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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 23, 1984)
Page 8/The Battalion/Monday, January 23, 1984 Tarzan entombed Sunday United Press International ACAPULCO, Mexico — Olympic swimming champion and film star Johnny Weissmul ler was entombed Sunday in a funeral attended by hundreds of local residents and a chimp, but no Hollywood colleagues and few relatives came to mourn “Tarzan the Ape Man.” Weissmuller, who won gold medals at two Olympics and mo tion picture fame as “Tarzan,” died Saturday of a lung block age, doctors said. He was 79. An estimated 1,500 Mex icans, many of them children, gathered at the downtown Aca pulco funeral home as the cor tege, escorted by six police motorcycles, set off on the 12- mile journey to the Valley of Light cemetery, north of the re sort town 250 miles south of Mexico City. The chimp, named Samanta About 1,000 of the Mexicans followed the cortege on foot or in buses as it proceeded slowly to the cemetery where Weissmul ler’s body was interred in a mar ble tomb. ap, — Spanish for Samantha — is the mascot of Acapulco res taurant-owner Jose Rodriquez. Jose Estrada, who worked as Weissmuller’s double in a Mex ican-made Tarzan movie, was also present. AUTO INSURANCE FOR AGGIES Call: George Webb Farmers Insurance Group 3400 S. College 823 8051 A few American tourists were in evidence in the crowd that accompanied the cortege, but none of the Hollywood celebri ties Weissmuller worked with were present, residents said. Weissmuller’s wife Maria, appearing grim and upset, re fused any comment to repor ters. Neither daughter Lisa nor other family members were pre sent at the funeral. then as the breast-beating, loin- clothed king of the jungle in the film versions of Edgar Rice Bur roughs’ famed “Tarzan” stories. “My doctor said I should take up some sort of exercise to build myself up,” Weissmuller once recalled. “I got into a swimming pool at the YMCA and liked it,” he said. “And I found I had a natural flair for it.” A chimpanzee, like Tarzan’s ever-present movie companion Cheetah, accompanied the pro cession. Weissmuller overcame child hood polio and went on to win five gold medals in the 1924 and 1928 Olympics before appear ing in some two dozen films. Born in Windber, Pa., June 2, 1904, Weissmuller rose to prom inence first as a world-class swimmer — he never lost a swimming competition — and A handsome 200-pounder in 1930, Weissmuller was working out at the Hollywood Athletic Club’s pool when he was seen by novelist Cyril Hume, who was writing a screenplay for a Tar zan picture. Alter a screen test, the former swimmer got the part. Although there were other Tarzans before and after him, Weissmuller was the most popular. Doesn't that beautiful mind of yours deserve a beautiful body? While you’re busy shaping your mind... don't forget to shape your body!! Exercise all semester long for only s 69 00 ! (Monthly rates also available) BODY DYNAMICS College Station's Most Exciting Exercise Studio • Classes 7 days a week e Morning, afternoon & evening classes e Exercise as often as you like, whenever you like • a levels of classes: beginner, advanced beginner, intermediate & advanced • No contracts, no initiation fees • Convenient location • Convenient price BODY DYNAMICS 900 HARVEY RD. IN THE POST OAK VILLAGE 696-7180 BODY DYIMA/VUCS At Body Dynamics, we make college a shaping experience! FOR YOUR EDUCATION AND ENRICHMENT DISCOUNT to Texas A & M Students, Faculty & Staff Keep the pulse of today’s issues and events. Enjoy the best leisure reading. And take advantage of the largest employment listings in the USA. Subscribe to The Chronicle now at a discount. Jan. 16—May 11 $14.00 (excluding Spring Break) Jan. 1—May 31 $20.00 (including Spring Break) CALL 693-7815 or 693-2323 —Offer applies in most areas- Houston Chronicle Houston’s leading information source Riverside seeks to beat importers’ competition United Press International DALLAS — Under the direction of Richard Udouj, Riverside Furniture Corp. has just completed its best year ever. Still, he warns that grea ter productivity is needed be- cause “the imports are coming.” Riverside, a subsidiary of Arkansas Best Corp., is the na tion’s largest maker of home desks. The company also makes tables, chairs, wall un its, home entertainment cen ters, computer furniture and gun cabinets at its five factor ies in Fort Smith, Ark. Udouj is a firm believer that good employees, properly motivated and equippea with modern and efficient manu facturing equipment, can meet challenges from over seas. But Riverside is constant ly striving for a goal of greater production without lowering quality. In 1974 Riverside had total sales of $30 million with a work force of 1,800 em ployees. In 1983 the company set a sales record of $70 mil lion with 1,100 workers. “We are fortunate to be lo cated in one of the last areas of the world in which people still give you a day’s work for a day’s pay,” he said in an inter view at the recent Dallas Win ter Homefurnishing Market. When the company en countered financial problems in the recession year of 1982, Udouj said, its employees re sponded with greater produc tion. “We cut the price of furni ture in ’82 to keep sales up and there were no layoffs,” he said. “But we worked some short weeks.” Riverside’s goal this year is to produce more furniture without increasing the work force. “We’ll need better produc tivity because the imports are coming,” he said. "Taiwan, Singapore and Korea are the immediate threats.” Greater productivity can be accomplished with more mod ern equipment, Udouj says. He expects to introduce robots into Riverside’s factor ies this year. Training and keeping skilled workers is another key to better produc tivity. puter desks. “The first total new product you’ve had i years,” the booklet says. The booklet describes dif ferent types of computersand the proper desks for them “Statistics show that 60 per cent of people who buy a com puter today will buy furniture toaccomodate that computer within two years,” it says. It urges retailers to become familiar with the computer market. “Always display your!, computer desks with a realfe computer,” it advises. “Yot ?’ won’t have to buy one if you're iR on good terms with yourlodj computer store; simply wort,. ,, out a trade.™ On the sales end, Udouj wants Riverside to be a leader in making computer desks, a product-line expansion which he believes will boost company sales. The company has pro duced a booklet to guide its 4,000 dealers in sales of com- The book also has a l sary of basic computer terms.| A second marketing idei being pushed by Riversidei the gallery of desks concept. The company wants retailer! to feature desks arrangedin| gallery-style presentationj Riverside will send in at ner to suggest how theretailei should display the desisl advising on such aspects J lighting, wall coverings, qi[ peting and even woodwortj At the factory, a Riversidtj coordinator is appointed it] expeditite handhngofehe^] lery order. It Pitch aimed at Reagan Kids make commercial! United Press International WASHINGTON — Three fifth graders will make their pitch in radio spots this week as part of a campaign by the Amer ican Federation of Teachers to get President Reagan to spend more on education. cized Reagan for seeking cuts in money to public schools. Shanker said the 580,000- member AFT recommends fed eral funding of education be raised to about $18 billion dur ing fiscal 1985 — up $3 billion from current levels. The children, students at an elementary school in Houston, talk about teachers, discipline and their future in the 60- second ads prepared to coincide with Reagan’s State of the Union address Wednesday. 1 he “special message to Pres ident Reagan and Congress” will be aired Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday on most of the 860 stations of the Mutual Radio Network. The teachers union is paying for the announcements, but information on the cost was not available. The children participating in the spots are Laura Turner, Jacob Farinelli and Demosth enes Psifidis, all of Longfellow Elementary School for the Per forming Arts. Jacob’s father is principal of the public school. Laura: “Most teachers! really great — trying to ta] track of 25 kids — that’s at job.” Announcer: “Jacob, hono you feel about discipline?” Jacob; “l realty led site about discipline and I wisfifl kids could be not disrupt* while other people nj working.” “We went with the kids as a new way to get across the mes sage,” said Ruth Whiteman, an AFT spokeswoman. After the announcer! there is “an unfinished agi for education” that desen presidential and congressio support for' excellence, eqr and teacher pay, Demo isaib “ Any last message for Pre Reagan?” Fc “The theme of the spots (is) what the AFT believes is the un finished federal agenda in edu cation,” said AFT President Albert Shanker, who has criti- The first spot, which will run before the State of the Union address, begins with an announ cer asking, “Laura, President Reagan will be making his State of the Union speech soon. What would you like to tell him about teachers?” Demo; “Good luck!" In the second spot, wl run the after the Stateoflhtli ion. Demo is asked if “edu is important to prepare him his future.” Demo: “If ypu wanttogd job it’s important. If you want get a hard job, like in compulfi you have to know a lot, lot,I# of Stance Teenager and Adult Funding search • Ballet* Tap •Jazz*Pointe Jan Jones Owner Instructor Carolyn Rawls Instructor underway nnery. ‘ ^locatior New classes starting 823-8626 3406 S. College Ave. Bryan hon oi United Press Internationil ' v h>ch \ around DALLAS — An assistantf ^ La F< planner said a search fores' zation, funds has been launchedto<4 food fe er security costs not included the pas federal election grants or ihtj ty’s $3.1 million budget for{ Republican Party conveiP this summer. Stanley H. Kaplan The Smart MOVE! Levi Davis said the bul allows a cushion ofol $ 100,000 for dn simiscellan(J costs. He said he’s lookingfl $150,000 to $200,000 gd possibly from the Repp party. • GOP officials said theyd know whether they will sifl merit the budget. A spokest for the party, Bill Greener, they have not yet I) approached by city planned Greener said the pad budget is not complete andi not know whether enou funds will remain to trit* Dallas. PREPARATION FOR; MCAT-LSAT-DAT GET AN EARLY START! KAPLAN EDUCATIONAL CENTER 707 Texas Ave. 301-c In Dallas: 11617 N. Central Expressway Call 696-3196 for class schedules and information Both the Republican Democratic parties recei'™ $5,871 million frofn thej Elections Commission. The parties are mounti' bipartisan effort to extract® funds from the FEC to swallow security costs, whit til this year were included® initial grants. Both Dallas and San FH co, which is hosting theft cratic convention, will oft security budgets approxii® $2 million less than the 1 convention costs. Greener said Republics® happy with Dallas' set 6 plans. Dallas’ chief of also said they aren’t worrit out safety precautions,