LIVING HISTORY
the sentiments of the night:
“Moving ahead to when football season began sparks
many emotions. This season we played many games, yet
there is one in particular we will always remember. And that
was the night of October 20, when millions sic of people
filled the stadium and for the first time ever, Cobra fans
sat on the visitors side. Yes, the night friends of yesterday
became enemies of today while the Cobras defeated the Panthers.
This game was the highlight of our football season.”
Other senior events like the prom, Grad Night at Disney
World and graduation were held separately. Snuggling with
your sweetheart or chattering with your best friend could not
happen if you were at different schools.
36
Future Farmers of America
members, left to right, Jacob
Stewart, Nick Stewart, Peggy
Summerlin and Butch Lowe,
wait at Fort Pierce Central
for a ride to the St. Lucie
County Fair.
“As you can imagine the personal separations seemed
traumatic at the time,” says Larry Hollett, a retired Air Force
colonel, “and included the full range of high school activities.
When you spend your entire teenage years with a group
of friends, then see half disappear in senior year, it is tough.
Just in my case, I lost a girlfriend, a best friend and an entire
sports team. This last point sports is particularly instructive.
“I was a multisport letterman in high school and had
wrestled since ninth grade,” Hollett explains. “FP Central
won conference and district in 1976-77 and sent a number
of wrestlers to the Florida State Championship. The 1977-
78 season was also successful. We were favored to take the
conference in my senior year but the split took the majority of >>