Kansas State Historical Society Topeka, Ks.
Daily hansan
53rd Year, No. 136
LAWRENCE, KANSAS
Tuesday, May 1, 1956.
'Death March Marine Faces Liquor Charge
WASHINGTON (UP) — The Marine Corps charged today that S. Sgt. Matthew C. McKeon was "under the influence" of vodka when he led six marine recruits to their deaths on a disciplinary night march at Parris Island, S.C., April 8.
A court of inquiry formally recommended the 31-year-old sergeant be tried by general court-martial on charges of manslaughter, cruelty to recruits, disobeying orders, and bringing discredit to the armed services.
Heavv Penalty
Conviction for manslaughter carries a maximum penalty of dishonorable discharge and 10 years in prison. The other charges carry lesser penalties ranging from one month to two years at hard labor.
Gen. Randolph McCall Pate, commandant of the Marine Corps, announced that as an aftermath of the "death march." Maj. Glen J. C. Burger will be relieved as commanding general of the Parris Island base, and transferred to command the post at Camp Lejune, N.C.
A sweeping shakeup has been ordered of the entire training system at the two Marine boot camps at Parris Island and San Diego, Calif.
The court of inquiry also recommended "appropriate disciplinary action" against two sergeants, S. Tgt. Elwyn B. Scarborough and Sgt. Richard J. King, for taking part in the vodka drinking which preceded the night march into Ribbon Creek where the six recruits drowned.
The court of inquiry found that Sgt. McKeon "drank an unknown quantity of vodka during the morning, afternoon, and early evening" of April 8.
In the afternoon, he told the recruits in his platoon that he was concerned over the lack of discipline and spirit . . . and that he was going to march it into the swamp that night.
The court of inquiry said the drill instructor told his recruits that "those who couldn't swim would drown and those who could would be eaten by sharks."
Navy Review Thursday
To the midshipman who has done the most to "generate interest and participation in the NROTC rifle team" during the year will go the Captain's Trophy Thursday. It will be presented at 4 p.m. at the University NROTC battalion review.
Capt. V. F. Gordinier, professor of naval science, will be the reviewing officer. He will also view a special demonstration by the NROTC drill team and will present awards to the top five men on the rifle team and the Captain's Trophy.
This will be the first time this year that the entire University NROTC battalion has been reviewed. The review will be on the field south of Allen Field House.
Engineers To Manhattan
MANHATTAN (UP)—Civil engineering students represent eight Midwestern colleges and universities will tour the controversial Tuttle Creek Project Friday as part of the 12th annual mid-continent conference of student chapters of the American Society of Civil Engineers. The conference, which begins Thursday, will close Saturday with election of student officers.
Wednesday Classes To Be Shortened
Morning classes will be shortened Wednesday to allow students to attend the Honors' Convocation at 9:20 a.m. in Hoch Auditorium.
Wednesday's morning schedule is:
8 a.m. classes, 8 to 8:30; 9 a.m.
classes, 8:40 to 9:10; convocation;
10 a.m. classes, 10:40 to 11:10; 11
a.m. classes, 11:20 to 11:50.
Speech, Drama Banquet May 8
A speech activities banquet, given by faculty members of the speech and drama departments in honor of students who have participated in activities of the various department divisions will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday. May 8 in the Kansas Room of the Student Union.
The banquet will be followed by a summary of the year's activities in the Forensic League, speech correction clinic, radio and television, debate, and the theater.
Individual theater awards will be given to the students who did the best acting, producing, stage designing, and costuming.
Awards will be given to the most valuable debater, the outstanding novice debater, and the Delta Sigma Rho student who has contributed the most to debate throughout his college career.
University players will hold their annual election of officers in the Kansas Room following the banquet.
Get Ready Gals Races Saturday
With the lighting of The Eternal Smudgepot at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, May 5, the third annual Sigma Chi Derby Day will be officially underway. Contestants from eleven sororities will compete for traveling first and second place team trophies, an individual trophy for the best female athlete, and certificates of award which will be given for each event.
The Alpha Phi's were first place winners last year and Kappa Alpha Theta second.
Events will be a sack race, egg relay, leap frog, pony express, egg throw, 4-legged race, grapefruit race, musical buckles and balloon race, in that order. The general rules for competitors are as follows:
1. Each sorority enters a team; each contestant may enter only 3 events; each house may enter only contestant or relay team in an event.
3. Dress will be blue jeans or Bermudas and something to identify contestants with houses such as a sweatshirt or sign.
2. Contestants' names must be in to officials at least 10 minutes before each event.
5. Events will be run in heats, with 3 or 4 teams in each heat. Since there is no advantage to position this will be done alphabetically. A final race will be run by the winners of the heats.
7. The judge's decision as to disqualifying contestants for the breaking of any event rule will be final. Disqualification in one event does not make a contest ineligible for any other event. (Judges will be Sigma Chi'!!)
4. Three false starts will disqualify a contestant.
In case of a tie for the trophy, a drawing will be held to choose a winner.
The Derby Day will be on the Sigma Chi tennis courts. The public is invited.
WHAT MORE CAN I SAY?—Disguised Ferrando, played by Richard Wright, pleads for the love of his best friend's girl, Flori-dilig, played by Merilyn Coleman, in Monday's performance of "Cosi Fan Titte."
Cosi Fan Tutte' Wins Praise For Performance
A near-capacity audience witnessed a polished and professional performance of "Cosi Fan Tutte" Monday night in Fraser Theater.
The comic opera by Mozart officially opened the Fine Arts Festival. The performance will be honored. The performance will be repeated Wednesday and Friday.
The wager is accepted, the two pretend to leave on a distant tour of duty. They reappear almost immediately disguised as Albanians.
Jack Davison, Bolivar, Mo. sophomore, gave an excellent performance as the clever Dale Alfonso. Dale Moore, Olathe graduate student, was a humorous and convincing Guzielmo.
An elaborate wedding finds the girls almost married to the wrong men, but everything is properly adjusted and the story has a happy ending.
Merrilyn Coleman, Lawrence, and Carolyn Craft, Junction City, juniors, played Flordiligi and Dorabella. Their roles were strenuous and difficult, but they performed them well.
With the help of Don Alfonso and Despina, the ladies' chambermaid, they court and win each other's fiancee.
Sandra Keller, Lenexa senior, as the mischievous Despina, stole nearly every scene in which she appeared. She was vivacious and charming, and her antics drew prolonged applause from the audience.
The opera's plot centers around a bet made by Don Alfonso, a cynical bachelor, with two young officers, Guglielmo and Ferrando, that their two sweethearts, Flordigi and Dorabella, could not remain faithful to them in their absence.
Richard Wright, Junction City graduate student, played Ferrando. Especially well-done was his aria in the first act, "My Love Is a Flower."
The opera was much more enjoyable because it was done in Eng-
The Little Symphony Orchestra, directed by Dean Thomas Gorton of the School of Fine Arts, provided the musical accompaniment. It deserves praise for its fine job.
Eight cheerleaders and six alternates were chosen for the 1956-57 school year from among approximately 80 candidates trying out Monday night in Robinson Gymnasium.
8 Cheerleaders Are Selected
They are Sandra Muntzel, Prairie illage; Mary Sue Poppe, Kansas City, Kan.; and Judith Tiderman, Muncie, freshmen, Tinker Mareum, Overland Park sophomore.
Patric Little, Wichita, and Dick Jones, McPherson, freshmen; Vincent Bilotta, East Orange, N.J. sophomore, and James Bickley, Kansas City, Mo., junior.
Weather
Cloudy through Wednesday with scattered showers and tunderstorms this afternoon and tonight and southeast and east central Wednesday. Occasional rain elsewhere Wednesday. Little temperature change. Low tonight 30s northwest, around 50 extreme southeast. High Wednesday 40s northwest to 60 southwest.
Alternates are Elizabeth Burke, Kansas City, Kan.; Barbara Golden, Kansas City, Mo., and David Wilson, Leawood, sophomores; Ann Underwood, Emporia, Jerry Kindig, Kansas City, Mo., senior, and Howard Ellfeldt, San Diego, Calif, freshmen.
Patricia Warnick, Wichita junior, was chosen to represent the Jay James as their cheerleader. The head cheerleader and a representative of the KuKu Club will also be chosen at a later time.
Hankins To Head Maine's English Department
Dr. John E. Hankins, professor of English and a member of the English department for 25 years, will become head of the department of English at the University of Maine next September.
Dr. Hankins joined the KU faculty in 1930 as assistant professor of English. In 1937 he was promoted to associate professor and has been a full professor since 1942.
His major field is the Elizabethan period, with emphasis on Shakespeare. He has written many articles and several books, including "The Character of Hamlet," published in 1491, and "Shakespeare's Derived Imagery," published in 1533.
Known Nation-Wide
"During the years here Dr. Hawkins has become very well known in the state and nationally," said Prof. James L. Wortham, head of the English department. "He has been quite active in organizing and carrying through many useful activities, including the Poetry Hour and the book review. He certainly will have good scope for his talents at the University of Maine."
Dr. Hankins said he and Mrs. Hankins "plan to leave early in June to attend our son's graduation at Yale. On June 23 we sail for Europe to visit our daughter who is living in Holland. Her husband is an engineer in Eindhoven, Holland."
He said he will deliver orientation lectures to students on board ship while crossing the ocean.
KU Well Represented
In late August Dr. Hankins will attend the international conference of professors of English at Cambridge University in England. The conference is held every three years. He attended a similar meeting in Paris in 1953.
"Incidentally," he said, "KU is one of the few universities to have been represented at all the meetings of the professors of English. Dr. W. D. Paden, professor of English, attended the first meeting at Oxford in 1950."
Dr. and Mrs. Hankins will sail for home Aug. 29, and will go directly to the University of Maine.
Dr. Hankins earned bachelor and master's degrees at the University of South Carolina, and his Ph.D. degree at Yale.
Dr. Hankins has held a Guggenheim Fellowship for research at Yale, and was at the University of Leyden, Holland on a Fulbright lectureship.
PROF. JOHN E. HANKINS