"The Battalion
Vol. 72 No. 157
8 Pages
Tuesday, June 11, 1979
College Station, Texas
News Dept. 845-2611
Business Dept. 845-2611
Weather
Fair skies, mild temperatures, and
warmer with a high in the upper
80’s and a low of 65. Winds will be
North-North Easterly at 10 mph.
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United Press International
AUSTIN — Gov. Bill Clements warned
bnday that Texas will have to adopt an
ren-odd days sales system for gasoline,
t a minimum purchase to prevent top-
ng off tanks or take other mandatory
' e condnx m s unless people go along with volun-
»ry efforts to cope with fuel shortages,
eorn will start out on a basis of pretty
miorl ifease with sugar on it and hope that
jerybody will help,” Clements said. "If
[doesn’t work we re going to have to go
jven-odd day basis and do some other
gs that will be mandatory in nature.”
llements said he will issue a report and
jifle recommendations on the state’s fuel
tages later this week and indicated he
| concerned at long lines at service sta-
Js in Houston.
‘Houston may be hurting perhaps more
some areas of the state,” Clements
I. ‘‘We’re going to take some steps to
to ease it somewhat. ”
[Ed Vetter of Dallas, the governor’s
nergy adviser, announced during the
■kend the state expects to allocate an
■tional 16 millions of gasoline for urban
reas this month.
1‘We’re not manufacturing 1 gallon of
Boline,” Clements said. “We’re just try-
ng to pass around the misery and make it
se iitable as possible.”
®nder the federal fuel allocation sys-
H, 5 percent of the amount of fuel avail-
B in a state each month is set aside for
Be officials to allocate on the basis of
' fecial need and hardship. The figure was
* Beased from 3 percent to 5 percent this
nonth in an effort to provide more
IFF PP^ ne ^ or a ll ocat > on t° areas hardest hit
shortages.
AST B leiTlents declined to go into details of
■rty contingency plan will cover or pro
le, but spoke more strongly than pre-
lusly about the need for fuel conserva-
n and other measures to deal with
line shortages.
jWe’re going to have to start thinking in
ns of some of the other necessary steps
pools and setting mininum
)D
D
amounts for people to be served in filling
stations,” he said. “Wyyour car is not more
than half-empty you can’t get gasoline —
stop this topping off nonsense.”
Clements said although a large portion
of the additional allocation state officials
control will go to Houston this month, it
would be unfair for the state to dedicate a
specific portion of the amount of gasoline
available in Texas to that city.
“Were going to try to cure spot
shortages,” Clements said. “There’s not
anything we re going to do that’s going to
add 1 gallon of gasoline to our allocation in
Texas.”
Nick Murphy, administrator of the State
Office of Petroleum Allocation, said hard
ship applications for gasoline allotments
jumped from 50 applications a week last
month to 700 applications a week this
month.
“They are mainly from Houston, some
are from Dallas,” Murphy said. “Most of
these are not people who need gas and
don’t have any, they’re people who have
some and need more.”
Murphy said the 16 million additional
gallons placed under state allocation this
month should begin to alleviate supply
problems by next week in Houston and
other urban areas with long lines.
“This increase has probably only been
felt only slightly so far in those areas that
are experiencing shortages,” Murphy said.
“It should begin to show its effects next
week. ”
Clements talked with reporters in an
impromptu news conference on his return
from Washington where he and other state
leaders discussed the energy situation
with the Texas congressional delegation.
“We tried to articulate our position,”
Clements said. “Their response was,
‘That’s what we’ve been talking about for
the last several years.’ I can’t say that we
accomplished all that we hoped to.”
The governor said he traveled on a
commercial airline and did not take any
highway patrolmen for security on the
Washington trip because he was trying to
conserve fuel and be as frugal as possible.
TMPA plant under construction
The boiler at the new lignite plant is being constructed in
Grimes County. In this plant lignite coal will be burned to
produce steam and then electricity. The plant will serve four
Bryan council tables
money for
cities in the TMPA — Bryan, Denton, Garland, and Green
ville. For more on the plant see page 6.
Battalion photo by Clay Cockrill
increases
By ROY BRAGG
Battalion Staff
The Bryan City Council Monday night
tabled the first reading of an ordinance
that would establish natural gas rates in
the city by Lone Star Gas Company.
The move came after a public hearing in
Lone Star rate hike;
HUD "target’ projects
which a representative of Lone Star re
peated the company’s request for a total
increase of $716,320.
Mayor Richard Smith said the city rec
ognized the need for a rate increase, but
wanted a settlement similar to College
Station's. Smith added he preferred a uni-
Summer is here?!?
A&M meteorologist says ‘no rain
'IE
LY
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3L
By ROBIN THOMPSON
Battalion staff
It stopped raining. Not for a few hours
or a few days, but at least for a few weeks.
ICoIlege Station and Bryan will finally
lave hot and dry summer-type weather
say meteorologists at Texas A&M Univer-
iify.
Dr. Kenneth Brundidge, head of
Vleteorology at Texas A&M, said the
leavy spring rains were caused by a com-
lination of two factors; a large moist air
mass and slow-moving upper level systems
or “troughs".
These troughs, BrSndidge said, kept the
moisture over College Station and most of
Texas until they were finally replaced last
week by higher “ridges” which allowed
the moisture to rise and move on.
The troughs brought more rain than the
Brazos Valley has seen in years.
| The total amount of precipitation this
year in College Station for the period from
January to May was 28.29 inches.
Greg Ainsworth, a graduate student
who works in the State Climatologist Of
fice, said that according to his research,
this has been the highest amount for that
period since 1914.
The average annual amount for May
alone in College Station is 4.7 inches but
Ainsworth said this year May received
10.13 inches.
Although the rain appears to have
moved on, at least temporarily, most folks
around College Station will probably not
soon forget the “flood of’79. ”
Some effects of the rain are obvious, like
the numerous potholes and unrepaired
streets.
George Ford, director of public works
in College Station said “Everything has
slowed down because of the rain.”
Even the car wash business has slowed
down. Billy Sharp who works at the Bobo
Car Wash in Bryan said business during
the rains was “not good.”
He said that during the rain, business
went from washing an average of 150 cars a
day to about 80 cars a day.
Construction on the A&M campus has
been slowed significantly by the rain, ac
cording to John Merchant, manager of the
construction division of system facilities.
The Academic Agency Building, due to
be completed in May of 1981 is behind 60
days because when the workers were try
ing to lay the foundation in the ground,
the rains came, he said.
However, the new modular dorms are
on schedule because they were fabricated
in San Antonio, Merchant said.
But the construction of Kyle Field did
not escape delay, and a special effort is
being made to make up about three lost
weeks, he said.
“We have two ten-hour shifts seven
days a week.”
He said good weather is what is needed
most to make up for the lost time.
“If we get 60 days of good weather, we ll
be back on schedule, he said.
Will he get those 60 days? Brundidge
was optimistic but would make no prom
ises. “I think it’s fairly safe to say we will
have hot and dry weather,” he said, “but I
will not make that as a solid prediction.’
form rate for Bryan-College Station.
The College Station city council has of
fered Lone Star an increase of $318,519 if
the company will deal with the two cities
sep eep the issue from going before the
Public Utilities Commission.
Smith called a special council meeting
for 1:30 p.m. Monday to discuss the rate
request further.
In other action, the council voted to in
crease the grant limits from $4,000 to
$10,000 for work contracted under the
Housing Rehabilitation Act, providing that
a specific “target” area for further alloca
tion of such funds is established.
The housing rehabilitation program is a
project of the Department of Housing and
Urban Development (HUD) to increase
the property value of older neighbor
hoods, said City Manager Ernest Clark.
Owners and buyers of houses are eligi
ble for HUD grants to be used for renova
tion and remodeling on the older housing.
Establishing a target area would mean
defining a certain geographical area 'where
the majority of the grants could be spent.
Previously, the city has not specified
where the funds could be spent.
. The target concept is at the request of
HUD. Smith said HUD officials prefer to
see massive improvement in one area
rather than scattered improvements in
several areas.
“We re either going to change our phi
losophy or we re not going to get our
money,” Smith said about the shift in city
policy.
The council also approved the second
reading of an ordinance establishing new,
lower speed limits on Highway 21 inside
t:he city limits.
In other action, the council:
—voted to award a $196,413 contract for
construction of the Richard Lopez fire sta
tion to Hamilton-Woodard of Bryan. The
contract calls for a work period of 240 ca
lender days.
—awarded $74,642 in contracts for
machinery ranging from batteries for the
Atkins Power Plant to a digging machinery
for the Electrical Distribution Depart
ment.
John “Duke Wayne
dies of cancer at 72
■ ^ olnrr "
United Press International
LOS ANGELES —John Wayne, the
American Hero, died of cancer
Monday. He was 72 and fought for his
life until the very end.
The rugged actor, who had licked the
“Big C” in 1964, died at UCLA Medical
Center “with all of his children at his
side,” said administrator Bernard
Strohm.
“He had been in considerable pain
since Saturday,” Strohm told reporters,
but “would not take much medication.
He wanted to be awake when he died.
He would tolerate the pain just to be
near his family.”
“The Duke,” hospitalized since May
1 in his latest battle with cancer, lapsed
into a coma Monday and died at 5:35
p.m. PDT, Strohm said. He was un
conscious when he died.
Comedian Bob Hope, when told of
Wayne’s death, said, “We knew he was
in tough shape, but we kept our hopes
up, because he had pulled through so
many times before.
“John’s death is a great loss, but he
made a lot of important pictures that
will live on and on. He was a unique
presence and in those pictures we will
always know his memory.”
Sen. Barry Goldwater, RAriz., a
friend of Wayne for 50 years, said, “He
was just one hell of a guy, a hell of a
man. I will miss him. So will America. ”
Strohm said Wayne’s burial will be
private and his family has asked that
instead of flowers donations be made to
the John Wayne Memorial Fund at the
UCLA Medical Center. Strohm did not
say when the funeral will be held.
As it became clear death was ap
proaching for the rugged, rumbling
voiced “Duke,” he was given many
honors.
Congress and President Carter au
thorized a special gold medal of the
kind given to such national figures as
the Wright brothers.
He made his final public appearance
at the Academy Awards ceremony in
April, drawing an emotional standing
ovation from his peers when he strode
out to present the Oscar for best pic
ture.
His pictures made him one of the
great box office draws of all time and of
his critics’ complaints of the lack of ver
satility in his performances Wayne was
fond of saying: “Nobody likes my acting
but the public.”
Wayne made his first movie in 1931
and while he starred in such epic films
as “Stagecoach,” “Back to Bataan,”
“Red River,” “The Quiet Man” and
“The Green Berets,” he won his first
Academy Award playing Rooster Cog-
burn in “True Grit.”
“Hell, I should have put on that eye
patch 20 years ago,” the 6-foot-4 inch
“Duke” commented as he picked up his
Oscar in 1970. He had been nominated
once before for “Sands of Iwo Jima.”
Wayne underwent surgery in 1964
for lung cancer and declared afterward,
“I’ve got the Big C licked.” Associates
tried to keep his ailment a secret lest it
hurt his image as a virile hero. But
Wayne himself disclosed the surgery,
saying the public should know that
cancer could be, detected and possibly
halted in its early stages.
The chairman of the board of the
American Cancer Society, U.S. Dis
trict Judge Joseph Young of Baltimore,
commented just after Wayne’s death.
“In his long and continuing battle
against cancer, John Wayne provided
inspiration to patients throughout the
world. The hope he instilled in their
hearts will continue to live.”
In April 1978, he underwent suc
cessful open-heart surgery at Massa
chusetts General Hospital in Boston for
replacement of a defecfive mitral valve
at the bottom of his heart.
Then on March 2 of this year, he
underwent his third operation, this one
to remove an intestinal obstruction
caused by post-surgical adhesions.
Wayne withstood the surgery well
and was out of intensive care in little
more than a day and then moved to the
same room he occupied at the UCLA
Medical Center when physicians
fashioned a new stomach for him from
intestinal tissue.
Wayne was born Marion Michael
Morrison in Winterset, Iowa, on May
26, 1907. His father, a pharmacist,
moved the family to California six years
later.
After leaving college where he
played football, Wayne worked at the
old Fox Film Corp. as a prop man. He
came to the attention of director John
Ford while taking a turn as a stunt man
and the two became close friends.
His first part was in a flop, “The Big
Trail,” in 1931. He made an endless
series of B movies for Republic Studios
until 1938 when Ford picked him for
“Stagecoach,” one of the finest West
erns ever made.
From that time on, he was constantly
on the big screens.
Wayne’s personal life included three
wives, all Latins. The first was
Josephine Saenz, the mother of four of
his seven children — Michael,. Toni,
Patrick and Melinda. They were di
vorced in 1946.
He married actress Ezperanza Baur
the same year. They were divorced
seven years later.
Wayne married Peruvian beauty
Pilar Palette in November 1954 and
they separated in 1973. They were the
parents of Aissa, John Ethan and
Marisa.