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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 7, 1982)
state Battalion/Page 4 April /, Space shuttle returns to KSC after layover United Press International BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. — Bolted atop a gleaming Boeing 747 jet, the space shuttle Columbia left on the second leg of its 1,543-mile trip home Tuesday after a rous ing refueling stop before an esti mated 40,000 cheering fans. The cumbersome coupling of jet transport and spacecraft left the air base in northwest Louisiana on schedule at 12:30 p.m. — with a fresh crew and 20,000 gallons of fuel. The flight to Cape Canaveral was expected to take 2'/a hours. The 747 and shuttle arrived about 10 minutes early on its 738-mile trip from White Sands, N.M., to Barksdale. Officials opened the air base to civilians for the once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the history-making space shuttle during an ex pected two-hour refueling layover. The piggyback aircraft- spacecraft combination made one pass over the north-south runway before turning for a landing in a 15-knot crosswind and took 8,000 feet of runway to come to a halt. “It was a beautiful touch down,” said Capt. Dick Cole of the Barksdale information office. Jim Harrington, National Aeronautics and Space Admi nistration ground operations manager for White Sands, said there were no major problems in mounting the Columbia for its third postflight trip to Kennedy Space Center. “It took a little longer than we anticipated to get it off of the four jacks,” he said, “but once we got it up to the base height, I think it was just a little over 2‘/i hours until we had it mated. Once the Columbia gets to KSC workers will go to work on it immediately, readying it for its fourth voyage into space, sche duled to begin June 27. Buck Gay, operations mana ger at Northrup Strip, the re mote desert landing site where Columbia returned to Earth one week ago, said preparation work for the flight back to Florida went smoothly. Opexations have been goixig around-the-clock at Northrup Strip since the spacecraft touched down at the morning of March 30. Brazos farms productive, ag commissioner says rHE- ^ I^ TE5 C ALI F by John P. Lopez Battalion Reporter Brazos Valley farms and ranches arfe some of the most productive in the country, Reagan V. Brown, Texas commissioner of agriculture, said Tuesday. “Farmers in the Brazos Valley are generating $28 mil lion to the economy of this area,” he said. Blown was speaking at a banquet honoring farmers and ranchers in the Brazos Valley area. About 400 people attended the banquet. Awards were given to out standing farmers and ran chers in four categories. Don Angonia was named out standing farmer, Albert New comb outstanding rancher, Walter S. Britten outstanding agricultural community lead- Reagan V. Brown er and Jacquetta Ayers out- adi lull leader-youth standing groups. Brown congratulated the recipients saying they helped contribute to the Brazos Val ley’s successes in agx iculture. “These people in the Bra zos Valley are producing the foods and fibers that we need so desperately,” he said. “Seventy percent of the Bra zos Valley is either a farm ox- ranch, thank you for contri buting so much to Texas agri culture.” Brown also congratulated the farmer for making signifi cant gains in all aspects of agriculture over the past few years. "The farmer in Texas to day is producing over $10 bil lion worth of agricultural pro ducts a year,” he said. “That’s fourth largest in the nation.” Texas is the number three state in the nation in export ing agiicultural goods, he added. “We are ext lion worth of products,"! said. ji The exportation of g was cited by Brown as c one of the most significanii:] provements in Texas agf ture. “In the past twelveim!! Texas has exported head of cattle to Mesx alone,” he said. “We'll tijL with everyone, friendorfol short of war and breakingiT of diplomatic relations. Oi I goal is to triple the expou S lion of goods within thewl F three years." / j I Brown also said the exp a tation of goods is good fnn« Texas job market. ip A RiS, Texas Everytmxe we can ing J; ddav said dar eX Cnnn y t ^"'tiaS-mile strip create 32,000 jobs, hesaiir® - ■ United Press Ii tated by a t 70,000 may attend one Gun shows draw crowds approaching $5( they began for obtain federal he road to recovery. Bulldozers m; Army Corps of Ei Monday began r of rubble that w< mained of at lea United Press International OKLAHOMA CITY — According to the Beatles, “Hap piness is a warm gun,” an opin ion at least one shopper at a x e- cent gun show seemed to favor when asked about the aura of guns. “Why would anybody suck their thumbs?” he says. “It’s whatever you feel secure with.” The speaker was one of the thousands of people who flock to the bustling martial flea mar kets known as gun shows. Out side of a small conventional war, it probably would be impossible to find more weapons in one place than at a gun show. There are rifles, shotguns, handguns of all sorts, blowguns, swords, Oriental weapons and bows. Gun shows are held across the Uxxited States, with Houston and Los Angeles hosting the largest gun shows in the world drawing up to 70,000 people in a weekend at each site, says Claude Hall, a gun show promo ter from Edmond, Okla. “There are gun shows going on. I’d say, every weekend, with a major gun show every two to thiee weeks in the United States some place,” Hall said. Oklaho ma City and Dallas host prob ably the next-largest shows, he said. Of course, Hall said, Euro pean flea markets for guns cater to the continental buyer and fea ture more exotic hardware, with captured and black market weaponry of all sorts changing hands openly. “It’s an open market there,” he said. Some 10,000 gun enthusiasts streamed into Hall’s show in Oklahoma City recently car rying rifles on tlxeir shoulders or pistols in their belts. Many wore assorted outfits ranging front combat camouflage to Civil Wax- duds to outfits of the Fi ench Re sistance. Guns hold a certain fascina tion for people, says one young gun browser wearing a tiger stripe camouflage outfit that “you can’t buy anymore” and toting a high-powered crossbow and aluminum arrows. Most gun show fans are normal peo ple, he says. “There’s always some weir dos in the crowd,” Hall said, re calling the time a motorcycle gang, who thought they should not have to pay the entry fee, the had to be escorted out of building. Witlx some rare guns going for thousands of dollars, the weaponry is a good financial in vestment, say some dealers and pulchasers. Others say they like guns for protection. In addition to providing weapons, gun shows offer secur ity in other forms. For survivalists with enough foresight, there is gear to last through the anarchistic chaos after foreign takeover or total economic collapse. “They (survivalists) just think there’s going to be some sort of an attack or something, riots in the stxeets,” said one gun vendor. For the decorative at heart, there are belt buckles, small boxes and pendants, all witfci guns on them. There axe souvenir, appa rently non-explosive, grenades and there is an assortment of reading material, including "Getting Even — The Complete Book of Dirty Tricks',” and “The Vigilante Handbook.” There’s even a manual for “The Trapping and Destruction of Executive Armored Cai-s." leveled by Friday An applicatic Saster relief sul paster ficials to the sta ., ii ■it.Btaldamage at $ Hallsaid. (Givi, l)efe h nse , Although local and ft law enforcement agents close eye on the proceed! law of supply and dei busy at work talk around the showsistkK'^ ! can bu\ aln.nM .i,ntliii r :^ se5smcnI sh , live grenades to land nird^,, U) $50 r mil , stolen military weapon*-■ cit Ma er , you talk to the right pyl ifthenorth Texa , “You can get the stulfi isjdeclared a majo want it and you’vegottliesi residents would I to buv it.” he said. Tvehm Id"-interest, fed kinds of stories of peopH kjans. ning guns to South AireHThe I exas Ins running dope, stuff liketh®)' Association “Like anv other busint" matec l insured p can get in as deep as voip? "puld exceed $2 Hall said, but he said 99j# uld go as high cent of gun dealers ared 01 iHO million. pletelv legitimate. I The tornado ki pie in Paris, ab For those who want a iw n p r theast of Dali weapon, gun shows prov assortment of machim Some states ban private p» representative ai sion of machineguiis, bup Hospital in Paris r ership is allowed in inanvijj victim died en roi by registering with the led hospital, government and an initialii||'. Boots said tha ler fee of $200. major problems A physician in QM operations, bought one, one dealer saW "It’s just someth “He just wanted a toyW| to take a block at a with,” the dealer said. “We’ve got plenty and plenty of peo led in nearby D< the same storm Will There Be Blood If You Need It? .. .only if there’s a volunteer donor to provide it. Like yourself. Blood has to come from another human being. It cannot be manufactured. You can be that volunteer donor April 5 through 8. That’s when the Texas A&M Blood Club has its annual Spring blood drive. Wadley Central Blood Bank is proud to have been associated with this 12th Man tradition of service to humanity during the past 22 years. We look forward to continu ing to participate in the Texas A&M Blood Club drives for many years to come... and we join with all Texans in saluting this un paralleled gesture of generosity and concern for one’s fellow man! AGGIE BLOOD DRIVE APRIL 5 THROUGH 8 LOCATION: BLOODMOBILES PARKED IN FRONT OF THE COMMONS AND ACROSS FROM SBISA HALL. 11 A.M.-7 P.M. MEMORIAL STUDENT CENTER SECOND FLOOR (ROOMS 212-224) 11 A.M.-9 P.M. WADLEY CENTRAL BLOOD BANK Sponsored by AP0, 0PA, & Student Government Two try to catch attacker save hundreds for victim thing like this is ji ■ "We’re just tryi recovery center se know where to gc Ion. We’ve got pe Federal Emergei United Press International HOUSTON — Two men waiting for a bus came to the rescue of an elderly man when he was attacked by someone trying to take his envelope, wlxich was packed with $100 bills. “If that was my grandfather, I’d want somebody to help him,” Tom Watkins, 25, said. “So I did.” Watkins and Effron Wil liams, 19, Monday rescued Peter Wolf, 89, who was jumped by a man described as being 6-foot-3 and 20 years old. Police said Wolf was standing in a crowd of people when he was attacked, and only Watkins and Williams came to his rescue. Watkins said the attacker punched Wolf, grabbed a big envelope from him and ran away. Watkins and Williams chased and tackled the man, who fell through a plate glass window, but escaped. When the rescuers taw the man, the envelope now hundred dollar bills spilled if; the ground and the attacked off. Bob McCowen, a store otl nearby, said: “Hundred (tf hills were everywhere, (tel TV sta release on assa my clerks picked up five or- .. All the money was collwl and returned to Wolf; J would not explain why hew t ied so much cash. United Press In HOUSTON - reporter and were free on their zance Tuesday afi tation outside mi ith the family ant an they were tr Association of Former Students Spring Senior Induction Banquets April 14 & 15, 1982 6:30 p.m. M.S.C. KPRC televis Phil Archer was two counts of at grapher Judy charged with usire Buage in a public { Incident Monday. The two were t: view William Mo tvas charged last an assault on Hous reporter Raul Rey [rapher Buster D :ourt appearance t reckless conduct. KPRC news Goodman said whe krcher approachei nan’s sister, fathe blocked the report put their hands ai over the camera le Morris from the a | “Apparently the ! jattempt to keep t and Archer) from All May and August graduates are invited to attend. Com’ kard or^ standing plimentary tickets will be available April 5-9 in the lobby of ■xuzzle to us on wl the Forsyth Alumni Center. Banquet is free — but you must theideaan dSSdult y 1 J Morns’ brothe Morris, said he ar Marietta Maxfielc rharged because Barton “accosted n members of my fan Shoving and pullinj addition to the verb both. . .” have a ticket to attend. TICKETS GIVEN ON FIRST COME — FIRST SERVED BASIS i