Two Three.
At the movies: American Graffiti, Dillinger, Paper Moon and The Sting.
On stage: A Little Light Music, Lorelei, Raisin and The Hot L Baltimore
Emmy awards: Laurence Oliver for Long Day’s Journey Into Night, Cloris Leachman for A Brand New Life and Richard Thomas and Michael Learned for The Waltons.
January 22
A Vietnam peace agreement was signed in Paris, France terminating United States presence in that reunited country.
February 28
Wounded Knee, South Dakota was occupied by American Indian Movement protesters.
May 14
Skylab, the first American space station was launched into Earth orbit.
June 30
Classmate Michele Ellen Wender-Zak received a Ph.D. in an English discipline from Ohio State University.
October 17
Eleven Middle East nations anounced an embargo on oil shipped to the United States and other nations who support Israel.
December 6
Gerald R. Ford of Michigan took the oath of office as Vice President of the United States, under provisions of the Twenty-fifth Amendment to the Constitution.
Federal wage and price controls were terminated. Double digit inflation and soaring unemployment rates dominated economic news. The Supreme Court of the United States ordered the White House to release information related to the Watergate burglary. The United States House of Representatives Judiciary Committee approved three articles of impeachment. President Richard M. Nixon resigned the office of president of the United States, the first sitting president to do so. Vice President Gerald Ford was sworn in as president. Former Vice President Spiro T. Agnew was disbarred from the practice of law. We learned that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had gathered information detrimental to civil rights organizations and that the Central Intelligence Agency had been active in destabilizing and overthrowing foreign governments. Nelson A. Rockefeller of New York was sworn in as vice president of the United States, having been nominated by the sitting president and approved by the United States Senate.
New book titles: All The President’s Men, Jaws, Something Happened and Watership Down.
At the movies: That’s Entertainment, Chinatown and Towering Inferno.
On stage: Absurd Person Singular, Candide, Short Eyes and All Over Town.
Emmy awards: Hal Holbrook for Pueblo, Cicely Tyson for The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, Telly Salavas for Kojak and Michael Learned for The Waltons.
March 7
The wreckage of the U.S.S. Monitor sunk in 1862 was reported found off Hatteras, North Carolina.
August 9
The 50th West Virginia State Fair opened at Fairlea (Greenbrier County).
September 3
In Kanawha County, West Virginia parents protested the use of books that introduced contemporary sexual mores and dissident opinions of the United States in their public schools.
September 16
Classmate Mildred Jeanne Gilliam-King died in Montgomery, West Virginia following an illness of several weeks. Jeanne was raised in Cranberry and had lived abroad as an Air Force wife. She left a husband and four daughters.
December 23
Classmate Benjamin Von (Bennie) Daniel died of natural causes in Canton, Ohio. Bennie left a wife he married while serving in Germany with the United States Army.
South Vietnam surrendered to the Viet Cong. Thailand asked all American troops to leave that country within a year and the Khmer Rouge took control of Cambodia. United States military installations in Turkey were seized by the Turkish government. We learned of illegal activities conducted by the F.B.I and the C.I.A. The Congress of the United States passed a bill authorizing admission of women into the nation’s three major military academies. An estimated six million American gardens were planted to offset soaring food prices. The national deficit reached $52 billion. Exxon replaced General Motors as the wealthiest company in the United States. Ten of the top 20 corporations were oil companies.
New book titles: Breach of Faith, Humboldt’s Gift, Passions, Ragtime, Shogun and Looking for Mr. Goodbar.
At the movies: Jaws, Nashville,Shampoo, The Sunshine Boys and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
On stage: A Chorus Line, Shenandoah, The Ritz, and Same Time, Next Year
Emmy awards: Sir Laurence Olivier and Katherine Hepburn in Love Among the Ruins, Robert Blake in Baretta and Jean Marsh in Upstairs, Downstairs.
February 21
Three high ranking members of the Nixon Administration including one cabinet member, were sentenced to 30 months in prison for their parts in the Watergate coverup.
April 30
The last United States citizens were airlifted out of Vietnam.
July 12
Classmate Barbara Elizabeth Fitzpatrick married John Casarow of Bridgeston, New Jersey. She was a real estate agent and he an attorney at the time of the marriage.
July 17
Apollo and Soyuz craft docked in outer space and the joint American-Soviet crews performed scientific expirments together.
September 5
An assassination attempt was made on the life of President Gerald R. Ford.
December 27
West Virginia University defeated North Carolina State by the score of 13-10 in the Peach Bowl played in Atlanta Georgia.
The first report on national health was issued by the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. Influencial members of congress admitted receiving illegal contributions from Gulf Oil Corporation and South Korean lobbyists. The rate of inflation was five to six percent and unemployment was approximately eight percent of the workforce. We learned of corporate payoffs to obtain sales in foreign lands. Increased numbers of high school graduates possessing inadequate literacy skills led to comprehensive testing for graduation in a number of states. Viking I became the first spacecraft to reach the planet Mars.
New book titles: Agent in Place, Roots, The Russians, Spandau and The Final Days.
At the movies: All the President’s Men, The Magic Flute, Network, Seven Beauties and Rocky.
On stage: The Belle of Amherst and Sweet Bird of Youth.
Emmy awards: Anthony Hopkins for The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case, Susan Clark in Babe, Ed Asner in Rich Man, Poor Man and Kathrine Walker for The Adams Chronicles.
February 14
Classmate Janice Gayle Curtis married Wesley Walker, originally from Virginia. The wedding ceremony was performed in Beckley. Janice was teaching school in Raleigh County and Wesley was a right-of-way agent for Appalachain Power Company at the time of the marriage.
April 1
Conrail, a federally funded rail corportion took over operation of six bankrupt railroads in the northeast.
May 28
A nuclear test agreement was sgned by the United States and Soviet Union limiting the size of underground explosions.
July 2
The Supreme Court of the United States upheld capitol punishment laws in Florida, Georgia and Texas but struck down those laws in North Carolina and Louisiana.
August 5
Classmate Betty Jean Ballard married Jack Allen Miller, originally from Point of Rocks, Maryland. The wedding ceremony was performed in Las Vegas, Nevada. Betty Jean was employed in banking and Jack was a police captain at the time of the marriage.
November 2
James Earl “Jimmy” Carter was elected 39th president of the United States.
The first Concorde flights were made across the Atlantic Ocean. Vietnam-era draft resisters received a presidental pardon, normalization talks between the United States and Vietnam opened in Paris, United States opposition to seating Vietnam in the United Nations was dropped, control of the Panama Canal was tuned back over to Panama and we learned the theory of zero based budgeting. The Trans-Alaska oil pipeline went into full operation. The Department of Energy, 12th Cabinet-level department of the federal govenrnment was signed into law by President Jimmy Carter. Inflation continued in the seven percent range and the cost of a pound of coffee reached $5 per pound. Many consumers switched to tea. Seattle Slew won horse racing’s Triple Crown, the tenth horse to do so.
New book titles: A Rumor of War, Falconer, Six Men, The Immigrants and The Thornbirds.
At the movies: Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
On stage: American Buffalo, Annie and The Shadow Box
Emmy awards: Ed Flanders for Harry S.Truman: Plain SpeakingSally Field for Sybil, James Garner for The Rockford Files and Lindsay Wagner for The Bionic Woman.
January 19
Iva Toguri D’Aquino, known to the world as Tokyo Rose was pardoned by President Gerald R. Ford. A propagangda broadcaster for Japan during World War II, she had been incarcerated at the federal prison for women in Alderson, West Virginia following World War II.
May 3
Classmate Janice Gayle Curtis-Walker received a Masters Degree in Elementary Education from West Virginia College of Graduate Education.
May 10
Classmate Franklin Davis Heatherly received a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Alabama.
August 19
Classmate Gary Lee Schiffer received a Masters Degree in Administration from Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia.
October 21
Classmate David L. Bennett retired from the United States Navy with 20 years and 2 months active duty service.
October 21
Classmate Mary Ellen Thorpe-States received a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education from Old Dominion University.
December 31
Classmate Ida Mae Canterbury-Highlander received a Masters Degree in Education from Old Dominion University.
The rate of inflation and the nation’s trade deficit increased rapidly. Production did not. Health costs rose faster than the rate of inflation and a plan to create a national health plan failed to gain support of the Congress. The National Energy Act of 1978 regulated natural gas prices and set fuel efficiency standards. A newspaper strike shut down all major newspapers in New York City for 88 days. Hannah H. Gray was innaugrated president of Chicago University, first woman university president in American history. The National Football League added two games to the regular season schedule – 14 games to 16 games.
New book titles: American Caesar, Chesapeake, The World According to Garp, and War and Rememberance.
At the movies: The Deer Hunter, Home and California Suite.
On stage: Ain’t Misbehavin and The Gin Game
Emmy Awards: Fred Astaire for A Family Upside Down, Joanne Woodward for See How She Runs, Ed Asner for Lou Grant and Sada Thompson for Family.
January 16
Thirty-five new astronaut candidates began training. More than 8,000 had applied for those positions.
February 18
Classmate Glenn Buckland married Donna Cain originally of Greenville, North Carolina. The wedding ceremony was performed in Greensboro, North Carolina. Glen was employed by the North Carolina National Bank and Donna was an elementary school teacher at the time of the marriage.
March 25
Coal Miners went back to work following a 110-day strike, longest in the industry’s history.
April 27
At the site of a nuclear power plant located at Willow Island, West Virginia a scaffolding collapse resulted in the deaths of 51 construction workers. Eleven were members of one family.
July 22
Classmate David Robert Bailes of Sand Branch, West Virgina died, a homicide victim. We do not believe anyone has ever been proscuted for this crime. David left two daughters, still living at home.
October 9
Classmate Ray Andrew McManamy retired from the United States Army with 21 years, 2 months and 21 days active duty service.
Inflation, interest rates and the foreign trade deficit continued to increase throughout the year and the Consumer Price Index rose at the highest rate in 33 years. However, the Dow Jones Average of industrial stocks did not suffer and trading was heavy. Consumption of petroleum products declined as did school enrollment. A woman was elected mayor of Chicago for the first time. The American ambassador to Afghanistan was kidnapped. He was later killed. A Shiite Islamic dictatorship came to power in Iran that led to the seizure of the American Embassy with United States diplomatic personnel being held hostage. American embassies in Pakistan and Lybia were attacked by Islamic fundamentalists.
New book titles: A Streak of Luck, Hanta Yo, Jailbird, The Executioner’s Song and The Ghost Writer.
At the movies: Being There, Kramer vs. Kramer and Norma Rae.
On stage: Evita, Grease, Sugar Babies and The Elephant Man.
Emmy awards: Peter Strauss for The Jericho Mile, Bette Davis for Strangers, Rob Liebman for Kaz and Mariette Hartley for The Incredible Hulk.
January 4
The legal battle resulting from the Kent State shootings in 1970 came to a close through a financial settlement.
March 28
A nuclear accident occurred at the Three Mile Island power plant near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
May 11
Classmate Rita Bright received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Western State College at Gunnison, Colorado.
October 17
Creation of the Department of Education on a Cabinet-level, separating Education from Health and Welfare was signed into law by President Jimmy Carter.
October 1
Pope John Paul II arrived in the United States for a six-day visit.
December 21
Federal aid for Chrysler Corporation in the form of loan guarantees was approved in the Congress.
The Census Bureau set the population of the United States at 226,542,203. Double digit inflation continued for a second straight year and the Federal Reserve raised the discount rate to 13 percent. Unemployment averaged 7.1 percent. Automobile sales fell to a 19 year low. The Iranian hostage crisis continued through the entire year. The first female graduates of the United States Military Academy, The United States Naval Academy and the United States Air Force Academy received their degrees and their commissions. The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. This caused the United States to boycott the Summer Olympics held in Moscow. Ronald Reagan was elected 40th president of the United States, oldest man elected to the office. The United States Olympic hockey team defeated the Soviet Union and Finland to win the gold medal in the Winter Olympics.
New book titles: A Confederacy of Dunces, Creek Mary’s Blood, Loon Lake, The Covenant and The Second Coming.
At the movies: Ordinary People, Raging Bull, Coal Miner’s Daughter and Melvin and Howard.
On stage: Amadeus, Evita, 42nd Street, and Children of a Lesser God.
Emmy Awards: Powers Boothe for Guyana Tragedy, Patty Duke Astin for The Miracle Worker, Ed Asner for Lou Grant and Barbara Bel Geddes for Dallas.
January 29
Six Americans who had taken refuge in the Canadian Embassy in Teheran, Iran escaped that country with the aid of Canadian Embassy personnel.
April 7
The United States severed diplomatic relations with Iran.
May 25
Classmate Johnnie Herbert Hoskins received an Associate of Arts degree in Management and Supervision from the University of Maryland.
September 1
Classmate Johnnie Herbert Hoskins retired from the United States Air Force with 21 years, 10 months and 9 days active service.
November 12
Voyager I launched in 1977 flew by Saturn discovering more rings than previously identified and three new moons.
Divorces hit an all time high. A world wide recession continued. The third straight year of double digit inflation was experienced in the United States while unemployment hit 7.4%. The sale of arms and advanced military equipment to Saudi Arabia was approved over the protest of Israel. The sale of arms to the People’s Republic of China was authorized for the first time. The maiden voyage of the space shuttle Columbia was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Covert domestic intelligence operations by the Central Intelligence Agency and other federal agencies was authorized for the first time by President Reagan. Ten major airlines reported losses twice that of one year previous. IBM introduced the personal computer.
New book titles: Thomas Jefferson(six volumes), The Company of Women, The Hotel New Hampshire and The World According to Garp.
At the movies: Arthur, Chariots of Fire, On Golden Pond, Superman II and Raiders of the Lost Ark.
On stage: The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby and Piaf.
Emmy Awards: Daniel J. Travanti and Barbara Babcock for Hill Street Blues, Shogun for best limited series, Anthony Hopkins for The Bunker, and Vinessa Redgrave for Playing for Time.
January 20
The Iranian hostage crisis ended with the release of 52 American captives seized in 1979.
March 30
President Ronald Reagan was shot by 25 year old John Hinckley in Washington, D.C.
May 18
Classmate Carol Ann Potts-Bradley, a resident of Sheffield Lake, Ohio died in a Lorain, Ohio hospital following a long illness. Following high school, Sparkie enrolled in Beckley College but we are left without further details of her adult life. Carol Ann was survived by her husband, one daughter and one son.
August 4
An income tax act was approved by the Congress that reduced the rates of income tax while increasing income tax revenue by the elimination of allowable deductions.
September 25
Sandra Day O’Connor was sworn in as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, first female member of that court.
December 31
West Virginia University defeated the University of Florida by the score of 26-6 in the Peach Bowl, played in Atlanta, Florida.
Israel invaded Lebanon in response to repeated attacks on Israel by Palestinians operating from Lebanon. The United States engaged in an embargo of goods shipped to the U.S.S.R. owing to it’s invasion of Afghanistan and institution of martial law in Poland. Inflation began to decrease but unemployment in the United States rose to 10.8 percent. More Americans were receiving unemployment compensation than at any time since the payments began in the 1930s. United States Marines were sent into Lebanon as a peace keeping force. The first successful artificial heart transplant was competed at the University of Utah Medical Center. Kodak introduced the disc camera. IBM introduced the most powerful main frame computer to date. American deaths from smoking tobacco products was set at 320,000 per year by the U.S. Institute of Medicine.
New book titles: The Fate of Earth, God’s Grace, The Dean’s December and Oh, What A Paradise It Seems.
At the movies: An Officer and a Gentleman, E.T. the Extraterrestrial, Gandhi, Tootsie and Sophie’s Choice.
On stage: Little Shop of Horrors, Nine, Cats and Torch Song Trilogy.
Emmy Awards: Mickey Rooney for Bill, Ingrid Bergman for A Woman Named Golda, Hill Street Blues for best dramatic series, and Michael Learned for Nurse.
January 8
An antitrust suit brought by the Justice Department against the American Telephone and Telegraph Company was resolved with AT&T agreeing to divest itself of 22 Bell Telephone Systems.
January 13
In the midst of record setting low temperatures Florida 90, an Air Florida flight taking off from Washington National Airport in Washington D.C. clipped a bridge during the evening rush hour and crashed into the Potomac River, resulting in 71 fatalities on the aircraft and 7 more on the bridge.
June 24
The Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the President of the United States is immune from lawsuits for damages for actions he takes while in office.
September 19
USA Today a new national newspaper produced by Gannett Newspapers began publication in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. market.
September 29
The first of seven deaths caused by cyanide placed in Tylenol capsules occurred in the Chicago area.
December 30
West Virginia University lost to Florida State by the score of 31-12 in the Gator Bowl, played in Jacksonville, Florida.
The United States Marine Headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon was destroyed by a truck bomb resulting in 241 Marine and Navy fatalities. Other foreign policy failures played out in Lebanon, El Salvador and Nicaragua. The United States invaded Grenada, smallest nation in the Western Hemisphere. The number of Americans living in poverty increased as did the compensation of captains of industry and hospital costs.
New book titles: Ironweed, Ancient Evenings, The Cannibl Galaxy and In Search of Excellence.
At the movies: The Return of the Jedi, Terms of Endearment, Tender Mercies, The Year of Living Dangerously and Never Say Never Again.
On stage: Brighton Beach Memories, Glengarry Glenn Ross and The Real Thing.
Emmy Awards: Ed Flanders for St. Elsewhere, Tyne Daily for Cagney and Lacy, Hill Street Blues for Best dramatic series, Tommy Lee Jones for The Executioner’s Song and Barbara Stanwyck for The Thornbirds.
March 2
The final episode of M*A*S*H, a situation comedy about U.S. medics in the Korean War was watched by 125,000,000 viewers.
April 18
The United States Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon was leveled by a car-bomb resulting in 63 fatalities.
June 18
Dr. Sally K. Ride became the first American female in outer space with the launch of the Challenger’s second flight.
September 23
The largest employee buyout of a corporation to date took place at the Weirton Steel works in West Virginia. Workers at the plant voted to purchase it from National Steel Corporation to prevent it’s closing.
December22
West Virginia University defeated the University of Kentucky by a score of 20-16 at the Hall of Fame Bowl played in Birmingham, Alabama.
December31
Classmate Johnnie Herbert Hoskins received a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration from the University of Arizona.
All United States Marines in Lebanon were withdrawn. Corporate mergers created fewer but larger oil, publishing and food distribution entities. The economy showed marked improvement over the past few years fueling record profits for business and improved position for consumers with disposable income. However, these gains came at the expense of the foreign trade deficit. The Dow Jones average of common stocks closed 60 points below the level on the first day of the year, organized labor’s membership dropped to 18.8 percent of salaried workers as jobs were moved overseas, 79 banks failed and farmland values dropped. The United States Embassy in Beirut was bombed for the second time in as many years resulting in two fatalities. The Television Academy Hall of Fame was established. Lucille Ball, Milton Berle, Paddy Chayefsky, Norman Lear, Edward R. Murrow, William S. Paley and David Sarnoff were the inaugural inductees.
New book titles: The Aquitaine Progression, Him With His Foot in His Mouth and Other Stories, Lives of the Poets, Iacocca and Walt Whitman.
At the movies: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Amadeus, A Pasage to India, All of Me, Places in the Heart, The Killing Fields and Sunday in the Country.
On stage: The Real Thing, Sunday in the Park With George and La Cage aux Folles.
Emmy Awards: Tom Selleck for Magnum, P.I., Tyne Daly for Cagney and Lacey, Sir Laurence Olivier for Laurence Olivier’s King Lear and Jane Fonda for The Doll Maker.
January 10
Full diplomatic relations with the Vatican was announced. That relationship had last existed in 1867.
March 15
Classmate Mary Belle Lyons-Kennedy died in a car crash on West Virginia Route 3 at White Oak, West Virginia. Mary Belle was in the company of her oldest daughter, Mary Anna Kennedy-Christian (who also died in the crash) and enroute to Charlottesville, Virginia for treatment of throat cancer. A Cranberry girl, Mary Belle married classmate David Kennedy and started her family before graduation. She was employed as a Raleigh County deputy assessor at the time of her death and was survived by her mother, three sons and two daughters.
October 1
Classmate Richard William Highlander retired from the United States Army with 21 years, 3 months and 26 days active duty service.
October 5
Astronaut Jon McBride (Woodrow Wilson High School Class of 1960) was the pilot of STS 41G, launched aboard the Orbiter Challenger. During the course of this mission, Dr. Kathyn D. Sullivan became the first American female astronaut to walk in space.
December 31
West Virginia University defeated Texas Christian University by a score of 31-14 at the Bluebonnet Bowl played in Houston, Texas.
The economy expanded, but only slightly, the unemployment rate continued a slow decline and consumer prices kept pace with inflation. Corporate profits increased at the expense of the foreign trade deficit and the Social Security System celebrated its 50th Anniversary. The Italian liner Achille Lauro was hijacked in the Mediterranaen Sea by Palestinian Liberation Front terrorists. Compact discs, compact disc players and books on tape gained popularity. Spies were uncovered in CIA, FBI and U.S. Navy positions. A congressional investigation estimated half a million Americans were attempting to benefit from false degrees and other credentials.
New book titles: Yeager, The Kingdom of the Wicked, , Chapterhouse Dune, The Cider House Rules and Lake Wobegone Days.
At the movies: Back to the Future, Rocky IV, Cocoon, Kiss of the Spiderwoman, The Trip to Bountiful and Out of Africa.
On stage: Tango Argentino, Biloxi Blues, Big River, Prizzi’s Honor and The Official Story.
Emmy Awards: William Daniels for St. Elsewhere, Tyne Daly for Cagney and Lacy, Richard Cernna for The Rape of Richard Beck and Joanne Woodward for Do You Remember Love?
March 4
A ban on leaded gasoline was ordered by the Environmental Protection Agency.
July 19
Christa McAuliffe, a 36 year old school teacher from Concord, New Hampshire was selected to become the first educator to fly aboard a space shuttle.
July 29
Classmate James (P.A.) Hatcher married Judith Marlene Lindgren, originally from Salol, Minnesota. The wedding ceremony was conducted in Gaithersburg, Maryland. “P.A.” had an accounting practice in Germantown, Maryland at the time and Judy was employed by an accounting firm in Chevy Chase, Maryland.
September 1
The wreck of the Titanic, the luxury ship that sank during its maiden voyage in 1912 was located about 500 miles south of Newfoundland.
October 21
Classmate Sharon Louise Coleman-Estrada received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Sociology from Atlantic Union College.
December 10
A ban on all tobacco advertising including smokeless tobacco products was recommended by the American Medical Association.
Economic sanctions against Libia were ordered. The Federal Reserve dropped the discount interest rate a full percentage point during the course of the year. The U.S. dollar continued to decline against the yen and other foreign currencies. A glut of foreign oil dropped the price of crude below $20. Unemployment continued to increase while female professionals in the workforce over took the number of male professionals for the first time. It was revealed that the federal government was secretly selling arms to the Islamic government in Iran to obtain funds to support a revolution in Nicaragua.
New book titles: The Garden of Eden, Gerald’s Party, A Perfect Spy and Last of the Breed.
At the movies: Children of a Lesser God, Hannah and Her Sisters, The Mission, Platoon, A Room With a View and The Color of Money.
On stage: Williams and Walker, Lie of the Mind, Benefactors and I’m Not Rappaport.
Emmy Awards: William Daniels and Bonnie Bartlett for St. Elsewhere, Sharon Gless and John Karlen for Cagney and Lacey and Cagney and Lacey for best drama series.
January 19
The first personal computer virus, Brain, started to spread.
January 28
The space shuttle Challenger exploded less than two minutes into liftoff at Cape Canaveral, Florida killing all astronauts aboard.
February 9
The Halley Comet reached its closest point to the Earth, during its second visit to the solar system during the 20th century.
February 19
The Soviet Union launched the Mir space station.
May 5
The Supreme Court of the United States ruled that opponents of capital punishment can be barred from juries in capital cases.
American taxpayers were burdened with the nation’s first trillion-dollar budget. The Dow Jones Average of stocks listed on the New York Stock Exchange closed above $2,000 for the first time in January and then crashed in October. An Iraqi missile fired from a warplane killed 37 United States sailors aboard the frigate U.S.S. Starke while the ship was monitoring the Iran/Iraq war. Congressional hearings aired the Iran contra affair. The Supreme Court of the United States ruled that Rotary Clubs must admit women. Margaret Thatcher was elected Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for the third time. The United States and Soviet Union concluded a missile reduction agreement.
New book titles: Last of the Breed, Mayflower Madam, Murder in Georgetown, Red Storm Rising, The Witches of Eastwick, and Wanderlust.
At the movies: Broadcast News, Fatal Attraction, Hope and Glory, Moonstruck, and The Last Emperor.
On stage: Anything Goes, Fences, and Les Miserables.
Emmy Awards: Bruce Willis for Moonlighting, Sharon Gless for Cagney and Lacey, John Hillerman for Magnum, P.I., Bonnie Bartlett for St. Elsewhereand L.A. Law for best drama series.
January 20
Terry Waite, the special envoy of the Archbishop of Canterbury was kidnapped in Beirut, Lebanon.
February 11
British Airways was privatized and its stock listed on the London Stock Exchange.
February 12
The first Unabomber bomb exploded in Salt Lake City.
December
Marshall University lost to Northeast Louisiana by the score of 43-42 in the NCAA Division I-AA National Championship football game, played in Pocatello, Iowa
December 25
West Virginia University lost to Oklahoma State by the score of 35-33 in the Sun Bowl, played in El Paso Texas.
American taxpayers were burdened with the nation’s first trillion-dollar budget. The Dow Jones Average of stocks listed on the New York Stock Exchange closed above $2,000 for the first time in January and then crashed in October. An Iraqi missile fired from a warplane killed 37 United States sailors aboard the frigate U.S.S. Starke while the ship was monitoring the Iran/Iraq war. Congressional hearings aired the Iran contra affair. The Supreme Court of the United States ruled that Rotary Clubs must admit women. Margaret Thatcher was elected Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for the third time. The United States and Soviet Union concluded a missile reduction agreement.
New book titles: Last of the Breed, Mayflower Madam, Murder in Georgetown, Red Storm Rising, The Witches of Eastwick, and Wanderlust.
At the movies: Broadcast News, Fatal Attraction, Hope and Glory, Moonstruck, and The Last Emperor.
On stage: Anything Goes, Fences, and Les Miserables.
Emmy Awards: Bruce Willis for Moonlighting, Sharon Gless for Cagney and Lacey, John Hillerman for Magnum, P.I., Bonnie Bartlett for St. Elsewhereand L.A. Law for best drama series.
January 20
Terry Waite, the special envoy of the Archbishop of Canterbury was kidnapped in Beirut, Lebanon.
February 11
British Airways was privatized and its stock listed on the London Stock Exchange.
February 12
The first Unabomber bomb exploded in Salt Lake City.
December
Marshall University lost to Northeast Louisiana by the score of 43-42 in the NCAA Division I-AA National Championship football game, played in Pocatello, Iowa
December 25
West Virginia University lost to Oklahoma State by the score of 35-33 in the Sun Bowl, played in El Paso Texas.
More than one million illegal aliens in the United States were granted amnesty. Drought conditions caused half of the agricultural counties in the United States to be declared disaster areas. A missile fired from the U.S.S. Vincennes shot down an Iranian airliner in the Persian Gulf killing all aboard (civilians). The Iran/Iraq war was brought to a conclusion. Insider trading, stock manipulation and falsified record keeping made headlines on Wall Street. George Herbert Walker Bush was elected 41st president of the United States. Ninety-eight percent of American households had at least one television set. France and China approved use of “morning-after” birth-control drug RU486 (Mifepristone).
New book titles: Oscar and Lucinda and Breathing Lessons.
At the movies: The Accidential Tourist, Dangerous Liaisons, Rain Man, Stand and Deliver, Mississippi Burning, A Fish Named Wanda ,Bull Durham and Working Girl.
On stage: Driving Miss Daisy, Madam Butterfly, The Phantom of the Opera, Romance, Romance and
A Walk in the Woods.
Emmy Awards: Richard Kiley for A Year in the Life, Tyne Daly for Cagney and Lacey, Larry Drake for L.A. Law, Patricia Wettig for thirtysomething and thirtysomething for best drama series.
May 13
Classmate Ann Wallen-Shave received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Central State University in Edmond Oklahoma.
August 4
Classmate Rita Bright received a Master of Guidance and Counseling degree from Western State College in Gunnison, Colorado.
September 29
NASA space Shuttle flights resumed for the first time since the Challenger disaster.
December 2
Benazir Bhuto was sworn in as the first female head of state in Pakistan – Prime Minister.
December 21
Pan Am flight 103 was blown up over Lockerbie, Scotland by Libyan terrorists.
Akihito was installed as Emperor of Japan. The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia announced they would give up their monopoly on political power. The wreck of the German battleship Bismarck, sank in 1941 was located 600 miles west of Brest, France. The supertanker Exxon Valdez struck a reef in Prince William Sound (Alaska) and spilled 11 million gallons of crude oil into the environment causing extensive damage. Federal legislation to save the failing savings and loan industry was signed into law. U.S. Army General Colin Powell became the first black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. An earthquake delayed the start of the World Series in Oakland, California. L. Douglas Wilder was elected the first black governor of Virginia. Celebrating Germans began to tear down the Berlin Wall. The United States invaded Panama.
New book titles: The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love, The Remains of the Day and The Joy Luck Club.
At the movies: Born on the 4th of July, Dead Poets Society, Driving Miss Daisy, Field of Dreams, Glory, Henry V, Music Box, Sex, Lies and Videotape and The Fabulous Baker Boys.
On stage: The Heidi Chronicles, Aristocrats and Largely New York.
Emmy Awards: Carroll O’Connor for In the Heat of the Night, Dana Delany for China Beach, Larry Drake for L.A.Law Melanie Mayron for thirtysomething and L.A. Law for best drama series.
January 2
West Virginia University lost to Notre Dame by the score of 34-21 in the Fiesta Bowl, played in Tempe, Arizona. This game was considered the national championship of the collegiate football season.
February 2
Soviet troops left Kabul, Afghanistan ending nine years of occupation.
May 30
A 33 foot tall statue of the Goddess of Democracy was unveiled in Tiananmen Square by student demonstrators.
September 15
Classmate Rita Bright married Donald Lathrop of Gunnison, Colorado. Rita was a school teacher and Don an automotive technician at the time. The wedding ceremony was performed beside Andrew’s Lake, between Durango and Silverton, Colorado.
October 13
Classmate Geneva Sue Lowe-Shaw died at her home in St. Albans, West Virgina following a long illness. Following high school where Susan became one of the first female cheerleaders at Woodrow Wilson High School in approximately 30 years, she graduated from Alderson-Broaddus College and then West Virginia State College. Susan taught kindergarten in Kanawha County and Sunday School at her church. She was a Red Cross volunteer and member of several associations and societies. Susan was survived by her mother, husband and three daughters.
December 30
West Virginia University lost to Clemson by the score of 27-7 in the Gator Bowl, played in Jacksonville, Florida.
The Census Bureau set the population of the United States at 248,718,301. Manuel Noriega of Panama surrendered to American forces. Douglas Wilder, grandson of slaves became the first elected black-American governor in the United States when he was sworn in as governor of Virginia. The Central Committee of the Soviet Union gave up its monopoly of political power over its separate republics. The Russian Federation declared its sovereignty. Argentina and the United Kingdom restored diplomatic relations following the 1982 Faulkland Islands invasion. Lithuania and Latvia declared independence from the Soviet Union. The Hubbel Space Telescope was launched aboard Space Shuttle Discovery. The Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush. Poster teen Ryan White of Indiana died of AIDS. A Vincent van Gogh painting Portrait of Doctor Gachet sold for $82.5 million. The World Health Organization removed homosexuality from its list of diseases. The first Anglican women priests were ordained in the United Kingdom. Iraq invaded Kuwait deriving out of an unpaid debt. Leonard Bernstein conducted his last concert, performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Soviet Union Premier Mikhail Gorbachev was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for reducing Cold War tensions. Margaret Thatcher resigned as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The first post-communist presidential and parliamentary elections were held in Romania.
New book titles: The Plains of Passage, Four Past Midnight, The Burden of Proof, Memories of Midnight, Message From Nam, The Bourne Ultimatum, Lady Boss, The Witching Hour and A Life on the Road.
At the movies: Home Alone, Ghost, Dances With Wolves, Pretty Woman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Hunt For Red October, Total Recall, Die Hard, Dick Tracy and Kindergarten Cop.
On stage: The Grapes of Wrath, City of Angels, Gypsy, Tru, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Lettice and Lovage and Grand Hotel, the Musical.
Emmy Awards: Peter Falk for Columbo, Patricia Wettig for thirtysomething, Jimmy Smits for L.A. Law, Marg Helgenberger for China Beach and L.A. Law for best drama series.
February 11
Nelson Mandella was released from Victor Verster Prison, near Cape Town, South Africa following 26 years political incarceration.
March 24
Woodrow Wilson High School won the Class AAA state basketball championship by defeating Martinsburg High School in Charleston. It was the tenth state basketball championship for Woodrow Wilson.
August 10
Classmate Ann Wallen married Tommy Rayner, originally from Smithville, Texas. Ann was a widow engaged in farming and Tommy was a truck driver at the time of the marriage.
October 3
East Germany and West Germany reunited into a single Germany following its division by Allied Powers in 1945.
November 13
The first known World Wide Web page was written.
The United Nations Security condemned Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. The United States began air attacks against Iraq, in response to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. Eastern Airlines and Pan American World Airways ceased operations. Four Los Angeles police officers were indicted for the beating of motorist Rodney King during an arrest. The Republic of Georgia declared independence. Boris Yeltsin was elected president of Russia, largest of the 15 Soviet Republics. Thieves in the Netherlands stole 20 paintings worth $500 million from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam but abandoned them within an hour. A tropical cyclone took an estimated 138,000 lives in Bangladesh. U.S. President Zachary Taylor’s body was exhumed to discover whether or not his death resulted from arsenic poisoning? No trace was found. Croatia and Slovenia declared independence from Yugoslavia. The Warsaw Pact officially dissolved. Serial killer Jeffery Dahmer was arrested in Milwaukee, Wisconsin when the remains of 11 men and boys were found in his apartment. The United States recognized the independence of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The name of St. Petersburg was restored to Russia’s second largest city, renamed Leningrad in 1924. Judge Clarence Thomas was narrowly confirmed an Associate Justice to the Supreme Court of the United States. Shiite Muslim kidnappers in Lebanon released Anglican Church envoys Terry Waite and Thomas Sutherland. American journalist Terry Anderson was released after seven years captivity in Beirut, Lebanon. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 3,004.46 points, first time over 3,000.
New book titles: Scarlett: The Sequel to Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone With The Wind”, The Sum of All Fears, Needful Things, No Greater Love, Heartbeat, The Doomsday Conspiracy, The Firm, Night Over Water, Remember, Me: Stories of My Life and Den of Thieves.
At the movies: Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, The Silence of the Lambs, City Slickers, Hook, The Addams Family, Sleeping with the Enemy and Father of the Bride.
On stage: Lost in Yonkers, Miss Saigon, The Secret Garden, Six Degrees of Separation and The Will Rogers Follies.
Emmy Awards: James Earl Jones for Gabriel’s Fire, Patricia Wettig for thirtysomething, Tony Bushfield for thirtysomething, Madge Sinclair for Gabriel’s Fire and L.A. Law for best drama series.
February 23
American ground troops crossed from Saudi Arabia into Kuwait to begin the liberation of that country.
March 15
France, the United Kingdom, the United States and the Soviet Union relinquished all remaining rights in Germany.
July 10
Classmate Charles (Buddy) Bales married Betty Gonzales in Miami, Florida. Buddy was an educator there and Betty is a native of Havana, Cuba.
December
Marshall University lost to Youngstown State by the score of 25-17 in the NCAA Division I-AA National Championship football game, played in Statesville, Georgia.
December 31
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics officially ceased to exist.
Dan Wright, a native of Parkersburg, West Virginia became the editor of The Register-Herald newspaper in Beckley, West Virginia. Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev of Russia completed a ten-month stay aboard the MIR space station. The Maastricht Treaty was signed creating the European Union. The Conservative Party led by John Major won unexpected re-election in the United Kingdom. The National Assembly of Vietnam approved the Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Rioting erupted in Los Angles, California and other places when the four police officers who beat motorist Rodney King on television were found not guilty of all charges resulting from the incident. Punch a British weekly magazine of humor and satire began in 1841 published its final issue. Betty Boothroyd was elected the first female Speaker of the British House of Commons. Serbia and Montenegro formed the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Jay Leno replaced Johnny Carson as host of NBC’s Tonight Show. Russia and the United States announced an agreement of joint understanding that led to the START II Treaty. Mafia boss John Gotti was sentenced to life in prison on murder and racketeering charges. U.S. Marshals assaulted the Ruby Ridge, Idaho compound of white separatist Randy Weaver resulting in the deaths of one U.S. Marshall and the killing of Weaver’s wife and son. The Toronto Blue Jays won the World Series in six games to become the first team from outside the United States to win Major League Baseball’s annual championship. Governor William Jefferson Clinton of Arkansas was elected to become the 42nd President of the United States. The Church of England approved priesthood for women. United States armed forces landed in Somalia under the auspices of the United Nations.
New book titles: Dolores Claiborne, The Pelican Brief, Gerald’s Game, Mixed Blessings, Jewels, The Stars Shine Down, The Tale of a Body Thief, Mexico, Waiting to Exhale, All Around town, Every Living Thing, Truman and Silent Passage.
At the movies: Aladdin, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Batman Returns, Lethal Weapon 3, A Few Good Men, Sister Act, The Body Guard, Wayne’s World, Basic Instinct and A League of Their Own.
On stage: Dancing at Lughnasa, Crazy for You, Guys and Dolls, Conversations With My Father, Death and the Maiden, Two Trains Running, Jelly’s Last Jam and The Most Happy Fella.
Emmy Awards: Tom Skerritt for Picket Fences, Kathy Baker for Picket Fences, Chad Lowe for Life Goes On, Mary Alice for I’ll Fly Away and Picket Fences for best drama series.
January 1
Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt was installed as the 6th Secretary-General of the United Nations.
March 21
Woodrow Wilson High School won the Class AAA state basketball championship by defeating Fairmont High School by the score of 79-59 in Charleston. It was the 11th state basketball championship for Woodrow Wilson.
May 5
Alabama ratified a 202-year-old proposed amendment to the Constitution of the United States into law prohibiting the Congress of the United States from giving itself a midterm or retroactive pay raise.
June 9
Classmate Wanda Marie Lyons-Gutierrez died at her home in Woodbridge, Virginia. Wanda who had lived in Woodbridge since 1968 as was employed at Quantico Marine Corps Base for 18 years was survived by her husband and two sons.
December
Marshall University defeated Youngstown State by the score of 31-28 in the NCAA Division I-AA National Championship football game, played in Huntington, West Virginia.
The Census Bureau set the population of the United States at 248,718,301. President Bill Clinton signed the Family Medical Leave Act into law. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents attempted to raid the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas resulting in the deaths of four agents and five Davidians then attacked a second time killing 76 people including cult leader David Koresh. The World Trade Center in New York City was damaged when an explosive laden truck parked under the North Tower was detonated, killing six people and injuring more than 1,000. A bug written into a computer program sent an article to 200 newsgroups simultaneously resulting in the term “spam”. A factory fire in Thialand resulted in 118 fatalities, mostly young women. Kim Campbell became the first female Prime Minister of Canada. President Bill Clinton ordered a cruise missile attack on Iraqi Intelligence Headquarters in Bagdad. The Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy regarding gays in the United States military was announced. NASA lost radio contact with with the Mars Observer orbiter three days before the unmanned spacecraft was scheduled to enter orbit around Mars. Windows NT3.1, first version of the Microsoft Windows NT operating systems for personal computers was released for distribution. An earthquake centered in India resulted in an estimated 10,000 fatalities. The Toranto Blue Jays defeated the Philadelphia Phillies four games to two, becoming the first team from outside the United States to win Major League Baseball’s annual World Series. Israel and the Vatican established diplomatic relations. NASA launched the Space Shuttle Endeavour on a mission to repair an optical flaw in the Hubble Space Telescope.
New book titles: The Bridges of Madison County, The Client, Slow Waltz at Cedar Bend, Without Remorse, Nightmares and Dreamscapes, Vanished, Lasher, Pleading Guilty, Like Water for Chocolate, The Scorpio Illusion and Ageless Body, Timeless Mind.
At the movies: Jurassic Park, Mrs. Doubtfire, The Fugitive, The Firm, Sleepless in Seattle, Indecent Proposal, In The Line of Fire, The Pelican Brief, Schindler’s List and Cliffhanger.
On stage: Angels in America: Millennium Approaches, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Anna Christie, The Sisters Rosenweig, My Favorite Year, and The Who’s Tommy.
Emmy Awards: Dennis Franz for NYPD Blue, Sela Ward for Sisters, Fyvush Finkel for Picket Fences, Leigh Taylor-Young for I’ll Fly Away and Picket Fences for best drama series.
March 12
Janet Reno was sworn in as the first female Attorney General of the United States.
March 20
Woodrow Wilson High School won the Class AAA state basketball championship by defeating George Washington High School by the score of 60-49 in Charleston. It was the 12th state basketball championship for Woodrow Wilson.
April 30
The World Wide Web began operations at CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) located on the Swiss-French border.
August 7
Members of the Woodrow Wilson High School Class of 1958 gathered in Beckley to celebrate our 35th Class Reunion.
December
Marshall University lost to Youngstown State by the score of 17-5 in the NCAA Division I-AA National Championship football game, played in Huntington, West Virginia.
The North American Free Trade Agreement went into effect. The first conference to discuss the growing information superhighway was conducted at UCLA’s Royce Hall. This was followed later in the year by another conference, also held in San Francisco to discuss the commercial potential of the World Wide Web. The Buffalo Bills lost their fourth consecutive Super Bowl when the Dallas Cowboys defeated them by the score of 30-13 in Super Bowl XXVII. Israel and the Vatican established full diplomatic relations. The German luxury automobile manufacturer BMW purchased the Rover from British Aerospace. Four terrorists were convicted for their roles in the World Trade center bombing. U.S. troops were withdrawn from Somalia. The Channel Tunnel between England and France opened to traffic. Nelson Mandela was inaugurated South Africa’s first black president. Serial killer John Wayne Gacy was executed in Illinois. Nichole Brown-Simpson and Ronald Goldman were murdered outside Ms. Simpson’s home in Los Angeles, California. The Provisional Irish Republican Army declared termination of all military operations. American troops invaded Haiti to restore the elected government there. Friends premiered on NBC television. The Republican Party took control of both houses of the Congress of the United States for the first time in 40 years. George Foreman regained the World Heavyweight Boxing Championship 20 years after he lost it to Muhammad Ali. A Federal Judge restrained the State of California from implementing Proposition 187 that would have denied most public services to illegal aliens.
New book titles: The Chamber, Debt of Honor, The Celestine Prophecy, The Gift, Insomnia, Politically Correct Bedtime Stories, Wings, Accident, The Bridges of Madison County, Disclosure and Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus.
At the movies: Forrest Gump, True Lies, The Lion King, The Santa Clause, The Flintstones, Dumb & Dumber, Clear and Present Danger, Speed, The Mask and Pulp Fiction.
On stage: Angels in America: Perestroika, Passion, An Inspector Calls, Medea, She Loves Me, Damn Yankees, Carousel and Beauty and the Beast.
Emmy Awards: Dennis Franz for NYPD Blue, Sela Ward for Sisters, Fyvush Finkel for Picket Fences, Leigh Taylor-Young for I’ll Fly Away and Picket Fences for best drama series.
January 1
West Virginia University lost to the University of Florida by the score of 41-7 in the Sugar Bowl, played in New Orleans, Louisiana
February 27
Classmate Jacqueline Hollandsworth-Kingery died in the Miami, Florida area. We are left without details of Jackie’s adult life or her death.
March 12
The Church of England ordained its first female priests.
May 22
Classmate Michael Grover Trent died in Eugene, Oregon where he was a resident following a long cancer illness. Grover who grew up in Crab Orchard spent his school years with the Class of 1957, leaving before graduation to join the United States Air Force. Completing his high school education in the Air Force, his graduation as a member of the Class of 1958 was approved by Mr. C.G. Peregory. Grover was survived by his wife, one son and one daughter.
July 25
Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty formally ending a state of war in existence between the two nations since 1948.
October 24
Classmate Connie Kish-Arnold died at her residence in Huntington, West Virginia. Connie, a registered nurse married classmate George Arnold in 1972.
The World Trade Organization was established. The 104th Congress (U.S.) convened, the first controlled by the Republican Party since 1953. Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov completed 366 days in space while aboard the Mir space station, an endurance record for the time. He would spend a total of 438 days on Mir before returning to Earth. The WB Television Network began operations. The prosecution delivered its opening statement in the O.J. Simpson murder case involving the deaths of Nichole Brown-Simpson and Ron Goldman. The trial would conclude with a not guilty jury verdict. The Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. was dedicated. The San Francisco 49ers became the first NFL team to win five Super Bowls when they defeated the San Diego Chargers by a score of 49-26. The Dow-Jones Industrial Average of common stocks closed at $4,003.33 – first close above $4,000.00. Actor Christopher Reeve was paralyzed from the neck down after being thrown from a horse during a riding competition. This ended his role as Superman. Cal Ripken Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles professional baseball team set a new record for consecutive games as a starting player in the Major Leagues – 2,131 games. Microsoft released a new personal computer operating system – Windows 95. Yahoo was founded in Santa Clara, California. The Dow-Jones Industrial Average of common stocks closed at $5,023.55 – first close above $5,000.00 and the first time the Dow measurement broke two millennium marks in a single year. The 55 miles per hour speed limit on Interstate highways was terminated. The last new Calvin and Hobbes comic strip was published.
New book titles: The Rain Maker, The Lost World, Five Days in Paris, The Christmas Box, Lightning, Rose Madder, Silent Night, Politically Correct Holiday Stories, The Horse Whisperer, My Journey and The Road Ahead.
At the movies: Toy Story, Batman Forever, Pocahontas, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, Golden Eye, Jumanji, Casper, Se7en, Die Hard: With a Vengeance and Crimson Tide.
On stage: Love!Valour! Compassion!, Sunset Boulevard, The Heiress, Showboat and Hamlet.
Emmy Awards: Dennis Franz for NYPD Blue, Kathy Baker for Picket Fences, Ray Walston for Picket Fences, Tyne Daly for Christy and ER for best drama series.
January 2
West Virginia University lost to the University of South Carolina by the score of 24-21 in the Carquest Bowl, played in Orlando, Florida.
May 18
Classmate Loretta Eileen Bays died in a Beckley hospital at the age of 55 years. Loretta had survived Polio in 1953 when the Iron Lung machine was in use. Loretta went on to graduate from Marshall University and was employed as a social worker by the West Virginia Department of Vocational Rehabilitation until retiring in 1984.
May 3
Classmate Sharon Louise Coleman-Estrada received a Masters Degree in Divinity from Logos International Bible University in Jacksonville, Florida.
June 29
The space shuttle Atlantis docked with the Russian Mir space station for the first time.
September 26
Classmate John Lloyd Hickman, Jr. died in Chesterfield, Virginia. We are left without details of John’s adult life or his death.
December
Marshall University lost to the University of Montana by the score of 22-20 in the NCAA Division I-AA National Championship football game, played in Huntington, West Virginia.
The chess computer Deep Blue defeated world chess champion Garry Kasparov for the first time. The Republic of China on Taiwan held its first direct presidential election. United States Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown was killed in an airplane crash near Dubrovnik, Croatia. The Supreme Court of the United States ruled against a law that would have prevented cities, towns or counties in the state of Colorado from taking legislative, executive or judicial action to protect the rights of homosexuals. Russia and Chechnya negotiated a cease fire to a war involving the two parties. Iraq refused United Nations inspectors access to a number of sites. The Taliban captured Kabul, the capitol city of Afghanistan driving out the sitting government and killing other political leaders. NASA disclosed evidence of primitive life forms on the ALH 84001 meteorite, thought to originate from Mars. Dolly the sheep, the first mammal to be successfully cloned from an adult cell was born at the Roslin Institute in Midlothian, Scotland. The Prince and Princess of Wales were formally divorced at the High Court of Justice in London, England. Fox News, a conservative news source debuted on cable television. The Dow-Jones Industrial Average of common stocks closed at $6,010.00 – first close above $6,000.00. UNSCOM inspectors discovered prohibited missile parts buried in Iraq. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway was merged with the Burlington Northern Railroad, becoming the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway.
New book titles: The Runaway Jury, Executive orders, Desperation, Airframe, The Regulators, Malice, Silent Honor, Primary Colors, Cause of Death, The Tenth Insight, The Dilbert Principle and Simple Abundance.
At the movies: Independence Day, Twister, Mission Impossible, Jerry Maguire, Ransom, 101 Dalmations, The Rock, The Nutty Professor The Birdcage and A Time to Kill.
On stage: Master Class, Rent, A Delicate Balance, Seven Guitars, Bring in ‘de Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk, and The King and I.
Emmy Awards: Dennis Franz for NYPD Blue, Kathy Baker for Picket Fences, Ray Walston for Picket Fences, Tyne Daly for Christy and ER for best drama series.
April 3
“Unibomber” Theodore Kaczynski was arrested at his cabin in Montana.
July 27
A bomb was detonated at the Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, Georgia during the 1996 Summer Olympics killing one person and injuring 111.
August 12
Classmate Elbert Clark Martin died in Daytona Beach, Florida. We are left without details of Clark’s adult life or his death.
September 18
Classmate William Roderick Wood, age 56, died at his home in Beckley. Roddy grew up in Crab Orchard, served in the United States Air Force and was employed by Maben Energy at the time of his death. Roddy was survived by his mother, his wife, a son and three daughters.
December
Marshall University defeated the University of Montana by the score of 49-29 in the NCAA Division I-AA National Championship football game, played in Huntington, West Virginia.
Newt Gingrich, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives was internally disciplined for ethical misconduct. Madeline Albright became the first Secretary of State upon confirmation by the United States Senate. The Morgan Stanley and Dean Whitter investment banks merged. Astronauts from the Space Shuttle Discovery performed tune-up and repair work on the Hubble Telescope. The Dow-Jones Industrial Average of common stocks closed at $7,022.44 – first close above $7,000.00. Tara Lipinski of New Jersey became the women’s world figure skating champion at age 14. The Hale-Bopp Comet made its closest approach to Earth. A Pegasus rocket carried the remains of 24 people into orbit around the Earth for the purpose of making the first outer space burial. The United Kingdom granted sovereignty of Hong Kong to the People’s Republic of China. The United Kingdom’s Labour Party regained majority in Parliament ending 18 years of Conservative Party rule and Tony Blair was appointed Prime Minister. The United States Department of the Treasury unveiled a new $50 bill, said to be more difficult to counterfeit. The first of the Harry Potter series of children’s books by J.K. Rowling was published in the United Kingdom. NASA’s Pathfinder space probe landed on the surface of Mars. The Dow Jones Average of common stocks closed at $8,038.88 – first close above $8,000.00. The F.W. Woolworth Company closed after 117 years in business. Google was registered as a domain name. Boeing and McDonnell Douglas aircraft companies merged. Diana, Princess of Wales died resulting from an automobile crash in a Paris, France tunnel. Mother Teresa of Calcutta died. Stock markets around the world crashed due to a global crisis scare but recovered within a few days. Representatives of 121 nations signed a treaty in Ottawa, Canada prohibiting the manufacture and deployment of anti-personnel land mines the United States excepted. One billion shares of stock were traded on the New York Stock Exchange an one day record.
New book titles: The Partner, Cold Mountain, The Ghost, The Ranch, Special Delivery, Unnatural Exposure, The Best Laid Plans, Pretend You Don’t See Her, Cat & Mouse, Hornet’s Nest and The Royals.
At the movies: Titanic, Men in Black, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Liar Liar, Air Force One, As Good as It Gets, Good Will Hunting, My Best Friend’s Wedding, Tomorrow Never Dies and Face/Off.
On stage: The Last Night of Ballyhoo, Titantic, Chicago, Barrymore, A Doll’s House, The Life and An American Daughter.
Emmy Awards: Dennis Franz for NYPD Blue, Gillian Anderson for X-Files, Hector Elizondo for Chicago Hope, Kim Delaney for NYPD Blue and Law and Order for best drama series.
January 1
West Virginia University lost to the University of North Carolina by the score of 20-13 in the Gator Bowl, played in Jacksonville, Florida.
February 17
Classmate Leonard Ray McNulty, age 56, died in Beckley following a long illness. Ray had served in the United States Army and as a policeman in Beckley and Clearwater, Florida. He was survived by his wife, three daughters, two step-sons and three step-daughters.
March 22
Woodrow Wilson High School won the Class AAA state basketball championship by defeating Wheeling Park High School by the score of 83-76 in Charleston. It was the 13th state basketball championship for Woodrow Wilson.
September 14
Classmate Carol Ann Fearn-Gardner died at her home in Fredericksburg, Virginia following a long illness. Carol’s husband and two daughters survived her.
September 21
Classmate John Luther Maddy died in Maryland following a long cancer illness. John served 22 years in the United States Air Force retiring as a Chief Master Sergeant in 1980. Johnny earned an associated degree, a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in allied health fields and was employed in Civil Service by the United States Department of Defense. He was survived by his wife and five children.
December 26
Marshall University lost to the University of Mississippi by the score of 34-31 in the Motor City Bowl played in the Pontiac Silver Dome (Michigan).
December 29
West Virginia University lost to Georgia Tech by the score of 35-30 in the Carquest Bowl, played in Orlando, Florida.
Nineteen European nations banned human cloning. The United Kingdom banned the importation of land mines. The suspected “Unibomber” Ted Kaczynski entered a guilty plea and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The Food and Drug Administration approved Viagra for use in treating male impotence. Compaq Computers purchased Digital Equipment Company. Ford Motor Company purchased Volvo Cars. Data sent from the Galileo space probe indicated a liquid ocean under a crust of ice on Jupiter’s moon – Europa. Citicorp and Travelers Group announced their intent to merge and create the largest financial services conglomerate in the world – Citigroup. The popular sitcom Seinfeld aired its final episode. DNA identified the remains of one of the bodies from the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington Cemetery. The remains were then buried in St. Louis, Missouri. The remains of Czar Nicholas II and those of his family were buried in St. Catherine Chapel located in St. Petersburg, Russia, 80 years after the family were murdered by Bolsheviks. St. Louis Cardinal first baseman Mark McGwire hit his 62nd home run of the season breaking the record set by Roger Maris of the New York Yankees. Telecommunications giants MCI and WorldCom completed their merger becoming MCI WorldCom. The United States Department of Justice and 20 states filed an antitrust suit against Microsoft. The Space Shuttle Discovery carried 77-year old John Glenn into space thus making him the oldest person to fly in outer space. America Online announced the acquisition of Netscape Communications. Exxon announced a buyout of Mobil Oil, creating Exxon-Mobile. President Bill Clinton ordered air strikes on Iraq and UNSCOM withdrew all weapons inspectors from that nation.
New book titles: The Street Lawyer, Rainbow Six, Bag of Bones, A Man in Full, Mirror Image, The Long Road Home, The Klone and I, The Point of Origin, Paradise, All Through the Night, The Greatest Generation and Tuesdays With Morrie.
At the movies: Saving Private Ryan, Armageddon, There’s Something About Mary, A Bug’s Life, The Waterboy, Doctor Dolittle, Rush Hour, Deep Impact, Godzilla and Patch Adams.
On stage: Art, The Lion King, A View From the Bridge, Cabaret, Ragtime, and The Beauty Queen of Leenane.
Emmy Awards: Andre Braugher for Homicide: Life on the Street, Christine Lahti for Chicago Hope, Gordon Clapp for NYPD Blue, Camryn Mayheim for The Practice and The Practice for best drama series.
January 1
California banned the smoking of tobacco products in all bars and restaurants.
March 21
Woodrow Wilson High School won the Class AAA state basketball championship by defeating Fairmont High School by the score of 75-47 in Charleston. It was the 14th state basketball championship for Woodrow Wilson.
March 25
Classmate Virginia Lee Mackey-Thompson, age 58, died in a Beckley hospital following a long illness. Jenny was a licensed hair dresser and for a time co-owner of a salon in Hinton. She was survived by her husband, a son and two grandsons.
December 24
Marshall University defeated Louisville University by the score of 48-29 in the Motor City Bowl played in the Pontiac Silver Dome (Michigan).
December 26
West Virginia University lost to the University of Missouri by the score of 34-31 in the Insight Bowl, played in Tempe, Arizona
Nineteen European nations banned human cloning. The United Kingdom banned the importation of land mines. The suspected “Unibomber” Ted Kaczynski entered a guilty plea and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The Food and Drug Administration approved Viagra for use in treating male impotence. Compaq Computers purchased Digital Equipment Company. Ford Motor Company purchased Volvo Cars. Data sent from the Galileo space probe indicated a liquid ocean under a crust of ice on Jupiter’s moon – Europa. Citicorp and Travelers Group announced their intent to merge and create the largest financial services conglomerate in the world – Citigroup. The popular sitcom Seinfeld aired its final episode. DNA identified the remains of one of the bodies from the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington Cemetery. The remains were then buried in St. Louis, Missouri. The remains of Czar Nicholas II and those of his family were buried in St. Catherine Chapel located in St. Petersburg, Russia, 80 years after the family were murdered by Bolsheviks. St. Louis Cardinal first baseman Mark McGwire hit his 62nd home run of the season breaking the record set by Roger Maris of the New York Yankees. Telecommunications giants MCI and WorldCom completed their merger becoming MCI WorldCom. The United States Department of Justice and 20 states filed an antitrust suit against Microsoft. The Space Shuttle Discovery carried 77-year old John Glenn into space thus making him the oldest person to fly in outer space. America Online announced the acquisition of Netscape Communications. Exxon announced a buyout of Mobil Oil, creating Exxon-Mobile. President Bill Clinton ordered air strikes on Iraq and UNSCOM withdrew all weapons inspectors from that nation.
New book titles: The Street Lawyer, Rainbow Six, Bag of Bones, A Man in Full, Mirror Image, The Long Road Home, The Klone and I, The Point of Origin, Paradise, All Through the Night, The Greatest Generation and Tuesdays With Morrie.
At the movies: Saving Private Ryan, Armageddon, There’s Something About Mary, A Bug’s Life, The Waterboy, Doctor Dolittle, Rush Hour, Deep Impact, Godzilla and Patch Adams.
On stage: Art, The Lion King, A View From the Bridge, Cabaret, Ragtime, and The Beauty Queen of Leenane.
Emmy Awards: Andre Braugher for Homicide: Life on the Street, Christine Lahti for Chicago Hope, Gordon Clapp for NYPD Blue, Camryn Mayheim for The Practice and The Practice for best drama series.
January 1
California banned the smoking of tobacco products in all bars and restaurants.
March 21
Woodrow Wilson High School won the Class AAA state basketball championship by defeating Fairmont High School by the score of 75-47 in Charleston. It was the 14th state basketball championship for Woodrow Wilson.
March 25
Classmate Virginia Lee Mackey-Thompson, age 58, died in a Beckley hospital following a long illness. Jenny was a licensed hair dresser and for a time co-owner of a salon in Hinton. She was survived by her husband, a son and two grandsons.
December 24
Marshall University defeated Louisville University by the score of 48-29 in the Motor City Bowl played in the Pontiac Silver Dome (Michigan).
December 26
West Virginia University lost to the University of Missouri by the score of 34-31 in the Insight Bowl, played in Tempe, Arizona
The population of the World was reported to have reached 6 billion people by the United Nations Population Fund. China restricted Internet use, particularly at Internet cafes. King Hussein of Jordan died of cancer. His son Abdullah II replaced him. Dr. Jack Kevorkian was convicted of second-degree murder in Michigan for administering a lethal injection to a terminally ill man. The Dow Jones Average of common stocks closed at $10,006.78 – first close above $10,000.00. Wayne Gretzky, known as The Great One played in his final National Hockey League game. MySpace.com was introduced to the Internet. The Dow Jones Average of common stocks closed at $11,014.70 – first close above $11,000.00. Leonardo de Vinci’s painting of The Last Supper returned to display in Milan, Italy following 22 years of restoration work. Apple Computer released the first iBook. John F. Kennedy, Jr. his wife Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and her sister Lauren Bessette were killed when the small airplane Kennedy was flying crashed off Martha’s Vineyard. Opening ceremonies of the World trade Organization meeting in Seattle, Washington were cancelled due to protests that continued for several days. The United Kingdom passed political power in Northern Ireland to the Northern Ireland Executive. The Vermont Supreme Court ordered the state to legalize same-sex unions. The Panama Canal was transferred to Panamanian control.
New book titles: Southern Cross, The Testament, Bittersweet, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, We’ll Meet Again, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Hannibal, Black Notice, The Alibi and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
At the movies: Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, The Sixth Sense, Toy Story 2, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, The Matrix, Big Daddy, The Mummy, Runaway Bride and The Blair Witch Project.
On stage: Side Man, Fosse, Death of a Salesman, Annie Get Your Gun, Amy’s View, Little Me, Not About Nightingales and You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown.
Emmy Awards: Dennis Franz for NYPD Blue, Edie Falco for The Sopranos, Michael Badalucco for The Practice, Holland Taylor for The Practice and The Practice for best drama series.
January 1
Euro Currency was introduced, locking in exchange rates of member nation’s currencies.
April 20
The Columbine High School massacre took place in Littleton, Colorado when two students at the school killed 12 fellow students and one teacher before taking their own lives.
April 22
Classmate Glyndon W. “John” Sawyers died suddenly in Fairfax, Virginia. He was a long time resident of Falls Church, Virginia. Johnny was married 40 years to classmate Lynda Sue Oscar. He had worked for Giant Food headquartered in Landover, Maryland as a cabinet maker since the early 1970’s. John was survived by Lynda, one son and one daughter.
December 23
Marshall University defeated Brigham Young University by the score of 21-3 in the Motor City Bowl played in the Pontiac Silver Dome (Michigan).
December 31
Concern about the effect of changing the number of the year to begin with the number two would have on computer systems known as Y2K reached its climax.
America Online agreed to purchase Time Warner for $162 billion, largest corporate merger of the time. The Dow-Jones Industrial Average of common stocks closed at $11,722.98, a record for the time. An explosive device was detonated in front of Barclays Bank, across the street from the New York Stock Exchange resulting in dozens of injuries, but no fatalities. The last original Peanuts comic strip was published just after the death of its creator, Charles Shultz. The comic strip turned 50 years older later in the year. Pope John Paul II made an official visit to Israel, first by a Roman Catholic pontiff. The Supreme Court of the United States ruled that government lacks authority to regulate tobacco as an addictive drug. Vladimir Putin was elected president of Russia. Vermont legalized Civil unions for same-sex couples. A preliminary draft of genomes, as a part of the Human Genome Project was completed. Elian Gonzalez was returned to his father in Cuba ending an international custody dispute over a minor child. The Confederate submarine H.L. Hundley was raised to the surface after being sunk for 136 years. The Russian submarine Kursk sank in the Barents Sea taking with it a crew of 118 sailors. Microsoft released its Windows Me operating system. The Summer Olympics were held in Sidney, Australia. The USS Cole was badly damaged by an explosion detonated by Muslims in Yemen – 39 wounded and 17 fatalities among the crew. The New York Yankees won their 26th World Series when they defeated their cross town rival New York Jets four games to one. Hillary Clinton was elected to the United States Senate from New York, the first First Lady of the United States to win public office. President Bill Clinton made a state visit to Vietnam, the first by an American president. Vicente Fox took office as president of Mexico. The Supreme Court of the United States ruled that George W. Bush would become the 43rd President of the United States, even though he lacked a majority of the popular vote. Retail giant Montgomery Ward went out of business following 118 years of operations.
New book titles: The Brethern, The Wedding, Before I say Goodbye, Easy Prey, Indwelling, Hot Six, The House on Hope Street, Winter Soltice, The Bear and the Dragon, The Rescue, Drowning Ruth, The Last Precinct, Winter’s Heart and The Mark.
At the movies: Gladiator, Chocolat, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Erin Brocovich, Traffic, The Perfect Storm, What Women Want, What Lies Beneath and Scary Movie.
On stage: Aida, Contact, Copenhagen, Dirty Blonde, Proof, The Green Bird, The Ride Down Mt. Morgan, The Best Man, Betrayal, Riverdance and The Wild Party.
Emmy Awards: James Gandolfini for The Sopranos, Sela Ward for Once and Again, Richard Schiff for The West Wing, Allison Janney for The West Wing and The West Wing for best drama series.
January 1
Y2K fears proved unfounded when all major computer generated functions performed normally. There were no repercussions from beginning the new year with a number 2.
June 7
Classmate Paul Edward Martin, died in Cedar Creek, Texas. Paul was retired from the United States Air Force. He was survived by his wife and four children.
July 2
Classmate James Griffin Booth, age 60, died in a Huntington, West Virginia hospital. James had last worked as a radio equipment installer having been disabled since 1976. He was a member of the First Baptist Church in Beckley and the Beckley Masonic Lodge #95 A.F & A.M. James had been a resident of Huntington since 1996. He was survived by his wife, one son and two daughters.
July 15
Classmate Larry Franklin Stover, a resident of Charlotte, North Carolina died following a brief cancer illness. Larry worked for the City of Beckley for a number of years in various administrative capacities and board positions. Following his employment with the city, Larry accumulated a rather extensive resume in business and finance management. A Prosperity boy, he grew up around horses and served 25 years as announcer at both the North Carolina and West Virginia state fairs. Larry was a member of the First Baptist Church in Beckley and the Raleigh County Historical Society. He was also a United States Army Reserve veteran. Larry was survived by his former wife and two sons.
December 20
Marshall University defeated Cincinnati University by the score of 25-14 in the Motor City Bowl played in the Pontiac Silver Dome (Michigan).
December 28
West Virginia University defeated the University of Mississippi by a score of 49-38 at the Music City Bowl played in Nashville, Tennessee.
President Theodore Roosevelt was posthumously awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor for his service during the Spanish American War. NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt was killed in a crash during the running of the Daytona 500. Foot in mouth disease created a crisis in the food chain of the United Kingdom. The Russian space station Mir reentered the Earth’s atmosphere, crashing into the Pacific Ocean near Fiji. The Netherlands, opened marriage to same-sex couples. Police shooting of a black American teen in Cincinnati, Ohio led to days of rioting there. American Dennis Tito became the first space tourist when he purchased a flight on the Russian Soyuz TM-32 spacecraft. Homemaker Andrea Yates drowned her five children in a Texas bathtub. The world’s first self-contained artificial heart was successfully implanted. The New York Stock Exchange reopened and professional sports events returned to New York following the September 11th destruction. Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants hit home run number 72, a major league record. Letters containing anthrax were mailed from Princeton, New Jersey to news media providers and political leaders in Washington, D.C. SwissAir went bankrupt, as did SABINA Airlines. The Department of Homeland Security was created and the Patriot Act was passed into law. The United States invaded Afghanistan in retaliation for the September 11th attacks displacing, but not destroying the Taliban. Enron filed for Chapter 11-bankruptcy, largest of its time. The United States withdrew from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. Microsoft terminated support for Windows 1.0, Windows 3x and Windows 95 operating systems.
New book titles: From The Corner of His Eye, A Day Late and a Dollar Short, A Painted House, 1st to Die, Dreamcatcher, A Common Life, On the Street Where You Live, Chosen Prey, Leap of Faith, Valhalla Rising, The Corrections, Isle of Dogs, Midnight Bayou, The Kiss, Desecreation and Skipping Christmas.
At the movies: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Shrek, Monsters, Inc., Rush Hour, The Mummy Returns, Pearl Harbor, Ocean’s Eleven (2001), Jurassic Park III and Planet of the Apes (2001).
On stage: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Blast, A Class Act, Design for Living, The Gathering, Invention of Love, King Hedley II, Macbeth, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Producers, Stones in His Pockets, 45 Seconds from Broadway, By Jeeves, Dance of Death, Major Barbara, Mamma Mia!, A Thousand Clowns, Thou Shalt Not and The Women.
Emmy Awards: Michael Chiklis for The Shield, Allison Janney for The West Wing, John Spencer for The West Wing, Stockard Channing for The West Wing and The West Wing for best drama series.
January 1
First day of the new millennium, the 21st Century.
March 13
Classmate Harold W. Yost died at his residence in Hagerstown, Maryland following a short illness. Following graduation, Harold moved to Maryland where he was employed as a professional floor mechanic. He left no descendants.
May 31
Classmate Edward I. Phipps died following a two-year cancer illness. Eddie was employed for 34 years as a machinist for two Maryland printing companies, but lived in Virginia. Eddie continued his love for restoring cars and trucks throughout his life. He was survived by his wife, two daughters and one son.
September 11
Act of War. Islamic terrorists operating out of Afghanistan hijacked four aircraft in the United States and flew two of them into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and one into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. The fourth crashed in a field near Somerset, Pennsylvania; 2,813 fatalities in New York City, 189 fatalities at the Pentagon and 44 fatalities in Pennsylvania.
December 20
Marshall University defeated East Carolina by the score of 64-61 in the GMAC Bowl played in Mobile, Alabama.
Euro currency was issued in 12 European nations. Kmart filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, largest American retailer to file such action. Wall Street Journal journalist Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and then murdered in Pakistan. Winter Olympics were held in Salt Lake City, Utah. The NASA space probe Odyssey began the mapping of Mars surface utilizing a thermal emission imaging system. The Space Shuttle Columbia flew a Hubble Space Telescope service mission. The Queen Mother of the United Kingdom died. Her funeral was televised from Westminster Abbey in London. FBI agent Robert Hansen was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for having sold American secrets to the Soviet Union and then to Russia. Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee was celebrated with special services and events. The Empire State Building in New York City was lit up in purple to honor the Queen. A car bomb was detonated in front of the American Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan resulting in death and injury to Pakistanis, but without American victims. The International Court was established to prosecute crimes against humanity, war crimes, and criminal aggression. Th African Union replaced the Organization of African Unity. US Airways declared bankruptcy as did Consolidated Freightways, third largest American trucking firm. The Beltway sniper attacks occurred in Maryland, the District of Columbia and Virginia. The Republican Party maintained control of the United States House of Representatives and regained control of the United States Senate. United Airlines, the second largest airline in the world filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
New book titles: One Door Away From Heaven, Journey Through Heartsongs, The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer, The Summons, 2nd Chance, Everything’s Eventual, Three Fates, The Nannie Diaries, Daddy’s Little Girl, The Shelters of Stone, In This Mountain, The Beach House, Hard Eight, The Remnant, The Lovely Bones, Red Rabbit, Nights in Rodanthe, From a Buick 8, Answered Prayers, Chesapeake Blue, Four Blind Mice and Prey.
At the movies: Spider-Man, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Signs, Austin Powers in Goldmember, Men in Black II, Ice Age and Chicago.
On stage: An Almost Holy Picture, The Crucible, Elephant Man, Fortune’s Fool, Into the Woods, The Man Who Had All The Luck, Metamorphoses, One Mo’ Time, The Smell of the Kill, Sweet Smell of Success, Topdog/Underdog, Amour, The Boys from Syracuse, Hairspray, Hollywood Arms, Imaginary Friends, LaBoheme, Man of La Mancha, Medea and Movin’ Out.
Emmy Awards: James Gandolfini for The Sopranos, Edie Falco for The Sopranos, Joe Pantoliano for The Sopranos, Tyne Daly for Judging Amy and The West Wing for best drama series.
February 26
Classmate Daniel Elvin Martin died at the Portsbridge Hospice in Conyers, Georgia. In Georgia, Danny had been a supervisor for American Pest Control. He was survived by one daughter.
June 11
Classmate James Franklin Walker, 61, died in Chicago, Illinois of natural causes. Following graduation from Woodrow Wilson, James graduated from Concord College and taught school in Raleigh County. At the time of his death, James was vice president of the National Telephone Cooperative in Arlington, Virginia. He was survived by his wife, two daughters and one son.
October 2
Classmate Laura Sharolet Tolliver-Farley died in Pensacola, Florida following an extended illness. We are left without details of Laura’s adult life except that she was survived by one daughter and one son.
October 15
Classmate Annette Yvonne Walney-Treadway of Matthews, North Carolina died following a five-year battle with cancer. Annette was a Cranberry girl with an unforgettable smile who graduated from St. Mary’s Nursing School in Huntington, West Virginia in 1961. She was employed as a Registered Nurse at Mercy Hospital Main in Charlotte, North Carolina for more than 30 years. Annette’s mother survived her as did her husband and two daughters.
December 18
Marshall University defeated Louisville University by the score of 38-15 in the GMAC Bowl played in Mobile, Alabama.
December 28
West Virginia University lost to the University of Virginia by the score of 48-22 in the Continental Tire Bowl, played in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The United States intent to invade Iraq was debated in Europe. The Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated upon reentering the Earth’s atmosphere resulting in seven fatalities. More than ten million people protested the United States intent to invade Iraq in 600 cities around the world. The first case of SARS was identified, an American businessman visiting Hanoi, Vietnam. The patient and the doctor who treated him both died of the disease. The World Health Organization issued a global SARS alert. The United States Supreme Court upheld “three strikes and you are out” laws. The United States invaded Iraq with limited support from allied nations. The body of Laci Peterson washed up on a shore in the San Francisco Bay, also the body of her fetus. The Human Genome Project was successfully completed. Midland Steel Products ceased operations following 110 years in business. President George W. Bush declared that the United States had prevailed in Iraq. The Old Man of the Mountain rock formation, a New Hampshire landmark crumbled following heavy rains. An outbreak amounting to 393 tornadoes were reported between May 4 and May 10, most tornadoes during a single week in recorded history. Eric Rudolph, the Centennial Olympic Park bomber was captured in Murphy, North Carolina. The lake behind the Three Gorges Dam in China was filled raising the water level more than 100 meters. Martha Stewart and her stock broker were indicted for trading stock using privileged information and then lying to federal authorities about the transaction. The Supreme Court of the United States upheld affirmative action admissions for colleges and universities. The court also struck down sodomy laws. Saddam Hussein, deposed President of Iraq was captured and his two sons along with one grandson were killed in a shoot out with U.S. Army troops. The last old style Volkswagen Beetle was assembled in Mexico. NATO assumed command of allied occupation troops in Afghanistan. Governor Gray Davis was recalled from office by California voters. He was replaced by actor Arnold Scwartzenegger. The Condcorde made its last commercial flight. China launched its first space mission – Shenzhou 5. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court struck down anti-same-sex marriage laws in that state. An outbreak of mad cow disease was announced in Washington.
New book titles: Crossroads of Twilight, The King of Torts, The Jester, The DaVinci Code, Birthright, Armageddon, Naked Prey, The Lake House, Johny Angel, To the Nines, The Teeth of the Tiger, Bleachers, The Five People You Meet In Heaven and Born to Fly.
At the movies: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Finding Nemo, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, The Matrix Reloaded, Bruce Almighty, X2, Elf, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, The Matrix Revolutions and Cheaper by the Dozen (2003).
On stage: A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, As Long as We Both Shall Laugh, Enchanted April, Gypsy (2003), Life (x) 3, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, The Look of Love, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Nine, The Play What I Wrote, Take Me Out, Tartuffe, Vincent in Brixton, A Year With Frog and Toad, Anna in the Tropics, Avenue Q, Big River, The Boy from Oz, The Caretaker, Golda’s Balcony, Henry IV, Laughing Room Only, Little Shop of Horrors, Never Gonna Dance, Oldest Confederate Widow Tells All, Retreat from Moscow, Sexaholix . . .A Love Story, Taboo, The Violet Hour, Wicked and Wonderful Town.
Emmy Awards: James Spader for The Practice, Allsion Janney for The West Wing, Michael Imperioli for The Sopranos, Drea De Matteo for The Sopranos and The Sopranos for best drama series.
January 24
The United States Department of Homeland Security began operations.
March 19
Classmate James Elias Kilpatrick, age 63, died at his home in Dalton, Georgia. Following high school, during which he was a country music enthusiast, James enlisted in the United States Army, completed his military obligation and settled in Georgia. His principal occupation in life was as a truck driver. James was survived by his wife, two sons and two daughters.
March 30
Mountain State University (once known as Beckley College) lost the Men’s NAIA Division I Basketball National Championship being defeated by Concordia College of California by the score of 84-88. The game was played in Kansas City, Missouri.
June 27-29
Members of the Woodrow Wilson High School Class of 1958 gathered at Country Inns and Suites in Beckley to celebrate our 45th Class Reunion with a mixer, a dinner/dance and a picnic at Flat Top Lake.
December 26
Classmate Michael Clayton Howery died at his residence in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Following high school where he was active in athletics, Mike settled in South Carolina. He retired as a sale representative for an electrical supply company in Georgetown, South Carolina. Mike was survived by one daughter.
The Central Intelligence Agency admitted there was no imminent threat from weapons of mass destruction at the time of the invasion of Iraq. NASA’s rover Opportunity confirmed that water once drenched its landing area on Mars. The Republic of Ireland banned smoking of tobacco products in all enclosed workspaces, including bars and restaurants. Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Combat with insurgents and bombing incidents increased within Iraq. The last Oldsmobile came off GM’s assembly line. Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Malta and Cyprus joined the European Union. Massachusetts legalized same-sex marriage in that state. The National World War II Monument was dedicated in Washington, D.C. The United States transferred sovereignty to an interim government in Iraq. Preliminary hearings were conducted in the trial of Sadddam Hussein. Ground breaking for the Freedom Tower took place at Ground Zero in New York City. American Lance Armstrong won a 6th straight Tour de France cycling title – first person to do so. The Statue of Liberty reopened to visitors, but with new security restrictions. Summer Olympics were held in Athens Greece. The Assault Weapons ban in the United States was allowed to expire. Brazil launched its first rocket into space. Osama Bin Laden appeared on Arabic TV to taunt President George Bush about Bush’s victory in Iraq speech. Scott Peterson was found guilty of the murder of Laci Peterson, his wife and received a death sentence in California. Secretary of State Colin Powell resigned his position. NASA’s hypersonic Scramjet reached a speed of approximately 7,000 miles per hour during an unmanned experimental flight. Computer software (programming) giants Oracle and PeopleSoft merged, creating the second largest maker of business applications software. Information technology security company Symantech merged with Veritas Software to create a $13.5 billion (all-stock) transaction. One of the worst natural disasters in recorded history occurred when a massive underwater earthquake created an enormous tsunami in the Indian Ocean region, resulting in more than 200,000 fatalities.
New book titles: The Last Juror, 3rd Degree, Glorious Appearing, Song of Susannah, Ten Big Ones, Sam’s Letters to Jennifer, “R” Is For Ricochet, Trace, The Dark Tower, Northern Lights, Hour Game, Metro Girl, London Bridges and Night Fall.
At the movies: Shrek 2, Spiderman 2, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, The Incredibles, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Day After Tomorrow, The Polar Express, The Bourne Supremacy and National Treasure..
On stage: The Assassins, Barbara Cook’s Broadway, Bombay Dreams, Caroline Or Change, Drowning Crow, Fiddler on the Roof (2004), Frozen, Jumpers, Match, Prymate, A Raisin in the Sun (2004), Sight Unseen, Sixteen Wounded, Sly Fox, Twentieth Century, Brooklyn, The Musical, The Good Body, La Cage Aux Folles, Reckless, Whoopi, The Rivals, Little Women (2004), Good Vibrations and Brooklyn Boy.
Emmy Awards: James Spader for The Practice, Allsion Janney for The West Wing, Michael Imperioli for The Sopranos, Drea De Matteo for The Sopranos and The Sopranos for best drama series.
January 1
West Virginia University lost to the University of Maryland by the score of 41-7 in the Gator Bowl, played in Jacksonville, Florida.
March 12
Classmate Jerry Gordon Beavers died at his home in Kincaid, West Virginia. During high school, Jerry held a part-time job at Cole’s Esso service station located at North Kanawha and Prince Streets in uptown Beckley. Following high school Jerry served in the United States Air Force then graduated from Beckley College. Jerry worked in various capacities at Earehart Motors, retiring as an automobile salesman. He was survived by his wife, one son and three daughters.
March 20
Woodrow Wilson High School won the Class AAA state basketball championship by defeating Hedgesville High School by the score of 49-41 in Charleston. It was the 15th state basketball championship for Woodrow Wilson.
March 30
Mountain State University (once known as Beckley College) won the Men’s NAIA Division I Basketball National Championship by defeating Concordia College of California by the score of 74-70. The game was played in Kansas City, Missouri.
June 15
Classmate Jesse T. Adkins died at Ormand Beach Memorial Hospital in Florida. Jesse grew up in Prosperity. He served in the United States Navy for 20 years, retiring as a Chief Petty Officer. A Vietnam veteran and a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars, J.T. worked as a carpenter after his retirement from the Navy. He was survived by four daughters.
October 8
Domestic diva Martha Stewart reported to Alderson Federal Prison Camp in West Virginia where she served a five-month federal sentence for insider trading of publicly traded common stocks.
NASA’s Huygens space probe landed on Titan, Saturn’s largest moon. North Korea proclaimed possession of nuclear weapons. Saudi Arabia held municipal elections for the first time in its history – women were not allowed to vote. The so called BTK serial killer was arrested in Wichita, Kansas 31 years after his first murder. The United States Supreme Court ruled the death penalty unconstitutional for juveniles who committed their crimes before age 18. A judge, a court reporter and a deputy sheriff were shot and killed by an escaped inmate in the Fulton County Courthouse in Alanta, Georgia. Ten students and adults were killed in a high school massacre on the Red Lake Indian Reservation in Minnesota. Pope John Paul II died. He was replaced by Pope Benedict XVI. Kuwaiti women were granted the right to vote. Deep Throat of the Watergate Era was identified as W. Mark Felt, former assistant director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. A record 704 million shares of common stock were traded on the New York Stock Exchange during its first hour of trading on June 17 – 1.92 billion shares traded during the full day’s session. American Lance Armstrong won a never before seventh consecutive Tour de France championship. Terrorist attacks on the London public transportation system resulted in 56 fatalities and 700 injuries. The Space Shuttle Discovery made the first launch into space since the breakup of the Space Shuttle Columbia 2 1/2 years previous. Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of the Gulf Coast in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, all but wiping the City of New Orleans off the map when the levees broke – more than 1,836 fatalities. New Orleans lower ninth ward re-flooded when Hurricane Rita struck the following month. The largest United Nations World Summit to date was held in New York City. Worldwide protests against the Iraq War included 150,000 protesters in Washington, D.C. John G. Roberts was confirmed and sworn in as Chief Justice of the United States following the death of Chief Justice William Rehnquist. The first tiral of Saddam Hussein convened in Bagdad, Iraq. The Chicago White-Sox swept the Houston Astros four games to none to win their first World Series Championship since 1917. It was the first World Series appearance for the Astros. Belguim, the Netherlands, Spain and South Africa recognized same-sex marriages. A North Carolina inmate became the 1,000th execution in the United States following the return of capital punishment in 1976. The U.S. death toll in the invasion and occupation of Iraq surpassed 2,000 military personnel – U.S. Army desertions amounted to 2,543 for the year. One second, called a leap second was added at the close of the year.
New book titles: The Broker, Honeymoon, The Rising, No Place Like Home, True Believer, 4th of July, The Closers, The Mermaid Chair, The Historian, Eleven On Top, Lifeguard, Chill Factor, Point Blank, Polar Shift, Anansi Boys, A Breath of Snow and Ashes, The Lincoln Lawyer, Knife of Dreams, At First Sight, Predator, A Feast For Crows, Mary, Mary and “S” Is For Silence.
At the movies: Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, The Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, War of the Worlds (2005), King Kong (2005), Wedding Crashers, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Batman Begins, Madagascar and Mr. & Mrs. Smith.
On stage: Spamalot, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Light in the Piazza, Doubt, Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Glengarry Glen Ross, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Pillowman, Gem of the Ocean, Pacific Overtures, The Rivals, 700 Sundays, Back with a Vengeance!, Democracy, Laugh Whore, Reckless and Sight Unseen.
Emmy Awards: James Spader for Boston Legal, Patricia Arquette for Medium, William Shatner for Boston Legal, Blythe Danner for Huff and Deadwood for best drama series.
January 1
West Virginia University lost to Florida State University by the score of 30-18 in the Gator Bowl, played in Jacksonville, Florida.
January 17
Classmate Phillip Rex Munsey died in Daytona Beach, Florida. We are left without details of Phil’s life as an adult or his death.
June 13
Classmate James Curtis Francisco’s path on Earth ended at the Charleston Area Medical Center. He had been diagnosed with cancer the previous fall. J.C. had been employed as a sales representative for two food companies before becoming a tavern keeper. He eventually purchased his own establishment in Stanaford known as J.C.’s Club. Eulogized by Dr. George Arnold as the most popular boy in our class, J.C. left behind a wife and one son.
August 15
Classmate Howard McRay Campbell died in Forest Hill. “Sonny” as he was known, worked as an electrician in building construction. He was survived by his wife, one daughter and one son.
August 23
Former U.S. Army private Jessica Lynch began classes at West Virginia University utilizing a full scholarship honoring her military service.
August 18
Classmate Linda Carroll Lawson-Riffe-Clark died in Rockdale County, Georgia. Linda was one of the original Honey Dancers when the outdoor drama Honey in the Rock opened at Grandview State Park. Educated in Library Science, Linda devoted most of her working life to animal care and control leadership. Linda was survived by her husband and two daughters.
September 22
Classmate Sharon Jeanette Goodman-Cassity died in Beckley following a long illness. Sharon was survived by her husband and one daughter.
December 3
Classmate Mainard Franklin Hicks died in Grafton, Ohio. After serving in the United States Army, Mainard worked in sales, including becoming the sales manager for redio station WOBL in Oberlin, Ohio. He spent his last 12 working years owning and operating his own Insurance Agency. Mainard left a wife, one daughter and two sons.
December 4
Classmate Janet Elouise Bennett-Grecco died at Pinecrest Hospital in Beckley. Janet had been a long time employee in the trust department of the Raleigh County Bank. Janet was survived by one daughter and one son.
The population of the United States reached 300 million according to a Census Bureau projection. Samuel Alito was worn in as an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court. United Airlines emerged from bankruptcy after the longest such filing in history. NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter entered Mars orbit. The United States struck its two remaining battleships, the U.S.S. Iowa and U.S.S. Wisconsin from the Naval Vessel Register, bringing the age of the battleship to an end. Japan defeated Cuba in the first World Baseball Classic held in San Diego, California. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was removed from office in Israel after spending four months in a coma. Massive anti-war demonstrations in New York marked the end of the third year of combat in Iraq. President Fidel Castro of Cuba temporarily relinquished power to his brother Raúl prior to surgery. Mass protests followed a lecture by Pope Benedict XVI in Germany in which he quoted a criticism of the Islam faith. Spinach contaminated with E-coli killed one person and poisoned 100 more in 20 of the United States. Merger of the WB and UPN television operations created the WB Television network. North Korea claimed successful completion of its first nuclear test. The United Nations agreed to sanction North Korea for the testing and development. The last Ford Tarus was assembled in Atlanta, Georgia. Saddam Hussein and two of his senior associates were sentenced to death for crimes against humanity. He was hanged in Bagdad. Robert Gates replaced Donald Rumsfeld as United States Secretary of Defense. Hawaii banned the smoking of tobacco products in all enclosed public buildings. Microsoft released its Vista operating system for personal computers. The first night launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery took place at the Kennedy Space Center. The U.S. death toll in the invasion and occupation of Iraq reached 3,000 military personnel – U.S. Army desertions amounted to 3,196 for the year.
New book titles: The Hostage, Cell, The 5th Horseman, The House, Gone, Two Little Girls In Blue, Beach Road, At Risk, The Husband, Twelve Sharp, Angles Fall, Phantom, Judge and Jury, Rise and Shine, The Book of Fate, The Thirteenth Tale, For More Than One Day, Lisey’s Story, Dear John, and Cross.
At the movies: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Night at the Museum, Cars, X-Men: the Last Stand, The Da Vinci Code, Superman Returns, Happy Feet, Ice Age: The Meltdown, Casino Royale and The Pursuit of Happiness.
On stage: The History Boys, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Rabbit Hole, Shining City, The Color People, The Drowsy Chaperone, Jersey Boys, The Wedding Singer, The Woman in White, Awake and Sing!, The Constant Wife, Edward Albee’s Seascape, The Pajama Game, Sweeney Todd, The Threepenny Opera, Faith Healer, Souvenir, Well and Three Days of Rain, Bridge and Tunnel.
Emmy Awards: Kiefer Sutherland for 24, Marsiska Hargitay for Law & Order, Alan Alda for The West Wing, Blythe Danner for Huff, and 24 for best drama series.
January 2
West Virginia University defeated the University of Georgia by a score of 38-35 at the 72nd Sugar Bowl. Due to damage from Hurricane Katrina, the came was played in Atlanta, Georgia instead of the bowl’s New Orleans, Louisana home.
January 2
A mine explosion at the Sago Mine near Buckhannon, West Virginia took the lives of 12 coal miners reminding us that mining coal is still a dangerous business. Randal McCloy Jr. became a household name after surviving 41 hours in a carbon monoxide filled chamber surrounded by his deceased co-workers.
September 9
Classmate John Gray Pruett died in Ocala, Florida following a short bout with cancer. John took a job with the Coca-Cola bottling plant in Beckley upon graduation from Woodrow in 1958. He was in the advertising department putting up signs and such. He moved to Florida in 1960, found employment at an A&P grocery store and stayed on – rising to store manager. John purchased his own super market in Dunnellon, Florida in 1982. He sold the store in 1992 and entered retirement. John left a wife and at least one child, a son.
September 12
Classmate Delmer Ray Worley died in Amelia, Virginia, where he resided. We are left without details of his adult life or his death except he was survived by his wife and one son. Another son preceded Delmer in death.
September 17
Classmate William Stewart (Bill) Harsanyi died in Ocala, Florida. We are left without details of his adult life or his death.
December 12
The world premier of the movie We Are Marshall took place at the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center in Huntington, West Virginia.
Nancy Pelosi of California became the first female Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and Democrats took control of both houses of Congress for the first time in 12 years. Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain visited the United States in conjunction with the 400th celebration of the founding of Jamestown, Virginia. The Queen also visited the Kentucky Derby and Washington, D.C. The national average price for one gallon of regular unleaded gasoline reached $3.23. Fourth year English major Seung-Hui Cho, 23 years of age shot and killed 5 faculty members, 27 students and wounded 30 more on the campus of Virginia Polytechnical Institute (Virginia Tech) in Blacksburg, Virginia before taking his own life. Nine firefighters in Charleston, South Carolina perished together attempting to rescue potential victims of a warehouse fire. The radical Muslim group Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip by force of arms. Lewis “Scooter” Libby chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney was convicted in federal coourt on four counts of obstruction of justice, making false statements and perjury. Sammy Sosa of the Texas Rangers became the fifth baseball player in the major leagues to hit 600 home runs. Gordon Brown replaced Tony Blair as prime minister of the United Kingdom. The Judiciary Committee of the United States Senate issued subponeas to the office of the President of the United States, the Vice President of the United States and to the United States Department of Justice for documents pertaining to warrantless wiretapping. The Dow-Jones Industrial Average of common stocks closed at $14,000.01, a record for the time. A prosecutor in North Carolina was disbarred for failing to reveal evidence that would have cleared three members of the Duke University lacross team who had been accused of rape. Product recalls were issued involving personal care items including toothpaste to more than 13,000 different toys manufactured in China. Wildfires and arson burned one half million acres in California destroying 2,300 structures including 1,200 homes amounting to $1 bilion in property damage. The U.S. death toll in the invasion and occupation of Iraq reached 3,902 military personnel.
New book titles: The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao, Tree of Smoke, The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, Then We Came to the End, On Chesil Beach, Out Stealing Horses, The Savage Detectives, Falling Man, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Exit Ghost, Fieldwork, Away, Cheating at Canasta, The Gathering, The Ghost, Lost City Radio, What the Dead Know, After Dark, Against the Day, The Book of Psalms, The Empress of Weehawken, A Free Life, House of MeetingsMister Pip, Petropolis, The Shadow Catcher, The Welsh Girl and Winnie and Wolf.
At the movies: What Happens in Vegas, 88 Minutes, Forbidden Kingdom, Indiana Jones 4, Harry Potter 6, The Happening, Pride and Glory, Sex and the City, The Women, Fool’s Gold, Wanted, GI Joe, College Road Trip, Flags of our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima.
Emmy Awards: James Spader for Boston Legal, Sally Field for Brothers and Sisters, Terry O’Quinn for Lost, Katherine Heigl for Grey’s Anatomy, and The Sopranos for best drama series.
January 13
Fire at the Edmonds Apartments in Huntington, West Virginia resulted in nine fatalities. Worst Huntington fire in nearly 50 years.
January 30
A propane explosion destroyed the Little General Convenience Store at Ghent, Raleigh County, West Virginia. Four fatalities and five serious injuries.
United States Senator Robert C. Byrd took the oath of office begging an unpreceded 9th term (first elected in 1958) becoming the longest serving Senator in U.S. history.
March 9
Classmate Richard Harrison Davis died in Venice, Florida. Richard had graduated in 1962 from Concord College with a business degree which he applied to the management of labor unions, retiring in 2002 as vice president of the United Steel Workers of America. Richard was survived by his wife of 46 years, classmate Kay Weikle-Davis and two sons.
May 24
Classmate Elizabeth Marie Parker-Swann died in Beckley. Known as “Betty”, she attended Institute and Lincoln Elementary Schools, Beckley Junior High School and two years at Woodrow Wilson Hich School before moving to Charleston where she graduated. A homemaker, Betty was survived by a son and two daughters.
May 29
Classmate Sherry Lee Evans-Rose had her first novel published. Erased is a mystery that begins with a young woman being left for dead in the North Carolina woods. She survived, but without her memory.
September 22
Classmate Gloria Jean Vaughn-Cochran died in Moneta, Virginia. Sadly, we are left with no details of her life after high school.
November 15
Classmate John Griffin Roles died in Beckley. John was a former distributor with Black Diamond Distributing in Beckley and had been an industrial salesman for Kimball-Midwest before becoming disabled in 1998. John was survived by his wife, classmate Patrica Ann Patrick-Roles and two sons.
December 29
Classmate Ronald (Ron) Eugene Robertson died in Beckley. Ron worked in retail management before returning to Beckley in 1977 to become an insurance agent. Ron retired in 1999. He was survived by his wife, one son and two daughters.
Fidel Castro resigned from the Cuban offices of Council of State and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces 49 years and 49 days after he came to power, resulting from a succesful revolution. He was replaced by his brother Raul. Ten percent of American residential mortgages were determined to exceed the fair market value of the homes covered. The United States was found to imprison more of its residents in terms of both numbers (slightly more than 1 in 100 adults) and percentages than any other nation on Earth. Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, Oregon and Vermont spent more money on incarceration than on higher education. A 41 pecent increase in prices for corn, rice, wheat and other cereal grains over a six months period ended February 2008 caused the United States government’s humanitarian relief assistance abroad to scale back. The United States economy lost 63,000 jobs during the month of February. A gain of 25,000 jobs had been forecast by government economists. Actually, 232,000 American jobs were lost during the first three months of the year. In April, consumer confidence dropped to the lowest level since 1982. The life expectancy for American women declined for the first time since 1918, especially in rural areas. The United States Army and Marine Corps accepted more recruits with criminal records in order to meet recuiting quotas for a strained military establishment. KMEX, a Spanish-language television station in Los Angeles, California had the highest average viewership of all news broadcasts in their market. The closest English-language news broadcast station trailed KMEX by 70,000 viewers, based on February ratings. During the month of June a 42 gallon barrel of crude oil rose to a cost of $140 and the cost of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline sold for more than $4.00 at the pump.
New book titles:
At the movies: Atonement, Juno, Michael Clayton, No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood, Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Sweeny Todd, The Valley of Elah, Eastern Promises, Into the Wild, The Savages, American Gangster, The Kite Runner, 3:10 to Yuma, Meet the Spartans, 27 Dresses, Cloverfield, Untraceable, The Bank Job, Witness Protection, The Other Boleyn Girl and The Bucket List.
Emmy Awards: Kiefer Sutherland for 24, Marsiska Hargitay for Law & Order, Alan Alda for The West Wing, Blythe Danner for Huff, and 24 for best drama series.
January 3
West Virginia University defeated the University of Oklahoma by the score of 48-28 at the Fiesta Bowl played in Glendale, Arizona.
January 9
Governor Joe Manchin III submitted a $4.2 million budget to the West Virginia legislature.
January 20
WWHS graduate Morgan Spurlock’s film Where in the World is Osama bin Laden? premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
February 2
Classmate Cecil Owen Riffe died in Anchorage, Alaska. Owen had moved to Alaska from Oregon in 1967. Owen held a bachelor of architecture degree from Oregon University, established his own design firm and built buildings throughout Alaska. Owen was survived by one son and two daughters.
February 28
Congressional representatives Nick Rahall and Alan Mollohan of West Virginia introduced a resolution in the Congress to create a National Miner’s Day to honor the importance of their labor.
March 15
Woodrow Wilson High School won the Class AAA state basketball championship by defeating South Charleston High School by the score of 67-55 in Charleston. It was the 16th state basketball championship for Woodrow Wilson.
March 19
Classmate Fred Vivan Lilly II died in Arlington, Virginia following a prolonged illness. Fred held a master’s degree from East Tennessee State University and was a building contractor by profession. He was survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.
March 25
Mountain State University (once known as Beckley College) lost the Men’s NAIA Division I Basketball National Championship being defeated by Oklahoma City University by the score of 75-72. The game was played in Kansas City, Missouri.
August 1
Members of the Woodrow Wilson High School Class of 1958 gathered at the Glade Springs Resort at Daniels, West Virginia to celebrate our 50th Year Reunion.