Aggie Parents of the Year chosen
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Photo by OFFICE OF PUBLIC INFORMATION
yames, Class of ‘53, and Janice Uptmore accept their Aggie
’arents of the Year award Saturday.
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By MARK E. LISH
Reporter
“You know, I’ve been hearing a lot
of talk about Texas A&M becoming a
world class university,” Bill Osborn
said as he and his wife, Gardner, ful
filled their final duties as the 1983-84
Aggie Parents of the Year.
“Well...,” he said, “I guess some
body didn’t get the word. It’s been a
world class university for over 100
years.”
When the whooping finally ceased
at Sunday morning’s Parents’ Day
Awards Ceremony, the anxious
crowd listened as the introductions
began for the 1984-85 Aggie Parents
of the Year.
James Uptmore, winner of the
award and a 1953 graduate of Texas
A&M, later said he and his wife, Jan
ice, had a feeling they were the recip
ients of the award when the speaker
started reading their accomplish
ments.
The Uptmores weren’t told in ad
vance they had been chosen.
A moment later, when their names
were announced, the two stood and
embraced. After a brief pause for
some handshaking with those
around them, they headed to the
stage.
“I guess I’ve never been so shook,”
Uptmore said. “I know all you par
ents must share our excitement be
cause it could have been any of you
standing up here now instead of us.
“We accept this award because of
all of you and I hope you’ll accept it
with us,” he said.
Linda Thomas, chairman of the
Parents’ Weekend Committee, said
the award is based on involvement in
Texas A&M, community and church.
Parents are nominated by students
who submit applications and letters
of recommendation.
The Uptmores stood nervously as
the speaker read the inscription on
the plaque they were given in honor
of their selection as parents of the
year, and then were seated onstage
next to University President Frank E.
Vandiver for the remainder of the
ceremony.
The ceremony continued with the
presentation of the Corps of Cadets’
awards. More than 100 awards, from
sabers and knives to plaques and
checks, were presented for accom
plishments such as outstanding lead
ership and academic excellence.
Next on the program was the pre
sentation of the Gathright Awards,
named in honor of the first president
of Texas A&M College, Thomas S.
Gathright — or “Gaithright,” as it
was spelled in the program.
The Gathright winners received
framed certificates for having the
highest grade-point ratios in their
college classifications.
The announcement of the Buck
Weirus Spirit Award winners was ac
companied by a lot of whooping and
screaming from people eager to
show their own spirit and enthusiasm
for the winners.
Winners of this award are chosen
on the basis of involvement in “the
other education,” said Association of
Former Students President Charlie
Seely. The “other education” in
cludes activities, accomplishments
and leadership positions.
The association is responsible for
the conception and organization of
the award which was first given in
1982 in honor of Richard “Buck”
Weirus. Seely said Weirus had given
more to the University than he could
ever receive.
HBBHVl Texas A&M a*. — ^ w A
The Battalion
Serving the University community
nnation
il 79 Nq. 132 USPS 0453110 18 pages
College Station, Texas
Monday, April 16, 1984
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wo Americans killed
1 South African blast
United Press International
[INDHOEK,. Namibia — A U.S.
pmat and an American military
ier were killed in a bomb blast
pay when they stopped at a gas
pn on their way to meet officials
■itoring peace between Angola
die cotffilSouth Africa, authorities said,
gning on government officials blamed the
foreclosiAh-West African Peoples Organi-
paymenllon for the bombing in Oshakati,
miles north of Windhoek, al-
gh the guerrilla movement
for independence of Nami-
did not immediately claim re-
isibility.
diplomatic official in South Af-
said there was no indication the
iricans were specifically targeted.
|iWashington, D.C., the State De
ment said the Americans were
:hed to the U.S. liaison office
the disengagement of
Thed ;ola and South African troops
n Namibia. Their names were
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atives.
Namibian Administrator-General
Willy van Niekerk said the bomb tore
through a gas station in Oshakati
when the Americans stopped for gas
at 4:10 p.m.
Officials said one of the Americans
died instantly while the other suc
cumbed to serious burns en route to
a hospital.
A spokesman for van Niekerk’s of
fice said the explosion could have
been caused by “anything from a
timed device to a remote control
bomb.” He said forensic experts still
were investigating the cause.
Officials said the explosion also
engulfed a vehicle behind the one
driven by the Americans. Thomas
Najembonde, a Namibian citizen
driving the car, was killed and four
members of his family were injured,
including a child.
He said there are two gas stations
in the vicinity and the guerrillas
would not have been able to know
the Americans would stop at either.
He also said that SWAPO, while be
ing critical of the cease-fire, has not
specifically criticized the U.S. pres
ence in Namibia.
SWAPO has staged sporadic
bombings of gas stations in its cam
paign to force South Africa to sur
render its rule over the mineral-rich
territory.
“At a lime when virtually every
body in South Africa is working to
wards peace, SWAPO still clings to a
barbaric preference for senseless vio
lence,” van Niekerk said.
“The true nature of the SWAPO’s
concern for the welfare of the people
of Namibia appears clearly from this
incident which has yet again resulted
in the death and injury...” van Nie
kerk said.
k&M students seem to like
ew registration procedure
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d ’ a L nd e By BETTY SCHULTZ
>r hurt Urnnrter
x presi/f Reporter
out that) The new pre-registration proce
ss far tl ^ >s running as smooth as silk,
s? ■ording to Donald Carter, associate
ques/it*, tstrar for records and admissions.
w-mf-B'We have had no complaints so
he said. “This new procedure is
It to make things easier. We are
tding over backwards to help the
s.”
The system has not been
nged, just the method for collect-
data,” Carter said.
Card packets have been eliminated
favor of a standard eight and a
If by eleven inch form. Since the
tiority system has been imple-
inted, there is no longer any need
rush to the Pavilion to avoid the
Jig lines.
Upperclassmen seem to like the
new system.
“It was a lot quicker,” said Amy
Hammock, junior industrial engi
neering major.
“The whole process of registration
at the Pavilion took about five min
utes, because there were no lines,”
she said.
The freshmen and sophomores
have different attitudes.
“I don’t like this new system be
cause I probably won’t get the classes
I want,” said Rhonda Newman,
freshman computer science major.
“I think it gives the juniors and se
niors who have to have a class more
of an opportunity to get it when they
need it,” said Renee Ohmsieder,
sophomore journalism major. “I still
thinks its fair because I’ll be in the
same place and need certain classes
in the f uture.”
If the student misses his day for
registering, he is supposed to have to
wait until April 20, after everyone
else has already registered. But some
students have been allowed to regis
ter a day late because there haven’t
been lines or crowds at the Pavilion.
The remainder of the schedule for
preregistration is as follows:
• Today — Sophomores with last
names beginning A-K.
• April 17 — Sophomores with
last names biginning L-Z.
• April 18 — Freshmen with last
names beginning A-K.
• April 19 — Freshmen with last
names beginning L-Z.
• April 20 — All students.
Photo by PETER ROCHA
No. 1 quarterback injured
Former Aggie football player Mike Marshall
tries to help injured Aggie quarterback Kevin
Murray after a wall of Alumni defenders sent
him crashing to the turf Saturday during the
annual Varsity-Alumni game. Murray, the Ag
gies’ starting quarterback, twisted his knee on
the play and will be in a knee brace for six
weeks. See story page 16.
In Today’s Battalion
T,
local
[ • Faculty Senate completed elections Friday. See story
I page3.
• Squadron 10, Squadron 12 and A Battery Band re
ceived the major Corps awards at the Parents’ Day Review
Sunday! See story page 8.
State
• Dallas police and FBI agents begin terrorist training
this week in preparation for the Republican National Con
vention in August. See story page 3.
National
• Ten people were found shot to death in a Brooklyn
apartment. See story page 6.
B-CS schools becoming a home
for churches moving into town
By WANDA WINKLER
Reporter
Bryan-College Station schools
open their doors on Sundays — not
for the 3 R’s but for worship service
and Sunday school. Churches are
booming in the area, and these
schools are helping churches to re
lieve their growing pains by serving
as temporary meeting places for
churchgoers.
College Station schools are all
booked up on Sundays, with
churches meeting in the four avail
able schools — A&M Junior High,
Oakwood Middle School, South
Knoll Elementary and College Hills
Elementary.
This is not a breakdown of separa
tion of church and state, it’s simply
churches renting schools that aren’t
in use on Sundays, says Toni Broad
way, assistant director of College Sta
tion Independent School District
Community Education. If anything,
it’s a community service, she said.
Three churches — Holy Christ
Lutheran, Brazos - Valley Christian,
and Christ Holy Missionary Baptist
— are on the waiting list to get a
place to stay.
Churches that meet in College Sta
tion schools are spending over $2
million on church expansion.
This is one aspect of local churches
outgrowing their pews. Churches in
the area are coping with membership
growth by expanding their present
facilities and forming outgrowths of
themselves.
The Rev. Randy Weimpee, pastor
of Aldersgate United Methodist
Church, said his church has out
grown three sets of building plans in
the last three years. The church be
gan in May 1979 with only eight
members, but grew to 60 members in
four months.
To make room for this rapid
church growth, Aldersgate moved
into A&M Junior High in September
1979 to stay while its new $1.5 mil
lion church was being built.
Although this year’s building
boom is in College ‘Station, Bryan
churches had a busy past year, with a
$350,000 church built by First Free
Will Baptist and a $180,000 church
built by Briarcrest Baptist.
But, Bryan schools are practically
empty now. Only two schools — Car
ver and Crockett Elementary — are
being used by churches.
There’s more room in Bryan
schools for churches, but several pas
tors said they prefer College Station
schools because of location.
In each city, worship service can be
quite an experience — especially
when you’ve been meeting in a
school auditorium for over four
years. This is the story of Aldersgate,
which meets in the A&M Junior
High auditox ium because it’s the only
building in the area large enough for
its current 1,100 members and close
enough for Texas A&M students to
attend easily, Weimpee said.
In August, Aldersgate plans to
move to its new home, on the East by
pass access road in College Station.
Until then, Aldersgate will hang in
there, Weimpee said.
Members of St. Francis Episcopal
Church experience something even
more different — churchin’ in a cafe
teria.
If you check out the Oakwood
Middle School cafeteria on a week
day, you’ll be greeted by colorful mu
rals of the four basic food groups.
But, come Sunday you’ll find a more
appropriate home-made curtain that
churches up the place and hides the
meat, veggies and friends.
St. Francis is another offspring
that has sprung up in the area to re
spond to recent church growth. This
church formed in December as an
outgrowth of St. Thomas and St. An
drews Episcopal churches.
He and the Rev. Jeff Schiffmayer
of St. Francis agree that die district
rental fees are reasonable.
For the first year, a church pays
average hourly rates — $10 for a
classroom, $15 for a cafeteria, $17
for a gym, and $35 for an auditorium
— for utilities. After that year, the
church must pay a rate that’s double
the first-year level.
See CHURCH page 1 4