1971 had its share of bad luck, as we saw last week. But many people, singly
and in groups, were blessed with good luck this same year.
Among the groups blessed were lovers of the Arts. In New York City on March
18 th, the Whitney Museum of Art acquired 1,500 works by painter Edward
Hopper. On September 8 th, composer Leonard Bernstein's Mass inaugurated
the premier season of Washington's John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing
Arts. Back in New York cellist Pablo Casals conducted a United Nations concert
on October 24 th.
Luck is often a matter of skill. Nowhere else is this as apparent as in
the arenas of sports - certain fans, players and teams certainly felt like
the children of fortune this year. In March, UCLA's basketball won its fifth
straight NCAA title. Early the following month the Soviet hockey team defeated
Sweden to win their 19 th straight world championship. Five days later,
on April 8 th, New York City Mayor john Lindsay placed a two dollar bet,
inaugurating New York State's Off Track Betting. On the 27 th baseball player
Hank Aaron became the third player to hit more than 600 home runs. And toward
the end of May race driver Al Unser won his second Indianapolis 500 in a
row. A record fell on June 26 th, as runner John Smith set the 440-yard
dash record p; crossing the tape in 44.5 seconds. And on the day before
Independence Day U. S. high jumper Pat Matzdorf sets a new record of 7'5.5".
A month later Jamaican runner Don Quarrie broke the record for the 200-meter
dash, coming in at 19.8 seconds.
Native Americans saw some gains in 1971. The U. S. Congress passed the Alaska
Native Claims Settlement Act. And in Canada's North West Territories Radio
Tuk-to-yak-tuk went on the air, broadcasting, in English and In-uk-tu-tuk.
Women made some advances as well. On January 25 th the U. S. Supreme Court
ruled, in Phillips v. Martin Marietta that a company may not deny
employment to a woman with small children unless it treats a man the same
way. On February 7 th Switzerland gave women the vote - in federal elections.
April 13 th saw the election of Patricia Sewell Latting in Oklahoma City
- the first female mayor of a city with a population of over 200,000, November
brought the two first female priests, as the Anglican Church ordains its
first two.
Also in the political arena, two men were added to the White House staff.
G. Gordon Liddy was named general counsel to Nixon's re-election committee,
and E. Howard Hunt became a White House consultant.
OUTRO
For Classical ninety-one five, this is David Minor.
© 1997 David Minor / Eagles Byte
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