:
Pege 6
College Station, Texas
Wednesday May 17, 1972
THE BATTALION
MAYBE WE OUGHT TO CALL IT
Memorial Day, also known as
Decoration Day, is one of this
country’s most solemn holidays.
Custom has come to recognize it
also as a day for enjoying the first
long weekend of summer.
But perhaps no national holiday has
been the subject of disagreement
approaching that surrounding the
day we celebrate on May 29.
ORIGIN
The actual origin of the
holiday lies in the custom
of decorating graves
during ancient festivals in
Europe and Asia. Most
nearly parallel to the U. S.
observance is Germany’s
Heldengedenktag (Heroes’
Memory Day) which is
celebrated on March 12.
Army of the Republic, an organization
of Union veterans, designated May
30 "for the purpose of strewing with
flowers or otherwise decorating the
graves of comrades who died in
defense of their country during the
late rebellion."
Official designation by Union veterans
caused Southerners, embittered
ly anew by the excesses of Re-
construction, to consider the
holiday a day to honor only Union
dead. Southern states first
ignored the holiday and then set
aside a different day as
\W[&f "Confederate Memorial Day,"
a practice that- still,
yiigp*
four adopted the change. Arizona
observes the holiday on May 31 and
Alabama, Mississippi and South
Carolina do not recognize it at all.
controversy over
holiday continues
CELEBRATING THE DAY
The day is celebrated in various
ways throughout the nation. The
main feature of most observances
is a military or veterans parade to
cemeteries for memorial exercises.
At military installations a ceremony
at noon generally marks the day with
a 21-gun salute. Garlands of flowers
are cast upon the seas from military
ships.
The national focus is on an
observance at Arlington National
Cemetery, near Washington. The
Controversy over the,^ p residen i generally participates in
In 1866, a group of women from
Columbus, Miss., a small town near
the site of the Battle of Shiloh,
made a pilgrimage to Friendship
Cemetery, an 18-acre tract on the
edge of the village. The ladies went
despite urging to the contrary from
their husbands. "The memories are
too bitter," they said. "Emotions are
still inflamed.”
even as to its very
' 'iSp name. Intended to be known as
Their act of kindness became a
symbol of the attempt to bripg about
amity after the bitterness of the
Civil War. An article in the New
York Tribune described the activities
of the Southern ladies:
"Memorial Day," reference to
the day as"Decoration Day"
began early.' So popular was the
name "Decoration Day "■ that its. use
prompted the Grand Army to urge
that the "proper designation of
May 30 is Memorial Day”—not
"Decoration Day.” Yet, the official
name of the holiday in three states is
"Memorfal Day or Decoration Day.”
In Tennessee it is officially
"Decoration Day.”
<**•»• * this ceremony. Theodore
Roosevelt was the first president to
participate in Memorial Day
celebrations. He spoke at
Gettysburg National Military
Park in 1904.
"The women of Columbus, Miss.,
have shown themselves impartial in (
their offerings made to the memory
of the dead. They strewed y - />.
flowers alike on graves of the
Confederate and the National
soldiers.”
In a way, the men of Columbus
were right. The bitterness resulting
from the Civil War has through
the years interfered with the (jv
universal observance of Memorial T
Day.
OFFICIAL RECOGNITION
Recognition of Memorial Day as a
holiday came in 1873 when New
York designated it a legal holiday.
Rhode Island followed in 1874 and
Vermont in 1876.The U. S. Congress
made it an official holiday for
federal employees in 1887. By
1910 it was a legal holiday in all
FAMILY OUTINGS
Because the day falls just after the
close of public schools for the
summer, the holiday is seized as an
opportunity for family outings. Parks
and recreational facilities overflow
each year on this first holiday of the
summer. Highways are crowded with
traffic carrying Texans to an abundant
variety of recreational pursuits.
states except nine Southern s.tates,
including Texas.
The state of Texas never officially
adopted a statewide day of recogni-
i f : tion until the day was re-legislated
CONTROVERSY
Subsequent to the Columbus grave
side ceremony, similar observances
were held throughout the South and
in a few scattered locales in the
North. Then, in 1868, the Grand
^by the U. S. Congress in 1971.
Individual communities had their
own decoration days, a practice that
still exists in many rural areas.
In 1971 Congress changed the date
of the, nationwide observance of
Memorial Day from May 31, to the
last Monday in May, which this year
fa.lls on May 29. All states except
DRIVE FRIENDLY
Traditionally, the accident levels
during the long Memorial Day
weekend are high—marring the
holiday with tragedy. The Governor’s
Committee on Traffic Safety has
urged Texans to DRIVE FRIENDLY
during the Memorial Day weekend.
DRIVE FRIENDLY means planning
travel to avoid hurrying, observing
traffic laws, and refraining from
drinking while driving.
This Memorial Day DRIVE
FRIEND|_Y . . .
drive
friendly']
Presented as a Public Service by the Governor’s Committee on Traffic Safety
For $95 you’d fly anything,
so long as it lands in Europe.
•T'r-
Why should you
pick Air-India?
Besides the fact of our youth fares
—$190 to London and back; $10
more for Paris—You should fly
with us for the simple reason that
you’ll have a more enjoyable trip.
You’ll be treated the same as we
treat everyone. As though you’re
very special. For that’s our way.
Plus you’ll like the atmosphere,
whether you take our 747 or 707.
Instead of the usual standardized
airline scene, there’s a visual feast.
(Including sari’d girls who look as
though they stepped out of a fable
to serve you.)
But then, you’d expect it from the
people who brought the world sensory
awareness about 5000 years ago.
Now briefly for the facts:
Our fare for young people between
the ages of 12 through 25 round trip
economy class is:
London —$190
($210 June 1st through August 31st)
Paris-$200
($220 June 20th through July 25th)
Frankfurt —$210
($228 June 20th through July 25th)
Rome —$199
all year round with immediate confirmation
Make your reservation now and
we'll confirm it within a week of your
departure.
We’re also offering similar low
fares to Brussels, Amsterdam, Zurich,
Geneva and many more cities.
Call your local Air-India office
or any travel agent.
AIR-INDIA-YOUTH FARE (214) 748-0637
Dept. #37, 1810 Commerce St., Dallas, Texas 75201
Please make a reservation *or me for London □
Paris □ Rome □ Brussels □ Amsterdam □
Frankfurt □ Zurich □ Geneva □
I want to leave (Date).
Name
Address
City, State, Zip
Telephone number
FARES SUBJECT TO GOVT. APPROVAL.
Huckaby’s
The polyurethane chair also can double as ng
ern sculpture. Huckaby is demonstrating the rough-cut design prototype, which |
gained production interest. See related story below.
A&M environmental design senior
as a chair (left) or a child top (right)
Y ersatile
by A&M
chair developed
student Huckaby
A block of polyurethane and
some non-conformist ideas about
'chairs have resulted in an A&M
student’s design of a chair that
doubles as a child’s toy or sculp
ture.
Edward E. Huckaby of San An
tonio calls it an “A” chair, because
of its resemblance in side view
to the letter.
It flips over for use in any of
three positions. Qualities of the
material and the design enable
a user to sit upright or recline
comfortably. In the upright “A”
position, it seats two people back-
to-back.
In another position, the Huck
aby chair becomes a child’s toy
animal than can be bounce-rid
den.
Standing upright on the out
side of one leg of the “A”, the
chair becomes a piece of modern
sculpture.
An environmental design sen
ior, Huckaby generated the con
tours and form in an environmen
tal design course instructed by
Prof. Rodney C. Hill. The course
concentrates student thinking on
processes of creative problem
solving and extending visual fun
damentals to manual training in
supporting production.
Through assistance of another
of his professors, materials spe
cialist Dr. L. Dale Webb in civil
engineering, and the Texas A&M
aby noted. “One company is in
terested in it for production.”
The San Antonio MacArthur
High School graduate is mox-e
interested in getting the product
in use than financial return how
ever. Huckaby plans to go into
interior space design after grad
uate school. He says that being
able to point to his design in use
will help.
Webb said relatively simple pro
duction techniques are available.
With an integral polyurethane
skin, the chair would resist wear
and tear, and gain lateral stabil
ity.
The block of polyurethane from
which Huckaby cut the prototype
allowed only a 22-inch width,
about six short of ideal, Webb
added.
“When I did this, I threw out
everything I knew about chairs,”
commented the student. He gen
erated contours of the chaiii!
studies of the human bodj,!
hole in the “A” is importis
flexure and comfort. He sail
Hill-taught course stresss
sign for people, instead ofi
for design’s sake.
The versatility of the desinl
veloped after he cut several)
els and began work on thf
scale chair.
“The flip came as an
thought,” revealed the sot
San Antonio plastics distri
E. V. Huckaby of 118 0
Oaks.
He pointed out while ilti I
strating the design that nod
existing chair adapts soia
ly to the human body. Toa|
size, Huckaby reclined «1
side with his head propped!!
extended arm.
“Could you do this in anp
er chair?” he grinned.
Fourteen spring graduates
receive education awards
A&M’s College of Education
has presented faculty achieve
ment awards to 14 spring gradu
ates.
Research Foundation, Huckaby
has the chair-toy-sculpture going
under patent.
“The design is tied up,” Huck-
Recipients of the award are
Eugene Wilson Brees II of Tempe,
Arizona; Ronald Wilkins Brune
of New Ulm; Carolyn S. Canaday
of Xenia, Ohio; Betsy D. Carpen
ter of Bastrop; Mary Ann Dudko
of Ilastings-on-Hudson, l
Gene Hodges of Stanton;]
orah Sue Marak of Dallas,
Also, Marilyn Ann Melck
College Station; Betty Su«!
of Buffalo; Mary Ann hi
of Brenham; Melba C. Sa
of Lancaster; Rebecca g. i
beck of RiehyAle, CiE;!
Lou Weatherly of Friona.m
lian Ann Wolf of Killeen,
Dear Bugle:
“Something strange has hap
pened. An unusual recording by
a relatively unknown artist has
made it big on Top 40 radio. I am
referring to “American Pie” by
Don McLean.
Now that’s not really the
strange part. What is strange is
that many supposedly aware
people have condemned the
record as being top 40 shit!
I object!
I would ask these dilletantes,
some of whom have indignantly
and pedantically complained to a
WZMF morning jockey about his
playing the record, to listen with
awareness and sensitivity to the
whole recording.
Let McLean speak of the day
“Music” died. The “Music” of
another age. An age when it was
so very good and easy not to have
to think too deeply. Yesterday,
when your troubles seemed far
away. Allow McLean to outline
for you as no history teacher ever
has, the events that brought us
where we are today... the demise
of Elvis, the incredible influence
of the Beatles, the assasination of
President Kennedy, the Demo
cratic convention of 1968, the
passing of Janis Joplin arid all
that meant, the inauguration of
President Nixon, and the moon
flights... to mention just a few.
BUGLE AMERICAN Milwaukee, Wis.
After that first big step, listen
to McLean’s “American Pie”
album! McLean shows himself to
be not only a wonderful musician
but an intensely beautiful poet.
One cut, “Vincent’,’ says all
there is to know about the genius
that was Vincent Van Gogh. Mind
you, Don McLean does not write
song lyrics but poetry. McLean’s
‘story’of Van Gogh's struggle with
himself and with an ‘audience’
which was not yet ready to even
tolerate him fills the listener with
rage and pity.
I find very, very little of any
real value in the wide world of
art. Don McLean is an exception.
In the midst of a. thousand heroic
attempts, McLean has made it.
Not since Dylan have I been so
excited about a poet-musician.
Please listen to him!"
c
CHI
David P. Ziglin
Rt. 1, Box 375
Mukwanago, Wisconsin
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On United Artists Records & Tapes
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