Page 4/The Battalion/Wednesday, April 1, 1987
2,S00 expected to attend AggieCon 18
By Melanie Perkins
Staff Writer
The largest science-fiction and
fantasy convention in the Southwest
— AggieCon 18 — will converge on
the Texas A&M campus Thursday
through Sunday.
Drawing more than 2,500 people
annually from as far away as New
York and California, the event is
sponsored by MSC Cepheid Varia
ble — one of the largest on-campus
science-fiction organizations in the
United States.
Throughout the weekend, the
convention will feature panels and
readings by well-known science-fic
tion and fantasy authors and artists,
a masquerade ball, an art show with
professional and amateur art, a 125-
table dealer’s room, trivia games, a
video program, autograph sessions,
a banquet, parties and movies.
Ben Bova, former fiction editor of
OMNI magazine and president of
the National Space Society, will at
tend AggieCon 18 as the guest of
honor. Bova has published several
popular science articles as well as sci
ence-fiction novels, including
“Voyagers II: The Alien Within,” his
most recent novel. He will address
the convention at 3 p.m. Saturday in
601 Rudder.
Other special guests include artist
Rowena Morrill, author Christopher
Stasheff, publisher Kerry O’Quinn
.and author Steven Gould.
A local band will provide music at
the masquerade ball, beginning at 10
p.m. Saturday in the MSC. At the
ball, a group of masked judges will
award prizes for the best costumes.
Just before the ball. Cat Boxe
Theater — a Houston-based street
theater troupe — will present a 10-
minute play, “The Reverend,” de
scribed as an irreverent, cynical and
quite funny comedy.
Guest art will be displayed in the
MSC gallery throughout the week
end, and works by other profes
sional and amateur artists will be dis
played in 701 Rudder. Art from
both displays will be auctioned Sat
urday night, also in 701 Rudder.
Saturday at 6 p.m., the AggieCon
banquet will feature a special menu
including Cornish game hen. Toast
master Gould will address the ban
quet, and Cat Boxe Theater will pre
sent “Little Red — the Hood,” an
audience participation play. Seating
is limited but tickets are available for
$ 10 at Rudder Box Office.
AggieCon 18 will show these mov
ies: “The Sword in the Stone,”
“Sleeping Beauty” and “Something
Wicked This Way Comes” on Thurs
day night; “Big Trouble in Little
China,” “Escape From New York”
and “The Thing” on Friday night;
“Alien,” “Aliens” and “Poltergiest”
on Saturday night and “Labyrinth”
on Sunday afternoon.
Proceeds from “Labyrinth” ticket
sales will go to Twin City Mission
Inc.
This year, participants will be able
to purchase movie tickets separate
from regular convention tickets.
AggieCon opening ceremonies
are Thursday at 4 p.m. at Rudder
Fountain. Tickets for the entire
event are $9 for students and $13
for non-students and are available at
Rudder Box Office. Programs, list
ing events, times and locations, will
be issued with the tickets.
Reduced-rate tickets are available
for those who wish only to attend
certain parts of the program.
Officials: Record lows ravaged state fruit crop
(AP) — Farmers burned stacks of tires in
orchards and ran water near the base of trees
in last-minute attempts to save crops, but
freezing temperatures set record lows across
Texas Tuesday and ravaged many fruit trees,
officials said.
Texas’ $10 million fruit industry sustained
sizable losses, Texas A&M University horti
culturist Calvin Lyons said Tuesday.
“We’ve had some major crop losses across
the state,” said Lyons, who also works with the
Texas Agriculture Extension Service. “There
has been a lot of damage to our fruit.”
Lyons said growers and county extension
agents across Texas were trying to tally the
wintry weather’s damage. He said it will take
several days to determine how bad it was, but
he estimated it could total millions of dollars.
“It looks severe, but we won’t know for a
few more days,” he said.
Especially hard hit were peach crops in sev
eral areas, including Fredericksburg, Weath
erford and Stephenville, Lyons said. Grape
crops in West and North Texas also suffered
losses.
“There’s been heavy damage in East Texas
between last night and this morning — both
peaches and blueberries,” Lyons said Tues
day.
“It’s almost a total loss,” Parker County
peach grower Hugh Murphy said, estimating
his loss at $30,000 to $40,000.
But Lyons said he does not anticipate any
damage to South Texas’ citrus crops because
temperatures there did not get cold enough.
Growers will have to evaluate the damage
to determine if there is enough fruit left to
warrant continued insect- and disease-control
efforts, he said.
“I don’t think it will be a total loss,” Lyons
said of the fruit crop. Unprotected vegetable
crops also were at risk and probably were
damaged, but most of those can be replanted
while fruits generally cannot, Lyons said.
The National Weather Service said record
low temperatures were set Tuesday at
Brownsville, with 39 degrees; Corpus Christi,
30; Houston, 33; Port Arthur, 29; Austin, 30;
anti Dallas-Fort Worth, 30.
Tuesday’s forecast called for fair weather
across Texas with a warming trend continu
ing through today. Temperatures today are
expected to be in the 70s and 80s, the weathei
service said.
Oil tycoon
Murchison
dies at 63
DALLAS (AP) — Clint|0n!:j
i bison Jr., a legendaryMM
who created the Dallas Go.)
football team only to loseitJ
with his fabled fortune!
health, died Monday afol
lengthy illness, officials said|
was 63.
Cowboys president
Schramm said Tuesday, 11
very sad day because 1 Eve<J
worked with him for 25)®]
very emotional business
you look at the Dallas Co I
over a 25-year period, therl
only maybe a couple of si
teams in history that havebj
success that the Cowboy?
had.
“Everybody has coaches,ft
ImhIv has general manager]
players. But over that 25-veil
riod, what set the Cowbovs
was the uniqueness ofCliml
chison.”
The Murchison fortuntl
one of the biggest in Texij
tory. Begun by Clinton:
famed wildcat oilman, itt
an estimated $25() million
Murchison’s later bankrj
forced even the sale of )kj
son’s 25-acre estate innorti
las. bringing to a bitter fini'|
of the more fascinating!
I exas “wheeler-dealer’'satil
A
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This is the week: April 2-5, 1987
Guest of Honor: Ben Bova
President of National Space Society;
Author; former Fiction Editor of OMNI
AggieCon 18 Movies
Thursday Night:
The Sword in the Stone
Sleeping Beauty
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Friday Night:
Big Trouble in Little China
Escape From New York
The Thing
Saturday Night:
Alien
Aliens
Poltergeist
Sunday Afternoon:
Labyrinth
John Carpenter s
H \
nmu yurk\
It It 1997 Manhattan It a
waited in prlton •• the blon
manmum tecuiily dungeon
m
There Are Some Places In The Universe
You Don't Go Alone.
is. 1
LIEN
li Knows
What
Scares
YOU!
I]
Hin
Science Fiction, Fantasy and Fun!
Four-day pass only $9; tor students; $13 for non-students
Tickets in Rudder Box Office.
One-day passes available at the door.
For info coll 845-1515.
The
Battalion
Number One
in
Aggieiand
The School for Field Studies
Study Wildlife Management in Kenya,
Marine Biology in the Virgin Islands,
Medicinal Botany in Ecuador,
Acid Rain in Germany,
Dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico,
Biogeography in Australia,
and 15 more environmental issues worldwide.
Financial aid and academic credit a>ailable
For more information on January, Summer & Semes!?
environmental field research courses, come to:
Koom 704A B Hwltler Tower
Thursday, April 2. 1987 at 3:00 P.M
or write:
SFS, Box A, 376 Hale St., Beverly, MA 0/915
(617) 927-7777
THE WORLD IS YOUR CLASSROOM
CASINO '87
APRIL lOth
WHEN IN ROME...
Tickets on sale at Rudder Box Office, MSC, Commons, Sbisa, Quad for $3.™
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Lecturer: Prof. Jamal Badawi (St. Mary’s Univ. Canada)
Commetators:
^Reverend Don McCurry Yx Rabbi Petter Tarim
Former Dir. of Zwemer Inst.
Texas A&M Univ.
Date: Thursday, April 2nd, 1987.
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Place: M.S.C. TAMU Room 201
FREE ADMISSION
Saudi Students Club
Call Battalion Classified 845-26111