Kansas State Historical Society
OK
Topeka Ka
SITY
Friday, March 19, 1954
DEAD END - The free-rolling car of Donald Martin last night stopped here against this brick embankment after a roll of about 150 feet.
Careening Car Rolls 150 feet-All Alone
A 1952 motor car, left parked in driving gear on a slight grade, changed direction three times in a 150-foot roll in back of the Journalism building last night.
The car, belonging to Donald Duane Martin, college sophomore, was parked on the drive between the Journalism building and the Buildings and Grounds office. Some time between 11:30 p.m. and midnight it started to roll. According to track marks left by the car, it
first rolled about 30 feet southeast, damaging a post on the fence surrounding transformers of the property. The snow was lowest across a slightly-graded drive behind the Buildings and Grounds building.
It then jumped a foot-high metal rail and took a 30-foot plunge down a hill with a grade of about 45 degrees. Just before it hit the hill, it had turned south.
After leaving a 6-inch hole at the bottom of the grade, the car continued across another drive and was stopped by a 3-foot high brick wall at the east of the Animal house.
Martin was inside the Journalism building library studying when
Topeka Firm Wins Pearson Hall Bid
The general construction contract for the Grace Pearson hall, proposed 48-student women's D dormitory, was awarded to M. W. Watson, Topeka contractor, Eugene W. Hiatt, state purchasing director was announced.
Mr. Watson's first low bid of $121,647 was rejected by the Board of Regents because it set a minimum of 250 days building time. The new $122,967 bid specifies that the dormitory will be ready for use by Sept. 10.
Brune Plumbing and Heating,
Lawrence, was awarded plumbing and heating and electrical contracts.
Bids were $19,937 and $5,779 respectively.
Yesterday's storm center has passed on into Iowa and is moving
The dormitory will be located at 14th and Louisiana sts.
Weather
rapidly eastward Kansas sk i e s re m a in cloudy and w i n d s remain strong, but the skies will l c e a r and the winds will dimin- ish tonight. A few snow flurries are
Daily hansan
predicted in northwest and north-central Kansas. High temperatures today will be 35-45 degrees and a low of 15-20 will be tonight.
Ralph Traxler, night watchman, told him his car had moved.
The car was damaged extensively on the front end with possible other damage. The brick wall it hit was crumbled.
This morning police said they would have to give Martin a ticket because his 1951 driver's license had expired.
Greeks Plan Chariot Race
Seventeen "Greek" charios will race at 2:30 p.m. tomorrow from Strong hall down to the Chi Omega circle and back.
The chariot race is part of the Greek week activities. Drivers representing their fraternities, will be dressed in Roman costumes.
William Crews, business senior will be the announcer for the race. Judges will be Harvey Krahenbuhl engineering sophomore; Robert Worcester, engineering junior, and William McEachen, college senior.
Paul Snyder, associate professor of piano, will be presented in a recital on the faculty recital series on Sunday in Strong auditorium.
Winners for each heat will participate in the finals to determine the grand winner. The winning team will be presented a trophy by the Queen of the Greeks, who will be selected tomorrow.
Entered are Phi Kappa Tau, Triangle, Alpha Kappa Lambda, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Phi Kappa, Sigma Pi, Sigma Nu, Kappa Sigma, Pi Kappa Alpha, Theta Chi, Acacia, Phi Delta Theta, Phi Kappa Sigma, Tau Kappa Epsilon, Lambda Chi Alpha, Delta Upsilon, and Delta Chi fraternities.
Mr. Snyder has been a faculty member in the School of Fine Arts since 1945. He has taught previously at the Kansas City Conservatory of Music and with Tobias Matthay and in Berlin and Italy with Arthur Schnabel.
Members of the Inter-fraternity Pledge council will direct traffic during the race.
Snyder to Present Faculty Recital
The program will be open to the public without admission charge.
Mr. Snyder's program will include the Chopin "Sonata" in B flat minor, Op. 35; "Papillons" by Schumann, and the four "Ballades" of Chopin.
LAWRENCE, KANSAS
51st Year, No. 111
Democrats Take Income Tax Fight to Senate
Washington (U.P.)-Democrats carried their fight for income tax cuts into the Senate today but their chances of winning looked very dim in view of their defeat in the House.
By a 210 to 204 vote, the House late yesterday rejected a Democratic plan to boost income tax exemptions from $600 to $700 a year. It then went on to pass the GOP's general tax reform bill by a thumping 339 to 80.
Treasury Secretary George M. Humphrey wired House Republican leaders that the action was "fortunate for the country" since the reform bill is the "cornerstone of the administration's program to make America a better country for us all."
The votes were a major victory for President Eisenhower who went all-out to defeat the Democratic proposal. Even if the Democrat plan passes the Senate, some key senators believe it now almost certainly will not win final congressional approval.
But the major test is not expected to come until the Senate takes up the general tax reform bill which provides some relief for stockholders, working widows, and people with heavy medical expenses. And then the vote is sure to be close.
House Speaker Joseph W. Martin Jr., (R-Mass.), said the vote shows the President must rely mainly on Republicans in Congress to "make his administration a success." In the decisive ballot defeating the Democratic plan, nine Democrats joined 201 Republicans to sustain the administration.
The Senate Finance committee expected to approve a bill today providing for a billion-dollar slash in excise taxes. Some Democrat senators want to make their bid for higher exemptions when this measure is called up for debate.
The Senate Democrat plan, sponsored by Sen. Walter F. George (D-Ga.), is more sweeping than the House proposal. It calls for raising exemptions to $800 this year and to $1,000 in 1955.
Centennial Plans Near Completion
Skits Monday by organized houses and poster displays will begin the celebration which will end Friday with a parade, judging of costumes, and a ballroom dance.
Centennial activities actually will pre-date the actual date of Kansas becoming a territory. The date of Kansas' territorial admission was May 30. 1854.
Two students will live in a pupil on the lawn in front of the journalism building Monday through Friday.
Tuesday a musical chuckwagon will be on Mount Oread, and western territorial style dress will be in vogue. Wednesday. Organized houses with centennial decorations will be judged at 8 p.m. Wednesday. Stray water troughs will "decorate" the campus.
Beards are sprouting and centennial signs on competing organized houses are beginning to appear as the date approaches for the KU territorial centennial celebration.
A square dance and western dress will highlight Thursday's events, and judging of the "most unusual" and "thickest" beards will take place Friday.
Edmond Bartlett, journalism senior and Daily Kansan promotion manager, is in charge of centennial events. He is being assisted by Letty Lemon, journalism junior, and representatives of campus groups.
Bartlett said today "A lot of students and faculty members have been putting time in on this. It should be a hit."
A special centennial edition of the Daily Kansan will be issued Friday to wind up the centennial celebration.
Hob-Nail Hop Set Tonight in Union
The Hob-Nail hop, sponsored by the Engineering association, will be held in the Student Union ballroom from 9-12 tonight. Dress will be suits and party dresses, and the Varsity Crew will play.
Admission is $1.00 for members of the Engineering association, and $1.75 for non-members.
---
Two Students to Try Life In Great, Wild Outdoors
Two University students will be out to prove that Kansas youth hasn't lost its flair for the outdoors when they pitch their pup tent on the Fowler grove lawn next week.
Thursday's light rain caused the two to cast wary eyes at the long-range weather forecast to see what might be in store for them next week. It had been so long since the area had a good rain, they had almost neglected that possibility.
It, won't be exactly like the old days, though, for the two will cook their meals on a sterno stove to avoid building a fire on the lawn. They claim they will be able to take their own cooking for a week, but there's plenty of doubt on that fact from observers.
Stewart and Keys hope to be able to stir up more centennial enthusiasm as well as prove a point with their week's stay.
The pair has agreed not to go under any roof other than that of the tent, except to go to class or to work. When not in class, they expect to spend most of their time in or around the tent.
Asked if they thought they could survive the elements if they took a turn for the worse, the students merely moved their tent site closer under a tree.
Tom Stewart and Clarke Keys' journalism seniors, will live in the tent from Monday afternoon until the climax of the campus centennial celebration next Friday. The two will pen articles for the Daily Kansan relating their contact with the great outdoors.
A local outdoor sportsman, Clem Trail, advised the boys to stake down their tent well.
"You never know what might come sweeping down the campus," he said.
Both students have had extensive experience with the outdoors. Both were second class Boy Scouts in grade school and have had several occasions to take trips into the country since.
Stewart replied to questions about his background, "I'm just a country boy at heart. That's the main reason my family moved from the old homesteads in Chicago and Cleveland to our present home in Kansas City, Mo. I think I can break Keys, who is used to this big-time Lawrence life, into the ways of wild life."
Told of this, Keys replied, "I've seen more wild life than Stewart has heard about."
The two should get along splendidly.
Directors Steal Singers' Show
Bv TOM STEWART
The best part of last night's Inter Fraternity Sing was not the performances of 18 eager singing groups—it was the remarkable exhibition put on by their uninhibited directors.
None of the conductors used a baton, but that didn't rule out the use of wriggling toes, swaying hips, bobbing heads, and flexing knees. For the singers, it was a serious occasion; for their directors, it was something like soloing at a Navajo rain dance.
Our nomination for the most original and mobile style of direction: Miss Marjorie Englund, education junior, who led the Kappa Alpha Theta's to second place in the sorority division, largely, we think, as a result of the amazing knee gymnastics she displayed. As the most casual and un-flamboyant director of the evening, we suggest the name of Gerald Scott, college junior. He kept both feet on the ground, kept his left hand in his pocket, and did as little as possible with his right.
However, there were no trophies given for directors.
First place among the fraternities went to Phi Kappa Psi, and second to Beta Theta Pi, directed by Scott. Alpha Delta Pi took first among the sororites.
One thing was clear after the first few minutes of the singing program; the Union Ballroom is no place for a singing contest. Its cork-lined ceiling was fatal to the solosists in all but a few cases, because it is designed to kill resonance. Any one of the competing groups would have done better on its "home court." For instance, nothing can top the Theta's when they're sounding off from their nice comfy front porch.
Other groups which participated in the contest were Sigma Chi, Phi Kappa Sigma, Alpha Omicron Pi, Phi Gamma Delta, Pi Beta Phi, Sigma Kappa, Kappa Sigma, Alpha Phi, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Gamma Phi Beta, Delta Delta Delta, Tau Kappa Epsilon, and Phi Delta Theta. Each group sang two selections.
$1,950 Awarded Graduate Student
Ladd's study is problem solving in the department of psychology where he will work under the division of Systems, SoV assistant professor of psychology.
Forrest Earl Ladd, graduate student, has been awarded the National Science Foundation Predoctorial fellowship, consisting of $1,950 and the payment of his class fees for a 12-month study period.
Ladd learned of winning the award in a telegram from Allen Waterman of the National Science foundation, Washington, D.C.
French Film to Be At 7:30 p.m. Today
"The Strange Ones," a French language film with English subtitles, will be shown at 7:30 p.m. today in Hoch auditorium.
The film is a translation of the novel, "Les Enfants Terribles" by Jean Cocteau, and was adapted for the screen by Cocteau and Jean Pierre Melville.
---