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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 31, 1989)
TOMORROW'S FORECAST: Partly sunny and hot. LOW: 70s Thursday, August 31,1989 Pickens decides against entering race for governor Mk Sky high Clouds, the sun and infrared film combine to create this interest ing photo of G. Rollie White Coliseum and Kyle Field, where the Photo by Frederick D. Joe Aggies will host the Louisiana State Tigers Saturday night at 5:30. L.S.U. game preview/Page 13 ed Cross to begin A&M blood drive; Important to replenish depleted supply ky Sherri Roberts f The Battalion Staff ilood Center met with Texas A&M officials Wednesday at a luncheon in the Faculty Club in effort to gain University support of the cen- r’s upcoming campus blood drive and to re- llenish its low blood supply. The blood drive will ake place on Sept. 13-15. A&M Athletic Director R.C. Slocum; Jane fobley, wife of A&M President William H. Mob- ty; and Dr. Kenneth R. Dirks, a pathology pro- pssor in the A&M College of Medicine, were nong the officials present at the luncheon. Lynda Faulkenbery, the center’s director of |onor resources, said the center, which is the sole pplier of blood to the Brazos County and 28 ner counties, collected an inadequate supply of Hood in the community to meet the Brazos County’s need. In 1988 the center distributed about 6,000 blood units to Brazos County hospi tals but collected about 5,000 units. The center needs 150-175 units each day. A&M plays a crucial role in supplying blood to the center, she said. In the 1988 Red Cross blood drives at the University, 1,454 units of blood were collected. Faulkenbery attributed the center’s blood shortage to a lack of awareness in the community of its services. Brazos County residents, which includes A&M students, and their families can receive blood from the center whether or not they have do nated blood to it. “We want this accepted as a community re sponsibility, not an individual burden,” Faul kenbery said. The center, rather than increasing expendi tures for advertising, relies on the media to pub licize its blood drives. As a result, it charges no re placement fee for blood, and charges a processing fee of $32 for blood units it distrib utes, as opposed to the $64 charged by Wadley Blood Bank. To increase publicity for the Red Cross blood drive, the center has sponsored a competition be tween A&M and Baylor University for the past three years. In this year’s competition, which has the theme “Win, lose or draw, donate blood, ev erybody wins,” a trophy will be awarded to the school which meets the center’s goal to collect at least 1,200 blood units. Posters featuring Slocum and Baylor Football Coach Grant Teaff also will publicize the compe tition. DALLAS (AP) — Oilman and cor porate raider T. Boone Pickens said Wednesday he will not run for gov ernor in 1990, but left open his op tions for 1994. The 61-year-old Pickens said the crush of his business would not allow him to commit 100 percent to the needs of the state. “It’s not the time,” he told about 500 people at a Dallas Rotary lun cheon. The announcement ended weeks of speculation that continued right up until Pickens’ announcement. Pickens said he had prepared two versions of a speech for the Rotary luncheon, one announcing his can didacy and the one he delivered, just in case. Fie and his wife, Beatrice, reached their decision late Tuesday night at their hotel room in Dallas, Pickens said, and were still discussing it Wednesday morning. “We wanted to run,” Pickens told reporters later. Beatrice Pickens said she was “disappointed for Boone, because it’s something that he really did want to do. But our time just wasn’t this time. Perhaps the next time.” Pickens did not rule out a run in 1994. “That’s an option,” he said. His three potential challengers in the Republican gubernatorial pri mary breathed a collective sigh of re lief in almost identical statements is sued after Pickens’ speech. “I’d be less than candid if I failed to state that my candidacy is strengthened by his withdrawal,” oil man Jack Rains of Houston said. “He would have been formidable opposition. We sh^re many friends and a common base of support in the business community.” “Boone and I have been business associates and friends for many years,” oilman Clayton Williams of Midland said. “I am glad, however, that he is not in the race. He would have been a very formidable chal lenger.” “Boone Pickens and I have been friends for many years,” Kent Hance, chairman of the Texas Rail road Commission said. “I certainly respect his decision not to run. He would have been a formidable oppo nent.” Pickens would not endorse any of the Republican candidates Wednes day. “I really hadn’t focused bn that at all,” he said. “We just reached this decision.” The decision, Pickens said, was based on his involvement in his Mesa Limited Partnership, Koito Man ufacturing and his United Share holders Association. Mesa, an oil and gas Firm, an nounced a $13.4 million loss in the second quarter of 1989 and will likely post a loss in the third quarter, Pickens said, refusing to speculate on how large the loss might be. He blamed the losses on drops in gas prices, from $2.60 in 1985 to $1.35 now. Pickens, once feared as a corporate raider who made a $518 million pretax profit in a 1983 at tempted takeover of Gulf Oil Corp., said it was the first loss for the com pany in 16 years. Pickens also said he plans to con tinue his efforts to open up opportu nities for U.S. investment in Japan, and may “significantly” increase his stake in Koito Manufacturing, a Jap anese auto parts supplier, Pickens’ Boone Co. holds a 20.2 percent interest in Koito Manufactu ring,making him the largest share holder. Off Campus Aggies get words of wisdom at rally By Selina Gonzalez Of The Battalion Staff aco man kills in-laws, leads police in car chase WACO (AP) — A Waco-area man Jccusecl of fatally shooting three in- Iws, including a Waco police offi- tr, was arraigned Wednesday as in- bstigators continued trying to de ermine what prompted the poolings. Billy Wayne Coble, 40, was ar- hgned on a murder charge in the laying of Waco Police Sgt. John lobby Vicha, the brother of his es- langed wife Karen. Coble was being eld at the McLennan County Jail in eu of $500,000 bail, Justice of the tace David Pareya said. He is expected to be charged in the shooting deaths of his wife’s par ents once the district attorney’s of fice completes its investigation, au thorities said. Officials say that after Coble shot the three Tuesday evening, he bound and gagged his three daugh ters and a nephew and then ab ducted his wife. The children were later found by Chad Stanley, 16, a friend of one of the daughters. “We got them out of the house be cause they said he was coming back, and he said he was going to kill him self,” Stanley said. The whole incident ended late Tuesday after Coble, in what offi cials called a suicide attempt, crashed the car he and his wife were in near Meridian, about 45 miles northwest of Waco. “The chase didn’t last very long,” Bosque County chief deputy Dewell Harper said. “The guy sped up to 80, then intentionally ran into a truck that had pulled over to the side of the road.” “That’s what he was trying to do — suicide and another murder,” Harper said. The Cobles were not living to gether, Lt. Coy Jones said. Coble was released from Goodall- Wichter Hospital on Wednesday morning and was transferred to jail. Karen Coble remained in the hos pital Wednesday afternoon after un dergoing treatment for cuts and abrasions, according to a hospital spokesman. The driver of truck the Cobles’ car hit also remained in stable condi tion in the hospital after undergoing treatment for cuts. Investigators say they’re still try ing to determine what prompted the shootings. Texas A&M does not have an en vironment like “Alice in Wonder land” and there are people out there who want to rip students off, Bob Wiatt, director of University Police, said Wednesday. Wiatt, at an Off Campus Aggies rally to increase security awareness, said that although A&M is not as prone to violence as other campuses, instances of violence do occur. “We are not in a cocoon over the entire campus,” he said. A&M is plagued by “opportunistic crooks,” Wiatt said, who wait to take advantage of naive people. Wiatt urged people to use com mon sense by locking car and apart ment doors, requesting an escort at night and taking valuables home over Christmas holidays. UPD recently installed 17 blue emergency phones around campus, Wiatt said. Students can summon police officers by pushing a button. Students should call the police if they see anything suspicious, Wiatt said. “That is why we’re here,” he said. After the safety and security awareness presentation, Dr. Mary M. Olona from the Student Counsel ing Service offered tips to students on how to adjust to off campus liv ing. Olona said off campus students encounter many problems, such as transportation, bills, unfamiliar sur roundings and poor academic ad justment. The most common prob lems, however, are isolation and depression. See Off Campus/Page 12 ,ocal bargain hunters look no further ban Bryan-College Station city missions 'Julie Myers f The Battalion Staff Although many people drive 50- 80 miles to find bargains on an- ques, buffet tables, pianos, and tele sets in Bryan-College Station, little Miss Texas and other area res- Jents only have to go as far as the jearest Twin City Mission Second lhance thrift store to find one-of-a- Ind gifts, household items, cloth- fig, and costumes. “It is a common misconception hat resale stores are junk shops,” twin City Mission Executive Direc- hi J.C. Thomas said. “There are kany reasons people give things [vay besides them being junk. Some ‘theseclothes have only been worn nee.” In an effort to draw attention to he thrift stores, Twin City Mission hold a drawing at its College [lain location Friday, Sept. 8, for a lew residence hall refrigerator. No Purchase is necessary and the partic ipants don’t have to be present to win. Not all merchandise has to be like new to attract interest. Since the non-profit Twin City Mission oper ates four thrift stores in the area, it is a favorite haunt for those needing so fast in the fall the stores look com pletely different every two to three days. A&M students have made a critical difference in the success of the mission stores. “For the last year, the local economy has been down, but our business has picked up. Stu- “CT a or the last year, the local economy has been down, but our business has picked up. Student purchases have put us over that hump, J.C. Thomas, Mission Executive Director Halloween costumes, gag gifts, and the bizarre. Twin City Stores Manager Alice McGough said she rarely throws anything away. “We make it a point to save strange clothing for Halloween and costumes,” she said. “You never know what you’ll find.” Since the store’s Opening more than twenty years ago, the clientele has increased markedly, resulting in many changes. Merchandise moves dent purchases have put u$ over that hump,” Thomas said. Although student purchases are important, Thomas places a higher premium on the potential impact students could make by volunteer ing. “What we really need is the busi ness management techniques, and marketing strategies A&M students could provide,” Thomas said. Popular items at the stores include lawnmowers, television sets, refrig erators, dressers, chests of drawers, mattresses and any items typically needed by college students. Conse quently, donations of any kind are always welcome. “If we turn up our nose at a dona tion because we feel it isn’t sellable, next time there is something of value to donate, they might not come to us,” McGough said. “Giving makes these people happy. We wouldn’t want to deny them that.” Because the Mission accepts many items, regardless of condition, some repair is necessary. Mattresses, for example, must be treated by law be fore being resold. Few people will buy soiled mattresses or broken washing machines. The nature of the resale business itself does not lend itself to adhering to normal re tail policies, and for this reason all items are sold “as is” and all sales are final. Although the thrift shops are the most visible programs offered by Twin City Missions, Inc., they are only a small part of the ministry. See Mission/Page 12 Photo by Kathy Haveman Jane Kirk of College Station holds up a silk kimono in front of a mirror at the Second Chance Store in College Station.