A History Book
Did you know that Donald Trump was voted the Popularity Poll’s
Class of 1964 Ladies’ Man at his high school?
That Steve Carell was editor-in-chief of his high school newspaper?
That Jessica Simpson was homecoming queen?
That Ted Koppel’s nickname was “Dumbo”?
It’s all there—in their high school yearbooks. Thanks to their year-
book staffs.
Your yearbook will be the only history ever written of this year at this
school with these people. Coaches keep statistics, but their records are
eventually discarded. The office keeps a file on each student, but those
are private records. Even the school newspaper may be lost if copies are
not bound and saved. But students save their yearbooks.
As the historical record of the school, the yearbook must be factual,
accurate and complete. The name of every person who is enrolled or
works in the school should be recorded—and spelled correctly. Scores,
dates of events, and special occasions such as anniversaries or charter
meetings of organizations must be recorded for future reference. Because
the yearbook is a record book, complete season records for each team are
a necessity, as are the names of all members of organizations, classes and
the faculty, whether they are pictured or not.
Important events in the national and local news should be included
as part of the history of the year, along with things such as the most
popular movies and books. Features on issues that concern students are
increasingly finding their way into the student life sections of yearbooks.
These features might cover subjects such as peer acceptance, dating,
money, getting into college, teenage pregnancy, drinking, gangs, single-
parent families and suicide.
A history is not complete if it omits the news people don’t like to hear.
If the death of a classmate or faculty member occurs during the year, it
should be noted in the yearbook. “In Memoriams” include dates, a brief
biography of the person and quotes from friends. They usually feature a
recent photo of the person.
Some topics may be controversial in your school or community and
should be discussed by the staff before publication. Stating the cause of
death in an obituary also should be discussed. Some fear, for instance,
that a story on suicide or listing suicide as a cause of death will have a
psychological impact on the family or the students. Others feel that it is
better to be open and factual about the issue of suicide. Each staff must
determine a policy based on the preferences of its school, the commu-
nity and individual circumstances. The best solution is to have a policy
before the need arises.A Reference Book
People will turn to a yearbook to find information on an individual,
an organization or an advertiser. Like other books to which people refer
for information, your yearbook should be organized and have reference
points.(^402) MIXED MEDIA
PHILADELPHIA, January 1741
—Printers Benjamin Franklin
and Andrew Bradford raced to put
the first American magazine into
print.
Franklin’s publication, General
Magazine and Historical Chronicle
for all the British Plantations in
America, carried a cover date of
January 1741. However, the 70-
page magazine wasn’t actually
offered for sale until February 16.
Bradford was Franklin’s chief
competitor in the printing busi-
ness. He also dated his magazine,
American Magazine, or A Monthly
View of the Political State of the
British Colonies, January 1741. It
appeared in print February 13.
Franklin produced six issues.
Bradford produced three.
A few more magazines were
published between the 1740s and
the 1850s. However, production
and circulation were limited due
to the lack of easy publication and
distribution methods.
Following the Civil War, a
national transportation system
was completed that made large-
scale distribution accessible. Faster
presses made mass printing possi-
ble. Free public education enabled
everyone to read. Advertising
became popular and began to
help pay the costs of production.
National magazines did more
than any previous publications to
educate readers about social and
cultural issues. They also success-
fully sold products ranging from
cough syrup to farm equipment.
Among the national maga-
zines that began publication
before 1900 are some still in pub-
lication today, such as National
Geographic, Ladies’ Home Journal,
Popular Science and the Saturday
Evening Post.