Che Battalion
Volume 61
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 1966
Number 306
Parting Shots
Editor’s
Receive
Friends
Laurels
In Adios Article
By GLENN DROMGOOLE
Battalion Editor
Today I end my term as editor of The Battalion.
I’m not much at sentimentality, so I won’t bore you with how
this year has been a rewarding, yet sometimes frustrating, experi
ence nor how much the editorship has meant to me nor any of a
thousand other tear-jerking things with which I could bore you.
I’ll just simply say that I’m thankful for the opportunity to be
editor of The Battalion and that I’ll never forget this year ....
no matter how hard I try.
But I am going to bore you with accolades to some people
who have influenced, assisted and guided me during the four
years I have been at Texas A&M. And I will probably throw
in a few personal observations concerning the future of this uni
versity. So if you don’t think you have been much of an influence
on me and if you care less about how I feel on such contriversial
topics as sex, The Bomb, football, narcotics or how to make an easy
living, you may now quit reading. This is my last byline in The
Battalion, and I reserve the right to pat a few friends on th© back
and then make a complete fool of myself.
When a person starts naming his friends, he runs the risk
of omitting some. So if you aren’t on my list, please don’t run
home crying about it. I probably don’t hate you.
I’m really not sure whether to slap this first person on the
back or in the face. He is Mr. A. E. “Buddy” Denton, the man
most responsible for my being here. It all started my senior year
in high school at our football banquet and he was the main
speaker .... but I won’t bore what few readers are left with
all the details. Thank you, Mr. Denton?
Next should come my fellow writers, editors, managers and
schemers of the printed word — The Batt staff. Without them
I would have had to take home the entire staff payroll this
year and been forced into an upper income bracket. Thank you,
Batt staff.
The next words of praise go out to my bald-headed buddy and
boss, Mr. Jim Lindsey. Had it not been for the office filled with
the stench of his cigar smoke, I would probably not have taken up
smoking in self-defense and would be living a normal, healthy,
but terribly dull life. Thank you, Mr. Lindsey.
And then comes my favorite prof. Dr. David Bowers, from
whom I have gained only a small portion of my vast accumulated
wisdom, but who taught me what to do in case I ever work for a
newspaper that he did, but I won’t because he’s a Yankee and
worked up north and I plan to stay in the south. He also taught
me how to write simple sentences. Thank you, Dr. Bowers.
The administration should certainly draw its share of the
moment’s glory. By administration, I mean President Earl Rudder,
of course. Without him, whose action could I have criticized for
the Juan Dinero incident and similar differences of opinion. Every
editor needs a whipping boy. Thank you, Mr. Rudder.
Next come the favorite profs other than the one mentioned
earlier. Laurels go out to Mr. C. K. Esten, Dr. Stanley L. Archer,
Mr. Harry Kidd, Mr. W. Dee Kutach and Dr. Garland E. Bayliss,
from whom I gained invaluable sack-out time at critical periods
after all-night escapades in the Batt Cave. Without them, I would
be graduating in even more broken health than I am. Thank you,
other favorite profs.
And I must pat a few smilers on the back. These are the
folks who always greeted me with a handshake and a smile, like
Mr. Alan M. Madeley, Mr. Ted Cathey, Mr. J. Gordon Gay and my
friend Britt Martin. I can attribute by outgoing personality, million
dollar smile and firm handshake to these individuals who have pre
pared me for a politican’s life of back-slapping and baby-kissing
but have failed to give me the necessary financial backing to get into
the racket — er, occupation. Thank you, fellow smilers.
Last, but certainly not least, are my student leader friends.
To these individuals, such as Roland Smith, Johnny Rodgers, Norris
Cano and Craig Buck, I owe the humility which has made me what
I am, because their BMOC attitudes superbly surpassed mine. Also,
they provided me with editorial crusade fodder whenever President
Rudder stepped into line and couldn’t be criticized for awhile. Thank
you, student leaders.
Now for my personal observations concerning the future of
Texas A&M. I think A&M stands on the brink of academic excell
ence, dormitory excellence, student excellence, financial excellence,
construction excellence and excellent excellence if we can only blah,
blah, blah, etc.
You people who have waded through all this just to find out
how I feel on such controversial topics as sex, The Bomb, football,
narcotics or how to make an easy living: Here’s my opinion. I
feel they are controversial.
And now, if you will kindly observe the small patch of mistle
toe hanging from my coat tail ....
-30
Rodgers,
Receive
Buck
MSC
Top
Award
COUNCIL AWARD WINNERS
. Rountrees with Rogers, left, Buck.
Dorm Telephone System
Authorized By Board
A recent desision by the Texas
A&M Board of Directors could
result in telephone service to
most dormitory rooms by Sep
tember of 1968.
The board last week author
ized President Earl Rudder to
sign a contract with South
western States Telephone .Co. for
the installation of a Centrex tele
phone system in the basement of
the new library now under con
struction. An allocation of
$50,000 was made for the project.
Clark C. Munroe, director of
personnel, says the system will
have a potential load of 10,000
units, although only about half
that number will be installed
initially.
Munroe, who served eight
years as district traffic superin
tendent and senior engineer for
Nuclear Engineer
To Speak Monday
Irving Spiewak, Engineering
Development Department head
at the Oak Ridge National Lab
oratory, will speak here May 2.
Spiewak will address the A&M
Chapter of the American Nuclear
Society at 7:30 p.m. in room 310
of the Engineering Building, ac
cording to Dr. Don Emon, as
sistant professor of nuclear en
gineering.
The scientist is deputy direc
tor of the Oak Ridge nuclear de
salting program, which includes
reactor evaluations and develop
ment, studies of coupling of pow
er and desalting plants, and de
sign and development of sea
water evaporators.
Spiewak earned an M.S. de
gree in chemical engineering
from MIT and a B.S. at Cooper
Union.
GOOD-NATURED DESTRUCTION
Sophomore Earyl Roddy releases a little ex- Terry Wilson, also a sophomore. The ten-
cess energy on a badly-mangled car in the sion-reliever was a money-raising project
Junior Car Bash. Waiting for his turn is for the junior class.
Southwestern Bell Co., has been
working on the idea since he
joined the staff in 1962.
“The administration has long
recognized the need for a com
munications system on the
campus,” Munroe said. “The
problem is a simple one—it’s
nearly impossible to get in touch
with students or professors under
the present setup.”
After agreeing to study the
situation, Munroe said, he toured
10 colleges in the Midwest and
Texas, then decided on the Cen
trex system as the “most modern
available.”
Munroe says the cost is “very
reasonable” and that the system
is “well-fitted to A&M’s needs.”
The cost to each student will
be $15 per semester, he noted.
He explained the charge will
have to be mandatory because the
cost per unit would be too high
if an optional system were in
effect.
“We realize that some students
won’t be able to afford the extra
expense,” Munroe added, “so
telephone lines will not be in
stalled in Mitchell, Milner, or
Leggett Halls.”
He said that on the basis of
studies at other schools, the ad
ministration feels confident most
students will want to have the
phone service.
“This will be a strictly non
profit project,” he went on. “The
students won’t be paying for in
stallation, or for administration
phones, or even for billing ex
penses.”
One problem that the board
tried to anticipate, Munroe said,
was that of long-distance calls.
“In order to keep the university
out of the collection business,
we’ll limit all outgoing long
distance calls to collect and credit-
card charges,” he explained.
“We’ll also set up a switching
system to avoid crank calls late
at night.”
In November 1963 such a sys
tem was proposed and approved,
and Munroe announced it could
be operational by January 1966.
But the only centrally located
building which could be used to
house the wiring center was the
Academic Building, and the tele
phone engineers said six first-
Grads Schedule
Saturday Dance
The Graduate Student Spring
Dance will feature music by
Tobias and the Sounds Saturday.
The party will last from 8-12
p.m. in the K. C. Hall.
Tickets are on sale for $1.50
per couple at the Memorial Stu
dent Center cashier’s office or
from any council member.
Tickets may also be purchased
at the door, beginning at 7 p.m.
Dress for the dance is semi-
formal and refreshments will be
served.
The K. C. Hall is located on
Groesbeck Street in Bryan.
First Bank & Trust now pays
per annum on savings cer-
•tificates. —Adv.
floor classrooms would have to
be torn out due to height require
ments for the system.
“We had to choose between
losing six air-conditioned rooms
at a prime location or waiting
a couple of years until we could
use the basement of the proposed
library,” Munroe explained. “The
board chose the latter.”
Part of the $50,000 will go
toward construction changes in
the original plans for the library.
“The new dormitories were
built with this system in mind,”
he pointed out. “Each room is
already equipped for installation
of the phones.”
The Centrex system is compar
able to the one in use at the
University of Texas, and some
other area colleges.
“Telephone service charges are
generally higher than the amount
we have planned,” Munroe said.
“There aren’t very many schools
that offer more inexpensive serv
ice. And nobody will have a better
system.”
John Rodgers and Craig Buck
were named recipients of the
first annual Thomas H. Rountree
Award at the Memorial Student
Center Council and Directorate
Awards Banquet Thursday night.
Thirty-five students and facul
ty-staff members also received
recognition for services to the
sixteenth MSC Council and Di
rectorate.
The Rountree Award, present
ed by Mr. and Mrs. J. L. H.
Rountree of Houston in memory
of their son Tom, will be given
annually to the outstanding
member of the Council and Di
rectorate.
The first award was a joint
one because the selection com
mittee felt the dedication and ac
complishments of both Rodgers
and Buck have brought such
honor and distinction to Texas
A&M that one could not be
chosen over the other.
Rountree, a 1952 graduate
was a member of the MSC Di
rectorate instrumental in estab
lishing student programs that
have become model examples on
the regional and national level.
Some of his programs were fore
runners of the Student Confer
ence on National Affairs and the
Great Issues Committee.
He was killed in an automobile
accident in 1955.
The Council and Directorate
bestowed Distinguished Service
Awards to Donald E. Allen,
Council member; Peter B. Belins
ky, Talent Committee chairman;
Dr. Charles L. Boyd, Council ad
visor; Robert H. Dillard, SCONA
XI committee chairman; David
E. Graham, Council executive
vice president; Mrs. L. V. Haw
kins, SCONA XI advisor; Dr.
Harry P., Kroitor, Contemporary
Arts Committee advisor; Mich
ael Nabors, Town Hall Commit
tee chairman; Jack B. Ramsey
Jr., SCONA XI committee chair
man; Kenneth L. Reese, Camera
Committee chairman; Thomas N.
Civilians To Seek
Big Voter Turnout
Three proposals for increasing
student participation in school
elections were brought before the
Civilian Student Council Thurs
day night.
Jim Dalton, spokesman for the
CSC, said the council noted that
less than five per cent of the
civilian students voted in the last
election. It proposes to give out
lists of offices and candidates to
all civilians next year as a re
minder to vote.
Also adopted by the CSC was
a plan to give out voter regis
tration cards to civilians through
dormitory presidents. This would
eliminate the necessity of the stu
dents walking to the Memorial
Student Center to get their cards.
The third move sanctioned by
the council to increase the turn
out at the polls would be to place
voting machines at strategic
points around the campus, again
making it more convenient to
cast ballots.
Acting on President Rudder’s
promise to furnish water for
approved water fights between
the Corps and civilian students,
the Student Life Committee of
the CSC was instructed to study
the feasibility of holding such
Aggie Blood Drive
Estimate Reached
Aggie Blood Drive expecta
tions were filled to the pint
Thursday as the preregistration
goal of 550 pints was reached.
James Morris, Student Senate
Welfare Committee chairman,
said that 550 pints were donated
in the two-day drive.
More than 650 Aggies signed
up to donate but 100 were dis
qualified due to high blood pres
sure, recent colds and various
other reasons, Morris edded.
Journalism Day
Slated Saturday
An Awards Banquet at 7 p.m.
Saturday will highlight the tenth
annual Journalism Day here.
Dan Lovett, roving correspond
ent for the McLendon Radio
Corporation, will be the featured
speaker.
Also assistant news director
of Houston’s KILT, Lovett will
speak on “Jet Set Reporting.”
He recently returned from Viet
Nam where he taped interviews
with 97 Houston area soldiers.
Named at the banquet will be
the outstanding sophomore, jun
ior and senior journalism majors
and the outstanding senior in
Sigma Delta Chi.
The outstanding senior will re
ceive the Wall Street Journal
Award.
In addition, scholarships will
be awarded from KORA, the
Clayton Foundation, The Minne
apolis Star, The Houston Post
and The Amarillo Globe-Times.
A picnic at Wellborn is on tap
for journalism students at 10
a.m. Saturday.
Tyree, Great Issues Committee
chairman, and Lt. Cmdr. Don
Walsh, Great Issues Committee
advisor.
Appreciation Awards went to
Robert A. Beene, Public Rela
tions Committee chairman; Frank
E. Berngen, Travel Committee
chairman; Kippen L. Blair,
SCONA XI committee chairman;
Richard M. Dooley, Contem
porary Arts Committee chair
man; Richard H. Franklin, Di
rectorate finance chairman; Wil
liam S. Gross, Great Issues Com
mittee; Steven V. Gummer,
MSC Council vice president; Dr.
Claude H. Hall, SCONA XI ad
visor; C. Robert Heaton, SCONA
XI vice chairman; A. Steven Ko-
vich, Great Issues Committee,
Dr. William B. Ledbetter, Coun
cil advisor, and M. Wesley Left-
wich, Leadership Committee
chairman.
Also receiving Appreciation
Awards were Jerry L. Lummus,
SCONA XI committee chairman;
Frank H. Markey, Town Hall
Committee; J. Britton Martin,
University Information; Dr. Ed
ward A. Meyers, Bridge Com
mittee advisor; Robert W. Owen,
Town Hall Committee; David A.
Saloma, SCONA XI member; E.
Dwayne Scarlett, Great Issues
Committee advisor; Dr. J. Benton
Storey, Great Issues Committee
advisor; Enrique A. Tessada,
SCONA XI committee chairman;
John K. Ward Jr., Camera Com
mittee, and N. Clinton Ward,
Leadership Committee.
The seventeenth Council and
Directorate, headed by Steve
Gummer, officially took over at
the banquet.
“fights” and report at a later
date.
Alternatives mentioned were
Corps-civilian tugs-of-war and
playoffs in intramurals.
CSC members also tackled the
financial problem of the stu
dents. They pointed out many
students employed by the Uni
versity receive their pay after
the deadlines for paying install
ment fees without penalty.
Since the five-dollar penalty
imposes a strain on the budgets
of many who hold down part
time pobs, they wrote a letter
to Rudder asking him to take
some action towards coordinating
paydays with bill days.
Rodenberger
To Receive
Engineer Chair
Charles A. Rodenberger, asso
ciate professor of aerospace en
gineering, has been appointed to
the newly established Halliburton
Chair of Engineering, Fred J.
Benson, Dean of the School of
Engineering, has announced.
Appointment becomes effective
June 1.
The Halliburton Foundation of
Duncan, Okla., set up a contribu
tion on a five-year basis for the
chair. Marvin K. Brummett is
president of Haliburton’s Educa
tion Foundation, Inc.
Studies to improve • effective
ness of engineering teaching and
ways for improving communica
tion and relations with industry
are primary chair objectives, Ben
son said.
“Professor Rodenberger has a
substantial interest in the field,
has a very fine reputation as a
teacher and is a vigorous young
man with progressive ideas,” he
continued.
Recently listed in Who’s Who
in Education, Rodenberger wiil
continue to instruct in aerospace
engineering part-time during reg
ular semesters and devote vir
tually full-time to the Chair dur
ing summers.
A registered professional engi
neer and member of eight profes
sional groups, Rodenberger was
named outstanding faculty mem
ber by the Student Engineering
Council. He has been cited by
the American Institute of Aero
nautics and Astronautics for stu
dent service.
The professor has written nu
merous articles for publication,
the latest on “Team Design at
Texas A&M” in the Journal of
Engineering Education.
ITS Video Highlights
Scheduled Saturday
Video highlights of the Inter
collegiate Talent Show will be
televised on KBTX-TV, channel
3 in Bryan, at 3:30 p. m. Satur
day.
The film was taken by the
Educational Television Depart
ment during ITS here March 5.