Wednesday September 4,1985/The Battalion/Page 7
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Resident dreams
with 40 foot high
Bob
By SALLY TAYLOR
Reporter
Parsons wants to build
a wall around
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Kenny
Texas.
Kenny Bob says he wants to build his wall 10
high and 40 leet w ide all around the state’s border
13,816 miles of it.
T Kenny Bob is the self-proclaimed, head honcho of
I The Great Wall of Texas Society, “a group of con-
Icemed Texians (as the Texas revolutionaries of 1835
Icalled themselves at the Alamo) w ho realize and appre-
Iciate (he abundant economic, cultural and emotional
I wealth provided us by the great Republic of Texas."
I He says that while most politicians are more con-
[cerned about the state’s soutnern border? several true
[Texans feel that the biggest threat to the Texas way of
Mile comes f rom north of the Red River.
| Kenny Bob says that he doesn’t mind people moving
to Texas (“even Stephen F. Austin came here from Mis
souri”), but he objects to “the new wave of immigrants
who want to change our way of life.”
“We feel that the time has come to protect and pre
serve Texas from the exploitationists and people who
are intent on Californicating Texas," Kenny Bob says.
The wall idea was born four years ago when Kenny
Bob was a song-writing musician in Dallas.
“I was writing a song called ‘ The ( b eat Wall of Texas’
"hesays. But his friends weren’t impressed.
“They said, ‘forget the song, just build the wall,’ ” he
says.
“I’ve been at it for four years now. I’ve just stayed at
; it. It’s one of those crazy things I wanted to do. It’s kind
of a dumb idea, except I’m just so stubborn. I just stick
with it.”
Kenny Bob spends most of his time at the society’s
headquarters in the World Trade Center in Dallas.
“I write computer programs in my spare time to
make enough money to eat,” he says. “But all my time is
devoted to the Great Wall right now.”
Membership in the society (“and that’s for life”) costs
of surrounding state
'Great Wall of Texas'
$15. In return, members get a brick minted at the old
est brick factory in Texas, Kenny Bob says.
Each brick is stamped with the words, “The Great
Wall of Texas.”
The society has 2,070 members including Lt. Gov.
Bill Hobby, Attorney General Jim Mattox and country-
western singer Rusty Wier.
“Right now, everybody thinks there’s some kind of a
harmless con-man somewhere that’s selling bricks and
making a mint of money,” he says. “That’s just not the
truth; the money just covers the cost. Like if I was mail
ing a brick to College Station, it costs me about $4.20 to
prepare and then it costs about $2 to mail, and so on
and so forth. The rest of the money goes to keep the of
fice open.
“I should be moved from the harmless con-man cat
egory to absolute maniac. That’s what I’m striving for.”
Kenny Bob is also striving to make the wall a reality.
“We’re working a deal with some people on the Red
River who are going to donate some land to us,” he says.
“I’ve talked to the people we get our bricks from and
they’re gonna donate some bricks. I’ve got an architec
tural firm here that’s going to design a structure that’s
40 feet wide and 40 feet high and 80 feet long to start
with.
“It’s going to be unusual in that it’s going to be of
gothic design with no f ramework, no steel or wood. It’s
gonna be all bricks with vaulted ceilings and Hying but
tresses and such.”
Kenny Bob says the structure will house four mu
seums, including a Texas artists’ gallery.
“Hopefully we’re gonna break ground next San Ja
cinto Day (April 21),” he says. “We’re hooked up with
the Texas Sesquicentennial Commission, so they’re
gonna declare it an official sesquicentennial cele
bration.
“We’re gonna build it. Well, we’re gonna start build
ing it — you know it took the Chinese 2,()()() years to
build theirs.
“Nobody in the world anticipates me even starting it
— I’m gonna start this thing.”
THE
KAPPA SIGMA
FRATERNITY
'85 FALL RUSH SCHEDULE
Thurs. Sept. 5 — South Sea Island Party
Sat. Sept. 7 — Generic Party
Thurs. Sept 12 — Annual House Party
Sat. Sept. 14 — Country Club Party
All parties to be held at 8:00 p.m. at the
KE House: 606 West 28th (in Bryan)
For More Information: 822-0548
in a
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