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The Forsyth Alumni Center, located in the Memo- of Former Students. The association boasts a mem-
rial Student Center, is the home of the Association bership of more than 90,000.
December grads become
former students Dec. 10
By GARY BARKER
Battalion Staff
There is no such thing as a former Aggie. Right? Well,
there is such thing as a former student and on Dec. 10, an
estimated 1,500 Texas A&M seniors will become former
students.
All graduates automatically become members of the
Association of Former Students. But to formally induct
December ‘81 graduates into the association, there will be
abanquet at the Ramada Inn, 410 S. Texas Ave., on Nov.
10 at 6:30 p.m.
Seniors who will be graduated Dec. 10 are invited to the
induction banquet. Complimentary tickets for the dinner
are available in the association office, located in the first
floor of the MSC across from the post office, today through
Friday.
The program will include a steak dinner and a short
speech by Association President fames Moore, Class of
‘52.
Pam Behling, Muster and club coordinator for the asso
ciation, said seniors should get their tickets soon because
there will be only 850 available.
The Association of Former Students sponsors two ban
quets for seniors every year, one for May graduates and
one for December graduates.
Behling said the Class of‘81, the largest in Texas A&M
history with around 6,000 graduates, is already becoming
active in the association. Ten to 15 percent of the class have
contributed money to the associaton and several ‘81 gradu
ates have donated over $100.
Behling said she is impressed with the number of ‘81
graduates who are already becoming active members.
“It is a supreme sacrifice for someone just out of school
to donate that much,” she said.
The association has a list of around 100,000 graduates on
its computer records. Of these, Behling said, about 40,000
are active members.
To become an active member, a graduate must donate at
least $25 per year to the association. Active members
receive copies of the association’s mailouts including The
Texas Aggie, its official magazine. <
The Association of Former Students is funded totally by
contributions and uses the money it receives to support
the University in a variety of ways.
Last year the association gave $300,000 to the Universi
ty to be used for student financial aid and academic scho
larships. It also gives money to support faculty recruit
ment and to recognize outstanding faculty members. In
addition, the association provides funds to the various
department heads and administrators to be used for prog
rams which are not funded by the state.
The Association of Former Students also offers prog
rams which benefit its members.
It helps organize regional A&M clubs and reunions
every five years. There are 226 active A&M clubs in the
U.S. and abroad.
The association also publishes a former student direc
tory and funds the Alumni Placement Center which keeps
a list of employment opportunities and provides place
ment counseling for former students.
Shuttle launch scrubbed
until Friday at earliest
United Press International
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The
breakthrough flight of astronauts Joe
Engle and Richard Truly in the space
shuttle Columbia was postponed today
until Friday at the earliest.
The postponement occurred because
delays caused by problems with the
computerized launch control process
allowed oil pressure in the ship’s auxili
ary power units to reach abnormal
levels.
“It will be at least 48 hours before we
can reschedule,” launch control spokes
man Hugh Harris said. “It could be lon
ger, depending on what the problem
with the auxiliary units is and how long
it takes to fix that.”
Launch director George Page made
the decision to postpone the unpre
cedented second orbital test flight of the
shuttle at 8:40 a.m., more than two
hours after the original launch time.
It was a disappointing end to a count
down that had proceeded almost flaw
lessly since it began last Saturday. The
flight had been delayed more than a
month earlier by other troubles, but it
appeared everything had been going
well today.
Engineers had resolved the compu
ter difficulties and were preparing to
resume the countdown when the abnor
mal oil pressure showed up in the auxili
ary power units. That was a “no-go”
situation.
“We still need to understand this oil
pressure problem,” Harris said after
announcing the postponement.
The Columbia’s first flight in April
also was delayed by two days because of
problems with the computers on board.
Earlier today, when it appeared a
new launch try still might be possible,
Page advised Engle and Truly, lying on
their backs in the Columbia cabin, that
there would be a delay of at least two
hours.
“How do you guys feel about sitting
there that long?” Page asked.
“We’re go,” said Engle, who like Tru
ly will be making his first flight into
orbit. “WeTl wait that long. You know
where to get hold of us if you need us for
anything.”
“Thank you George,” said Truly.
“Take your time and do it right.”
Page told the astronauts he would re
sume the countdown “if we can find out
what our problem was and solve it
quickly to everybody’s satisfaction.”
The computerized countdown con
troller stopped the count when it re
ceived an indication the ship’s internal
oxygen tanks were not at the proper
pressure.
The countdown had come as dose as
31 seconds before launch when the de
lay was called. Engineers tried twice to
resume the countdown at the minus-31-
second mark, but the process did not
work.
The problem developed after the
astronauts had received a weather clear
ance. Heavy clouds moved over the
launch site, but astronaut John Young,
flying an airplane over the cape, re
ported that conditions were acceptable.
Clements: best were rejected
Five proposals approved
United Press International
DALLAS — Texans approved five
new amendments to their century-old
constitution, but rejected two others
that Gov. Bill Clements said were the
most important of the seven issues on
the statewide ballot.
Speaker Bill Clayton blamed heavy
opposition from cities and a light turn
out in rural areas for Tuesday s defeat of
his proposed Water Trust Fund that
would have used half of the state’s
budget surplus each biennium to help
finance future water projects.
Voters also turned down a proposal
creating a State Finance Management
Committee to direct expenditure of cer
tain funds when the Legislature is not in
session.
Five other amendments, including
ones authorizing tax breaks for
homeowners, farmers and ranchers,
were handily approved despite a turn
out of only about 10 percent of the
state’s registered voters.
Other amendments approved
cleared the way for East Texan Jessie
Johnson, 81, to finally obtain clear title
to the farm he bought 50 years ago even
though the state had never legally sur
rendered its ownership of the property;
authorized local governments to use tax
increment financing to help revitalize
blighted areas, and authorized issuance
of an additional $250 million in bonds
for the Veterans Land Program.
Clayton, who had used his consider
able political clout to push the water
fund proposal through a special session
of the Legislature, watched the returns
from his farm near Springlake, and man
aged to chuckle when asked his feelings
about the outcome.
“I was kind of disappointed, ” he said.
“I was kind of surprised at the turnout in
this part of the country. It went real
strong for the amendment, but the turn
out was real low. ”
There had been speculation that de
feat of the water fund might deter
Clayton’s plans to seek statewide office
next year, but he said the campaigns are
completely separate.
“I submitted it to the people, and the
people didn’t want it in the constitu
tion,” he said of the amendment. “That
doesn’t affect me one bit.”
The speaker said he plans to
announce his political plans in January,
and is leaning toward a race for land
commissioner although he said, “There
are a couple of other options.”
Stuart Henry of Austin, chairman of
Citizens Against Water Taxes, said the
only reason Clayton was able to push his
water plan through the Legislature was
because of his clout in writing new re
districting plans for the House and
Senate.
“I think people voted against it be
cause it’s just fundamentally a bad prop
osal,” Henry said. “It was complicated,
and it didn’t have a funding cap. I think
that’s one of the reasons Bill Hobby and
former Gov. Allan Shivers came out
against it. If they had put a cap on it, it
would have fared better, considerably
better.”
Backers of the water fund spent ab
out $300,000 in an effort to persuade
voters to adopt it, Henry said, while the
opponents spent only about $15,000.
The five amendments adopted Tues
day bring to 247 the number of changes
Texans have approved in the constitu
tion since 1879.
The tax break proposals exempt poul
try and livestock from all property taxes,
and authorize local governments to ex
empt up to 40 percent of the value of a
homestead from local property taxes.
But the homestead exemption is not
mandatory, and many governmental
units, especially school districts, may
choose to ignore it. Teacher organiza
tions had opposed the plan, saying
school districts which grant the exemp
tions could face financial difficulty and
be forced to reduce spending.
The amendment winning the
greatest margin of support affects the
fewest number of people —the proposi
tion allowing the land commissioner to
surrender the state’s claim to half a
dozen tracts of land in East Texas, in
cluding the 120-acre farm of Johnson,
who bought the land more than 50 years
ago and learned only recently he didn’t
have clear title.
A soldier in Texas’ battle for inde
pendence from Mexico had been
granted a certificate for 640 acres of
state land for his services, but filed
claims for tracts exceeding that acreage.
Because he claimed more land than he
was entitled to, the state declined to
give up its title to the land which even
tually became the Johnson farm.
Johnson’s plight generated immense
sympathy from the governor. Legisla
ture and voters, and the amendments to
give him and others in similar situations
clear title to their land was approved by
a margin of almost 5-to-l.
Class of ‘85 officers
elected in run-off
The Class of ‘85 class council was
elected Tuesday in a run-off election.
Voting in the election were 1,115 stu
dents.
Warren Sumner was elected presi
dent of the freshman class with 622
votes, or 58.2 percent, of the 1,068
votes cast for his office.
Jim Allen was elected vice president.
He received 605 votes — 56.8 percent
of the 1,066 votes cast for vice presi
dent.
Sherrie Couch is secretary/treasurer.
She won with 60.1 percent of the 1,060
Swedes reject Soviet demands on sub
United Press International
KARLSKRONA, Sweden—Swedish
officials rejected a Soviet demand that
the captain of its trapped submarine be
interrogated on board and told the skip
per to leave his vessel for further ques
tioning on his suspected espionage.
Submarine commander Capt. Pyotr
Gushin, who underwent seven hours of
interrogation Monday on a Swedish tor
pedo boat, said Tuesday he had been
told to remain on his vessel for any
further questioning about why the sub
marine was only 10 miles from Sweden’s
main Baltic naval base at Karlskrona.
The Swedes rejected the Soviet de
mand, although late Tuesday night fore
ign and defense ministry officials indi
cated an unspecified compromise was
reached that might end the impasse.
Defense ministry spokesman Roger
Johansson had said Gushin was told the
Swedish position is the same.
“Any questions or investigations will
be carried out on Swedish vessels or
Swedish ground,” he said.
But another defense official said the
investigation is now being concentrated
on the submarine.
“We are interested in what is on
board,” the official said. “There can be
documents and things, not just naviga
tional equipment.”
A third official, Cmdr. Gunnar Ras
mussen of the Karlskrona base, said offi
cials had been on board and looked at
the equipment on an earlier visit.
The gray, 228-foot Whiskeyclass sub
marine was refloated by the Swedes
Monday in a howling gale and towed to a
sheltered inlet, about a half mile from
where it ran aground on rocks eight days
ago 20 miles inside Swedish waters.
At the same time, after a week of
diplomatic wrangling, the Soviets re
lented and allowed the red-
moustachioed skipper to be questioned
by Swedish officials.
The end of the embarrassing incident
appeared near as the Soviets also met
Swedish demands for an official apology
and permission to refloat the vessel.
But following the interrogation ses
sion, the Swedes said they were not
satisfied with the answers they received
about the sub’s presence in militarily
restricted waters, and said it might take
another week to get to the bottom of the
affair.
The Soviets claimed Gushin’s radar
failed in fog causing the craft with its
crew of 56 to sail blindly into Swedish
waters. The claim was rejected from the
outset by Swedish officials.
The sub is considered obsolete for
combat but useful for intelligence oper
ations.
United Press International
HOUSTON — City Controller Kathy
Whitmire and Harris County Sheriff
Jack Heard paced a crowded field of 15
mayoral candidates to land runoff slots
for the city’s highest elected position,
tossing two-term incumbent Mayor Jim
McConn out of a job.
With 315 of the 396 precincts report
ing early today, Whitmire had captured
37 percent of Tuesday’s vote. Heard fol
lowed with 25 percent of the vote.
A runoff election will be held later
this month; no date has yet been set,
officials said.
Former City Councilman Louis
Macey was in third place with 14 per
cent.
McConn was next, receiving 12 per
cent of the first ballots counted.
“Things are not looking real bright, ”
McConn told campaign workers late
Tuesday.
“My competitive spirit has been
bruised. We had our butts kicked.”
The 35-year-old Whitmire was
elected controller four years ago and
often was at odds with McConn over
city spending. During a five-month
campaign, the widowed accountant
pledged she would run the nation’s fifth
largest city in a businesslike manner.
Heard, 63, longtime sheriff and for
mer city police chief, stressed leader
ship as his strongest campaign pledge.
A city charter change for tax limita
tion, similar to California’s Proposition
13, appeared to be defeated by voters.
The tax relief issue would limit the city ’s
tax rate to 50 cents per $100, based on a
100 percent assessment ratio.
Voter turnout was heavy, with appro
ximately 35 percent or 250,000 citizens
in the city casting ballots.
In the city controller’s race, tabula
tions showed Councilman Lance Lalor
appeared to be ahead of former U.S.
Immigration and Naturalization Service
director Leonel Castillo. Castillo had
been the city controller’s before Presi
dent Jimmy Carter tapped him for the
INS post.
votes cast for this office.
Mary Ann Heaton was elected social
secretary. She had 63.6 percent of the
1,052 votes cast for social secretary.
In the Class of‘85 election last week,
seven freshman senators-at-large were
elected from more than 40 candidates.
The senators are: Kirsten Murphy,
Grant Swartzwelder, Linda Thomas,
Melissa Williams, Jay Holland, Mark
Holubec and Tracy Turner.
In that election, a total of 1,730 votes
were cast.
Incumbent ousted,
Houston run-off set