August 1996
Compression-
Short takes on big subjects
National Academy taps Fisk
Zachary Fisk, professor of physics and a member of the faculty of the National
High Magnetic Field Laboratory, has been elected to the National Academy
of Sciences.
Fisk, who conducts original research in condensed-matter physics and materials
science, is the ninth FSU faculty member named to the academy. He joined
Florida State in 1994, coming from the University of California-San Diego
and the Los Alamos National Laboratory.
New night lights
FSU's Safety and Security Advisory Committee had a bright idea - a $950,000
safety improvement project that adds 209 exterior security lights and 82
new blue-light emergency telephones to the campus' "blue-light
trail."
The phones are garnet poles topped with a blue strobe light and a white
light that burns constantly. Anyone who pushes the red emergency button
is directly connected with the FSU police by speaker phone, and the blue
light starts flashing a signal.
The campaign continues
Even though FSU's capital campaign reached its goal seven months ahead of
schedule, the money raising will continue through the end of this year.
The grand total could be considerably more than the $200,888,304 reported
in mid-May.
FSU's first capital campaign, An Investment in Learning, has generated more
than $30 million in new scholarship endowments, more than 30 professorships
and 23 endowed eminent scholar chairs.
Environmental winners
Two FSU programs that teach middle-school students about Florida's natural
resources have received the 1996 Governor's Environmental Education Awards.
"Saturday at the Sea," a hands-on learning adventure for middle
school students, won the top prize in the public and private educational
institutions category. EcoVentures, an interactive, multimedia program also
for middle school students, won the top prize in the public-private partnerships
category.
The Saturday at the Sea program, directed by Dr. Ellen Granger, features
a day at the FSU Marine Laboratory on the Gulf of Mexico.
The EcoVentures project, led at FSU by science education Professor George
Dawson and David LaHart, a research associate in the Florida Resources and
Environmental Analysis Center, lets students develop a management plan for
R.U. Green State Park, a make-believe reserve that includes a river, bay
and island.
Transition classes give tower to campus
You could call the graduates of '46, '47 and '48 "torchbearers."
They're leading the campaign to build FSU's newest landmark, the Heritage
Tower.
The 25-foot-high arched brick structure, housing a fountain topped by three
eternal flames, will be built across Pensacola Street from University
Center.
During the 50th reunion of the class of '46 this spring, a sign was erected
at the site where construction will soon begin. The lighting of the torches
is planned next year during the class of '47's reunion and FSU's 50th
anniversary.
The formal dedication will be held during the class of '48's reunion in
1998.
The unusual gift to the campus fits in with the unusual circumstances of
the three classes: the Class of '46 was the last one with only FSCW on its
diplomas; the Class of '48 was the first one with only FSU on its diplomas;
and the Class of '47 was the only one with both FSCW and FSU on its diplomas.
Finance grad writes book on investing
By Judy Taylor Cramer
Managing Editor, Florida State Times
After an injury sidelined Bay Gruber his freshman year, he decided his future
was in finance, not football.
Gruber, who earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees in finance at
Florida State, is now vice president of investments in the Cape Coral office
of Dean Witter Reynolds Inc.
He's also the author of The Investing Kit, a guide to the complex world
of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, closed-end funds, unit investment trusts
and annuities. Gruber uses a workbook format to help readers decide which
questions to ask before investing.
"Many clients don't understand all of the facts about investing and
should be more knowledgeable prior to making investments in the
marketplace,"
he said. "The terminology that's used can be confusing. In this industry,
many different words are used to represent the same ideas."
Gruber has been with Dean Witter for 24 years. During the late 1970s, he
trained new brokers at the company's New York headquarters while teaching
classes at the New York Institute of Finance.
"People realize the importance of investments to increase their standard
of living, for retirement and for their kids' college education," he
said. "If people become more informed by asking the proper questions
and invest for the long term, they have a better opportunity to increase
their net worth and provide for their financial security."
The Investing Kit, by Bay Gruber,
Copyright 1996, Dearborn Financial
Publishing Inc., $19.95, 240 pages.
~ Sports ~
SWC: From dim bulbs to wild thirsty bears
By Charlie Barnes
Executive Director, Seminole Boosters
BEVO is the name of a cow (all right, a steer; the nuances of agriculture
elude me), and this steer is the mascot of the University of Texas
Longhorns.
A magnificent beast in appearance, BEVO is nevertheless something of a dim
bulb in the intellect department. Those less enthralled with what they perceive
as a self-impressed and condescending attitude by University of Texas alumni
have suggested that BEVO is a more accurate representation of that school
than the casual observer might assume.
Last season was the swan song of the fabled Southwest Conference, composed
of seven Division I schools in Texas, plus the University of Arkansas. Its
long decline and final dissolution were rooted in the truly spectacular
hatreds nursed by most of the member schools against each other. Arkansas,
in particular, always felt expected to sit alone at the small table during
the big family dinners.
The concept of Mutually Assured Destruction did not originate with the United
States and the Soviet Union. Accusations and finger-pointing, and bloodthirsty,
Old West revenge, worthy of everything you've ever heard about Lone Star
State culture, became the signature of the Southwest Conference. In the
1980s, it seemed as if every school in the League were on probation or under
investigationp; even Texas Christian. The NCAA put Southern Methodist
out of business altogether for a couple of years.
In the end, the SWC was very much like Samson; its powers diminished, bringing
down the entire house on itself in a blind rage. One measure of the virulence
among family members is the fact that the League's nine original members
will spin off into four separate conferences this fall. Texas, Baylor, Texas
Tech, and A&M will go into the new Big 12; Rice and TCU are headed to
the Western Athletic Conference, and Houston will join the new Conference
USA. Arkansas, of course, already jumped to the SEC four years ago.
In its heyday, the Southwest Conference was one of the most feared and powerful
football leagues in America, fueled by the rich stockpiles of Texas schoolboy
talent and anchored by the legendary Cotton Bowl, until recent years the
bowl with the largest payout after the Rose. The SWC furnished us with national
champions, Heisman Trophy winners, and some of the most entertaining college
football ever played.
The league members' school mascots are especially colorful, and reflect
the peculiar and quirky personality of the State of Texas.Texas A&M
folks call themselves Aggies, but their mascot is a collie dog named Reveille.
It seems that in 1931 some Aggie students accidentally ran over a dog in
their Model T, then took the injured animal back to campus with them where
it remained for the next 14 years, happily leading the school band to Kyle
Field for every football game.
The University of Texas' first BEVO - an orange and white steer purchased
through alumni subscription - made his debut at the game against Texas A
& M in 1916. Texas won, but the audacious Aggies kidnapped BEVO and
branded him with the "13-0", the score of 1915's A&M upset
win over Texas. Following the 1920 game in which Texas beat A&M to win
the SWC title, BEVO I made another appearance, this time in the form of
steaks at a post-game dinner for both teams. The Aggies got the part with
13-0 brand.
Texas Christian University charged a committee with mascot selection in
1897. That committee determined that "horned frogs and cactus are the
two most typically Texas subjects." Forget for the moment that if the
committee was correct about horned frogs and cactus being the most typical
subjects of the area, then life in 19th Century Texas was even more dreadful
than we have ever imagined. "Horned Frogs" was chosen after it
was discovered that the University of Texas' yearbook was named The Cactus.
It was a good choice; ESPN selected it as the #1 college sports nickname
in the nation, and a student costumed as "Super Frog" prowls (hops?)
along the sidelines at games.
At Baylor University, "Bears" won the mascot honors in a 1914
vote of the student body, defeating other nominations which included antelopes,
frogs and ferrets.
I had occasion to visit Baylor some years ago, and to meet with the team
of students responsible for the deportment of the mascot bear at the games.
He lives in a special pit on campus (didn't we all?) and is very popular
with the student body. The team members, all seniors, had a somewhat different
perspective of the bear than the rank and file fans.
"The first thing you have to remember," they told me, "is
that this is a real, live, wild bear, and not a particularly bright one
at that." The team understands that the bear doesn't really want to
go to the games. "What he wants to do is run off into the woods and
play with all the other bears. Sometimes he just starts out for wherever
he's going, dragging us along behind."
At the games, he's kept on two substantial leashes, and each of the two
holders stands on an opposite side of the bear. "That's so when he
comes after one of us, the other can hold him back," one said. "Oh,
yeah," said another, "Sometimes he sort of assumes we're his lunch,
and starts to trot over for the stray arm or leg."
One of the most endearing things about the bear - from a Baylor fan's
perspective
- is that every time Baylor scores, the bear is given a treat of a bottle
of Dr. Pepper soft drink, which he holds up with both paws and drinks right
down.
"Now the bear really, REALLY likes that Dr. Pepper," explained
the handlers. "and we live in absolute dread of the situation where,
for instance, Baylor completes a long pass to the one yard line but doesn't
score... The band kicks in, the crowd goes crazy, and the bear starts looking
around for his Dr. Pepper...Have you ever tried to explain to a 2,000p;pound
bear that he can't have a treat because we DIDN'T ACTUALLY SCORE?"
What's the best thing about the bear? The students smile. "He scares
BEVO to death!"
Welcome back
Pictured from left in this 1964 Seminole football photo are Fred
Biletnikoff, Coach Bill Peterson and Steven Tensi. Biletnikoff, Tensi and
all FSU letter winners and FSCW "F" Club members are invited back
to Florida State Sept. 7 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Seminole football.
The letter winners will join the Marching Chiefs on the field at halftime
of the FSU-Duke game in a salute to each decade of FSU football.
Preseason polls place "Noles near the top again
By Daniel Mitchell
The Osceola, Special to the Florida State Times
In September, Florida State will embark on its 50th season of intercollegiate
football. Look for the Seminoles to be ranked again among the nation's elite.
Preseason polls from Athlon and Lindy's magazines place the 'Noles in the
top three nationally, while senior tailback Warrick Dunn is among the favorites
for the Heisman Trophy after rushing for more than 1,000 yards in each of
the past two seasons. Dunn elected to return to FSU for his senior year
rather than enter the National Football League.
Other returnees for Bobby Bowden's Seminoles include receivers Andre Cooper
and E.G. Green, who became the sixth tandem in NCAA history to go more than
1,000 yards each in one season; defensive ends Reinard Wilson and Peter
Boulware, who combined for 19 quarterback sacks a year ago; linebacker Daryl
Bush, who led the team in tackles as a freshman in 1994; and kicker Scott
Bentley and punter Sean Liss, seniors who aim to give FSU one of the nation's
top special teams units. Strong-armed junior Thad Busby takes over quarterback
duties from record-setting Danny Kanell.
FSU, which played its first season of football in 1947, is looking to extend
NCAA records for consecutive bowl victories (11), top-five finishes (9)
and 10-win seasons (9). The 'Noles open the schedule Sept. 7 at home against
Duke University.
50 seasons of FSU football
They'll be rockin' and 'Noling Oct. 4 as the Seminole Boosters celebrate
"Fifty Seasons of Seminole Football."
The golden anniversary celebration will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the
Tallahassee-Leon
County Civic Center.
Performing will be six bands representing the sounds of the '60s and '70s:
The Shirelles, Little Anthony and the Imperials, The Association, Paul Revere
and the Raiders, KC and the Sunshine Band and the Village People.
Charlie Barnes, executive director of the Seminole Boosters, will be master
of ceremonies for the event, which will feature former players and coaches
and "surprise guests."
Seats will be assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis. Tickets are $25
plus a $2.50 handling charge. For ticket information, call the Civic Center
ticket office at 1-800-322-3602.
Also in conjunction with Seminole football's 50th anniversary, the boosters
have established a Golden Anniversary Scholarship Endowment, with the goal
of raising between $500,000 and $1 million in scholarships. For more
information,
call the Seminole Boosters at (904) 644-3484.
1996 FSU Football schedule
Sept. 7
Duke 3:30 (ABC)
Sept. 19
at N.C. State 8:00 (ESPN)
Sept. 28
N. Carolina 3:30 (ABC)
Oct. 5
Clemson 7:30 (ESPN)
Oct. 12
at Miami 3:30 (CBS)
Oct. 26
Virginia 3:30 (ABC)
Nov. 2
at Georgia Tech 7:30 (ESPN)
Nov. 9
Wake Forest 1:00 (J-P)
Nov. 16
So. Miss 7:00 (ESPN2)
Nov. 23
Maryland (Ft. Lauderdale)
Nov. 30
Florida 12:00 (ABC)
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