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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 14, 1980)
\«r> Tucson student successful By Michelle Morrey We’ve all been warned of the hazard of waiting until the night be fore a test to cram. For Diane Bums, it is no hazard and her 3.85 grade point average is proof of that. Bums said she usually studies one night before a test but always keeps her notes organized. “I’d glad I came here,” Bums said. “To me, success in college is largely how you play your cards. I have found out that who your professors are really make a difference. I was always careful who I got for my pro fessors. I didn’t want an easy one, I just wanted a teacher to be fair.” Bums said she asks other good stu dents who have already had the courses what professors to avoid. “It’s not so much picking the good ones, as it is avoiding the bad ones,” she said. Bums, 21, is a senior animal scien ce major from Tucson, Ar. She came to Texas A&M hoping some day to attend veterinary medicine college because Arizona does not have one. Bums chose A&M over the other 20 vet schools in the country because her chances were better than at other schools. After she graduates in May, Bums must establish state residency before applying to vet school. She will have to work for one year. Bums said dur ing that year she would like to train horses. At this point, she is not certain she will apply for vet school. She said she will decide after working for one year. Her high GPA enables her to par ticipate in the Undergraduate Fel lows Program at Texas A&M. Bums’ research is an evaluation of the gross energy of mare’s milk. Simply put, she is figuring the calor ies of mare’s milk. She said not much research has been done on this in the United States. But Russia has done consid erable research on it. The Russians ferment the milk and call it kumiss. They use it to treat whooping cough and tuberculosis. Bums said she doesn’t think it will ever be used for that in the United States. “It’s nutrition research for the horse,” she said. “We re trying to determine what normal physiology is for the horse so we can be most effi cient in feeding practices and man agement. ” She is the president of the Horse men’s Association and is an agricul ture council representative for the Saddle and Sirloin Club. Cotton pageant: traditional event for 45 years in Texas A&M history By Bonnie Helwig King and Queen Cotton will appear again on the Texas A&M University campus, as they have done each spring for the past 45 years, during the annual Cotton Pageant, sponsored by the Agronomy Society. This year’s contest will feature 82 couples. They will be sponsored by organizations and dorms on campus, A&M mother’s clubs, A&M former student groups and other colleges. From its beginning with 60 couples in 1932, the num ber of court members grew as high as 200 couples in 1950. Jamey Douglas, social secretary of the Agronomy Society and chairman of the event, said the contestants were judged on “grace, poise and beauty.” Pageant and Ball origins can be traced to the school year 1930-31, when A&M Dean of Agriculture E. J. Kyle teamed with district agent Sterling C. Evans of the Texas Agricultrure Extension Service to develop an event to promote interest in cotton production and use. The first show was held in 1932 under the direction of Mrs. John P. Wheeler. Mrs. Wheeler recruited young ladies from Bryan and College Station to serve as models in the show. By 1935, contestants were designing and making their own gowns. Over the years, gowns designed in Paris, New York, Hollywood and other clothing capitals of the world have been modeled during the pageant. The forming of the court of the King of Cotton was an integral part of the festivities. The Agronomy Society electes a king and eight dukes from its members. The person selected King Cotton is usually an active mem ber of the club, said Douglas. This year s King Cotton is Zach Yanta, president of the Agronomy Society. Oringinally, the profits from the Cotton Pageant and Ball were used for a fellowship to send the three agro nomy seniors across the United States and to foreign countries. In 1956, the annual study tour for all agronomy stu dents replaced the fellowship. The money earned this year will be used to send agronomy students on a tour of the Midwest and to state and national conventions, Douglas said. Randy Miles, adviser to the club, said students were entirely responsible for coordination of the pageant. “This is a complete club effort, with a chairman and assistant and nine committees, for all have specific func tions.” This year’s pageant will begin on April 11 with a square dance in the Zachry Engineering Center. The Pageant and Ball will be April 12. Ge^senedk Generally, the price of food eaten at restaurants increases two times fester than that of hikes for food eaten at home. The Gooseneck Convertible Trailer with removable livestock racks. It’s a stock trailer and a utility trailer. • available with standard %-ton (8 lug) wheels at no extra cost • one-piece 3/16" fabricated steel body & fender for greater strength • 16, 20, 24, 28, 32 ft. lengths • lights, electric brakes & breakaway switch to meet ICC rules • 7:50 X 16/8-ply tires • cross gate • sandblasted, primed with rust prohibitor and painted with 2 coats of enamel • drop-leg jack (less cranking/no blocks) • treated flooring • other models include horse vans, lowboys, metal top, third axle, metal compartments over neck Write or call for literature and local dealer information Gooseneck Trailer Mfg. Co.,Inc. Box 832-P/Bryan, Tx. 77801/(713) 823-0034 Readfield Meats & Freezer Service 2701 S. Texas Ave. 822-1594 Diane Burns, senior animal science major from Tucson, Arizo na receives a Senior Merit Award from College of Agriculture Dean H. O. Kunkel. Photo by Julie Smiley. Researcher reflects on vitamin discovery Further experiments followed in order to duplicate and prove the first. In one experiment, Hale said he continued the vitamin-A deficient diet even after the first 30 days after breeding. The gilt failed to farrow at the end of the normal gestation period. A postmortem examination indicated the letter had perished at an early stage, followed by resorp tion of the fetuses. Hale explained that if some vita min-A was not given to the gilts 30 days after breeding, then resorption would occur. Thirty days without vitamin-A was long enough to allow defects in the facial tissue to take place. Some pigs were also bom with cysts on the head and back, extra ear-like growths and cleft lips and palates, Hale said. After his discovery, Hale spoke before the American Journal of Ophthalmology about his findings. In their publication about Hale’s work in 1935, they suggested that “many of the eye weaknesses which we suffer today may be due to mater nal vitamin-A deficiency. Perhaps we have been forcing our spinach on the wrong victims; it ought to be administered to the mothers instead of the children.” Hale received widespread recog nition for his work. “It’s amazing how information of this type reaches all over the world,” he said. “We even had a letter from China commenting about my re search. ” Even now, every once and awhile, Hale receives requests for copies of his original publication explaining his research. -I By Jane Lyon (Editors note: This story was writ ten last semester for The Agricultur ist. On March 18, 1980, Fred Hale died at the age of 79.) The year was 1918 and Fred Hale was a freshman at Texas A&M Uni versity majoring in animal husban dry. A decade later he would pioneer the discovery of the effect of mater nal vitamin-A deficiency in embryonic development. His ex periments were conducted on swine. Now at age 79 and settled in his new office in the Kleberg Animal Sci ence building, Hale recalled his ex periments that led to the discovery which would be of “incalculable value to the human race,” as de scribed be A. C. Scott, Sr., chairman for the Council on Scientific Work in 1937. “We worked on this from 1928 un til we obtained all our information in about 1937,” Hale said. Actual work began when a Duroc gilt was fed a vitamin-A deficient ra tion for a period of 160 days before, and for the first 30 days after breed ing. In 1932 she farrowed a litter of 11 pigs, all of which unexpectedly were bom without eyeballs. “We didn’t know what we were going to get,” Hale said. “We knew we would get something because li terature was full of evidence that vitamin-A deficiencies would cause an eye disease.” But all previous research had been done on individuals from birth to maturity. No one had ever studied the effects of vitamin-A deficiency on embryos. Hale explained. TAMU RANGE SCIENCE DEPT. Meeting 2nd Tuesday of each Month Have Mobile BBQ Pit for rent CALL: Range Science Dept. 845-7331 for information FRESH FRUITS & VEGETABLES WHOLESALE and RETAIL 3519 SOUTH COLLEGE • 822 7209 • BRYAN, TEXAS 77801 /“»#*«■« »-», I70W’ 7 i ne /agriculturist — Page 3 Stock show work is a tradition By Martha A. Hollida It’s the world’s largest livestock show and rodeo, but to students in the Texas A&M University College of Agriculture, it’s a tradition. Each year the tradition continues and more students are involved with working at the Houston Livestock Show. “Essentially we have been send ing A&M students to work since the show had its beginning. Die number of students has increased as the show grows larger,” said Professor Emer itus R.C. Potts. The animal science department sent many students to assist in the livestock office. These were primari ly junior and seniors majoring in animal science. There were also stu dents from other areas of agriculture. These students worked at the judging shows, assisted the livestock superintendents, handled the trophies and ribbons, worked with photographers, checked in livestock, provided information and worked for various cattle fitting services. Agricultural journalism students worked in the press room. They wrote and printed press releases ab out the shows, interviewed contes tants, provided press representa tives with information concerning the show and assisted with media coverage and photography. The students stayed for different lengths of time depending on the show schedule. They were chosen on the basis of their grades and class work. .. . The pay is minumum wage and the working day lasts from 12 to 16 hours, although some days require 18 to 24 hours to get the work done. “It has to be the most worthwhile experience in my education. Diere’s no monetary value that could be put on what I learned from working at the Houston Livestock Show. You have to admire the support that is given to the youth in Texas and the people of Houston are to be com mended for their support of the show,” remarked Ken Jordan, senior animal science major. Karen Holley, a senior agricultu ral education major worked for J Bar S Fitting Service and said that she learned a lot by showing and fitting the cattle. I thought it was great experience and I enjoyed meeting all the people who organize it and those who com pete in the shows. The people you meet are some of the most important people in the purebred cattle indus try, said Louis Martin, a junior animal science major. “You get to use the things you’ve learned in class. It’s a chance to work with the people in industry and learn from them. It's also gratifying to know that your working for the Houston Livestock Show and to be a part of that production,” said Julie Smiley, an agricultural journalism major. Gwen Gates, who worked for LaRue’s Cattle Fitting Service, said that the job contacts and the meeting the people make it worth the long hours. Sugar causes tooth decay By Julie Smiley Sugar in health and food additives in bakery products were subjects at a recent Texas Human Nutrition Con ference at Texas A&M University. The conference, co-sponsored by the Experiement Station and the College of Agriculture at Texas A&M, drew both professionals in nutrition and students to the two-day meeting. Dr. G. Norris Bollenback, scien tific director for the Sugar Assoca- tion, Inc., in Washington, D.C., talked on sugar in food. The 1977 report made eight ac cusations against sugar as it affects health. Included in the eight were tooth decay, increases of obesity, di abetics and cardiovascular disease and displaced nutrients in the diet. During the past three years, accusa tions were be narrowed to one — sugar causes tooth decay. Bollenback said the Food and Drug Administra tion recently reports that sugar is safe for human consumption except it may increase tooth decay. The importance of enriched bread was stressed by Dr. Robert Cotton of ITT Continental Bakery, Co., Inc. He said enrichment is one of the greatest factors in nutrition today, a “quiet miracle.” He said the object of weight re duction and control is to balance food intake with energy expenditure, but bread should not be ruled out as weight-reducing food. Enriched bread contains protein, vitamins and minerals and is less expensive than meat as a protein source, although bread is not complete protein as is meat. the OWERS & GIFTS KEN SENTER - OWNER SpectoCt^uu) w Weddiuqt National Agri-Marketing Association • DRIED & SILK ARRANGEMENTS • FOLIAGE PLANTS • FUNERAL DESIGNS • HOSPITAL DESIGNS TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY CHAPTER OF THE NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL AND MARKETING ASSOCIATION IS AN ORGANIZATION DEVOTED TO THE EDUCATION AND 846-0153 BETTER UNDERSTANDING BY STUDENTS INTEREST ED IN THE FIELD OF AGRICULTURAL MARKETING, SALES AND PUBLIC RELATIONS. National Agri-Marketing Association TAMU/NAMA Chapter — Supports agriculture technical clubs and all agricul ture majors at TAMU — October 8, 1980 Professional Career Planning Day “Find Your Career in Agriculture” — For information call Julie Smiley 779-6902