The Webster Club’s streak of seven consecutive National Forensic League National Tournament Championships ended in 1978 when Marquette was bested by Pine Crest Prep of Florida. Nonetheless, the Hilltoppers enjoyed another successful season that culminated in five students qualifying for NFL Nationals and another 13 qualifying for the National Catholic Forensic League Grand National Tournament.
National championship titles may not come as easily as they seem to have come in past years for the Webster Club. However, due to a great deal of work and concerted effort directed by the coaches, Mr. James Copeland, Mr. Greg Meuler, Mr. James Fleissner, and Mr. Rick Sankovitz, the Webster Club has met this challenge. Five members have qualified for the National Forensic League Tournament at Northwestern University in Chicago. They include the debate team of Bill Isaacson and Martin Dowling, extempors Scott Dirks and Joe Jerskey, and orator, Joe Casper. The following participants will be sent to the National Catholic Forensic League Tournament, which is being held in Washington, DC.: Debators Isaacson, Dowling, Mark Kaehny, Mike Zwerlein, John Barrett, and Jim Boehrer, and Speakers Dirks, Casper, Jerskey, Kevin Sheth, John Slattery, Paul Ziebert, and Pat Hodan.
As a whole, the Webster Club has done remarkably well within the state and has collected a massive amount of trophies to attest to this fact. This year the team traveled to such places as Los Angeles, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and St. Paul to name the more prominent ones. Results on the road were also extremely good. The Webster Club also ran several speech and debate tournaments this year, including the first annual Super Bowl of Debate.
—Flambeau, 1978
Roster of Students & Coaches
Coaches
Varsity Debaters
Varsity Speakers
Junior Varsity Debaters
Freshmen Debaters
Club Officers
Team Accomplishments
National Forensic League National Qualifiers
National Catholic Forensic League National Qualifiers
National Tournament Locations
National Forensic League:
Northwestern University, Illinois
National Catholic Forensic League:
Washington, D.C/Arlington, Virginia
National Policy Debate Resolution
Resolved: That the federal government should establish a comprehensive program to regulate the health care in the United States.