The Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini dies in Iran. June 4- Gas explosion in Soviet Union engulfs two passing trains, killing 645. Solidarity overwhelming deteats Communist party in Polish parliamentary elections. June 24-25- Oil spills in Texas, Delaware and Rhode Island. July 3- The Supreme Court grants broad authority to states to restrict women's right to terminate pregnancies, but leaves intact its 1973 decision legalizing abortion. July 6- Last of Pershing IA missiles scrapped. July 17- Maiden flight of B-2 Stealth bomber. Chinese students revolt; Military opens fire "I can't believe the news today. Wish I could close my eyes and make it go away . . . And today the millions cry. We eat and drink while tomorrow they die." -U2 Sunday Bloody Sunday I rememher seeing the sea of people on the news. It was summer vacation and I usually managed to be around a television near "news-time," not that I am particularly news hungry during the summer around "news-time." I'm usually more inclined to be food-hungry, but I would usually watch the news while my mom prepared the meal. That's just how it is in our house. Like I said, though, I remember seeing the sea of people in China. I never paid too much attention to it at first. "It's just another courageous protest that will fail miserably in the hands of a hard-nosed, fascist government," I thought. While I enjoyed my homecooked meal, I couldn't help but watch the images that came across our TV. It was all so far away and hard to imagine. Another thing that caught my eye was how the mob looked. They all looked so young and sickly. Eventually, I learned that they were mainly college students my age. Even younger. It was days later when the massacre occurred. I was stupefied. Stunned. Ashamed. What rational actor could have ordered such reprehensible actions? Hitler, maybe. The mob was jeopardizing their communist rule and being rational men, the priority became stopping the revolt. Orders were given. Troops were brought in. AK-47 assault rifles were loaded and lowered. Triggers were pulled. Human targets were hit. Blood was spilled. Innocent lives were ended. The Chinese fighting the Chinese. Think about it. The men that did the killing were probably no older than those they killed. OUR age. I remember seeing the sea of people on TV. I ate grilled chicken while they starved for democracy. It was just another courageous protest that failed in the hands of a hard-nosed, fascist government. Or did it? - Randy Williams NEWS HUNGRY. People grab for copies of a student newsletter printed in Tiananmen Square.News from any source was welcome because of government censorship of the official Chinese press. The students showed great hope and courage as they fought communism in their country head on. Many died in the revolution that ended t ragically, but many still hope for the Chinese students. - Photo by Jeff Widene r (AP) July 19- United DC-10 crashes while attempting emergency lading in Sioux City, Iowa - 112 dead, 184 survivors. July 31- Lebanese kidnappers say they hanged U.S. hostage William Higgins, Marine lieutenant colonel August 7-U.S. Rep. Mickey Leland of Texas killed in plane crash in Ethiopia. August 14- P .W. Botha resigns as president of South Africa. F.W. DeKlerk formally succeeds him a month later. August 17-21- The 4th annual Student Impact takes place on a hot and humid Harding campus. 1,082 freshmen, transfers and workers participate. August 23- Fall semester classes begin. Enrollment at a record high of 3,284. August 24- Pete Rose banned from baseball for life. Voyager 2 passes within 3,000 miles of Neptune. August 30- Hotel "queen" Leona Helmsley convicted of tax evasion charges; later sentenced to four years in prison and fined $8.8 million. September 6- South African elections; 25 die in rioting. September 10- Hungary drops requirements for East Germans to have exit permission from East German Government. Exodus of East Germans that began in summer increases. September 17-21- Hurricane Hugo sweeps through the Caribbean and in Charleston, S.C., with 135 mile-per-hour winds, killing 62 September 19- A bomb explodes on French UTA DC-10 airliner over Chad, killing all 171 aboard. September 20- Spring Sing hosts and hostesses are announced. September 28- Michael Martin Murphey performs in the Benson. September 29- Actress Zsa Zsa Gabor convicted and later sentenced to three days in jail for slapping a police officer. October 1- The 66th annual Harding Bible Lectureship begins. The Year In Review 37
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