Yesterday in La Crosse
The year of the Cuban refugees, 38 years ago
For much of 1980, Fort McCoy housed thousands of people who had fled Cuba in a massive boatlift. Some of them had been prisoners released from jail by the Castro government. Many of the refugees who had been at McCoy were sent to Arkansas, and that led to discontent against the young governor of Arkansas, Bill Clinton. He was voted out of office in 1980, but came back a couple of years later.
The ’80 election put Ronald Reagan in the White House, defeating Jimmy Carter. Republican Steve Gunderson of Osseo unseated three-term Congressman Al Baldus in Wisconsin’s 3rd District. And Gaylord Nelson’s time as a U.S. Senator was up. Nelson was beaten by Republican Bob Kasten.
Disco pretty much disappeared in America after 1980. The song “Funkytown” was #1 for most of June that year, and “Magic” from the “Xanadu” soundtrack topped the charts in August. But mellow songs were popular late in the year…”Sailing” by Christopher Cross, “Woman in Love” by Barbra Streisand, and the Kenny Rogers hit “Lady.” Thirty-eight-years ago, 1980, yesterday in La Crosse.