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106 YEARS AT TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
ia) • September 24, 1999
College Station, Texas
Volume 106 • Issue 20 • 12 Pages
STTiP
Brewer sentenced to death
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
fhe Byrd family embraces after the jury's decision was released.
Lawrence Russell Brewer Jr. reacts.
Brewer’s parents, Helen and Lawrence Russell Sr., and his brother John respond to the sentencing.
BY RYAN WEST
The Battalion
Lawrence Russell Brewer Jr. will head to death
ow to await lethal injection for the dragging death
f James A. Byrd Jr. following a jury's decision yes
terday.
The jurors spent more than 14 hours over two
days to decide Brewer’s punishment following his
capital murder conviction Monday.
During deliberation yesterday, jurors asked to see
photographs of Brewer’s white-supremacist tattoos
and of him with his family.
District Judge Monte Lawlis, who presided over the
trial, said jurors took their responsibility seriously.
"Of all the trials I’ve conducted, this was one of
the hardest-working, most sincere group of jurors
I’ve ever had,” he said.
Lawlis said he was pleased with the jurors,
who analyzed and discussed the issues “fully,
frankly and freely.”
He said the effort and prepa
ration of Brazos County officials
lessened the impact difficult tri
al could have had on the city.
Joe Brown, public informa
tion officer for the city of Bryan,
said he agreed during the trial to
take on public-relations respon
sibilities for Brazos County, be
cause the county did not have —
its own public information offi
cer to handle the needs of the
national media.
“We haven’t dealt with this much coverage
since the opening of the George Bush [Presiden
“This was one of
the hardest-
working ... group of
jurors / Ve ever had. ”
— Monte Lawlis
District Judge
tial] Library [and Conference Center],” Brown
said.
He said he did not mind serving as
the county’s public information offi
cer because the city of Bryan has al
ways had a good relationship with
Brazos County.
“[The trial] couldn’t have gone
better,” Brown said. “Even some of
the national reporters said we did a
first-class job.”
He said the trial was uneventful
from a law-enforcement standpoint,
with no scares, threats or techno
logical glitches.
“The biggest help from Bryan-
College Station citizens was that they stayed away
from the courthouse,” Brown said.
“They didn’t stand there and gawk, which tends
to make law enforcement nervous.”
District Judge John Delaney of Brazos County said
he is proud of the hundreds of people who worked
to make the trial run as smoothly as possible.
“From the people who answered the call to jury
duty, to the church groups who fed and nurtured
the visitors from Jasper, the people of Brazos Coun
ty stood up and put service over self over and over,”
he said.
Brewer will now join former prisonmate John
William King on death row.
Williams has been on death row since February
for his role in Byrd’s murder.
Shawn Allen Berry, the third man charged in
Byrd’s death, goes to trial next month in Jasper. .
Prosecutors will again seek a conviction and the
death penalty.
DU
cclaimed
scientist
isits A&M
BY BRADY CREEL
The Battalion
ent builiii
14 couid
rialists I
issia.Swi
SingapoEl
thePM'P ne °f th e nation’s leading scientists, Dr. Fred
flKenzie, said man has the potential to have a
JiBiatic effect on the environment, oceans and cli-
1 ati at a lecture he hosted yesterday on the earth’s
ijipphere.
*■ Mackenzie, a professor of geochemistry at the
ts hope tivorsity of Hawaii at Manoa, is the first recipient
Paris anile Michel T. Halbouty Visiting Chair in Geolo-
ill forceJlnd Geophysics. The chair was created with a
tionandBnillion endowment given by Michel T. Hal-
Hy, Class of ’30.
eepcars-Br. Andrew Hajash, head of the Department of
id moPMogy and Geophysics, said the visiting chair pro-
oring th»i allows for exchange of ideas to occur between
ardedbWvisitor and the students and faculty of A&M,
me pod id it allows them to gain new perspectives on the
Meets they choose to discuss,
axis, t’ l'tWhat this [visiting chair] does is give us a
rcycles"iahce to interact with scholars and scientists from
insevetiB, nc j world,” he said.
ids. Halbouty said the College of Geosciences is cur-
|ly the only college at A&M that has this program.
Ie said he believes other colleges at the Uni-
ity can benefit from the visiting chair concept
fvell.
Former cadets to gather
for third annual Reunion
8
CODY WAGES/The Battalion
Michel T. Halbouty, Class of 30, listens as visiting
professor Dr. Fred Mackenzie delivers his lecture. Hal-
bouty’s donation of $1 million to create the visiting
chair endowment made the visit possible.
“1 think the infusion of people from the outside
can do a lot of good for not only students, but for
the faculty,” Halbouty said.
Hajash said the visiting chair was designed to al
low a guest to come each year to offer his or her in
sight on their field of expertise.
“Every year there will be somebody else who
will come in and spend from a week to a few
months here,” he said.
“This is an opportunity that we have not had in
the past, and I think other departments will be try
ing to do the same thing.”
Dr. Mackenzie said he had a great experience
visiting Texas A&M.
Throughout the week, faculty and students of
the College of Geosciences have had a chance to
share knowledge with Mackenzie.
“For the last four days, I have really had noth
ing but exciting meetings with students and facul
ty, talking about their research and futures,”
Mackenzie said.
BY STUART HUTSON
The Battalion
Former Corps of Cadets mem
bers will return to campus this
weekend to rekindle the friend
ships they established during
their years at A&M at the third an
nual Corps of Cadets Reunion.
Lt. Col. Keith Stephens, direc
tor of the Corps of Cadets Center
and Class of ’71, said the reunion
offers former cadets the chance to
relive their college days.
“A lot of former cadets come to
kind of reignite the flame of Aggie
tradition,” Stephens said. “They
can come in and watch the
march-in at Kyle Field or go to the
Midnight Yell Practice, just like
their college days.”
Stephens said many former
cadets come to see the changes
that have occurred within the
Corps and at A&M since they left.
“In my time here alone, I have
seen the number of students rise
from 12,000 to 43,000,” he said.
“I have seen the percentage of fe
male students rise from 1 percent
to 51 percent, and \ have seen the
campus almost triple in size.”
Stephens said some changes
are not always welcomed by the
former cadets, but they soon
come to realize that there are
some traditions that can never
stop changing.
Cadets Reunion
WHO: Former Corps members
WHERE: Texas A&M Campus
WHEN: This weekend
WHY: To offer former cadets
the chance to relive their
college days.
“Take the dining-hall policy for
example,” he said.
“Some former cadets were here
when it was family-style, ‘ and
some where here when it was
cafeteria-style. Neither under
stands why the tradition has to
keep changing, but they eventual
ly come to accept it.”
Stephens said some character
istics of the Corps will never
change despite the changes which
occur at the University.
“The Aggie Code of Honor, the
14 Leadership Traits and the mot
to ‘Soldier, statesman, and knight
ly gentlemen’—the traits which
make someone proud to be a
member of the Corps will never
change,” Stephens said.
Corps of Cadets Commander
Forrest Lane, a senior political
science and economics majo r ,
said the returning former cadets
offer a valuable learning experi
ence for cadets who may have
questions about their time after
the Corps.
“These are people who have
been where we are now and many
have become extremely success
ful,” Lane said. “Not only can
they offer mentorship that can
help with future endeavors, but
they can offer advice about where
we are now. ”
Gen. Donald Johnson, Corps of
Cadets deputy commandant and
chief of staff, said in addition to
reliving old traditions, the former
cadets will also have the opportu
nity to enter a golf tournament
from which the proceeds will go
toward two-year Corps of Cadets
scholarships.
Johnson said there are current
ly more than 40 current and for
mer cadets signed up to play in
the tournament, which he said he
hopes will bring in $5,000 for
scholarships.
INSIDE
Aggielife
feugar and
Spice and two
Ismoking barrels
Tls discuss
|jnownership.
Page 3
Sports
•Ags set to play
Southern Miss
Be No. 5 Aggies look
to continue winning streak.
Par
^Opinion
•Load me down,
Matey!
MP3s has created
new opportunities
for pirating music.
Page 11
Batt Radio
Listen to KAMU-FM 90.9 at
1:57 p.m. for details on a photo
exhibit on Cowboys.
Hearne fest
to celebrate
harvest time
BY ERIKA DOERR
The Battalion
Downtown Hearne will come alive Satur
day as visitors to the third annual Crossroads
Sunflower Festival enjoy food, live music, arts
and crafts.
Kathy Stracener, executive director of
Hearne’s Chamber of Commerce, said the
festival is a celebration of the sunflower
harvest season.
“Sunflowers used to be raised commer
cially in Hearne, but not anymore,” Stracener
said. “This festival is a harvest celebration in
the heart of the Brazos Valley. Hearne is the
sunflower capital of Texas. ”
Events will begin at 9:30 a.m. and contin
ue until dark. Musicians such as the Full
House Blues Band, Honey Boy Webster and
the On Time Gospel Singers and Bobby Hall
and the Ice Cold Blues Band will perform
throughout the day.
Sally Pryor, wife of Hearne City Manager
New class to address civil rights
ROBERT HYNECEK/the Battalion
Ken Pryor, said this will be the second time
she participate in the festival.
“Last year it rained on the festival, but
even with the rain, everyone still came out
and joined in the festivities,” she said. “The
first year I went the musicians were out
standing. I can’t believe we have such in
credible talent in this area.”
“The year I participated, I estimate there
were some 3,000 people attending the festi
val,” she said.
“There have been several Texas A&M stu
dents who participate by selling drinks at var
ious booths and coming to enjoy the festivi
ties. I am excited to see how many people will
attend this year.
BY EMILY R. SNOOKS
The Battalion
Twenty-five Texas A&M students gathered
yesterday to discuss the civil-rights move
ment of the late ’50s and early ’60s and an
upcoming class to befoffered in the spring for
those who want to learn more about the
movement.
Jennifer Powis, an assistant in the
Women’s Studies Program, showed clips
from “Eyes on the Prize,” a PBS documen
tary about the civil-rights struggle, and then
led a discussion about the events shown in
the film.
Powis said it is important for students to
learn about the movement because most stu
dents know only small details, and at the col
lege age they can now relate to the struggle.
“We need to meet the need on campus.
There are only a couple classes [about the civ
il rights movement] offered at A&M for stu
dents.
“[College] students can relate to the events
because many of the participants [in the civ
il-rights movement] were high-school and
college students.”
Leslie Malitz, a junior theater arts major,
said she attended the discussion because she
did not realize the civil-rights movement is
still active today.
She said it was not until she moved to
Maryland from Colorado that she discovered
there were still racial boundaries.
“I always thought everything was fine and
the civil rights movement had solved every
thing,” she said. “But I found out when I
moved that it didn’t accomplish everything that
needed to be done. ”
Malitz said to expand her knowledge of the
civil rights movement, she hopes to take a
class at A&M focusing on the movement.
Lorna Hermosura of the Multicultural Ser
vices Department attended the meeting to in
form students about a class she will be co-in-
structing in the spring titled leadership of the
civil rights movement.
Hermosura said the course studies the civ
il rights movement in preparation for a spring
break trip in which the class will travel to sites
of major civil-rights protests in the South.
“All the students will travel to Atlanta,
[Ga.], Birmingham,[Ala.] Little Rock, [Ark.]
and Selma [Ala.],” she said. “They will be
able to meet people who were actually in
volved [in the movement].”
“It is the opportunity of a lifetime and not
to mention a life-changing experience. ”
The class enrollment has been limited to
12 students, and those who wish to enroll
in the class must submit an application with
an essay. Applications will be available at
the end of October in the Multicultural Ser
vices office.