Retro RFH Presidential Material

Yes, it’s Presidents Day.

And while the intent of Presidents Day was originally to commemorate the birthday of the first U.S. president, George Washington, it ended up being moved from Washington’s birthday of Feb. 22 to the third Monday of February as part of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act in 1971.

The purpose for that was twofold: to create a three-day weekend for federal and state employees (and sometimes municipal and private sector employees) and to celebrate all presidents.

So, yes, we celebrate all the presidents of the United States — POTUS.

But, we figured we’d give an odd RFH twist to paying ode to presidents by honoring leaders of the presidential sort from RFH’s past.

So, the top Retro Pic of the Day takes us on a journey down McCarter Pond in the bicentennial year of 1976 during the presidency of Gerald Ford with an RFH yearbook reenactment of Washington’s crossing (the Delaware River, not a pond).

Dr. Kinney, an all-time favorite superintendent, was posing as Washington (OK, minus the wig and far less grandiose stature) with a boatload of teacher advisors and other class leaders, like yearbook staff and senior class officers. Dr. Kinney was a great sport. And he didn’t even need a life preserver! No one ever wanted to toss him overboard.

Then there were those presidents we voted for and counted on as fearless and, often, fun leaders. The class president for 1976 was Mike Sanders. He’s the one with the full beard and mustache in the above pic. Wait. The guy was 17 with a full beard and mustache. A preppy twist on Lincoln look-alike?

Now, that’s some true spirit of ’76!

Then there was Ward Tietz, Class of ’78, who wore coconuts and a grass skirt for the Freshmen Follies. Who remembers Greg Nowell’s graduation speech? There are many RFH presidential stories to be told.

Who was your favorite RFH class president?