Question about TCM

I wonder if anyone knows the approximate year of the Trench Coat Mafia foundation?
TCM was founded when one of the fellas-outsiders started wearing a duster at school, and then others joined him, isn't it?

There are multiple people who claim to have "started" the TCM, but many agree that by '99 most had already graduated and there weren't many kids wearing dusters.

A lot of people say Joe Stair founded the TCM, I'm drawing a blank right now as to what year he graduated.

Here are some examples of differing opinions on how the group was founded, taken from the 11k:

Devon Adams:
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Robyn Anderson:
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Eric Ault:
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Tad Boles:
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Zack Heckler:
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Eric Jackson:
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Robert Perry:
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They disbanded before the massacre, although Eric and Dylan were never their members, regardless of them wearing duster coats. They were associated with them through Chris Morris. It's uncertain whether if Joe Stair or someone else was their founder.

I still think that is so cutting, Zach saying Dylan wasn't smart enough to study computers. I'm pretty sure he built his own and hacked into the servers. Maybe unmotivated to study yes... but not smart enough.. meh..

In Amanda's youtube series I think she talks about the TCM a bit and explains what the Cream Soda comment in the yearbook meant.

Joe graduated in '98. And yeah, I mentioned what the cream soda incident was ;)

Thank you! I remember watching the video where you explained it...I think I have watched the whole series by now.

Thank you!!

Oh, thanks a lot to everybody!

Screamingophelia wrote:

I still think that is so cutting, Zach saying Dylan wasn't smart enough to study computers. I'm pretty sure he built his own and hacked into the servers. Maybe unmotivated to study yes... but not smart enough.. meh..

As someone that Dylan considered a close friend, that really was a dick-ish thing to say wasn't it? Makes you wonder why he would say something like that.

I wonder if it was anger? After what Dylan and Eric did, maybe he was lashing out?

Devon even said something about Dylan once that was off colored yet she would speak kindly about him too, something about Dylan being super racist, or that may have been about Eric.. she did not like Eric.

If it were me and I was friends with them, then they murdered people my attitude would change at least for a while until I processed everything. I would probably deny being friendly with them, even if there was evidence to the contrary. You don't know how you are going to react until something like that happens.

The media blew the TCM way out of proportion. It was more of a running joke than a serious group.

In fact the TCM wasn't even a thing anymore when the shooting happened.

They made a big enough deal out of it to get trench coats banned in many schools.

I always found it funny that Frank DeAngelis tried to act like the TCM didn't really exist. Even though the media blew it out of proportion and made them into something they weren't, they at least existed enough to submit that dedication in the yearbook. You can't just ignore that.