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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (May 4, 1979)
*ICR0FIL1I CENTER IRC PO BOX 45436 - ■ fSjfaj!' 'n iv -pi PRICE INCLU0IN6 TAX ^2: <S«f •CTIKP?) m ulf) '* The regular gas pump of Southside Gulf Station in College Station indicates a price of 69.9 cents * Battalion photo by Bill Wilson per gallon, while the maximum permissible price is displayed as 68.9 cents per gallon. Gas station overcharges, but it’s not alone in U.S- By RICHARD OLIVER BattaUon Staff Southside Gulf Station, located at 300 Jersey St., was charging 60.9 cents per gallon for regular gas as of Thursday morning. However, the maximum ceiling price shown on the pump was 68.9 cents a gal lon. Federal law states gas stations must display a maximum price for thefr gas on a sticker on each pump. It is illegal to charge more than the maximum price shown. The stations can charge any price up to the ceiling price set by the federal government. Charles Broach, owner of the station, said Tuesday, “The new ceiling prices came in, but I have just neglected to change the price on the pump. " The price stickers on Southside Gulfs pumps were taken off Thursday after noon. Bill Webb, media advisor for the U.S. Departmant of Energy, said many Texas gas stations are violating the law and could be faced with a $2,500-a-day fine. Webb said the main reason some sta tions don’t keep up with the changes in the federal ceiling price is "forgetful ness.” Although it’s not a very good reason,” he said, “njost stations claim they have neglected to change the sticker on their pumps when the ceiling price changes. They, too, however, are liable for pen alty.” Webb said the changing gas prices are the blame for the wave of “forgetfulness" among gas station owners. "Most stations can’t keep up with the constantly fluctuating gas prices,’ he said. “The maximum ceiling price for gas has been increasing steadily, but some stations have not kept up with the* change." Webb said a letter would be sent to Southside Gulf Station inmediately, and the owner would be given a chance to* change the price. “We first send a notice to our auditors, who then review the complaint and send a letter to the station," he said. "If after this first letter no action is taken by the owner, we will send some auditors to look at their lxx>ks and determine if they have violated the law. If so, the station will be given a notice of probable viola- tU Webb said the U.S. Department of Energy has received several comp from the Texas area, but not many are determined to lie violations. » » u, Texas has had several violations lately which have caused gasoline staUons raise their prices over the limit, he sai • “One big violation hot spot was the Wichita Falls area. After the tornado there, we had several stations taking ad vantage of the situation and charging up, to 23 cents a gallon above the federal ceiling price.”, . The leading violator in the state, sara Webb, is San Antonio, which has had 23 audits since Feb. 15. Webb said the main reason stations are usually not fined is they usually lower their prices after the first warning.^ “We re not out to put anybody in tail, he said. “If it appears that the mistake i* totally honest on the part of the station owner, well let it go.” Webb said persons who find a station in violation of federal laws concerning gas prices should call the toll-free U.S. Department of Energy Hot Line at 1-800-424-9246. Vol. 72 No. 149 14 Pages Friday, May 4, 1979 College Station, Texas News Dept. 845-2611 Business Dept. 845-2611 Only one Bait next week Coirimunications students, like all others, are stuck with their share of final exams. Because newspaper staffers need to study, too, Wednesday’s Battalion will be the only one during finals week. The Battalion will publish one edi tion each week, on Wednesday, until summer classes begin. Dur ing summer school. The Battalion will appear or Tuesday, Wednes day ana Thursday, - j ■ ’ » 4 Storms cause damage, few injuries in Texas United Press Interna bone] Air raid sirens reminiscent of World War II bombing scenes wailed, the mayor of Dallas ordered the glassily futuristic City Hall evacuated and most of his city employees spent the afternoon in a bomb shelter taking an extra long lunch break. Three waves of violent thunderrstorms, none of which reached as far south as the Bryan-College Station area, struck norths central Texas Thursday. They wqere so thick they blocked out the sun and caused 10-inch-an-hour rain, hail and high'winds. Today’s weather is expected to stay cloudy and much cooler, throughout cen tral Texas. Downtown Dallas was nearly deserted Thursday as the sirens wailed and many businesses were left open — with no <yie inside as employees fled into base ments. Despite extensive damage from tor nadoes and flash floods, however, all re ported injuries were minor. One large tornado whipped through a four-mile area in DeSoto, just south of Dallas, at 2:20 p.m. Less than an hour later a smaller tornado hit almost precisely (he same spot. , Police said the twisters damaged 40 re*- sidences, 12 businesses and two churches and the city's mayor said the total amount pf damage was estimated to be $1 million. He said he would seek federal aid today. Jesse Collier, manager of a gas ststaion almost destroyed, said he saw the vague outline of the funnel and stepped outside. “It was a straight force, grey and black, swirling with debris." he said. “I ran back inside and threw myself on the floor. I looked outside and 1 saw one of my tires from the station going through the church across the street. I thought I was a goner. “The second one was more like driving rain, but when it hit I looked out the win dow and a Mustang parked in my lot was hovering above the ground." Authorities said there would be hun dreds of thousands of dollars damage in the Dallas suburb of Terrell, and in all lo cations of the sprawling Dallas-Forth Worth metropolitan area, from small twis ters, floodwaters, golfball-sized hail and high winds. More than a dozen tornadoes were sighted all over the north central area, in cluding in Tarrant County west of Fort Worth. Others were sighted in Ellis County south of Dallas and near Weather ford, Cedar Hall, Stephenville, Terrell Lake, Palestine and Dekalb. All did varying amounts of minor dam age. Another tornado struck east of Terrell causing scattered damage to residneces. At Cedar Hill a tornado passed over a high school damaging the building but harming no one. In Fort Worth some stranded motorists were rescued by boat First ygasohol station opens; more to come TOPEKA. Kan — The first retail flaanhnl station has opened in Kansas and is offering 2,000 gallons of the fuel mix at 14.5 cents per gallon on a first-come, first-serve basis. However, the price offered Thurs day at the Workingman's Friend sta tion on the west side of the capital last only until the 2,000 gal- pumped into vehicle low price is part of a hefian Dumoinv vasohol of 90 percent unleaded ry, vice president of Co. which owns the i s Friend stations, said afl [1 outlets in Topeka and will carry the fuel when •apply oad delivery are two weeks we should have tng your customers so wc will use no thing but the best. It's super- expensive and does add to our cost significantly. But we will sell it for the same price as our unleaded fuel and * replace our unleaded fuel with it. We’re just happy to be the first com pany on the street with it.” Gaffney said any car with an inter nal combustion engine, regardless of age, can use the Fuel, without car buretor modifications. He said the fuel has about three points higher oc tane than regular unleaded gasoline, is cleaner bunting, gives off 30 per cent less carbon monoxide and in- csenses mfies per gallon. this is owe case where alcohol and gMoltne do mix," he joked. "By the wsty, the con that is used to make this gasohol is American corn, not Arabian corn or Iranian corn." The official of the Topeka-based oil company said the oompoay eventually plans to replace all Its unleaded gasoline pumps with unloaded said Highway Oil Cff op- cnPes stations in 28 states under the names Highway Oil, Workingman’s Friend, Fairway Oil, Cook Oil and Hi-Lo Off. The enthoriastic Gaffney was at the asan as a helicopter whirred noisily overhead "Three or four dozen or maybe more” minor injuries were reported in VVilmer, southeast of Dallas, at the Wintergreen Mobile Home Park — which was flattened by twisters. Two people were injured in Dallas when excessive water caused the collapse of a Le Baron Coffee Shop roof. Roofs also collapsed at several other Dallas and Fort Worth businesses, and monumental traffic- jams occurred in flooded streets. Particularly severe flash floods caused operate in 26 *r to return to ' 1 the evacuation of 150 homes in low-lying areas of Cleburne, located about 30 miles south of Fort Worth, and in Grand Prairie and Arlington, two cities between Dallas and Fort Worth. The three thunderstorm systems were generated over the flatlands west of Fort Worth by the collision of a Rocky Mountain cold front and warm, moist Gulf of Mexico air. Each drifted to the north east toward Dallas-Fort W’orth and the weather service said they rose to 45,000 feet high, turning day into night in Dallas. ’79 grads to. be record breakers By CATHY KIRKHAM Battalion Reporter Records are meant to be broken and the 1979 graduating class at Texas A&M University will break a few more. ’ A record 2,400 students will graduate this weekend, the admissions and rec ords department said. However, the rec ord is made and broken every year. Gov. William P. Clements will address two out of the three commencement services this, weekend. He will speak to graduates from the colleges of architecture, engineering and science at 7:30 p.m. Friday, and to graduates from the colleges of business, education, geosciences, liberal arts and Moody College in Galveston at 9 a m. Saturday. Dr. Charles A. LeMaistre will address undergraduates from the colleges of ag riculture and veterinary medicine and all advanced-degree candidates at cere monies beginning 2 p.m. Friday. “It’s weird to come from one graduat ing ceremony in high school of about 200 and then go to a thing that has to be broken into three parts," said Bob Reed, /t a graduating senior. “And you know, that isn’t even- including all my friends that graduated in December, or that will this summer.” -f .All three ceremonies will take place in G. Rollie White Coliseum. The placement office also broke rec ords this year. Ron Winn, assistant direc tor of the placement office, said the final tally is not in yet. but an estimated 2.600 signed up for interviews this year. “We don’t know yet how many ex pected jobs from interviews yet, how ever," he said. Area businesses have, also benefitted from graduation. ’T’ve got a lot of time on my hands,” Robin Smith, another graduating senior, said. T’ve been packed up since I got out of my last class on Monday. I guess we will ail go over and shoot some pool a few more times. " Dead week is the busiest time of the year for the Dixie Chicken, said Don Canter, one of its owners. “Seniors swell the place up," he said. -• He said 20 seniors opened the place up Wednesday, and the same ones closed it down. Pj £ *3? ip w Y •r'* I*.! 'liTiiirrinar'l aLJC Graduating seniors anxiously check the list of seniors cleared for graduation today and Saturday. The list, posted at Heaton Hall, brought both squeals of delight and groans of despair from more than one senior. B.ttmlion photo by Lee Ro> I««chprr Jr. ■ j ; | , a . > . Outstanding faculty honored By MARK HANCOCK Battalion Reporter The faculty and administrative staff of Texas A&M University was honored Thursday at the annual Faculty Convoca tion and this year’s outstanding members received Distinguished Service Awards. Former Chancellor Jack K. Williams is to be honored in a special ceremony soon because of his many accom plishments at Texas A&M, said Haskell Monroe, associate vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculties. President Jarivs E. Miller congratu lated the entire faculty for a superior performance this year, but added that many problems need attention. Miller said that a main problem facing the University is the legislative action occuring now that may hinder Texas A&M’s growth. “Under the guise of equity, the in stitutions are being pulled down. State and federal funding processes are th string harder to work with and we will have lean appropriations this year," he said. “This is happening now. All in all it has been a difficult year. The challenges have been great, but we have been strong. We will continue to build and emphasize quality in the coming year." Miller discussed programs for students as well as faculty recruitment in order to keep the educational quality of Texas A&M high. Scholarship programs such as the Sul Ross Scholarship Fund will be used to attract exceptionally qualified students. Dr. J.M. Prescott, vice president for academic affairs, introduced similar pro grams pertaining to faculty improvement which will deal with centers for teaching and counciling. The Association of Former Students, which is responsible for the awards every year, recently donated $250,000 for scholarships to attract students to Texas A&M, keeping in step with next year’s plans. AFS president Robert Smith III said the association presently has 80,000 members and is...the “best association in the country." "This is our highlight to honor you, the faculty," Smith said. The Amoco Foundation also gave three awards for teaching and one for research. The award winners are listed in the order they received their honors. Distinguished Teaching Awards were given to Dr Rod O’Connor, professor of chemistry. Dr. Herbert G. Thompson, E rofessor of marketing, Merrill D. Whit- um, professor of English. Dr. Bryan R. Cole, professor of education, Dr. Joseph Donaldson Jr., professor of enviromental design and Dr. Donald R. Herring, pro fessor of agricultural education. Research awards were given to Dr. \\ illiam R. Klemm, professor of biology, Dr. Worth Nowlin Jr., professor of oceanography and Dr. Joe B. Dickson. " professor of soil and crop sciences. Awards for individual student relations were given to Dr, Leon Russell, profes sor of veterinars public health and Dr. Warren A. Dickson. ' Awards for extension and continuing education to Dr. Donald F. Seaman, studies and training specialist and Dr. Raymond Frisbie, professor »of entomology. R. Clark Diebel received his service award for his job as fiscal manager. The Amoco Foundation Awards, which gave the winners $1,000, a watch and a plaque, were given for outstanding serv ice to Dr. Homer C. Jenkins, professor of business and science. Dr. Fred Smeins, professor of range science. Dr. William L Perry, professor of mathemat ics and Dr. Milton Nance, professor of history.