[Vision2020] Moscow High's "underground" "Cerberus," 1967

Tom Hansen thansen at moscow.com
Thu Feb 26 05:24:09 PST 2009


Ted -

Would you do me a great favor?

Could you scan page 85 of the 1969 Bear Tracks and send it to me?

Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease . . .

I have a few of the 60s Bear Tracks (1963, 1965, and 1966).

As you know, I have made copies of the 1970 UI underground newspaper "The 
Buffalo Free Press" and posted them.  I would like to research the MHS' 
Cerberus and locate a copy (if there is a copy in existence).

Thanks.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

> I'll do that.  I have the yearbook, I think.
> 
> Sue 
>   ----- Original Message ----- 
>   From: Ted Moffett 
>   To: Sue Hovey 
>   Cc: Tom Hansen ; debismith at moscow.com ; ngier at uidaho.edu ;
> vision2020 at moscow.com 
>   Sent: Tuesday, February 24, 2009 3:31 PM
>   Subject: Re: Moscow High's "underground" "Cerberus," 1967
> 
> 
>   Just look on page 85 of the 1969 Moscow High yearbook "Bear Tracks"
> and you can discover the identities of the originators of "Cerberus." 
> There might be a few of the contributors who are not pictured, but a few
> of the ring leaders are...
> 
>   Ted Moffett
> 
>    
>   On 2/21/09, Sue Hovey <suehovey at moscow.com> wrote: 
>     Ted, I didn't know about that one.  I started teaching in Moscow the
> next year so don't recall it or any references to it.  I could probably
> figure out some of the hs kids who might have been involved based on
> their interests and their tenacity.  
> 
>     Sue H. 
>       ----- Original Message ----- 
>       From: Ted Moffett 
>       To: Tom Hansen 
>       Cc: suehovey at moscow.com ; debismith at moscow.com ; ngier at uidaho.edu
> ; vision2020 at moscow.com 
>       Sent: Saturday, February 21, 2009 1:46 PM
>       Subject: Moscow High's "underground" "Cerberus," 1967
> 
>        
>       A group of Moscow High students in 1967 produced an "underground"
> print media production containing prose, poetry and commentary, titled
> "Cerberus," named after the mythological creature that guards that gates
> of hell.  The brains behind this production considered our education to
> be oriented toward masking unpleasant truths about our world, as those
> in hell were kept from escaping by the mythical multi-headed Cerberus,
> and entry to the underworld also denied:
> 
>       http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerberus
> 
>       "The common depiction of Cerberus in Greek mythology and art is as
> having three heads, a mane of live serpents and a dragon's tail."
>       -----------------
>       We widely distributed issues of this production, featuring a
> picture of Cerberus on the cover, without official notice to anyone,
> throughout Moscow High.  Given the production featured satirical pieces
> about a teacher or two at Moscow High, and other content that was
> controversial, the issues were seized by Moscow High authorities, and
> those who wrote for this production were hauled into the principle's
> office for a tongue lashing, threats, etc.  Our parents were notified.  
> 
>       The guardians of the gates of hell at Moscow High decided to allow
> organization of a monitored club to ensure that future issues of our
> little experiment in free speech were not quite so free... in other
> words, censored.  The name of the production was re-named "The Word," a
> rather silly lame moniker compared to the bold and provocative
> "Cerberus."  
> 
>       On page 85 of the 1969 Moscow High yearbook "Bear tracks" is a
> page, with photos of the "staff," regarding "The Word."  At least two of
> those pictured also later wrote for "Buffalo Free Press," censors
> banished.
> 
>       The 1969 Bear Tracks features this commentary on "The Word:"
> 
>       "The Word was begun in 1967 as a complement to the official school
> journal, the Wosco.  The original Word staff felt that a more relevant,
> if sometimes more radical, copy should be published for the benefit of
> the MSHS student body.  The paper is published in a rather elastic
> bi-weekly schedule."
> 
>       Ted Moffett
> 
>       On 2/19/09, Tom Hansen <thansen at moscow.com> wrote: 
>         The thing is you just ain't lived until you read your name in
> the LA Free
>         Press following a sit-in at LA's McArthur Park during the summer
> of '68.
> 
>         But that was back before records of it were expunged (turning 18
> and all).
> 
>         It was bitchin', man!
> 
>         Tom Hansen
>         Moscow, Idaho
> 
>         > Ted,
>         > There was an "underground" newspaper in the high school in the
>  very
>         > early 70s (probably a year or so after you graduated.)  It was
>         > mimeographed and didn't publish more than a couple of
> editions.  It was
>         > during the days of the high school paper, the Wocsomonian (I
> never
>         > understood the title either) and I think the kids in the
> journalism
>         > class had a hand in its publication, as well.   It dealt more
> with
>         > school issues than other political events.  I remember one was
> dress
>         > codes, but that didn't get much play because it was about that
> time the
>         > dress codes pretty much disappeared in the high school for
> both students
>         > and teachers.  The printing was done off campus, but the
> distribution
>         > was on campus.
>         >
>         > Maybe some of you early 70s grads remember it.
>         >
>         > Sue H.
>         >   ----- Original Message -----
>         >   From: Ted Moffett
>         >   To: deb ; Nick Gier
>         >   Cc: vision2020 at moscow.com
>         >   Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2009 2:47 PM
>         >   Subject: [Vision2020] Buffalo Free Press,Early Seventies
> Underground
>         > Newspaper
>         >
>         >
>         >   Not an "urban legend."
>         >
>         >   I was wondering what the readers of Vision2020 really knew
> about
>         > "underground" newspapers in our area during the sixties or
> early
>         > seventies, given I worked and wrote for such a newspaper, that
> was
>         > distributed throughout the Northwest, and based in Moscow,
> Idaho.  So I
>         > asked first, hoping someone would remember... I'm not sure how
> exactly
>         > to define an "underground"newspaper, but this newspaper was
> not done for
>         > profit, and had little if any advertising, with content of a
> very
>         > "radical" social political nature.
>         >
>         >   It was printed on the "Daily Idahonian" (I might have this
> wrong, but
>         > that's what "The Daily News" was called then) printing
> presses.  We
>         > sometimes worked out of the Campus Christian Center during
> brainstorming
>         > sessions that I wish I had audio tapes of... I could name at
> least three
>         > of the staff (not including me), all capable thinkers and
> writers, one
>         > of whom I know Nick Gier knew personally (Nick, if you can
> guess who,
>         > please keep it to yourself).  I clearly recall once accepting
> a large
>         > shipment of this newspaper that I distributed freely, with
> some
>         > trepidation, given the "radical" content, to the citizens of
> the Twin
>         > Falls, Idaho area, when I was visiting friends in Twin Falls.
>         >
>         >   Apparently, Vision2020 has no one reading or inclined to
> respond who
>         > recalls the brilliant and well distributed "underground"
> newspaper (yes,
>         > a real newspaper on newsprint, not a mimeograph machine)
> published in
>         > the early 1970s in Moscow, Idaho, "Buffalo Free Press." 
> Though printed
>         > as though a newspaper, it was more of a sophisticated social
> political
>         > activist journal.
>         >
>         >   If anyone reading this by some miracle has a copy of one or
> more of
>         > the editions of this newspaper I would love to at least copy
> it...
>         >
>         >   Ted Moffett
>         >
>         >
>         >  
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
> -----
> 
> 
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"For a lapsed Lutheran born-again Buddhist pan-Humanist Universalist 
Unitarian Wiccan Agnostic like myself there's really no reason ever to go 
to work."

- Roy Zimmerman


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