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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 8, 1987)
Tuesday, December 8, 1987TThe Battalion n State and Local &M assistant professor tries variety of careers bout By Todd Riemenschneider Reporter The professional life of Dr. Don omlinson can be described in one ord —diversified. Tomlinson’s career experiences nge from being a deputy prosecut- g attorney to owning a television reduction company. During many of these years, Tom- ison was working as a part-time liege teacher. He taught every- ing from television journalism to jlitical science. He is now an assistant professor of urnalism at Texas A&M. T had a sincere interest in higher lucation,” Tomlinson said. A suggestion by his wife, Beverly, ive Tomlinson the drive to become rollege professor. “1 wanted to do something with ng-term stability,” Tomlinson said, wanted to be at an institution liere I could enjoy myself.” Tomlinson said he had a choice of o colleges at which to teach, uthern Methodist University and :xas A&M. He came to A&M in 185. I am absolutely confident I made right choice in coming to A&M,” said. Tomlinson said he enjoys the yan-College Station community d also likes being at a large public stitution. He keeps busy most of time, he said. What little spare time I have I e singing and playing country mu on the guitar,” he said. Tomlin- played in rock bands during gh school and college, but he says musical activities are less public “Now I just pick and grin for my- If or anybody who might come ongand want to listen,” Tomlinson id. Tomlinson’s career can be traced Jonesboro, Ark. where he at- nded Arkansas State University, uring his senior year at Arkansas ate, Tomlinson was the managing litor of the campus newspaper. Tomlinson said he “became enth- ' ,onit lied” with the electronic side of urnalism during his senior year, omlinson said he had a part-time at a local television station, AIT. He said KAIT was compara- maa Spring Pre-Leasing ” A Special Deal for Students Only $479 00 /mo. for a 2 bedroom apt.* my Photo by Shelley Scbluter Dr. Don Tomlinson has recently completed a documentary. ble to Channel 3, KBTX-TV, here in Bryan-College Station. He was offered a job at a junior college in Beebe, Ark. after he grad uated from Arkansas State. He said he took the job with the understand ing he would work only one year be cause he had a desire to attend grad uate school. While he was working at the junior college Tomlinson was the sponsor for the school newspaper and also the annual. He also did public relations work for the college. After receiving his master’s de gree in journalism from North Texas State University, Tomlinson went to work for a television station in his hometown of Little Rock, Ark. At KTHV, a CBS affiliate, he worked as a reporter and a weekend anchor. Tomlinson then switched to the ABC affiliate in Little Rock, Ark., KATV. At KATV he was also a re porter and a weekend anchor, but there he was producing monthly, hour-long documentaries. He said he had always had an interest in making documentaries, and being at this station would allow him to do something he really wanted to do. Tomlinson said he believes docu mentaries are “as pure a form of journalism as there is.” As a reporter, Tomlinson covered a lot of state government issues, and he found himself becoming inter ested in law. He decided to go to law school to be a participant, rather than an observer, in the legal proc ess. “When I was covering govern ment as a reporter, I found myself wanting to raise my hand, wanting to have the floor and have input,” Tomlinson said. He started law school at the Uni versity of Arkansas-Fayetteville, which he attended for one year. He then transferred to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock so he could work during the day and go to school at night. While attending law school, Tomlinson did public infor mation work for various state agen cies. After law school, Tomlinson went to work as a deputy prosecuting at torney in Little Rock. “Normally this job entails working for a prosecutor who prosecutes all kinds of crimes,” Tomlinson said. “I did a little of that, but my main job as a deputy prosecuter was the pros ecution of two different kinds of cri mes.” In his position as deputy prosecut ing attorney, Tomlinson enforced the payment of child support. “This type of child support deals with the person who has a clear abil ity to pay child support, but has a genuine desire to avoid paying,” he said. Tomlinson added his office did not deal with visitation rights, only support payments. “What our office was trying to do was save the public from having to pay child support — through such vehicles as welfare — for individuals who could clearly do it themselves,” he said. The other type of crime Tomlin son prosecuted — as both a deputy prosecuting attorney and later as a deputy attorney general — was white-collar medical fraud, for ex ample when dentists, doctors, phar macists and others in the medical profession defraud the Medicaid program. “In Arkansas there is a generic drug law,” Tomlinson explained. “This law allows a generic equivalent for a drug to replace a name brand, so the cost is less.” Tomlinson said some medical Sounds too good to be fruePWell, it’s not. See the manager or call TRAVIS HOUSE APTS. 505 Harvey Rd, CS; 409-693-7184 for more details, 2 swimming pools & patios & balconies sunning decks ask mgr. about newly volleyball court remedied apts. dishwashers in every home walking distance to shopping and 2 entries into most apts. eating establishments 24 hr. management shuttle route 24 hr. maintenance College Station's Most Established Student Community exp. 12/30/87 NOW AVAILABLE ... The management of TRAVIS HOUSE is pleased to announce the avail ability of our large one and two bedroom apartment homes. Our low prices begin at: 1 bedroom: $310 00 /mo 2 bedroom: $360°7mo (Inquire about our newly remodeled apartments which feature new car pet and appliances.) 24 hr maint. 2 swimming pools & sunning decks shuttle route patios & balconies volleyball court walking distance to shopping and eating establishments, dishwashers 2 entries into most homes 24 hour management TRAVIS HOUSE APTS. 505 Harvey Rd, 693-7184 Office Hours are M&W 1 p.m. - 8 p.m. T Jh, and F: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sat: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. * special provisions apply professionals take advantage of this law. “A pharmacist was distributing generic drugs and was listing them as name brands and was getting more money than he was entitled to,” he said. Tomlinson said the attorney gen eral’s office ran a sting operation where they would send a person into a pharmacy who would pretend to be on Medicaid, and this person would receive the medication and the bill. The attorney general’s office would then check the records of the pharmacist to see if the drugs he was ordering were the same as he was dispensing. If the pharmacist was dispensing generic drugs for name brand drugs, it would show up in his records. If a pharmacist’s records showed he was dispensing generic drugs for name brands, charges would be brought against the phar macist for fraudulent activites. “As long as I was there (in the at torney general’s office), we never lost a case,” Tomlinson said. Trial law is a high-stress job, Tom linson said, and after several years he realized that he didn’t want to do it on a long-term basis. He chose to pursue his interest in broadcasting, and he moved on in his journalism career by forming a televison pro duction company, The Video Pro duction House. His company, based in Little Rock, did work for private industry by makirw videos for com panies. “Private oocumentaries” is what Tomlinson called the videos his company made. At this time he also had a private law practice. Tomlinson moved his company to Gulf Shores, Ala. and changed its name to CableTime. CableTime produced television commercials for local insertion into network cable television programming. In late 1983, Tomlinson sold the company. “I got an offer I couldn’t refuse,” he said. The Country Music Televison Network was the next place Tomlin son tried his hand at something new. In Nashville, Tomlinson was making videos for the network and also was serving as legal counsel. At CMTV, Tomlinson was able to combine both his journalism and his legal careers. The most recent project Tomlin son was involved in was to work on a documentary for the A&M Sea Grant College Program. This docu mentary, which Tomlinson pro duced and directed, is titled, “Trashed-out Texas Beaches: The Junk Stops Here.” It is about the growing problem of trash washing up on Texas beaches. “People for 4,000 years have been throwing trash in the water,” Tom linson said. “Until the last 40 years it didn’t matter, because there was less traffic and no plastic.” Plastic is not biodegradable, so it is starting to wash up on the beaches, Tomlinson said. The documentary is in the editing stages, he said. He said he hopes to get the docu mentary on the Public Broadcasting Service as soon as possible. “This university, with the amount of research it does, has a wonderful opportunity to do documentaries,” Tomlinson said. He said he is trying to create a mechanism for more doc umentaries to be made about the re search that goes on at A&M. Unit considers tax exemption for elderly AUSTIN (AP) — The govern ing body of a taxing unit may of fer a residence homestead exemption to people 65 or older without offering the same exemption to disabled people — or vice versa, according to Attor ney General Jim Mattox. Bobby Joe Mann, Palo Pinto county attorney, requested Mat tox’s opinion, which was released Monday. Mattox noted that the Texas Constitution and Tax Code either require or authorize various types of political subdivisions to grant or offer residence homestead exemptions from property taxa tion. tf> o z < i N ota Wild Wednesdays and Super Sundays On Wednesdays and Sundays we have two exciting specials for you: Any 12" 2-item pizza for only $5.95!! or Any 16" 2-item pizza for only $8.90!! Tax included. No Coupon Necessary. 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