Texas A & M University
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1 th YEAR • ISSUE 83 • 12 PACES
COLLEGE STATION • TX
ck in time
renovation resembles return to 1930 facade
By Stacey Becks
Staff writer
le two-year refurbishment to Cushing
iry, attached to Evans Library, will end
)ril opening the library to students in
iSt.
r. Donald Dyal, associate librarian
^■ector of the Cushing Library,
fthe library is being renovated to
t like it did in 1930.
/e’ve gone around and inter
red people who knew the
ling,” he said. “We have pho-
iphs in black and white. We
'hired a preservationist to de-
$ line what the original colors
on the ceiling.”
V. Dave Chapman, the Univer- ^
^archivist, said the library will be m
-sset to the campus and the stu- ^
' : ts.
There’s not another thing like it,” he
. “It is very impressive. It’ll be something
[nil students will love.”
I . Ihapman said the library is for research
and has valuable items.
“Stacks are closed so students must re
quest things to be brought out under super-
J.P. BEATO/The Battalion
vision,” he said. “We have scarce and very ex
pensive materials.”
Guy Cooke, assistant manager of the Fa
cilities Construction Division, said they are
putting back the old tables and restoring all
old finishes to the library.
Dyal said the Cushing Library used to be
a place where freshmen could escape
upperclassmen.
“The library was the only place on
campus where freshmen weren’t
harassed,” he said. “It was neutral
territory. Some old Ags hid in
there from upperclassmen.”
Dyal said many students have
fond memories of the building
and a former student worker has
donated millions of dollars to the
__ refurbishment.
"Dr. C. Clifford Wendeler worked
^ < ® > in the old Cushing Library as a stu
dent worker,” he said. “He’s donated
millions of dollars to the building princi
pally because of his fond memories of the
building.”
The library will be rededicated next fall.
75
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Ian Preuss, a junior industrial distribution major, works in a metal-working lab Tuesday.
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69
56
TODAY
37 ^^144
TOMORROW
WEDNESDAY • FEBRUARY 4 • 1998
Former A&M coach
chosen to speak at
Muster ceremony
Committee members cite Stallings’ leadership,
family values as important factors in selection
By Rachel Dawley
Staff writer
Gene Stallings, Class of‘57 and for
mer Texas A&M football coach, will re
turn to campus this spring as Muster
Speaker. Stallings will lead the cere
mony, held annually on April 21, that
allows Aggies around the world to re
flect and celebrate their memories of
the university.
Stallings, featured in People Maga
zine this week, left his post as coach of
the University of Alabama football
team last year. He is recognized for
many accomplishments, including
leading the Alabama team to the 1992
National Championship.
This year’s Muster Committee, a
group of 40 students from around
campus, said they chose Stallings as
this year's speaker for another reason.
Members said he is best known for his
strong family bond, especially with his
son John Mark, who was born with
Down syndrome.
Ann Leslie, chair of the committee
and a junior agricultural development
major, said Stallings has an incredible
message to tell the University.
“Mr. Stallings is a phenomenal
leader, coach and dad,” she said. “He
once dreamed of having a son to fol
low him and play football, but he al
ways says ‘do the best with what you’ve
got.’ That’s what it means to be an Ag
gie. What better person to teach that
message than someone who has expe
rienced what he has.”
Stallings grew up in Paris, Texas,
where he resides today. He began his
football career as captain of his high
school team, and later was captain of
the Aggie team of 1956.
Stallings married his wife, Ruth Ann,
after his final game against the Univer
sity of Texas. He played under Coach
Paul “Bear” Bryant, and followed him to
the University of Alabama as an assis
tant coach after graduation.
Stallings was named head coach at
Texas A&M in 1965. In 1968, Stallings’
team won the Southwest Conference
championship and beat his mentor
Bryant’s Alabama team in the Cotton
Bowl. Stallings left A&M in 1971, con
tinuing his career as an assistant coach
of the Dallas Cowboys and head coach
of the St. Louis Cardinals.
Elected to the A&M Hall of Fame in
1982, Stallings has also received the
National Boys Club’s Alumni-of-the-
Year Award and the 1983 Dallas Father
of the Year.
Stallings’ commitment to family
led him back to Alabama in 1990 as
head coach and partner in
Tuscaloosa’s three-year-old Stallings
Center. The center ministers to 100
children under the age of 5 who have
disabilities including cerebral palsy
and Down syndrome.
Stallings contributed speaking
fees to complete the building and
continues to visit the children at the
center. Martha Cook, the center’s di
rector, told People, “The children
love him, and I think he’s one of the
heroes of the world.”
Brian Wood, a senior biology major,
headed the Muster subcommittee
charged with choosing the speaker.
“When we first started the search,
the committee brainstormed over
characteristics we wanted to see in a
speaker,” Wood said. “We wanted an
Aggie who continued to be dedicat
ed to A&M, and someone who could
relate to the members of the Class of
‘48 and to current students. Mr.
Stallings’ dedication to family and
integrity made him most represen
tative for the job.”
Two weeks ago, Wood joined Leslie
and the committee’s advisor, Dr. Wynn
Rosser, at Stallings’ home in Paris and
invited him to speak at Muster.
“Mr. Stallings is the most down-
to-earth person I have ever met,”
Wood said. “He welcomed three
strangers into his home and talked to
us for three hours.”
This year’s Muster will be the first
event held in Reed Arena. In the past,
only 4,500 seats were available for stu
dents. The new location will allow for
11,500 student seats.
A&M students can take an active
roll in this year’s Muster as a family
host.
Rick Hall, host coordinator and a
junior biochemistry major, said stu
dents can work during Muster Aware
ness Week and on the afternoon of
Muster. The host will escort families
who have come to the ceremony to
honor loved ones and offer support
during their grieving process.
Hall, who served as a host during
his freshman year, said he “fell in love
with A&M” after the experience.
“I learned that an Aggie ring can
unite people around the world,” Hall
said. “The experience really brings
home tlie tradition. It allows you to see
why we really have Muster and it
shows the Aggie spirit to others. You
leave Muster knowing that you shared
your love for A&M and showed fami
lies that their loved ones will always be
remembered.”
Students interested in the host
program must attend an informa
tional meeting tonight in Room 292A
of the Memorial Student Center from
5:30-6:45.
fexas executes Tucker
por 1983 pickax slaying
i^TUNTSVILLE (AP) — Karla Faye Tucker, the born-again Christian who
l^red debate over redemption on death row, was executed Tuesday for a
3 pickax slaying in Houston.
^Tucker, the first woman put to death in Texas since the Civil War, was pro-
y meed dead at 6:45 p.m. CST, eight minutes after a lethal injection began
ving into her outstretched arms.
r Qjfjn her final statement, Tucker expressed love for her family and husband
Ta |Cl apologized to her victims’ families.
T would like to say to all of you, the Thornton family and Jerry Dean’s family,
t Ipm so sorry,” she said. “I hope God will give you peace with this.”
■She also thanked prison officials, saying, “You have been so good to me.”
love all of you very much. I’m going to be face to face with Jesus now,” she said.
|lwill see you all when you get there. I will wait for you.”
■ten she was finished, Tucker closed her eyes, licked her lips and ap-
red to say a silent prayer. She coughed twice, groaned softly and went
^nt as the drugs took effect.
Ke execution came less than an hour after her final appeals were turned down
Tfe U.S. Supreme Court and Gov. George W. Bush announced he would not
ifja 30-day reprieve.
•fish, who appeared pained in a brief news conference carried on national tele-
>n. said the case had been thoroughly reviewed by appellate courts and she
l!:l been treated fairly. The governor was Tucker's last hope for mercy.
‘May God bless Karla Faye Tucker, and God bless her victims and their fami-
>”Bush said.
He said he had “sought guidance through prayer” before making the decision.
‘I have concluded judgments about the heart and soul of an individual on
ith row are best left to a higher authority,” he said.
(Eleventh-hour appeals also were rejected by a state court and the 5th U.S.
^cuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.
■cker, 38, faced lethal injection for using a 3-foot-long ax to hack to
th a Houston man during a burglary at his apartment more than 14 years
• The attack also claimed the life of a woman, who was found with the ax
®Hed in her chest.
Open house to educate students
about financial aid opportunities
INSIDE
agxte
By Amanda Smith
Staffwriter
Students looking for information on financial aid
to pay school bills may attend the Student Financial
Aid Scholarship Open House tonight from 5 to 8
p.m. on the second floor of the Pavilion.
Janie Guajardo, a financial aid assistant for the
Department of Financial Aid, said that students
should take advantage of available financial aid
information.
“A lot of students may not be aware of all available
means of financial aid,” Guajardo said. “We are going
to have staff on hand, scholarship drawings and door
prizes. There are means to look for money.”
Guajardo said that students may use the com
puters to access information about scholarships
and talk to financial aid counselors about any ques
tions concerning financial aid.
“We have staff that can enter and transfer the
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
electronically,” Guajardo said.
FAFSA forms for the 1998-99 school year are
available through the Student Financial Aid De
partment.
MarianaVillarreal, a work-study employee and a
junior business analysis major, said she has gained
information about financial aid opportunities by
working and helping others in the Student Finan
cial Aid Dept.
“If students come in and ask questions about
FAFSA or any financial aid, the department can help
students,” Villarreal said. “There are counselors al
ready assigned to students. Sometimes, the stu
dents think that financial aid is just loans, but there
are lots of means to gain financial aid for school.”
Informational sessions will begin at 5:30 p.m. in
the Pavilion 229. Sessions will provide information
on study abroad, employment, scholarships and
general financial aid information.
As part of financial aid awareness week, the Stu
dent Financial Aid Department will provide finan
cial aid resource tables on the first floor of the MSG
from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. through Feb. 11.
A second open house will be held on Feb. 12
from 1 to 6 p.m. in MSG 224. Prior to the open
house, the department will feature a float in front
of Rudder fountain.
Special information sessions will be held on Feb.
12 from 1 to 5:30 p.m. in MSG 229 and 230. Sessions
will feature information on general financial aid,
student employment, study abroad programs and
scholarship opportunities.
Kelly Reynolds, a senior financial aid counselor, said
that students can gain valuable information about ap
plying for grants and scholarships. She said that stu
dents can leam more about study abroad programs.
“The general financial aid session will include in
formation on filling out the FAFSA and applying for
grants and loans,” Reynolds said. “The employment
session will cover what student employment entails.
The study abroad session will review the details in
volved in application and participation.”
Students seeking information on financial aid may
go the Financial Aid Department on the second floor
of the Pavilion from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Student may call
845-3981 with questions about financial aid or visit
the department’s Web page at http://faid.tamu.edu.
s rest, cause
severe medical problems
for students.
See Page 3
sports
Women go for second
straight victory against
Baylor.
See Page 7
opinion
McDaniel: Texas cattle
industry squares off with
Oprah Winfrey.
See Page 11
online
http: / /battalion.tamu.edu
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