The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, March 22, 1977, Image 1

Texas A&M Newspaper Collection

The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, March 22, 1977, Image 1

Newspaper Page TextBattalion Vol. 70 No. 92 10 Pages Tuesday, March 22, 1977 College Station, Texas News Dept. 845-2611 Business Dept. 845-2611 egents call gays ‘diabolic’; decide to fight suit | By LEE ROY LESCHPER T, is A&M University’s Board of Regents this I liingsaid they will “proceed in every legal way” li|ht a suit demanding that A&M grant official fcnition to a gay students organization, la statement approved unanimously by the ml the regents said “so-called gay activities run lilically counter to the traditions and standards Ixas A&M University” and that the board will jlceed in every legal way to keep gay groups li organizing or operating on this or any other pus for which this board is responsible.” eGay Students Service Organization filed suit 28 in federal district court in an attempt to A&M to grant official recognition to the group student organization at A&M. pie regents also restored to University Presi- jitjock K. Williams his full powers and duties as university president. The board had reassigned Williams’ regular duties to University Executive Officer W. Clyde Freeman in September when Williams was recovering from a series of heart at tacks he suffered last summer. Freeman will return to his former position and duties as A&M system executive vice-president. Williams, looking fully-recovered, praised Freeman’s performance, saying “I don’t know how he did the four jobs he’s had for the last 10 months. He’s a good man,” he simply' said. Freeman sat quietly during the meeting, listen ing to praises given him. “It has been a pleasure,” he said. “Thank you for making this decision. ” The hoard had delayed making any decision on the administrative organization until Williams had been cleared by his physicians to return to full-time duty. Sitting at Board Chairman Clyde Well s right hand, Williams took an active part in a board meet ing for the first time this morning, advising the regents on several decisions they made. The board raised fees for A&M dormitories 7.2 to 8.8 per cent, depending on dorm. Fees for the least expensive dorms will increase by $12 ($135 to $1,47) while those for the most expensive dorms will in crease by $28 ($390. to $418). Married students will pay $5 to $13 more rent per month for University married student apart ments. The price of shuttle bus tickets will rise by $5 this fall, with the regents increasing the price of student tickets from $15 to $20, student husband-wife tick- iets from $25 to $30 and faculty-staff tickets from $20 to $25. Howard Vestal, university assistant vice presi dent for business affairs, had requested the in creases to cover increasing operating costs, in creased enrollment and a need for more shuttle buses. Students will be able to purchase next year’s A&M campus directory while pre-registering for fall classes because of a board decision to make the directory a check-off item on the fall registration fee slips. The directory will cost $3 as a check off item and $3.50 if bought over the counter later. The regents awarded several construction con tracts, including a $730,000 one for improvements in Duncan Dining Hall and another of $251,000 for construction of new sidewalks and repair of old ones on the A&M campus, The board also authorized the first summer school sessions ever for A&M’s Moody Maritime Campus in Galveston. Freeman withdrew an earlier recommendation that the board issue $9 million in permanent Uni versity fund bonds until the bond sale, which will be made in conjunction with one planned by the University of Texas at Austin, can be better coordi nated with U.T. officials. Three Agricultural Extension Service re searchers received patent rights to inventions they developed while working with the extension serv ice. Under the university s patent agreement the researchers may seek patents for their inventions in exchange for giving the university in., use of the invention and sharing any patent revenue from the invention equally with the extension service. Aggie named agriculture commissioner United Press International AUSTIN — The biography put out by Reagan V. Brown’s staff lists him as a spe cial assistant to Gov. Dolph Briscoe, on leave from Texas A&M University. It says he was once named “Man of the Year in Texas Agriculture” by the Progres sive Farmer magazine, and that in the four years he has worked under Briscoe he has made 422 speeches, and received standing ovations for 422 of them. Yesterday a new title was added to that biography. Briscoe appointed Brown Texas commissioner of agriculture, replac ing John C. White, who was named dep uty secretary of the U.S Department of Agriculture. “Gov. Briscoe said he’d like to make Texas No. 1 in agriculture, not No. 3,” Brown said yesterday. “Texas needs to do its part to feed the world, even though it Program aided commissioner to get A&M degree Battalion photo by Kevin Venner Back to the books Some students may find it easier than others to get back into a study routine after spring break. Walt Cud, a freshman Biological Medicine major, began his long hours of studying earlier than many students. He was working on an English paper in the Commons at 3 this morning. He said it was going to be an “all-nighter.” By FRANK V. VASOVSKI Reagan V. Brown was born in Henderson, Tex., on a family farm “which was so poor that it took three acres of land to rust a nail. ” Brown entered Texas A&M Col lege in 1939 as one of the 4,000 resi dents of “Project Houses,” which he described as “a product of the post- depression years.” A couple of sociologists. Dr. Dan Russell and Dan Davis, came up with the idea of “Project Houses’ to assist students in need of financial support. Large order buying was used to obtain lower prices for food and other supplies. Some parents provided peas, beans and other products to help feed the students, Brown said. Volunteer or hired “house mothers” assisted in cooking and upkeep. Even though the mofrthly charge was only $12 per student, many of them had to work extra jobs to pay for the books and tuition. “Hundreds of them are top execu tives today,” Brown said, “because they learned the hard way the value of money and hard work.” Brown was awarded a bachelor of science degree in Marketing and Fi nances in 1943. After completion of the Officer Training School in Fort Benning, elf-described mercenary holds es for 12 hours in bank United Press International TORONTO — A self-described merce- I held up to 15 persons hostage at gun- li't in a downtown bank yesterday in ■at an intermediary said today was a lane plan to assassinate President Idi fin of Uganda, The gunman, who identified himself as >McLagan, 38, of Vancouver, freed the | of his hostages and was taken in hand- from the Bank Canadian National shortly after 10:30 p.m. GST. None of the hostages was hurt. The incident began 12 hours earlier when McLagan, carry ing a sawed-off shot gun, locked nine women and five male employes in a second-floor room of the bank. He fired two shots inside the build ing and later seized a police sergeant. Police encircled a four block area in the heart of Toronto’s financial district. They said the man demanded a Hercules C-130 Baltimore man frees hostages; night publicity for family plight United Press International ALTIMORE — Anthony Griffin was esperate with frustration over a $637 lity bill and the fact his wife and chil li might he evicted from their home, twk 35 city employes and nine ment is of his own family hostage, using two tols and a machete. Police Col. James Watkins said Griffin, 0-year-old security guard who surren- red quietly yesterday after the three- ir ordeal, wanted to tell the world of his strations at a news conference. He was desperate about his family, itkins said. “He face a $637 gas and ‘ctric bill and a rent payment of over 00. That’s was drove him to do it. He id he wanted help from sombody and he leader to remain as caretaker figured the press was the best way . Griffin went to the city’s Department of Social Services offices at Metro Plaza in Northwest Baltimore yesterday in re sponse to a letter that his children were not attending school, police said. Once inside the office door, he pulled out two pistols and a machete from a duffle bag and told the employes he wanted to talk to the media, police said. For the next three hours, Griffin talked to police through a locked door about his plight, releasing the 35 city employes after about an hour. Watkins said Griffin would be charged today with 35 counts of kidnapping and other charges related to using a gun in the commission of a felony and would face a bond hearing before a judge. Indira Gandhi resigns United Press International NEW DELHI, India — Prime Minister dira Gandhi resigned today. She will main as India’s caretaker until the op- isition alliance, which handed her and :r Congresss party a humiliating election is, can form a new cabinet this week. Mrs. Gandhi, who submitted her resig- ition and those of her cabinet to acting resident B. D. Jatti, said they will stay i until a new government is selected by le politicians who ended her party’s 30- ;ar domination of India. Even before the official announcement of Mrs. Gandhi’s resignation, jubilant leaders of the Janata People’s Party and the Congress for Democracy had begun jockeying to fill the power vacuum left by the ousters. A spokesman for the victors said the new deputies elected in the parliamentary eletions last week will meet Thursday to select a new prime minister and party leaders — preferably by concensus but through a floor fight if necessary. Weather Partly cloudy and mild today with a high of 69. Light winds from the north at five mph becoming south easterly tomorrow. Continued partly cloudy with slight warming trend tomorrow. Low tonight in the mid-40s, high tomorrow in the upper 70s. No precipitation in sight. Ga., and an assignment to Camp Wolters, Tex., Brown departed for Europe with the 69th Infantry Divi sion. He was wounded in April 1945 near Kassel, Germany. A tour of duty with the American Graves Reg istration Command followed his re covery. Brown was discharged in 1946 with the rank of captain. Brown joined the Texas A&M Col lege Agricultural Extension Service in 1948, first as an assistant county agent in Hunt County and later as county agent in Kaufman County where he helped build the vetch seed program into “a million dollar enterprise. In 1952 Brown accepted the county agent’s job in Caldwell County. While there he helped de velop Luling, Tex., into the largest producer of watermelons in the estate. The United Service Clubs of Caldwell County recognized his ef forts with a citation “for the eco- REAGAN V. BROWN nomic and social development of the; county. ” Brown regards support for farmers as a top national goal. “America can no longer feed the whole world. ” he said. “The quicker we decide that our own farmers must come first, the easier it will be to feed the others.” In 1956 Brown was assigned to Headquarters Staff of the Agricul tural Extension Service, Depart- (See AGGIE, Page 10.) would be a difficult task. I d like to help farmers make profits, and by those profits they can produce more food. “There’s a lot of legislation before the current session of the legislature that would help relieve farmers. Although he was appointed to serve out White’s term. Brown alreadv has said he will seek a full term in the J978 elections. The appointment, however, must first be confirmed by the Senate. Rep. Joe Hubenak, D-Rosenberg, who was one of those seeking the appointment, said earlier he definitely would be a can didate in 1978 regardless of whom Briscoe appointed. But Hubenak yesterday wot .Id not confirm his plans to enter the race. Rep. Pete Laney, D-Hale Center, also sought the appointment and said he- would decide on the 1978 race after the session ends. Brown had withdrawn his name for con sideration when White was first men tioned as a possible appointeee in the Car ter administration, but said last week the governor had put his name back in the race. “I never did remove him from consid eration,” Briscoe said. Briscoe said he was prevented from ap pointing a member of the legislature to the post because of a law prohibiting lawmak ers from being appointed to state jobs if the salary for that job was raised during their term of office. Council urges Bryan to restrict building in flood hazard areas military transport plane to take him to Uganda so he could meet Amin. Radio station CFRB reporter Charles Doering, who was ushered into the bank at the gunman’s request in the early hours of the incident, said McLagan told him he “admired,” but had never met the Ugan dan president. After the drama ended, however, Doer ing said McLagan’s real purpose was to kill Amin with two fragmentation grenades he demanded from police. Doering said McLagan had also demanded two parachutes in case Uganda refused him permission to land. Doering said the earlier story was broadcast “because he had a radio in there, and that’s the story he wanted. “He wanted Amin to welcome him with open arms so he could assassinate him.” McLagan gave no reason for wanting to kill Amin, and apparently had never been a mercenary. Doering said. In the early hours of the incident, McLagan released 11 hostages, but he seized S.Sgt. Bill Donaldson, who had es corted Doe ring into the bank. After hours of negotiations, police brought in McLagan’s brother Rick, from Hamilton, Ont., and his sister, Helen, from Mississauga, Ont., to try to persuade him to surrender. Four hours after they entered the bank. Police Chief Harold Adamson announced to newsmen McLagan was in custody. Minutes later, the gunman, wearing a checkered shirt and light pants, was taken in handcuffs to a police car and whisked away. Adamson said there had been “no terms” for McLagan’s surrender, and no offer of immunity from prosecution was made. College Station city councilmen tire urg ing the Bryan City Council to pass restric tive ordinances controlling development in flood hazard areas. In a resolution pa§sed earlier this month, the council also requested that Biyan re fuse utility service to developments in the flood hazard area not under the control of municipal ordinances. “If you build in a flood hazard area, you have a chance of being flooded,” Bravenec said. Persons living upstream or downstream could also be affected by building in the flood hazard area, he said. Hubert Nelson, director of planning, traff ic and inspection for the City of Bryan, said Bryan has two resolutions regulating constrution in the flood hazard areas. Nel son said the resolutions were passed when the city applied for federally subsidized flood insurance with the Federal Insurance Administratibn in April 1974. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers studied three local flood hazard areas, Nel son said. His office maintains the maps of these areas and additional information re lated to construction in the flood hazard areas. “We have the documents and we use them frequently,” Nelson said. Federal law does not prohibit building in the flood plains, but it does limit the amount and type of construction in these areas, hesaid. “Anybody in the city can purchase sub sidized flood insurance if they want. Nel son said. This insurance has b^en available to residents since the city was approved by the Federal Insurance Administration in May 1974, he said. Nelson explained that the insurance companies were not willing to offer the flood insurance due to the high risk involved, but now the subsid o.ed in surance can be bought for about the same amount as fire insurance. The City of Bryan anticipates updating their controls on the flood hazard areas, Nelson said. They hope to adopt an ordi nance that will be more specific than the current resolutions, he said. ! Arriba Andele This photo of General Francisco (Pancho) Villa was taken by the late John Davidson Wheelan of Dal las. The picture was taken during the Mexican Revolution and is part of a collection given to Texas Hullaballoo Caneck! A&M University by Wheelan’s daughter and her husband, Mr. Thomas F. Smith of Houston, (see story on page 6) University Archives

Texas A&M Newspaper Collection

Texas A&M Newspaper Collection

The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, March 22, 1977, Image 1

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