The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, September 20, 2004, Image 1

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    jr ■ Monday, September 20, 2004
The Battalion
AGGIELIFE:
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page 3
olume 111 • Issue 17 • 10 pages
A Texas A&M Tradition Since 1893
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recking Crew returns
Aggies defeat Clemson 27-6 Saturday
By Nikki Knight
THE BATTALION
JOSHUA HOBSON
itribute
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|inior quarterback Reggie McNeol dodges sopho-
r re tailback Tramaine Billie for a four-yard gain
itie red zone during the second quarter against
Clemson in front of 71,565 people on Saturday at Kyle
Field. McNeal passed for a total of 178 yards with no
interceptions. The Aggies beat the Tigers 27-6.
After last week’s reemergence
of the Aggie defense, Texas
A&M football fans saw it in full
force Saturday as the Aggies de
feated No. 25 Clemson 27-6.
The Aggie defense sacked
the Atlantic Coast Conference’s
leading passer, Charlie Whitehu
rst, five times and held him to 20
of 36 and 192 yards with three
interceptions and a touchdown.
Clemson totaled 250 yards on 63
offensive plays for the night.
After a strong defensive first quar
ter and the Aggies’ adjustment to the
Tigers’ no-huddle offense, a drive
started after Aggie redshirt freshman
Japhus Brown’s interception at the
end of the first quarter ignited the
A&M offense. A 44-yard rash by
sophomore naming back Coiutney
Lewis and an 11 -yard pass to junior
tight end Boone Stutz highlighted
the drive that ended with the first
touchdown of the game.
The Aggies scored again in the
second quarter with a four-play, 71 -
yard drive beginning with an inter
cepted pass by senior Byron Jones
and ending in a 29-yard touchdown
run by Lewis.
Clemson’s only touchdown came
on the next drive and was highlight
ed by a 15-yard touchdown pass to
senior tight end Ben Hall. The extra
point attempt by junior kicker Ste
phen Furr was no good, however.
The Aggies wrapped up scor
ing in the first half with a 32-yard
field goal by junior Todd Pegram.
A 99-yard drive in the third quar
ter, which ended in a three-yard
rush by senior wide receiver Jason
Carter for a touchdown, tied the
school record for longest drive and
brought the score to 24-6. Pegram
wrapped up scoring for the game
with a 36-yard field goal with 8:43
to go in the fourth quarter.
Clemson junior quarterback
Whitehurst said he attributed his
team’s loss to an inability to handle
the blitz and four turnovers, com
pared with A&M’s zero. Whitehu
rst said that even during the Tigers’
one-touchdown drive, the team
never got a rhythm going.
“We didn’t do anything,”
Whitehurst said. “We could’ve
at least made it a game if we
had just shown up.”
Clemson head coach Tommy
Bowden said he blamed the loss on
numerous missed tackles, protection
problems and turnovers.
Bowden said his defense had a
hard time against A&M’s isolat
ed formation with no backs and
concentration on the middle.
Offensively, Bowden said, the
team had a hard time with the strong
comer blitz by A&M, which was
similar to the one it saw last week
against Georgia Tech.
“They got us early — that was
a schemed thing,” Bowden said.
“They made us execute the pass
ing game, and we did not do it.”
Other key players for A&M
included redshirt freshman cor-
nerback Erik Mayes and senior
Keelan Jackson, who led the de
fense with 10 tackles each.
McNeal had a strong offensive
day with 129 yards rushing and 307
total yards. Lewis bounced back
from an injury that forced him to
miss last week’s game, accumulating
a team-leading 165 yards rushing.
“Last week when 1 was at
home watching the game, I had
a little urge to come back out and
make a statement that I’m still
See Crew on page 2
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head and this ijured two others, according to a final
ivestigation report released Sept. 13
the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
According to the 17-page report
Fallen Aggie finally comes home
By Jordan Meserole
THE BATTALION
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ined that natural gas leaked from
lies throughout the piping and ac-
imulated in the apartment, where an
lidentified ignition source caused
: natural gas to explode.
The report states that investiga-
rs Eric Hurt, College Station Fire
epartment assistant chief and fire
vestigator, and Steve Smith, the
illege Station Fire investigator,
scovered several leaks in the pip-
g, including a one-foot jagged hole
exterior piping leading into the
artment. In the report, investigators
id this hole, like others discovered
the piping, had signs of corrosion.
“This hole had a jagged end with
yers of corrosion staggering to the
opening,” the report stated. “This
hole and the smaller ones appear to
have developed over an extended
period of time.”
According to the report, investi
gators also discovered several leaks
within the apartment that allowed
the gas to seep in and accumulate.
“In the opinion of the College Sta
tion Fire Marshal’s Office, the large
hole located in the underground
pipeline near the pipe-chase air vent
opening and the leak at the water
heater leaked enough natural gas that
would be drawn into the chase with
the fresh air needed for the combus
tion process of the water heaters to be
the primary cause for the release of
fuel for this fire,” the report stated.
According to the report, the ques
tion of why natural gas did not accu
mulate in explosive quantities in adja
cent apartments remains unanswered.
“The reason for this may never
be known,” the report stated.
Since this blast. University offi
cials have replaced all external gas
lines in University Apartments.
Central Vietnam’s scenery can be described as breathtaking
— rolling mountains, lush greenery and the occasional stream
dictates the view of the region.
For 36 years, this was the site of 2nd Lt. Donald Matocha’s
grave, on Dong Ma Mountain. It wasn’t Matocha’s home,
though, just a temporary resting place until the fallen soldier
could return to the United States.
On Sept. 18, Matocha’s burial view changed to the roll
ing hills and large pecan and pine trees of Smithville, Texas.
Matocha had finally come home.
“For years, we kept up hope that we would be able to find
him,” said Matocha’s oldest sister, Loretta Eiben. “And today,
this chapter is closed.”
Matocha excelled in school, graduating Magna Cum Laude
from Smithville High before enrolling at Texas A&M in 1963.
“It’s always fun and interesting when you get the chance to
watch someone you know and care for grow up into a produc
tive citizen,” said Smithville mayor Renee Blaschke. “When
he left, he was so determined to do well in school. And of
course, we knew he would.”
Matocha wouldn’t disappoint his supporters in Smithville.
He graduated in three-and-a-half years with a bachelor’s de
gree in civil engineering. Some of Matocha’s classmates jok
ingly say they owe their college degrees to him.
“(Matocha) was very quiet but also very smart,” said
Mickey Batsell, a friend and classmate of Matocha. “Peo
ple knew they could ask him for help because he would do
anything for his buddies.”
Upon graduation, Matocha enlisted with the Marine Corps and
was immediately commissioned as a lieutenant. He visited his
family once more before he was deployed, on his way out of
town, he made sure to stop and shake the hand of every business
owner on Main Street. It would be the last time for more than 30
years that residents of Smithville would see him again.
On April 5, 1968, Matocha was leading his platoon on a
reconnaissance mission on Dong Ma Mountain. As the men
approached a ridge line of the mountain, heavy enemy fire
rained on the soldiers. The group was able to hold off long
enough to be rescued by a chopper, but Matocha, the first
casualty of the short battle, had to be left behind due to the
volatile environment, said Stan Sellers, a Marine who wit
nessed Matocha’s death.
“One of the greatest honors for a Marine is leading other
See Aggie on page 8
See Fire on page 8
The Texas State Fire Marshal's Office released a fim
investigation report about the cause of the July 31
University Apartments fire.
• Cause of fire deemed accidental
■ Holes throughout internal and external piping caused
natural gas leakage
■ One-foot long corroded hole discovered in external piping
■ Several leaks discovered within apartment U1-J, where
explosion occurred
1 Holes believed to have developed over a long period of time
BRANDI DUNN - Th£ Battalion
Regents explore improvements for A&M
By Emily Guevara
THE BATTALION
The Texas A&M Board of Regents
did not declare a chancellor, despite ex
tensive deliberation over candidates in a
closed session on Thursday in the Me
morial Student Center.
In addition to selection of the chan
cellor, the board discussed areas of the
campus that needed attention to accom
modate more students and to meet Amer
icans with Disabilities Act guidelines.
“We’re going to do a little bit more due
diligence, that is check backgrounds and
so forth, and out of that, I would expect
we’ll go forward in the next two weeks,”
said Vice Chairman Erie Nye on Friday.
Once a finalist is named, Nye said,
state law requires a 21 -day period before
the board can actually hire the person.
“The 21 days is simply to make the
public aware, and if somebody knew
something bad, I guess they could bring it
forward in that period of time,” Nye said.
Sometime after the 21 days, Nye said the
regents would call a board meeting, giving
three days notice, and deliberate and vote
on the finalists in the open session.
“So I think in a matter of five or six
weeks, we’ll have a chancellor,” Nye said.
On Friday, the board heard a report on
findings and recommendations for Kyle
Field improvements and on the athletic
facilities master plan at A&M.
Tim Donathen, executive director of
facilities planning and construction for
the A&M University System, said he pre
sented a progress report to the board on
the facility condition assessment of ath
letic facilities starting with Kyle Field.
“We gave them an update as to the
findings,” Donathen said. “We haven’t
set a firm budget or schedule for accom
plishing it yet. We were looking for board
input and reaction, and we’re waiting for
the Athletic Department and the Univer
sity to make some decisions about what
pieces they want to pursue first.”
These pieces include general func
tional improvements to things such as
handicap accessibility and the number
of toilet facilities, along with life safety
code issues, changes such as increasing
the seating capacity of Kyle Field and
building an indoor multi-sport practice
facility, Donathen said.
“I would say there are some long-term
safety and ADA issues at Kyle (Field)
that we’re going to need to address soon
er rather than later,” said A&M President
Robert M. Gates.
Donathen said the State Fire Marshal’s
Office had reviewed Kyle Field and oth
er University facilities and pointed out
areas that need attention.
“The University and Athletic Department
See Regents on page 2
SOURCE - STATE FIRE MARSHAL'S OFFICE FIRE INVESTIGATION REPORT
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By Luke Jackson
THE BATTALION
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Sixteen distinguished buildings on the Texas A&M campus were
orial Sturtecognized for historical importance to A&M heritage and for being
is prese#iodels for the Campus Master Plan in a ceremony held outside the
RecreattfjJackK. Williams Administration Building Saturday,
ness Stirf “These 16 buildings all embody the character of Texas A&M Uni-
lemorial Slftrsity,” said Executive Vice President and Provost David Prior,
with disahl The Campus Master Plan is set to take place over the next 40 years at
845-1515 jA&M and would greatly increase the size and scope of the A&M campus.
:eds. I “As part of A&M’s Campus Master Plan, these 16 buildings’
Barkers illustrate the quality of people that came before us and how
, CO mnjj« e y still inspire us today,” said A&M President Robert M. Gates.
Office £ f Williams Administration Building was built in 1932 in
Pnor of Williams, the 17th president of Texas A&M. It faced the then-
lew Highway 6 to symbolize the shift from train-to-automobile travel.
Other buildings recognized include the Chemistry Building,
which was built in 1929 and has Mexican-American influence in
its color schemes and ornamentations, Nagle Hall, which was built
in 1909 and is one of the oldest buildings at A&M; Bolton Hall,
where, on Nov. 24, 1921, William A. “Doc” Tolson, Class of 1923,
and Harry M. Saunders, Class of 1922, produced the first live play-
by-play football game broadcast on the radio in the nation (A&M
vs. Texas); and the YMCA Building, which was financed by stu
dents, alumni and the John D. Rockefeller Foundation.
Construction of future buildings on campus is said to be based on
these distinguished buildings.
“Whaf s great about the Campus Master Plan is that it recognizes
buildings on campus that model for future buildings, and we intend
to create a harmony amongst new buildings by drawing inspiration
from the old ones,” Gates said.
The celebration of the historic significance of the buildings will
celebrate A&M’s emphasis and continuation of tradition.
“Of all the universities in the world, Texas A&M has the heart of
tradition in it,” said Director of Historic Resources Imaging Labora
tory David Woodcock.
AGCilELAND ARCHITECTURE
Sixteen historically significant buildings were honored in
"The Campus Remem be red "dedication on Saturday.
♦ Nagle Ha 11(1909)
- Chemistry Building (1929)
* Academic Building (1912)
• Hart Residence Hall (1930)
» Bizzel Hall [1912)
* Cushing Library (1930)
* Bolton Hall (1912)
• Civil Engineering {1932)
♦Sbisa Dining Hall (191 3)
■ Williams Admirlstratkm Building (1932)
•YMCA Building (1914)
■ Scoates Hall (1932)
•Pavilion (1917)
• Halbouty Building (1932)
• Francis Hall (1918}
■ Animal Industries Building (1936)
BRANDI DUNN - The Battalion
SOURCE - ROBERT M. GATES, TEXAS A&M PRESIDENT
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