Thursday, July 7, 1988/The Battalion/Page 3 r» State and Local VI nhe f con? ln ^ >ndid; 1 art? 'rent; r n it J; i re? :tion 'elieft; ght 1« we it -nt tk lost,; loard thelj the kid irnr.1 or of T > High rent forces J.T. McCord’s out of space in College Station By Marcena Fadal Staff Writer The employees of J .T. McCord’s restaurant in College Station were shocked last month when the vice president closed its doors to the public for the final time without warning. J.T. McCord’s, at 2232 Texas Ave. in the Bra zos Square Shopping Center, closed forever at 11 p.m. June 24, assistant general manager Laurie Moore said. “It was real sudden,” Moore said. “We were notified that day that we were closing perma nently.” McCord’s, which opened in February 1983, was not making enough money to pay the rent at the center, Moore said. “The rent was too high,” she said. “The land lords wouldn’t negotiate the rent to help us out. A couple of others (McCord’s) were not making it, but their landlords negotiated the rent so they could stay open.” Gary Yarbrough, vice president of Banc Home Savings of Dallas, which owns the Brazos Square Center, was as surprised as anyone about the closing. “We found out Monday,” Yarbrough said. “We understood that their business was good. The rent was what they agreed to.” Moore said J.T. McCord’s corporate office in Dallas notified them of the closure. “There were just not enough people going to eat there,” Jim Fritzius, vice president of McCord’s, said. “We decided to close on Wednes day. The managers were notified Thursday and the employees on Friday.” Mary Huron, a former restaurant service rep resentative at McCord’s, said about 60 workers were laid off. “Management said we could be relocated at another McCord’s which is centrally located in Dallas, but most of the workers were students he re,” Huron said. “A lot of the workers had to go home for the rest of the summer.” The managers at the College Station McCord’s tried to help the workers find new jobs, Huron said. “The managers personally went around and talked to the managers of other restaurants,” Huron said. “Some got jobs, but most are still looking.” Rumors have been circulating that J.T. McCord’s closed because of unsanitary condi tions, but David Jefferson, a registered sanitarian at the Brazos County Health Department, said the rumors are false. McCord’s scored a 98 out of a 100 on a March 28 restaurant inspection report. “That’s really good,” Jefferson said. “McCord’s had no major problems. Sanitation had nothing to do with their closing.” Huron added that McCord’s was the cleanest restaurant she ever worked at. Fritzius said at this point J.T. McCord’s does not plan on reopening anywhere in College Sta tion but plans to focus on the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Yarbrough said more tenants will move into the old McCord’s space in the center. “There will definitely be more tenants,” Yar brough said. “We are signing with leasing agents right now.” Some Texas A&M students said they were dis appointed that the restaurant closed. “I used to take my parents there after football games,” Randy Kemp, a senior horticulture ma jor from Waco, said. “We have one in Waco and I like going there a lot. It’s not real fancy, but it’s not just another burger joint.” Jackie Flanders, a junior psychology major from Plano, said, “They closed so unexpectedly. I wondered what happened. We liked going there for lunch and happy hours.” Bush makes pledge to represent Hispanics DALLAS (AP) — Republican George Bush on Wednesday prom ised to name a Hispanic-American to his Cabinet if elected president, but he refused to make the same com mitment to blacks, women or other minorities. “Other groups have been rep resented in the Cabinet and Hispan ics have not,” the vice president said. Bush, certain to be the Republican presidential nominee, made his pledge before the annual convention of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the largest and oldest Hispanic civic group. The audience, apparently dominated by Democrats, gave the vice president only scattered ap plause. Tony Bonilla, an influential Dem ocrat whom Bush singled out by name as a person he had tried to re cruit, was unmoved by the vice presi dent’s promise. Bonilla said it was “a little patron izing” for Bush to offer to put a His panic in his Cabinet after serving eight years in the Reagan adminis tration without one. “The vice president needs to say to the president right now, ‘We have goofed. We have not reciprocated to the Hispanic community’” for their support, said Bonilla, a former chairman of LULAC and the head of the National Hispanic Leadership Conference. Bush said he had discussed the is sue with President Reagan, but he added, “I’m not president of the United States.” In making his pledge, Bush told the audience that it was “good to ac knowledge that some things are, at this point, owed.” He said his prom ise was something “I have never made before, to anyone, to any group.” However, he said, “It is time. It is time and it’s long overdue, and that is a solemn pledge.” At a news conference later, Bush said he would not make similar promises to other groups and con sidered it a one-time pledge. “I will be very open-minded and broad-based in who I select to serve in my Cabinet, but I’m addressing myself to righting a wrong that has been out there for many years,” he said. Asked if he would make a similar promise to Asian-Americans, Bush said, “I’d have to go back there and research that out.” Bush argued that he was not leav ing himself open to the same charges he and Reagan leveled against Dem ocrat Walter Mondale in 1984 —that he was going around the country making promises to special interest groups. “If I went around from group to group doing that, it might be fair to make that charge, but I’m not going around from group to group doing that,” Bush said. His commitment was a measure of the political importance of Hispan ics, particularly in key battleground states like Texas, California and Florida which have a large Spanish speaking population. In Advance Beef industry conference begins today Beef in the American diet and its profitability to producers are the focal points of the 1988 Na tional Beef Industry Conference, which begins today in Rudder Theater. The conference, which lasts through Friday, will examine the changes that have occurred in the beef industry since 1987 and the impact those changes will have on producers and consumers. The conference is divided into sessions on beef nutrition and beef production that will begin at 9 a.m. Nutrition experts will discuss the latest research on lean beef and how it may be included in normal, modified and weight controlled diets. Memorial service for A&M student to be held Sunday By Ashley A. Bailey Staff Writer A memorial service will be given at 9:30 a.m. Sunday at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in College Station for a Texas A&M student who died last month From acute leukemia. Christy Herrera, 28, was just a few months away from earning his doc torate in inorganic chemistry before his death June 10. Drew Ilger, a graduate student who had worked with Herrera in the chemistry department since 1981, said Chris was a great friend and co worker. “He was always friendly and help ful — even with people he didn’t know,” Ilger said. He was also a very hard worker, he said. “All of Chris’ research, course work and preliminary exams were complete,” Ilger said. “All he had left before receiving his doctorate in inorganic chemistry in December was the actual writing of his disserta tion. “So far he has had one article pub lished as a result of his research and there are more being published now. Chris also helped our adviser. Dr. Zingaro, to develop and patent a new chemical compound. “Chris definitely made a great contribution to chemistry and to all the people he knew.” Ilger said Herrera did not know he was suffering from leukemia un til last April. He said Herrera had been ill for a long time and was un der a doctor’s care, but it wasn’t until he changed doctor’s that he was di agnosed as having acute leukemia. Herrera’s survivors include his mother, Muriel Herrera of Jackson ville, Florida; five brothers and two sisters. Herrera’s mother said he was a model person and would be missed by all who knew him. “Chris was always a very good son,” she said. “He was a kind, car ing person who was always very dil igent in everything he did. He made really good grades all the way through school. “We all love him and miss him a lot.” The service will be given by Ilger, and friends Beatrice Bravo and Glo ria Rodriguez. Mass will be said by Father Kent of St. Mary’s. Ralph Zingaro, Herrera’s adviser and a chemistry professor, has be gun a memorial contribution fund in memory of Herrera. Contributions can be sent to the Texas A&M Development Fund through the vice president for devel opment’s office. ie jrwise four)’ he w ner of released! March ton wM ts. 1 ^ ent i despi«1 d hem lents "i 3 be ref logizflj those cd ed agaf otest.f ; icrson & pologh f to that* wn onf from th f > a spe< DELIVERY ON THE DOUBLE. At Little Caesars® when you order one delicious pizza, we automatically bring you two, for one low price. And we bring them fast. That's delivery on the double. Only from Little Caesarsf Little Caesar’s Mugs IVow Available 3588 Expires; 8-3-88 |$1.00 delivery to Northgate only after 5 p.m. NORTHGATE COLLEGE STATION 268-0220 696-0191 University & Stasney SW Parkway & Texas Outdoor Seating Available BRYAN 776-7171 E. 29th & Briarcrest little Caesars Pizza Now Taking Requests.. For The 1988-89 Student Directory To Place an advertisement call 845-2697 Deadline is August 15th!