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Vol. 92 No. 158 (6 pages) 1893 - A Century of Service to Texas A&M - 1993 Wednesday, June 16,1993
Former Texas Gov. John Connally dies
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOUSTON — Former Gov. John Con
nally, a legendary Texas politician forever
linked to the gunfire that wounded him
and killed President Kennedy 30 years
ago in Dallas, died Tuesday. He was 76.
Connally was admitted to Houston's
Methodist Hospital on May 17 with a
breathing obstruction and doctors had
been treating him for pneumonia com
plicated by a lung problem known as
pulmonary fibrosis, a scarring of the
lung tissue.
Although initially listed as stable and
improving, his condition was downgrad
ed June 3 to critical.
"Former Texas Gov. John B. Connally
passed away at 4:15
p.m. at The Methodist
Hospital as a result of
complications related to
pulmonary fibrosis,”
Dr. William Eschen-
bacher, medical direc
tor of Respiratory Care
Services and Dr. Anto
nio Gotto, chief of In
ternal Medicine at the
hospital, said.
"We deeply thank
all of those whose thoughts and prayers
have been with us throughout this or
deal/' said Connally's wife, Nellie, in a
statement released by the hospital.
"It was those thoughts and prayers
that gave John the best possible chance to
recover. We will always be grateful for
your kindness."
Connally was seriously wounded by
the gunfire that killed President Kennedy
as the two rode in the same car in Dallas
on Nov. 22, 1963. Connally, then a Demo
crat in his first term as Texas governor,
held the office from 1963 to 1969.
"I lost a real good friend. I'll miss his
phone calls. I'll miss his extraordinary
good humor. I'll miss his optimism and
his encouragement," Gov. Ann Richards
said. "Texas lost one of its favorite sons
today."
Richards ordered flags at state buildings
to be flown at half-staff beginning Wednes
day and continuing through Connally's fu
neral, set for Thursday in Austin. His body
was to lie in state in the Texas House cham
bers before funeral services.
"He will be remembered fondly by his
state and his country for the work that he
did and the person that he was," Presi
dent Clinton said in a statement. He said
Connally had dedicated his life to service
to his country and "to the principles in
which he so passionately believed."
In Los Angeles, former President
Ronald Reagan called him an important
force in American politics. "Leaders from
both parties have always been able to
turn to him for his sensible views and
sound advice," Reagan said.
Former President George Bush called
him "one of the great governors of Texas"
who represented his state and nation with
distinction.
"John Connally was a man of courage.
at age 76
great leadership qualities, a powerful per
sonality. He was persuasive in his point
of view and my friend," Treasury Secre
tary Lloyd Bentsen, a longtime Connally
friend, said.
"Gov. Connally was a giant of Texas
politics, a man whose vision was long
and who strode across eras with grace,
dignity and iron determination,” U.S.
Sen. Phil Gramm said.
Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock called him a
strong leader who was fiercely loyal to
his friends.
Connally was a key player in the tur
bulent career of President Lyndon B.
Johnson, serving for years as an aide and
confidant as Johnson climbed the political
ladder as congressman, senator and final
ly vice president to Kennedy.
Connally
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RICHARD DIXON/The Battalion
Two Lone Star Gas employees work to put a cap
on a gas line that was broken while Palasota
Construction was digging a ditch for a sewer pipe
Tuesday afternoon. No one was injured during the
accident, which occurred on Harvey Road across
from the Blinn campus.
Construction crew hits gas line
on Harvey, causes evacuation
By JANET HOLDER
The Battalion
A leak in a natural gas line
shut down traffic on Harvey
Road for two hours Tuesday af
ternoon and caused the evacua
tion of 16 people from several
buildings.
The Palasota Construction
Company was installing a sewer
line across from Blinn College
when workers punctured the low
pressure natural gas line with
some of the digging equipment,
said John Martin, company su
perintendent.
Lt. Steven Hisaw of the Col
lege Station Fire Department said
people living in three Woodstock
Condominiums buildings near
the gas leak were evacuated to in
sure their safety.
Police cleared the road of traf
fic and workers of the Lone Star
Gas Company came immediately
to repair the line.
"The police knocked on my
door around 3:20 and told me to
turn off my TV and to leave be
cause of a gas leak," said Wood-
stock resident Clara Lange said.
"A person across from me said he
smelled gas."
Jason Cassel was stopped by
firefighters while trying to enter
the complex. He said he didn't
think the leak was that serious
because he didn't smell gas and
lots of people were around the
area.
But if the gas had ignited, Hi
saw said it would have destroyed
anything within 50 feet of the gas
line, creating a "fountain of fire."
Although the odor of gas does
not necessarily indicate danger,
gas in its natural state does not
have a smell.
Hisaw said companies add an
odor which travels faster than the
gas itself so gas leaks can be de
tected.
Hisaw said construction com
panies often hit gas lines because
they are not marked clearly.
"When construction compa
nies dig, usually the utility com
panies come out and mark where
the gas lines are," he said.
"Sometimes, though because they
are using metal detectors to mark
the lines, they may miss the gas
line by a foot. The metal detec
tors are not very accurate."
Hisaw said there are three or
four major gas leaks every year in
College Station.
Gas leak in Reed McDonald
linked to hot water heater
By LISA ELLIOTT
The Battalion
A group of Texas A&M students, faculty and staff had their morn
ing interrupted Tuesday when they were evacuated from the Reed Mc
Donald Building because of a gas leak.
Lt. Steven Hisaw of the College Station Fire Department said the pi
lot light on the 500-gallon water heater on the first floor went off and a
small amount of gas leaked from it.
"Water heaters are equipped with a main line safety control device
which switches off automatically, but there is still danger since the gas
that leaked is in a confined space and not able to escape to the open
air," he said.
However, Hisaw said by the time the fire department arrived all
the gas had dissipated and there was no danger to the people in
Reed McDonald.
Margarette Hoover, assistant advertising manager for student publica
tions, said she smelled gas and wondered if there was a problem.
"We smelled it down here and then we went up to the second floor
and it was even stronger," said Hoover, whose office is in the base
ment.
Hoover said by the time the smell became very noticeable, the fire
department had already arrived.
Mary Jo Powell, associate director of public information at Texas
A&M, said something like this is very unusual and there have not been
any problems with the Reed McDonald Building in the past 14 years.
"This is a very rare occurrence," Powell said. "There has not been a
recurring problem of this sort anywhere on campus."
The hot water heater that caused the leak is in the process of being
repaired, she said.
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College Republicans attack
multicultural requirements
By JASON COX
The Battalion
Voices are continuing to rise in opposition to last Wednesday's deci
sion by the Liberal Arts Council of Texas A&M to require future liberal
arts students to complete six hours of coursework in classes emphasiz
ing cultural diversity.
The Texas A&M College Republicans adopted a resolution Tuesday
denouncing the requirement and calling on former students to withhold
financial contributions to the University until the situation is resolved.
The resolution is similar to one adopted last week by the State Re
publican Party which calls the requirement "a series of courses in victi
mology and a clear liberal political agenda."
Dr. Richard Stadelmann, associate professor of philosophy and hu
manities and chapter adviser, called the issue political, not educational,
and said politics also influenced Monday's Faculty Senate's resolution
in favor of a University-wide diversity curriculum requirement.
The Faculty Senate will not make a decision on the issue until it can
study it further.
State Rep. Steve Ogden, who attended the meeting, said the issue
was an attempt to "overdirect" universities.
"We shouldn't tell universities how to run themselves," he said.
''The last thing I want to do is involve myself in something that is better
left to the University administration and Board of Regents."
Ogden encouraged the chapter to continue working with the issue
and said more importance should be placed on how to write, rather
than how to think.
Carolyn Hensarling, head of programs for the chapter, said she was
disappointed the issue went through with such little student input and
felt the former students should know in what direchon the University is
heading. She said the College Republicans will attempt to inform people
through advertising and the use of other media.
Hensarling said the council's resolution was "not in the true spirit of
multiculturalism," which she defined as an appreciation of the great
ness of all cultures.
"You can't make people care about one another," she said. "It's some
thing that has to be learned through interaction with other people."
Stadelmann, a member of the Republican Party's state executive
committee, called a statement by the dean's office that the requirement
Wouldn't incur extra cost "plain deceptive," and said it was absurd to
think it only 19 classes could accommodate over 2,000 students.
Faculty Senate proposes own diversity mandate
By STEPHANIE PATTILLO
The Battalion
The Texas A&M Faculty Senate
Monday proposed their version of
last week's Liberal Arts diversity
curriculum mandate, which
would affect all undergraduate
students at A&M if it passes.
Although the Faculty Senate's
proposal follows closely behind the
Liberal Arts requirement, the two
are not related, said Dr. Pierce E.
Cantrell, outgoing chairman of the
Core Curriculum Oversight Com
mittee and associate professor of
electrical engineering.
The Liberal Arts Council passed
a resolution last Wednesday to re
quire all Liberal Arts students to
take six hours of coursework in in
ternational and domestic studies,
three of which must be be con
cerned with race, ethnicity, or gen
der issues in the United States.
Dr. John Quarles, former
speaker of the Faculty Senate and
professor of medical microbiology
and immunology, said it was
"pure coincidence" the diversity
course proposal was outlined by
the Senate's Academic Affair's
Committee shortly after the Liber
al Arts decision was made.
Because many students and
faculty are away from A&M in the
summer, the Faculty Senate is not
making any final decisions at this
time, Cantrell said.
"We have no hiddep agenda,"
he said. "We tend to do routine
things in the summer."
If implemented, the proposal
will require all undergraduates to
complete six hours of coursework
in American and international cul
tures, and will not add any addi
tional hours to the core curriculum.
Cantrell, who proposed the
measure to the senate, called the
proposal an "overlay model" be
cause he said there is a wide list of
courses to meet both requirements.
"We hope that it is not too con
troversial," he said. "There is
such a broad choice of courses
that we don't see how anyone can
read into it any hidden political
agenda."
Quarles said the proposal is a
general approach to ensure stu
dents have a broad, diverse edu
cational background.
Cantrell said, "The clear intent
of the proposal is that we are try
ing to require classes that make
the connection between majority
and minority objectives."
Cantrell said the faculty sen
ate's version of the diversity re
quirement differs from the Liberal
Arts version.
The requirement not only en
compasses a greater choice of
classes than the Liberal Arts re
quirement does, but it also re
quires at least 33 percent of the
course to pertain to minorities or
international issues.
"The goal is an across-the-
board curriculum idea in some
sense," he said. "One-third of the
course is not going to have any
big effect on anybody, I think."
The other difference between
the Liberal Arts plan and the sen
ate plan is that the senate propos
al does not include gender issues.
Cantrell said one reason gender
is not included in the academic af
fairs requirement is because the
original proposal came out of rec
ommendations from the senate's
Committee for a Discrimination-
Free Campus in 1990 and from a
subcommittee of A&M's Interna
tional Programs Enhancement and
Coordinating Committee.
"If we include everything, then
we get too broad of a focus," he
said. "This is one issue where we
will have to see where the debate
comes out."
According to a senate memo,
the procedure for changing or
adding to the core curriculum
must first be considered by the
Core Curriculum Committee, a
subcommittee of the Academic
Affairs Committee before it goes
before the full Academic Affairs
Committee. The proposal is then
submitted to the Faculty Senate
for consideration.
The Academic Affairs Commit
tee made the decision in its May
meeting to send the diversity pro
posal to all Caucus Leaders for in
put and comments on the diversi
ty coursework issue.
Cantrell said he is aiming for
October to put the proposal on the
senate agenda for a vote.
"The whole reason for the cir
culation (of the proposal) is to get
student and faculty comments,"
he said. "Like anything else, in
put — whether it be pro or con —
will have an effect on the way
people vote."
|f l|
Sports
•Tennis: A&M team nets two
much-needed recruits
•Baseball: Aas name winners
of annual player awards
Page 3
Opinion
•Guest column: Open letter to
Koldus search committee
•Column: Dickerson's life as an
ex gay-basher
Page 5
"We hope that it is not too controversial.
There is such a broad choice of courses that we
don't see how anyone can read into it any hid
den political agenda."
-Dr. Pierce Cantrell,
associate professor of electrical engineering