Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 24, 1988)
Friday, June 24, 1988/The Battalion/Page 3 ’'ParentfjJ pie thel mily. n g e in ow task. Pol) terest ^ lems and, •ve proctG n g our ti, J t be oveiio \ct has rti on in bn but wei® s citizenst our repre e of thee mor f*for Thel [ rb[ \ \ %! iomy. Ho» ? Maybe otf s? Answer- How man' i year were been a jf his fat'd ly might pc ? And who the earth that just h id our old before at chicks £ igs, buyj^ hen se that rotate h, twintt ■ editoiM* State and Local Former students get reacquainted with campus By Catherine Zudak Reporter Texas A&M may have changed in the last 64 years, but it’s still provid ing unique educational opportuni ties for Aggies whether they are Class of ’92 or Class of ’24. The Association of Former Stu dents is serving as host for 29 former students and 25 of their spouses in the first AggieHostel this week. Ag gies 65 years and older are spending the week attending classes, living in dorms and getting reacquainted with A&M. Carolyn Wiley, wife of Paul Wiley, Class of ’37, said, “It’s all the fun of college without the hassle.” AggieHostel is modeled after El- derHostel, a worldwide program that encourages senior citizens to re turn to college campuses. Many of the former students said the only part of A&M they’ve seen since their school days is the inside of Kyle Field during football games. Robert Cameron, Class of ’38, said, “I’ve only seen Kyle Field for football games since 1938; there have been some real changes.” Two of the four dorms Cameron lived in are gone but Milner Hall and Puryear Hall remain. So does Aggie camaraderie. “When you’re walking, they (stu dents) speak,” Cameron said. “They say‘hi.’ ” Cameron said some things have changed for the better . “I’m glad hazing is gone,” he said. “They use to take a baseball bat, shave it down on two sides and make it flat — that was the board. In order for the freshman to stand up all through the game we had a little ses sion before we went down to Kyle Field. They made sure you wouldn’t sit down.” But Paul Wiley from Austin said A&M may be changing too much. “One thing A&M is trying to do that it shouldn’t do is be all things to all people,” Wiley said. “When we were here they were very good in en gineering and very good in agricul ture. 05807801“! don’t think numbers are the im portant thing at a univer sity. It’s the quality or the courses they do teach.” Fran Pendleton, wife of Hal Pen dleton, Class of ’41, disagreed. “You’ve got to remember that a few years back A&M really went down because it was not more things to more people — you have to grow,” she said. “You have to have those numbers if you’re going to at tract those quality teachers.” Wiley also noted changes in the Corps of Cadets. “When we were here, the Corps was pointed toward making the stu dents do their work,” he said. “A stu dent was never interrupted from 7:30 at night until 6:30 the next morning to go to breakfast. He was made to do his studying until he proved to be a good student. “The Corps tries to make them (cadets) into West Pointers. I’d rather see them go back to building the Corps activities around the edu cational area.” Besides observing the changes in Aggieland, the AggieHostelers have had a chance to interact with stu dents. Mrs. Pendleton from Dallas said, “That’s what is neat for us — talking to you students.” Jeff Tallas, a student host for Ag gieHostel, said, “I hope students in the future get involved because they (former students) have so much to add. “They’ve been through the depre ssion, World War II, Korea ... It’s remarkable the time span — 50 years .” Tallas, a senior from Sugarland, said he really enjoyed hosting the former students. “These people are so vibrant and alive,” he said. “I wish my grandpa rents were that active — I hope I am.” Vickie Young, a member of the AggieHostel committee, said people are already showing an interest in next year’s program. “A gentleman said to me after Monday night’s dinner in the press box, ‘If the rest of the week is any thing like today you can sign me up for next year,’ ” Young said. Phdios by Sam Myers (Top) Aggie Hostels get gardening tips from Dr. Sam Cottner at the Horticulture Science Building on Thursday afternoon. Cottner showed slides demonstrating strange and creative hanging plants. (Left) Former students get a preview of the newly renovated Duncan Dining Hall. (Right) Beating the heat, the Hostels visited the A&M creamery, which was located near the Pavilion when some of these former stu dents attended the University. Texas plant to dispose of missiles KARNACK (AP) — Tall pine trees will shield many sensitive operations of an East Texas mili tary installation from the eyes of Soviet observers arriving in mid-August to watch the burning of medium-range nuclear missiles, officials said Thursday. Morton Thiokol Inc., the contractor operating the Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant, won a $1.1 million contract that will allow it to burn 74 of about 800 rocket motors being eliminated un der ajoint U.S.-Soviet treaty. The plant, about 170 miles east of Dallas, is one of two sites the Army selected to burn the Pershing missiles banned under the INF Treaty. Under the pact, a team of up to 20 Soviet ob servers will watch the burning — and little else. “On-site inspection does not mean that the So viets will get a free look at our secrets,” said Lt. Col. Allen L. Germain, plant commander. Morton Thiokol Inc. officials said they have received the blessing of state and environmental officials to burn the missile motors through static firings and by open-air ignition. Hal Cornish, Morton Thiokol general man ager, said,“We are pleased to be associated with the Pershing motor eliminations. We think it only fitting that the plant that was associated with building the motors can also aid in their elimina tion. We manufactured many of the rocket mo tors that will be eliminated.” Soviet observers, mandated by the treaty to watch the burnings, will arrive at the Gregg County Airport, stay at area motels and dine in local restaurants during their stay, but will inter act little with residents, company officials said. Plant commander Germain said,“We plan no special events or contacts with the community for the Soviets. Our contacts will be professional — a charge we take seriously. We have a detailed se curity plan.” The two superpowers must, under the terms of the treaty signed by President Reagan and So viet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, reduce their me dium-range nuclear missiles within three years. The other Army-authorized burning site, in Colorado, has raised the ire of some environ mentalists. Dave Harris, spokesman for the Army Missile Command in Huntsville, Ala., said Colorado offi cials want the military to answer questions about the project. “They (state officials) have had no previous ex perience with rocket motor testing,” Harris said. More than 200 Pershing rocket motors have been fired at Longhorn in quality-assurance test ing over a 27-year period, officials said. 12-year-old witness of gang rape receives letters of supporters CORPUS CHRISTI (AP) — A 12- year-old San Diego boy who was os tracized by his friends after becom ing a key witness in a gang rape case received letters of support from ju nior high school students who read about him. The boy, whose identity has not been revealed, received 84 letters Wednesday from seventh-grade stu dents at Mission Junior High School. One of the letters was addressed, “Dear Witness”; another, “Dear Brave Boy.” But most simply said, “Dear Friend.” Jerry Solis, 12, invited the boy to visit Mission, a community of" 29,000 in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. “Fm really glad you did what you did . . . Don’t believe what others say. You just make sure you’re OK. I want to thank you for doing that,” Solis wrote. Since the boy became a key wit ness in the March 26 gang-rape case, he and his family have been threat ened and ridiculed. c Qarfield§ F^egtauraqt & cPub Fun and Fine Food College Station’s Newest Restaurant Featuring Seafood - Hamburgers - Prime Rib - Sandwiches *2.95 LUNCH SPECIALS DAILY DINNER SPECIALS Happy Hour 4 pm - 7 pm & 9 pm - dose Join Garfield’s Deer Club 54 Deers of the World Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner 6 am - 11 am Surv-Thurs 6 am - 12 mid Fri-Sat Bring this &d with you and receive a FREE FRIED BROWNIE DESSERT with purchase o! entree (dinner only). ^503^8.jPexasAve..^^^69^-1736,ext. 711