Page 4/The Battalion/Tuesday, October 4,1983
High Court denies request
to stay Autry’s execution
Astronaut’s kid
Using
Son of first black space flier is
United Press International
WASH I NC.TON — The Sup
reme Court Monday cleared the
way for the execution of conde
mned killer James David Autry
for the murder of a Texas groc
ery store clerk. He is scheduled
to die Wednesday by lethal injec
tion.
The court voted 5-4 to deny a
request to halt the execution,
with Justices Thurgood Mar
shall and William Brennan cast
ing their traditional vote oppos
ing the death sentence as “in all
circumstances cruel and un
usual punishment.”
Joining Brennan and Mar
shall were Justices John Paul
Stevens and Harry Blackmun.
Autry now has three alterna
tives: he can ask the Supreme
Court to reconsider its decision,
try to get a Texas federal judge
to halt the execution of ask Gov.
Mark White to halt it.
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE
REUNION
BARBECUE
Saturday, October 8, 1983
Three Hours before
University of Houston Game
New Animal Science Pavilion
(on Jersey Street West of Horse Center)
Tickets available in Dean's Office
or from NAMA members
NATIONAL
AGRI-MARKETING
ASSOCIATION ■■
As Attorney" General last
year, White refused a request to
halt the execution of Charlie
Brooks Jr., 40, the first Texas
prisoner executed in 18 years
and the first in the nation to be
killed by lethal injection.
Autry would become the 9th
man executed in the nation since
1976 when the Supreme Court
approved the use of the death
penalty and the second man in
the nation to die by lethal injec
tion.
He is scheduled to die
Wednesday morning at 12:01 in
Huntsville at the Walls unit of
the Texas Department of Cor
rections — the same place where
Brooks was executed.
This is the third time Autry
has faced an execution date.
Each previous time, stays of ex
ecution were issued by appeals
courts to give them time to re
view the case.
Autry was convicted and
sentenced to death for murder
ing Shirley Drouet, 43 and a
mother of five, at a Sak-n-Pak
grocery store in Port Arthur on
the evening of Oct. 9, 1980. Au
try has maintained his inno
cence.
His conviction and sentence
were upheld by the Texas Court
of Criminal Appeals in Austin
and a request tor the Supreme
Court to review that decision
was denied last year.
Both the U.S. District Court
in Texas and the 5th U.S. Circuit
Court of Appeals rejected furth
er pleas and Autry has asked the
Supreme Court again the review
his case.
Prosecutors said Autry, one
of six children whose parents
were divorced when he was
young, entered the store to steal
a six-pack of beer.
Also killed in the robbery was
Joseph Broussard, 43, of Port
Arthur. Seaman Athanasius
Svarnas, 30, of Lithohoron,
Greece, was crippled. Autry has
not been tried in those shoot
ings.
Autry had been previously
convicted of burglary in Potter
County in 1976 on which he
served four years of an eight-
year sentence. He also served 30
months of a five-year sentence
for an assault conviction.
Autry came within two days
of execution last December
when a federal judge granted
him, a temporary reprieve. He
had been scheduled to die on
Dec. 17 and again on Feb. 21,
but both executions were block
ed by courts.
PROBLEM PREGNANCY
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Houston, Texas
by Michael Piwonka
Battalion Reporter
How would it feel to have a
dad who’s an astronaut? How
would it feel to have a dad who’s
the first black astronaut?
Guion Stewart Bluford III, a
sophomore computer science
major at Texas A&M, knows the
feeling, but he would rather
keep it to himself.
Bluford says he would like to
keep the fact that he is the son of
Lt. Col. Guion S. Bluford II
“low-keyed.” The elder Bluford
became the first black to travel in
space when he took part in the
latest space shuttle mission.
The younger Bluford, who
goes by the name Stewart, says
lie doesn’t want everyone to
bother him because it makes it
difficult to get things done.
“I just don’t want people bug
ging me when I go to class," Blu
ford says. “It can be annoying.”
But he says he hasn’t had too
much of a problem with that yet.
“People who know me don’t
say much about it because they
know it bothers me,” he says.
Even though he plays down
the fact, the younger Bluford is
proud of his father’s accom
plishment, and says it’s a big step
for blacks everywhere.
“It proves we can do anything
anybody else can do,” he says.
Bluford adds that he never
thought there were any differ
ences between blacks and
whites, but many people do. It is
important to show those people,
he says.
On the issue of Sally Ride
being the first American woman
. ^’•4/ : *+'-
m
mm
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<3
by Chappelle
Battalion F
While some l
jvolve sitting in
I waiting for son
ling to happen i
I this wasn’t theca
Iday or Friday
gineering 315.
A device u
J world countries
■ mud and day i
[being used in th
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“Lots of place
[have used this
Leonard D. W<
professor ofcivi
said.
staff photo by Cn>
Guion Stewart Bluford III, son of Lt
Col. Guion S. Bluford II, the firsi
black astronaut.
in space, Bluford simply says, “I
think it’s great."
The elder Bluford received
his bachelor’s degree in aertts-
pace engineering from Pennsyl
vania State University anti his
master’s and doctorate in aeros
pace from the Air Force Insti
tute of Technology in Dayton,
Ohio.
Bluford says his father looks
upon the space mission as just
being a job. It’s not unlike being
a prof essor at Texas All
says.
However, Bluford sj
mother and brother are
about having an astronam
family.
But when asked if li
would like to be an asir:
the younger Bluford»
doesn’t have time to thinl;
it.
“Right now alH’mtryiii|
is get through college,”
The CINVA
traduced in 195!
American Hous
ning Center in
ombia, to aid
countries by
material strong
build with, Web
nmate
Pri
Insolvent bank reopen
United Press Inti
WASHINGTON
me Court Mond;
United Press International
ODESSA — Customers at the
former National Bank of Odessa
were treated to cake and bal-
A. BARTLETT
loons Monday during the bank’s
reopening as First State Bank of
Odessa, a new subsidiary of in
dependent Bankshares Inc. of
Abilene.
Acting bank president Brad
Stephens said he planned for
the bank to start out fresh,
adding it would make energy
loans. Bankshares is a holding
company that owns First State
Bank of Abilene.
Jin stand allowin
lawyer” Allen Lar
^damages from a 1
Biployee for hara:
lough it failed to
businesses during the l 1 L e f rom fifing la
boom that crashed in 198 I
the rapid decline of oil pi | The high com
Texas Banking Cornu (Leans Lamar, a
er William Aldridge said onvicted thief who
tors of the failed banka«5-year sentence
tically frecame depositors by assault, will retur
State Bank of Odessa wA magistrate com
FD1C transaction.
FDIC spokesman All igtime Texas De]
Unpaid loans to oil and natu
ral gas drilling companies were
said to be the main reason for
the financial failure of National
Bank, which the Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation closed
Friday.
ney said the assumption
posits by the new bank®
the need for a payoff
failed hank’s accounts,
Whitney added it al»
vented possible losses tod
tors with accountsabovtts \\ to federal custo
erally-insured limit of p ling in a case w
dama]
irrections empl
thur Steele.
Lamar was releas
petal prison in L<
n„ 12 days ago,
nBoyd said. He v
T he bank had deposits of $77
million and about 18,()()()
accounts, officials said. NBO re
ported nearly a $19 million loss
for the first six months of 1983.
The Odessa bank ®
second Permian Basing
fail within three
State Banking Board
Metro Bank of f
vent in late July.
weeping reform oi
ixas prison systen
Odessa is in the energy-rich
Permian Basin area of West
Texas. Many loans were made to
oil exploration and producing
Steele, now an a:
|n at the TDC dia|
[s a building maji
lis Unit in Hunt
Jmar filed the law
I a favorable magi
The Midland bank mi[l llngln 198 °-
the following Mondaywii
owners operating
name of Mid-Cities Ni|
Bank.
ILamar, known as
] an L ^ “j a ilhouse
use he frequenth
f s and writs i„ b e f
* SOners - contenc
OCTOBER
FASHION
SALE
VERY SPECIAL SELECTIONS OF
GI A M A IT I
SHIRTS, BLOUSES
SWEATERS
PANTS, SKIRTS
COORDINATES
DRESSES
COATS
The Role of the Federal Government in Higher Education
The E. L Miller Lecture
8 P.M., Wednesday, October 5
Rudder Theater
O OFF
LIMITED TIME ONLY!
i—
University/Industry Relations
4 P.M., Tuesday, October 4
Room 204, Sterling C. Evans Library
The Role of Athletics in Education
4 PM, Thursday, October 6
Room 204, Sterling C. Evans Library
peck & PECK
has yoi
WAI
Sample Pact
at your colle
Internatioru
I
Name_
! FRE
Sampl e "