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!!!!
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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.
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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!
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.