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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 15, 1971)
. ; ...V ‘ % ■■ ■ : : ■'■: v '•>: •' : i; •: • -'v: ■■ Page 4 College Station, Texas Wednesday, September 15, 1971 THE BAITALIO! Connally, Barnes tried to cut Smith out of politics, PR man says AUSTIN (A*)—Ben Barnes and close friends of John Connally tried for months to cut Preston Smith out of politics completely, says a former paid campaigner for Smith. Jerry Conn, an Austin public relations man, wrote in an aca demic paper recently that Smith, as lieutenant governor, “simply was not on the Connally team. He did not want to be on the team and they did not want him.” During the latter part of Con- nally’s final term as governor, “his young protege, Ben Barnes, who had become speaker of the House, combined with Connally forces to try completely to cut Preston Smith out of politics,” Conn said. Conn said Harold Dudley, a former aide to Smith, “recalls that in the latter Connally years it was quite lonely around the Capitol for Preston Smith and his supporters and staff. Few of them were around the Capitol and there were so many Connally and Barnes people. “Dudley was paid by Smith out of his own pocket. Smith’s official lieutenant governor’s staff in cluded only four full-time secre taries and one student who came in to clip newspapers. There were no official paid staff members in the lieutenant governor’s office when Smith went out in January 1969.’’ Conn was director of public relations for Smith during his successful 1968 race for gover nor and was in charge of adver tising when Smith was re-elected in 1970. He recently completed a thesis on Smith’s 1968 race for a mas ter’s degree from the University Schultz to be first full-time A&M archivist A&M’s first full-time archivist, Dr. Charles R. Schultz, assumes duties in the university library Oct. 1. Archives has been handled • in the past on a part-time -basis by retired faculty members. Ernest Langford, professor emeritus of architecture and College Station’s first mayor, has been archivist since 1957. He will continue through Oc tober to assist Dr. Schultz. A&M archives are part of the library program and housed on the third floor of the university library. Schultz’ appointment with fac ulty rank as assistant professor was announced by Libraries Di rector John B. Smith. The new archivist has eight years with the Marine Historical Associa tion program at Mystic, Conn. Appointment of an experi- enced, full-time archivist to the position will allow the start of a comprehensive program of archi val development,” Smith said. He noted much has been done through dedicated service of re tired faculty such as Langford, but the university requires a more comprehensive archival pro gram. Smith said archives now in corporates various materials on A&M. Personal papers, manu scripts and oral (tape-recorded) history will be actively solicited through the expanded program. ALLEN Oldsmobile Cadillac SALES - SERVICE “Where satisfaction js standard equipment” 2401 Texas Ave. 823-8002 Pawn Merchandise For Sale Tape Recorders Mech. Drawing Sets Guitars & Amps. Cameras, Radios TAPES Buy - Sell - Trade PAWN LOANS On •Anything of Value TEXAS STATE CREDIT CO. 1014 Texas Ave.—Bryan 822-5633 of Texas. Conn, 33, said for those help ing Smith to escape Connally’s shadow, “It never ceased to be amazing at how the shadow seem ed to grow longer and longer. “This was especially manifest ed through the press. It seemed that Lt. Gov. Smith could only get moderate press coverage out of a full statewide tour, and yet Gov. Connally seemed to be able to generate enthusiastic response throughout the press corps by anything he did.” Conn quoted another Smith aide, Otice Green, as saying this was because Smith’s “dull and colorless image” was contrasted to Connally. “How did Connally obtain that colorful reputation?” Green ask ed. “Was it by the way he spoke, the way he looked? ‘The reason he’s colorful is because of what happened to him in Dallas in his career." Connally was seriously wound ed Nov. 22, 1963, as he rode in a Dallas motorcade with Presi dent John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated. “It didn’t seem that he (Con nally) ran away with his elections anytime before that,” Green said. Conn said Smith “went along but he seemed generally to expect the worst.” Conn said his reporter friends asked him, “What are you doing working for that old fuddy-duddy ? He’s not going anywhere.” Conn said Smith’s “difficulties with the press seem to come from a maverick or obstinate streak in him, plus being put on the spot by reporters who, he felt, were not as knowledgeable and respon sible as he.” Conn said it “particularly both ered Smith” in 1967 that after Smith had been in state govern ment for 18 years a Houston poll showed Barnes was known by more people than Smith. Dudley even thought Smith might hire a New York or Cali fornia firm to try to change Smith’s image “from an old bald- headed politician to something with more color and glamour.” But, Dudley said, “I had been studying him for an extended period of time and felt that it couldn’t have been done and that SAI public it would have been extrai^ ; ^ emt ! expensive to try. In the % I .® s t analysis, and in the long run,k s W1 .. had the best image there *•„ |; under the circumstances becata |; at 1 I felt the people wanted a ste ing hand on the wheel, aeons;- ative ...” ^ ber " THf Basically, Conn said “he i hold his opponents to a stanik; in the largest counties and t pile up a victory lead in i medium and smaller counties,'! they to bri before SKAGGS USP - 5 GR ANALGESIC - 100 CT Pencils c EA. INTEGRITY NO. 2 Wig Head C Clock Radio *on GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPACT MODERN AM CLOCK RADIO WHITE WITH BLACK FACE -0400/ STYRO HEAD WITH SUCTION STYLING BASE Bath Oil 0 LISA MORNAY-Va GAL. Report Covers COMPOSITION TYPE Playballs 10" VINYL BALLS BRIGHT COLORS BIG FOAM CUT OUT RUG.-MANY COLORS I 16 oz. Breck 'Vitalis Hair Tonic c Hajr_ Spray ic SUNBEAM Percolator AUTOMATIC PERC-BREW TO 12 CUPS - AP32 Lee Oil Filters *159 BIG 16 OZ. REGULAR. 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