Thumbin 9 It
A&M Hitchhiking Champion Reviews Holiday Trip
EDITOR’S NOTE: Aggies may not have discovered the art
of hitchhiking, but they have more or less perfected it. Larry
Jerden, Battalion sports editor, claims to be the Southwest Con
ference champion in this not-so-publicized sport, with more than
23,000 miles to his credit during his three and a half years at A&M.
This is the first of a four-part series in which Jerden describes
his latest venture: a 1,173 mile trip to Shaw, S. C., for the Christ
mas holidays.
While there are no official hitch-hiking records, it has long been
an Aggie tradition to take to the thumb for transportation when
other forms of travel have not been available.
Being one to keep traditions whenever possible, and usually
without funds for more expensive methods of travel, I have, in my
three-and-a-half years at A&M, thumbed it for some 23,000 miles
in Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Kansas and most recently
through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina.
Having already made arrangements for a ride home to Shaw
AFB, South Carolina for Christmas, I didn’t bother to put in for
space available orders with the Air Force. When my ride fell
through a few days before the holidays I was left holding my travel-
worn B-4 bag a long way from home: 1,173 miles as the Aggie walks!
After talking it over with a couple of friendly professors and
doing some all-night writing to get certain papers in early, I decided
the only way home open to a guy with 50c in his pocket was the
route of the open road.
So, on a rainy, very cool Wednesday afternoon, dressed in my
Senior boots, Ike jacket and grey trench coat, armed with four
dollars chipped-in by my friends on The Battalion staff, I held out
my wind-blown thumb for another test of mankind’s pity for a
fellow in distress.
I was taken to the outskirts of Bryan by our amusements editor,
Lani Presswood, in his ailing ’62 Dodge. After a warm handclasp,
he spun his blue charger around, shook his head in dismay at what
that nut out there was doing, and left me feeling very alone at 1:45
p.m.
After being passed by some local traffic, I noticed, a ’65 Olds
P-85 tapping its brakes. He sped up, slowed down, and finally made
a U-turn about a mile down a rain-slicked Highway 6. Five minutes
after I was let out of the Dodge, I was on my way to Hearne with
Mr. and Mrs. James Coon, a newly-wed couple on their honeymoon.
While we were chatting about the miserable weather, the national
anthem was played on the radio, signaling the first rendezvous in
space by Gemini 6 and 7. Gemini 6 was to be back on earth before
I made it to Atlanta, Georgia!
Coon is a truck driver, born in Nebraska and served in Korea
with the Rangers. His opinion of the Viet Nam war reflected past
experience:
“I don’t know, I fought in Korea and we didn’t gain nothin’
there . . . hmmm, say, young feller, want a beer?”
I thanked the couple for the ride and was back out in the rain
at 2:10, again feeling very alone as they disappeared down Highway
6, full of hope for the future, sipping their Lone Star at 75 mph.
There wasn’t much traffic on US 79 that afternoon, but there
were enough trucks going by on the wet road to nearly drown me in
their giant wakes as they passed. Finally a very loaded-down six-
cylinder Chevy stopped, slid around in the mud and once again I
entered the warmth of a ride.
Mr. and Mrs. Pete Gaynord are an elderly couple from Hutto,
where Pete has been running an Humble station for 18 years. The
two were on their way to Centerville to hunt and take some presents
to friends, and on seeing my Aggie uniform, launched into tales of
friends of theirs that had attended Aggieland, and others who are in
the service.
Gaynord’s opinion on Viet Nam was very strong, since he has
a son in the Army in Germany that may be sent there any time.
“Let’s either get out of it or do somethin’ mighty quick! Right
now we’re losin all our boys and aren’t gain’ anything. It would
hurt us to pull out, so let’s get in there and win it.”
Pointing to his guns in the back, he warned,
“Don’t ever get started deer hunting. I wasn’t going to hunt
this year, but this friend of mine invited me and now I go out every
day . . . and haven’t hit a thing!”
The visability was dropping outside, and fog was mixing with
rain. As I sat in the warmth and friendliness of the car, I dreaded
getting to the crossroads where the Gaynords would turn off. All
too soon, I was again standing in the cold, damp air. I stepped out
of the car at precisely 2:59, and 60 seconds later was whisked away
in a ’65 Mustang. It was pretty, blue, and powered by the quiet, yet
powerful 289 C.I., 225 hp V-8 engine teamed with an all-synchro
three-speed.
Piloting the little horse was Dean Butler, a 19-year-old worker
on the overpass behind the A&M campus. After graduating from
high school in Paris, Texas, he had followed the construction work to
El Paso, where his girl lives, Wichita Falls, Odessa, Clarksville and
College Station. He was out of work for the afternoon due to the
rain, and was on his way home to Paris.
He has no draft worries, and feels that we should speed up the
war and get it over with.
As with my other rides thus far, there was country and western
music blaring forth on the car radio, offering a topic of discussion
dear to my heart, as was his car.
Looking out the window, the view was one of bare trees, soggy
ground, mud, brown grass, rolling hills and the two-lane highway
winding its way to the northeast corner of the state. On a long trip
like this one, the hours pass quickly at times, but minutes can seem
eternal.
Sharing some candy. Dean and I were chatting about life in
general, when I noticed a car we passed had Louisiana plates and a
Strategic Air Command sticker in the window. Putting these facts
together, I surmised he was going to Barksdale A.F.B, near Bossier
City, remembering a football slogan “Make Something Happen,” I
rolled down my window as we passed and asked him for a ride.
I really don’t think he understood me, but was shook enough to
pull over to the side. I hopped out, bag in hand, and asked where he
was bound. Sure enough, his destination was Barksdale.
The grey-haired man behind the wheel of the ’65 Plymouth bore
a remarkable resemblance to Barry Goldwater, and his views on life
and war seemed the same.
A. S. Raudabauge is a retired Air Force officer working for
Univac and was on his way from Bergstrom AFB near Austin where
Cash Pleads Guilty
On Dope Charges
EL PASO, Tex. UP> Western
singer, Johnny Cash pleaded guil
ty last week during an arraign
ment on charges of possession of
depressant and stimulant drugs.
No sentencing date has been
set.
Cash entered the plea before
U. S. Dist. Court Judge D. W.
Suttle, who allowed Cash to
remain free on $1,500 bond.
Cash was arrested Oct. 4 at
El Paso International Airport by
federal narcotics agents who said
he was carrying 688 dexedrine
and 475 equanil tablets.
Civil Engineers Name
Clancy President
Edward L. Clancy, a civil en
gineering major from Urbana,
111., is the new president of the
J. P. L. McNew Student Chap
ter of the American Society of
Civil Engineers.
Other officers include Don J.
Matocha of Smithville, vice pres
ident; Kenneth W. Korb of San
Antonio, secretary; Kenneth J.
Koch of San Antonio, treasurer;
Peter W. Schneider of Las Vegas,
Nev., program chairman, and
Rogelio Rivera of Laredo, parlia
mentarian.
he had just supervised the installation of a new computer when he
“offered” me the ride. He was going home for a night’s sleep before
leaving for Altus AFB, Okla., the next morning.
A veteran of 30 years in the service, the retired colonel said
about the present war:
“I’m with LeMay, I "think we ought to escalate it. The whole
trouble right now is that McNamara. He thinks he’s holy, that’s his
trouble!”
It was getting dark as we rushed through the piney woods of
East Texas, but the rain had let up some and we were cruising at a
steady 75 mph. As the conversation trailed off, he noticed my calvary
boots and asked if I was in the Artillery ROTC. I explained about
the senior tradition at A&M.
“I was a cadet major in the artillery at Ohio State,” he said,
“and graduated in 1933. Had a pair of boots just like that. I guess
you know how to use boot jacks to get ’em off!”
“No,” I told him, “we use freshmen in Aggieland.”
“Well, wish I’d thought of that at Ohio State,” he said.
Raudabauge was given a commission in the horse drawn artillery
when he entered the Army, but was somehow sent to Chanute Field
and ended up serving his whole career in the Air Corps.
It was getting dark outside and our speed crept up to 80 as
we got nearer the Louisiana line. I noticed a set of headlights
approaching us rapidly from behind, and a golden Toronado swept
by us at something over 100 mph, disappearing into the cool night.
By the time we entered Carthage, around 5:30, the grey sky was
turning dark blue and the fog was getting thicker. We crossed the
state line at 5:55 and had an uneventful cruise to Bossier City where
he let me out on Highway 80 at 7:25.
By Larry Jerden'
I waited five minutes while a heavy stream of traffic sped by.
Then a rumbling 61 Pontiac came to a halt, and I gratefully slipped
into the right front seat.
A very Cajun accent answered my introduction and identified the
speaker as Dr. Paul M. Campbell, an osteopath from Shreveport on
his way home for the night.
“Ah break de bones for a livin', son,” he said.
As we fought the traffic on the outskirts of Bossier City, he
patted the dash of his car and bragged a bit.
“I got de biggest enjine dey got, with three bnrrells, but I cut
two of the thangs out. Say, you writin’ a story? You want a story?”
‘I’ll carry you to ma home, let you gab with ma wife . . . she’s
a journ-all-ist, or somethin’ like that. She’s writin’ on a book, I
think, bout ancestors and all that which was in the wild west. Why,
son, she makes the Hollywood folks back down on some ah dem facts
bout dat west. Dat’s right, son, you come on to ma house, I’ll let
you eat some good cookin’, get you warm, and ma wife’ll give you
all the story you want!”
I thanked him just as nicely as I could, but explained that the
story I was after was the one about the trip, and that I just had to
get on down the road. »
“QK, son, here's my card, and the next time you come through
Shreveport, spend a day or two at my house and I’ll really give you
a story.”
“Now, son, Ima gonna put you out in a good spot, don’t you move
an inch and I garontee you get a ride in no time flat.”
“Thank you,” I muttered, shook hands with him, and stepped
out into I believe the darkest spot on the face of the earth!
I mean it was B-L-A-C-K!
LARRY JERDEN
... champion hitchhiker.
Cbe Battalion
Volume 61 COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS TUESDAY, JANUARY 4, 1966 Number 250
Construction Underway
On Circle Elimination
Completion Date
^ jH
TRAFFIC CIRCLE TO BE ELIMINATED "
. . . $40,000 improvement project set for completion this month.
Set This Month
A $40,000 improvement project aimed at eliminating
the dangerous traffic circle on the campus’ northeast side
will be completed in two or three weeks, Bryan District
Engineer C. B. Thames predicted Monday.
The long-waited project was begun shortly after the
University dismissed classes for the Christmas holidays.
The circle at the intersection of Farm Road 60 and
South College Ave. will be temporarily replaced by a four
way stop, Thames said, but the city of College Station will
install a traffic light in the"*
near future.
Portions of Farm Road 60
will be widened at the var
ious crossovers between the
circle and State Highway 6 in
order to install separate left turn
lanes, he added .
After widening is completed the
depressed medians will be filled
to level them with the highway,
and then the road and medians
will be retopped with a hot-mix
asphaltic concrete.
Some repair work is also sche
duled for the portion of Farm
Road 60 from the circle west to
the junction with Old Highway 6.
Thames warned that the im
provements will create safer driv
ing conditions but will likely slow
traffic at the circle, especially
during the congested hours of 8
a.m., noon and 5 p.m.
“Students going to classes will
probably be delayed more by the
changes,” he said, “but the traf
fic circle has outlived its use
fulness during the peak hours of
traffic.
“The circle is actually one of
the safest type intersections we
have,” he continued, “and there
has never been a major accident
at this circle.”
Thames added the signal light
will help establish responsibility
in minor accidents occurring at
the intersection.
The light will instantaneously
gauge volume of traffic and pro
portion time intervals accordingly.
The district engineer also said
work on the overpass under con
struction at Farm Road 60 and
Old Highway 6 will probably be
completed in the middle of the
summer.
Professor, Son Return To School
After Nightmarish Ski Experiences nasa Gives
It was “Back to School Again”
Tuesday for Professor T. A. Noyes
and his 12-year old son, Terry,
after an unexpected adventure
in the mountains of New Mexico
during the Christmas holidays.
Noyes is an assistant professor
of mechanical engineering at
A&M. Terry goes to Bryan Pub
lic Schools.
With a nephew, Tim Noyes, 15,
of Corpus Christi, and a family
friend, Randy Jaster, 17, of Aus
tin, Noyes and Terry were lost
almost 25 hours near Ruidoso.
“I’m real tired,” Noyes com
mented at his 320 Dunn Street
home Monday afternoon. “I feel
dragged out. We have been sleep
ing ard eating since we got home
Sunday. My whole family is re
covering from food poisoning we
got on the way home.”
The rest of the family indues
Mrs. Noyes and Valerie, 9.
“It was an ordeal I don't want
to have to go through again,”
Noyes said, adding “We want to
give thanks in great measure to
everyone who searched for us.”
Their ordeal began about 3 p.m.
last Thursday high on the slopes
of the Sierra Blanca Mountains
where the family was winding up
a vacation of skiing. They were
skiing at the South Central New
Mexico ski resort operated by
Mescalera Apache Indians.
“It was the last ski run we
were going to make because we
were going to leave for home
Friday morning,” Noyes explain
ed.
“We decided to ride up the
gondola and ski down Apache
Bowl, one of the ski runs,” he
recalled. “As we were skiing to
ward the bowl Randy fell, losing
his glasses and bruising a knee.
About 50 feet further on, we en
tered what we thought to be the
Apache Bowl. It wasn’t.
“About 4:10,” he continued,
“Terry decided he should go ahead
to tell our families not to worry
since we were skiing past the 4
p.m. closing time. Two hours
later Terry met two other lost
skiers. Together, they forged on
until 10 p.m. when they got into
the lee of a big rock for protec
tion from rain. They stayed un
til dawn and were found about 2
p.m. by a search party.”
Noyes said Terry’s rescuer,
Harlan McCraw of Ruidoso, gave
him a shot of whiskey for shock,
then took him by horseback down
the mountain where he was trans
ferred by jeep to a hospital.
Meanwhile, Noyes, Tim and
Randy spent the night in a
crudely fashioned shelter. They
enclosed an overhanging rock
with a snow wall, using ski poles
for reinforcement.
“It was a miserable night,”
Noyes grimaced. “It wasn’t
freezing because water dripped on
us all night.
“The boys yere absolutely cour
ageous,” he said. “We suffered
less than parents and loved ones
who did not know what had hap
pened to us.”
While trying to get a drink the
next morning, Tim was dunked
into an icy creek when his snow
bridge collapsed.
“He weakened rapidly after
that and was hardly able to move
forward,” Noyes recollected. “I
decided to go down the mountain
as rapidly as possible for help.
I had gotten about a mile when
the boys were found by a rescue
party coming down the moun
tain.”
Noyes was rescued by Ed Wim
berly of Ruidoso.
“The rescuers found Tim un
conscious,” Noyes said. “They
built a fire and revived him.
Diana Bengal, a ski instructor at
the resort, gave him a pair of
ski pants and they wrapped him
in blankets for the night. An In
dian carried him to a “snow cat”
the next morning for a 10-mile
trip to the hospital.”
Noyes said food was the least
of his thoughts throughout the
ordeal. Not so for Randy.
“He said he was going to eat a
half-dozen hot dogs when he got
back to the lodge,” Noyes com
mented.
“Our judgment seemed logical
at the time,” he concluded. “We
did what we though was best.
I’m just thankful that the ordeal
was no wurse than it ended.”
$288,000
Study Grant
Texas A&M has been awarded
a National Aeronautics and Space
Administration grant which could
total $288,000 during the next
three years.
Academic Vice President Wayne
C. Hall said A&M received 15
pre-doctoral traineeships in sci
ence and engineering fields re
lated to space technology, the
maximum awarded by NASA.
The basic stipend is $2,400 for
12 months, but allowances for de
pendents and other expenses could
add $1,000 to the annual total.
A&M is to receive $3,000 per
trainee per year as a cost of
education allowance. Fees and
tuition for trainees will be paid
by trainees from this fund.
Applications will be accepted
by A&M’s Graduate College
through April 15. Formal of
fers will be made by A&M after
May 1.