"Remembering" 1978 on Facebook

When you pick up tomorrow's edition of the Sunday Leader, you'll see a "Remember When?" photo that shows a group of earnest-looking, funkily-clad Johnstown High School students and teachers standing in front of the U.S. Capitol in 1978. (See the photo at right.)

I recognized a couple of the folks in the picture, and I knew they both use the social-networking site Facebook, so I posted the photo on my Facebook profile with a request for more information, comments, etc. Within an hour, most of the people were identified, and dozens of them -- who also are Facebookers -- weighed in with comments on the picture. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to cram all of this information into the caption in the print edition, but I'll share some of it here.

According to Lisa Weiderman (director of the United Way of Fulton County), along with her in the photo are the following people: Tina Passino, Nancy Frye, Toni Frank, Jennifer Piazza, Jeri Lynn Mattice, Mark Bowers, Susan Connolly, Lee Ann Hessleton, Stacey Vedder, David Carey, Jay Chirichio, Michael Satterlee, Michael Franko, Sandy Rutecki, Michael Curthoys, Sherri Blowers, Rocky Snell, Bill Pollak, Chris Piazza, Lori Freeman, Linda Lane Thatcher, Michael Bentley, Tom Frederick, Lisa Spencer Eagan, Gary Pavlus, Wally Hart, Karol Karpoy Gifford, David Achzet, Margo Stock, Ruth Pedrick, Janis Empie, Ann Marie Duffy Beasley, Karen Dyer, Candace Griffith and Lynn Bruce.

Several people shared memories of the trip, some of which were amusing -- if not shocking -- to my young ears (I was only 6 years old while these folks were whooping it up in our nation's capital). I won't go into detail, but here's one of the funnier comments that is safe enough to share in mixed company:

"I recall sitting at the piano on the boat and singing some totally white, howdy doodie songs, when this young man in a leisure suit asked if he could play the piano. All of a sudden, I thought Lionel Richie was there! A large group of kids started singing "Easy like Sunday morning...." and I know I was in awe."

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