Page 2/The Battalion/Tuesdav July 30, 1985
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Mail Call
Letters to the Editor should not exceed 300 words in length. The editorial staff reserves the right
to edit letters for style and length but will make every effort to maintain the author’s intent. Each
letter must be signed and must include the address and telephone number of the writer.
Watch out for that tree!
EDITOR:
I am writing in reference to the
low-hanging trees on the Texas A&M
campus. I am 6 feet 2 inches tall, and
I am constantly reminded of my
height by the trees lining the side
walks on this campus.
with more “direct” danger than most
of us in our everyday life, but that
does not mean that we are any less or
more susceptible to death than they
are.
Everyday the trees tap me on the
head and say “My, aren’t you tall!” I
wonder how many other students on
this campus are greeted this way by
our overly friendly trees?
These trees should be kept content
with pruning shears so that the trees
do not have to look to the students
for companionship. If the situation is
not remedied soon, I may resort to
carrying a chainsaw on campus and
lopping off these overly friendly
limbs. }
One final note: although the fire
men are down here to learn new
techniques for stopping fires or sav
ing lives, they do not always spend
their time in their room performing
difficult analytical solutions which
would add to the enrichment of all
the other areas of firefighting. We
are all human — a new town, new ex-
citment, who can resist? It is just easy
to pick out the firemen in a restau
rant or bar when they’re in town.
Eric Maxwell
Class of’88
All fired up about
breach of traditions
I am not attempting to say that we
should abolish all fire departments.
The need to exchange ideas and
techniques (whether verbal, or
through books or journals) is just as
important to firefighting as to any
other discipline. Their line of duty
goes unrewarded until they bring a
fire under control at a homeowner’s
residence. Then we appreciate how
much something means to us — in
time of need.
EDITOR:
Richard M. Lee
Class of’85
After receiving a telephone call
from someone who had read my arti
cle in The Battalion, he asked that I
do a follow-up to my story; so here
goes:
Peace offering
EDITOR:
Stereotyping is a human flaw
brought on by the actions of a few
that we generalize to the many. Such
is the case that I have run into in the
MSC. Yes folks, even down here in
our beloved Aggieland, we have our
two-percenters who are a bad Reflec
tion on all of us who strive to be the
“good Ag” type. Sometimes these ste
reotypes tend to reflect their actions
more bluntly than the majority. This
is why we pick them out more easily.
Seriously folks, now that the
mudslinging and name calling is
done, on behalf of all the firefighters
that responded to Mr. Richard Lee’s
letter in your July 24th issue, I would
like to congratulate you on your ob
jectivity and thank you for the oppor
tunity to respond.
Some fireman may not hold our
tradition as being important. This
would be like Aggies walking by a fire
truck on display and spitting our best
wad on it.It does not interfere with
the efficiency of the work force, but it
does hurt internally. When people
tend to disregard what one feels is sa
cred, one tends to lose all respect for
them.
As for risking one’s life in the line
of duty, we all have done it. No one is
invulnerable to accidents. Even driv
ing a car or walking in the rain poses
as much danger as being killed with
cyanide, it just occurs at less frequent
intervals. Yes, firefighters are faced
There were fire departments long
before there were Aggies, so we are
not oblivious to tradition. There are
very deep-rooted traditions in the
fire service. If Mr. Lee was curious to
ask about these traditions, I feel cer
tain that most firefighters would
probably take a few minutes to en
lighten him as to the nature of these
traditions. It seems that if Mr. Lee
and others that share his feelings
would take a few minutes to do like
wise, it would create a more positive
atmosphere and they might make the
campus easier to look forward to
coming to.
Lets all get together and talk with
each other instead of about each
other. We have as much to offer as
anybody!
Tommy Tomlinson
Huntsville
United Feeture Syndlcttt
2
“Is
The difference is dollar signs
in a treasure hunter’s eyes
si<
no
Indiana Jones
said his heroic ac
tions in the movie
“Indiana Jones
and the Temple of
Doom” were moti
vated by a desire
for fortune and
glory. This same
desire was shared
by the millions of
chaeology. Fisher isn’t a swashbuckler,
and he sure isn’t a scholar, but he and
Jones do share the role of treasure
hunter.
gold and stuff from other sunken (rea l
sure you found, huh?”
Loren Steffy
viewers who
flocked to the theaters to see the whip-
wielding tough guy do his stuff.
Sure, Fisher is interested in the past,
just like an archaeologist. But an archae
ologist is concerned with the knowledge
that can be gained from studying relics
of the past. A treasure hunter is primar
ily concerned with money that can be
gained from relics from the past.
In years of living around archaeolo;
ists, the only “worth” I ever heardspo-i
ken of was knowledge. The only “price I
less treasures” were discoveriesofl
ancient techniques. Something as simple I
as a shard of glass or a splinter of wood I
that revealed the way a past civilization I
manufactured the product is enoug: I
“booty” to send an archaeologist into I
hysterics.
AUS'
shop ir
dential
peared
until a I
of chair
“It’s
Murphn
sale.”
Since
peal thi
Austin i
mgs in
authori
Indiana Jones has the ability to draw
out our childhood desires to be a hero.
A little rough-and-tumble adventurer
lies buried in all of us. So does the thrill
of finding hidden treasures.
Archaeologists devote their lives to
studying the past in hope that the
knowledge of ancient civilizations will
benefit present society. 1’hey don’t get
fortune, and any glory they receive is
short-lived and quickly forgotten by the
society they’re trying to help.
Some people, such as Mel Fisher,
turn this desire into a career. Fisher is
the treasure hunter who is “excavating”
the Atocha, a Spanish vessel which sank
off of Key West carrying an estimated
$400 million in valuables. Like Dr.
Jones, Fisher is motivated by fortune
and glory.
Treasure hunters, however, devote
their lives to themselves. They exploit
the past to benefit their own well-being.
Treasure hunters get all the fortune, or
at least what’s left after their investors
and the IRS get their fortune. To top it
off, they get weeks worth of front-page
glory.
Archaeologists spend years studying
each coin or tooth or rusty nail. Thei
don’t lay claims to their finds. The “trea
sure” is usually turned over to a mu;
seum for the benefit of all. The findings
are catalogued and articles are published
so that the knowledge can be available
for others who need it. Archaeologists
don’t get to keep the artifacts they find
They wouldn’t dream of employing
Fisher’s “finders keepers” rule.
prosecu
since th
Sept. I.
How<
mal sur
Statesm
comme
the nev
ters.”
Ironically, Fisher and Jones both
make claims to archaeology. Jones is
mostly a swashbuckling hero, with
strong-treasure hunter tendencies
thrown in. For a few brief moments in
“Raiders of the Lost Ark” he imitates a
college professor, but what he is teach
ing seems to be anthropology, not ar-
What’s worse, the glory oi vY\e Vreaure
hunter overshadows the archaeqlogist.
During the rare moments of recognition
an archaeologist does receive, someone
inevitably comes up and says, “Hey, did
you find lots of gold and stuff like that
guy in Florida? How much is it worth?
Betcha got a big house full of all the
Meanwhile, Mel Fisher is hauling his
sunken treasure out of the oceau, con
tinually estimating the value of what one
of his divers called “the mother lode.
Fisher can hire all the people he wants ;
to masquerade as archaeologists, andi
make all the scientific charades he
think of, but he can’t hide the dollar!
signs in his eyes.
Hill!
Loren Steffy is a junior journalism m-
jor and the Opinion Page Editor for
The Battalion.
The 'personals' touch to finding romance
Companionship
is a basic human
need. Over the
years mankind has
developed many
methods of satisfy
ing that need.
A long time ago
male -female
relationships were
arranged by par
ents. If you were a
Karl
Pallmeyer
dating customs are a little different.
During the early years of our nation,
Americans did use traditional methods
of mate-getting. But as the times change
so do people. During the war years of
the 1940s a great new pick-up line was
developed. Those men who were about
to go fight the Axis could almost be sure
to find some companionship, if only for
the evening, with the line: “I just got my
orders to go overseas and I might not
make it back .. .”
If you were to pick up a “Quik Quar
ter,” the local want ads paper, and turn
to the “Personals” section you might see
an ad that went something like this:
Divorced white Christian female, at
tractive, fun-loving, 33, 5’4”. Enjoys
sports, movies, travel, quiet evenings,
music. Looking for Christian man, 30-
55. Like tall men, 5’10” and over. Must
have hostage insurance in case of kid
napping.
Or:
They have various interests including
gardening, movies, fishing, beach mu
sic, sports, ranching, reading, attending
financial and business seminars, walk
ing, nature, bodybuilding, dancing, gui
tar playing, stamp collecting and horses,
and are looking for someone to share
these interests. These people either
don’t have the time to use other meth
ods of date getting or have used these
methods unsuccessfully and are using
the want ads as a final resort.
young man, your father would make a
deal with some young girl’s father so
that the two of you could be brought to
gether. The wealth of the two fathers
was often more important than what
their.children felt for each other. Some
times your father could trade livestock
for your mate, a good wife could be
worth 40 head of cattle.
During the 1950s a new mate market
opened up: colleges. Many women
started to going to colleges during the
1950s and many men were glad. It was
about this time that colleges started of
fering MRS degrees. To this day, col
leges are one of the best places to find
companionship.
Single, attractive white male, 21,
A&M student, 6’2”, 190 lbs., into body
building, outdoors and working with
animals. Seeking trim attractive female,
18-22, interested in both building a
relationship and healthy body together.
Photo please.
Or:
Some people who were looking for
companionship would go to a match
maker. The matchmaker would bring
together two people with similar charac
teristics. The matchmaker was consid
ered to be very wise in matters of love
but, curiously, was rarely married.
These customs were once practiced
throughout the world. In some places
they still are.
But this is America, and American
But these are the 1980s and many
new matchmaking methods have been
developed or discovered. Computer
dating services, single’s bars, health
clubs, astrologers and inventive new
pick-up lines have been used by many
with varied results. There is another
method of finding companionship that,
although not new, is being used in the
Bryan-College Sation area: the want
ads.
Divorced white male, born in 1925. I
like to collect coins and rocks. I would
like to correspond with a lady who likes
to do the same.
I usually don’t have the time to hang
out at single’s bars, I am too lazy to work
out at a health club, I don’t know how to
run a computer, I don’t believe in astro
logy, my inventive pick-up lines are
countered with the ultimate college ex
cuse of “Not tonight I have to study,” I
am not about to be sent over seas, I
don’t trust matchmakers and my father
doesn’t have 40 head of cattle. So here
goes:
Or:
Attractive white full-figured lady, 64
lonely, looking for a real nice man that
is lonely and looking to form
relationship, 55-64. Photo please.
Attractive male, 21, A&M student,
5’10”, 175 lbs. Interested in music, film,
history, literature and politics. Have
great sense of humor. Looking for
somebody.
There are many such ads in the
“Quik Quarter.” Males and females,
ages 19 to 65, are looking for somebody.
Karl Pallmeyer is a senior journalism
major and a columnist for The Battal
ion.
The Battalion
USPS 045 360
Member of
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conference
The Battalion Editorial Board
Kellie Dworaczyk, Editor
Kay Mallett, John Hallett, News Editors
Loren Steffy, Opinion Page Editor
Sarah Oates, City Editor
Travis Tingle, Sports Editor
The Battalion Staff
Assistant City Editor
Katherine Hurt
Assistant News Editors
Cathie Anderson, Trent Leopold
Entertainment Editors
Cathy Riely, Walter Smith
Staff Writers Karen Bloch,
Ed Cassavoy, Jerry Oslin,
Brian Pearson
Copy Editor Trent Leopold
Make-up Editor Ed Cassavoy,
Columnists Cheryl Clark,
Karl Pallmeyer
Photographers Greg Bailey,
Anthony Casper
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Bryan- College S ta t ion.
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resent the opinions of'Texas A&M administrators, facult)
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