The Yellow Jacket 1960 [Yearbook] Featuring JANIS JOPLIN in the Senior Class and JIMMY JOHNSON (Super Bowl Champion coach, Dallas Cowboys) in the Junior Class at Thomas Jefferson High School, Port Arthur, Texas (Commencement Program included, lists Joplin)

Dallas, Texas: Taylor Publishing Company, 1960. Book. Good. Soft cover. 4to - over 9¾ - 12" tall. Decorative leatherette with edge wear, rubbing wear, and soiling to covers. Two-inch tear starting at the foot of the spine at the front cover. Small stain on the bottom edge of the page block that touches the bottom corner of the page that has Janis Joplin's class photo, but it does not affect either the photo or list of her high school activities. Binding is tight and square. 348 pages, plus blank pages for autographs. Many autographs and inscriptions throughout the book. Includes ephemera related to the previous owner and graduation, including the Commencement Exercises program, which includes Janis Joplin's name. This scarce edition is notable and very collectible for its glimpse into Janis Joplin's high school years (we also have her 1959 yearbook in stock). Also, two-time Super Bowl Champion coach of the Dallas Cowboys and University of Miami National Champions, Jimmy Johnson, is pictured in the Junior Class photos and football section. He signed his class photo and a few of the football pictures ("Jimmy"). JANIS JOPLIN is pictured in cap and gown in the Senior Class photos and mentioned in the Art Club section with an image of entries in a regional art contest in which she was one of the two winners. Her entry is not identified in the photo. Next to each class photo is a list of clubs and activities the student has participated in during their years at the high school. Despite being a loner and an outcast who was bullied during this time, Joplin's participation in a number of clubs indicates an attempt to fit in with her peers and find her place in the world. Clubs mentioned from 1957-59 include Future Teachers, Future Nurses, GRA (recreational), Slide Rule Club, and Art Club. Interestingly, the only club mentioned for her senior year is the Art Club and she is neither pictured nor listed as a member in the club photo. Ironically, she was not involved with the school chorus or any clubs related to singing and music. Before the decade ended, however, she had become the first female rock superstar, transitioning from a loner and outcast to an iconic image of the 1960s that included the Summer of Love (1967), Woodstock (1969), and more. She was gone too soon in 1970 at age 27 from a drug overdose, just a few months after attending her Class of 1960 ten-year reunion..