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Party lines still ringing
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by JAN EVANS
Battalion Reporter
“I think there’s somebody on the line.”
That’s what Lucy Myers of Red Rock, Texas, says to
get rid of eavesdroppers on her telephone. Myers is one
of thousands of Texas residents who have a party line,
where they share their phone line with one or more
households.
Despite modern technology, the party line is alive and
well. About 3,000 Bryan and College Station phone lines
are shared by up to eight customers.
The advantages or disadvantages of party lines de
pend a great deal on who else is using the same line.
Myers contends she is one of the less fortunate ones.
There are eight households on her party line, two of
which are home-businesses and two are families with
teen-agers.
“It has gotten to be a joke with our friends,” Myers
said. “Almost nobody can ever reach us.”
She and her husband keep the party line because the
cost is about one tenth of a private line, and she said the
zoning in her area causes them to make many long
distance calls.
“Our best friends live five miles away and it’s long
distance.”
She said her main problem with the phone is that she
and her husband sometime miss calls from people who
do not know about the party line and give up trying to
call.
But the Myers have adjusted to their party line, which
they have had for over a year. “You get used to picking
up the phone first to see if somebody else is using it.”
And since their own phone rings when three other
families receive phone calls, Myers said she has been
awakened in the early morning several times.
The Bryan and College Station phone services do not
have many of these problems, however. The party line
phones ring only for the household or business being
called. And no more than four households are being put
on one line.
Bill Johnigan, Service Officer Manager for GTE, said
the office does not receive many complaints on party
lines in this area. He said the main problems he hears
about are customers abusing their privileges, such as
leaving the phone off the hook so they can sleep.
There is also the problem of some families talking on
the telephone more than their share, “especially if they
have teen-age kids.”
Johnigan said the company will change a customer’s
party line, when possible, if there are “real problems.”
He said quite a few persons change their phone
service, almost always to upgrade it, by reducing the
number of people on the line or getting a private phone.
A residential four-party line costs $5.02 per month,
whereas a residential private phone costs $7.57 per
month.
A private phone in a rural area costs the same, plus
$1 extra for each quarter mile away from the city limits.
Johnigan said it costs $7.50 for the initial service
charge to change phone service, and the remainder of
the fee could go as high as $37.50, depending on how
much work it takes to change the phone line.
Lately, customers from rural areas have been re
questing private lines the most. Johnigan attributed this
to people staying home more because of the energy
crisis. Some rural areas, however, have only four-party
line systems.
Johnigan said the phone service has filed for a rate
increase which will probably go into effect in August or
September.
Exhibits offer both local & famous collections
MSC gallery keeps art alive at A&M
by CHARLIE MUSTACHIA
Battalion Reporter
Art is alive, well and living on the
Texas A&M University campus.
Although several universities in
the southwest conference have art
galleries, A&M’s Memorial Student
Center gallery is unique, said Karen
Penny, student acting chairman of
the arts committee.
Each spring a student, faculty
and staff selection committee con
tracts an assorted collection of ex
hibits which thev feel will be most
interesting to students, Penny said.
Many of the exhibits are free ex
cept for shipping and insurance
charges, Penny said.
When an internationally famous
collection is not being shown in the
gallery, the arts committee works in
conjunction with other committees
on campus, Penny said.
Last week, the gallery featured a
collection of technology-related pic
tures, sponsored by SCONA.
Presently, the artwork of the win
ners and participants of the MSC
juried arts competition are being ex
hibited in the gallery.
Penny said art is more present at
Texas A&M than people realize.
“In the architecture department
students paint and draw and do
beautiful work,” she said.
There is not a college of art at the
University, but there is an interest in
art, Penny said. “I think art is for
everyone, it’s a personal taste, it’s
whatever you enjoy.”
She said art exhibits are assets
to universities because they teach
students about other people and
their personalities.
“A university is supposed to ex
pose you to as many things as pos
sible,” she said.
Because there is a shortage of
office space in the MSC, Penny
said, the gallery is trying to attract
more students.
“This year’s been very important
because in order to keep the gal
lery, we have to show that students
do use it,” Penny said. “There are
presently many people who would
like to go ahead and turn it into
offices.”
Surveys conducted by the art
committee showed that approxi
mately 400 persons visit the gallery
on an average weekend.
The hospitality committee hand
les public receptions for the artists
who tour with their exhibits, Penny
said.
Last semester, a reception was
held for Jesse Trevino, an artist
from San Antonio, who lost his right
hand in Viet Nam.
“The students loved meeting him
and were greatly impressed,” Pen
ny said.
During January, the work of five
Houston painters was exhibited in
the gallery. These paintings were
shipped from the Max Hutchison
Gallery in Houston.
One of the most popular exhibits
shown each year is the winning en
tries from the MSC Camera Com
mittee’s spring photograph contest,
Penny said.
This exhibit, called Salon 80, be
gins Sunday.
Penny said the committee also
hopes to have John Carter, a water-
colorist, give a seminar this
semester.
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