State and local
3
Thursday, December 6, 1990
The Battalion
943 A&M film available on video
y for anot
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and devoti;-
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i noti
y MELINDA COX
Of The Battalion Staff
Need the perfect Christmas gift
for that special Texas A&M student
or parent? Thanks to a former A&M
student, that gift is available — the
d respect ft home video to the 1943 classic film
out A&M.
“We’ve Never Been Licked,” a
Universal Pictures film about the
orps of Cadets and the A&M cam-
us, is available on home video,
anks to the work of Tom Wisdom,
lass of’60.
Wisdom, executive vice president
of VGA Teletronics in Houston, said
t that cam ie obtained the home video rights to
“We’ve Never Been Licked” to give
pmething back to A&M.
Previously, the film, starring Rich-
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Bryan officer
* fatally shot
with own gun
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entering fe
mid this be
presentativi
Ided to ana!
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ily loss eve:
) great tear;
lity as a cor;
: erence gar
lishes it as
vl game tk
college f(
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especia/H
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ard Quine and featuring a brief ap
pearance by Robert Mitchum, could
be seen only on KAMU-TV and dur
ing showings sponsored by the MSC
Travel Committee.
“I received many, many requests
for the film from graduate students,
alumni, parents and students,” Wis
dom said.
Wanting to give something back
to the University, Wisdom said he
contributed $6,000 to start the pro
ject.
He said he encountered several
problems, however, when he first
tried to acquire the rights to the film.
“I learned the rights had been
sold to KingWorld Productions and
that they were not interested in sell
ing the rights to the film,” Wisdom
said.
Wisdom, however, did not give up
his fight to obtain the. film’s rights.
Through further research, Wis
dom learned KingWorld Produc
tions had only broadcast and theat
rical rights to the film, and not home
video distribution rights.
“Leo Gutman had acquired the
film in the mid-70s,” Wisdom said.
“He said if written permission could
be obtained from KingWorld, he
would clear the way for the video
tape distribution.”
Wisdom then received a letter
from KingWorld saying the com
pany had no objection to the release
of the film on videq cassette.
Then late last year, Wisdom con
tacted Porter Garner III, the field
director for the Association of For
mer Students, to get further support
for the release of the film.
“As field director, I work with
A&M clubs from all over the world,
and there was a definite interest in
the film,” Garner said.
“Some of the money from the
sales of the video will help build the
new Sam Houston Corps Visitor
Center,” Wisdom said. “The center
will provide a museum atmosphere,
a souvenir shop and a lounge for
students and visitors. The money
will also go to Ross Scholarships and
to help old classmates.
“Several thousand videos have al
ready been sold, and we’re receiving
orders in excess of 100 a day,” Wis
dom said.
Video tape copies can be pur
chased at local bookstores or by call
ing 1-800-822-1105 and asking for
operator 1960.
The “limited edition” is $17.50
and the “presentation edition,”
• which includes reprints of eight
lobby cards and other printed
material about the film, is $30.
By MIKE LUMAN
Of The Battalion Staff
An 18-year veteran of the
Bryan Police Department died at
8 a.m. Wednesday at St. Joseph
Hospital of a gunshot wound
from his revolver, Bryan Police
Sgt. Mark Ricketson said.
Sgt. Doug Coburn, 38, was shot
in the chest at 5:54 a.m. while in
his home on Georgia Street.
Ricketson said Coburn appar
ently was alone in the room when
the shooting occurred.
Coburn’s gun has been sent to
Austin for fingerprint tests while
the Bryan Police Department
continues to investigate the inch
dent, Ricketson said.
“We’re all saddened by it, and
we’re kind of perplexed at this
point,” he said. “After the investi
gation is complete, we’ll be able to
say whether it was accidental or
otherwise.”
Funeral services will be at 10
a.m. Saturday at Faith United
iChurch of Christ, 2402J3. College
Ave.
HUNTSVILLE (AP) — An elated
Henry Lee Lucas said Wednesday a
court order that blocked his execu
tion earlier this week means he now
will have more time to prove he
didn’t commit a series of murders,
including one in Texas for which he
received the death penalty.
Lucas, 54, faced lethal injection
early Monday for the 1979 slaying of
a woman whose body was found
near the Central Texas town of
Georgetown. The Texas Court of
Criminal Appeals late last week gave
him an indefinite stay.
“I jumped up and down,” Lucas
said of his reaction after hearing of
the court ruling. “I had my first
good night of sleep in a long time.”
Lucas once claimed he killed
nearly 600 people in 26 states but
later recanted his confessions for all
but one slaying, that of his mother in
Michigan in 1960.
The Monday execution date, his
first, was for the slaying of an un
identified woman known only as
“Orange Socks,” for the lone item of
clothing she was wearing when her
body was found.
“Now I can start
working on those
different cases, who
done it and stuff.
That’s going to take a
lot of writing and
envelopes and
stamps.’’
— Henry Lee Lucas,
Received stay of execution
Besides the death sentence, Lucas
has six life prison terms, two 75-year
sentences and a 60-year term for
other Texas convictions. He also is
wanted in Florida on three first-de
gree murder charges for slayings in
1980 and 1981.
“Now I can start working on those
different cases, who done it and
stuff,” Lucas said in his first inter
view since receiving the stay. “That’s
going to take a lot of writing and en
velopes and stamps. My whole goal is
to clear these cases up and get the
people to open them up.”
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•usted, and
If They Look Like College
Football Players, You’re Only Seeing
Part Of The Picture.
LANCE PAVLAS of the TEXAS A&M AGGIES
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,t to Campus
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Toyota honors senior Lance Pavlas, quarterback of
the Texas A&M Aggies, as a recipient of the Toyota
Leadership Award for demonstrating outstanding
leadership in the fields of academics, athletics, and
community service.
Lance Pavlas will receive the Toyota Leadership
Plaque, and Texas A&M University will receive a $1,000
Ifliilll
contribution to its general scholarship fund.
The example Lance Pavlas has set is an inspiration
to us all. And as a leader in its own field, Toyota
recognizes the discipline and unrelenting effort it takes
to excel. So next time you watch a college football
game, look a little closer. There’s a lot more talent on
the field than you realize.
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‘7 love what you do for me”
® TOYOTA
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Lucas receives stay of execution
Convicted killer plans to solve series of murders
He said fellow inmates had con
gratulated him and yelled their sup
port from their cells.
“They hollered from one end of
the block to the other,” he said,
grinning. “They all seemed to know
I’d get a stay and told me not to
worry, but I still worried.
“I know how hard some people
are pressing against me. I don’t
know if they actually believe the lies
or if they are using something else. I
don’t know.”
The appeals court said it would
consider a claim by Lucas’ attorneys
that the jury in the Orange Socks
trial should have been able to con
sider mitigating circumstances be
fore sentencing Lucas to death.
The one-eyed drifter who worked
as a roofer is a native of Montgom
ery County, Va., and contends he
was in Florida when Orange Socks
was slain.
Lucas said he now would be
moved from a segregation cell to a
regular death row cell and expected
to be allowed back in a work pro
gram for condemned inmates, who
make pants for prison guards.
Committee established
to investigate sex policy
AUSTIN (AP) — The Texas
mental health commissioner has
appointed a four-person team to
investigate allegations that offi
cials at the Lubbock State School
condoned sexual activity among
mentally retarded residents.
Commissioner Denny Jones is
sued written instructions to the
special team to review the way the
Lubbock institution investigates
sexual activity between residents
and the recent pregnancies of
several retarded women.
Officials of the Texas Depart
ment of Mental Health and Men
tal Retardation acknowledged
that the agency has no statewide
policy on whether sexual activity
among residents of the 13 state
schools for retarded people is
proper.
Each state school has a separate
policy, officials said. The Lub
bock State School policy instructs
workers to intervene and inter
rupt any sexual activity between
retarded residents, said MHMR
attorney Cathy Campbell.
Jones’ decision Tuesday to dis
patch the review team came one
day after new allegations about
improper sexual activity at Lub
bock State School were filed in
federal court in Dallas.
U.S. District Judge Barefoot
Sanders received a sworn
statement from a former Lub
bock State School worker who
said sex between residents is com
monplace and condoned by the
institution.
The Austin American-States-
man also reported that the Lub
bock State School failed to report
to police in 1989 the pregnancies
of two retarded residents who
gave birth after having sex with
other residents. The attorney for
one of the women said her client
is so severely retarded that she
cannot give consent to sex and
does not realize she had a baby.
Jones told the investigative
team to “review the perceptions
and attitudes of staff who work at
the Lubbock State School regard
ing client sexual activity, to deter
mine whether staff condoned im
proper sexual activity and
whether staff assisted clients in
receiving proper guidance, coun
seling and protection of their
rights.”
Jordan selected
for governor’s
special counsel
AUSTIN (AP) — Former Texas
congresswoman Barbara Jordan has
agreed to serve as special counsel to
the governor, Ann Richards said
Wednesday.
In an interview with The Asso
ciated Press, the Democratic gover
nor-elect said she planned to an
nounce Jordan’s appointment in the
next few days.
“Barbara Jordan is recognized
throughout the country as one of the
most important voices in ethics and
government that one could possibly
have,” Richards said.
Jordan in recent years has taught
at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of
Public Affairs at the University of
Texas.
Symphonic Band
free concert today
Texas A&M’s Symphonic Band
gives its annual Christmas concert at
12:30 p.m. today in the MSC Flag-
room. The concert is free. The 83-
member band will perform “Silent
Night,” “Merry Christmas,” “Jingle
Bells” and other pieces such as Dvo
rak’s “New World Symphony.”
BATTIPS
Anyone with story suggestions
can call BATTIPS, The Battal
ion’s phone line designed to im
prove communication between
the newspaper and its readers.
The BATTIPS number is 845-
3315.
Ideas can include news stories,
feature ideas and personality pro
files of interesting people.
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