1979
A major accident at Three-Mile Island, Pennsylvania, called worldwide attention to the
potential dangers of nuclear reactors. A DC-10 jetliner crashed on take-off in Chicago, killing
275 people, making it the worst airline disaster in US history. A mobile ICBM system, called
MX, was approved by President Carter. Chrysler received a $1.3 billion loan guarantee from
the US government. Ninety people, including 63 Americans, were taken hostage at the
American embassy in Teheran on November 3. The US opened diplomatic relations with the
People's Republic (Red) of China. MicroPro introduced Wordstar word processing program.
Voyage sent back pictures from 172,000 miles off Jupiter. The IRA assassinated Lord
Mountbatten in Ireland. The Boston University faculty strike became the first faculty strike in a
major American university. Hurricane David killed 1,100 along eastern US seaboard. The US
lending rate was at 12%. The Shah fled Iran and the Ayatollah Khomeini assumed power. The
Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Dallas Cowboys in the Superbowl, 35-31. The US Surgeon
General linked cigarette smoking to cancer, heart, and lung disease. Michelle Triola sued actor
Lee Marvin as "palimony" for half of the $3.5 million he earned while they lived together.
Movies included
Apocalypse Now, The China Syndrome, Alien, Kramer vs. Kramer
, and
Rocky II.
• New Hockey Coach
• Phonathon
• Communications Workshop
• Jack Hantz
• After-hours Exams
• Wrestlers to Nationals
• WPE
• Keller Plan Accounting
• Holcroft Renovated
• WNTC/WTSC Merger
• McGill Retired
• New Faculty
• Double Major/Double Degree
• K2CC Helped Traveller
• Alumnae Hockey
• BS in Computer Science
• Freshman Records
• Plane on Leave
• Order of the Engineer
• Rifle Team
•
Who's Who
• Fiesinger Retired
• Delta Chi Name
New Hockey Coach.
As Clarkson's varsity hockey coach, William O'Flaherty '71, assistant
hockey coach since 1972, replaced Jerry York who accepted the position as head coach at
Bowling Green University, Ohio. O'Flaherty had played three years with the varsity hockey
team.
As head coach, he compiled a 134-59-12 overall record in six seasons for one of the best
winning percentages among hockey coaches: .683. A past recipient of the Spencer Penrose
Memorial Trophy as the University Division Coach of the year in 1980-81, O'Flaherty guided
the Golden Knights to the ECAC playoffs in each of his six years, and to the NCAA playoffs
three times. A 1971 Clarkson graduate with a bachelor of science degree in humanities, he
played three years for the Knights' varsity team, and participated in the 1970 NCAA hockey
championship.
In 1985, assistant hockey coach Robert "Cap" Raeder replaced him as varsity hockey
coach when he became chairman of the department of athletics on the retirement of Jack Hantz.
