SPORTS: The defense dominates Kansas's spring football scrimmage at Memorial Stadium. Page 11.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
VOL.103.NO.138
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
KANSAS STATE
HISTORICAL SOCIETY
TOPEKA KS 66612
MONDAY, APRIL 18, 1994
ADVERTISING: 864-4358
(USPS 650-640)
Student dies during soccer game
Honor student known as gifted athlete, musician
NEWS:864-4810
By Jamie Munn Kansan staff writer
A 21-year-old KU student, who friends said was a talented athlete and musician, died Saturday after collapsing during a soccer game.
James Thompson, Kirkwood, Mo., senior, was pronounced dead at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, said Joe Faletra, a Douglas County dispatcher.
Thompson collapsed while playing soccer at the Youth Sports Complex near the southwest corner of Clinton Parkway and Wakarusa Drive.
James Thompson
Faletra said a Douglas County sheriff, an ambulance and the Lawrence police responded to the emergency call at 6:20 p.m. Saturday.
An autopsy from the county coroner was planned for yesterday, but the cause of Thompson's death had not yet been determined. Faletra said.
Thompson, who was a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity, was a gifted ath-
lete, said Peter Johnston, president of the fraternity.
"He went down doing something he loved to do," Johnston said.
Thompson was playing in a soccer game against a team from Sigma Chi fraternity Saturday evening. Johnston said that during the first half of the game, Thompson had fallen and hit his head on the ground. Johnston said he did not know whether Thompson had tripped and fell forward or collapsed.
Later in the game, Thompson had trouble breathing and then quit breathing altogether, Johnston said. Two members of the Sigma Chi fraternity performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Thompson until paramedics arrived.
Johnston said Thompson was an architectural engineering major and an honor student. Thompson also had volunteered at the Child Care Center, 201 Perry St., Johnson said.
In addition to being an excellent student, Thompson also had directed the fraternity's performances in KU's Rock Chalk Revue this year. Johnston said.
"He wrote most of the music for our shows the past four years," he said. "He was a tremendously talented athlete and musician."
Richard Todd, pastor of First Presbyterian Church, 2415 Clinton Parkway, said services for Thompson will be held at 8 tonight.
As of yesterday, a memorial fund for Thompson had not been established, Johnston said.
Supporters march along Massachusetts Street during the Human Rights Parade. The parade, held Saturday afternoon, started at City Hall, GE 6th St., and ended at the Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St.
Groups march for human rights
Parade participants stress their belief that hatred and denial of basic human rights should not be tolerated under any conditions.
Parade By Cheryl Cadue and Stephen Martino participants Kansan staff writers
Chanting "Hate is not a family value" and stressing the need for equal treatment for everyone, about 125 people marched down Massachusetts Street for human rights Saturday.
The march was conducted in conjunction with LesBiGay Awareness Week, which ended Saturday. Along with LesBiGay Services of Kansas, marchers represented groups from Amnesty International, the Lawrence chapter of the National Organization for Women and the Lawrence Alliance.
Eric Moore, Lawrence senior and co-coordinator of LesB1ay Awareness Week, said the march was an important way to end the awareness week.
"The main purpose of the week was to educate and celebrate, to stand up and say we're not going anywhere," he said. "All we want to reaffirm with a march is the humanity of lesbigay people and the humanity of all persons. All we want is to be treated simply like people and have our basic human dignity respected."
The involvement of other groups was appropriate given the theme of the march, said Danielle
Myron, Vermillion, S.D., senior, and KU coordinator of Annesty International.
"We are not a singular group," she said. "We believe in the human rights for people, including lesbians, gays, bisexuals and women."
Steve Seibold, a Lawrence resident who was shopping downtown, said he supported the marchers.
"I think they should voice their opinions," he said. "They should be heard, and they should be taken seriously."
"They're here, and they're not going anywhere, so people ought to face up to it," he said. "I heard Lawrence is a real big gay place, so people might as well just start living with it."
Mark Loyd, Lawrence resident, said he had no problems with the marchers.
"I think its great that they have the courage to march," he said. "I think it's important people march for what they believe in."
Kenton Clark, an Atchison senior who watched the parade, said he was glad to see so many people marching for their rights.
Myron said she did not find these views surprising. Lawrence, she said, was more tolerant than most other places in the state or nation.
"We are very lucky in Lawrence to have the tolerance we do to these concerns," she said. "People are willing to take action for what they believe."
A few honks from passers-by and the presence of the Rev. Fred Phelps and his followers were the only visible signs of protest. Phelps is a minister at Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka and has made a career of preaching against and protesting at gay events.
Melissa Siegel, Winnetka, Ill., sophomore, said that the marchers had fun exchanging chants with the protesters, who marched on the sidewalk down Massachusetts Street. She said the best part of the day was when marchers joined protesters in the singing of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," something the protesters sang throughout the parade.
Siegel said the march and rally were inspirational.
"I find most of the time that I'm pretending to be something I'm not," she said. "At least I don't say anything, and that won't help the cause. It takes events like this to rejuvenate myself. I feel safer in expressing myself."
COMIC: Comedian "Nalty" performed Friday night as part of LesBiqGay Awareness Week. Page 3.
Police make crossing street a little tougher
By Heather Moore Kansan staff writer
Lawrence businesses and most KU students have reacted favorably to the stricter enforcement of city's jaywalking ordinance.
Mike Hampton, Gardner senior, said the enforcement of the jaywalking ordinance was fair and that it would make Massachusetts Street safer.
But David Greenbaum, first year law student from Overland Park, said the $55 ticket was too high.
"Fifty-five dollars is out of proportion to the severity of the offense," he said. "You assume a risk when you jaywalk that you'll get hit. There's the classic argument that there are probably more pressing issues facing law enforcement than jaywalking."
Rod Bremby, assistant city manager, said, "We have recognized that there is a need to enforce the law in the downtown area," but added that an official "no-tolerance policy" has yet to be developed.
The increase in enforcement is partially in reaction to a pedestrian getting hit by a car last week. Bremby said.
"The issue is how many can be injured if people continue to cross against the light," he said. "We are concerned with adequate crossing and people knowing where to cross."
Bremby said the addition of more officers downtown could explain the increase in tickets.
"The additional resources have given us more eyes to spot people," he said.
Local retailers approve
Jim Shultz, manager of Hunters, 919 Massachusetts St., said the stricter enforcement hasn't hurt his business and that he was glad the police have cracked down.
"The police are doing what they have to," he said. "There are a lot of traffic and pedestrians in key times."
Jan Hammerschmidt, manager of Saffees Inc., 922 Massachusetts St., said that she also was glad the police have been more visible.
"The police presence makes people feel safer," she said. "There are sometimes some funny people hanging around."
KJHK brings home awards
Kansan staff report
KJHK received 11 awards, including five first place awards, from the Kansas Association of Broadcasters for the 1994 Student Awards.
Chris Beurman, graduate teaching assistant for KJHK, said he was proud of the students.
"It feels great," he said. "We won more awards than any other stations again for the second consecutive year. It's also nice to be recognized for so many news programs."
The first place winners were: Troy Tarwater, Overland Park senior, for a public service announcement; Bill Tangeman, Jonesboro, Ark, senior, for a package news story; Chris Beurman for a research paper; Jason Lamb, Great Bend senior, for a complete news feature; and Cole Pepper, Prairie Village freshman, and Zachary Klein, Northbrook, Ill., sophomore, for a play-by-play broadcast.
The station also received five second place awards: Tim Joyce, Lawrence junior, and Alissa Oatman, Lakewood, Colo., senior, for a newscast; Joyce for another news story; Emily Diaz, Lawrence junior, for a complete news feature; and Susie Munn, Kansas City, Mo., senior, and Nikole Hendricks, Lawrence junior, tied for second place for the DJ personality aircheck.
Disks and tricks
A high-flying disk competition for dogs sponsored by KU Environs was just one event that kicked off this year's Earth Week events.
Page 6.
Ellison spent life working for equality
Author had impact beyond his writing
By Stephen Martino Kansan staff writer
Ralph Ellison, whose crowning literary achievement, "Invisible Man," is considered one of the greatest 20th century novels, died Saturday. He was 80.
Although "Invisible Man" was Ellison's only novel, he was remembered by members of the University of Kansas community as a man of great ability and who made a large contribution to society.
The different literary techniques "Invisible Man" goes through, said Michael Johnson, head of the English department, made the novel a true American classic.
"The texture of the language and the ambitious score of what he was trying to do
Ellison's contribution as a prominent African-American author made him a role model for many people, but especially those of his own race, said Sherwood Thompson, director
makes it great," Johnson said. "It is so rich, anybody should sit down and read it."
Ralph Ellison
of the Office of Minority Affairs.
Ellison was born March 1, 1914, in Oklahoma City. He discovered and was influenced by Ernest Hemingway and T.S. Eliot. He studied music composition at Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Ala., before moving to New York.
Ellison, who had pancreatic cancer, said that his approach to writing left little doubt as to how he felt about social conditions.
Thompson said that Ellison would be a missed presence in the literary community but that his contributions went beyond being an author.
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"I am a novelist, not an activist," he said. "But I think that no one who reads what I write or who listens to my lectures can doubt that I am enlisted in the freedom movement."
"His impact has been tremendous in the lives of not only African Americans but all people," Thompson said. "He was a stellar scholar, a passionate man, a role model and will be missed in the community of man."
Johnson, Thompson and Elizabeth Schultz, professor of English, agreed that "Invisible Man" was one of the greatest novels of this century and that it should be widely read.
However, Johnson cautioned that the book should be read under the guidance of a teacher or critical guidance.
"The reader finds themselves in an experience that is life-shaping and life-changing." Schultz said. "You see yourself and others in a radically different way."
"Ellison was writing in 1952 and fully recognized that America needed to address its long-term legal inequities, not only in the South but certainly in towns such as Lawrence," Schultz said.
"It is not an easy book to read, but it is a relevant now as it was 30 years ago," he said. Schultz said that the strength of the book was the strength of the man.
Ellison was close to completing his second novel when he died.
Schultz said she hoped that provisions were made for publication of that novel.
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He was following a literary tradition of dreaming better dreams," she said. "I think we need Ralph Ellison more today than ever."
The Associated Press contributed information to this story.