Page 6/The Battalion/Tuesday, February 28, 1984
Supreme Court to resolve custody
United Press International
Six-year-old Melanie Sidoti,
the focus of a child custody bat
tle involving a father in Bryan
and a mother in Florida, real
izes the Supreme Court, rather
than someone close, will decide
where she lives.
She has become the center of
a court battle, between her fa
ther, air-conditioning techni
cian Anthony Sidoti, and her
mother, Linda Sidoti Palmore,
that has gone to the highest
court in the land.
“She knows there’s a big
fuss,” said stepmother Sharon
Sidoti. “She knows about the
court in Washington and she
knows she may have to return
to her mother. That’s all.”
Sharon’s 38-year-old natural
mother is asking the justices,
who heard arguments last week
and are expected to rule some
time in July, to overturn a 1982
ruling by Florida District Judge
Morison Buck of Tampa.
29 year-old Sidoti and Palm-
ore were divorced in Buck’s
court in 1980, with the mother
initially winning custody.
Buck finally awarded custody
to the father, citing “the social
stigmatization that is sure to
come” for Melanie growing up
with a w’hite mother and a black
stepfather.
The Florida District Court of
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Appeal and U.S. Supreme
Court Justice Lewis Powell have
declined to overturn that deci
sion.
Solicitor General Rex Lee,
representing the Reagan Ad-
minstration, told the Supreme
Court last week that Buck
would have decided Melanie’s
custody differently if Mrs.
Palmore had not remarried in-
terracially.
Mrs. Palmore’s lawyer, Rob
ert J. Shapiro, focused on
Buck’s opinion, which said in
part:
“This court feels that despite
the strides that have been made
in bettering relations between
the races in this country, it is in
evitable that Melanie will ... suf
fer from the social stigmatiza
tion that is sure to come.”
Sidoti said he wished Buck
had not mentioned the race in
his decision.
Issues for women
highlighted by club
By ROBIN BLACK
Staff Writer
Issues concerning women
will be highlighted this week at
Women’s Week, a week-long
seminar sponsored by the
Women’s Student Organiza
tion.
WSO member Cathy Girard
said that although abortion and
equal rights are popular topics
in similar seminars, the campus
organization has chosen instead
to discuss such issues as wom
en’s professional roles and
women’s self image.
The organization, which Gi
rard says has about 11 mem
bers, will be sponsoring the da
ily speeches and also will be in
the Memorial Student Center
surveying women about current
attitudes and needs.
“Women’s Week is the big
gest thing we’ve ever done,” Gi
rard said.
The WSO is only a few years
old, and Girard said that one
purpose of the seminar will be
to increase the organization’s
membership.
Girard said that the group is
trying to change its image from
that of a feminist organization
to that of a women’s service or
ganization.
The schedule for the week:
• Today — Jane Warren
holds a workshop dtled “Wo
men and Their Self Image” in a
brown bag seminar at noon at
Rudder fountain.
• Wednesday — The film
“Rosie the Riveter” will be
shown at 8:30 p.m. in 510 Rud
der.
• Thursday — Judge Caro
lyn Ruffino speaks about
“Texas Women, Where are
we?” at 7 p.m. in 205 MSC. Re-
)llo
ception follows.
• Friday — Penny Haws
speaks about careers for women
in a brown bag seminar at noon
(location tentative).
Teens lose fight to keep
$500,000 they found
United Press International
WASHINGTON — Two
Texas teenagers lost a legal bat
tle Monday to keep $500,000
they found in a buried ice chest.
The Supreme Court rejected
requests from James Dean
Bridges and Percy Garcia to re
view a ruling that forced them
.to give up money they uncov
ered in January 1977 buried on
an Alice ranch owned by
Bridges’ father.
Bridges, then 15, and Garcia,
then 16, used some of the
money to buy bus tickets to Dal
las, where they paid a man
$1,000 to buy them a car. He
got a car for them and the boys
took off for Waco.
They were pulled over by a
policeman in Waco for running
a red light and were arrested
because neither had a driver’s
license. Police searched the car
and discovered the money.
The boys gave varying stories
on how they got the cash — on
some occasions saying they
found it and at other times say
ing they stole it.
Not long after their arrest,
the Internal Revenue Service
got wind of the windfall and
told young Bridges he would
have to pay taxes on it.
But tne city of Waco and Mc
Lennan County had a different
idea. They went to court argu
ing that the boys had no legal
right to the money.
Usually a person who finds
money gets to keep it if no one
else comes forward to claim it,
but in this case there was reason
to believe the money belonged
to someone — whoever buried
it.
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Officials argued that, because
no legal owner came forward,
the cash should go into the city
and county coffers.
Seeing the money about to
slip through their fingers, the
boys argued that police illegally
searched their car without a
warrant.
The boys’ lawyers argued the
money was subject to the exclu
sionary rule and could not be
used as evidence at the trial of
the county’s civil suit seeking
possession of the cash.
Because the money could not
be used in trial, they argued,
the judge could not rule who
owned it.
THE UNDERGROUND
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Bread Special
Monday 2/27/84 — Thursday 3/1/84
All Bread 49c a Loaf
OFFER GOOD TO THE LAST LOAF
‘The Best Food. The Lowest Price.
Around tom
Science students must take exan
Any juniors or seniors in the College of Science wliob|
not previously taken the English Proficiency Exami'
plan to take the test this semester'unless they havej
pleted English 301 with a minimum grade ofCStudei:
the College of Science are required to pass either^
301 or the lest in order to qualify as a degree Candida
the College of Science.
The English Department will administer the exami
dents in the Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics andPb |
Departments should register for the examinlSlot!
Blocker before March 2.
Dorm rooms still availableforspii
The deadline for students to move to campus fci
Spring semester and be eligible to reserve a room!
fall is March 1 at 5 p.m. For more informationconll
Housing Office, 101 YMC A Building or call 845474d
Alpha Lambda Delta tohostlec
Alpha Lambda Delta, the Freshmen honor sociw
having a Pledge Tea March 1 at 7 p.m. in 30!
Freshmen with 12 hours or more with a grade poiniras
3.5 or better are invited to attend the tea andj«
group. Jeff Crofton, head yell leader, will be ilit
speaker. Dues are SI5. Those students whocannoua
the tea must turn in their dues to Charlotte Taylor,
floor of the Pavilion by March 1.
Health scholarships available
Applications for the Julia Ball Lee and theHILn
Scholarships are currently available to undetpj
health science majors. The Julia Ball Lee Scholanll
maximum $500 scholarship awarded to biologicalsa
majors with high achievement and evidence of fuiu
need. The H.R. Lewis Scholarship also is a minimii|
scholarship presented to undergraduate healthsciente
jors with high academic achievement.
Applications for the scholarships are available ii
Scholarship Office on the second floor of the Pavilion
in 313 Biological Sciences. Deadline for app
March 1.
Leagues to organize for spring
The Bryan Recreation Division will holdanorganw
nal meeting for the upcoming softball seasontonijOT
p.m. in the Medallion Room of the Bryan UtilitiesBuii
located at 300 S. Washington. Leagues include mensij
pitch, men and women’s open slow pitch, men’schitrdl
co-rec.
Registration for the Gollege Station Little League4
Feb. 28 through March 1 at the South Knoll Cafeteriafij
6 to 8 p.m. All College Station children between thea{c
six and 18 are eligible to play. The season beginsApiii
Fees will be $ 17 per individual or $27 per family.Late®
tration is $22 and $37, respectively.
Defensive driving course offered
The Brazos Valley Safety Agency will conduct: 1
fensive driving course today and Wednesday frontj
p.m. both evenings at the Ramada Inn. Registration It;
at 5 p.m. at the Ramada Inn or students can pre rcgi«t
calling 693-8178. Fees for the course are $20.
English department to show movie
The English department will sponsor a showingoffli
on film each week until May 1. The first play ThrecSistf
by Anton Chekov with Lawrence Olivier, AlanBjie||
Joan Plowright will be shown today at 5 and8p.in i
Zachry.
Three Sisters is the first of nine plays to be shown|l
mission is $1.50 for students and $2 for non-studeniijl
subscription to all nine plays can be purchased for$ld|J
subscription fee can be sent to Ellen McDaniel, Ei
partment or can be paid at the door. Checks i
made payable to Language cjf Film—English.
m
To submit an item for this column, come by The!
office in 216 Reed McDonald.
? •
Dad’s mourning ea$ei|
by donating organs
United Press International
HOUSTON — The father of
a young man who died last week
in a freak accident said Monday
it has been easier to accept his
son’s death because his heart
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Judging March 4
and kidneys were d
three other peopleco 1
The 44-year-okl mfflS
of a 17-year-old Cypr$|
High School student §
rized Dr. Michael DeB*
tranplant the teen's 1
when it appearred the^
brain dead.
The man, a mjgl
Shell Oil Co., asked K ll J
named except as!
“sensationalism."
Bob said he and Rok
very close. They oncer
people donating then' 1
and Robert indica^i
thought it would be self 1
to donate organs upo* 1
Bob said he initially di/ |n|7
“1 used to tell him I'd 3
go t o hell before I’d gi vi j
part of me,” said
course, that was when*
going fishing.andhe"-
to be burying me."
In time, the father^
came to agree with the^
which his wife Suzy J
supported from thebef
The father’s denia
Robert’s wishes be folk
part of a relationship
perhaps closer to tl' f;:
soul mates than father*
The two were best fa'
Robert’s heart was?
42-year-old Florid*,
driver, who was report __
cellent condition. A Igs
woman and a PortArd’'
with chronic renal'
ceived Robert’s kid^'B
were both listed in go' T
tion.