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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.
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