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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 21, 1994)
rsday • July 2lJ Thursday • July 21,1994 s lool ;ned as the first li 1930. The buildint lumerous remodel rary currently hai i/els. By April o , two of the four re esigned floor: should be com pleted. | Stew Milne/THF. Batta are currently me will triple the cont f the building. ?s Schultz, Cleme d that by April II renovated build: ipleted. •e now eight lev it will become f< mpact motorh e said. “By Ap the four floors e completed.” said when the re me, material will ito -the building, ollections, mai rchives will be c< 3 large division i into Cushing a d Cushing will £ nd research ares leath, dean and is Library, said he Cushing Libr dcome opportur edifice of great! ance here at Te op Mary >r jdent Center on editor oto editor editor I, Aggielife editor i, Ellie Hudson, Sara acy Smith rren Mayberry, and likowski, Elizabeth ing the fall and (except University paid at College Building, Texas University in the orial offices are in 845-2647. ament by The For classified id office hours are 8 ind $50 per full ms \ 111 - /• - - _ Page 3 AND ADVERTISING A&M professor explores African-Americans' roles in 'Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben and Rastus By Jeremy Keddie The Battalion r -irn ji The vast history of politics ex hibits the manipulation of how racial, religious and gen der images are manipulated in the face of the masses; the equation is no less different in the histo- ry of advertising. It just hasn’t been documented as fully. Texas A&M associate professor of journalism. Dr. Marilyn Kem-Foxworth, explores the stereotypical images of African-Americans in advertising and provides insight into a national icon and former resident of Heame in her book “Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben, and Rastus: Blacks in Advertising, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.” Starting with slavery and demon strating how various symbols led to ear ly stereotypes and contemporary por trayal in advertising, Kem-Foxworth said that the book will serve African- Americans as another source to find their heritage. “Prior to this book no single literary work has provided a comprehensive re port on the history and status of blacks in advertising,” Kem-Foxworth said in the preface. The late Alex Haley, author of “Roots” and other books dealing with African- American culture, wrote the forward for Kem-Foxworth’s book. Haley said the book is timely because African-Ameri cans have begun to “reexamine, investi gate, analyze, and scrutinize” their her itage now more than ever before. “This book provides a mirror to our past,” Haley wrote, “a past that has been ignored or overshadowed for too long.” Kem-Foxworth, the first African- American woman to earn a Ph.D. with a concentration in advertising, found in terest for the book while working on her Master’s at Florida State University. She further developed her research while attending the University of Wis consin and analyzed magazine adver tisements which portrayed African- Americans. “I was surprised that there were not any books on blacks in advertising and took interest in the issue,” Kem-Fox worth said. However, Kem-Foxworth said there were several difficulties in publishing and writing the book which made the process difficult. During the early stages of the project, Kem-Foxworth was working toward her tenure, concen trating on research and publication. “Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben, and Ras tus” also contains several examples of advertisements which Kem-Foxworth took painstaking steps to acquire through obtaining written permission from the copyright owners. “It took over two years before I heard anything from Quaker Oats,” Kem-Fox- worth explained. Aside from providing African-Ameri cans another aspect of their history, Kem-Foxworth’s book also helped pro vide Heame, a city north of Bryan-Col- lege Station, with a better understand ing of a nationally acclaimed celebrity from their hometown - Rosie Lee Moore Hall, a.k.a. Aunt Jemima. From 1950 until her death in 1967, Hall was the Quaker Oats Company’s Aunt Jemima. She departed Heame in her late 20s and moved to Oklahoma City, working for the Quaker Oats Com pany. There she learned of the compa ny’s search for a new Aunt Jemima. “Most people don’t know Aunt Jemi ma was a real person, assuming that all of the faces on the pancake boxes are composites like Betty Crocker,” Kem- Foxworth wrote in an article on Aunt Jemima. “Because of this assumption, many Heame residents aren’t aware that a nationally acclaimed celebrity was bom and raised in their town.” Kem-Foxworth is currently working on her next book, devoted solely to Aunt Jemima. She said she discovered a chapter in the original manuscripts of Haley’s book “Malcolm X” that was not included in the publication. The chapter mentions Malcolm X’s opinions toward Aunt Jemima. The Quaker Oats Company continued to use live models for composites of Aunt Jemima until Hull’s death during the civil rights movement, which made her the last “live” Aunt Jemima used. Unmarked until 1988, Hall’s grave eventually received a national historical marker with the effort of Hall’s sisters and the Heame Heritage League. With the coordination of Kem-Fox worth, The Heame Heritage League and Jane Matthews, the wife of the mayor of Heame, plans are now being made to build a replica of Hall’s home and a mu-' seum which will be dedicated to Hall’s life - before and during her Aunt Jemi- ; ma years. “We are hoping to provide a place of ‘ cultural exchange with our people to make us proud of our history,” I, Matthews said. The project is pending on funds, and Matthews said more definitive plans will be made this fall by Founder’s Day, October 8. Although Matthews said she is not expecting difficulties with fund raising for the project, and a tribute will be constructed. AT VIE REVIEWS Bam to be an Aggie € True entertainment By William Hamson The Battalion “True Lies” Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis and Tom Arnold Directed by James Cameron Rated R Playing at Post Oak Cinema HI After three films together, there's nothing else to expect from a film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and directed by James Cameron. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing; the same for these two is unpredictability and ex citement. Cameron (Terminator I and II, The Abyss) is the movie business’ premier action direc tor. No one commands better scenery and action pacing as well as he does. Yet, with all the emphasis on technical marvels, a mas terpiece of story-telling eludes him, as in “True lies.” Schwarzenegger plays Schwarzenegger again, this time as U.S. spy Harry Tasker in a top-secret nuclear counter-terrorism agency. However, because Schwarzenegger plays Schwarzenegger, the spy is also a family man. Since mar riage and fatherhood have en tered his life, Schwarzenegger takes only roles with a limited amount of senseless violence which must be coupled with a strong sense of morality - a “true lie,” perhaps? The plot, which in this film is only a nuisance, begins as Tasker finds his way out of a fashionable, James Bond-es- que party, where everyone is dressed to kill. He dances the tango and then starts blowing things up and shooting people. After this initial foray, Tasker and the movie audi ence are briefed on the story line for the rest of the movie. But Tasker’s worst prob lems come at home, when he returns to his family, which doesn’t know his real profes sion and has fallen out of touch with him. The hero is surrounded by problems on all fronts, and it could only be a miracle if he sets everything aright... Yeahright. Mail this one in before you go to see it However, no one accom plishes more outlandish, visu ally daring stunts than Cameron. His direction makes an otherwise mediocre film riveting and entertaining. Just try to ignore the plot - the real “true lie” of the film. Photo by William Harrison/THE Battalion The Spirit of Aggieland is spelled out on T.K. Kirkpatrick’s barn, located in Reagan, Texas,between College Station and Waco on Highway 6. A&M tribute begins tradition for Class of '24 Aggie's barn Christ! Erwin The Battalion © he subject of countless pictures and much attention over the years is none other than a bain in Reagan, Texas, with the words “Gig ‘Em Aggies” painted on its side. This bam, located approximately 50 miles north of Texas A&M on Highway 6, is owned by T. K. Kirkpatrick, Class of ‘24. Kirkpatrick said in 1980 while repairing his barn, he decided to paint “Gig ‘Em” on the side. Soon after the barn was painted, Kirk patrick received a letter from a man who warned him of the attention he would re ceive. The man was right, Kirkpatrick said, but he enjoys the attention. “I’m glad so many people are interested in the bam,” he said. “I like them to want pictures of the barn.” Kirkpatrick said people often leave him gifts, and he returned home once to find a framed picture of the bam on his porch. Throughout the years, the Aggie land mark has attracted many A&M visitors. In 1982, Jackie Sherrill and his football team stopped on the way to Dallas to take a picture in front of the bam. In return, Kirkpatrick said Sherrill sent him an autographed copy and a football jersey. Janet Mitchell, owner of Mitchell’s Exxon in Reagan, said her gas station at tracts many visitors who are interested in the barn. “We enjoy the attention that the bam brings,” she said. “And last year we got permission from A&M to sell shirts with a picture of the bam on front.” The Mitchells said they did not attend A&M, but they are fans and enjoy visiting with A&M students. Kirkpatrick said he also enjoys visiting with A&M students, and in the past, Ag gies have helped him keep the bam in good shape. In the fall of 1993, 30 men and women travelled from A&M to paint the bam, and when they left, “Class of ‘94” was painted above the “Gig ‘Em,” he said. But other additions have appeared as well. “Who put ‘Class of ‘97?’” he said. “I don’t know. “I can’t find out who did it. They must have come at night.” Kirkpatrick said he asked a neighbor, Kevin Vader, Class of ‘97, who lives three miles from his house, if he knew who wrote “Class of ‘97.” Vader said he did not know who was re sponsible. “I have no idea who did it,” he said, “but I can’t say I’m disappointed.” In contrast to the good-natured fun of A&M students showing their class spirit, Kirkpatrick said vandals have tried to cov er up the writing, even by airplane. “A Baylor-ite tried to pay a cotton duster to throw paint on the bam,” Kirk patrick said, “but it turned out the cotton duster was an A&M boy.” ‘Home alone’ again Wiiitesnake’s Greatest Hits’ reveals a band that \ ' y A: A _ _ - . ——— By Warren E. Mayberry The Battalion “Baby’s Day Out” Starring Joe Mantegna, Brian Haley, Lara Flynn Boyle Joe Pantoliano, Directed by Patrick Read Johnson Rated PG-13 Playing at Hollywood USA Norby (Joe Pantoliano), a kidnapper in “Baby's Day Out,” sums up the film as fol lows: “Working at Burger King is easier than kidnap ping a baby.” How true this is, as a nine month-old baby leads three half-witted thieves through the torture of their lives. Eddie (Joe Mantegna), Nor by and Veeko (Brian Haley) hatch up a wild idea to kidnap Baby Bink, the son of one of the wealthiest families in Chicago. The three bank robbers (turned kidnappers) attempt to secure $5 million by kidnap ping the child. But, while reading Bink a bedtime story, the dim-witted Veeko falls asleep, Bink crawls out a win dow, and thus, the chase be gins. During the pursuit across Chicago, the trio falls victim to various bumps, bruises and annihilations; while tracking Bink through parks, tunnels, the zoo and a high-rise con struction project. It is painfully obvious as you watch the film that its cre ators are the same geniuses who brought us the block buster film “Home Alone.” The only difference is the cute Macaulay Culkin is replaced by an even cuter drooling baby. But the antics and laughs are exactly the same. While this film is no “Al addin” or “Ghostbusters,” it keeps its audiences in stitches as the predictable, yet silly gags unfold. If a corny but cute flick is what you are looking for, take time out to go see “Baby’s Day Out.” never reached its prime By William Harrison The Battalion Whitesnake “Whitesnake’s Greatest Hits” Hard rock Geffen Records Assuming one were to release a greatest hits al bum, by definition the band should have - A: some hits and B: some great ones. The sad thing is, Whitesnake has some, but the band should have made more before releasing a “greatest hits” compilation. Not that the band didn’t try - there are four new releases. But one of the new tracks, “Here I Go Again,” is a re-mix of the original. It’s so pop-oriented and bouncy, Daryl Hall and John Oates would be at home singing on this version. Led by singer David Coverdale and guitarist Adrian Vanden- berg, Whitesnake seemed well on its way to fame after its 1984 release “Slide It In” and the 1987 self-titled “Whitesnake.” With a sound mirroring Led Zeppelin’s, Coverdale’s bluesy love balladry matched with Van- Coverdale denberg’s dizzy, schizophrenic guitars created then several of the band’s best tracks - “Still of the Night,” “Love Ain’t No Stranger,” “Slow and Easy,” and “Fool for your Loving.” But an image-conscious band fell apart, pigeon holed after a series of sex- touting music videos with a voluptuous red head. Coverdale admitted the band’s success became a stigma it couldn’t overcome until its recent reunion for the release and a tour. So Whitesnake’s greatest hits may be yet to come. Maybe. Home out to pkj The second annual Summer Shakespeare Fes tival, sponsored by ‘magi- nation Station and The Shakespeare Factory, will kick off with “The Tempest,” running between July 22 - August 14. “As You Like It” will be gin August 19 and run through August 28. Performances will be held at the ‘magination Sta tion theatre in Bryan on Fri days and Saturdays at 7 p.m. and on Sundays at 2 p.m. with all seats costing $5. For more information, call 268-ARTS.