In the Spring of 1979, WHS pulled off one of the greatest coups in Hog City History by winning a contest sponsored by WDBR (WDBR-FM Springfield's #1 Hit Music Station!) which provided a tickets for the entire school to attend a baseball game at Busch Stadium. Nothing was better than having our Student Council Presdient MP Toohill on the field to accept an award for raising money for a charity sponsored by the radio station.
Except there was no alturistc intentions in mind at all from our crafty Wildcats, other than a desire to get out of town. The contest was gamed incorrectly, rewarding prizes based on per student signature gathering. So, if Wapella 100 students could gain 100 signatures each they would get 10,000 signatures. If I recall the signatures required a nickel a piece, so 10,000 signatures cost $500. If BHS 1500 students did the same, they would need to gather 150,000 signatures or $7500, quite a sum. So behind our valiant president, the student body invested their own funds to get enough signatures to win, and we did win big. Great investment, a bit of a carnival game, and a freewheeling trip to StL. Huge tip of the hat to Matthew Toohill, a man ahead of his time.
In that spirit, I was contacted by a friend Kathy Mallin, who teaches nursing U of I-Chicago about a contest American Express is running. Kathy's grandfather was John Mallin, a very good, but not very well known mural painter in Chicago. Her grandfather was not very well liked by the art establishment (probably because his paintings actually looked like the people he was painting), but his work has held up pretty well. One of the subjects of the Amex Contest is the Bohemian National Cemetery in Chicago, of which John Mallin did the decorative painting.
Take a look here
The painting is awesome. The cemetery is the setting for the chase scene in "The Fugitive" with Harrison Ford, and for Halloween, what can beat a gothic old cemetery?
To the point...this contest is not getting a lot votes, but pays out a lot of money ($1 Million). I am suggesting, with your help, we can get that money moving Hog City Style. That is right, stuff the ballot box. Wapella's fastest growing Blog can be used to channel questionable loot to a cemetery. It is a perfect match given
1) Wapella.com has a great respect for our fallen Comrades and Cemeteries. Here is a chance to take care of a cemetery from the comfort of an easy chair.
2) It seems improbable how few people are voting. A Hog City boost is just what the Bohemians need to put them over the top.
3) This is purely derivative of the craft shown by Matt Toohill in 1979. We are approaching the 30 year anniversary of Matthew's coup. What an honor to bestow on a great Wildcat, by copying one of his finest moments.
Come on, get over here and vote for the Bohemian National Cemetery
Then when you are done with that ask your wife or husband or your kids to
Vote again here
Go BNC!
Update: The American Express Site has room for comments. I heartily recommend commenting as if you are the one-armed-man still haunting Dr. Richard Kimble, or better yet David Janssen with some kind of grudge against Harrison Ford.
9 comments:
Wow. This update took the LONG way around before reaching the point, just like so many great Wildcats stories told year in and year out.
EEP--right on brother Wildcat. This post is not Bohemian--it's Byzantine. One of the more complex entries I've seen on w.com. I guess I'm a simple man.
HoosierGato.
Alas, I cannot take credit for this coup. Charles McCubbins was the outgoing student council president in the spring of 1978 when we won the "substantial" prize of $1000.00 for the school. We ended up spending the money on memorials for Mike Hoffman, Wayne Morris and Becky Quaid the following year. I was later impeached when at my final meeting it was discovered that in order to be a student council officer one had to have been a representative from your class previously, which I was never was. Who ever reads the fine print anyway.
MPT '79
MPT - thanks for sharing as I'm sure it was hard to bring up this difficult topic. This impeachment was a terrible injustice.
If you are courageous enough to share your story, it would be appreciated - who was behind this, teacher or student? Is it on your permanent record. What a crock. What can w.com do about this? bbd
MPT, I do not recall that political scandal that rocked the halls at WHS, and resulted in your "impeachment." What a travesty!!
SoCal '79
so was this impeachment like "Nixon's or Bill Clinton?
It was the last meeting of the 78-79 student council. I think it may have been Joe Woolen, who happened to start reading the by-laws of the council when he found the note about needing to be a prior council member to be an officer. It was quickly pointed out that I was never on the student council and therefore anything that was done that year should be wiped from the records. Mr Hedgecock quickly snuffed out any impeachment talk with the installation of the newly elected officers.
MPT
MPT--Thanks for sharing this tough memory. Looking back from afar, one must admit that today's Washington DC battles are "Mickey Mouse" relative to the partisan wars of WHS in the 70s. Yes, those were bittersweet days. Hats off to my victorious opponent in the '77 election CMac, who took down yours truly along with BEP in a hotly contested battle for the presidency. In retrospect, I don't think our slate could have pulled off the WDBR coup. Go Cats!
Hoosier Gato
WRH was a pretty good egg considering what he had to work with in the day. A native of Jerseyville (home of H. Arger and the Moore gang) he was a heck of a barbershopper.
He also had a keen sense of smell and was able to nail several would-be-smokers in the Old Gym.
Down this way he would be known as Billy Bob.
BEP
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