i
Page 6/The BattalionAThursday, February 12,1987
TAMU WRESTLING CLUB
HOSTS
1 st Annual Arthur John Strom Memorial
WRESTLING OPEN
Sat. Feb. 14 Gym 351 GRW
Weighins Fri. 8-10 pm
Sat. 8-9 am
Rm 260 GRW
Matches 3-2-2 $5 Entry for Competitors
Wrestling will begin no later than 10 am
Spectators Welcome
Robert Simpton, 846-2852
NORTHGATE
All You Can
Buffet 3 79
Mon-Fri 11 am-2 pm
Sun., Mon., & Tues 5 pm-9 pm
includes pizza, spaghetti & salad
Northgate
501 University
846-3278
Relives The Prohibition
Application deadline extended
to February 14
Get Your Applications Now!
if€2
Mr UPm3MsmMiw3$
SUBMISSIONS DEADLINE IS MARCH 2.
‘One-of-a-kind’ gas station
at home in College Station
Local Texaco has unique color scheme
i
is a collection of the best efforts of
By Sally Peterson
Reporter
Five years ago, Texaco began giv
ing their service stations nationwide
a new look. Every station in the na
tion was painted and remodeled —
except one.
That one is located at 731 Univer
sity Dr. in College Station and is
painted maroon and white.
The station is leased by Hoover
and Mary Alford of H&M Whole
sale, Inc., a distributor for Texaco
since I960. The Alfords own six
other stations in the Bryan-College
Station area.
In the early 1970s, when the sta
tion was first painted maroon and
white, Texaco did not own the prop
erty, hut rather leased it to Bill
Walding.
Walding was running the station
when Texaco sent men to repaint it
with the company colors ol green
and white, Mrs. Alford says. The
workers asked Walding what colors
he wanted it painted and, although
Walding was not an Aggie, he ad
mired the University ana requested
maroon and white. The painters left
and returned weeks later.
The men asked Walding again
what colors he wanted the station
painted, hut his answer had not
changed — he wanted maroon and
white.
But Texaco had something else in
mind.
At the time, all other Texaco sta
tions were green and white.
“Companies want their own col
ors,” Mrs. Alford says. “In return,
they loan out the signage and letters
that otherwise would oe a tremen
dous cost to us.”
However, as the workers began
painting the small station, a profes
sor at Texas A&M drove in to pur
chase some tires. Immediately an-
gere e idea of anyone painting
over maroon and white, he hastily
proceeded to inquire about the
change.
In reply, the workers suggested
that he complain to Texaco head
quarters if he didn’t like the new
look.
Not only did the professor call
Texaco, but he gathered and sent
thousands of signatures petitioning
the change ana encouraged local
students and residents to write and
phone in their disapproval.
Within two days, Texaco had re
painted the station maroon and
white.
Mrs. Alford says people used to
comment frequently about the
uniqueness of the station's colors.
"It was so different then," she
says, "but so much has changed."
The station needs to lx: remod
eled and upgraded, site says, and
that means a change in colors.
"It (the station) will probabl
upgraded and become a foodm
Mrs. Alford says. ‘Therejustai
any regular service stations am
re."
Since the automotive servittl
tions have phased out, shesaul
need for retailers has phased
and traditional gas stattonsart
coming convenience stores.
Mrs. Alford and her tras)
opened their company in 1%
which time it was very small.Hi
Alford did most of the worktiii
while her job was to keepthebi
I
1
But nine years ago, her
had brain surgery on a
cl as
malignant sp
■ I
f p,
ill have to take
was diagnosec
day she does a
she either
sell out.
Mrs. Alford says that bec;J
the radiation treatments herB
hand takes, his brain is slowhH
t iorating and he is very forieiliM
striding his work to only halfaihB
“He’s not abnormal oranttlw
she says in her husband's deiil
“He just can’t handle the bmi
end of it anymore."
What the future holds fotl
little maroon and whitemiiksI
a question in Mrs. AlfdrasmirL
she is sure that its colon
stand in the way ol progress
Short Story, Non-Fiction and Graphics. Th&
Litmus magazine is published by MSG Liter
ary Arts once each spring. Your work could be
published in this April's edition, but only if
you SUBMIT. For information, pick up a flyer
in the Literary Arts cubicle in room 216 of the
MSG, or call 845-1515. And SUBMIT.
Bentsen: Cuts in store
for Customs’ budget
BROWNSVILLE (AR) — The
holder is under attack in Washing
ton and its f ragile economy stands to
suffer the most. Sen. Lloyd Bentsen
told Rio Grande Valley businessmen
Wednesday.
Bentsen, D-Texas, said at a hear
ing that the Reagan administration
plans to sti ip the U.S. Customs Serv
ice budget by more than $100 mil
lion.
“I was born and reared on this
border and I’m telling you, it’s un
der attack,” said Bentsen, the state’s
senior senator and the chairman of
the Senate Finance Committee.
Bentsen said the proposed Cus
toms cuts could slow trade between
the United States and Mexico and
hurt both economies.
In addition to the threat of weak
ening the border trade with Cus
toms’ cuts, Bentsen said the future
of twin plants, of growing impor
tance to the economy of border cit
ies, is also jeopordized by congressio
nal opponents.
Under the twin-plant system, cap
ital intensive goods are produced on
the U.S. sitle of die border and
cheap Mexican labor across the bor
der is used to assemble and package
the finished products.
Manufacturers with twin plants
receive duty exemptions they could
lose if they don’t prove the twin
plants create jobs for U.S. workers,
Bentsen said.
"I don’t want just a l)iiltx>ard on
our side and a plant on the other
side,” Bentsen said. “This has to Ik*
something that creates jobs. That ol>-
jective must never l>e lost sight of
and the Mexican government must
understand that.”
But businessmen from the Rio
Grande Valley told Bentsen the bor
der can’t afford restrictions on com
merce and jobs that would occur if
Customs’ budget is cut according to
the Reagan administration proposal.
Reagan’s proposed budget would
reduce Custom's’ work force by
2,000. Additionally, $93.7 million
would be cut from Custom’s drug-
fighting budget, and $27 million
would he slashed in salaries and ex
penses.
“While the scope of the Customs
Service mission along the Ixtrder has
been growing, they are Iteing asked
to do more with less," said R.M. Duf-
(ey, chairman and chief executive
officer of Texas Commerce Bank-
Brownsville.
Duffey said manpower reductions
in the Customs Service would slow
the movement of goods and people
at border crossings, hurling tourism,
industry, twin plants and the local
economies.
Third-gradeii
want to end (
cities’ quanei v
i' si
1 >i
E n
AUS TIN (AF) — Austin
with its Australian sister a
Adelaide is bringing suggtTp l
f rom .i t hiref-graue classroom i
Students in Linda Kenn«i|
language arts class had
this week for Austin MayorFn
(iooksey: (’>o to South Austri
mend f ences with Adelaide
Of ficials in the Australian
— especially Lord Mayor Jim
vis — are upset over whatthtjl
lieve is an apparent lack of
est Ivy Cooksey in preserving
sister-city relationship.
The 8- and 9-year-olds in
nedy’s Wooten Element
School class have been
with youngsters in Australia
several years. They want
cards and letters from Down
der to keep coming.
So they wrote letters toCi
sey with their opinions.
“I think the mayorshouldt
Australia and have a party
mayor over there,"
Wright, 9, said. “I likehavint
elaiae as our sister city, If
mad if we lost that.”
Cooksey said he
ceived the childrens’ letters,
plans to respond to
cents.
W
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TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY