1983

Obituaries: Paul "Bear" Bryant, George Cukor, Jack Dempsey, Ira Gershwin, George Halas, Henry "scoop" Jackson, Harry James, Meyer Lansky, Raymond Massey, Norma Shearer, Gloria Swanson, Tennessee Williams.

Awards:

The Oscars:
Best Picture: Terms of Endearment.
Best Actor: Robert Duvall, Tender Mercies.
Best Actress: Shirley MacLaine, Terms of Endearment.
The Grammies:
Male Pop Vocalist: Michael Jackson, "Thriller."
Female Pop Vocalist: Irene Cara, "Flashdance."
Pop Group: Police, "Every Breath You Take."
Nobel Prizes:
Literature: William Golding.
Peace: Lech Walesa.

Entertainment:

• Other Films of 1983: Return of the Jedi, Never Say Never Again, The Year of Living Dangerously,

• The Right Stuff, Sudden Impact, Rumble Fish, Flashdance, WarGames, Trading Places, Octopussy, The Big Chill, Superman III.

• Top TV Miniseries: The Thorn Birds, The Winds of War.

• Top-Rated TV Movie: The Day After.

• Top 10 TV Series of 1983: 60 Minutes, Dallas, M*A*S*H, Magnum, P.I., Dynasty, Three's Company, Simon & Simon, Falcon Crest, The Love Boat, The A Team.

• On February 28, the top rated TV show of all time was broadcast when more than 50 million households tuned to CBS for the final episode of M*A*S*H.

• Michael Jackson was the year's top recording star with "Thriller" and "Beat It."

• Other Top Singles: "Maneater" (Hall & Oates), "All Night Long" (Lionel Richie), "Sweet Dreams" (Eurythmics), "Total Eclipse of the Heart" (Bonnie Tyler).

• After 2,377 performances, Annie closed on Broadway.

• Best Sellers: Alice Walker's The Color Purple, Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose, Stephen King's Pet Sematary, John Naisbitt's Megatrends, Thomas J. Peters & Robert H. Waterman Jr.'s In Search of Excellence.

• Top Fad of 1983: Cabbage Patch dolls.
  

Sports:

• The Washington Redskins beat the Miami Dolphins, 27-17, in Super Bowl XVII.

• Nebraska edged LSU, 21-20, in the Orange Bowl.

• Nebraska running back Mike Rozier won the Heisman Trophy.

• John McInroe won the men's singles at Wimbledon, while Jimmy Connors won the U.S. Open.

• Martina Navratilova won the women's singles in both tournaments.

• The U.S. lost the America's Cup for the first time in history.

• The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Los Angeles Lakers in 4 straight games to win the NBA title.

• Hal Sutton beat Jack Nicklaus by one stroke in the PGA ctournament.

• Gerrie Coatzee knocked out Michael Dokes to become the WBA heavyweight champion.

• Sunny's Halo won the Kentucky Derby.

• The New York Islanders won their 4th consecutive Stanley Cup.

• The Baltimore Orioles topped the Philadelphia Phillies in 5 games to win the World Series.

Other Events of 1983:

• U.S. Marines landed on the island of Granada.

• Sally Ride became the first U.S. female astronaut aboard the space shuttle Challenger.

• For the first time in its 23-year history, OPEC voted to lower oil prices.

• The Federal Trade Commission approved a joint venture between General Motors and Toyota to build a plant in Fremont, California.

• 241 U.S. troops were killed by a truck bomb in Beirut, Lebanon.

• Barney Clark, the first artificial heart recipient, died 112 days after the operation.

• A federal holiday honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. was instituted.

• Korean Air Lines flight 007 was shot down by a Soviet fighter over the Sea of Japan.

• Higher than average temperatures combined with below normal rainfall to bring a record drought to Midwestern farmers.

• Pope John Paul II visited his native Poland.

• World leaders met in an economic summit in Williamsburg, Virginia.

• The Postal Service asked to raise first class postage rates to 23¢.

• A federal report concluded that the American education system was so poor that it "threatens our very future as a nation and a people."

• President Reagan called for the development of a "Star Wars" defense system.

• The San Diego Zoo boasted the first California condor hatched in captivity.

SMU in 1983:

• Cotton Bowl appearance – SMU-7, Pitt-3.

• Hyer Society, SMU’s most prestigious honorary, is inaugurated.

• Men’s Track Team finishes first in NCAA championship.

• Gay & Lesbian Students Support Organization (GLSSO) denied recognition by Student Senate.

• The library’s two-millionth book—a 1469 edition of Aristotle’s Ethica, Politica, Oeconomica—is added.

• SMU announces The Decade Ahead Plan, designed to “continue the advance toward becoming one of the outstanding private universities in the nation.” Specific improvements include expanding and modernizing physical facilities, creating 32 endowed chairs, diversifying and upgrading the academic standing of the student body, and increasing scholarship and financial aid.

• Retired Staff Association is founded, and the first luncheon hosted Dr. Willis Tate as speaker.

JCPenney in 1983:

• Donald V. Seibert, chairman since 1974, retired; William R. Howell became chairman and CEO.

• Sales for the year were $12.078 billion.

• The Company announced plans to spend more than a billion dollars over the next 5 years to modernize stores.

• JCPenney celebrated the sale of its 100 millionth pair of pantyhose.

• Auto service, hard line appliances, paint, hardware, lawn and garden supplies and fabrics were dropped as JCPenney instituted its repositioning program.

• The Company acquired the First National Bank of Harrington, Delaware.

• To promote JCPenney's new fashion image, stores installed Halston III shops.

• Financial Services unveiled their new slogan: "Insurance from an old family friend.

• The Company's Thrift Drug stores recorded their highest profits to date.