nirsday • June 18,1998
The Battalion
GGIELIFE
exas A&M veterinary medicine professor Nora Matthews
|v| eoches the world championship in pack burro racing
By Gray Wfiitten
StajfWriter
uring the last week of July,
| Waylon, Willie and Tammy
will make their way up
■ . 16-mile trail through the
Hjtiolmtains surrounding
UIBpkiy, Colo., ultimately
gafliing an elevation of
^00 feet and a possible
ictrary over the other
onhpetitors in the 50th
yj|ual World Champi-
'iiship Pack Burro Race,
hey won’t be going alone, how
ever. The three donkeys,
f rained for the event by
lectors at the School of
'eterinary Medicine, have been
treparing for the race for several
aonlhs now, along with their hu-
fln counterparts.
J)r. Nora Matthews, an experi-
;nced marathon runner and anes-
jsiologist with a specific interest
■he care of donkeys and mules,
■aied of the race from a 1993 ar-
icle in Runner’s World magazine.
Vlai thews kept the article and con-
(ued to gather information on
! event.
In the past two years, Matthews
learned more about the event from
a veterinary student here at A&M
and from an A&M graduate living in
the Fairplay area. When some sup
port became
available
I
e F
private par
ties in the form
of money, feed and other supplies,
Matthews realized that Texas A&M
could be represented for the first
time in the race this year.
Matthews hopes that this race
will result in the increased visibility
of donkeys and mules and demon
strate their usefulness which might
help more Americans in the field of
veterinary medicine realize the de
mand for research and information
about donkey physiology.
“Donkeys and mules are used
extensively in almost all parts of
the world today, excluding North
America,” Matthews said.
“There is a lot of research
done with horses in Amer
ica, and many people as
sume that treatments and
drugs will work the same
for donkeys, but that is
n’t always the case,” she
said.
Matthews said that
she and her associates
at the School of Veteri
nary Medicine are hoping
that the race will increase in
terest and support of donkey
studies here at A&M.
The donkeys, named for well-
known country music stars, were
purchased at auction by the Uni
versity in 1992 and have been used
for research purposes in the sum
mer months of past years. In
preparation for the event, some
uncommon training methods
have been used, including tread
mills, heart-monitoring equip
ment and circular walking pens.
see DONKEY on page 4
IA Concert I
YEARS IN THE MAKING:
Authentic medieval music made by local muses
I By Marium Mohiuddin
StajfWriter
I n the land where the VCR dominates, a
boring Friday night can be hyped up by
running down to the local Blockbuster.
Now, imagine a world where the juice of
electricity runs dry. Having fun on a Friday
and Saturday night narrows down to a good
book or a conversation with parents. How
ever, if a traveling band happens to strum
through the castle doors, entertainment is
sure to be on hand.
Early medieval, renaissance and baroque
music usually bring to mind Gregorian
chants or a man strumming his little guitar.
These ideas are only a few facets of the mul
titude of sounds associated with this time. To
aid in the experience of this era, the St. Ce
cilia band is holding their summer solstice
concert on Sunday, where an estimated 500
years of music will be on display.
The band is named after the patron saint
of music, St. Cecilia. Bonnie Harris-Reynolds,
director of the band and music director at St.
Thomas Episcopal Church said early music
has a rich sound which has fascinated her
since college.
"I began playing when I attended U.T.
and I also got my masters in organ and harp
sichord performance,." she said. " When I
moved to College Station I found some kin
dred spirits. There a quite a number of peo
ple in town who play and sing this type of
music."
Harris-Reynolds said she loves the music
because it is a combination of people com
pared to one person in charge.
"There is no king or conductor; we all play
together," she said. "The music blends beau
tifully with voices. I love the sound of the
music. The text of the melodies is lighter and
more intimate than big orchestral songs."
Harris-Reynolds said many people think
the songs are religious, but songs from the
past contain many subjects.
"Some of the songs are religious, such as
the songs for Christmas and mass," she said.
"However, most of them are secular. Most of
them are about love. Our concert is about the
summer solstice-songs about the change of
the seasons and the return of spring and
summer. This may seem odd for Texas where
the seasons don't change, but these songs
came from northern Europe where the sum
mers are beautiful."
Harris-Reynolds said the big difference in
the music are the instruments played, the
quality of the instruments changed and now
have become stronger.
"Instruments made now are much louder
and stronger so they can fill the big music
halls," she said. "The early instruments were
used for more intimate settings."
Dr. Robert Boenig, member of the St. Ce
cilia band and an English professor, said the
sound is different from what most people are
used to hearing, but it is a link to the past.
"The tones are richer than modern cham
ber orchestra," Boenig said. "There is more
variety. It gets you in touch with the past and
how things were.
"We learn when we get out of our set, and
when we are no longer trapped in your
world. We are stuck in boxes, so we need to
get out and find ourselves and find some
thing wonderful."
Flarris-Reynolds said early music is part
of our common heritage.
"It opens windows into this music," she
said. "It is a beauty that enriches our lives. It
is a delight for the senses. It puts people in
harmony with nature and with each other."
"Today for entertainment we can watch a
video, or go to a concert," Harris-Reynolds
said. "Back then that was it; there was no
electricity, so there would be traveling musi
cians who would put on court productions.
It was all live."
Today, there is a wide variety of music for
listeners. There are also various instruments
used to attain many sounds. However, the
instruments used in the concert have gone
out of style.
Boenig said in the 17th to 18th centuries
there was a musical revolution about taste
which demanded a different style.
"People wanted a more smooth and ele
gant sound," he said, "so loud and raucous
were out of use. Times change and all of the
instruments fell out of use and they were
changed from one to another."
sea DONKEY on page 4
Photo courtesy Dr. Nora Matthews
Nora Matthews guides two of her donkeys on an afternoon walk in front of the George Bush Presidential Li
brary. Matthews works with the donkeys daily through endurance and obstacle runs.
'MWI
Reflect and Rejoice |
■ AN -A'yi / M AY A ..I
11 Commemoration of Black Freedom
Penple af
ftre ttiformch
fljat in axcorfomce
kdtfj a Pmclamattmi
from tfje JUxccutibe of
ffjc Jdmtefr
slafres are free ”
(Smcral (Unrhon Oirangcr
(Salfieston, 1855
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