I can name them all but won’t. What happened in high school stays in high school.”

Karen Gleason, former PHS student and eyewitness

PORTSMOUTH — There was a lot going on around the world in March 1974.

A grand jury concluded that President Richard Nixon was involved in the Watergate coverup.

Most Arab oil-producing nations finally ended their embargo against the United States.

Turkish Airlines Flight 981 crashed in the Ermenonville Forest outside Paris, killing all 346 people onboard.

In sports, George Foreman destroyed Ken Norton inside of two rounds to retain the heavyweight boxing championship.

And on the entertainment front, the popular rock group Raspberries broke up, “The Brady Bunch” ended its five-season run, and “The Great Gatsby” starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow was released.

Not making national headlines, however, was an infamous episode of local history that took place at Portsmouth High School that month.

Townspeople’s reactions were divided when several boys from PHS shed their clothes and streaked past the school’s tennis courts, an event that made the front page of the March 14, 1974 Sakonnet Times.

Prominent businessman and former lawmaker Walter Miska was delighted by the prank, writing “Streaking exposes the bare facts about the student body” on his ever-changing East Main Road sign. 

Then-Police Chief John Pierce, however, was not amused. “They think it’s a big joke, but deep down something is wrong in their heads,” said the chief, adding he would recommend that a judge order a “psychiatric evaluation” for anyone caught streaking. 

After we posted this photo (again) on the Portsmouth Times’ Facebook page this week, several eyewitnesses who were in class that day chimed in with their own remembrances.

According to Karen Gleason, students had been tipped off in advance about the stunt and told to be on the west side of the building at 1 p.m. if they wanted to catch a glimpse.

“Right at that exact time, from the first floor, you could hear all the desks on the second floor moving while the students got up out of their chairs pushing their desks forward,” Gleason wrote. “The noise was very loud and everyone was on the west side looking out the windows. The boys streaked across right on time. It was quite the sight and everyone laughing and yelling. I don’t think the teachers understood what was going on until they too looked out to see what everyone was looking at.”

Jeanne Davoll Flowers was a new student at PHS, attending her first few days as a freshman from Little Compton. 

“While in an English class with full view of the tennis courts, a group of guys streaked across the lawn. All I could think was, ‘Good Lord, why did they send us here?’ It wasn't until about 10 years ago that I met a couple of the streakers.”

David VanderMost said “everyone did it in the 70s. It was kinda a right of passage.” 

It seems the mischievous PHS boys from 1974 were slightly ahead of their time, however. After all, Ray Stevens’ popular novelty song, “The Streak,” would not be released until later that month. 

'Silly fad'

Mary McKay had already left PHS three years earlier, but she remembers “the silly fad that passed quickly.” As a student at the University of Rhode Island, there was a big nighttime “streak” on the Quadrangle that same year.

“I went just to laugh — I did not take off my clothes!” she said. “I remember it well as great fun. Hadn’t heard this story — looking out the window in a PHS English class seeing fellow classmates! What a hoot to imagine it!”

Billie Jane Valente suggested that these rascals — they’d be in their 60s now — recreate the photo today with their clothes on.

On Facebook, several posters who were in class that day identified some of the streakers. (With no way of verifying the IDs, they shall remain anonymous here.) Apparently, there was also a getaway driver.

“I can name them all but won’t,” said Gleason. “What happened in high school stays in high school.”