*Cahill's Curious Campaign
*Bill Cahill's family had moved to Grand Rapids, MI in the spring of
1976. Bill was a transfer student as a freshman into West Catholic High
School. It was now the third week of September, and he was just a few
weeks in to his sophomore year. Most of the students attending there had
come from the various parishes in town, each of which had their own
grade schools that fed in to the high school. That meant most knew all
of the other kids from their feeder school quite well, in addition to
the new friends they had made during their freshman year. Bill was
still a bit of an outsider since he joined late in the school year, and
still at the awkward teenager phase of making new friends.
The third week into this new school year was the time for the student
class elections. Each grade would elect a president, vice president and
treasurer to the student council. September 1976 also had on ongoing
national election which generated a tremendous amount of local interest,
as Grand Rapid's own native son incumbent Gerald Ford was pitted against
Jimmy Carter, a relative outsider nationally. This national interest
had the effect of magnifying everyone's interest in elections, and this
included Bill as well. He too could run for class president, and in
taking a note from the national scene he too could run as an outsider!
And so it was, a campaign theme was born.
Now back in those days, campaigns generally consisted of hand made
posters taped up in the hallways, occasional hand written flyers (there
were no printers back then!), and sometimes campaign messages written in
chalk on blackboards in between class periods before teachers erased
them. Bill's posters contained message's such as "Vote for Bill Cahill,
the new kid in town!", and "Vote Bill Cahill, the transfer student who
has been around" in order to generate some name recognition. This did
have some positive effect as some students unfamiliar to him would
provide some encouragement with a "Good luck, Bill" or a "I'll vote for
you, Bill". But these were far and few between, and the election was
only a few days away. Bill knew he needed to do something much bigger
in scope; something that would make his name very well known. But what
could he do? He was pondering over this at lunch in the lunch
hall/auditorium when the drama club came in and made an announcement
reminding everyone to attend their musical /"No No Nanette"/ the
following evening. It was at that moment that something clicked in
Bill's head, and he came up with the most amazing, brilliant imaginative
scheme. He would come up with a way to get his name "up in lights", so
to speak, during the musical. After school that very same evening, with
paper and paint in hand, Bill snuck back in to the auditorium and put
his plan into action.
......
It was opening night for the drama club's first performance of the
year. The auditorium was packed with students, parents, and school
staff. As is always the case, there were some delays -- issues with
costumes, issues with props -- but after 15 minutes the moment arrived.
The lights were dimmed. The audience went silent. As the curtains were
slowly unfurled to the sides, the musical's name was lowered from the
ceiling above the stage. Only there had been a ... shall we say ...
"modification". There in large block lettering were the words:
NO NO NANETTE
YES YES BILL CAHILL
Genius! A masterpiece! Certainly this would give him the name
recognition he desired. And so it did! Perhaps not in the way he
intended. For the school administration was not so amused.
In the ensuing aftermath, Bill's posters were removed from the hallways,
and though he did attempt to replace them -- /Despite opposition that
removes his posters, Bill Cahill will fight the uphill battle! -- /these
too were rapidly taken down.
The election day arrived, and when the final votes were counted ...
under the school administration's watchful eye ... Bill received no
votes. Like the Mighty Casey at bat, Bill had struck out.
Bill never ran for another office again. I know that as a fact! For
this is a completely true story, with only some literary liberty taken
to embellish the story.
Bill Cahill did indeed run for sophomore class president in 1976 at West
Catholic High School.
The posters and sign above the drama team's musical did actually occur!
What makes his campaign /curious/ is that, being a true story, the truth
must be told that there never was a Bill Cahill!!!!
----------------------------------------------------
Before I can relate how this could possibly be true, I must provide some
background information. Bill Cahill's story is from my past, a memory
buried deep in my head. A recent conversation triggered it back so I
could write it down. The story originates much further back.
My friend John and I first met when we were in first grade, attended the
same elementary school for 8 years, followed by 4 years together in high
school, and then 4 years together as roommates in college, and
unsurprisingly kept in touch and remained friends all these years since
then. We were seniors in high school in September 1976 at Catholic
Central HS, the rival school to West Catholic HS where Bill's campaign
occurred. In the summer of 1977, John introduced me to a band --
literally a Kazoo Band! -- of friends from West Catholic HS, and this
group was quite familiar with Bill Cahill's Curious Campaign. Without
that connection of friends made so many years ago, and a recent chance
connection to tease that memory back, the story would be lost, and never
retold.
----------------------------------------------------
So how did Bill Cahill become the Schrödinger's candidate? He both was
and wasn't a candidate
The truth is that the Bill Cahill campaign is the most stupendous Senior
Prank ever put together. Not only were the friends at West Catholic HS
familiar with Bill Cahill's story, they were the actual ones who put it
together! It all started as an idea to compromise the freshmen class
elections, except that freshmen are ... well ... too fresh! But the
idea of a transfer student in the sophomore class was the perfect target
case. Run a non-existent student as the candidate! And the "YES YES
BILL CAHILL" sign is sheer creativity I wish I could have achieved as a
youthful prankster.
Curious indeed!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
John Belly River
This written story of Bill Cahill is dedicated to my friend John, seen
here crossing the Belly River in Glacier NP while we were back packing
in August 2024. We had started making plans for this year's trip, but a
very sudden and very brief illness hit him, and he passed away in February.
Thank you John, for I am blessed with 60 years of our shared memories.
