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University Daily Kansan Thursday. Dec. 15, 1955
Don't Crash The Christmas Party
—(Lawrence Journal-World Photo by Rich Clarkson)
Tips For Speedsters
The biggest single cause of fatal auto accidents in 1954 was excessive speed.
Speed violations were factors in 35 per cent of the nation's 36,000 traffic deaths. Violations reported included exceeding the speed limit and exceeding safe speeds although traveling at less than the stated speed limits or on roads where no stated limits existed.
And the most frequent violators of speed laws are persons in our own age group, according to three independent surveys. Two professors from the University of Nebraska, clocking cars by radar, found that drivers in the 16 to 25 year-old group have the least regard for speed laws. Persons in this group drove 18 per cent of the cars they checked, but accounted for 36 per cent of the violations.
So here are some things to remember when your foot gets a little heavy on the old gas pedal.
What constitutes a safe speed is relative to the condition of the road, visibility, and the amount of traffic. On slippery roads or in rain or heavy traffic, slow down.
At higher speeds, your body becomes increasingly vulnerable to serious injury, in case an accident should happen. If you increase your speed from 20 to 60 m.p.h., you increase your chances of being killed, if an accident happens, by eight times.
And why all the speed anyway? You may not be gaining as much as you think you are. Two Kansas drivers participated in a 295-mile road test, one hitting a top speed of 65, and the other staying below 50. The fast car only beat the slow one to the destination by 25 minutes, and had to pass twice as many cars. As a sidelight, the fast car used 11 per cent more gasoline and 50 per cent more oil.
Just one more thing-An average car going 50 m.p.h. on a level, dry, paved road, will stop in 183 feet. Increase the speed to 70, and the stopping distance is 328 feet.
Sure, everyone wants to get home for Christmas as fast as he can, but when you begin to increase the speed of your car, ask first, "Is it worth it?"
—Larry Heil
Past Holidays Brought Death; This Time, It's Up To You
By BARBARA BELL
(Assistant City Editor Of The Daily Kansan)
When you get into your car and begin driving this vacation, you'll be doing the same thing some other students did—once. A look into University Daily Kansan files gives these accounts of some Christmas vacations.
January, 1932—Four students were killed when their car overturned west of Lawrence. Fred Speh, the driver, had received the car as a Christmas gift from his parents. He had just been elected president of Kappa Sigma fraternity. He was a student council member and chairman of the Campus Chest. One of the dead would have received his degree the next month. He had been married for three months.
New Year's eve, 1937—Joseph Pryor, editor of the Sour Owl, was killed when he drove his car into a concrete bridge abutment near Atchison.
December, 1939—John Battenfield was killed and a classmate, Dan Hamilton, was critically injured when their car skidded out of control on Highway 10 east of Lawrence and was thrown 75 feet. They had reserved plane tickets to Los Angeles for the Christmas vacation.
December, 1950—Natalie Pierson, a fine arts freshman from Kansas City, Mo., was killed, and Anne Jordan MacDougall, a fine arts freshman from Topeka, suffered internal injuries, compound fractures of the left arm, a broken nose, loss of two teeth, and a fractured jawbone. The car in which they were riding struck two trees.
New Year's weekend, 1954-More than 260 persons died in traffic accidents. Of the 36,000 who died during the year, more than 20 per cent or 7,200 were college age. Christmas vacation, 1955-Y ou are the driver...
More Of Same On Santa, UDK
Letters:
The unknowing reader may already have guessed (while deciding whether we are a "crank," or a "hobbyist," or both) that the unsigned note appearing at the foot of our letter (Daily Kansan, Dec. 12) was probably written by the inspired young man who calls himself "Daily Kansan Editorial Editor." We congratulate him for the rapidity with which he has fired back at us (the letter which was published Dec. 12 had been in his hands since the morning of Dec. 6).
Editor:
What it says about our being a "letters-to-the-editor hobbyist" (with hyphens, please) is entirely correct. Some people chase butterflies in their spare time; others play the sousaphone. We write letters to the editor, and curiously enough, one of our purposes is to have them printed.
Though anti-Miss-Santa by nature we are no Scrooge and are the first to admit that the University has very praiseworthy Christmas institutions: The toy campaign, vespers service, KANU radio programs and the various campus decorations are among them. Wispy and I are not "again" the university, as a few of its Philistines seem to think. It feeds us—both materially and spiritually, and as long as we are able to hold out until the 4th, 5th or 6th of the month we don't care to bite its learned hand.
Nevertheless, we think we have as much right as anyone to complain about what we consider worthless or unbecoming to a university; and we see no reason why a Kansan pet project should be considered exempt from criticism simply because it is commercially clever. There may be consolation in the thought that both the merchants and the Kansan will survive our comments.
Mr. Wispy Peter Earle, Graduate student
Editor:
You done write in slapping that guy Wispy's hands. If theres anything I hate its some smart alecky character getting to uppity. Why cant he be like the rest of we integrated people. Its a shame to waist space on trash like that when we can read real elevating articles on the editorial page like "dont stand by be a participater."
I think sometimes he might be making fun of some of my friends but I rote that off as crank stuff. Who does he think he is. Plato.
Yrs.
Rembrandt Glump by John D. Roberts Jr. Romance Language instructor John Michael, Assistant professor of psychology
(The spelling is that of the instructor and assistant professor, not ours).
University of Kansas Student Newspaper News Room, KU 251, Ad Room, KU 748 Member of the Inland Daily Press association. Associated College Press association. University of Kansas vertisling service. 420 Madison Ave. N.Y. Mall subscription rates: $3 a semester or year. Annual semester fee: Lawrence Publication. Published by Lawrence Kans., every afternoon during the University year except Saturdays and Sundays. Mail subscription fee per person. Entered as second class matter. Sept. 17, 1910, at Lawrence, Kan. post office under act of March 3, 1879.
Daily Hansan
NEWS DEPARTMENT
Gretchen Guinn ... Managing Editor
Sam L. Jones, Marion McCoy, Dick Walt, Ted Blankenship, Assistant Managing Editors; John McIntosh, Million City Editor; Bill Ramsay, Assistant City Editor; Bob Bruce, Telegraph Editor; Bob Lyle, Assistant Telegraph Editor; Jane Pecovsky, Society Editor; Gladys Henry, Assistant Society Editor; Hank Thomas, Handball Coach; Kent Thomas, Assistant Sports Editor; John Stephens, Picture Editor
Lee Flanagan Editorial Editor
Louis L. Heil, Lee Anu Urban, Associ-
BUSINESS DEPARTMENT
Charles Sledd Business Manager
Jack Fisher, Advertising Manager; Paul
Hancock, Art Actor; Robert Wolf, Circulation Manager.
President's Illness Top Story Of 1955
By JOHN McMILLION
By JOHN KANSAN (Daily Kansan City Editor)
The heart attack suffered by President Eisenhower and the repercussions which followed were picked this week by Daily Kansan editors and editorial writers as the top news story of 1955.
The coverage given by the press to the President's illness and the detailed accounts of his recovery were a unanimous choice of the committee selected to pick the top story.
The widespread destruction caused by the hurricanes which hit the East Coast earlier this year and the floods which followed was rated as the fifth place story. In sixth place were the stories growing out of the romance between Capt. Peter Townsend and Princess Margaret, which ended in the Princess picking duty over love.
In second place was the story of the Salk polio vaccine and the controversy raised over the bad batch of serum from the Cutter laboratory. This story narrowly nosed out the accounts of the various Geneva conferences, including the meeting of Nikolai Bulganin and President Eisenhower, the Big Four foreign ministers, and the atomic energy convention.
The overthrow of the government of Juan Peron in Argentina and the after-effects finished in fourth place in the poll. This story includes the events leading up to Peron's removal, including his fight with the Catholic Church.
The seventh place news story was the story of Bulganin replacing Malenkov as premier of the Soviet Union. This was followed by the story coming out of Denver about the bombing of the United Air Lines plane and the arrest and arraignment of Jack Graham for the crime.
the crises in North Africa between the natives and the French government was selected as the ninth story and the release of the Yalta papers and the ensuing controversy was picked as the 10th top story.
The 11th place story was that of the eleven U.S. fliers being released by the Chinese Communists after two years in prison and their return to freedom. The resignation under fire of Secretary of Air Harold E. Talbatt after his relations in the business world were disclosed was the 12th place story.
The opening of the Air Force Academy is the 15th top story and the return of the three turncoats, William Cowart, Lewis Griggs, and Otho Bell, from China to the United States is 16th. In 17th is the accidental slaying of multi-millionaire William Woodward by his wife, Ann.
In 13th place is the merger of the CIO and the AFL and in 14th is the trial of the two white men in Mississippi for the murder of Emmett Till, the Chicago Negro boy. The trial resulted in both men being freed.
The controversy raised over the Air Force survival school, which was established to harden Air Force men to the rigors of being a prisoner of war, is the 18th top story. In 19th place is the evacuation of the Tachen Islands by the Chinese Nationalists, and the 20th story is the controversy arising from the Supreme Court segregation rulings.
Field House Dedication Biggest Campus Story
Bv MARION McCOY
The second largest on-campus playing arena in the nation combined with the presentation of a Cadillac to Dr. Allen and a half-time pageant tracing the history of basketball formed the nucleus of the year's number one story.
Following as a close second is the continuing story of Wilt Chamberlain, 7-foot Philadelphia rookie, whose decision to attend the University brought a ray of hope to KU basketball fans. Wilt (The Stilt) was one of the most widely sought high school players in the history of the game.
Third and fourth places went to the UVO honor system and the death of Dr. Robert, Taft, professor of chemistry. The honor system, a much debated controversy, was defeated in the general student election last spring. Dr. Taft was one of the state's best known and versatile scientists.
The suicide death of a 24-year-old medical student at the University Medical Center, Norman Seibel, was voted the fifth top campus story. The retirements of John Ise, professor of economics for 39 years at the University, and Donald M. Swarthout, dean emeritus of the School of Fine Arts, were combined as the sixth campus story.
(Assistant Managing Editor Of The Daily Kansan)
Seventh place was voted to the confessed robbery of the State Bank of Centerville by an 18-year-old University freshman. Eighth and ninth honors resulted from the traditional intra-state football rivalry with Kansas State. The chancellor's edict that any student caught in the act of vandalism would be expelled from the University followed a three-day surge of vandalism. The successful catnapping of the K-State mascot, Touchdown IV, was voted ninth place. The 10th campus story was awarded to KU's victory in the Big Seven track meet.
The dedication of Allen Field House, officially named in honor of 70-year-old Dr. Forrest C. (Phog) Allen, has been voted the top campus story for 1953 by Kansan editor writers and editors.
The clearing of Centennial Park by University students during Greek Week was selected as the 15th story. The year's construction work over the campus, including Gertrude Sellards Pearson Hall, Caeruth and O'Leary Halls, the landscaping down the Hill to Malott Hall, and Bailey Hall, was combined and voted the 16th campus story.
The new IBM registering system was rated the 11th, and the construction beginning the new $240,000 Music and Dramatic Arts Building, 12th. The visit of William Inge, playwright alumnus of the University and Pulitzer Prize winner was voted story number 13.
The deaths of seven University staff members-Hilden Gibson, professor of political science and sociology; Grant L. Pictorius, instructor in physics; L. N. Flint, professor emeritus of journalism; Domenico Gagliardo, professor of economics; William Chase Stevens, retired professor of botany; Dr. Peter Thomas Bohan, professor emeritus at the University School of Medicine, and Merle Thorpe, former chairman of the department of journalism were combined to rate 14th place.
The first Big Seven football win of the season over Missouri was rated 17th, and the affiliation of ASC with the National Student Association was rated the 18th story. Nineteenth and 20th honors went to Dr. John Newfield, former director of the University Theatre who resigned to join the staff of a ballet troupe, and the ROTC mock battle held on the Campanile hill in celebration of Armed Forces Week.
Decoration Note
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (U.P.) -Yale Freshman Robert Walsh of Malverne, N.Y., has in his room a collection of 252 beer cans, each of a different brand. Empties of course.