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By HOLLLY HELT
Reporter
There’s an Aggie in love
with a 99-year-ola lady. The
object of his love is not only
old but she’s big — standin
151 feet, 1 inch tall an
weighing 400 tons.
The Aggie is David L. Mof-
fit, class of’61, and the lady is
the Statue of Liberty. Moffit
doesn’t just love this lady, he’s
also in charge of her face-lift.
As the superintendent in
charge of Liberty Island and
Ellis Island National Mon
ument he organizes the com
plete restoration of the
Statue, as well as the recondi-
doning of 27-acre Ellis Is
land. He also supervises 95
national park employees,
hosts 1.8 million visitors each
year, and manages a $1.7 mil
lion budget.
Keeping this lady happy
takes a lot of work. And love
does have its risks.
Moffit has been the super
intendent for eight years and
a lot has come oetween him
and Liberty. Three raids by
Iranian disidents, a dispute
with Puerto Ricans’ intent on
occupying the Statue’s crown.
Two Californian climbers
scaled the outside of the
Statue and threatened to
break through the Lady’s
fragile copper skin. He and
Liberty even survived a 1980
explosion in the base of the
statue.
Moffit said the decision to
solicit donations to restore
the statue from citizens in
stead of requesting an appro
priation from the govern
ment is based on Liberty’s
history. The statue was built
in the early 1880s with funds
donated by the people of
France, and the statue's ped
estal was built with funds do
nated by the people of Amer
ica.
The iron skeleton was de
signed by French engineer
Gustave Eiffel. Three hun
dred sheets of copper sur
rounded the skeleton. But
over the years, the iron frame
has pulled away from the
copper and needs to be re
inforced or replaced and the
copper has turned green with
veraigris.
The right arm holding the
torch of freedom has been re
moved for rebuilding. The
arm, formally accessible to
the public, was closed after
being damaged by a New Jer
sey munitions plant explosion
in 1916. The face-lift is sup
posed to be completed in time
to celebrate her centennial in
1986.
Funding for the Statue of
Liberty and for Liberty Is
land is estimated at $39 mil
lion and $128 million for Ellis
Island. Another $63 million
will provide funds for perma
nent maintenance, educatio
nal programs and cele
brations, and pay for
administration and fund rais
ing activities. This money has
been raised by organizations,
foundations, ana corpora
tions.
Texas A&M Clubs are en
couraged to raise funds and
donate them in the name of
Texas A&M University.
Moffit lives with his family
in a cabin behind the Statue
of Liberty.^
OPAS sponsors spontaneous progra
II
s
MSC Opera and Performing
Arts Society is making a sneak
attack.
OPAS is sponsoring a new
program that will bring the
performers to swooping down
on unsuspecting culture-de
prived students.
The Spontaneous Exposure
Experience (SPEX) was de
signed to expose students to the
performing arts in an informal
atmosphere without the ex
pense of a regular performance
ticket. The plan is to have
weekly unannounced concerts
staged in some of the most un
likely places. The first concert
was a violinist in Zachiy Engi
neering Center.
The performers are talented
students and faculty members
who want experience before a
live audience. Linda Hartman,
student coordinator of SPEX
says there is no audition per se
but anyone interested needs to
contact her in the Student Pro
grams Office.
“We’re looking for artists
more in the classical style but
jazz is good too,” Hartman
says. “I wouldn’t say we were
interested in rock or pop mu
sic, really.” SPEX also has a
special interest in cultural or
ethnic groups that perform.
A two-week lead time
should be sufficient for the
committee to set up a time and
place for the performance.
Hartman says they will work
with artists and their schedules
for a convenient time.
OPAS will provide and set up
any sound equipment nec-
essaiy for the entertainer. And
although there is no advance
publicity for the performance,
OPAS members will be present
to hand out flyers with infor
mation about the performer(s)
and OPAS.
“We really want to use this
program to give exposure to
these students and faculty
members,” Hartman says. The
campus is the first resource of
performers for SPEX but the
committee is considering using
high school students who are
preparing for UIL competition.
Beyond the exposure, small
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Travel Cubicle in 216 MSC or call 845-1515
by the MSC
groups and individual per
formers will receive compli-
mentaiy tickets to a regularly
scheduled OPAS performance
of their choice. Groups of 10 or
more will receive a cash dona
tion of about $30, Hartman
says.
But this is more than an op
portunity for the performers —
this is a chance for the general
student to have access to cul
ture with no reason to escape.
There is no cost to the student
and no inconvenience in loca
tion.
Tad Pruitt, MSC OPAS chair
man says, “A&=M has a lot of
students who havn’t been ex
posed to the performing arts.”
Schools with performing arts
programs and larger liberal
arts programs have this type of
entertaiment provided free, he
said.
“We feel there is a definite
need for this type of program
ming on campus,” Pruitt said.
“Our students have been miss
ing out.”
The SPEX program was not
outlined in this year’s MSC
budget but the money is avail-
abl, Hartman says. It has been
officially included in the fund
allotment for next year.
“When the budget commit
tee reviewed the program they
said it was one of the most dy
namic and innovative ideas to
come out of budget planning,”
Hartman says.\
Sarah Watts
Pianist •Teacher
Degree Baylor University
2 years’ university teaching
Bryan Studio • Over 20 years
"Serious students
of all ages”
822-6856
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