The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, April 13, 1989, Image 7

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    Thursday, April 13,1989
The Battalion
Page 7
ros favors
ig elected
nmisioner
(AP) — The Mexi-
in Legislative Caucus
itonio Mayor Henry
ned the debate over
Commissioner Jim
job Wednesday, say-
ur keeping the job an
ion.
ority of Texans will
ir any efforts to take
right to vote," said
tinojosa, D-McAllen,
the caucus,
r, a two-term Demo-
come highly contro-
ent months.
■arlier angered the
dustry by imposing
resticide regulations,
angered some cattle-
ing the effort to sell
:e beef to European
is Farm Bureau re-
that the elected post
and a commission of
ial appointees be
t.
could be abolished
cause the Texas De-
Agriculture is under-
eriodic “sunset" re-
l state agencies,
n Gov. Bill Clements
cated whether he
i bill to continue the
joined at a news con-
ither lawmakers and
ted that the Mexican-
caucus represents
rird the votes needed
: to pass the aericul-
tent bill that already
ite approval.
IlNTED:
cprislng
Starters
Photo by Fredrick D.Joe
From left, Tom Wills, Walter Kitchens and Bob Stewart work on the model of the plane
Company windtests model
of new airplane at A&M
By Stephen Masters
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Representatives o,f Vulcan Air
craft Corporation began testing a
model of a vertical takeoff and
landing craft at Texas A&M’s
wind tunnel facilities Monday.
If funded beyond the planning
stages, the Vulcan Spitfire
V/STOL would be capable of ver
tical and standard takeoffs with
out the use of a jet turbine, said
Woody Scott, designer and man
ager of the project.
Scott said that because the Vul
can project uses a fan system it is
much quieter than the Harrier
jet, a VTOL craft used by the
U.S. Marine Corps. The Vulcan
project has two 4-foot diameter
fans used for upward propulsion
on two middle wings and two 3-
foot diameter fans for forward
propulsion at the rear of the
plane, Scott said.
The plane would have three
sets of wings in the rear, middle
and front, with spans of 25 feet,
13 feet and 9 feet respectively,
Scott said. The rear wings will be
movable, he said.
Although the plane will likely
weigh as much as an average jet
helicopter, the Vulcan project will
be able to travel further and fas
ter using less fuel than a heli
copter, he said. This makes the
Vulcan plane a better option for
emergency medical services than
helicopters, Scott said.
Helicopters also require a great
deal of maintenance because of
vibration of the craft caused by
stress on the rotors during for
ward movement, he said. Because
of the use of the fan system, Scott
said, the Vulcan plane would not
suffer from this problem.
The six-passenger craft would
be able to travel up to 800 miles
depending “on how fast you want
to fly,” he said. Cruising speeds
would be from 300 mph to 350
mph.
Scott estimated the retail cost
of around $1.25 million to $1.5
million for the six-passenger
plane. He said the price could
drop below $1 million for the
slower 300 mph crusing speed
craft.
Vulcan is using the wind tun
nel for two weeks and making mi
nor adjustments as tests are done,
Scott said.
isiness starts
l it's time to
nut expanding
ration. Adver-
the Classifieds
ght person to
| ob not only
Dod sense; it
ts!
you have
n to sell; a
age to get
, a product
a service
ertise...en
ding people
lit Classi-
for fast;
rnical and
je results!
ALL
-3611
:al(aii« u
History teacher helps students
learn emotions of Vietnam War
WEST COLUMBIA, Texas (AP) — It’s been 20 years
since John Nevels, a Brazoria 19-year-old, was killed in
action in Vietnam four months before he was to come
home.
That was before West Columbia Junior High School
students were born, but thanks to an idea of history tea
cher Laurie Kincannon and the cooperation of Nevels’
fanyily, the students have come to know the young man
who died serving his country. Nevels’ family also gave
permission for his story to be used in this article.
Kincannon is taking 65 students to Washington, D.C.
injune to visit the Vietnam Memorial, the U.S. Capitol,
Arlington National Cemetery and the offices of the
Federal Bureau of Investigation.
When she visited the Vietnam Memorial two years
ago, she was stirred by the sheer number of names en
graved on “The Wall.”
“I didn’t know any of them, and I was glad in a way,
but knowing that each name represents a person who
died really got to me,” she says.
So when the school agreed to let Kincannon take a
group of students to Washington this year, she began
thinking about how to make the trip as meaningful as
possible for them. That’s when she came up with the
project she calls “Vietnam Remembered.”
“We are asking to hear from people who lost friends
and loved ones in the Vietnam War,” Kincannon ex
plains, “so the kids will know a little bit about the people
whose names appear on The Wall.”
She is asking for letters, copies of photographs or any
other biographical information that might help with the
project, which has a deadline of May 1. A weekly news
paper ran a story about the project, and John Nevels’
family is among those who have responded so far.
Shortly after the article appeared, Nevels’ half-
brother, Louis Parker of Brazoria, contacted Kincan
non by phone to find out more about Vietnam Remem
bered.
“He said his mother had read about the project and
wanted John included, hut even though it had been 20
years since he died she just couldn’t write the letter,”
Kincannon says. “So she had asked Mr. Parker to do it.”
Parker wrote a two-page letter about Nevels, describ
ing a boy who grew up in Wild Peach and liked riding
horses, occasionally participating in rodeos.
“It was from this activity that (John) earned the nick
name ‘One-Jump John,’ ” Parker wrote. “The steer
came out of the chute, jumped one time, and Johnny
fell off.’”
Nevels attended school in West Columbia and was a
member of the Future Farmers of America. He raised
turkeys for the Brazoria County Fair, and once caused
an uproar at home when he used the window screens
off the house to build a pen.
As the Nevels’ only son, John was exempt from the
draft, but the young man volunteered to serve.
“When Johnny decided to go into the Army, the fam
ily tried to talk him out of it,” Parker wrote. “But he
wanted to serve his country and experience being on his
own and growing up.”
DEPARTMENT OF STUDENT ACTIVITIES
Presennttnim
TOPENT OMGAMISATION
NEW OFFICEE WOMKSMOjP
WHEN: Thursday, April 20, 1989
WHERE: 701 Rudder
is
REGISTRATION: 6:30 PM
GENERAL SESSION: 7:00 PM
SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER: LYNN HICKEY
ASSISTANT ATHLETIC DIRECTOR
FOR MORE INFORMATION : STUDENT ACTIVITIES AT
845-1133
MSC JORDAN INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL AWARENESS
3?
JORDAN FELLOWS LECTURES
April 17, 1989, 7:00PM, Memorial Student Center, Room 206
Gregory Coleman:
Douglas Foreman:
Elizabeth Verstegen:
Japan
Belgium, France, United Kingdom,
Switzerland
Yugoslavia
These presentations relate recent student experi
ences of research and study in preparation for careers con
cerned with international affairs.
Texas A&M
30th Anniversary
Blood Drive
April 10-14
Commons 10
MSC 10
SBISA10
Med. Sci. Library 10
8
6
6
6
THE
BLOOD CENTER
at Wadley
Another Service of Student Government,
Alpha Phi Omega and Omega Phi Alpha
Plant your ad in The Battalion Classified
and harvest the RESULTS!
Phone 845-2611
for help in
placing your ad.