Petit Jean Continues All-American Tradition Coming from the 21st consecutive All-American ranking, the ~etit Jean began to tell the Harding story for 1980-81. Under the direction of sponsor Dr. Joe Pryor. company representative John Clark, patron Myra Lou Tyer, and editor Melanie McMillen, the book went to the press and the people for the fiftyseventh time. The staff was formed from sixty interested students. After a tight September to February schedule, less than thirty staffers remained to compile the six sections. Of the thirty, more than half were new to the yearbook business. Contributors to the 400 page monolithe numbered greater than ever before. Hours were spent interviewing, writing, editing, typing, photographing, chasing informant s, performing all the thousands of little jobs that build a great book. The theme, "the story continues ..." encouraged the staff to view the year's activities within a historical framework. It suggested the flow of time . While the uiqueness of 1981 was emphasized, the past was not lost. A number of changes were made from past editions. The opening section portrayed life for 98 Arts and Sciences-Petit Jean the average; and not so average student. The Scholars division edited by Lora Fleener looked at the academic and departmental orgainzations of the schools. Students and faculty marked their interests, and group photos noted involvement. The newly named Individuals divi sion announced students receiving various honors and presented the classes of 'SI. Under the direction of Susan Pryor, the many faces were brought to life. The seniors were set off with an enlarged section, and features on each spread broke the monotony of the rows, added color, and expanded the yearbook's coverage of the year. The social clubs portion, "In_ tertwining," also included a large segment of the college students. Ely McDivitt led her staff in the discovery of relationships and activities inside the numerous large and small clubs. The Athletes section, under the leadership of Ken Bissell, reported on the successes, and failures, of the Bison intercollegiate teams and those who supported them. Intramural contests, too , were spotlighted. Editor Carol Coker headed the Academy division of the book. High school life, activities and attitudes were developed through the final Petit Jean pages. The index wound up the book with a few changes of its own. Galleries enhanced each spread catching some priceless moments and moods. As a result of the removal of the advertisements section, two new scholarship positions were opened on the staff and an old one was closed. Assistant editor, Susan Pryor, and assistant photographer, Jim Murphy, received " the funds from the vacated business manager's allotment. Head photographer Don Holland spent many hour~ in the darkroom with largest photography staff the Petit Jean has had in years. With a core of six photographers and s:!veral contibutors, the hundreds of prints comprising the book were produced. Copy editor Jimmy Allen oversaw the writing of the copy. The organizations, clubs, ('.nd features kept him and a host of others occupied. The person who molded all of these people and their work into one concise statement for the year was Melanie McMillen, a psychology major from Monroe, LA. The - Dol! Holland Petit Jean office became her home for the year as she often ate and occasionally slept there. She viewed the tremendous task in a cheerful way, "The best thing about working on the Petit Jean is the opportunity it gives you to work with and get to know a great number and variety of people. My i job is mainly to motivate the staffers and maintain morale, and to insure technical consistency throughout the book . With the Petit Jean, you start with an idea; to tell the story of Harding for a year; separate it into factors, develop each of those factions, and then pull them all back together into a concise statement. Overall, it has· been a good experience." A crew of 13 people accompanied the final pages to Oklahoma City on February 28 for paste up. There final corrections were made and the staff enjoyed a "victory celebration." Through it all; the sleepless nights, the cramped fingers, and the suffering grades, the Petit Jean and its composers survived. Summed one staffer, "When the book is in your hands, there is a satisfaction from knowing that it is part yours, and that you did your best, that is like nothing else." - Chri$lopher Thompson
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