This page is addressed to anyone who was at Cubberley High School in 1967, at the time of the Third Wave, who wants to make a statement about it for the record. You can see what I have already received on the evidence page.

You are welcome to just write a short paragraph about your experience of the Third Wave, without going into much detail. Of course I would love to get statements that go into great detail, but it's up to you. Any statement will be appreciated, long or short. You should feel free to disagree with what other people have said  (including me).

Here are some questions to consider before making a statement. I'm not saying you need to answer any of these questions, just think about them.

The point of the questions is that when you are trying to remember an event that happened decades ago, thinking about specific details will help to get your memory in focus.

In the spring of 1967,  I was a student at the University of Texas. We had something called the University Freedom Movement. It was a much bigger and more serious thing than the Third Wave, partly because there were almost 30,000 students at UT at that time, and also, of course, because there is a big difference between 15 year olds and 20 year olds. Some people in the UFM were no-shit revolutionaries. I was involved in the UFM to some extent, but I couldn't begin to tell you the sequence of events. I remember a couple of meetings and a booth where we handed out literature, but that's about it.

I was in high school in 1961-64, and my memories of that are pretty vague too. Until I started writing this page, I hadn't thought about Lee High School for many years. I didn't even remember the layout of the school. Now, as I think about it, I remember that there were four wings of classrooms on the north side of the building. Each hall had lockers painted in a primary color: one red, one blue, one green, one yellow (but I don't remember which was which). As I think back, I remember that there was a central courtyard with the classrooms on the north, the cafeteria and band hall on the east, the administrative offices on the south (that's where the main entrance was), and the library and gym on the west side. It may help if you stop and think for a minute and try to remember the layout of Cubberley High School as it was in 1967.

Now, here are the questions:

Were you in one of Ron Jones's classes in the 1966-67 school year?  If so, which one? (second, third, or sixth period?)  Who else was in the class?

Did you sit in the same seat every day, and if so, where?  Who sat in front of you, behind you, etc?

After the first day of the Wave, did you tell your friends about it?  Did you tell your parents?  Did you keep a journal or diary at the time?  If so, did you write anything about the Wave?

If you weren't in one of his classes, who told you about the Third Wave?  What did they tell you?

After the second day, did you discuss it with your friends?  What about your parents?  What did you tell them?  What did they say?

How long did the Third Wave last?  Can you resolve it into distinct phases?  Can you remember each specific day?  It may take time for these memories to come back. If you saw the movie about the Third Wave, you might want to write your own screenplay, telling the story day by day, using factual events instead of the fictional events of the movie.

In his story, Ron Jones said "By Thursday the class had swollen in size to over eighty students."  Did that happen?  As you read over the rest of his story, how much do you recognize as having actually happened?

As you think over your time in the Third Wave, from the first day up to the rally (i.e. before the rally), what did you think the Wave was about?  What was the point of it?  Did you think it was directed against  anybody in particular?

Did you ever feel guilty about participating in it?  At the time, did you think of it as something to be ashamed of? - or something to be proud of?

When did you first hear about the "national leader"?  Was that idea introduced only on the day of the rally, or was it already there?

When did you hear that there was going to be a rally?  Who told you about it?  When you decided to go, was that decision automatic, or did you have to stop and think about it?  If you were in Mr. Jones's class, was the rally optional?

Where would you normally be at that time of day (i.e. the time of the rally)?  Did you have to get permission to skip class to go to the rally?  Did you have to get a hall pass?

As you approached the room where the rally was, were you alone or with other students?  What did you think was going to happen?  What kind of "national leader" did you expect?  Were you excited?

Did you enter through the front or rear entrance?  As you entered the room, what did you see?  Had you been in that room before?  How many seats were occupied?  How many vacant seats were there?  Where did you sit?  Did you just go in and take a seat, or was someone in charge, directing you to a seat?

Did you look around the room and say hello to people?  Was anybody there that you didn't know?  Who was sitting next to you?  Who was sitting in front of you?  What did you talk about as you waited for the event to begin?  What about the noise level in the room?  Was there a lot of talking, or were the students sitting there in silence, feet flat on the floor, backs straight, eyes straight ahead?

Was Mr. Jones already there when you arrived, or did he come in later?  Was anyone else in front of the room with him?  Did he speak from behind a lectern, or just stand there?  Were there any props besides the TV?

Did Mr. Jones say anything before he turned on the TV?  How long did he stay before leaving?  Did he say anything before he left?

How long did you stay?  Did you sit in the same seat the whole time, or get up and move around?  If you were one of the ones who left before Mr. Jones came back, what were you thinking as you left?  Where did you go?

If you were still there when he came back: how many others were still in the room at that point?  What did Mr. Jones say when he came back?  What did the students say?  Who spoke first?  When Mr. Jones suddenly accused you of doing something reprehensible, did you feel guilty?  or angry?  or what?

Did you leave with the same friends you arrived with?  Do you remember any specific bits of conversation as you were leaving?

After the rally, what happened when you went to your fifth period class?  Did people ask you where you had been, or was that common knowledge?  What did you tell them about the rally?

After school, did you discuss the rally with your friends?  your parents?  After it was over, did you feel guilty about participating in it?

How long did this event remain at the center of your attention?

Did you see Ron Jones's article in the Whole Earth Catalog in 1972?  Did you see the TV movie a few years later?  If so, does that make it easier or harder to remember what actually happened?  Do you agree with the point Ron Jones wanted to make with his story?  Does that make it easier or harder to remember what actually happened?

Going back to the beginning - who else was in Mr. Jones's class?  - have you kept in touch with any of them?  Have you gone to any Cubberley reunions?  It would help tremendously if you could compare notes with others who were there.

My name is Lyle Burkhead, and I can be reached here:

diogenes --- at --- geniebusters --- dot --- org