Perspective cont'd. for the people of Poland. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 1983. Yuri Andropov, aged 69, kept out to public view for several months with an undetermined ailment , but not before he hosted Samantha Smith, a gradeschool student from Manchester, Maine. Samantha had written and asked him if he wanted to cqnquer the world. Andropov invited her to come to the Soviet Union at his government 's expense and see. She accepted . flew to Russia, and was showered with gifts and given a royal tour. Afterward she exclaimed, "The Soviet people are really nice they're almost just like Americans." In the nation , the economy showed marked improvement over previous years. The government index rose at an accelerating rate. Unemployment was down to 8.2%, growth was up at 6%, and inflation down to 3.2%. Harding students who took part in the HUF program found their American dollars went farther in European countries than in previous years. One sour note, however, the federal deficit remained around $200 billion with not much prospect for improvement, given the defense and welfare programs that continue to push it higher each year. American minorities made marks for themselves this year. Philadelphia and Ch icago elected black mayors: Harold Washington and Wilson Goode, respectively. Vanessa Williams became the first black to be chosen Miss America in that pageant 's 62-year history. Guy Buford became the first black man ever to enter outer space when he orbited the earth for six days with a crew on the space shuttle Challenger. Sally Ride, an estrophysicist, became the first American woman in space, when she served as a mission specialist with a crew of five on the Challenger in June. Jesse Jackson became the first black to actively seek the nomination as a candidate for the presidency. He assured the nation he was a serious contender by going directly to Syria and securing the release of captured naval airman Lt. Robert Goodman, Jr., by negotiating directly with Pres. Hafez Assad. Americans said "goodbye" to some old favorites: Gloria Swanson, who played the role of an aging movie idol making a comeback in "Sunset Boulevard"; Arthur Godfrey , who made millions of Americans weep as he passionately described Franklin D. Roosevelt's funeral procession; Raymond Massey, whom may were led to believe was Abraham Lincoln incarnate, since he played that role so often ; and Jack Dempsey, a prize fighter who was as "gentle as a lamb" in his private life. Thanks for the memories. On the domestic scene, it was time again for a backward look as the wonder of the Industrial Age . the Brooklyn Bridge, celebrated its 100th birthday. John Roebling's master designed that combined gothic beauty with modern functionalism spanned New York's East River connecting America's first and third largest cities. A 28-minute fireworks display lighted the evening sky on May 25 to give due honor to a noble lady who supported an average 150,000 38 World News daily passengers across a 1595-foot center span, once the world's longest. James Watt, a one-time visitor to the Harding campus and a controversial member of Pres. Reagan 's cabinet , was forced to resign as Secretary of the Interior October 29 because of a remark concerning the composit ion of a committee in which he claimed, "I have a woman, a black, two Jews, and a cripple." The President could not afford the alienation of these groups as another election year approached and asked Watt to go. Had George Orwell lived, he might have regarded 1984 "a very good year." - Dr. Raymond MUllcy ~ Wide World PI,%s _ Wide World Phot os
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