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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 2, 1987)
7 H ave you ever wondered how some things get done around Texas A&M University? It is pretty much common knowledge that the Grounds Maintenance crew does most of the dirty work that keeps this campus looking beautiful. And most of us know that members of the Corps of Cadets shine the statue of Lawrence Sullivan Ross. But what about some of the other deeds that seem to miraculously happen, whose perpetrators go anonymously about their business? Let’s take a look at some of these less-than-obvious occurences that are often taken for granted. T hat familiar announcement, “Now forming at the North end of Kyle field...” is a phrase we immediately associate with home football games. The same spiel, delivered game after game, brings the crowd to its feet with spirit and anticipation. Many people chant along in imitation as the resonant voice from above announces “... The Fighting Texas Aggie Band. ” But who does the familiar voice belong to? We have heard it at every game, both at Kyle field and at out of town stadiums, since 1983. Its owner was once a band member himself, so he knows exactly what it means to be forming at the north end of Kyle field. The name behind the voice is Captain Jay Brewer, class of 1981. In addition to introducing the band at football games, Brewer fulfills many other duties in his role as assistant director of the band. He is in charge of hom repair, issuing music and music folders to the band members and is the adviser of the Drum and Bugle Corps. He volunteered for the job of band announcer several years ago and has been doing it ever since. Even though his voice is famous, however, Brewer says he doesn’t mind remaining behind the scenes. “The guys in the band ought to get all the credit, ” he says. “They do all the work. ” T here are other voices on campus whose owners go about their business quite People that keep A&M ticking by Lydia Berzsenyi We all like to tiptoe through the tulips with our true loves on our arms — but who, pray tell, keeps the tulips blooming? anonymously. For example, take the campus operators who work at Student Locator. They religiously look up number after number for their inquisitive callers, never releasing their own names. Thirteen full-time workers and two part-time students work shifts so that someone will be there to answer the phone calls that flood the lines 24 hours a day. They can look up listings for students, staff and faculty members, departments and all general telephone information for the University. Some of the workers have been at this job for more than 10 years. One woman has actually been looking up numbers for 18 years. The workers don’t mind the anonymity, which is necessary for safety measures, because they are performing a service to the University. C himing bells in the Albritton Tower not only remind people of the time of day, but also frequently induce people to hum along to the sound of the music. With a library of 250 to 300 songs, the sounds of the tower are constantly changing. Mary Helen Bowers, who is in charge of deciding which songs will be played at what time, says that the bells are played an average of four to six times a week —in addition to chiming the hour. There are songs for Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, St. Patrick’s Day, New Year’s Day and Valentine’s Day, patriotic songs for football games and national holidays, and special songs for school occasions such as Elephant Walk, Silver Taps, Parent’s Weekend, Muster, Graduation and Final Review. There are also collections of country and western songs, classical songs, contemporary rock songs, songs for rainy and sunny days, theme songs and songs for lunch breaks. Magnetic impulses, recorded on cassette tapes, determine which of the 49 bells play and in what order. S ome students are also part of the underground network of services on campus. Although few students are continued on page 15