48 Eastern welcomes new groups Ed Gagliardi and lan McDonald carry the vocals for Foreigner. David Briggs and George McArdle deliver Little River Band's " Days on the Road ." by Robert Winder Eastern opened its arms to the young, searching Foreigner as a near sellout crowd packed Lantz Gym to see Foreigner and Little River Band do their stuff. Opening the concert was the Little River Band, a six man Australian group (as lead singer Glenn Sharrock informed the audience) from "1500 miles down the freeway." The group came to Eastern virtually unknown, but before they left the stage, they turned many in Foreigner's lead singer Lou Grammduring stirs the audience during " Star Rider."
Foreigner, Little River l3and the crowd into devoted fans, giving a performance that matched (if not bettered) that of headliner Foreigner. The band drew immediate response on such tunes as "Days on the Road' which contained an introduction featuring bass player George McArdle and "Happy Anniversary," a tune tlciat had many clapping their hands to the beat. The group's two singles, "It's a Long Way There" ("the song that brought us to America") and "Help is on the Way" both received favorable reactions. The Little River Band was given a standing ovation at the close of their show and was brought back for an encore, performing two more songs before leaving the stage. After a brief intermission, the audience was on its feet once more to hail the entry of Foreigner, who started off their performance with "Long, Long Way from Home," a selection from the group's only album. Numbers such as "I Need You," "Woman, Oh Woman~· and "The Damage is Done" were given .generous receptions by the crowd. At the first bars of Foreigner's current hit, ''Cold as Ice," the audience went wild, clapping (lnd rising to its fP.et in approval. "Star Rider," a fantasy tune, was hailed as probably the high point of the evening. Included in this number were an electric flute solo by group member ian McDonald, and such special effects as a. light show and a dry ice smokescreen which . enhance the song with a visual dreamlik~ ~uality . Throughout their entire performance, Foreigner played with an intensity that kept the audience at tlie .edge of their seats. Foreigner was charged with an electric force that kept its members traveling all over the stage, generating fresh excitement with every move. With such a sizzling act, the audience never knew what to expect. The energy created by the members of the band kept us all guessing. The Little River Band gets it all together during their performance at Lantz gym . A solarization special effect adds to the mood of this picture of Foreigner's guitarist. 49
50 Peter Guerin impersonates "King" Elvis by Kay Brister October 21. Homecoming 1977 at Eastern. The lights are dimmed in Lantz gym. The band plays 2001: A Space Odyssey. Then a drum roll. A man in a white suite complete with a cape runs onto the stage. Girls begin to scream. The air is thick with anticipation. The man bears a close resemblance to Elvis Presley from certain angles in the second row. But it is not Presley. It is Peter Guerin, a night club entertainer who has been capitalizing on college crowds since Presley's death in August. The crowd was less than capacity. In fact there were only about 600 people in the gym. It was not the usual Eastern concert crowd. There was little smoking, even of cigarettes. There were a lot of families and couples that looked young for Eastern students. Guerin's voice sounded like Presley. But he lacked the charisma and natural style Presley had. He kept one eyebrow raised in an attempt to look like Presley and struck many poses but also added several movements unfamiliar to the Presley fan. According to press releases Guerin has performed mainly in nightclubs in places such as Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe. This was evident in his performance. He did not know how to handle a college crowd. At one point he asked if someone in the audience had something he could drink. The band and Guerin just could not seem to get their act together. Frequently after a song there would be a pause of several minutes while Guerin would discuss unknown subjects with members of the band. He muttered things directed to the audience into his mike. In the glare of spotlights, Peter Guerin attempts to recreate a vibrant image of Elvis Presley. Guerin made an effort to get the crowd involved. A tuxedoed man behind him would give him a long silkish scarf which Guerin would w rap around his neck and then hand to a girl from the audience. After the first four or five scarves the crowd became less excited. But later when he began throwing teddy bears into the audience the people became greedy. Apparently quite a few people who left the show early were disappointed. Two girls in the second row left after only a few songs. But there were many enthusiastic people, especially the women. Maybe they had followed his career from the beginning and missed the chance to see him in person. Anita Craig, University Board adviser, attributed the small crowd to the fact that Guerin is relatively unknown. Perhaps the preceding Friday's Ted Nugent concert left students partied out. All things considered, Guerin put forth a good effort and sang well. His band was very good. Too bad Eastern had to settle for less than the best, Elvis. Singing as if with ail his heart, Guerin could not totally capture Elvis' personality.
Duke Tumatoe puts an upbeat on the blues with funky jazz that sets everyone in a good mood. "Doc" LeCouris nearly stole the show as he exhibited Impressive talent on the harmonica. ******************************************** Duke Tumatoe and Frogs ~~red hot'' in performance ******************************************** by Greg J. Ottarski When Duke Tumatoe and the All-Star Frogs came to Eastern Nov. 20, they were hot. Red Pepper Hot. The funky-bluesy-jazzy-boogie group gave a mini-concert in the University Union Grand Ballroom, and, although admission was free, less than half the seats were taken. The Frogs opened with "Goodtime," from their album, "Red Pepper Hot!" Other songs from the album included "Blues With A Feeling," "It's A Lie," "Captive of Love" and the title cut, in which Tumatoe (pronounced "tomato") encouraged audience participation. It was a kind of shout-along as the audience yelled, "Red!" during each chorus. Tumatoe, on guitar and lead vocals, displayed great vitality and talent, shared by the other members of the band, Louis "Doc" LeCouris, harmonica and vocals; L.V. Hammond, bass; Jim Hill, keyboards and vocals; and Frank "Rocky" Anello, drums. The highlight of the performance was a five-minute solo by Tumatoe. The rest of the band left the stage, and Tumatoe pleased the crowd by singing a tune called ''I'm Crazy," and then by proving it. He sang eardrum-piercing notes. He rolled his eyes back into his head. He sang at the speed of light. And he played silly little licks on his guitar, bringing giggles and guffaws from the audience. Duke Tumatoe and the All-Star Frogs brought musical good times to Eastern that night. They demonstrated that a band can be serious about its music and have fun at the same time. The Frogs certainly had an affect on the crowd. The place was hopping. Duke Tumatoe and the All-Star Frogs were lively and talented; a real treat for those who took advantage of the tree concert. 51
52 Head East returns to Eastern fans by John Rearden, Jr. Head East pulled a small but feisty crowd up out of their seats and had them standing on them at their February 1 concert. Hesitant at first, the crowd ended up clapping and standing on their chairs after being bombarded by high-energy selections mainly from two of the band's albums-Flat as a Pancake and their latest, Head East. Hits such as 'Lo~e Me Tonight" and "Never Been Any Reason" from Flat as a Pancake were mingled with material from their upcoming album. Spurred on by the group's lead singer, John Schlitt, the crowd responded to his repeated exhortations by "getting rowdy." His efforts to generate excitement were so successful that the band was called back for two encores. The crowd was warmed up by Jay Ferguson, a hard rocking group led by Ferguson, formerly of JoJo Gunne. They played several straight-ahead rock numbers mixed with a couple salted with a reggae beat. Head East's lead guitarist Michael Somerville concentrates on getting the right chords . The reggae touch must have inspired the crowd for the air was slightly scented with the smell of ganja (marijuana), the patron drug of reggae. With only 1055 tickets sold in advance, Lantz was not exactly crowded. However, since the concert was promoted by Celebration-Turntable, the University Board cannot lose money. "The house is guaranteed $500," said Anita Craig, assistant director of student activities. Head East's lack of drawing power may be due to the bad weather at the time of ticket sales or to the fact that the band has appeared in this area before, playing Ted's, etc., at considerably lower prices. Head East is composed of Schlitt, lead vocals; Michael Somerville, guitar and vocals; Roger Boyd, Moog, mellotron, organ and vocals; Dan Birney, bass, guitar and vocals; and Steve Huston, drums. Huston is a local product, since he attended Eastern for a while. Lead singer for Head East John Schlitt puts emphasis In the song and lyrics. Schlitt, dramatically thrusting his arms In the air, appeals to the audience with his theatrics.
Head East gathers a small but devoted fan club at the band's Eastern concert. Jay Ferguson leads off Head East with lively rock music. Schlitt encourages the crowd to get rowdy with the tremendous energy he displays on stage. Steve Huston on the drums and Dan Birney on guitar provide background rhythm for Schlitt's vocals . · 53
54 (.....__ ~@_cs~QJJ-U'@_"'~-----~~Woodward uncovers Watergate by Sue Nasenbeny Washington Post investigative reporter Bob Woodward said curiosity and luck played an important part in uncovering the Watergate scandal. Woodward lectured to a nearcapacity crowd in McAfee Cym on Sept. 21, 1977 on his role in the demise of the Nixon administration together with fellow reporter Carl Bernstein. He said that curiosity was the main factor that kept the two going throughout the initial stages of the investigation. "Why were all the doors slamming on us? What could be so awful?" he asked. The two diligently persisted in asking questions, picking up clues and pressuring administrators for answers until they received the kind of responses they were looking for. Woodward, a native of Wheaton, Ill., explained that the two reporters who worked on Watergate from the break-in of Democratic headquarters in 1971 to Nixon's eventual resignation operated on, "basic, simple and obvious clues." "Any reporter would have picked up on them," he added. Woodward said one of the reasons they were successful and received credibility from the American public was because the White House "escalated the stakes by sending Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler to denounce us so emphatical ly. "They (the administration) protested to our stories too loudly when they could have ignored us," he contir)ued. Although the Nixon administration used concealment and continually operated on a "non-denial denials", Woodward said he believed the truth would come out in a process of disclosures which hung "on a fragile thread." In reference to problems with the media today, he said one of the biggest difficulties in investigative reporting for newspapers is that the "why" for stories is often neglected. His practical suggestion was to, "take half of the reporters on a staff and assign them to do daily news with the other half doing in-depth reporting." "We need to do more research when we write a story. As I reflect on it, I'm a little scared of the power one reporter has, more than all the historians in one university." Renowned for his role In exposing the Watergate scandals, Bob Woodward attributed the success of his investigative reporting to persistent questioning and the pursuit of obvious clues. Woodward appeared a day after the showing of " All the President's Men." Here, Robert Redford portrays an inquisitive Woodward .
Abba Eban conveys hopes for peace in the Mid-East by Sue Nasenbeny Israeli statesman Abba Eban said efforts toward peace in the Middle East have reached the negotiating hour and are in the crisis stage in his Oct. 3, 1977 University Board sponsored lecture. A leading member of Israel's Labor Party, Eban said the evolutionary diplomacy establ ished in the 1973-75 period can be re-established between his country and the Arab states. He explained that the problems in the Mid-east are "political rather than military" because there is no sign any party can gain anything by the military. "Egypt knows that it cannot win a war Former Israeli Prime Minister Abba Eban related the necessity for Israel and the A rab states to commence peaceful negotiations. against Israel and that it would throw them to the Soviets, whom they detest, and Saudi Arabia knows war would interrupt the flow of its oil revenue. "jordan knows it is the victim of every war and Lebanon is so torn by its own turmoil that it does not want war," he said. The former foreign minister said that the Arab states are committed to political confrontation with Israel for the remainder of the year. He told the audience of about 120 in McAfee Cym that the "time is right for active political effort." "We must switch from the useless question of who's at fault to the question of what we must do to remedy the tension," he added. Eban indicated that a step-by-step gradual approach to negotiations should be implemented and that the governments of both countries, "should move cautiously out of deadlock." Also, Eban explained that the United States plays a unique role as a power in simultaneous and parallel contact with both Israel and the Arab states. The United States, he said, is both a mediator and ally to Israel, with the ally status "of supreme importance to the balance of power in the Mideast." A strong committment to Israel by the United States is necessary, the statesman continued, because military aid would balance forces "across the table." Without this aid, the support of the Arab states by international organizations, the Soviet bloc countries and general Arab solidarity would be too much for Israel to bear, he said. Israel needs to "assert her identity in self-hood," Eban explained. "Arabs claim only three per cent of the human race but 60 per cent of the world's oil reserves." "If the world can get used to 22 Arab states, they can get used to one jewish state as well," Eban pointed out. 55
56 Springer discusses East German economy Reiner Springer elaborates on how East Germany maintains its high rate of productivity compared to other industrialized nations. by Bernie Frey Eastern students had an opportunity to hear first hand about life behind the Iron Curtain when Reiner Springer, third secretary of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), spoke in Booth Library Nov. 2. Springer talked proudly about his country's economic system, social administration, foreign relations, education, health and social services and culture. He then fielded student questions concerning his country, most of which related to the Berlin Wall. Springer said the wall is not intended to prevent East Germans from escaping into the Western world. Instead, he claimed it is meant to protect East Germany from Western aggression. He said the wall will remain until better relations are established with the West and the Communists' fear of 1nvasion decreases. Springer also said that East Germany is working to decrease militaristic policies and to fight imperialism while creating the best conditions possible for the establishment of socialistic policies. Springer boasted that his country, though ranked 36th in world population, has the 10th largest gross national product among industrialized nations. He attributed this fact to the health of the East German economy, which is due to efficient, modern industry as well as ranking in the top ten in agriculture among the world's nations. Myers speal.i\s on freelance cartooning V. Gene Myers explains that most of his ideas for the cartoon strip Catatonic State are taken directly from his experiences as an Eastern student. by Josie Tiggs Being a freelance cartoonist does not bring a very steady income, but it is a rewarding and creative profession, V. Gene Myers, cartoonist of Catatonic State told interested art students in December. Myers' comic strips have been published in the New York Times, Ladies Home Journal, Oui, Good Housekeeping and the National Enquirer. "''ve drawn about 1,650 cartoons since I've started, but I really can't say how many I've sold." Myers is a 1972 graduate of Eastern with a B.S. in education and a master's degree in art. He began his career in college as a cartoonist for the Eastern News. After graduating, he w ent to live in New jersey because "many of the magazine offices are located in that area." Myers sketches college life through Catatonic State, his mythical campus whose inhabitants are familiar to most Eastern students. He said that freelancing can be enjoyable. "I can sit up for an hour and come up with millions of ideas to sketch for a cartoon, but sometimes I sit up all day long and come up with nothing." Solitude and quiet are what Myers needs for his ideas to flourish. "I usually work late at night or early in the morning, when there's no one around and there is not much of a chance for any telephone calls." "Often I find myself writing ideas down on my hands when I am in a place where I don't have pencil and paper."
c: ~Diiil@ @rffl~ I Summer theatre stages musical comedies In "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum ," Pat Richardson as Pseudolus happily hugs vivacious Gymnasia, portrayed by Dawn Decker. Surrounded by the cast of "Guys and Dolls," Earl Hal be as Nicely Nicely Johnson stopped the show with his holy rolling "Sit Down, You're Rockin ' the Boat." by Lori Miller Eastern's 1977 summer theatre season offered, in the words of one of its productions, something for everyone: comedy, farce, traditional romance, dancers and singers. Each summer, Eastern's Theatre Department forms a company of theatre majors and others who want to fulfill a longtime, secret desire to appear on stage. The company, usually composed of 25 to 35 persons, is responsible for almost every phase of the shows' production. The first, "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," was a broadly played farce, complete with bright sets and costumes. The plot lightly follows the adventures of a Roman slave as he attempts to gain his freedom through a maze of mixed identities, slave girls, and Roman masters and generals. As Pseudolus the slave, senior Pat Richardson airily slipped away with the show as he connived, danced and maneuvered his way around the stage and out of his various predicaments. Richardson was aided by a cast which threw themselves into their roles with clear enthusiasm despite the silliness of the script. The second show of the season was "Guys and Dolls," a traditional musical with bad guys who were actually good guys, and lovers and melodic songs. The story traces the loves of missionary Sarah Brown and gambler Sky Masterson, and of gangster Nathan Detroit and dancer Adelaide. Running through the show are the desperate attempts of the New York gamblers to find "the action." Students Bev Benda and Mark Wallace were well suited as romantic leads, as they turned Sarah and Sky into a beautifully tuneful duet. Dawn Decker as Adelaide, fought "the grippe-la postnasal drip" and pestered Nathan for marriage, capturing the audience with an engaging performance. Leading the show, however, was Randy Haege, who turned Nathan Detroit into a bright, wily and sympathetic "ordinary guy." 57
58 JJMan for All Seasons" revives Old England by John Cook The pomp and circumstance of Henry VIII's merrie olde England was the setting for the Theatre Department's first major production of the year, Robert Bolt's "A Man For All Seasons". Performances for the Elizabethian production were held on Oct. 21 -23 in the Doudna Fine Arts Center Theatre. The drama, set in 16th century England, is the saga of Sir Thomas More, English statesman, lawyer, humanist, author and poet. More became a leading figure for human rights, Lord Chancellor of England and, after his death, a saint in the Catholic Church. Gerald Sullivan directed the cast of Randy Arney portraying More, Gary Shrader as the Common Man, Katie Sullivan playing More's wife, Teresa Sparlin as More's daughter, Peter Samuel playing King Henry VIII, Scott Stanley as More's son-in-law and a host of other minor characters. M ore was a friend and favorite of King Henry VIII, but disagreed with Henry's decision in 1531 that the English King, and not the Pope, was the head of the Church of England. Due to further confl1cts with the King, More was imprisoned and later executed. The set, an intricate collage of stairs, was designed by student Cindi Switzer, theatre arts major. Elaborate period costumes were created for the production by Nancy Paule. Randy Arney as Sir Thomas More attempts to convince Scott Zimmerman, playing Cardinal Wolsey, that humanistic attitudes are worthy values. Zimmerman exhibits the concern of the 16th century English cardinal whose powers have been threatened. Peter Samuel as Henry VIII enumerates the woes and glories of being King of England.
Richard AmRhein plays Dr. Cajus, who contemplates how he will win the hand of the young and fair Ann Page. II Merry Wives" brings love's frolics to opera by John Cook Voices filled the air with their sweet sounds when the music and theatre departments combined efforts and presented Otto Nicholi's opera, "The Merry Wives Of Windsor," which ran from Nov. 18-21 in the Doudna Fine Arts Center Theatre. The Shakespearian production, translated into modern English, is the tale of two women who receive identical love letters from the same man, Sir John Falstaff. Outraged, the women set out, bent on revenge. Playing the double cast women's part were Dawn Decker and Becky Pennington as Mrs. Ford, and the other coconspirator, Mrs. Page, was portrayed by Hillary Nicholson and Anne Timblin. Mrs. Page's daughter, Ann, was played by Carol Hancock and Monica McRoberts. Vying for Ann's hand in marriage were Slender, Dr. Cajus and Fenton, portrayed by Terry Kelly, Richard AmRhein, and Greg Ferguson. And playing the part of the cheating and deceitful Sir John Falstaff was Peter Samuel. Musical direction was under June Johnson and staging was directed by Gerald Sullivan. Nancy Paule designed costumes for the comic opera and C.P. Blanchette created the movable set. A special chorus was written for the ending by Terry Kelly and all choreography was handled by Dawn Decker. Becky Pennington as Mrs. Ford and Anne Timblin as Mrs. Page conspire against Sir John Falstaff. Young and heroic Fenton, portrayed by Greg Ferguson , argues his worthiness to marry Ann Page with her father, played by Steve White. 59
60 Aso Bober's JJGoslings" lool~s upon student life by Sue Nasenbeny "Goslings," a rock musical written especially for Eastern's Theatre Company, entertained its audiences in December with humorous and touching renditions of college life. The production was written by Asa Baber of the English Department and enjoyed the success of sold-out weekends which required scheduling of two additional performances. Baber set his play in a Midwestern college and used stereotypical characters for such roles as the campus politician, jock, make-out artist, drugaddict, spy, dancer, intellectual and country hick. The audience could easily identify with at least one of the characters in the production, an element which caused "Goslings" to hit home and receive its favorable response. The student actors and actresses fitted to their parts, highlighted the musical with excellent acting. Although they obviously did not have top-rate music and lyrics to work with, they concerned themselves with the script and carried it off believably. Mike Madlem rehearses one of the several songs arranged by Tony Cox and John Hightower. E.G. Gabbard of the Theatre Department directed the show, and musical arrangements were made by graduate student Tony Cox and junior john Hightower. The cast was impressive, with veterans and novices delivering their parts wel l, such as seniors Randy Arney and Scott Zimmerman as the narcotics spy and the football coach, and juniors Theresa Sparlin and Gary Shrader as the ballet artist and the computer-brain. Also effective were sophomores M ike Madlem and Betty Cash as the presidential candidate and drug addict and freshmen Carllton Childress, Dana Grigoroff and Kevin Busch and the disillusioned student, and two make-out artists. "Goslings" was also awarded the privilege in january of traveling to the region eight American College Theatre Festival at Illinois State University. This marked the second year a production from Eastern was invited to compete regionally. If successful at the festival, the cast would appear during spring at the john F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Make-out artist Dana Grlgoroff asserts her femininity as she plays up to Earl Halbe. Carillon Childress becomes disgruntled when narcotics agent Randy Arney tries to persuade him to provide leads to drug users. Addict Betty Cash listens ln.
New Yorl-'\ oct brings JJCoboret" to Eastern Clown-faced David Morgan headed the show as the master of ceremony. "Cabaret" featured Its own chorus line ot sleazy dancers. by John Cook "Cabaret", the prize-winning Broadway musical, captured the hearts of a large Eastern crowd when it was presented in December at McAfee gym. People braved the snow to watch the University Board-sponsored production of early-Nazi life performed by a troupe of New York actors. "Cabaret" opened on Broadway in Nov. 1966, and continued nearly three years until Sept. 1969. It won all three of the "Best Musical of the Year" awards in its first season, a Tony Award, the 1\Jew York Drama Critics' Circle Award and the Outer Circle Critics' Award. The story is of two lovers abroad in a land with no time for innocence: Berlin in the years just before Hitler came to power. An English girl and an American man are the outsiders caught in the events taking place in the frenzy cf Berlin in those days. The romance blossoms and is followed by the flowering relationship of a middle-aged couple, a jewish shopkeeper who cannot confront the fact that the Nazi movement does affect him and a motherly rooming house keeper who plans to end the loneliness of the two. The actors were from On The Aisle, Inc. of New York City. The musical launched one of the major song-hits of the late 1960's with its title song, "Cabaret." Judi Laurence and Clifford Bradshaw portrayed the lovers caught In Nazi Germany. 61
62 Variety '7 8 displays student talent by Sara Knapp Variety 78 was an appropriate title for a show of singing, dancing, comedy and jazz-arranged and presented entirely by Eastern's chapters of Phi Mu Alpha and Sigma Alpha Iota. The variety show is an annual event for the honorary music fraternity and sorority. This year's emcees were David Stotlar of Phi Mu Alpha and Sue Miller of Sigma Alpha Iota. Having the theme "This One's for You," the show would have been more Monica McRoberts presents a delightful delivery of "Getting to Know You." impressive if it had been planned more around the individual talents of those involved in the production. The opening and closing numbers, in which performers danced to recorded music, were particularly weak. The opening song, "Put on a Happy Face," did not come across with the intended enthusiasm as dancers concentrated on their steps and timing. The show picked up with a comedy skit featuring "Professor'' Rich Benzik and his lecture on word association that Cindy Haselhorst set many in the audience humming "You Light Up My Life" during intermission. turned out to be a potpourri of nonsense. This act was followed with a less dynamic but well conceived presentation of the game show, "Let's Win a Big One," which was complete with a flashing "applause" sign. Highlighting the comedy sketches were Mike Simms as Chubby Chase and Tina Wilson as Jane Drapes anchoring the "Weekend Out-of-Date News." The skit included an appearance by Brenda Fieldman as Emily Latella and her editorial on the "deaf' penalty. Although most of the material was lifted directly from "Saturday Night," the skit went over well. For the musical portion of the show, the most outstanding performance was coordinated by Cindy Bridges, an Eastern junior, who applied her talents to arrange a slide show of fascinating photograpy accompanied by music she had composed herself. Colleen Layden on the flute and Brenda Cook playing piano provided the musical background as colorful nature scenes flashed on the three screens set on stage. The slide presentation was a perfect end to the first half of the program, drawing a tremendous response from the audience. Phi Mu Alpha abandoned its traditional 1950's grease band this year to open the second half of the show with a Dixieland band which called itself the Firehouse Five Plus One. The Jazz band worked up enthusiasm with the "Basin Street Blues" and ''Tinhouse Blues," finishing with "Maple Leaf Rag." Included in the second half of the program was a tribute to Rogers and Hammerstein which contained musical numbers from "Oklahoma," "The Sound of Music," ''The King and I" and "Carousel." The tribute featured solos by Monica McRoberts singing "Getting to Know .You" and David Stotlar singing "You'll Never Walk Alone." Other solos during the show were sung by Cindy Haselhorst who presented "You Light Up My Life" during the first half of the performance and by David Stotlar who gave his interpretation of the show's theme song,
Emcees David Stollar and Sue Miller smoothly carry the show through Its course. "This One's for You." Noteworthy musical skits included Mike Henry playing a computer sadly singing his laments while being dismantled and Dan Spees writing home from "Camp Granada." The performance as a whole came across well despite evidence of the students' inexperience with stage production, which included the use of blue and green spotlights that were difficult for the audience to adjust to and some set changes which took an unreasonable length of time. However, these problems became less profound when overshadowed by the poise and confidence of the masters of ceremony, Sue Miller and David Stotlar, who held the show together beautifully. Ellen Donati plays up to Greg Ciullo and Kurt Anderson, adding an element of nastiness to the Dixieland blues. Rich Benzik becomes totally dissociated with his lecture on word association. Dan Spees writes home to Alan Sherman's "Camp Granada." In a commercial spoof, Dawn Henry suggests Buffalo Dung nasal spray for Mike Henry's stuffy nose and congestion . 63
64 Visiting artists exhibit a variety of talents The University Board sponsors a fine arts series designed to provide a variety of experiences within the cultural arts spectrum. Included in the events sponsored this year were visiting artists Carl Fasshauer, cellist; William Warfield, baritone; the Emily Frankel Dance Company; and a faculty performance of Vivaldi and Ruth Slenczynska, pianist. On August 26, Carl Fasshauer brought his cello to the campus. Fasshauer has appeared at Ravinia Festival in Highland Park during summers and is a member of Chicago Grant Park Symphony. He is currently studying at Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. William Warfield performed on Eastern's campus October 18. A professor of music at the University of Music, he made the song "Old Man River" in the musical "Showboat," a legend. Warfield appeared as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in a tour honoring Bicentennial observations. He has given concerts throughout the world, appeared in operas, recorded albums and performed as a non-singing actor. Workshops and lectures were conducted on campus by choreographer Emily Frankel when she came to the university to perform on November 4. Frankel taught classes in choreography, worked with student actors on stage movement and held a lecturedemonstration on dance. At the performance, she danced to music by Vivaldi, Moussorgsky, Ravel and Berg. Frankel was accompanied by Eastern's orchestra. On Nov. 15, faculty from the music department presented an evening of music by Vivaldi. The night featured sonatas, concertos and arias on modern flute, the Wicks pipe organ, violin, cello, harpsichord and recorder. Performing in the night of music was Kate Stone, along with faculty members Robert Snyder, Cary Zwicky, Delbert Simon, Mary Kogen, Ronald Kogen and Donald Tracy. Renowned pianist Ruth Sleczynska came to the campus on january 24. Presently an artist in residence at Southern illinois UniversityEdwardsville, Slenczyska held three workshop sessions for aspiring pianists. Dancer Emily Frankel is accompanied by Eastern 's orchestra during her November performance. William Warfield delivers his recital with the rich baritone voice that has brought him national recognition. Donald Tracy , Kate Stone, Gary Zwicky and Robert Snyder play one of several selections by Vivaldi featured in the faculty performance.
Drum major David Swaar leads the Marching Blue through the Homecoming parade. Prior to football games, the band forms "USA" to present the national anthem. E I U Marching 131ue cracl"\s precision drills by jayne Anleitner 1977's Marching Band, under the direction of Harold Hillyer, seemed to have a new, bright tone to their music · as members were led by Drum Majors Suzanne Hillyer, junior; and David Swarr, senior. The new, colorful uniforms may have been what inspired them as they arched across football fields. At parades, pre-game and half-time festivities, the Marching Blue caught everyone's eye and ear with four different symbols such as MOM and DAD (A specialty for Parent's weekend) and EIU; "Precision," one with diamonds and zig-zag lines; "Circles," with moving circles and the "Squad Drill," where every eight steps brings a new formation. Along with these drills, the band formed "U.S.A." before the national anthem was played at pregame shows. The 170 members of the Marching Blue performed with twirlers Kathy Stone, senior; Janean Mitchell, sophomore; Lynette Mabry, junior; Maria Arnold, freshman and Sandy Benekas, freshman. Band officers are senior Mark Lindvahl, president; senior Martha Little, vice president; senior Janet Hermansen, secretary; and senior Colleen Layden, treasurer. The drum section alerts Homecoming parade spectators to the approach of Eastern's marching band. 65
men's sports women's sports intramural sports
g)~@(f~g) , men ssports Eastern joins MCAA soccer football cross country baseball trod~ tennis rugby ice hocl.c;ey wrestling swimming and diving bosl.c;etbo II , women s sports trocl.c; volleyball field hocl.c;ey swimming and diving tennis bosl.c;etboll badminton softball intramural sports Iantz activities 68 69 72 74 76 78 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 88 89 90 91 92 92 94 96 97 98 100 As a member of the feminine gender, being introduced as a sports editor, especially to the typical male, brought about much less courteous remarks than "Nice to meet you" or "How do you do?" One of the more brilliant deductions, after I was thoroughly scrutinized, was, "But you're a girl!" I replied, "And you're a boy. Now that we have straightened that out, may we continue?" Another extremely enlightening remark following my introduction was, "But you don't look a thing like joe Namath!" I merely explained that I was adopted. Many of my contemporaries, so I've found, stereotype sports writers as Howard Cosell look-alikes or dizzy blonds with a passion for locker room interviews. Since I fit neatly into neither category, others have concluded that I am a "jock," though I prefer the title "athletic supporter." Once they've passed the identification conflict, my inquirers immediately begin taxing their brains and mine to come up with some phenomenal bit of trivia. I've been asked everything from the baseball player with the highest batting average in the first World Series to Pele's middle name before my examiners continued to their third and final stage of "To Tell the Truth"-- psychology. As if previous observations were not evidence enough, each attempts to find something complex or hidden that would explain why a female would be interested in sports. I normally reverse the questioning at this point and ask my inquisitor why he is interested in sports. More often than not he replies that he would be playing if he could, and since he cannot he reports. "Those who can do, and those who can't write about it," seems to be the philosophy. I in turn respond that if I could I would be playing, but Ted Petersen's uniform just doesn't fit. Kathy Klisares Sports editor
STATEMENT OF INTENT April 27, 1977 We the undersigned, as Chief Exec tive Officers of our respective institutions, express our intention to enter into an athletic conference to be known as the Mid-Continent Athletic Association. The guideline o e proposed conference are ~ontive agreeme t. The purpose of this Statement of t t is to permit discussion on our respective camp ses an ith our Governing Boards. Each of us is committed to ke a £irm dec1sion regarding the establishment of the conference o lat an July 1, 1977. 69
70 Eastern no l0nger inaepenaent, joins by Brian Nielsen Eastern's years as an athletic independent came to an end last july when President Daniel Marvin and representatives of five other midwestern universities announced the establishment of the Mid-Continent Athletic Association. Eastern, Western Illinois, Akron, Northern Iowa, Northern Michigan and Youngstown State formed the league, which will begin championship play in the 1978-79 school year. The july 1 ratification culminated a two and a half year formation period, which began with a january, 1975 meeting in Houston. The ratification also accomplished one of the prime goals of Athletic Director Mike Mullally when he came to Eastern in 1974. On April 27, in a meeting in Chicago, Eastern, Western, Akron, Youngstown State and Northern Michigan signed a letter of intent expressing interest in joining the league. Then, in june, Northern Iowa decided to withdraw from the North Central Conference and add its name to the mid-Continent list. Mullally was obviously pleased at the completion of the conference formation, since an affiliation was one of his major goals since taking over the athletic director's post. "This gives us a number of things we don't have as an independent," Mullally said. "The obvious advantage is that it provides us with rivalries that should enhance the interest of our university, community and alumni fans by creating a more competitive relationship with the same schools year in and year out." "It will also give us a long-term scheduling commitment in football and basketball, which has been a problem for Division II independents," Mullally added. "It's been a strain for us just to fill our schedules the past few years." The opinions of the Eastern coaches involved differed, however, when they learned about the proposal in April. Football coach John Konstantinos and basketball mantor Don Eddy both favored the proposal from the start, citing the major reasons Mullally listed plus adding that Eastern's publicity and recruiting would be aided. "The first question every high school player asks us during recruiting is 'What conference are you in,' " Eddy commented. "It (the conference) will be a step forward." "I think it's just as great," Konstantinos said. "It has to increase our fan interest." Under the conference charter, football and basketball would receive the maximum number of scholarships allowed by the NCAA for Division II schools. But the other six conference sportstrack, wrestling, swimming, tennis, cross country, and golf- will receive a total of just twenty grants-in-aid to divide among themselves. This means a reduction in track scholarships from ten to eight and the elimination of aid in tennis and golf, Mullally said, although these plans were subject to change. So, as one would expect, several of these coaches were upset, especially track coach Neil Moore. ''The minor sports will suffer now-it's a shame," Moore remarked shortly after the letter of intent was signed. ''The conference means strictly football and basketball." "We'll have to cut down our team, and we won't be able to cover all the events," he continued. "My God, why do we have to sacrifice the minor sports." Tom Woodall, the assistant track coach and head cross country mentor, echoed Moore's statements. "I'm sure it would hurt our programs (cross country and track) if they keep the scholarship limitation the way it is," Woodall said. Most of Woodall's cross country scholarships are incorporated with the track program. Later, Moore was less vocal about the situation: "We'll just have to accept it and do the best we can." He still noted that he would face problems fielding as big a team as he had in the past. Mullally insisted that none of the sports at Eastern would be greatly harmed by the scholarship limitation rule and pointed out that any disadvantages to joining the conference would be outweighed by the advantages. "It's not any great cutback," the athletic director said. "Track doesn't have to get hurt that badly." Mullally was the only one of the conference schools' athletic directors who voted against the two "major'' sport, six "minor" sport rule. "If I had my way, I would get one of the sports out from under that regulation," Moore said. "My first reaction was to not have track as a conference sport so we wouldn't have to take any scholarships away." "But I won't oppose it to tfle extent that Eastern will stay out of the conference," he maintained. "The conference is just too important." "A lot of schools don't give out aid to anything other than football and basketball," Mullally added. "Besides, I'm having to continually take some scholarships away from these sports to give to our growing women's program. So these sports are going to end up losing a few scholarships whether we join a conference or not." Women's sports will not be included in the new conference since the women's programs are able to fill schedules and compete with state schools in so-called unofficial conference set-up. Baseball and soccer are also excluded from the current conference affiliation because not enough of the conference schools fiel,d teams to hold championship play.
71
72 8ooters did what has never been don~e -twice by Kathy Klisares The Panthers started their season off on the right foot, winning their first three games, one of which was against UMSL, in a close 1-0 battle. "It was one of the biggest games of the season, because we'd never beaten UMSL before," Coach Schellas Hyndman said. After the UMSL match, Eastern went on to beat Lewis University 4-1 and then suffered its first loss of the season when they took on Alabama A&M. Alabama A&M snuck by the previously undefeated team with a 1-0 victory and continued with an extremely successful first year season. A&M ended up winning the Southern Regional title and will be one of the four teams to advance to national competition. After their loss to Alabama A&M, Eastern turned around and beat Quincy 3-2, reaching another peak .in their season. "Quincy was the best we ever played," Hyndman said. "We played a full game, moving well and putting the ball in the goal even without Marcia, (Ferreira, a key midfielder who was removed from the game on foul charge)," the coach added . Adding Quincy to their list of other victims, Eastern entered the Governor's Cup state tournament with a 4-1 season record and finished the contests with a 4-3 total. In the tourney, the boaters lost their second game of the season to Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville (SlU-E) 3- 2. From there they advanced to the consolation match against Northern Illinois University (NIU), who walked away with a 2-1 victory. "The first game was stolen and the second game we gave away," Hyndman commented. SIU has since taken the title for its region and will continue to the Division I nationals. Regaining their confidence after a season low at the state tournament, the Panthers took Sangamon State 4-0 for their fifth victory and third shut-out. Following the Sangamon game, Helios Dos Santos, left winger in the starting line up left the team to return to his home in Brazil which "brought the team attidude down," Hyndman commented . "Helios' leaving definitely hurt the team because he was a good ball player and they depended on him to be a dangerous offensive player," he added . With a quick switch in positions, Eastern took on Indiana University, a Division I contender who snatched a 1-0 victory. Indiana went on to finish a successful season, was given a post season bid and proceeded to the regional championship before being ousted by SlU-E 3-2 in the fourth overtime period. After the Indiana game, Eastern hit a four game winning streak, slaughtering Wisconsin-Parkside 6-0, Blackburn College 1-0, MacMurray College 4-1 and Aurora College 2-0. Owen Hylton (20) slides to make a save against Northern Illinois University. Goalie John Baretta blocks a goal to continue his string of shutout games, totaling 7 for ttie season.
Tallying up a 9-4 regular season record, Eastern received a bid to post season play, meeting UMSL in the first match. Intimidating the St. Louis team on UMSL's own field, without the help of starters Pat Bruni and David Hancock, who were ineligible because of NCAA regulations for transfer students, the Panthers took a 1-Q victory. Seeking a regional championship and a berth to the nationals, Eastern proceeded to Wisconsin-Green Bay. In the only tie game of the season, a score of o-o persisted through the regulation game and four additional overtimes. A close 3-2 score on the deciding penalty kicks sent Green Bay to the Division II nationals and concluded Eastern's season with a 10-4-1 year. "I just think it was a year of terrific accomplishments," Hyndman said. "I had a super good bunch of kids with a lot of individual ability, good attitudes and 100 per cent effort, and with characteristics like that, it's hard to lose." Midfielder John Jozsa plays aggressive defense as well as offense. Leading scorer , Miguel Blair challenges his opponent, moving In for the attack . Ross Ongaro takes charge from the striker position. 73
74 Coaching staff resigns Gridders lose ten games Rich Brown exhausted from the game and the nearly winl'ess season , pauses to wipe his forhead. by Rudy RueHiger The Eastern football team of 1977 left few things worth remembering when it finished the season with a dismal 1-10 record, one of the worst ever by a Panther grid team. In the past few years, however, one of the worst records in Eastern's history was not hard to come by because Eastern has not had a winning season since 1961, a 16 year drought. In looking to the brighter aspects in the football season, punter Jeff Gossett ended the season as the nation's top punter with a 43.0 yard average. Gossett took the lead in the sixth game of the season aga1nst Cameron University by punting eight times for a tremendous 48.6 yards per punt. Gossett never relinquished the lead. His longest punt was a 76-yarder against Wayne State. His final statistics for the season totaled 62 punts for 2,668 yards. Mom and Dad were loyal Panther fans even through a rainy Parents' Weekend. The Panthers, however, ended their horrendous season on a winning note, whitewashing Evansville University 17-Q. The lone win of the season broke a 14 game Panther losing streak, the longest in the history of Eastern football. And with the end of the season, three-'year head coach John Konstantinos and his entire coaching staff resigned. Konstantinos left behind a 9- 21-2 composite coaching record. H1s best year was in 1976 when the Panthers came close to a winning season but fell short at 5-6. The rest of the season was a nightmare for Panther fans because in each game the Panthers at halftime, with the exception of the Youngstown State game, were never behind by more than 14 points, although they never led at half in their losses. The second half proved to be the disaster point for the entire season with Eastern compiling only 49 second half points to the opposition's 136. A highlight of the season was senior fullback Mark Stettner's breaking of Nate Anderson's career rushing mark of 2,516 yards against Western Illinois. Stettner needed five yards to break the mark and put his name in to the record books as the Panther's leading all:time rusher. Stettner finished with a career total of 2,635 yards. Stettner, however, played most of the season at noseguard in an effort by Konstantinos to shore up the defensive line. In the last six games of the year, Stettner played sparingly at fullback with his final start at fullback against Evansville. Eastern's offensive output was obviously hurt by the loss of Stettner to the defense but was compounded when a first half ankle injury to scatback Chris Cobb against Cameron put him out for two games. Cobb was not completely healthy until the finale against Evansville. Cobb racked up 1152 yards rushing in 1976 as a freshman, but fell short in 1977 of the coveted 1000 yard mark with 988 yards. Until the Cameron game Cobb had been averaging 125 yards rushing per
The signal Is a rare yet welcome occurrence after a 14 game losing streak . Head coach John Konstantinos evaluates the game from the other side of the chalk line. game, enough for fourth in the Division II statistics. Cobb slowly dropped out of the ratings with scarce running appearances during the games in which he was injured. Against Evansville Cobb was running like his old self when he rushed for 146 yards. The Panthers played very sporadically all season and started only five seniors throughout the year. Underclassmen who got in some very valuable playing time by the year's end were freshman quarterback Don Pittman, offensive tackle Wilbert Mitchell and offensive guard Chuck Burau. Defensively, sophomore Rod Williams at tackle and noseguard and freshmen linebackers Tom Murray and Don Cordon led the Panthers in the latter part of the season. Pittman ran for successive 100 yard games in his first two starts of the season, gaining 134 yards against Youngstown State and 132 yards against Murray State. Another 100-yard ground gainer for Eastern was sophomore walkon Clifton Thurman, in a reserve role, who rambled for 125 yards against Youngstown. Running back Chris Cobb (30) totaled 988 yards rushing for the season, despite Injuries which hampered his performance. 75
76 Cross country team tal~es Nationals Eastern takes six All-American places and an NCAA Division II Championship. The Panthers lead this pack to score a tow 37 points, the second best total In the meet's history. by Brian Nielsen Every Panther cross country team in recent years has had the tough assignment of continuing a rich tradition set by its predecessors. The 1977 Eastern harriers not only equaled the performance of any previous cross country squad, but surpassed all earlier accomplishments. Coach Tom Woodall's crew dominated nearly all their challengers throughout the fall and then capped things off with one of the most convincing NCAA Division II championships in the meet's 20 year history. Capturing an unprecedented six AllAmerican places, Eastern scored a low 37 points, the second best total in the meet's history. Only the 33 point total scored by the University of Southern IllinoisCarbondale in 1963 against a field only about half the size of the 1977 championship meet, bettered Eastern's glittering score. The University of South Dakota came in a distant second place with 151 points, while 23 other teams were even further behind. The Panthers' 114 point victory margin was the third greatest in the 20 years of the Division II championships. The national crown was not the only big win for the Panthers. They also became the first non-NCAA Division I team to win the prestigous Notre Dame Invitational. Placing all five of its scoring runners among the top 23, Eastern upended pre-meet favorite Michigan University 81 -93 in the Midwest classic which attracted some 40 schools. Eastern also compiled a 10-1 dual record, easing past 10 opponents before losing a 27-29 squeaker to the University of Wisconsin, which went on to win the Big 10 conference championship and place sixth in the NCAA Division I finals. The Panthers only other loss of the season was to another top Big 10 team, the University of Illinois. Illinois ousted Eastern 42-29 to win its fifth consecutive State of Illinois championship. The Panthers copped the second, third and fourth individual places in the meet, but the rest of the harriers had bad races to ruin Eastern's title hopes.
While the Eastern team emerged the best cross country squad in the school's history, sophomore Joe Sheeran distinguished himself · as the best Panther harrier ever. Sheeran, better known as "Little Joe" by his teammates, was brilliant throughout the season and was the runner-up for the Division II individual title. His title bid was spoiled by North Dakota State's strong kicking Mike Bollmann, who overtook the Eastern star with about 150 yards left in the 10,000 meter race and finished with a two-second victory margin. But Sheeran came back to top all of his previous accomplishments and Bollmann when he represented Eastern in the NCAA Division I finals. The tireless sophomore captured an amazing 18th place, which was by far the best performance in the Division I championships by an Eastern runner. He became Eastern's first Division cross country All-American by placing 10th among the American competitors in the race. The first 25 American finishers earn All-American status. Sheeran's 18th place was the best of any Midwest district entry, and he also avenged his loss to Bollmann, who came in 52nd . Sheeran had plenty of support throughout the season from a number of his teammates, including five other Division II All-Americans. Grabbing Division II All-American laurels, given to the first 25 competitors at the national championship meet, were junior Casey Reinking who came in fifth; senior and honorary captain John Christy, who placed 12th for his third straight All-American award; junior John Mcinerney, who was 14th; senior Duncan McHugh, the team's most improved runner, who took 21st place and junior Bill Bandy, who garnered 24th. Promising freshman Larry Schuldt was 55th among 210 participants at the national meet and was the third freshman finisher. Several other Panthers, including sophomore Reo Rorem, junior Bill James and senior Paul Weilmuenster provided excellent depth for Eastern throughout the year. Rorem, the 1976 squad's most valuable runner as a freshman, was the team's leader in its first two meets, but then came down with a bad cold. The illness slowed him for most of the season, and then a foot injury kept him out of the national finals. Junior Ken Englert, a member of the 1976 third place national team and the school 's 10,000 meter record holder in track, was sidelined the entire season with a bad knee. Harriers hoist coach Tom Woodall after winning the national title. John Christy , three time All-American, placed 12th in national competition . 77
78 l3aseball team settles with even season Terry Etnire pauses to psych out the man at the other end. by Mark Rountree After a disastrous thirteen game southern road trip, Eastern's baseball team bounced back to reach a respectable 23-23 record. Coach J.W. Sanders attributed the unimpressive 1-12 early season tailspin to the hectic schedule the Panthers had to face. "Our greatest weakness was that we were overscheduled down south." Included in that murderous southern schedule were teams such as Louisiana Tech, Southeast Louisiana and Tulane. In addition, New Orleans and Southern Alabama, both ranked in the top fifteen teams in Division I, swept the Panthers in four consecutive games. After the shaky start, the Panthers returned to their own turf. There, they compiled a 15-6 overall home record; contrasting tremendously to the 8-16 away record. Left-handed pitcher Tom Doyle proved to be the Panthers most dependable performer. Posting a record of 8-2, Doyle achieved an extraordinary accomplishment: 10 of 10 starts completed all without help from the bullpen. In addition, Doyle, who graduated with the class of '77, maintained a steady 2.48 earned run average, (ERA) second only to Rick Panthers split down the middle with a 23-23 season record. Furmanski who recorded a 2.22 ERA. As if it were not enough to be the squad's top pitcher and definitely one of the primary team leaders, Doyle was named the 1977 Most Valuable Player. Sophomore Jeff Gossett, proved to be still another vital player in the arsenal of talent-laden ballplayers that abides by Eastern's annual tradition of quality baseball. The switch-hitting shortstop won the Panthers batting crown, boasting a hefty .333 average. On the defense, Gossett floated around his shortstop position, making golden glove plays that Sf.. :~rkled the eyes of many professional scouts. Tim West also dazzled in the field by making 125 putouts without an error. The Panthers had four individuals who batted .300 plus: Gossett, .333; Paul Franson, .319; West, .312; and Rick Philippi, .306. Pat Roney belted seven home runs for the Panthers, while Gossett and standout third baseman Rick Doss drove in 25 runs apiece to share top honors in that department. Sanders noted that the Panthers were an exciting ball club to watch simply because they had all the makings of a fine ball team. "With our team last year, you could enjoy coming to the ball park to watch the boys play. Every game was exciting."
Rick Doss straightens his helmet and grits his teeth at the plate. Coach Jay Sanders brought the Panthers back after losing the first 12 out of 13 games. Panthers meet for a conference at the plate to evaluate the situation. Eastern player slides into base on a close call . 79
80 T racl"'sters total seven All-Americans by Brad Patterson Eastern's track team, as usual, was one of the bright spots in the entire athletic program. The tracksters finished sixth in the NCAA Division II championships, scoring 24 points. Seven Eastern athletes received AllAmerican honors at the close of the season. Charles Hollis, a junior from Chicago Heights bloom finished second in the triple jump, with a jump of 50 feet 3 and one-half inches. Martez Smith (Kansas City, Mo.) placed fourth in the high jump with a leap of 6 feet 10 inches. Mike Dominick (Chicago DuSable) ran a 10.7 seconds 100 meters to finish fourth, while jose De Sola (Madrid, Spain) jumped 24 feet 10 and threefourths inches to place fourth in the long jump, edging teammate Terry Carpenter (Edwardsvil le) who was fifth. Cary Byrne (Ardsley, N.Y.) vaulted 15 feet 6 inches to finish fifth in the pole vault, while Casey Reinking (Alton) ran fifth in the 5,000 meter run, with a time of 15:01 .6. Neil Moore, in his third year as head coach of the Panther track team, felt that talent-wise his squad was a potent1al national champion. ''That team had more potential than any team I've ever coached, but it wasn't completely realized, due mainly to the inJuries, sickness and bad breaks which hurt us all season long." Moore also felt that considering all the misfortunes which befell his club, they were fortunate to finish as high as they did. "I was pleasantly surprised with the performances of our people at the NCAA's," Moore said. "Casey Reinking came -through strong for us in the 5000, and Cary Byrne, Terry Carpenter, and Mike Dominick each had really good events which helped out a lot." In other big events of the outdoor season, the Panthers finished a disappointing fifth in the Illinois Intercollegiate Meet, but won their own EIU Invitational. They had a number of high finishes by performers in such prestigious events as the Drake Relays and the lllini U.S.T.F.F. Classic. "We should have done better than fifth in the state meet," Moore said. "But we had some injuries, and some sub-par performances, and we ended up down there." In indoor competition, Eastern placed third in the Illinois Intercollegiate Meet, behind University of Illinois and Southern Illinois University. The Pan· thers finished 4·1 in dual and triangular meets, losing only to Southern Illinois. Indoor records set by Panther athletes included a 53 feet 6 inch shot put by Mike Miller, a 48 feet 1 inch heave of the 35-lb. weight by Cary Stajduhar, a 1:11 .0 600 yard dash by Reggie johnson and a mile relay record of 3:19.1, set by the team of john Callazzo, Steve jones, Benny Phillips and Ed Hatch. Bert Myers runs one of the most grueling events of the track meet as he completes the steeplechase.
Netters ore bocl~ after one year layoff by Bob Nasenbeny After a one year layoff for the men's tennis team, the fastest growing sport in America is back and on the courts at Eastern Illinois University. Gerald (Dutch) Gossett, in his second season as head coach of the Eastern netters, did not have . strong expectations for his team before the season started. Starting practice in mid-January, the Panther netters had a lot of catching up to do to get ready for the upcoming season. There were no scholarships given out to tennis and this hurt Eastern's recruiting. Starting with 26 men, Gossett soon trimmed the roster down to 10 with an elimination tournament. Working with only two returning players, Eastern was a very young team. Senior Don Harvey, team captain and most valuable player, was Eastern's big man. Harvey and senior Doug Oberle were the only two players returning. Gossett had three wins in mind before the season began, but his expectations were met and surpassed when the tennis team won four meets out of 13. Six of the nine losses were to Division I schools. Two men who worked their way into a starting position were freshman standouts Steve Lesko and Tom Wenzel. Lesko played at the number three position while Wenzel occupied the number five slot. Both players showed good form despite a poor team season. Considering a one year layoff combined with a very young and inexperienced team, Eastern's varsity tennis team looked better than its 4-9 record. Tennis, golf and gymnastics were chosen by the Intercollegiate Athletic Board (lAB} as the sports to be discontinued indefinitely because of a lack of funds. Doug Oberle, one of Eastern 's returning netters, concentrates as he places the ball. 81
82 Ruggers miss perfect record by one loss Vic Bobb breaks away for the rugby offense. Ruggers scramble to compete for a loose ball . by Mark Rountree The Eastern Illinois Rugby Club completed the 1977 season with a surpnsmg 9-3-1 record. Publicity director Vic Bobb feels the team progressed amazingly well, considering the squad is only in its second year of intercollegiate competition. "I think the squad has done a remarkable job in playing so well. They never give up and their dedication is tremendous." The Ruggers opened the season squeaking by Purdue University 13-12 on the final play of the game. Their next opponent came in the Intercollegiate Rugby Club Tournament in Champaign when they took on the SoL.thern Illinois Salukis in the opening round. The outcome was a 6-6 draw, with Eastern advancing to the second game against Northern Illinois University, whom they shutout 20-0. In the championship round, the University of Illinois toppled Eastern 24-8 in what Bobb recalls as "a poorly refereed game." Bobb felt the second place finish in the tourney boosted the confidence of the team. "We were really pleased. It is unthinkable that a brand new team would be second in a state tournament," he added. "We played well enough to stay close but certainly not well enough to win." Bobb mentioned that the B-squad members are also quality ballplayers. "Many of the B-squad members would probably start for any other team. Against Western, seven of our regulars were missing and the B-squad stepped in to really pull things together for us." In the eight years he has been playing rugby, Bobb said that he has never seen a ball club work so diligently to win. "I've never played for a team that worked so hard to sharpen their abilities as much as this one. They really appreciate their abilities." Financially, the Rugby Club may be ill. Both the rugby and hockey clubs are attempting to get funds for player expenses. "I believe we will get funds from the administration. Right now, the players are paying for traveling expenses out of their own pockets. Possibly, if all goes well, we may be able to give scholarships in the future."
Icemen pleased with 5th season by Brad Patterson One of the newer act1v1t1es on the Eastern campus is the Hockey Club. The icemen do not participate in intercollegiate schedule, but play games against other hockey clubs in the surrounding area. This year's club had a total of three games, compiling a 2-1 record. In the opening game of the season, Eastern defeated a team from Decatur 6-5, at Springfield on Nov. 4. The highlights of the opening contest were the heroics of Mike Noonan and Bill Skeens. Noonan scored three goals, a "hat-trick", and Skeens scored the game winning goal on a breakaway with only 31 seconds remaining. The club dropped its second game of the season, losing to a tough Western Illinois team 12-5. The game was closer than the final score indicated, as Eastern trailed ony 6- 5 after two periods. "They sort of blew us out in the third period," said Skeens, who doubled as player-coach. This is the fifth year for the Hockey Club, and the members are optimistic that the club can continue to grow in the coming years. "We hope to add a few games each season, so that we will be playing a good schedule before too long," said Mike Renschan, one of this year's players. "This is something that could grow into a big activity on the campus." 83
84 Wrestlers ready for a banner year by Brad Patterson With four returning All-Americans, including a national champion, and twodeep lettermen at all but two weight classes, Eastern was in for a banner year as far as wrestling was concerned. Coach Ron Clinton's grapplers, who finished fourth in the NCAA Division II tournament last season, the highest ever for an Eastern squad, picked right up where-they left off the year before. After going 11-0 in dual meets in 1976- 77, the Panthers stretched their perfect record to 16 consecutive matches, the best in the country, before tying with Indiana State. Included in that record were wins over Illinois, Southern Illinois, Indiana and Purdue. Heavyweight Dave Klemm, a Division II national champion his freshman year, has set a goal to win both Division I and Division II in 1977-78. Other returning All-Americans were Barry Hintze at 150 pounds, Ralph McCausland at 142 pounds and Bob Stout at 167 pounds. Clinton said before the season, "I feel as though we have a very good chance at winning the nationals, and it would be a great asset for our program." Eastern was ranked 6th in the country in the pre-season ratings by the Amateur Wrestling News and gradually moved up the ladder after wins over big name schools. Gilbert Duran, 126, breaks the hold. Senior letterman Rudy Ruettiger, 158, gets a little tangled up as he attempts to unwind his opponent. Head coach Ron Clinton, a collegiate wrestling champion, can 't do it for them, but he can tell them how. Dave Klemm, over 300 pounds, thinks the easiest takedown may be by the neck.
Precision timing Is the secret to this diver's front in a pike position. Swimmers take your mark. Men swimmers show promise, lacl.f\ depth by Ron Cohen The 1977-78 edition of Eastern's men's swim team has shown promise despite preseason fears of inexperience and a lack of depth. Two-thirds of the way through this year's schedule, the Panthers dual meet record stands at 4-1 Head coach Ray Padovan's squad has suffered through numerous layoffs and cancellations due to severe weather in December and January. Though the young Panther tankers have appeared strong at times, defeating two of the three Division I opponents they have faced, they have also displayed some inconsistency. At the Illinois Intercollegiate Championships, a state meet that Eastern has dominated in recent years, the tankers were soundly defeated by arch rival Western Illinois. This year's club, smaller in number than past teams, has thus far been led by the All-American foursome of Junior Joe Nitch, junior Dave Watson, Senior Scott Bolin and senior Charlie Dunn. The development of youngsters like sophomore Jim Bart, freshman Mike Roessler and freshman Mike Parratto has also played a role in the team's success. Nitch, the club's top swimmer, has again been impressive winning all but one event in which he was entered to date. Freshmen divers AI Cymbal and Eric Swanson have also shown glimpses of brillance along with some inconsistency of their own. The Panthers will be hoping to regain their position among the nation's elite "top ten" swim teams when they travel to Clarion, Pa. March 16-18 for the national finals. Eastern dropped out of the top ten last year (ending 12th) for the first time in eight seasons. Bill Spangler takes a breather while practicing the butterfly. 85
86 Cagers rally to finish third by David Shanks and Rudy Ruettiger For the second time in three years, the Eastern basketball Panthers put on a late season charge and fought their way to a third place finish in NCAA Division II. The Panthers, who concluded their season at 22-10, defeated Florida Tech University 77-67 to capture third place in the nation. A 58-43 setback at the hands of Wisconsin-Green Bay in the semifinal round shattered Eastern's hopes of bringing the national title to Eastern. In the consolation game, Eastern overcame a 10 point halftime deficit against Florida Tech with the aid of a .689 field goal percentage for the second half. Senior guard Charlie Thomas led Eastern in scoring in that game, as he did throughout the season, with a 22 point performance. Thomas was honored by being named to the All-Tournament Team as well. Ice cold shooting by the Panthers in the second half of the opening game of the tournament enabled Green Bay to slip past the Panthers and into the championship game. A delegation in excess of 1,000 fans traveled to Springfield, Mo. for the tournament to continue the strong support they had demonstrated throughout the season. Eastern gained its way into post season competition by winning its final six games, including a 86-76 win over Towson State who had been ranked No. 2 all season, and a 92-62 victory over powerhouse Tennessee State. The Panthers were able to advance to the national tournament without having to leave the friendly confines of Lantz Gym as they hosted both the Great Lakes Regional and the quarterfinal contest. A 100-93 victory over St. Joseph's College in the first round of the regional moved Eastern to the championship game in which they faced Indiana State University-Evansville. Four Panthers scored in double figures to lead Eastern to a 79-67 win over ISUE. Thomas netted 22 points in the championship game. Thomas was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player while teammate IJerrick Scott was also named to the all-tourney squad. That victory set the stage for the quarterfinal contest which pitted Mike Pickens lays up a shot as teammates anticipate the rebound. Eastern against Elizabeth City (North Carolina) State University a team which defeated Towson State 84-73 in the South Atlantic Regional. A screaming crowd of over 5,800 helped Panthers eliminate Elizabeth City from the running for the national title. Scott broke the single season assist record in that game, surpassing the previous 137 record by three. He ended up with 148 for the season and holds the career record with 339. Youth dominated the front line for the Panthers this season with sophomore Craig DeWitt and freshman Mike Pickens at forward and freshman Dennis Mumford at center. Though plagued early in the season by inexperience, the three quickly matured and began dominating the backboards for the Panthers and became offensive threats. In the back court the Panthers are well set in experience and depth. Seniors Thomas and Scott led the squad at guard, while William Patterson came off the bench to assist. Leading the Panthers in scoring for the season was Thomas who averaged just shy of a 20 point per game average with a 19.1 percentage. Thomas' 573 points moved him to third on the all-time scoring list with a career total of 1452 points. Inconsistency in the early part of the season hampered the Panthers as they could not keep a win string going. Fourteen of the games were decided by five points or less with three games decided by one point. The most notable one point decision was a 45-44 loss to Wisconsin-Green Bay, the Division II ranked team. The Panthers had a chance for an upset but three missed shots in the final five seconds spelled defeat. In the Green Bay loss two Lantz Gym records were set. Eastern scored the lowest number of points with 44 and Green Bay set the lowest rebounding total, grabbing only 20 caroms. Eastern had 26 for the game.
Head basketball coach Don Eddy directs and Instructs, but the hardest part Is waiting. Senior guard Charlie Thomas tries to sneak around the back to block the shot. - Shadowed In a spotlight, the Panthers huddle In their den. Freshman Jeff Jacobs heads for the basket, not ready to be stopped or even distracted. 87
88 Young trod"\ team is JJbest ever''--Schmidt by Brian Nielsen Eastern's 1977 women's track team was one without an abundance of experience, but enough young talent to make up for it. The predominantly underclassman squad, which fourth year mentor Joan Schmidt considered Eastern's best women's track team ever, bested every team it faced during the season except the three Big 10 universities and Western Illinois University. The Panthers compiled a 3-2 dual record and won both the Panther Invitational and the relay meet which they hosted last spring with only two seniors competing. Half-miler Kim Davis and hurdler Deb Ward, who graduated holding school records, will be missed next season. Returning young talent, however, should help compensate for the loss. The brightest of the young women athletes were the tireless freshman twin sisters Robin and Ruth Smith. Both set school records early in the season and continued their success throughout the year. Ruth copped the state title for the mile with a 5:00.3 record run. The Smiths' performances led Eastern to a third place among nine teams in the large school division of the state finals. The University of Illinois won the meet, and Western illinois took second. Robin Smith was one of three Panthers to qualify for the national finals in California. She competed in the three mile run, while junior Sue Wren qualified for the 800 meter run and freshman Sue Fortune advanced in the discus throw. Other Eastern athletes who scored in the state meet, as well as contributing to the team's success during the year, included weight throwers Jo Huber and Gwen Varney: hurdler Carmen Ritz; and Sue Evans, Lori Garnett, Nancy Brigham, Audrey Morracco, Donna Moore and Kim Kuhle in relays. Donna Gale gathers all she 's got to hurl the javelin . Nancy Brigham reaches the ultimate: breaking the string . Cay Stawicki glares with sheer determination as she clears one more hurdle.
First year cross country team starts strong by Pat Hodge For the first time in the school's athletic history, Eastern sported a women's cross country team this fall. The decision to support such a team was made last spring by the Intercollegiate Athletic Board and President Daniel Marvin. The decision delighted the new coach Joan Schmidt, who also serves as the women's head track coach. "Women have to be on a year round running program to be very successful," Schmidt stated. So with an entourage of 22 prospective runners, the season was underway. In the women's debut, they finished a respectable third in a triangular meet against the University of Illinois and Southern Illinois-Carbondale (SIU-C). The meet was respectable in the fact that the squad was inched out of second place by a very fine SIU-C team by only three points. The meet also revealed the leadership of sophomore Robin Smith, who had won the Illinois Intercollegiate threemile and two-mile races in track the spring before. Robin won the triangular, followed by her twin sister Ruth in fourth. In the Illinois State Invitational, where the team finished third out of six teams, Robin was again the first Eastern runner across, finishing second. It was at this point in the season when Robin suffered an injury to her foot that kept her out of the next two meets. Fortunately, the team responded well in the two meets they ran without her, finishing fifth out of fourteen in an invitational at Western Illinois, and second out of five at the Chicago Lakefront Invitational. "I think we can go anywhere and do okay, bec:ause we've got some good runners. A lot of it is just a matter of experience to be able to know how much they can do," Schmidt said. ~~~~~ ~ Starting from the bottom up Eastern's female athletes formed the first cross country team, coached by Joan Schmidt. With Robin running again, the team competed in the SIU-C Invitational, where they finished eighth out of fourteen teams with Robin sixth. The big meet of the year was the state meet. The results were not too disappinting as Robin captured the state title and Ruth finished a very fine eighth. The team itself finished a strong fourth behind Western Illinois, Illinois and SlUe. With the team part of the season over, Eastern sent the Smith twins as its representatives to the regional meet. In the regional, Robin and Ruth finished fourth and twenty-ninth, respectively, qualifying for the national meet held in Austin, Texas. Taking into consideration that it was the first cross country season ever, the women did very well: competitive finishes in invitationals; fourth place in the state; and qualification of two runners for the national meet. The Smith twins, Robin and Ruth keep In shape side by side. 89
90 Volleyball accomplishes all but one by julie Penne Eastern's volleyball team, finishing the season with a 29-8 record, accomplished all of its preseason goals with the exception of a state championship. Coach Margie Wright said, "I feel like we had a super season, but the state championship would have made the season complete." In addition to the winning season, Wright had hoped to win a number of tournaments. The Panthers brought home the school's first volleyball trophy ever when it won the St. Louis Invitational in October. They also swept the consolation bracket of the Illinois State Invitational. Wright said, "I feel like the St. Louis tournament was a highlight of our season. We played really well in that tournament." Wright felt that the team's success was due to the overall teamwork and serving game. "Our front line of Beth Riser, Diann Schrader and Karen Kaler blocked and spiked consistently in each of our matches," Wright said . " Nancy Jurgenson, Karen Keister, Joni Comstock, Jo Anne Robinson and Chris Timmis served so well all season long." Two senior Panthers, Robinson and Reenie Brock, will be graduating at the end of this year. Wright said, "Jo Anne was a consistent player and was always interested in helping the team in any way she could. Reenie was the team leader," Wright added. "She always came through with the points we needed the most. As an experienced setter, she controlled the play of the ball and utilized each player in order to confuse the defense with our attack." Wright feels that the teamwork displayed all season long helped the squad to defeat such teams as the University of Minnesota, the University of Illinois (who took second at the state tournament), Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, and Florissant Valley, the national junior college champs for the past two years. Wright started her first season at Eastern on an optimistic note and is ending it that way. "I believed at the beginning of the Eastern reaches to the net .for a quick return. Karen Uhler makes go'od use of her protective knee pads in an attempt to save a low ball. season that we could do as well as we did and I felt like we could beat anyone. I am looking forward to next year and doing even better than we did this year." Though she is not going to recruit, Wright is going to scout the high school state volleyball tournament. Wright already has goals set for next year's squad and expects to achieve them. She said, "I want our team to aim for the state championship again and work on our skills and overall play. But most of all, I want to develop the volleyball program here at Eastern so that the high school seniors will want to come here because we have a good program."
A dejected opponent saunters away from a whistle that blew too soon. A referee watches closely as the two battle, wailing to exercise her authority. Women's field hocl~ey brings home number two Eastern's women's field hockey teams compiled a 12-6-1 varsity record and an undefeated 6-0-2 junior varsity record to finish off a very successful season. The Panthers brought home second place honors in the state tournament competition. Eastern tied Western Illinois University 2-2 and also tied Southern Illinois University (Edwardsville) 1-1 to keep them in the competition. The junior varsity team brought home an undefeated record after winning over Principia College, Northern Illinois, Illinois State University, twice, Indiana State University and Western Michigan. The "jay-vee's" tied two teams during the season, Greenville College and Southern Illinois University (Carbondale). The varsity team won 12 of their 1977 season games defeating Principia College, Wheaton College, University of Missouri (St. Louis), University of Nebraska, Eastern Kentucky, DePauw College and Illinois State University twice. Top scorers for this year's varsity team were Lisa Williams with 13 goals, Deborah Holzapfel with nine goals, Linda Bailey with six goals. Determination is the word when there are four hockey sticks and only one bali. 91
92 Women swimmers dive in with only 12 by Carl Gerdovich Depth posed the major problem for Eastern's women's swimming team in the 1977-78 season with only nine swimmers and three divers comprising the squad. Under the leadership of first-year coach Sue Thompson the team had trouble in the opening duals, losing to Illinois State (ISU) and George Williams College. However, in the relay competition, Eastern tied for third place at the ISU relays and also captured fourth place in the Northern Illinois Huskie Invitational. Returning swimmers for Eastern were Marty Mulder, Karen Moss, Bonnie Lovett and Ginny Kruetziger. Both Mulder and Moss were among the women's top competitors with all four of the returnees representing Eastern in state competition. Without the needed experience, Thompson was aware of her lack in depth. "We were at a big disadvantage in that we worked with only nine swimmers, but our determination showed the kind of quality we had," Thompson said. Assisting Thompson with the coaching duties were graduate assistants Ellen Whale and John Schuster. Schuster put heavy emphasis on the diving compet~tion as the diving team of Competing against Illinois State, this diver attempts a layout back. Sue Berdan, Nancy Sharpe and Margarett Shurtleff tallied valuable points in dual competition. Various women shared the highlights at Eastern's meets as the returnees carried the work load in the distance events. Lori Harris set a new pool record at George Williams College in the 500. yard free style and freshman Sharon Bird took three firsts in a dual against ISU. Despite the internal problems, Eastern's women gave it their best. Assistant coach Ellen Whale summed it up. "Being as small in number as we were, we did have some excellent individualists." She begins with full extension of the bod) . Chris Cooper uses a paddle board to practice her kicks . Senior Mary Julie Soukup picks up the pace In the freestyle competition.
The best part of the meet Is taking the time to meet the fans afterward. Lynn Durante follows the ball on her return and anticipates her opponents next move. Jan Heath Is on her toes, ready for the return. Ladies' tennis finishes on top-- 5th in the state by Bob Nasenbeny Eastern's women's tennis team accomplished its two main goals this fall: a winning season and a top five finish in the state meet. "''m very happy about the season," coach Joyce David said. "The girls worked very hard this past year and we accomplished our major goal of a winning season," she added. David, hoping for one of the top five positions in the state meet, was thoroughly surprised by her team when it captured third out of approximately 13 schools. The women netters closed the season on a winning note by defeating DePauw University 4-1 and thus lifting its season record to 5-4. "We had good depth this year and the records show it. I'm very proud of the girls. It will be very difficult to match this year's performance in upcoming state meets," David said. Robin Heilman, the number four singles player, had an excellent season, winning all nine of her matches. Patti Groth and Deb Belton had an impressive 6-3 mark. "Robin had a very fine season. She had some really tough matches, but continually played good consistent tennis," David said. Kathy Holmes' 5-4 record at number one singles, did not reflect her superlative season play. Holmes' finest performance was against Illinois State when she defeated a highly regarded opponent 6-4, 6-4. "Kathy worked her match just beautifully. She was playing out of her mind," David said. Promising freshman netters include third singles player, Groth and sixth singles Jan Heath. Both women have shown very tough play and will give Eastern some exciting matches in the future. 93
94 Women's basl~etball team gains experiencewith tough schedule by Bob Nasenbeny Eastern's women's basketball team, faced with a tough '77-78 schedule, has gained valuable experience for the upcoming season. After falling to a 2-4 record early in the year, the women cagers came back with three wins in 24 hours in a homestand which proved crucial in setting the tempo for the rest of the season. "Those three wins really boosted our confidence, especially the win over nationally ranked Western Michigan," head coach Melinda Fischer said. Linda Ellsworth, Eastern's leading scorer and rebounder from last year, was out this season due to a knee injury. "Linda being out for the season was a big loss for us," Fischer said. Because of Ellsworth's absence, many girls have had a chance to prove themselves. "Linda was very good and not many girls saw playing time because of this. Now that these girls are seeing playing time, our team has shown great depth," she added. The women cagers have shown excellent off-the-bench performances this season. "Beth Riser and jo Huber were just outstanding this season. They've shown very good play and have sparked our team numerous times. "We have much more depth this year with our young freshmen additions. Vede Sergent, Marche Harris, Sandy Thorpe and Caroline Archer really have done an excellent job for us this year," Fischer said. Only two starters from last year's team, Sally Niemeyer and Lisa Williams, have started this year. Although the women cagers do not present "Most Valuable" and "Most Improved" player awards, coach Fischer said, "Sally would have to be our "Most Valuable" and the "Most Improved" award would be split three ways among Lois Cryder, Jo Huber and Beth Riser." "I'm really amazed at how well these girls play, since most of them never played in high school," she added. A sideline conference at the time out holds everyone's attention. Niemeyer, sporting a 10 point average mid-way through the season, "has given up the ball more in order to find the open man," Fischer said. "This shows Sally's (Niemeyer) unselfishness and team play. Likewise, our entire team is very team-oriented. They always look for the open man and the best possible shot to take," she added. "Lisa (Williams) averaging nine points a game mid-way through the season is a team leader. She is very enthusiastic and an excellent on-the-court coach." "She's a ra-ra person and takes the personal responsibility of getting the team psyched-up for tough games," Fischer said. The women cagers, totaling nine returnees from the '76-'77 season, will be even tougher next season with six seniors playing. "We'll be super-tough next year because of the six seniors who always play tougher because it's their last year and they want to do well," Fischer added.
Basketball coach Melinda Fischer looks down the line, depending on her bench for strong substitution. It's two on one, but the Panthers don't let go. Alone In the circle, Eastern grabs the rebound to hold off Oakland.
96 Badminton team eyes the state championship by Julie Penne With his top six players returning from last season, head coach Robert Hussey had high hopes for his badminton team. By the middle of the season, many of his goals had become a reality and Hussey's vision of a state championship focused a bit clearer. "After the success we have enjoyed thus far, I feel like we are strong contenders for the state title that we narrowly lost last season," he said. Hussey and his Panthers have enjoyed such success as romping Southern Illinois University (SIU-C) 140-4 for the team's first victory of the season. Eastern lost only one match against the Salukis, but totaled five defeats for the season. After having two meets cancelled due to severe weather, the Panthers got back into the swing of w inning by sweeping the SIU Invitational. In defeating such teams as Illinois State, Western, Southern and Blackburn, Eastern sent four individuals into the winner's circle. The Panther's number one seed, senior Mary Stupek teamed with Kay Metzger to take the Class A doubles championship, after Stupek lost in the Class A singles final. judi White won the Class B singles championship and Marina jennings defeated teammate Erin Hussey for the Class B Consolation crown. Kathy Hussey demonstrates proper technique and form on the return. Practically kneeling, Judi White reaches to make contact with the birdie. Head badminton coach Robert Hussey stresses player positioning.
Softball team tal~es 2nd in the state by Pat Hodge Optimism was the main word in the hopes of the 1977 edition of Eastern's women's softball team. They came off a second place finish in the state tournament, on their way to a 14-6 record. In spite of the graduation of ace pitcher Deb Davis (13-5), coach Helen Riley was still optimistic. Riley indicated that the team would be better in the infield, stronger in hitting and faster in their overall team speed. 'We will do as well, if not better, than last year," Riley had stated, pointing out that the team had numerous starters returning, plus some fine new players and freshmen. Indeed, the optimism was supported on paper, but softball teams have to play on a field to prove themselves. In the beginning, Eastern's squad was proving itself, jumping out to a fine 8-3 record, including two sweeps of doubleheaders and two no-hitters by freshmen hurler Karen Redfern. Seven games later, the squad was still sporting a record of 12-6, not shabby by any means. Three of the four wins in that stretch were by newcomer Nancy Theis, a junior who also played shortstop. ' Other heroes in this period were thirdbaseman Sally Niemeyer, whose four-for-four hitting, including two homers and six runs-batted-in (RBI), helped the team defeat Indiana State 10-5. Second baseman jane Cade added two homeruns against defending state champ, Illinois State, and provided all the runs needed in a 2-1 victory. Unfortunately, the rest of the regular season was not quite up to par. In fact, it was a disaster as the team lost its last five regular season games with Illinois State gaining a 3-2 revenge in the season finale. Carrying a 12-11 mark into the state tournament in DeKalb, the women were not disturbed by their recent slump. The girls were "pretty high for the tournament," assistant coach Deb Salyer said. "We've been second for the past two years and we want to get back on the winning road." Salyer was filling in for coach Riley, who had been stricken ill and was hospitalized. The squad played fairly well in the state tourney after losing the first game. They won their next two games in the consolation bracket with Redfern picking up the two victories. Those victories set up a rematch with Southern Illinois-Carbondale (SIU-C) who had whipped the Panthers 12-3 early in the season. The Panthers lost again, but not before giving Southern a tough fight with a final 2-1 score. Some of the steady performers for the 14-13 squad were Redfern who finished the season with a 9-5 mark, including two no-hitters, making her the heir apparent of Deb Davis. Theis who had a 5-6 pitching record while also playing shortstop and batted a team-leading .311 . Niemeyer, the team's big run producer, had 20 RBis, plus a .311 batting average. Senior jane Cade batted a steady .309 along with other consistent players Linda Bailey and Deanne Reiss. Next year looks bright as the team returns six starters, plus new freshmen. Even with the season-ending slump, the darkest spot of the year turned out to be the illness that befell Coach Helen Riley. In spite of her tremendous courage, the illness overcame her and she died October 12, in a Chicago hospital. Riley, who came to Eastern in 1965, served as Associate Director of Athletics since 1974. During her time at Eastern, she coached teams in field hockey, basketball, softball, track and golf. 97