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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 5, 1984)
Psychology course teaches legal skills See page 3 Class of '85 to discuss gift ideas tonight See page 5 Texas A&M volleyball team is previewed See page 13 Texas A&M MM • The Battalion Serving the University community Vol 80 No. 3 CJSPS 045360 16 pages College Station, Texas Wednesday, September 5, 1984 Bush says he’s open to debate with Ferraro Photo by Dean Saito Vice President George Bush waves to the crowd Tuesday af ternoon after speaking in Rudder Auditorium. The Aggie- band played the Aggie War Hymn as Bush shook hands with special guests. By ROBIN BLACK Senior Staff Writer Vice President George Bush said Tuesday he has agreed to a debate with Geraldine Ferraro, the Demo cratic vice presidential nominee, and details of the debate are now being negotiated, but said he is not pre pared to say definitely what will hap pen. Bush, who opened MSC Political Forum’s first program in 1967, was on campus to open this year’s pro gram with a campaign speech. Although a debate between two vice presidential candidates would be unusual, Bush said he doesn’t think the emphasis is in the wrong place. “I want to focus on the top of the ticket,” he said, “and they’re doing the same thing — Ferraro has been attacking Reagan.” On other campaign issues Bush said: “I am absolutely convinced that if we do our jobs right, this campaign will result in the re-election of Ron ald Reagan for a second term as president of the United States.” The vice president said later in a news conference that talk of compla cency within the Republican party was unfounded and that the party instead has a “certain confidence” about the election. Bush based his confidence in the November election on the Reagan administration’s record. “America is back,” he said. “The economy is on the move again. We’ve stopped experimenting with our children’s education. “Our streets are safer and our communities are more secure. “America is back and America is strong. We’ve built up our military and under Ronald Reagan’s sure and guiding hand, America has re gained the admiration of her friends and the respect of her adversaries.” Bush denied Mondale’s charges that the Reagan admnistration has botched all efforts to negotiate arms agreements with the Soviet Union. “Mondale is jumping all over the president for not negotiating with the Soviet Union,” he said, “and he doesn’t have any grounds to be say ing that.” He said the Russians are at fault for cutting off all arms talks. “Well,” he said, “President Rea gan is the only American president to have three Soviet leaders in three and a half years.” Bush also said in the news confer ence that he does not feel that the Republicans have Texas wrapped up as a victory for the Reagan-Busn ticket yet. “Right now,” he said, “we are tak ing nothing for granted.” Bush strongly attacked Mondale’s stand on the Central America situa tion. “Our opponents won’t acknowl edge the Communist thseat in Cen tral America,” he said. For proof, Bush held up an enve lope that had gone through the Ni caraguan postal service. The enve lope sported the Communist emblem and two Marxist stamps. “The power in Nicaragua is Marx ist.” he said, “They’re not just liber als, like Mondale said. If you walk like a duck and look like a duck and talk like a duck, you’re a duck! These people are Marxists! “They (the Democrats) have con- sistehtly opposed sending aid to the democratically elected government of El Salvador and have voted to cut off aid to the Nicaraguan freedom fighters.” The speech was sponsored by MSC Political Forum, a non-partisan group that brings political leaders to the University. Rudder Auditorium, with a capac ity of about 2,500, was full and a sim ulcast was set up in the smaller Rud der Theater for those who couldn’t get into the auditorium. A spokesman for the group said Sunday that although Bush’s speech would be a campaign speech, it would not be a political rally. Employee dies after awards ceremony By DAINAH BULLARD Staff Writer p An employee of the Texas Engi neering Extension Service collapsed Tuesday during an awards cere mony in Rudder Tower and died a short time later. Robert W. Wagner, 60, was pronounced dead on arrival at St. loseph Hospital in Bryan at 12:03 p.m. ; Ernest A. Wentrcek, associate di rector of business affairs at TEEX, said Wagner collapsed while walking to the stage to receive a distin guished service award. Several TEEX employees admin istered cardiopulmonary resuscita tion to Wagner, and emergency medical technicians and a paramedic from Texas A&M Emergency Medi cal Services arrived at Rudder Tower immediately, Wentrcek said. The College Station Fire Depart ment also responded. Ambulance chief David Phillips said a University Police officer and a TEEX employee were administering CPR to Wagner when emergency personnel arrived. Phillips said the responding EMT’s assumed rescue efforts and transported Wagner to St. Joseph Hospital. Wagner never revived, Phillips said. Elizabeth Scott, spokesperson for St. Joseph Hospital, said the unoffi cial cause of death is cardiac arrest. Wagner collapsed during an awards ceremony which ended an annual two-day TEEX conference. Wagner, an associate training spe cialist for vocational industrial tea cher education, was supposed to re ceive one of four awards presented at the ceremony. Before Wagner’s collapse, distin guished service awards were pre sented to Lawrence Burnside, man ager of the Public Works Resource Center, and Joseph J. Polaseck, ad ministrative services officer. A fourth distinguished employee award was presented to Wentrcek after Wagner was taken to the hospi tal. “At the time they took him to the hospital, nobody realized it was that serious,” Wentrcek said. “It was very much a shock to everyone in the or ganization.” Wagner was employed at TEEX from 1967 until 1973, Wentrcek said. After teaching school for a year, Wagner was rehired at TEEX in 1974, Wentrcek said. Wagner had been active in the field of vocational industrial educa tion for 22 years and was responsible for the analysis and course-making- program within the Vocational In dustrial Teacher FMucation Division ofTEEX. He assisted in statewide vocational education state meets for nearly 20 years, helping about 1,000 people gain expertise as vocational educa tion teachers through secondary programs. A native of Junction City, Kan., Wagner was a member of Phi Delta Kappa, an organization for profes sional educators. He also was a mem ber of the Iota Lamba Sigma Society for vocational teachers, in which he served as state president during 1974-1975. Wagner earned a bachelor’s de gree in 1950 from Kansas Wesleyan University, and a master’s degree in education from Texas A&M in 1969. “He was a wonderful person ... he was a diligent worker,” Wentrcek said. “He believed in vocational training and in helping others to help themselves. The fact that he was selected for the distinguished service award by his peers says enough for him right there.” Wagner is survived by his wife, Margie, of College Station; his three sons, Charles John, of College Sta tion; Gregory Allan, of Austin; and Robert William Jr., of Austin; and five grandchildren. Funeral services are pending with Memorial Funeral Chapel. Photo by Robert Rizzo Robert W. Wagner, 60, re ceives cardiopulmonary re suscitation after collapsing during an awards ceremony. Bomb threat forces station evacuation after one explosion kills three, injures 41 United Press International MONTREAL — A bomb threat forced evacuation of Montreal’s main railway station Tuesday less than 24 hours after a bomb explo sion ripped through the building, killing three people and injuring 41. No new bomb was found. Police also investigated numerous “targets” mentioned in a letter threatening Pope John Paul II and linked to Monday’s bombing. The pope begins a Canadian visit Sun day. ; Police detained a 30-year old man who was “seen walking around” the station after a French-speaking caller phoned police claiming a sec ond bomb had been planted in the railway station, police spokesman Real Cantin said. Police withheld de tails on the man. Officers evacuated the station and closed it from shortly after 8 a.m. to 11:55 a.m. A search turned up a sus picious parcel left on top of a locker that turned out to be a lunch packed in a styrofoam cooler. The bomb scare came less than 24 hours after a bomb exploded inside the station crowded with Labor Day travelers, killing three people and injuring 41. At the Vatican, a spokesman said there would be no changes in the pope’s scheduled 11-day visit to Can ada which begins Sunday with the pontiffs arrival in Quebec. John Paul is to arrive by train Monday evening at Montreal’s Windsor Station, about a block from Central Station, and is to stay at the Roman Catholic archdiocese located in the block between the two sta tions. Police Tuesday questioned Ameri can Thomas Brigham, 65, about two rambling nearly incoherent letters believed connected to the bombing. One of the letters, delivered to a ticket agent at Central Station last Friday, threatened the pope and noted a time and date, 8:30 a.m. Sept. 3, 1984, less than an hour be fore the bomb exploded at 9:22 a.m. Police spokesman Pierre Vezina said that letter “revealed a lot of tar gets and we investigated right away.” He would not disclose the other al leged targets. A second letter written with the same block lettering and title “A par able of Job” was found by police in the Victoria Hotel above the station after the bombing. It praised the “valiant death” of the woman and two men who died in the blast. “The reason why he (Brigham) was being detained is because he might have written them (the let ters). One before and one after. We don’t know very much about him,” Constable Bob Mireault said. Lt. Jean-Louis Helie, chief of the Montreal police homicide squad, said Brigham was taken into custody when police “got leads from the notes and they led us to him.” He re fused to elaborate. In Today’s Battalion Local • Police are cracking down on campus bikers who violate traffic rules. See story page 4. • Students to fight stray animal problem. See story page 4. State • North Texas sites no longer being considered for a ra dioactive waste dump. See story page 6. f National • Congress tries to avoid lame duck session. See story page 10.