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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 10, 1969)
A Backward Glance At A Summer | Back-to-School Edition | S; :$ The Battalion Of Change | Section Two | COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1969 Following Cooper’s Resignation Perry Named Director Of Civilian Activities Howard Perry was named civilian student activities director Sept. 1, heading a series of personnel changes due to the resignation of Edwin H. Cooper. Dean of Students James P. Hannigan announced Perry will succeed Cooper and Eugene C. Oates, student affairs counselor, will become residence halls pro gram advisor. Perry is the cur rent advisor. Cooper had been civilian stu dent activities director since the post was created in 1967. He was formerly assistant to President Earl Rudder for four years and earlier was wildlife conservation specialist of the Texas Agricul tural Extension Service. His resignation became effec tive Aug. 31. The 1953 A&M grad uate said he was resigning to enter a local business enterprise with Kelly Broach. Cooper said his family will re main here and he hopes to main tain a close relationship with the university. “Ed has accomplished wonders through the civilian student ac tivities program s,” Hannigan said. “We are very appreciative of his work and accomplishments and wish him the best." The dean noted that personnel changes will not affect civilian student programs, including the residence halls program which will expand to include seven halls during 1969-70. Four other appointments are also involved in the realignment, not including the recent appoint ment of Don Stafford as associate dean, replacing the retiring Ben nie A. Zinn. Residence halls coun selors Robert Chapman and Kirby Blevins will be joined by Jack Thomas, Don Williams and Larry Rice. Rice previously was civilian counselor to the Corps of Cadets. Corps counselors J. Malon Southerland and Mike Bozardt will be joined by Larry Pollock. Hannigan noted both Perry and Oates were in on the Student- staff conference at Lake Buch anan where the residence halls program was born. “They played significant roles in its development, to the point we feel we’re on the right track,” the dean said. “We expect to see within a year 100 per cent participation in the program.” A 1944 A&M graduate who has been on the university staff nine years, Perry will have responsi bility for overall activities of more than 9,000 civilian students. He noted halls other than the three in the pilot program last year have already begun adopt ing some of its elements. Perry said about 1,500 civilian students will be directly involved this year. He praised the concept as the main factor behind “a terrific change among A&M civilian stu dents during the last two years. It is building cohesiveness within all civilian student elements. The change is apparent in attitudes and interest in student govern ment, activities and traditions.” Oates, a Trinity native who came to A&M in 1964 following 23 years Army service, indicated that the residence halls program strives for balanced academic achievement and extra-curricular activities involvement. “Scholastically, all 17 halls were above average last year,” the 1941 A&M graduate observed. “Halls in the program were even higher scholastically and, from this, some good competition developed.” He noted two innovations are due this year. On Friday before the start of fall semester classes, residence hall councils will con duct freshman “ice breakers” at which new civilian students will have opportunity to get ac quainted. Distinctive wearing apparel de noting hall membership also is in the mill, Oates added. Perry and Oates have offices on the first floor of the renovated YMCA. Mills Sprints 440 For World Mark EDWIN COOPER “Keep the faith, baby!” That’s what everyone in the sports world should have done that June afternoon when Texas A&M’s supreme sophomore Curtis Mills defeated the toughest NC AA track competition imaginable. It was like a fairy tale come true as the former Lufkin Dunbar schoolboy track star broke the existing world’s record in the 440 yard dash with a 44.7 and whip ping Olympic champion Lee Evans in the process. Evans was quoted as saying that he had never even heard of Mills until he won his semi-final heat Friday. The only one to keep his “cool” throughout the whole meet was Mills himself. He had expressed supreme confidence even before he scorched the University of Tennessee Tartan Turf. He predicted to several Texas writers that he would beat both Evans, who was clocked in 45.2, and highly regarded Larry James of Villanova, who eventually fin ished fifth. “There’s no pressure on me. I’m in a better position than they are. You wait and see. My name will be in the headlines tomor row,” he said. And sure enough they were. “It’s still hard for me to be lieve what has happened,” Mills said right after the race. “Coach (Charlie) Thomas grabbed me and was hollering, ‘look at the clock!’ “I saw the 44.7 but I was so happy that I won that I didn’t think about a world record. Then it hit me . . . what a feeling it was.” Running by far his best race of the year, Mills coasted into the final 100 yards expecting to finish “either third or fourth.” But he felt so good coming out of the last turn that he decided to go ahead and try to win it. Still eligible to run the remain ing summer months in the Na tional AAU championships in Miami and perhaps ear a trip to Europe, Mills instead decided to enroll at A&M for summer school. Coach Thomas believes that Tennessee’s Tartan synthetic run ning track was a factor in Mills’ 44.7. “Tartan Turf is a soft surface with a lot of bounce. There’s no doubt that it’s the best running surface made because it isn’t hard on a runner’s legs.” Later in July, Mills was an instant star at Camp JeGalHa near Huntsville and gave 100 boys and girls from the metropolitan poverty holes someone to remem ber as a friend. Mills ran, sang songs, signed autographs, ate, played and an swered questions during his four- hour visit. He was asked how he set the world record. “I just try to win, not set a record,” the Lufkin native told the youths. “If it takes a world record, then that’s what I did.” Mills explained he didn’t “smoke or drink and I want a good educa tion. My school, Texas A&M, is the greatest in the world.” He noted he was about the age of most of the children in the camp when he started his track career. MILLS THE CHAMP Doing More For More People Every Day ...Covering An Entire City Block, First Bank s Beauti ful Facilities Are Located Across From The Court house In Bryan. 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