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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 2, 1977)
age Page 8 THE BATTALION WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 1977 5] •T. Viai _.ab o s Cex OC Jil ( ■:a jipl md TVt SCJU is.,1 cha I tal! A& tio sit mi E> toi he pl ic c; A: ei n it k f V t Ehhh. . . What’s up, doc? Bugs creator hates carrots, loves kids By DEBBIE PARSONS The voices of Bugs Bunny, Bar ney Rubble, Tweety Bird, Road Runner, Daffy Duck and many more cartoon favorites were heard from one man, Mel Blanc, in Rud der Auditorium last night. Blanc, the voice of all Warner Brothers cartoon characters, spoke about his life as a cartoon voicist in a speech sponsored by the Great Is sues Committee. Slides of the car toon characters that he does voices for were shown along with his speech. “The most important point in doing cartoon voices is to create voices, not imitate them,’ Blanc said. “I don’t like to copy anybody because copying,.to me, is like steal ing a voice from somebody else. Blanc has created over 400 voices since he started working with Warner Bros. The cartoonist at Warner Brothers shows Blanc the picture of the character and he then makes up a voice to fit the character. “I strive to be authentic in the voices I do,” Blanc said. Before creating the voice for Porky Pig, for example, Blanc spent some time at a pig farm. “I found out that if a pig could talk, it would talk with a grunt in his voice,” Blanc said. Bugs Bunny, created in 1938., is Blanc’s favorite character. The character was originally to be named The Happy Rabbit, which said “Hey, what’s cookin?”’ Blanc convinced Warner Bros, to rename the rabbit Bugs Bunn^, after its creator, Bugs Hardaway, and to have it say the familiar, “What’s up doc? Blanc does not like carrots and has had a hard time chewing carrots in order to do the character of Bugs Bunny. “I always save the carrot chewing lines for the very end because every time I take a bite of the carrot, I have to spit it into a waste basket. Many child abuse cases reported by neighbors, police or relatives By PHYLLIS CARVER A 9-month-old boy had cigarette burns all over his body. Three of seven young sisters were sexually abused by their father. Are these only isolated incidences of child abuse in Bryan and College Station? No, said Mrs. Warren Barnes of the Emergency Children Shelter in Bryan. “There are many cases of child abuse here, she said. Police or welfare caseworkers bring children to the shelter if they are believed to be in danger of abuse or neglect, she said. The shelter, sponsored by Twin City Missions, Inc. and supported by the Texas Department of Wel fare, is open 24 hours a day. House parents are on duty at all times, Barnes said. “We often have children brought in late at night or from other coun ties she said. The shelter serves seven counties. • Last month there were 14 re ported cases of child abuse, said Rosemary Burroughs, secretary to the supervisor of the County Wel fare Office. “This is a low number compared to what we usually have,” she said. “Last May we had 35 reports. Since there are sometimes five to six chil dren involved in each case, hun dreds of children are involved each ? * year. Reports are often given by police, the schools, neighbors or relatives, Burroughs said. ''“Sometimes il’s just spi : , Sometime^ it sJastsoip grapef; she* said. “You kn^ L cOTnict’be tween relatives or neighbors. Each report, however, is investi gated, she said. “We talk to all the people involved. Sometimes they deny it and we can get no proof.” Often child abuse is not even re ported, Lt. Jim Beamer of the Col lege Station police department said. “But it is a misdemeanor offense to not report child abuse, Faye Pound, a caseworker at the welfare office, said. “We never give out the names of who reports it,” she said. “So, there’s nothing to be worried about in that. The welfare office gets many of their reports from local schools. Burroughs said. Dr. Cecil Nabors, director of in struction for the Bryan School Dis- triej- was reluctant to say much : t^bout Ifepdifts from the schoolsy- ' v TheFy ft a tendency to be reluc tant to'broadcast any of this ” he said. “People have a certain amount of self-preservation, you know. They don t want the parents to abuse them for reporting it. W. B. Davis, principal of Fannin Elementary School, holds a differ ent opinion. “We re always looking real close. Our interest is in chil dren,” lie said. Last year a child missed several days of school and returned with a bruised forehead, he said. “He told the teacher his dad hit him with a belt. He had marks all over his back and legs, so we re ported it,” Davis said. More than half of the local churches said they had never had any child abuse reported to them. A priest at St. Teresa Church, who asked not to be named, said he always-told his i>ai J ishionefs to nifvbri beat tbeir children and the chilcfrem would always remember them with love. T think honoring your father and mother is the basis of happiness,” he said. Otherwise my voice would get too foggy,” Blanc said. Two cartoons were shown that Blanc won Oscar awards for. The first was “Knighty Knight Bugs,” in which Blanc did the voices for King Arthur and his knights, Yosemite Sam, a dragon that had a cold, and Bugs Bunny. The second Oscar winning car toon was “Birds Anonymous,” a take-off on Alcoholics Anonymous, where cats help other cats to stop eating birds. Blanc did all the voices in the cartoon, including Sylvester and Tweety Bird. Blanc also worked on the radio. At one time he was doing 18 trans continental r^idio shows a week. He worked with such people as George Burnes and Abbott & Cos tello. He said his favorite associate was Jack Benny. “I remember when I was a kid, I loved vaudeville,” Blanc said in an interview. “I used to go two or three times a week to see Jack Benny, never thinking that I’d ever work with him.” Blanc described Jack Benny as a great and thoughtful man and the “greatest timer of all comedians,” he said. Sixteen years ago, Blanc had a bad accident and was in a body cast for almost a year. “I received over 20,000 letters, mostly from children, “ Blanc said. “Some kids who wanted to show me that they loved me would send me a stick of gum or a penny or a nickel. It made me feel very wonderful.” Not only did Blanc receive letters from children, he also received let ters from parents of kids, who were once kids themselves and grew up hearing Mel Blanc’s voice. “I thank God that I lived through the whole thing so that I could keep entertaining the kids and the adults,” Blanc said. “I love kids and I love to entertain them.” Blanc goes to hospitals for crip pled children and talks to the chil dren there. “Just to get these kids who are in casts and braces away from their pain for just a half an hour Or so, makes me feel great,” Blanc said. On Nov. 28,1976, “The Animals,” a cartoon special, was shown On television, which was the first pic ture Blanc had worked on in 15 years. A one-hour Easter cartoon special will be shown on April 8 that has clips from all of the Warner Bros, cartoons that Blanc has worked’ oh. Cartoons have changed a lot in recent years, Blanc said in an inter view after his speech. It used to take 125 people nine months of work to make one 6 and a half minute cartoon with full anima tion. Today it takes half the people about thirty days to make a cartoon which is limited animation, he said. “They just can’t afford to make full animation cartoons any more because it is too Costly,” Blanc said. Blanc strongly disagreed with the belief that there is too much vio lence in cartoons. “They say that in cartoons there is violence,” he said. “This is ridicul ous. It is actually a parody on vio lence. When people say there is vio lence in cartoons, they are crazy, because nobody ever gets killed in theiCartoons. Thank God for that.” When asked if he will ever stop working, Blanc said, “My wife is al ways telling me that I should retire, but I can’t because I love my work too much. When I die, I’ll retire.” Battalion photo by Trade N Mel Blanc Professor has unique style N Battalion feature WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2. 1977 s - -J Rizzo s tests break monotot Informal luncheon with Dr. Koldus interesting even if soup gets cold By WENDY TAYLOR Your invitation reads, “I have an informal luncheon series involving students, faculty, administrative staff, and community leaders. . I would like to extend an invitation to you. . . .” It is signed by John J. Koldus, vice president for student services. You arrive in Room 203 of the Memorial Student Center at 12:15 p.m. A spansive, rectangular room, its light is supplied by the north wall’s windows which look out on the Main Drill Field. In one corner of this room stands a group of people—other guests you presume—awkwardly eyeing each other. You turn to run. Too late. Koldus has spotted you. With a wave of his hand he motions you over. He’s a man of medium build, dark hair slightly greying at the temples, and he is dressed appropriately in maroon. He greets you warmly, say he’s glad you could make it, then conve niently excuses himself from the group to talk to the waiters. No one speaks. Suddenly you re gret your R.S.V.P. Feeble introductions are passed around, no one pretending these names and titles will be remem bered through the first course. Si lence reigns once again. Re-enters Koldus to announce the only two formal rules rules to his informal luncheons: 1.) No two people knowing each other may sit together; and 2.) Every other seat must be filled by a student, the re maining ones to be filled by a faculty member or community leader. You didn’t realize a luncheon could be so difficult. It is 12:30 when you are seated between and across from perfect strangers. While you await the arrival of a few straggling guests, two skinny waiters serve a stew-like appetizer. Your stomach growls as wispy curls of fragrant steam escapes the savory soup. You skipped breakfast this morning to ensure an adequate appetite this afternoon, but all you’re assured of now is that last night’s Whataburger just isn’t hold ing up. You feel faint as your soup turns cold. Finally Koldus permanently re enters the dining room from his most recent venture into the foyer (later described by him as “a means of forcing my guests to talk to each other rather than to me”). The one meagre conversation that had begun, ceases (likewise for the steam from your cooling vegetable soup). Koldus explains the purpose of his student-faculty luncheons and how you came to be here this after noon (a question you’ve already asked yourself). You learn Koldus began the luncheons two years ago “in order to provide people from all the Univer sity’s subcultures with an opportu nity to meet people from subcul tures other than their own.” You learn the luncheons are every other Tuesday, and to these approximately 22 guests are invited. Ten guests are usually faculty mem bers, one each representing each of the different colleges. From the community, two busi ness leaders are invited. As for how you yourself, the stu dent, got there Koldus says you are “people that I meet, people that I see, or names I come across in the Batt or in other publications that I jot down as a future reference for my guest lists.” You also learn the money for the lunehoen comes from donations the Development Fund and Former Student Association receives. After this brief introduction, Kol dus gives the blessing, and for sev eral minutes thereafter only the clinking of soupspoons against soupbowls can be heard. Your greatest fears are realized. Every carrot in your vegetable soup is stone cold. Rumblings of conversations fi nally begin as the waiters serve plates ladened with club sandwiches, potato salad, carrot salad, and a variety of relishes. With all this food before you, you decide you have a legitimate excuse not to join into the conversation. KANM album playlist HITS Pink Floyd Animals David Bowie Low George Benson In Flight ZZ Top Tejas Eagles Hotel California Electric Light Orchestra A,IVeie World Record Linda Ronstadt Greatest Hits Wings Wings Over America Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band Night Moves Manfred Mann’s Earth Band The Roaring Si lence Queen A Day at the Races Rufus Ask Rufus Doobie Brothers Best of the Doobies Stevie Wonder Songs in the Key of Life A1 Stewart Year of the Cat FADERS Steve Miller Band Fly Like an Eagle Boston Boston Dave Mason Certified Live Rod Stewart A Night on the Town Gordon Lightfoot Summertime Dream Peter Frampton Frampton Comes Alive Linda Ronstadt Hasten Down the Wind Joni Mitchell Hejira George Harrison Thirty-three and a Third Lynyrd Skyrird One More from the Road Foghat Night Shift Led Zeppelin The Song Remains the Same Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac Elton John Blue Moves Eagles Their Greatest Hits RISERS Santana Festival Jimmy Buffett Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes Average White Band Person to Person FleetwoPd Mac Rumours Jim Croce Greatest Love Songs Genesis Wind and Wuthering Steve Hillage L Janis Ian Miracle Row Journey Next Kansas LeftoVerture Kiss Rock and Roll Over Leo Kottuke Leo Kottke Renaissance Novella Saturday Night Live Saturday Night Live Gary Wright The Light of Smiles NEW ALBUMS Valerie Carter Just a Stone’s Throw Away Cheap Trick Cheap Trick Dizzy Gillespie y Machito Afro-Cuban Jazz Moods U-Roy Dread in a Babylon McCoy Tyner Focal Point Charlie Haden Closeness Milton Nascimento Milton Harvey Mason Earthmover Heartsfield Collector's Item Phil Ochs Chords of Fame Tompall Glaser and His Outlaw Band Tompall Glaser Johnny Cash The Last Gunfighter Ballad Marty Robbins Adios Amigo Pousette-Dart Band Amnesia Sammy Hagar Sammy Hagar You pick the pecans from your car- rot salad with quiet intent. Amazingly, you sooh contradict your thoughts as you find yourself talking. The conversations around you are as contagious as the people surrounding you are intriguing. To yOur left sits the associate Pro fessor of the Geology Department. He’s also the Chairman of the Col lege Station Planning and Zoning Commission. On your right sits a professor from the College of Busi ness. Only two years before he re turned from teaching in Uganda. Across from you sits a nuclear physics major, an honor society president, and a distance runner for the University track team. It is a little past 1:00. You are enthralled in a conversation on the University’s limited techniques for curtailing enrollment (as well as a generous serving of coconut cream pie) when suddenly you realize Dr. Koldus is standing, tapping his teaspoon against a water glass in a vain attempt to get everyone’s at tention. “It usually goes like this,” hie says. “At the beginning of the meal I can’t get you to talk, and by the end of it, I can’t get you to shut up.” I He suggests an open group dis cussion on “any burning questions you might have.” i A political science professor ques tions the economic stability of a col lege town. The president of a local bank answers that it depends on the number of investments made in that town not dependent on the Univer sity. A student complains of the hous- > ihg problem. The Urban Planning Chairman explains low-rent hous ing’s location near the University results in outrageous prices. An in surance representative explains the summer “dry” period destroys chances for reasonable apartment rent. Dr. Koldus expains the new on-campus housing procedures. More questions, more answers. The discussion lasts over an hour. It is 2 p.m. Dr. Koldus rises, says he knows we all have schedules to meet, and thanks all for coming.- Most guests linger a few extra moments making up for time lost at the beginning of the luncheon. You approach Dr. Koldus and thank him for the invitation. He thanks you for your presence. Even if the soup was cold, you’re glad you came. . Taking tests can be fun if you happen to have Dr. Peter J. Rizzo, assistant professor of biology at Texas A&M. You’ll be reading through one of his eight-page tests about fatty acids and Anton van Leeuwenhoek’s mi croscope, and then you’ll find a question like this: ili .AVhieh of the following was inj ? vqlved iiURn effort to eradicate? malaria-carrying mosquitos iri * Malaysia? A) Operation Bird Drop B) Operation Malaria Drop C) Op eration Cat Drop D) Operation Mosquito Drop E) Operation Course Drop .Rizzo teaches introductory biol ogy, cell biology and two seminars on lecture techniques and special topics research at Texas A&M. When he’s not teaching, he might be found in the lab studying the functions of development and dif ferentiation in higher plants and animals. His current research is on the role of chromosomal proteins in the regulation of gene action, specif ically in the dinoflagellate or ganisms. Before becoming a professor, Rizzo was an iron worker in the steel mills in Gary, Ind. “Gary is a big, dirty city, and, I just worked in the mill to save money for college,” Rizzo said. “Every morning I’d get up for work and I’d hate it. I had no inter est there and I just worked for my pay check. Now, it is completely the opposite—I’m excited about my work and there aren’t enough hours in the day for everything. After Rizzo graduated from high school, he worked for four years be fore starting course work in biology at Indiana University in 1963. “I’m riot sorry I lost those four years after high school because there is an, advantage in living in-a nonacademic world for a while. I’m happier now, but I might pot. have appreciated it as much as I do if I hadn’t been through the blue-c6llay experience,” Rizzo;said. Rizzo says he has always been a naturalist, from the time he was roaming creek banks and collecting snakes at age 7 until now, when he takes his 2-year-old son, Grant, walking to show him the difference^ between cardinals and bluejays. Now, instead of collecting snakes, Rizzo collects butterflies and moths. The bookcase of his living room is filled with framed-mounts of more than 80 specimens. One wall of the room is covered with murals of the Crab Nebula and the Andromeda. Rizzo says his main interest is in how an entire organism can develop from a single cell. ns re- he cause they are so involvec search. Rizzo does not put search before his students, said. Mike Riggs, a freshman biomedi cal science major from Pasadena, said, “He doesn’t let his quota of A s, B s, C’s, and D’s get in the way of his teaching. He really cares if you learn the concepts and he does not clutter it up with things that are irrelevant for the,freshman level course. David Dunn, another senior biol ogy major, liked the way Rizzo came across in lecture. “He gave us a 15-minute break since it was an hour* and 15 minute class. We would all go outside if ft was pretty and he would talk to us arid crack jojees/Also, he had many guest lecturers, which made the course very interesting." Rizzo is not the typical scientist who stays tucked away in a lab with tiny organisms and a microscope. Occasionally, he plays the acoustical guitar at Mr. Gatti’s restaurant or at the Basement Coffeehouse op fac ulty night. Bruce Woodin, a graduate stu dent who works in Rizzo’s lab says that Rizzo sounds a lot like Bob Dy lan. “He’s definitely got his own stage personality.” Rizzo plays many songs that were originally done by Dylan, who is his favorite artist, but he can play Willie Nelson just as well,” Woodin said. Rizzo s^uJ.Jje was in a band in high school called “Sneaky Pete and the Sequents’.” "I don’t have much timefoi ticing now, though. I do play* times, and my son, Grant-« Energy as my wife, Jean, plays along on an old Monlgd Ward’s guitar of mine. Once Rizzo wrote a songi the differences of country life called, “It’s Raining If Brain.” He said that city lifed up his head and that is onefi reasons why he likes liviil Bryan. Even though Rizzo is iiMg ive, he is not flamboyant, lou not find Rizzo hiring a skydivi decorate the wide blue y< "I love you, baby!’’for his will Valentine’s Day. He woukln have an old junker painted huge red hearts delivered al front curb. Instead, he bough traditional Whitman sampled sorted caramels and creams. T Texas A&M is the smallest*! at which Rizzo and Jean have taught. Before, they lived Arbor home of the Universij Michigan, where they foi through crowds of more 100,000 to get their doctou) Then they lived at Lafayette, while Rizzo did some post-ddC work at Purdue University. So, who provided the first: onstration that plants product gen? A) Pasteur B) Priestly C) non and McCartney D) Peter! E) Peter Frampton It wasn’t Peter Rizzo busy teaching. Days of tent are ovei now it’s the Helihom “Even if it doesn’t grow to the complexity of a human being, it is amazing to think that the organism was once just one cell,” Rizzo ex plained. Rizzo says his research on cell de velopment in dinoflagellates and his teaching are both full-time jobs. “I really enjoyed Dr. Rizzo’s class,” said Deborah Pirtle, a senior biology major. “We did not have a very good book in Cell biology and Rizzo had to do all the work on his own. He made it current with lots of support from articles in Scientific American. “He doesn’t spend all of his time in the lab, Pirtle added. “Some pro fessors don t give two cents about how their students are doing be- - r '"i United Press International (SANFORD, Fla. There was a time when all a camper needed was a tent to keep the warmth in and the snakes out. Biff man has a way of bringing the comforts of home to the wildest of places. Trailers and motor homes enabled campers to live in the lap of Irixury just about any place they could drive a car or truck. And now Fred Clark has taken that a step further with the Helihome — a helicopter outfitted like a luxurious motor home, com plete with generator, refrigerator, stove, television, AM-FM stereo, shower, toilet, bunks and bar. “It’s just like a motor home, ex cept it flies,” says Clark, president of Orlando HefjeOpter Airways, which is manufacturing Helihomes for Winnebago Industries, Inc. “You can get to places you can’t get any other way.’ , A Helihome can be bought for a mere $98,500. But that’s a demon strator. The S55 model will sell for $120,000. The S58 with a larger liv ing area, goes for $310,000. With twin turbine engines, the S58 is priced at $840,000. Clark’s company has built three of the customized Helihomes so far. It has sold one to a large firm. “Most of the interest has come from Canada,” he said, adding that companies with mining interests in remote wilderness areas are looking at the Helihomes. He says a Texas oil man, natur ally, is interested in one to take to drilling sites. “He wants something b- flashy where he can have says Clark. The S55 model Helihome,*! is 46 feet long, can sleep fourii cabin and has a pull-out awnie? 1 screen that converts to a s porch where two more cati outside the craft. The Helihome must be flow 1 licensed pilot with a helk- rating. “We’ll teach them howl* them, too,” says Clark. “AsW ters go, they’re relatively easy and maintain.” Because he has only built® Clark is not sure what the $ for the Helihomes will be. “We’ve had a lot of inquire! says. “We kind of look for til when people might fly a land at campgrounds and taxi the plug-ins right along wi» motor homes.” The Helihome, which cani* fitted with floats to land in lakes a range of about 400 miles, travel at 100 miles per hour, ing about 35 gallons of I hou’'* Clajk notes that some homes “don’t do much bettei gas. The average camping entb might not be hovering 0'** wilderness lake in a Helihomef time soon, but Clark says tie panics and wealthy sportsmen terested in the concept aren picky about the cost of the cr “We don’t get too many plaints about the price,’ hes#