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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 19, 1983)
•S 1 prices, the Los and Conventicn vho think they an thousands of doll® heir homes for ht idding themselves California — wij t attractions as isneyland and 1% os — normally has tors in July. On y day there ar •of-town guests, ait r is expected inly 50,000 ( cs. c message topeoplt • will be accomoi lie,” Spalding said o don’t have tickets here, they ir of here. -eal, theirhotelsdi! capacity when th 'inpics were there ;et trikes in Wash™ affected 16,60(1 earing was schedi Pierce County Si i a requestby_ to end a strikeinQ iis, teachers in Jd and Wheeling-Bi ^Ionclay^eptember^9^983/Th^^attalion/Pag^£ Banjos, nature spell success to musician United Press International OSAGE, Ark. — Bill Mathews ays his family back in St. Paul, Minn., thinks he’s a little crazy to Iwell in the Ozarks and make ban- os foraliving, but he rates himself [success — personally and profes- ionally. Making banjos, after all, has npported Mathews for nine years row. It allows him to stay close to nusic and nature, involves some ravel and performing, introduces nm to obscure country musicians ind makes him part of America’s nusical history. “We ll never run out of work, m not going to be unemployed,” Mathews said, perched on a stool n his dusty workshop. “I’m not ich or anything, hut I can con- inue to do what I want to do, and hat’s success, really.” His neighbors know him as Banjo Bill. ” Any of them can give directions to his house, starting at the old stone general store near the wooden bridge at Osage and following the rutted, rocky roads for miles through the trees. Mathews, 31, was looking for someplace that hadn’t been con- erted into civilization yet” when e settled in the northwest comer fArkansas in 1975. His 35 acres of Ijnd support hardwoods that can used to make banjos and also rovided the raw materials for his iand-built solar home. X' P l: ... In a concession to civilization ind business realities, Mathews ~ finally got a telephone four years •St He also has electricity in the ict 21 will stnkejk ^ now but he an[] ^ wift , con rac s agreem ^ daughters still drink rom a spring and bathe in pond rater. He works alone in a shack 50 rards from the house and does nost of his business by telephone “nd mail order. YOU knou Press International c*st meat eaters Id v people of the I'll an average cohsiii 19 ounces |H‘r|x;J an “I just have to go meet the mail- and there’s my money,” he said, swatting at summer bugs flying through the shop’s open doors. In the spring and fall, Mathews travels to crafts fairs to show off his banjos and sell tape recordings of his old-fashioned banjo and fiddle music. Some people at the fairs order banjos, but the $7 tapes usually pay for the trip. When Mathews is home, he said, “I fill orders, cut firewood and take care of the kids. ” Mathews makes just 16 banjos a year, carefully carving and polishing wood that has been kiln dried and aged. The finished ban jos have the deep gloss of fine furniture, and he said no two are alike in appearance or tone. “I’ve learned a lot since I moved to Arkansas from the old- timers. Be very patient," he said. Those old-timers have also taught Mathews more about the banjo, invented in 1834 by an American improvising on a three- string African instrument played by slaves. The banjo was later adapted to ragtime and the blueg- rass music that is still popular in the Ozarks. His thinning hair tied into a ponytail and wearing torn khakis, Mathews rolled a cigarette from a can of Bugler tobacco as he recited the history of his business, official ly known as the Phippsburg Banjo Co. Always musical, Mathews said he won permission from the rather mystified music faculty at the Uni versity of Minnesota to teach him self to play the banjo while attend ing school. After two years, he took his new skill to the Colorado mountains and there met John Walsh, a novice banjo maker. They were dissatisfied with standard Japanese banjos and couldn’t afford the more expen sive kind that run $2,000 to $4,000, he said. “We both decided we could do better,” Mathews said. “We just got some wood and some parts and started doing it by trial and error. ” They named the company for Phippsburg, Colo., although their :e beal owing incidents * f the University P t through Friday S: Post Oak Mall shoppers can win big at auction by Leslie Yoder Battalion Reporter It’s not too late for shoppers to from any Post Oak Mall merchant can be validated on the day of pur chase at the Information Booth in illpts worn ctnUi polled some big bucks from Post exchange for “mall bucks, hile their owneni ^ Mal1 to bid on a variety of sketball. One »i merchandise at the mail’s auction. .35 and the otherl event will be held at 7 p. m. oon 1982 Oldsmd :uesda y in the courtyard area be- rra was stolen froD ween Dillards Department Store king lot west o(« P d Zales Jewelers. '^1 I Assistant Mall Manager Maria i’olites said Tuesday more than Id Railroad Depd i 10 - 000 worth of merchandise, ransad rom a 1983 Pontiac T-1000 to a Road was urf shirt, will be auctioned by people were tre| J°y ce > a l° ca l auctioneer mall promotions because of the sixth level of 1 ' n d former mayor of Bryan. length of time and planning it “We believe that this auction is Likes to maintain the enthu- sort of back-to-school bonus for siasm, Polites said. Pur shoppers,” Polites said. All the merchants in the mall Cash receipts and charge slips were contacted about six months University Police? pass warning, Post Oak Mall bucks also can be obtained from the Ted Wilkinson, Inc. service department for ser vice work worth up to $200. The bucks are equal in value to the receipts. Shoppers can redeem double mall bucks on Tuesdays as an extra bonus, Polites said. “The Mall Bucks Auction is quite involved as opposed to other ago, she said. CBL Management, contract de veloper and owner of the mall, re commended having the auction because of its success at other malls, Polites said. MEXICAN DRESSES $ 24 98 Summer Clearance Sale ALFREDO’S ix k: FIRST ANNUAL HEALTH RUN R PRIME :rcise) :s 2 carc//ovaS' e flexibility, 58K co-sponsored by ^Humana „ students of Hospital & Texas A&M B-CS College of Medicine Saturday — October 22 10 K & 15 K Road Run 8:30 a.m. Medical Mile 8:40 a.m. Location and Course: 10K and 15K Road Races start and end at the new Medical Science Building on Agronomy Road and wind around parts of the TAMU campus on flat concrete and ^ asphalt surfaces. GAC Sanction pending. The medical mile circles around the Medical Science Building. Age Categories: Male and Female: 12 and under, 13-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50 & over. Awards: First and second place trophies for female and male winners of each event. Trophies to first place, medallions to second and third place finishers of each age category in each event. All awards distributed after the race. Entry Fee: $6.50 Includes Free Scrub Shirts to first 500 entrants, post race refreshments, first aid, and awards. Deadline: Early entries must be received by October 18, 1983. Late Registration Fee: $8.50 Race Day Registration 7:00-8:00 a.m. Race Materials: Runners may pick up numbers and scrub shirts on race day 7:00-8:00 a.m. Use of Proceeds: Proceeds to Texas Aggie Medical Student Association, ’86 Race Orqanizers/Directors: TAMSA ’86 For Information Call: Dr. Mclnnis-Bowers (409) 775-4200 or Ms. Frieden 845-7464 Mall Entries to: Race Director Make checks payable to TAMSA Office of Student Affairs Medical Science Building TAMU College of Medicine College Station, Texas 77843 Name * 86 DETACH ENTRY Address. . Phone. Zip. Sex. City, State Age As of Oct. 22, 1983. Circle One: Race: 10K or 15K or Medical Mile Scrub Shirt Size S M L WAIVER: In consideration of accept ance of this entry, I waive and release any and all claims for myself and my heirs against Humana Hospital and TAMSA ’86 for any Injury or Illness which may directly or indi rectly result from participa tion In this race. I further state that I have trained for this race and am In proper physi cal condition to participate. This entry must be signed by entrant; otherwise It Is in valid. If entrants is under 18 years of age, parent or guar dian must also sign entry. Warped by Scott McCullar first shop was four miles away in an old mortuary at Oak Creek, he said. They sponsored jam sessions and square dances and sold their first banjos. But Colorado land near hard woods and sawmills was too ex pensive to buy, Mathews said, so in 1975, the partners finally set tled on the Ozarks with its abun dant walnut, cherry, ash and , maple. With Walsh back in Colorado making guitars now, Mathews goes to sawmills to buy wood — Arkansas walnut, Vermont white maple and African ebony for the fingerboards. The metal “hardware” around the rim is made by commercial music companies along with the plastic drum heads, although Mathews will use animal skin if it is requested. In his workshop, Mathews steams and bends four or five thin layers of wood to make the circular rim and sands it by hand. Then he reinforces wooden blocks with steel and uses a hammer and chisel to cut the smooth curve in the back of the neck. He cuts mother-of-pearl inlays by hand to place in the ebony. His prices range from $400 to $950 for the "Black Beauty II,” made from aged walnut and equipped with a resonator — a curved wooden hack behind the banjo head. Without a resonator, the backless banjo head resembles a tambourine. “None of them sound exactly alike because every piece of wood is different,” he said. It takes two years to “age the sound” in some banjos, so they sound better after they have been used, he said. Consequently, he will offer 100 percent trade-in value on any of his banjos if the customer wants a new one. Mathews will also make free repairs and pay for shipping. “People can deal directly with me,” he said. “That turned out to he a real good way to do it, be cause people trust you. Once you do an adjustment or something, they know they’re secure in their investment.” A&M refs get added benefits by Maria Gautschy Battalion Reporter The Texas A&M Sports Officials Association is offering benefits for intramural sports officials to make refereeing more than just a job. Officials will be offered free equipment, opportunities for so cial functions, scholarships and annual awards through the asso ciation. With the added benefits, Tom Reber, coordinator for intramural sports, said he hopes the associa tion will help establish a camar aderie between officials. “These people can work any where for the same pay, that’s why we want the job to offer them something extra special,” Reber said. Rob Larsen, president of the association, said he hopes team attitudes toward officials improve by having referees who enjoy their work and each other. The association also has set up four pre-season tournaments for flag football, basketball, volleyball and softball. Reber said the tour naments will help officials train for the season while giving the teams an extra chance to practice. The tournaments also will help raise money for the association. In additon to the $20 entry fee for the season, each team will be charged $5 to play in the tournament. The training program for the officials involves six classroom hours of learning game rules. An additional six hours is spent on the field going over positions and problems that arise during play. Because they do not get paid for the training period, Reber said, he hopes the association will encour age relationships between officials that will make training more en joyable. The association, after three years of existing only in name, was revived this year by Reber. Tom Weis, director of intramu ral sports, said he is confident that the the new freshmen and sopho mores involved in the association will keep the program from dying a second time. Attention All Recognized Student Organizations Check your boxes for a copy of the 1984 Aggieland yearbook contract. If your organization has not received a contract, contact our office at 845-2681 or 845-2682 or come by Room 0012 in the basement of the Reed McDonald Building and pick up a contract. SPECIAL OF THE DAY AIX YOU CAN EAT FARM RAISED CATFISH OR CHICKEN FRIED STEAK ONLY *5.95 Also, Plate Lunch Specials! Choice of meat, choice of fresh vegetable, dessert, coffee or tea. 83.95 Town shire Shopping Center 2025 Texas Ave. 775-7042 LOUPOT'S OFF CAMPUS CORNER (At The Corner Across From The Post Office) BEHIND CLOSED DOORS— YOU AND YOUR ROOMMATE TW' For most students, coming to Texas A&M is a well-planned adventure that holds promises of new and exciting experiences: Different routines, stimulating lectures, mind-expanding ideas, new friends, and ROOMMATES! Perhaps one of the rich est learning experiences that you can have outside the class room is living in close quarters with another person, a room mate. Through these “close encounters,” you will discover a multitude of personality traits about yourself and your room mate; some are good, some are bad. At some point in your relationship, these personality traits may be in conflict, so you should be prepared to handle the problems. Some quick tips: —Know what your roommate is all about, consider knowing him or her as a learning experience. Even if the clod doesn’t bathe and spits on the floor, keep in mind that you are learning to handle new situations and discovering more about people. —Accept your roommate without trying to change him or her. —All initiative will not come from your roommate. You may find yourself thinking, “She never opens up to me. I don’t khow anything about her.” Well, have you opened up to your room mate? Have you brought him or her into your life? —If you need a space of your own in the room or apart ment, talk to your roommate about it, rather than announcing, “This is my area, keep your fat mitts out of it.” Ask your roommate if it is alright for an area or corner to be yours alone. Explain why you feel you need it. —Try not to let your old friendships get in the way of your new relationship with your roommate. Your new roommate could teach you something new. Cutting your roommate out because he or she is not like you eliminates half the adventure of living with someone new. —If you and your roommate cannot work out your differ ences, come see us at the Off Campus Center. Our advisors are trained to handle roommate conflicts and will be glad to help you examine your options. We’re located in Puryear Hall, directly across from the YMCA Building, or give us a call at 845-1741. Feel free to call or come by Monday through Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. MING EVENTS OFF CAMPUS AGGIES: Next meeting will be held Wed nesday, September 21, 6:30 p.m. in Room 601, Rud der Tower. OCA APARTMENT PRESIDENT ELECTIONS: Balloting will be held Wednesday, September 21, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the OCA office, Room 222 Pavilion and outside the Pavilion. Also, balloting will continue at the regular OCA meeting that evening at 6:30 p.m. in Room 601, Rudder Tower. OFF CAMPUS FISH NIGHT: Off Campus Freshmen are invited to attend a party in their area. Hot dogs, sodas, and fun will be provided! See ya’II there! Tuesday, September 20 Scandia Apts. Pool 7:00 p.m. Thursday, September 22 Casa Del Sol Apts. Pool 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, September 27 Southwest Village Apts. Pool 7:00 p.m. Thursday, September 29 Plantation Oaks Apts. Pool 7:00 p.m. A * 1 ADOPT-A-FISH The Residence hall Association (RHA) will once again sponsor the “Adopt-a-Fish” program. Through this program freshmen and first semester transfer students can participate in residence hall life. Those students taking part in the program will pay the hall’s activity fee and will be assigned to a particular floor, wing, or ramp. The off campus students may attend social functions, educational programs, and fundraisers of the "adopted” resi dence hall. RHA hopes that through this program, off campus students will become more active in campus events and learn more about what it means to live on campus. If you are interest ed, go by the RHA Office in Room 215 of the Pavilion or sign-up at the Off Campus Center in Puryear Hall, across from the YMCA Building. Loupot s Off Campus Corner is sponsored each month l>y Loupot s Bookstore at Northgate as a service to Texas A&M students. Stories and artwork are provided by the staff of the Off Campus Center.