16th
I found my (nonlinked, nonindexed) letter to the editor! Man, 17 year old me wasn’t having any nonsense from The Man.
Backstory: Beyer High had an open campus, and we liked it fine. One fine day in May 1988 during lunch, a friend of mine put five bullets in a gun, played Russian Roulette - quite incorrectly - and lost. I knew him, and I knew his friend who watched him do it, so really, there was enough happening without a bunch of idiot parents deciding this would be a good excuse to use for closing the campus. This wasn’t the first letter to the editor on the topic to appear in the paper, but it was the dumbest. I’m pretty sure my letter ended up the only one from a student to get published. I also think that so close to the school year ending, I *finally* impressed my English teacher that year, Mrs. Laun - who did not impress easily - with my superior writing (when edited by a newspaper editor) skills.
During my senior year, another friend of mine ended up hit by a car trying to cross the street on her way to school before class even started. Somehow, this ALSO was used as a rallying cry to close the campus - as if closing the campus would keep people going 40 in a 25 at 7:45 in the morning - however, I couldn’t be bothered to work up ANYTHING (except sadness about my friend) because I had mono at the time.
(Link takes you to the 6/3/1988 Viewpoints page - scroll down to find my letter)
I believe I conned the Editor into posting one or two more of my letters, but they ALSO are nonindexed, and for the life of me I wouldn’t know where to start searching for them.
I am shocked how much of the 1980s I’m remembering tonight.
