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VOLUME 61
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1968
Number 538
A&M Zoo Began In 1920,
Lasted Till Bizzell Left
By DAVE MAYES
Battalion Staff Writer
Back in the 1920’s, when an
Aggie said he was majoring in
“zoo-ology,” he probably meant
he had a job feeding the ostrich
at the A&M College Zoo.
The zoo, located across the
Southern Pacific Railroad tracks
opposite the West Gate Memorial,
was founded by A&M President
Planning for the Junior Ball
March 16 in Sbisa Hall, is near
completion, according to Junior
Class President Danny Ruiz.
The Ball will last from 8 p.m.
to midnight, and will feature a
psychedelic light show and music
by the Countdown 5.
March 7 is the deadline for
getting sweetheart applications
in to the Student Program Office
in the Memorial Student Center.
Applications may be picked up
there and should be returned with
a suitable picture by noon March
7.
Tickets for the ball will cost
$3 per couple and are also avail
able in the Program Office.
Uniform for Corps members
will be midnights with ascots,
and civilians are to wear coats
and ties.
“Suitable dress for dates will
be either semi-formal or some
thing following the Ball theme,
“San Franciscan Night,” Ruiz
said.
Ruiz praised the cooperation
W. B. Brizzell in 1920.
A 1920 issue of the “Alumni
Quarterly,” forerunner to the
“Texas Aggie,” reported:
“President Bizzell is very en
thusiastic in the promotion of
plans to make this the best col
lection of rare animals in this
section of the country. ...”
THE “QUARTERLY” said the
zoo was to be used “ . . . for the
of the Junior Council in preparing
the ball, and cited in particular
committee chairman Walt Dab
ney, Bruce Baxter, Charlie
Schwab and Corbit Magby.
“The Council netted more than
$1,200 from the sale of sweat
shirts to finance the ball,” Ruiz
said. “This means ticket sale
funds will be clear profit for
other junior activities.”
The Junior Council is open to
any junior who wishes to attend
the meetings, Ruiz noted. The
next meeting, set Thursday night
at 7:30 in Room 2-D of the MSC,
will include preparations for the
ball.
The Council will select the
seven finalists in the the sweet
heart contest March 7.
Ruiz explained that there are
no plans for the traditional Junior
Banquet this year because previ
ous banquets had left fund
deficits.
“The Council did not feel there
is enough support for a banquet
to plan one,” Ruiz added.
pleasure of College people and
visitors, and also for educational
purposes in connection with the
regular College work.”
David B. Cofer, 82, A&M archi
vist emeritus, recalled that the
zoo contained a variety of animals
including armadillos, monkeys,
elk, buffaloes, racoons, deer, a
cougar, a lion and an ostrich.
“While I was an English pro
fessor and lived on the campus,”
he said, “I used to take my two
young children to feed the ani
mals every aftemoon.”
“THE TOWNSPEOPLE, who
had probably never been to any
of the big city zoos, used to great
ly enjoy bringing their young
sters to the one at A&M, especi
ally on Sundays,” he recalled.
The zoo’s estimated 15 cages
consisted of iron bars sunk in
concrete floors.
“But the zoo’s lion was so old,
he could never have bothered any
one if he got out,” Cofer said.
Donations to the zoo came from
everywhere. Three elk were sent
from the superintendent of Yel
lowstone National Park, Wyo. A
black bear was given by the City
Park Commission of McMinnville,
Ore.
THE “ALUMNI Quarterly”
urged: “ . . . . friends of the Col
lege ... to assist the authorities
in building up the zoo. The College
will be glad to pay all expenses
connected with shipment of speci
mens . ...”
Cofer said toward the end of
Bizzell’s term as president, in
terest in the zoo began to flag.
“The students never did pay
too much attention to it,” he said,
“because they were too busy with
their schoolwork.
Many people felt Bizzell was
spending too much money on the
zoo,” Cofer recalled.
“When he left in August 1925,
the idea of zoo, for the most part,
went with him.”
Ross Volunteers Preparing
ForMardi Gras Appearance
Junior Council Announces Plans
For ‘San Franciscan Night’ Ball
The Ross Volunteers’ annual trek to the Mardi Gras hits the
road this weekend.
The 105-cadet elite honor military unit will be in New Orleans
three days, march in the colorful King Rex Parade, participate in a
southern tradition ball and dine with the New Orleans A&M Club.
RV Commander Francis J. Bourgeois will head the company’s
two official Mardi Gras appearances and organize quarters aboard
the U.S.S. Guadalcanal, an aircraft carrier, on which students will
stay.
RV advisor Malon Southerland of the commandant’s office said
the vessel will be berthed at New Orleans with the sole purpose of
providing students overnight facilities.
The RVs will march as honor guard for King Rex in the three-
hour parade Tuesday morning. Central figure in the city’s annual
Mardi Gras celebration, King Rex will be in a prominent position
in the parade.
The entire RV company, including seniors and juniors from A&M’s
Corps of Cadets, received invitations to the lavish Rex Ball Tuesday
evening.
New Orleans Aggies host the drill company at dinner Monday.
Patrick G. Rehmet of Alice is executive officer to Bourgeois, who
holds Volunteer rank of captain. James H. Lehman of Bellaire is ad
ministrative officer and Scott H. Robert of Austin is operations
officer.
Platoon leaders are James R. Thompson of Alice; Carl V. Feducia,
Shreveport, and John R. Baldridge Jr., Bossier City, La.
Air Force Maj. Deward Johnson and Southerland will accompany
the unit.
Dinner Dance Club
Set First Fete
Thursday In MSC
A costume party at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday in the Memorial Stu
dent Center Assembly Room will
launch spring semester activities
for the Texas A&M Faculty-Staff
Dinner Dance Club, announced
Mrs. Anne Elmquist, committee
chairman.
The program includes both din
ner and dancing, with music fur
nished by the Aggieland Combo.
No particular theme has been
established for the costumes, al
though Mrs. Elmquist pointed out
Thursday is George Washington’s
birthday.
A prize will be awarded for
the best costume, she added.
First Bank & Trust now pays
5% per annum on savings certif
icates. —Adv.
DISTINGUISHED STUDENTS
Joe Mahoney, center, Squadron 11 senior, is congratulated by Fourth Group Commander
Tony Groves on being awarded the Distinguished Student ribbon. Group Scholastic Of
ficer Eddie Travis is at left. Some 36 Fourth Group cadets, who posted a 2.25 or better
grade point ratio last semester, were recognized in the Tuesday ceremonies. (Photo by
Mike Wright)
Ags Beat Arkansas,
Take Tie For Lead
A&M, Baylor,
Texas Share
7-4 Records
By GARY SHERER
Battalion Sports Editor
A guitar has six tightly-strung
strings. Tuesday night, the Ag
gies were as tight as a guitar.
When a guitar is loosely strung,
it creates bad music. When a
basketball team that is tight,
loosens up, the reverse happens—
good play.
That’s what happened to the
Aggies as they loosened up
enough to top Arkansas 71-67 be
fore 6,000 noisy G'. Rollie White
Coliseum fans.
THE WIN, coupled with Bay
lor’s loss to Southern Methodist,
put the Aggies into a first-place
tie (7-4) with the Bears and Tex
as (who beat Texas Tech) in the
unpredictable Southwest Confer
ence scramble.
IT WAS the fifth straight win
for the Aggies, who are now 13-8
on the season. The losing Razor-
backs now have the reverse of
the Maroon and White at 8-13
and 5-6 in the SWC.
HEITMANN SCORES
Aggie Forward Mike Heitmann pushes in two of his 11 points against Arkansas during
third-quarter play. Defenders are Jacky Kimbrell (32), Benton Cone (22) and Gary
Stephens (24). (Photo by Mike Wright)
The Aggies didn’t score until
two minutes were gone in the
game. Then, 11 minutes later,
they took over the lead at 16-14
and Arkansas was behind for
good.
However, the Aggies could not
pull away, and their biggest lead,
8 points, came with a minute and
a half to play in the first half,
at 35-27. The Razorbacks then
shaved it down to four, and the
halftime score read 35-31.
THE SECOND half followed a
pattern of the Aggies trying to
null into a bigger lead and the
Razorbacks coming back but nev
er catching up.
Once again, as seems to be the
rule in SWC games, the game
was won at the foul line. The Ag
gies went to the line 27 times and
converted 21 of them. The Hogs,
much to the disgust of their
coach, Duddy Waller, took only
11 trips to the free line, marking
seven.
That 14-point margin in fouls
made up for the Aggies’ five-
field-goal shortage and their 36-
37 rebounds deficit. The Razor-
backs outshot the Aggies from the
floor in the second half, but it
wasn’t enough to make up for
their poor marksmanship in the
first twenty minutes. Arkansas
finished at 44.8 on 30 for 67 which
included a 40.6 mark before inter
mission.
THE AGGIES stayed consistent
enough, at 25 of 51 for 49.0, with
halves of 52.0 and 46.2.
Sonny Benefield was high for
the Aggies with 19 points, al
though he sat out the last eight
minutes of the first half. Bene
field got double-figure support
from Johnny Underwood, Ronnie
Peret and Mike Heitmann at 14,
14 and 11, respectively.
Arkansas was led by 5-11 junior
Benton Cone, who matched Bene
field’s total, and James Eldridge,
6-5 sophomore, who added 16.
After Tuesday night’s action,
a race that saw Baylor in a two-
game lead two weeks ago, now
has evolved into a three-way dead
lock. Texas Christian, who lost
to Rice last night, is a close sec
ond at 6-5 for the year.
THE SECOND-PLACE Frogs
now take on the role of the team
that says “who ends up where”
as their remaining games are
with the three leaders.
Saturday afternoon the Aggies
will be in Fort Worth for a 1:15
regional TV game with the Frogs.
The same day, Baylor will be at
Tech while Texas will visit Dallas
and the surging SMU Mustangs.
University National Bank
“On the side of Texas A&M”
—Adv.
Communists Reported Hoping
To Level Saigon This Month
By EDWIN Q. WHITE
Associated Press Writer
SAIGON (A 1 )—The Communist
high command, thwarted in ef
forts in its opening offensive to
seize Saigon, is reported to have
called for leveling of South Viet
nam’s capital in second wave
attacks before the month is out.
Rumors raced through Saigon
of an impending Viet Cong as
sault in the early morning hours
Wednesday as artillery barrages
and air strikes rumbled in out
lying areas. Flares lighted the
sky and explosions could be heard
clearly in the heart of the city.
Private sources said they heard
that up to two battalions of Viet
Cong—perhaps 800 men—were in
action west of the city. But mili
tary authorities said they had no
word of any significant incidents
there or elsewhere in the immedi
ate area of the capital.
SAIGON POLICE and allied
troops were already on full alert
for developments in the second
wave, which dwindled after its
opening with rocket and mortar
attacks on 47 centers and a few
ground assaults across the coun
try Sunday.
Intelligence advises reaching
the U. S. mission said Viet Cong
of Kien Hoa Province, in the
Mekong Delta, had been told the
second wave would run to the end
of February, ordered them to
supply maximum reinforcements
for a new battle for Saigon, and
said that the aim was to destroy
the city.
THE COMMUNISTS were esti
mated to have 10,000 to 15,000
men within a day’s march of
Saigon, including units of the 7th
North Vietnamese Division and
the 5th and 9th Viet Cong divi
sions. Far more allied troops are
close at hand.
Communist crews kept up their
widely spaced shelling of Saigon’s
Tan Son Nhut air base, loosing
four rounds of rocket or mortar
fire Tuesday. U. S. military
spokesmen said one round ex
ploded between two runways,
causing neither damage nor cas
ualties, and the others fell just
outside the perimeter.
Tan Tvon Hut, oneo f the busi
est airports in the world, handles
both military and commercial
traffic for the South Vietnamese
capital. The base has been at
tacked several times in the course
of the war, but has become a
prime target since the Viet Cong
lauhehed their lunar new year
offensive at the end of January.
THE SOUTH Vietnamese com
mand reported government planes
bombed several enemy antiair
craft guns spotted 2 1 /2 miles south
of the base, but had no immediate
information on the results.
Ground troops were to sweep the
area at daybreak.
Far to the north, the fighting
for Hue entered its 22nd day.
Though under heavy allied pres
sure, Communist troops still held
out in rock piles that once were
walls and buildings of the Citadel.
U. S. Marines and South Viet
namese troops inched ahead Tues
day toward Red pockets on the
south side of the big compound,
which flanks the Perfume River.
Though they had artillery sup
port, heavy clouds precluded the
use of fighter-bombers.
“We just slugged along,” a
Marine said.
ADS Initiates 10
Into A&M Chapter
Alpha Delta Sigma, national
advertising fraternity, inducted
10 pledges into the A&M chapter
Tuesday night.
Those initiated were Bruce
Shulter, Jim Black, Craig Esca
lante, Jim McCalip, Bill Dinger,
John James, Tim Searson, Mit
chell Friedman, Wayne Schmidt
and James Raatz. Schmidt and
Raatz are professional members.
Gamma Alpha Chi, national ad
vertising sorority, initiated Jane
Mills, Vancy Manning, Elizabeth
Lyne and Nancy Grossenbacher
into the local chapter.
_ B B & L
Bryan Building & Loan
Association, Your Sav
ings Center, since 1919.
—Adv.
THE PRESIDENT MISSES A BIRDIE
President Johnson lags a putt toward the hole on 18th green in Palm Springs, Calif., as
Gen. Eisenhower watches, left. Mr. Johnson made a par 3, as he missed birdie when putt
didn’t drop. It was first time public has been permitted to see Mr. Johnson’s golf swing.
(AP Wirephoto)
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