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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 17, 1959)
Keep Your Speed Under 60 and Be Back in ’60 The Battalion Volume 59 COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1959 Number 48 Death To Look for Aggie Motorists Holiday T raf fie Will Take 111 P Lives in Texas I , .' f ' f“£~ **•*.'-. own; ""V" fnir'■&**$*** ****■■< -• C' '‘ s v. . Qne hundred and eleven persons ■will die in Texas traffic accidents during the forthcoming Christmas- New Years holiday if predictions released this week by the Texas Department of Public Safety hold true. The ominous forecast came from Col. Homer Garrison Jr., Director of the Department of Public Safe ty, for a 12 day period extending from 12:01 a.m. Dec. 23 through 11:59 p.m. Jan. 3. “This Christmas-New Year’s holiday is expected to be one of the most dangerous for drivers that we have experienced for Stop, Think Of Your Car Before Trip Before you jump into your car and strike out for home, Aggie, stop and think just a minute about the condition of your car. Besides checking the gas, oil, water and tires, have you made any real preparation for the trip home ? What about the lights? Do both headlights and taillights burn suf ficiently? Do the windshield wip ers function properly? Do the brakes grab or have too much Hack ? If you are in doubt about the answer to any of these questions, you had better take about 30 min utes of extra time and have these items checked. Worried about the cost? You should be. The real cost is not measured in dollars and cents; it is measured in lives. Regardless of where you have the inspection done, keep in mind that mechanical failures account for a large percentage of automo bile accidents. Several Bryan and College Sta tion garages and mechanics are of fering to check these items free except for necessary pai’ts. An inspection will take about 30 minutes off your trip home, but it may save several weeks in a hos pital and hundreds of dollars in hospital and automobile costs . . . or maybe Silver Taps. some time. Not only is the holiday period longer in the number of days it covers, but this has been a prosperous year for drivers and cars are on the road,” said Col. Garrison. Gov. Price Daniel called on Tex ans Monday to strive for an all- time high in their efforts to save lives in • our state’s holiday traf fic this year. The governor called on law en forcement officials, citizen traffic safety groups, publicity media and every automobile driver in Texas to center their attention on saving lives during one of the deadliest seasons of every year on our high ways. Only four times before has the department’s estimate of Christ mas holiday deaths been greater than the 111 predicted for this year, the governor noted. Two of these were in 1957 and 1958, when statewide crusades for traffic safe ty helped reduce the total below its prediction. “I am requesting the Depart ment of Public Safety, Texas sher iffs, chiefs of police and all other law enforcement officials to re peat their outstanding perform ance of last Christmas. They de voted many extra hours to patrol ling our highways to help motor ists in trouble and to removing from the highways those speeding, drinking, careless, reckless and law-breaking drivers who threaten ed the safety of others.” The governor said the state’s principal communications media— newspapers, radio and TV stations and -billboard companies — have again promised complete support. “I believe the newspapers of Texas have printed more stories and photos, written more editori als and devoted more space to traf fic safety this year than ever be fore,” the governor said, “so I believe our citizens know of the danger on the highways. “But the final control of every car and truck is in the hands of the perosn who is driving, and if he or she fails for just a moment, then death, injury or property loss can easily result. I make a special plea to every driver this month to obey the law, even if it takes a little more time, and to make a real effort to drive as safely and as carefully as possible,” added Daniel. Ag Drivers Face Odds on Highways Let’s face it. The odds are against Aggies on the high ways as shown in the figures tallied by the Texas Department of Public Safety. The college student age group, the kind of cars driven by college students, the kind of roads most students will drive on going home, the days they will be going home—all of these were among the highest in accident ratings in the state last year. The statistics for last year show that the age group from 20-24 years were involved in 15.5 per cent of the fatal accidents on Texas highways, and ages 15-19 were next with 13.G per cent. Age 20 was accredited with the most, 70 fatal accidents, and age 21 followed"* with 60. Closely following lyi • m k I i n groan Lets ’Tis the Season People Folly... ‘The Gift to Man’ Rudder’s Message As the holiday season approaches, I would like to take this opportunity to wish each and every one of the students, faculty and staff of Texas A&M a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year. I would also like to add my word of caution to each of you in regard to traffic safety. For the past two Christmas seasons Texas A&M has been fortunate not to have any traffic futilities during the Christmas holidays. I know that if each of you will take it upon yourself to cooperate as well in obeying traffic laws and practicing safe-driving habits during the Christmas holidays as you do in matters regard ing Texas A&M, we will all be together after the Christmas holidays. I look forward to seeing each of you again next year as Texas A&M enters another year of progress. Sincerly Earl Rudder, President Texas A&M Christmas Message Given By P. L. (Pinky) Downs By P. L. (Pinky) DOWNS A&M Official Greeter Christmas really means, “Christ the gift to men, women and child- i’en.” To the English people we owe the word Christmas—Christ Mass—a religious ceremony cele brating the birth of Christ. Dec. 25 is the accepted date of the birth of Christ, as he was born at midnight on Christmas Eve. Do you know why Santa Claus comes down the chimney at Christ mas time instead of coming through the window? It is attri buted to an old English custom of sweeping down the chimney at New Year so good luck could enter. It is to the Hollanders that we owe the custom of hanging up our stockings. They placed their wood en shoes before the large fireplace, but we Americans substituted stockings because wooden shoes wouldn’t stretch. The holly leaves represented the thorns Chi’ist wore upon the cross, while the little red berries were the drops of His blood. The giving of Christmas presents brings out the thought—“Peace on earth, good will toward men.” It was Gen. W. B. Booth,, founder of the Salvation Army, who was once asked the question if he were solicited to leave a message to the world, what it would be. He wrote only one word and signed his name. That word was “others”. Happiness is not seeking plea sure for ourselves, but doing the necessary things for others. God grant me the power to ac cept things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can and wisdom to know the dif ference. I think we should pause long enough to thank God for living in a Christian counti’y. You know, I believe in prayer. My definition ing with Clod for that which we desire—not deserve. Christmas is a good time to pause long enough to take stock of ourselves and really see of what value we have been through the year to our neighbors, city, county, state, and nation. Let us all enter into the Christ mas spirit, love one another, give to those less fortunate than our selves, and try to carry out Christ’s teachings. Three-Act Comedy Set at CHS Tonight “The Man Who Came to Dinner”, a three-act comedy by Moss Hart and George F. Kaufman, will be presented tonight at 8 in the A&M Consolidated High School Auditor ium by the A&M Consolidated High School senior class, person. The comedy is centered around the tumult caused by Sheridan Whiteside, having dined at the home of the Stanley’s slips on their doorstep, breaking his hip. During his six weeks of convalescing in the Stanley home, Whiteside utter- wmm Holiday Travel . . . riding with you? ly destroys . domestic tranquility. Strange gifts from his friends fur ther complicate things; for Mrs. Stanley is foi’ced to harbor pen guins in her library, an octopus in her cellar, and 10,000 cock roaches in her kitchen. The play, under the direction of Mrs. Ermine Worrell, will be pre sented with the following cast: Ann Elkins as Mrs. Stanley, Sharon Manning as Miss Preen, Frank Duran as Richard Stanley, Rebecca McNiel as June Stanley, Jimmy Holland as John, Lynda Chalk as Sai-ah, Nancy Minter as Mi’s. Dexter, Janis Gai’d as Mrs. McCutcheon, David Howard as Mr. Stanley. Also Marilyn McElroy as Mag gie Cutler, Bill Gray as Dr. Brad ley, John Calhoun as Sheridan Whiteside, Anita Hamner as Har riet Stanley, Bruce Thompson as Bert Jefferson, Mark Linksay as Professor Metz, Dorothy Berry as Lorraine Sheldon, Ben Jackson as Sandy, Mike Gay as Beverly Carl ton, Fred Brison as Wescott, David Dulaney as Banjo, Dee Smith as the convict, Joe Guidry and Mike Denison as the express- men, Rosemary Thompson, Vir ginia McAfee and Margaret Pat terson as the choir girls, and Joe Guidry and Larry Godfrey as the deputies. were age 19 with 53, and age 18 with 41. Any of the men of Afgie- land will be the highways Friday and Saturday between the hours of 4 and 8 p. m. The Department’s figures show that 15 per cent of fatal accidents happened on Fri day, 21 per cent on Saturday of 1958. The hours of 7-8 p. m. were the most deadly with 8 per cent of fatal rural accidents happening during that time. Between 4 and 5 p. m., (1 per cent occurred. Other time periods were 5-fi p. m. with 5 per cent and 6-7 p. m. with 6 per cent. December, with its long holiday periods had the most fatal traffic accidents in rural areas of any month in the year in 1958. A total of 112 fatal accidents were re ported. Just because a person has a new car does not protect him either. In fact, the reverse is true. Cars 1- year-old were infolved in 25 per cent of the accidents, while cars two years old were in 14 per cent, three years old in 13 per cent, four year-old were involved in 25 per years old in 9 per cent. The major causative factors in rural accidents last year were too fast for conditions, 52 per cent; drinking while driving, 42 per cent and disregarding warning or stop signs, 20 per cent. The two-lane highways incur more accidents than any other kind—1181 accidents in 1958. Four- lane divided highways were next with 71, followed by four-lane highways with only a center stripe with 26 fatal accidents. Students were not the largest group of our society involved in fatal accidents, however, seven per cent of Texas accidents in 1958 were among students. Twelve per cent of Texas’ fatal accidents were caused by road de fects. - Of these, road under con struction were a factor in 54 per cent of these, defective shoulders were in 37 per cent and foreign material on the surface contributed to 41 per cent. Baylor Medical Scholarship Charles J. Klingman, senior zo ology major at A&M, has been awarded a four-year $8,000 schol arship to Baylor University Col lege of Medicine, Houston, sup ported by Houston Endowment, Inc. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles L. Klingman of Amarillo, and is a member of Rhi Eta Sigma honorary scholarship society at A&M. Klingman is a distinguished student. As au undergraduate, he has paid most of his college expenses by playing trumpet in a college combo during his freshman and sophomore years, working at the college hospital as a laboi’atory technician, X-ray technician and orderly, during his junior year. Currently he is employed as an instructor for a fi’eshman biology class and as a laboratory assistant for a laboratory course in compar ative anatomy. He is also engaged in a research project dealing with paper chromatography having to do with fluorescent dyes in con nection with cancer research. His work is being directed by Dr. Wrederick Kasten of the A&M De partment of Biology. Last summer, Klingman won a special National Science Founda tion award which enabled him to do research on oyster drills (mar ine snails) for the Virginia Fish eries Laboratories at Gloucester Point, Va. His research paper, “Preliminary Studies on the Repi’o- ductive System of Uralsalpivix Ci- nerea,” was one of four chosen for presentation from the Eastern and Southeastern region for presenta tion before the director of National Science Foundation’s undergradu ate research program this past Oc tober. He plans to enter medical school in the fall of 1960. Not Worth It! (An Editorial) It’s just not worth the time you might save! No, speeding and driving while sleepy or under the incluence of alcoholic beverages is not worth the small amount of time you might save on your trip home Friday. Before you start for home after finishing classes, stop a minute to consider one important fact: anything you are rushing home for will be there when you get there, no matter how long it takes. Another item to consider is the time you may be trying to save may be the last time you will ever attempt to do anyhing. Victims of traffic accidents do not fall into any one class of our society. They come from all walks of life and fall into all age brackets. But collge students are the largest group based on percentages. These facts should be enough to convince you the odds are against you saving much time in your trip home. Think about it—slow down on both the speed and the drinking on the way home. That way you’ll be alive to enjoy the Christmas holidays.