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VOLUME 64 Number 60
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 1969
Telephone 845-2226
Five Finalists Announced
In Band Sweetheart Contest
Five finalists have been an
nounced for the Texas Aggie
Band Sweetheart to be chosen
Feb. 8 at the annual band dance.
Belton High senior Miss Valeria
J/Vnderson; Sam Houston State
freshman Miss Roxie Ash of Day-
Ion; Mrs. Linda Day of Lake
Jackson; Miss Linda de Masters,
Bellaire High senior, and Miss
Nancy Whitman, Sam Houston
Btate junior of Dayton, were
named finalists by a 10-man band
selection committee.
I Band commander William R.
Howell of Brenham said the 1968-
B9 band sweetheart will be se
lected by secret ballot of students
fend their dates at the Feb. 8
Dance in the Memorial Student
Center Ballroom.
MAYNARD Gimble’s Orchestra
will play for the 8 p.m. to mid-
might dance. The ballroom will be
decorated in a San Francisco
■theme and the entrance way will
■eature the band.
Sweetheart selection committee
Jhairman Richard Eads of San
pFrancisco said about 300 guests,
md members and their dates are
Expected. The guest list includes
Resident and Mrs. Earl Rudder,
lean and Mrs. James P. Hanni-
'an, Col. and Mrs. Jim H. McCoy,
loaches Gene Stallings and Shel-
Metcalf and tbeir wives, Mr.
and Mrs. A. M. Waldrop, college
deans and the Texas Aggie Band
Association executive committee.
Miss Whitman and Miss Ash
will be escorted by brothers John
and Jim Otto of Dayton, band
junior and freshman, respectively.
A 5-3 brunette, Miss Whitman
is a junior business major at
SHSC. Miss Ash, 18, is 5-5 and
a freshman home economics major
at the Huntsville school.
Miss de Masters is a 5-7, 17-
year-old brunette and will be es
corted by band freshman Herbert
S. Hilburn of Northbrook, 111.
A 5-4 blonde who works in the
MSC director’s office, Mrs. Day
is the wife of band senior Mike
Day of Freeport.
Miss Anderson, to be escorted
by freshman Craig H. Pearson of
Belton, is a 5-5, 17-year-old
blonde.
$5 Million Dorm Complex Plan
Explained To Student Senate
Architecture Wins
College Designation
Formation of a College of
Architecture and Environmental
Design here has been authorized
by the Texas College and Uni
versity System Coordinating
Board.
The School of Architecture is
currently within the College of
Engineering.
The Coordinating Board also
approved an A&M request for a
master’s degree in modern lan
guages and a master’s and Ph.D.
in veterinary toxicology.
In other action affecting A&M,
the hoard approved establishment
★ ★ ★
loordinating Board Defers
ction On A&M-STCL Merger
The Texas College and Univer
sity System Coordinating Board
lias deferred any action on the
proposed merger between Texas
l&M and South Texas College of
jaw until at least Feb. 10.
The board officially received
Ihe merger request at its meet-
ling Monday in Austin.
■ Board Chairman Tom Sealy of
lidland, noting both the impor
tance of the presentation and the
rffact the board has several new
Bnembers, indicated the group
hould take additional time to
study the proposal before at
tempting to reach a decision.
TOP OFFICIALS from both
Texas A&M and the Houston
light law school appeared before
the board in support of the
merger.
Dean G. R. Walker of the law
college emphasized the merger
would not create any duplication
in state-supported law programs,
since the private Houston institu
tion offers evening classes ex
clusively.
Walker also countered conten
tions against having more than
one state-supported law school in
Houston by pointing out the San
Francisco area, comparable to
Houston and vicinity, has several
law schools, two of which are
state supported.
A&M President Earl Rudder
WEATHER
Friday — Cloudy. Wind North
erly 10 to 20 mph. High 43,
low 34.
Saturday — Partly cloudy to
cloudy. Wind Northerly 10 to
20 mph. High 44, low 26.
said A&M is “ready for this
merger and welcomes it.”
“IT IS OBVIOUS that there is
a need for a state-supported night
law school for those students who
have no other opportunity to ob
tain such a degree,” he noted.
Rudder pointed out that Texas
A&M has a long history of serv
ing students who are not from
the highest economic brackets and
observed that South Texas Col
lege of Law has a similar back
ground.
Also appearing before the Co
ordinating Board were L. F.
Peterson of Fort Worth, president
of the Texas A&M University
System Board of Directors, and
Judge Spurgeon Bell of Houston,
chairman of the law school’s
Board of Trustees.
“We on the Texas A&M Board
of Directors have taken a good
hard look at this proposal and
endorse it wholeheartedly,” Peter
son testified. “We feel it fits in
with Texas A&M’s current, past
and future programs.”
SOUTH TEXAS College of Law
has a 33,000-volume library valued
at approximately $500,000. Law
school officials also noted the in
stitution has approximately $500,-
000 in cash and no liabilities
except current expenditures.
Plans to seek a merger between
the 46-year-old private law school
and 92-year-old Texas A&M, the
state’s oldest public institution
of higher learning, were initiated
last November by South Texas
College of Law officials.
Dean Walker said he thinks an
association between his school
and Texas A&M would be ideal
because both institutions are
“student .oriented.”
of the 30-county Southeast Texas
Information Network Association,
in which A&M will participate.
SETINA, headquartered at the
University of Houston, will op
erate a multi-channel, two-way
communications system, including
closed-circuit television, linking
classrooms, libraries, computer
facilities and information retrieval
systems at its member institu
tions. Initial membership includes
16 junior and senior colleges.
Prof. E. J. Romieniec, chairman
of the School of Architecture, said
formal designation as a college
“will bring on broader challenges
toward development of our pro
grams in environmental studies.”
The facility offers courses of
study in architecture, architectur
al construction and landscape
architecture. It also conducts
graduate and research programs,
specializing in such fields as ur
ban planning and health facilities.
Romieniec noted the architec
ture will rank with engineering,
agriculture, liberal arts, business
administration, science, geosci
ences and veterinary medicine as
major divisions of the university.
TAKES OATH
Preston Smith becomes governor of Texas Tuesday as he takes the oath of office admin
istered by Robert W. Calvert, chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court. (Photo by Mike
Wright)
A&M Librarian Remembers
Days With Fidel Castro
HONOR GUARD
Gov. and Mrs. Preston Smith walk through a gleaming
archway of swords held aloft by the Ross Volunteers at
inaugural ceremonies in Austin Tuesday. The A&M unit,
official honor guard of the governor, is commanded by Bob
Foley. (Photo by Mike Wright)
Singing Cadets
To Appear In
9 Texas Cities
Stirring strains of spiritual,
religious and patriotic songs and
the swinging sound of old and
new vocal favorites will ring
through Central and East Texas
Jan. 25-Feb. 1 during the annual
tour of the Singing Cadets.
The 48-voice, all-male glee club
will make 15 appearances at nine
cities in eight days during the
semester break between classes.
Accompanied by pianist Mrs.
June Biering and Director Robert
L. Boone, the cadets will perform
Jan. 25 in Gatesville, Jan. 26,
Waco; Jan. 27, Hillsboro and Fort
Worth; Jan. 28, Sherman; Jan.
29, Paris; Jan. 30, Wylie; Jan.
31, Tyler, and Feb. 1-2, Longview.
THE SINGING Cadets will be
sponsored by various organiza
tions in the different cities.
Travel for the Miss Teenage
America Pageant national TV
performers will be by charter bus.
“This will be the most strenuous
tour the Singing Cadets have
made in my nine years with the
group,” stated Boone. “We’ve
covered more miles, but never
planned to be on the road so long
and singing so much.” They will
cover about 800 miles.
The 50-member tour company
will return to College Station
Sunday for the Feb. 3 start of
spring semester classes.
“Favorites and Music of Today”
will be the cadets’ concert tour
theme. Boone said half of each
concert will feature audience and
Singing Cadet favorites of the
last eight years. Included will be
spirituals such as “Wade in the
Water,” a dramatic religious
piece “The Creation,” a medley
of “Porgy and Bess” selections
and the group’s popular rendition
of “There Is Nothing Like A
Dame” from “South Pacific.”
“The ‘music of today’ portion
will include numbers that have
something to say, not the noisy
oh-yeah stuff to which some par
ents object,” Boone said. He men
tioned “Love Is Blue,” a fun num
ber “Music To Watch Girls By,”
“I Will Wait for You” and “Going
Outta My Head.”
Bryan Building & Loan
Association, Your Sav
ings Center, since 1919.
BB&L —Adv.
By DAVE MAYES
Battalion Managing Editor
To Frederico Marin, Fidel Cas
tro is more than just another
Latin American dictator made
real only by a face on a television
screen pr a voice from a radio
speaker.
He was once a friend.
But, as Marin will quickly point
out, “Fidel was friends with me
—I was not friends with him.
“He is only friends with those
people he needs, for as long as he
needs them—and he once needed
me.”
The time when Castro, a man
who has become one of the most
powerful rulers in Cuban history,
needed Marin, currently a libra
rian at Texas A&M University,
relates back to when both were
attending the Havana Law School
in the 1940’s.
“I REMEMBER the first day I
met him,” Marin recalled. “Fidel,
a freshman, was on a platform
delivering a fiery speech to the
university students. He impressed
me as being very anxious to be
come a politician.”
Marin was a sophomore and
president of the Federation of
Students, one of the most power
ful organizations in the school.
According to Marin, power struc
tures such as his reached beyond
the realm of sports and social
activities to influence school poli
cies, the selection of the faculty
and even national affairs.
Castro sought Marin out, prom
ised loyalty in return for support
in the freshman elections, and the
two formed an alliance. Castro
and Marin teamed together for
two more election victories, Cas
tro contributing his rancher
father’s wealth and Marin his
oratory.
IN THE 1946 elections, how
ever, Castro believed he was
strong enough to win against
Marin alone. When Castro found
himself outmaneuvered, bitter dis
appointment followed defeat.
Within two years, he became a
leader in the smoldering revolu
tion against the Batista regime
and Marin never saw him again.
Running his fingers through his
silver-streaked black hair, Frede
rico Marin tried to recall the
Castro he knew 20 years ago.
“You know, he hadn’t always
had that beard,” Marin said.
“Without it, he’d look just like
Robert Mitchum,” he chuckled.
Fidel was always very ambi
tious, and he would do anything
to get what he wanted—from
bribing to killing.
“I DON’T mean that he was a
desperate man. He only took risks
when he had a good chance of
winning. Fidel never bluffed.
“And, if it could be done,” Marin
continued, “Fidel would never put
his own life in danger. Although
he was a big man—more than six
feet tall—and a good enough ath
lete to be offered a pitching con
tract by the Washington Senators
baseball team, he was not much
of a fighter at close quarters.
“That’s probably why he always
carried a rifle with a telescope
mount throughout the revolution.
He could kill a man at 200 yards
and never have to face him. Fidel
has been a crack shot since he was
a boy.
“FIDEL GREW up in the revo
lution—he has a keen instinct
for survival. He never drinks be
cause it slows down his reflexes.
He never laughs or jokes—he is
always alert.”
Castro, Marin noted, is a man
of little more than normal intelli
gence, yet he includes in his circle
of close friends only those who
are less intelligent or less cul
tured than he.
“Fidel wants to be admired,”
Marin explained.
He noted that Castro was not
a communist at the Havana Law
School and that he had never
seen him with communist people.
“I believe Fidel became a com
munist,” Marin continued, “when
he learned of invasion prepara
tions being made by the United
States. He needed a friend, and
the Soviet Union seemed the saf
est.
The dark eyes of the man who
had volunteered twice for the
U. S. Armed Services to be turned
down because he was not a citi
zen clouded and then glowed as
he said:
“Someday Castro will die and
then Cuba must become part of
the Americas again!”
By JOHN W. FULLER
Battalion Editor
Plans for the proposed $5 mil
lion dormitory-commons construc
tion project near the Duncan
area were presented Wednesday
to members of the Student Senate.
Robert White, representing the
architectural firm of Pitts, Phelps,
White and Saxe, showed floor
plans and conceptual drawings
of the complex, which could be
completed and ready for occupa
tion by the fall of 1971.
The complex would consist of
two four-story dormitories, each
in a “square doughnut” shape
bounding a central courtyard, and
a two-story commons with many
of the features of the present
Memorial Student Center.
EVENTUALLY, White said,
the firm would build another two
dormitories on the same specifi
cations to the south of the original
construction at the corner of Lub
bock and Bizzell streets.
“We will present these plans
to the Board of Directors at their
meeting next month,” White told
the Senators, “but we agreed to
brief the Student Senate on the
plans first to see what changes
you would suggest.”
The original two dormitories
would house 952 students, two to
a room, White noted. Rooms
would be 13x14 feet, with a bath
room between each two rooms.
Additional features would include
a sauna bath, study carrels and
four lounges in each dormitory.
“THESE ROOMS will be con
siderably larger than those in the
new dormitories at Lamar Tech
and the University of Houston and
slightly larger than the new ones
at Texas Tech and the University
of Texas at Austin,” White added.
Features of the commons would
include five television rooms, a
laundry station, vending machine
areas, public rest rooms, a room
for storage of students’ luggage,
post-office boxes for individual
mail delivery to students and a
dining area.
“This commons area represents
a new concept in student hous
ing,” White said. “This is to be
a living center, not just a place
for sleep and study.” The firm has
designed four other such com
plexes, he noted.
“We visited 27 colleges, coast
to coast,” he went on, “and we
think we’ve combined the best
features of all the student hous
ing arrangements.”
13 East Asian Students Here
For 4-Day Experiment Visit
REMEMBERS HIM WELL
A&M librarian Frederico Marin, once a classmate of Fidel
Castro, remembers the time he defeated the Cuban Prime
Minister for the presidency of Havana Law School. (Photo
by Mike Wright)
By TONY HUDDLESTON
Battalion Staff Writer
Thirteen East Asian student
leaders will be guests for a four-
day visit here Jan. 27-31, accord
ing to J. Wayne Stark, director
of the Memorial Student Center.
The students’ visit to A&M will
be a part of a cross-country trip
aci'oss the United States, spon
sored by the Experiment in In
ternational Living, noted Stark.
During their stay at A&M,
the students will attend a Bryan
City Commission meeting Mon
day night, tour the A&M campus
Tuesday, and visit the Manned
Spacecraft Center in Houston
Wednesday.
Other places in Houston the
group will visit are the Astro
dome, Jones Hall, Market Square,
and will attend a play that night
at the Alley Theatre.
Other plans include a visit to
local agricultural areas, and a
barbecue at the home of Dr. and
Mrs. George F. Carter.
“These student leaders are very
knowledgeable about politics, gov-
emment, economics, and foreign
policy and provide a real challenge
in discussion groups, Stark re
marked.
They include: Geoffery Robert
son, experimenter.from Australia,
visiting with Asst. Fh-ofessor of
History and Mrs. David R. Wood
ward, of Bryan.
Wai-Chei Leung, experimenter
from Hong Kong, hosted by Mr.
and Mrs. Walter H. Parsons Jr.,
A&M physical plants director.
Sarwono Kusumaatmadja from
Indonesia, visiting with Dr. and
Mrs. Randall Stelly, associate pro
fessor of agricultural economics.
Shigekazu Sonoda, Kyoto, host
ed by Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Gay,
YMCA coordinator.
Miss Chandra Singharaj.Laos,
visiting with Mr. and Mrs. J. E.
Loupot of College Station.
Zakariah bin Md Sohor, Malay
sia, hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Lo
gan Weston, YMCA Coordinator.
William Brown, New Zealand,
visiting with Dr. and Mrs. Robert
Brown, profesor of agricultural
economics.
Bertram Ocon, the Philippines,
hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Howard
Hooks, systems analyst, A&M
Data Processing Center.
Sim Kay Wee, Singapore, visit
ing with Professor of Civil En
gineering and Mrs. Robert Hol
comb.
Francis Saemala, the Solomon
Islands, visiting with sophomore
Kent Caperton of Bryan.
Preeda Prapertchob, Thailand,
visiting with Mr. and Mrs. Robert
Fiske of College Station.
Miss Ho Lucy Ya-Chai, China,
visiting with the Rev. and Mrs.
J. Phil Kirby of College Station.
Miss Le thi Hien, South Viet
nam, visiting with Mr. and Mrs.
Jack Conlee of Bryan.
University National Bank
“On the side of Texas A&M.
—Adv.