By: Brenda (Vayer) Yepez
1981 – Ronald Reagan was President; Sandra Day O’Connor was nominated to become the first female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court; a gallon of gas cost you $1.13; IBM in US launches its first PC which uses Microsoft Software MS DOS; Raiders of the Lost Ark was playing in theaters and Dynasty on Television, but for California Rainbow it was the year of the Honey Buns. With a group of 81 officers led by our top hare Sara Fogle, raising a total of $46,000 for Cystic Fibrosis and Camp Harmony. Cystic Fibrosis is a hereditary disease affecting the exocrine (mucus) glands of the lungs, liver, pancreas, and intestines, causing progressive disability due to multisystem failure. Camp Harmony was a dream of a piece of land that would house our annual camp, and though the dream never came true in the original concept, many of you have enjoyed camp today due to the dream of Camp Harmony.
Our Grand Assembly was held in Fresno, CA on April 12-15th 1981 with the theme “Rainbow the Greatest Show on Earth”. It was also the introduction to what is now Grand Talent. Fast forward 45 years later and you will find those rascally rabbits (or some may refer to as “dust bunnies”) still sharing a meal, a weekend, a zoom “Hoppy Hour” because the friendships we made that year have lasted over 4 decades; our paths may change as life goes along, but our friendship will remain forever.
