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IDW 76
104™ YEAR • ISSUE 171 • 6 PAGES
TEXAS ASM UNIVERSITY ■ COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS
Next Week
Front Page:
Texas Higher Education
Board examines future of
A&M link with South
Texas College of Law.
THURSDAY • JULY 16 • 1998
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Left: The newly-renovated
reading room of the Cushing
Memorial Library will replicate the
reading room of the original
library with modern enhance
ments. The room's furniture
includes oak bookcases, oak
library tables and chairs and a
stenciled ceiling with decorative
descenders in many colors.
Below left: Shana Hubbard, a
junior elementary education ma
jor, and Michael Hurtado, a
junior history major, reshelve the
rare books and special
collections at the newly-
renovated Cushing Library.
Photo By Jake Schkicklinc/ The Battalion
Vision of restoring historical A&M library
realized after four-year facelift
Photo By Jake Shrickling/The Battalion
Rod Machen
City Editor
This week marks the begin
ning of a new era for the Cush
ing Library.
Since 1994, the Special Collec
tions and University Archives
the library is in charge of have
been temporarily stored in Ster
ling C. Evans Library while the
Cushing Library building was
being refurbished.
Donald Dyal, director of the
library, said although the Cush
ing Library building was built in
1930, it has never held these
types of collections before.
“This is a return to the way
the original Cushing Library
was envisioned," he said. “Pre
vious to 1992, special collec
tions and archives were two
separate entities."
Special Collections formed in
1968, and the University
Archives began three years later.
Cushing Library holds a wide
variety of material, Dyal said, in
cluding three miles of paper,
possibly 100,000 photographs
and at least 100,000 books.
The library also holds many
specialty items, including a foot
ball from the Texas A&M 1939
National Championship football
team, the flag that was flown at
Corregidor, Babylonian tablets,
an unpublished novel by Antho
ny Burgess, the author of A
Clockwork Orange, and all of the
scripts from the “Beauty and the
Beast" television series.
The library is named after E.B.
Cushing, Class of 1880 and gen
eral benefactor to the University.
In 1912, the Texas Legisla
ture threatened to close the
University and merge it with
the University of Texas be
cause of financial difficulties.
Cushing guaranteed notes of
credit in order to keep the Uni
versity open.
I think E.B. Cushing is every bit as
important as Sul Ross.”
— Donald Dyal
Cushing Memorial Library Director
Dyal said he became worried
about 10 years ago when he
heard rumors of the demolish of
the Cushing Library.
“What this building has that a
new building wouldn't have is
charm," Dyal said. “It's got his
tory. It's got presence."
Cushing also funded the
building of the YMCA building
with a matching grant from John
D. Rockefeller.
And during World War I,
Cushing called upon J.P. Mor
gan to help him get into the mil
itary despite the fact Cushing
was in his 50s.
When he died, Cushing left
his personal library of engineer
ing texts to establish a library for
the University.
Dyal, who has been at Texas
A&M since 1973, said Cushing is
an important historical figure
from the University's past.
“I think E.B. Cushing is
every bit as important as Sul
Ross," he said.
With the refurbished Cushing
Library, the new West Campus
library and the study center ad
dition, the University is in a li
brary-building phase, Dyal said.
“I believe we have more li
brary building than anywhere
in North America," Dyal said.
“It has all happened in the last
few years."
Having a top library is a key
to having a top university, Dyal
said, and the current administra
tion is doing a good job of pro
moting the University's libraries.
“President [Ray] Bowen has
been the most ardent advocate of
libraries of any administrator
since I've been here," Dyal said.
“A&M is laying tracks, not fol
lowing them."
Beaumont attorneys chosen to defend
men charged in Jasper murder
| BEAUMONT, Texas (AP) —Two at
torneys from Beaumont were named
/to complete the legal team that will
'defend three white men charged with
^ capital murder in the dragging death
of an African-American jasper man
last month.
C. Haden “Sonny" Cribbs Jr. was ap
pointed Tuesday by state District Judge
| joe Bob Golden to defend Bill King, 23,
1 ol jasper, and Douglas Barlow was
med to defend Russell Brewer Jr., 31,
;of Sulphur Springs.
The third man charged in the mur-
|er, Shawn Berry, 23, of Jasper, earlier
lad hired Joseph C. “Lum" Hawthorn as
his defense attorney.
I The three, indicted last week,
Could face the death sentence if con
victed of the June 7 killing of James
lyrd Jr., 49.
Byrd was chained to the back of a
ickup truck and dragged for more than
two miles down a country road. Byrd's
head and an arm were severed.
Golden earlier had appointed Jasper
attorneys for the trio but had to name
new lawyers after the capital charges
were filed.
State law requires attorneys repre
senting clients in death penalty cases to
have special certification and no Jasper
lawyers have that certification.
Cribbs, 60, once represented Joe
Dugas, a PortArthur refinery worker sen
tenced to die by a Corpus Christi jury for
the 1978 kidnapping and murder of five
members of a Winnie family. Dugas was
killed in 1983 during an escape attempt.
Barlow, 44, handled the appeal for
Michael Lee Lockhart, executed last
year for killing a Beaumont police of
ficer in 1 987.
Hawthorn, 56, is a former FBI special
agent who also was an assistant district
attorney and assistant U.S. attorney.
News Briefs
from staff and
A&M professor
analyzes GM strikes
Low unemployment and a sympa-
hetic president in the White House have
liven other United Auto Workers mem-
>ers confidence to support GM strikers,
ccording to a Texas A&M University
Management professor.
Leonard Bierman, who specializes in
abor policy issues, said that unions have
More bargaining clout because unem-
Jloyment is low.
"It's hard for companies to find re
placement workers," Bierman said, not-
ng that GM has not yet tried to replace
t$ striking workers.
Although GM's reluctance to seek re
placements may be in part to keep the
Wke from escalating, it also may be be
cause low unemployment has decreased
the number of replacement workers who
wire reports
are readily available, he said.
The political backing of a president
from the Democratic Party has created a
supportive environment for unions, Bier
man said.
“Clinton has been more pro-union
in terms of proposed legislation," Bier
man said. "We still have a conservative
Congress, but that's better for unions
than a Republican president and a Re
publican Congress."
Library bookdrop
added near MSC
A library bookdrop is now located be
tween the Memorial Student Center and
Rudder Tower for the convenience of stu
dents and faculty. Positioned between the
two buildings under the canopy walk, it is
one of two bookdrops on campus. The
other is located across from the Weisen-
baker Engineering Research Building.
Taking a stand
■ The circus
evokes smiles from
kids of all ages,
but one student
isn’t laughing.
By Brandon Bollom
Photo Editor
Ringling Bros, and Barnum & Bailey Cir
cus came to Bryan-College Station to enter
tain audiences, but after the laughter and ap
plause of the first night quieted down, a
small protest began the second.
Jon Ridenour, a junior bioengineering
major representing People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals (PETA), stood in front
of Reed Arena with the dual goals of in
forming the public of his (and PETA's) con
cerns about the treatment of animals used in
the circus' performances and to spread the
word about a related student organization
he plans to start in the fall.
The lack of any animal rights-type orga
nization in the area is his reason for wanting
to initiate one.
Ridenour said his protest was formed to
educate the public on the history of abuse
circus animals have endured.
Ridenour also said his opposition is not
for circuses in general, but only for those cir
cuses that have animal events.
"Ringling Bros, has shot animals; they lie
about where they get animals; animals have
died in their care; and they've even mutilat
ed a baby goat to look like a unicorn. I can't
think people understand this, or they
wouldn't support circuses that have animal
events," he said.
Photo By Brandon Bollom/The Battalion
John Ridenour, a junior bioengineering major and PETA member, stands outside Reed
Arena Wednesday afternoon to protest the Ringling Bros.' treatment of animals.
Joel Heidtman, public relations coordi
nator for Ringling Bros., said for the past 128
years, Ringling Bros, has brought animals of
all types to all parts of the United States.
He said without animals, there would
be no show.
“Animals are our bread and butter,"
Heidtman said. "If we don't have ele
phants out there, people will want their
money back."
A PETA leaflet described a recent ac
count of what the organization considers
ill-treatment of animals.
According to the leaflet, “On January 7,
1998, Graham Chipperfield, a Ringling
Bros, trainer, pumped five shotgun blasts
into a caged tiger after the tiger had turned
on and attacked another trainer earlier in
the day."
Heidtman said this as a very unfortu
nate incident in which a tiger attacked
Chipperfield's brother, also a trainer, and
in a fit of rage, Chipperfield shot and killed
the tiger. For his actions, Chipperfield was
immediately fired.
Heidtman said Ringling Bros, spends
$200,000 per month on food and medical
care for approximately 75 animals the cir
cus travels with.
They also have a veterinarian on call in
every city in which they perform. Dr. Jim
Jensen, associate professor of zoological
medicine, was on hand along with about 12
veterinarians and veterinarian students to
view the animals as they arrived Tuesday
afternoon.
Jensen said, “The animals had very
good body flesh, they were in very good
condition in good housing facilities and
looked to be very well cared for."
Jensen said the conditions were what he
expected from a circus of this stature.