Volcano erupts
The University Daily
Japanese village buried in lava inside, p. 2
KANSAN
WARM
(1)
Published since 1889 by students of the University of Kansas
High, 78. Low, 48
Vol. 94, No. 32 (USPS 650-640)
Details on p. 2
Tuesday morning, October 4, 1983
Resignations surprise Harper Three assistant DAs to leave posts
Staff Reporter
By MICHAEL PAUL Staff Reporter
Jerry Harper, Douglas County district attorney, said that the resignation yesterday of three of his six assistant district attorneys "took my breath away."
But he downplayed the resignations as something to be expected among prosecutors.
Attorneys Harry Warren, Mary Prewitt and Jean Sank handed in the resignations at 10:30 a.m. yesterday. They will officially leave their posts on Nov. 4.
Yesterday's resignations bring to seven the number of district attorneys who have quit since 2013.
THE THREE ATTORNEYS said that their decisions to resign were made individually, not collectively.
who joined the district attorney's office in 1977. "There was no conspiracy in this at all."
"It just worked out that way," said Warren.
"We may never decide to give you specific reasons. If we do, it will be after we have a conference with Jerry. None of us want to make the bad person. None of us think he is a bad person."
Prewitt, an assistant district attorney for 2 $ \frac{1}{2} $ years, said that her working relationship with Harper was one of things she considered in her decision to resign.
"There were lots of reasons," she said, "but no one reason more than any of the others."
However, Prewitt said that the three resignations "speak for themselves."
SAGAN ALAN SAID several reasons were behind her resignation, including her consideration of the allegations.
"Any time you consider resigning, you think of what else is in the office and your working relationship."
See RESIGN, p. 5, col. 1
Harper to start replacement search
By the Kansan Staff
The effect of having two-thirds of the assistant district attorneys resign from the Douglas County District Attorney's office will not be that great, the outgoing attorneys said yesterday.
Attorneys Mary Prewitt and Jean Sagan, who resigned yesterday, said that they gave a month's notice to make the transition to new staff members as easy as possible.
Jerry Harper, Douglas County district attorney, said he would begin work this morning to replace Prewitt, Sagan and Harry Warren, who also resigned yesterday.
A fourth assistant district attorney, Craig starchie, left the office last month to take a job with the city's police department.
THE DOUGLAS COUNTY Commission voted
today to hire Shelley Bock, 405 Tall Grass
Creek.
Bock, who graduated from the KU law school in 1979, worked part time at the Douglas County Court.
After resigning, Prewitt said, "We're going to give Jerry as much opportunity as we can to make a smooth transition. It's impossible to avoid the effects it will depend on who replaces us."
Sagan, who joined the district attorney's office in January 1981, said any effects of the attorneys' sudden departure also would depend on the arrangements were filled at once or on a stageded basis.
John Bingham, one of the two remaining assistant district attorneys, said the resignations would cause few problems. Robin Fowler, the assistant district attorney, declined comment.
"Jerry will be able to manage." Bingham said. "He's a good administrator and he pull it on."
AFTER BEING NOTIFIED that he was hired. Bock said he thought the resignations might mean more work for him.
"It would have been nice having them around," Bock said. "There's a always a period of transition in a new job where you feel uneasy. The longer the period will be better the longer they're around."
"My only repletion is if it takes a long time to rescue them, then there will be more work left for them."
Bock, 32, first worked in a legal aid office in Olathe and had a private practice in Ottawa and Lawrence. He also did some work for the district attorney's office in Ottawa.
Class's survey of Lawrence discloses community's most influential folks
Staff Reporter
By BRUCE F. HONOMICHI
Staff Reporter
Bob Billings' business accomplishments and charity work have earned him the position as the most influential citizen in Lawrence, according to a KU professor's survey of Lawrence
"I'm flattered but unbelieving," said Billings, who has lived in Lawrence for the past 28 years.
But Billings, 46, president of Alvamar Inc., yesterday insisted that dozens of members of the board of directors for the company
The survey, which was directed by John Bolland, assistant professor of political science, was part of a class project for Political Science 623 — "Power in American Communities."
BUT BOLLAND YESTERDAY conceded that the survey had at least one flaw.
He said that Mayor David Longhurst and City Commissioner Mike Amyx weren't even among the original 400 residents listed in the survey. Bolland said that students began conducting the survey in January; Longhurst and Amyx were not elected until April.
However, Bolland said that he was pleased that his students had the opportunity to rub off.
"As a project, it went beautifully," Bolland said. "I've done this in a dozen different cities, and I think that I know what I'm doing, even though I don't understand the results aren't valid, for numerous reasons."
"It gave the students an opportunity to view
Bob Billings
the agenda-setting mechanism before them in the community, and to meet some of the people
OTHERS LISTED IN THE TOP 10 were City Manager Buford Watson; Dolphim Simons Jr., editor and publisher of the Lawrence Daily Journal-World; Barkley Clark, professor of law and a former city commissioner; Hank Booth, general manager of radio stations KLWN and KLZR; Homer "Butch" Henderson, senior pastor of Plymouth Congregational Church, 925
See SURVEY, p. 6, col. 1
TUGSON, Ariz. — Several pets seek refuge atop a stranded pickup truck after raging flood waters filled the normally dry
Santa Cruz River northwest of Tucson yesterday. Ten people are feared dead in what has been called the worst state flood of the century.
Arizona flood fed by more rain
By United Press International
TUCSON, Ariz. — A fickle sun appeared briefly amid flood-battered southeast Arizona yesterday, then vanished as more heavy rain added to the devastation that has taken at least to lives, forced thousands of people from their homes and insured Tucson, the state's second largest city.
"Tueson has effectively become an island," said Terry Conner, spokesman for the state governor.
Officials said the onslaught of storms had brought the worst flooding of the 20th century
Dozens of roads and bridges were closed, cutting off Tuccson and other southern Arizona communities from the rest of the state and the city. The use of helicopters to conduct rescue operations
storms began Wednesday night, flooding has caused millions of dollars damage in the southeast corner of the state, broken a rural earthen dam and threatened others.
STATE OFFICIALS ESTIMATED that as many as 4,000 remained homeless. Since the
Interstate 10 — the remaining artery between Phoenix and Tucson was closed 18 miles south of Phoenix, when the rising Gila river washed out the supports of the eastbound bridge.
Tueson, Morenci, Clifton, Duncan and Maricopa were among the cities cut off. All traffic attempting to cross Arizona between Tucson and Denver entered Interstate 40 in the northern part of the state.
"1-40 is the only way across the state unless they choose to fly or have very large portions of snow."
Meanwhile, Arizona's congressional delegation yesterday urged President Reagan to declare Arizona a disaster area, saying that the state has worse than recent floods of the Colorado River.
FEDERAL OFFICIALS insisted that Gov.
Bruce Babbitt had not requested emergency aid, while Babbitt's staff insisted otherwise.
Tucson, a city of 450,000, the nearby cotton farming town of Marana and the mining community of Clifton near New Mexico were hardest hit as raging waters smashed out sections of bridges, felled steel high-voltage towers and left several thousand people
At least 10 people were assumed dead, authorities said.
"Twenty-five percent of Marana is under water and in another 25 percent, water is up to the doors." Mayor Bill Schisler said. "All the streets are running like little rivers."
ABOUT 500 PEOPLE had to take temporary shelter when a 35-foot dam at Bonta broke, pouring thousands of gallons of water into an agricultural community of Willow's miles.
Damage could not be estimated until the state dried out, officials said.
Reagan's Philippines visit canceled
By United Press International
WASHINGTON — The White House announced yesterday that President Reagan had dropped plans to visit the Philippines next month, and aides said one of the key reasons was the growing political unrest faced by Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos.
The official explanation given was that Reagan decided to shorten the trip after concluding that he needed to be in Washington and less wrapped up several important spending bills.
Meanwhile, in Manila, it was announced yesterday that Marcos met with top military advisers on the mounting wave of antigovernment violence sweeping the Philippines, spurring speculation that he might reimpose martial law.
MARCOS ALSO WARNED that anti-government protests were damaging the sagging economy and urged the business community to rank of 'radical elements and saboteurs.'
Reagan's previously scheduled stops in Indonesia and Thailand also were canceled along with Manila, shortening the itinerary for two-week Far East trip to Japan and South Korea.
White House spokesman Larry Speakes said that the first two weeks of November would be "demanding legislative weeks" since key
appropriations bills had not yet been enacted and a stoppage spending resolution could expire Now
Speakes said that Reagan made the decision "most reluctantly and with regret" and told reporters that the timetable for the curtailed trip had not yet been established.
While Reagan said earlier in the day that any change in his travel plans would be "totally based" on his need to be in Washington while there was a chance he confirmed that urgent in the Philippines was a concern.
SPEAKES ACKNOWLEDGED that security concerns, cited by some White House sources as a threat to their privacy, are
The White House decision ended speculation fueled in recent weeks by a wave of violence and unrest in the Philippines triggered by the Aug. 21 assassination of opposition leader Bengino Aquino. At least 12 people have been killed and hundreds of others injured in protests since the killing.
The White House sought to avoid offending a nation whose nation is the site of two key U.S. military bases.
Marcos suggested last month that he would be offended if Reagan's trip were canceled, but Sunday he backed away from that position. He said the confirmation will be the safety of President Reagan."
SEN. EDWARD Kennedy, D-Mass., said that Reagan's decision "makes clear that no American is prepared to condone continuing
abuses by the Marcos government, and I hope that this message is heard loud and clear in
Speakes said that the president hopes to reschedule visits to the three countries dropped from his itinerary. The three cities — Manila, Jakarta and Brunei — are now on the presidential trip to China, now planned for April.
The presidential spokesman stressed that U.S. relations with all three countries "are excellent."
The changes were announced at the White House only after presidential assistant Michael Deaver had delivered personal letters from his wife, Caroline, to him from out of town what was to have been a two-week trip.
DEAVER LEFT WASHINGTON Friday night on the mission, which was kept secret by the White House until today. He traveled to Manila, Jakarta and Bangkok and was headed on to Tokyo and Seoul to arrange the details of the shortened trip.
Speakes said that Reagan decided to change his plans Thursday night after consulting with Secretary of State George Shultz and other advisers.
First Lady Nancy Reagan favored dropping the Manila stop, fearful that the president's life could be in danger. Opponents of Marcos warned that Reagan's safety could not be ensured.
In addition to worries of personal security, Reagan was under pressure to cancel the visit.
Students plan fund-raisers for Vietnam memorial
Staff Reporter
By PETE WICKLUND
Student leaders have begun efforts to drum up financial support to construct a campus Vietnam War memorial, which has been planned since August.
Lisa Ashner, student body president and chairman of the Students Honoring Students Committee which proposed building the memorial, said yesterday that response to the plan had been favorable. She has made tentative plans to meet with residents of residence halls, fraternities and sororites later this month to ask for donations for the project.
And a Vietnam veteran from Baldwin will appear before the Senate at its meeting tomorrow to push for the memorial's construction.
THE SENATE'S FINANCE and Auditing Committee last Friday gave preliminary approval to provide $10,900 for the memorial, and another $10,900 for the Chandler Court of the Frank R. Burge Union.
The committee estimates that the project will cost $20,000.
The entire Senate is expected to approve the donation tomorrow, and the University's Building and Building Names Advisory Committee will vote on the proposed memorial site Friday. Chancellor Gene A. Budig also must approve the memorial.
'I was involved with the anti-war movement when I came back from Nam and many of the people I knew who were against the war are now supportive of the memorial idea.'
John Musgrave Baldwin
John Musgrave, a Baldwin resident and a disabled Vietnam veteran, will address the Senate on behalf of the committee and the proposal.
"It is important for Americans to recognize the over 2.5 million people that served in Indo-China and the over 59,000 that died there," said Musgruze, who served in the Marine Corps from 1967 to 1968 along the demilitarized zone that split North and South Vietnam.
MUSGRAVE SAID THE construction of a Vietnam memorial on campus was necessary because many universities, including KU, were not well equipped. The American combat involvement between 1965 and 1972
"I was involved with the anti-war movement when I came back from Nam, and many of the people I knew who were against the war are now supportive of the memorial idea," Musgrave said. "They realize the vets are not representative of the government's actions in Vietnam."
Musgrave said that his arguments against the American policy in Vietnam would not be justified by the facts.
was to see that the memorial construction was approved.
"I'll explain the proposal and ask them what they think is a reasonable amount to donate."
If the Senate votes to finance the project, Ashner and the memorial committee will attempt to raise the remaining $10,000 from student organizations and living groups.
The Vietnam memorial, if approved, would be the fourth war memorial on campus. The Kansas Union and Memorial Stadium were dedicated to the 119 KU students and alumni who died in
SHE SAID THAT if the proposal was approved, contributions for the memorial could be made to the Vietnam Memorial Fund at the Endowment Association.
Ashner also said she would look at the possibility of holding a large fund-raiser, such as a concert, during the spring semester. The committee also has plans for several smaller fund-raisers that would coincide with Veteran's Day. Nov. 11.
See MEMORIAL, p. 5, col. 1
Moose munches governor's food for early snack
AUGUSTA, Maine — A young bull moose dropped by the governor's mansion for breakfast yesterday, but instead of a tree meal with the state's chief executive he got a merry chase through the streets of the capital.
By United Press International
Game wardens finally ended the chase about a half mile away when biologists felled the 600-pound moose with a tranquilizer gun and hauled him back to the woods.
Gov. Joseph E. Brennan told aides that the moose had seen "excellent taste" by sampling the goodies in the governor's prized vegetable garden.
See MOOSE, p. 5, col.1