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Class of '85 to discuss
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Texas A&M volleyball
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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.