Memories from our Senior Year – March 1972
Author: Rob Corns
Well, the old saying goes, March comes in like a lion (Robert Lyons, LHS Class of ‘74) and out like a Lamb (Robert Lamb, LHS Class of ‘72) And, looking over the month of March 1972, it looks like it was pretty mild with just a trace of snow and highs in the 60’s.
Before there was social media, before there was Facebook or Twitter or Instagram or hashtag this or hashtag that, it was kind of hard to do any trash-talking. However, back in 1972, for reasons that escape me, radio station WIXY-1260 morning man, Mike Ranieri decided to pick on our class! It was a war of words between him and us! I have a sneaky suspicion that either Mike Summers or Steve Petras had something to do with this (although, knowing them, they would probably say that they neither confirm nor deny any involvement in this). Seems every morning, Raneri would say something negative about the LHS’72 class and someone would call to defend us! I shudder to think how this would have gone down 50 years later! By the way, if anyone knows how this started, share it in the comments below.
Meanwhile, we DID play the WIXY All-Stars in the annual basketball game against the seniors, and even despite WIXY using future Browns football Hall-Of-Farmer Paul Warfield on their team, we eventually won that game!
Over the years, Cleveland was always blessed with local kid-friendly television series like Captain Penny, Barnaby, Woodrow The Woodsman, Franz The Toymaker and Super-Host. But, when you’re a teenager in 1972, you want something a little more edgier (although, I gotta tell you, watching The Three Stooges and The Little Rascals on Captain Penny did leave an indelible mark on me for many, many years!) So, after Ghoulardi left in the mid-60’s to go on to further fame, we were blessed on Friday nights with The Big Chuck and Hoolihan Show and, on Saturday nights, h The Ghoul (who did his homage to the aforementioned Ghoulardi).
So, almost every Friday night during my senior year, my best friend in high school, LHS ‘72 grad Bob Holl (R.I.P.) and I would order pizza and stay up and watch Big Chuck & Hoolihan at his house and watch some of the cheesy 1950’s sci-fi “B” movies such as “It Came From Outer Space” “Devil Doll” “Them” and ” “War Of The Worlds”. We’d go over to the old Master Pizza on Hilliard and for the price of $2.75 get a large pepperoni pizza.
(Incidentally, you can still catch half hour versions of Big Chuck at 12:30 am Monday mornings on channel 8.)
By the way, where was YOUR go to pizza place back in the 70’s? (Full disclosure: I had my very first pizza, believe it or not, on my 16th birthday in 1970!) The nearest pizza parlor close to me was Uncle Luigi’s Pizza on Sloane Avenue. However, my all-time favorite was the old Roman Fountain Pizza on Detroit Avenue across from The Detroit Theater (I have not tried the new Roman Fountain Pizza and Subs, by the way). If you want to peruse a menu from 1972, see the pictures below.
Of course, St Patrick’s Day came on the 17th with most of us Truckers lamenting the fact that we couldn’t LEGALLY celebrate it properly until we were 21. But, at LEAST we could wear green…right?
Anyone remember Spirit Week? It was held the 4th week of March. On the 22nd it was Nostalgia Day. Students were encouraged to wear clothes from that bygone era of the 40s and 50’s. I guess today, in 2022, that would be akin to the present day seniors wearing outfits from the early 00’s or late 90’s? Hey! I still have clothes left from that time period if they want to call me!!
Anyway, Spirit Week was created to arouse pride in LHS. “Old time tunes under the direction of Mr. William McNamara were played between classes, and past films of LHS life were shown every period in the Tryout Theater and in Room 171” according to what I have read about it. “The day was culminated by the Sock Hop in The L Room after school.” And, get this, “An estimated 700 people turned out to hear Steve Knill and Rich Reising of the ‘”Remember The” rock ‘n’ roll band.
Now, I don’t know about you, but if we could just get, for the reunion, those two guys to reunite…sort of like getting Simon back together again with Garfunkel. We could ALL be doing, that is, if we are physically able to, demonstrate our jitterbug and The Twist skills on the dance floor.!
In sports news, The Rangers were gearing up for their upcoming baseball season, and, although they finished with a 6-12 record, our own Glenn Van Hala led the team with his .296 batting average. Other seniors included Corky Kerejky, Eric Strick, Doug Streeter, Tom Gumber, Jay Foran, Steve Wincek, Mike Berrian, David Heller, and Richard Camper. By the way, head coach Wayne Burdette said that “Twelve of our games should have been rained out.” You can guess which 12 those were if you want!!
At the 14th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony on March 14th, the big winner was Carole King. I’m sure a LOT of us Truckers had her album “Tapestry” in their record collection. “You’ve Got a Friend”. “It’s Too Late”, “I Feel The Earth Move” are downright classics that have stood the test of time for all these decades! It ended up Album Of The Year, and also had Record and Song Of The Year!
Probably THE biggest movie of all-time was released in March. Want some clues? “How about “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.” Or “Revenge is a dish best served cold” or maybe “Drop the gun, take the cannoli”? Yeah you guess it, “The Godfather opened on March 24, 1972 and spawned sequels and a slew of gangster movies for years to come. It ended up winning several motion picture awards the next year.
After 8 seasons, with multiple Darrins and nosy next door Gladys Kravitzs, Samantha Stevens of “Bewitched” wiggled her nose into oblivion for the final time. Also, one of my favorites, The Courtship Of Eddie’s Father ended it’s run,
What was being played on the radio back in March, 1972? I’m sure you remember “Mother & Child Reunion” by Paul Simon, Joe Tex’s “I Gotcha”, “A Horse With No Name” by America, The Dramatics “In The Rain” and the 8 minute, 29 seconds album version of “Roundabout” by Yes. Also, if you were into more progressive rock, Jethro Tull’s “Thick As A Brick” album was released.
