Class of 1983
Trivia
1982-83 Reitz High School Basketball Homecoming Theme: "Just You and I", Eddie Rabbit and Crystal Gayle
1982-83 Reitz High School Junior-Senior Prom Theme: "We've Got Tonight", Bob Seger
During 1980-83 (portions excerpted from www.historychannel.com)
--Entertainment/Sports: 1980 Ted Turner launches CNN, which will air 24 hours a day on cable television. Robert DeNiro takes the Best Actor Academy Award for his starring role in Raging Bull. Music legend John Lennon is shot in New York City.
REITZ HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS BASKETBALL -- 1981 STATE CHAMPIONS
1981 Walter Cronkite retires from his anchorman position to be succeeded by Dan Rather. The irreverant MTV launches on cable television, featuring music videos. 1982 E.T. thrills audiences and becomes the highest-grossing movie yet. Other movie offerings included Tootsie, Poltergeist, and Gandhi. Cheers begins its 11-year run on television. 1983 John Cougar added the name "Mellencamp" to his name. In other music news, releases included "Beat It" from the Thriller album (Michael Jackson), "Every Breath You Take" (The Police), "Karma Chameleon" (Culture Club), and "All Night Long" (Lionel Richie). The Philadelphia 76's win the NBA finals. The U.S. loses its first ever America's Cup to the Australia II after a 131-year run.
--Technology/Other Advancements: 1980 Voyager I, a NASA probe, explores Saturn. 1981 IBM sells its first personal computer. The operating system, MS-Dos, was developed by Bill Gates' Microsoft. 1982 Columbia completes its first mission in space; it is the first space shuttle, which allows vehicles to be reused in space missions. Four years later, the Challenger explodes after lift-off, generating national mourning and a setback in the U.S. space program. Seven Chicagoans die during the Extra-strength Tylenol tampering scare, prompting new regulations in over-the-counter drug packaging. The first successful heart transplant is performed in Salt Lake City, Utah. Dr. Barney Clark survives the Jarvik-7 transplant for 112 days. 1983 Time magazine named the Computer "man of the year." AT&T was forced to break up and 7 baby bells were born. Cellular phones made their first U.S. appearance in Chicago. F.J. Reitz High School of Evansville, Indiana, counts 7 4.0 GPA students among its June graduating class.
--International/Politics: 1980 The U.S. attempts to rescue the American hostages held in Iran, but fails. The U.S. and 57 other countries boycott the Moscow summer Olympics in protest of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. Republican Ronald Reagan, former actor and California governor, is elected 40th President of the United States, ousting incumbent Jimmy Carter. Inflation is running at double-digets, and gas is around $1.20/gallon. To combat the recession, Reagan has developed an election platform based on supply-side economics. 1981 After 444 days in captivity, 52 American hostages in Iran are released by the Iranian Ayatollah Khomeini. Both Pope John Paul II and President Reagan are wounded in assination attempts. U.S. press secretary James Brady, severly wounded in the latter attack, will become the namesake of a bill advocating greater gun control. In a union hailed as a "fairy tale" match, Prince Charles of England marries Lady Diana Spencer. Millions watch the televised nuptials. Sandra Day O'Connor becomes the first female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. 1982 The Vietnam Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C. The memorial lists the names of military personnel either killed or missing in this conflict. In West Germany, Helmut Kohl becomes chancellor. In less than a decade, Kohl will shepherd his country through unification with East Germany. 1983 Fearing Grenada may become a Communist outpost, President Reagan sends American troops to combat a recent coup by Deputy Prime Minister Bernard Coard. American allies disapprove of the move. El Nino, 1982-83, becomes the most devastating of the century. The Vietnam Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C. The memorial lists the names of military personnel either killed or missing in this conflict.
