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Has anyone heard news about other Pine Ridge staff?
What were we doing in 1980? Well ...
We were going to the movies.... The Empire Strikes Back, which remains one of the top 20 movies of all time, drew box-office crowds. (Barry the bus driver took all his kids to see it. Were any of you on my bus? Did the rest of you run home and ruin the super-cool ending for your families like I did? I can still remember the crushed look on my dad's face when I told him that you-know-who was you-know-who's father.) 9 to 5, Stir Crazy, and Airplane! were also popular. Cleaning up at the Academy Awards in 1980 were Ordinary People and Raging Bull.
We were watching TV.... The most popular shows for the 1979-1980 season included Three's Company, That's Incredible, and M*A*S*H. (As an aside, the No. 12 show for that season was Goodtime Girls. What the heck was that? Anyone remember? In addition, one of the most-watched nights in TV history occurred in November 1980 as we all tuned in to see who shot "J.R." Who remembers the shooter's name?) Lou Grant, Soap, and M*A*S*H took home several Emmys each; Taxi won for best comedy series.
We were listening to popular music.... Top singles for 1980 included Blondie's "Call Me," Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall," Olivia Newton-John's "Magic," and Michael Jackson's "Off the Wall." Top-selling albums included The Wall (Pink Floyd), The Long Run (The Eagles), Off the Wall, and Billy Joel's Glass Houses. Pat Benatar and Billy Joel took home the Grammy Awards for Rock; Christopher Cross received several awards as well.
We were reading books.... The 1980 bookstore bestseller list contained a lot of familiar names: Michener, Ludlum, Follett, King (Stephen, that is), Sheldon, and Krantz. Non-fiction bestsellers included Crisis Investing: Opportunities and Profits in the Coming Great Depression, Free to Choose: A Personal Statement, and Anatomy of an Illness as Perceived by the Patient. I am not making these up.
Names in the news included: Ronald Reagan, who became 40th president by a landslide victory. Close to home, Madeira School headmistress Jean Harris killed "Scarsdale Diet" Dr. Tarnower by accident. Or was it murder?
Some new words and phrases entering our vocabulary included: Abscam--I'm still waiting for someone to explain this one to me. Freebasing--but Richard Pryor swore he was "clean" not long after he nearly burned his face off by making this cocaine derivative. Mount St. Helen's--Three blasts in two months from this Washington state volcano killed 60 people and caused damages estimated at more than $3 billion. Lake Placid--The U.S. Olympic hockey team beat the Soviet Union team and took home the gold medal. (The U.S. boycotted the 1980 summer Olympics, which were held in Moscow that year.) In other news, CNN and "Nightline" were born, and John Lennon was shot and killed by a deranged fan.
You'll find these links and more on the website, including specific links for junior highs, high schools, and colleges attended by PR alums. If yours isn't up there, it's because you haven't submitted it! Do you have an alumni link to add? Please send it to [email protected].
By the way, some folks have said they thought they could get in touch with this or that classmate (you know who you are). How's that going? We'd love an update!
Here's the latest on who we've contacted and who we're still trying to find:
We have some leads on the following folks, but haven't heard back from them and so could use more information:
We don't have leads on these folks yet:
Kinds of information to think about: did you know middle names or names of parents or siblings? Where did they go to junior high or high school? Did they move out of the area? Where and when? Have you had any contact since Pine Ridge? Where and when? Send in what you know, and we will compile and share it and follow any leads. Our goal: 100% location.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Remember that round, brown church behind Pine Ridge? Yup, that's the one. Send in your announcements!
-What have you done since Pine Ridge which would most surprise/shock/appall/impress your ex-classmates? -What sorts of things do you do for fun? -What are your dreams for the future? -And of course, fill us in on all the standard stuff, like partners and children, where you live, what you do, and where you finished your schooling post-Pine Ridge. -Feel free to add other items of interest.
We look forward to hearing from everyone and sharing our stories.
After Pine Ridge, Frost, and Woodson, I floated somewhat aimlessly around Fairfax for several years, attending first NoVa and then George Mason, getting worse and worse grades until finally petering out around '93.
Another couple of years of moping around, mostly doing computer work for defense and government contractors, and hit a point where I decided I just wasn't having enough fun or satisfaction out of life, so I uprooted, left all the emotional baggage behind in Virginia, and moved to Boston.
Wonder of wonders, I discovered to my joy that I don't have allergies outside of the DC area. Yup, the kid who used to stop class with his sneezing fits doesn't sneeze anymore.
Mostly now I'm just having fun. Summertime is spent sailing Buzzard's Bay, Wood's Hole, and Martha's Vineyard, days on Cape Cod beaches, or weekends racing my Porsche. Any other PCA members in our class?
As for the most embarrassing moment from elementary school, beyond the paralyzing fear of all things female that showed up around 5th grade, it had to have been during a monkeneye game during which I did something particularly clumsy, only to get up, dust myself off and hear a cheer of "That's all right! That's okay! We don't need you anyway!" from my teammates on the sidelines.
For those of you who might be wondering, I did finally become coordinated when I stopped growing, and to this day am surprised when I'm able to catch thrown objects.
Chris 'The Only Kid On This List With A Silly Nickname' Cannon
Please send us your memories for publication in future issues. Anonymity granted upon request!
For those without electronic mail, please direct correspondence to:
or call:
We are accepting submissions of all types. Tell us what you're doing now, what you remember from the old Pine Ridge days, what the gifted program meant to you,
what you'd like to get out of the newsletter and reunion project, what post-Pine Ridge information you have or would like, and more. We are also looking for slogans for the e-mail signature text--don't be shy!