Friday, February 28, 1986
THE BENNETT BANNER
PAGE THREE
McNair honored as American hero
by Mardell Griffin
A standing room only crowd
of over 3,500 gathered Jan. 31, in
Moore Gynmasium at A&T to pay
somber tribute to astronaut and
former Aggie Ronald McNair who
died along with six others in the
explosion of the space shuttle
Challenger on Jan. 28.
Dignitaries from across the
state and nation paid homage to
McNair. The ceremony was high
lighted by a telegram from Pre
sident Reagan and some rousing
words by the Reverend Jesse
Jackson.
“He was, in the final analysis,
an authentic American hero,”
said A&T Chancellor Edward B.
Fort. “. . . Ron McNair was a be
liever in the destiny of mankind
. He was a man that com
manded the awesome respect of
many,” Fort said of the 1971
magna cum laude graduate of
A&T. “He was all of the ‘right
stuff.’ We shall miss him but
never forget him.”
Jackson called McNair a “re
jected stone” by “larger more ex
pensive universities” because of
“color and money.” But, he said,
“Ron McNair took us to the
mountaintop of scientific explo
ration that we might see beyond
the mountaintop that Dr. King
stood on.” He added, “He was a
rejected stone transformed into a
cornerstone.”
The President’s message said:
“Nancy and 1 join in thought and
spirit with all those gathered to
day to pay tribute to the memory
of Dr. Ronald McNair. By sharing
together our grief and sadness,
perhaps we may find the strength
to bear our sorrow and courage
to renew our hope. Words will
never suffice to measure the
honor and sacrifice of those we
have lost.
A record-setting 68 members of
the press, including representa
tives of two national networks,
covered the service, according to
Dr. Richard Moore, director of
information services at A&T. Two
local television stations and one
radio station provided live broad
casts.
“This is the most press I’ve
seen on campus in the 18 years
I’ve been here,” Moore said.
Camera crews roamed the aisles
and shot film footage of the over
flow crowd, A&T band, choirs
and ROTC members as well as
the speakers during the hour-and-
a-half memorial. The stage was
lined with palms in the rear and
on the left of the podium was a
red and white flower arrangement
at the base of a picture of McNair.
The photo showed the astronaut
smiling and dressed in his blue
flight suit complete with NASA
insignia. On the right was a pic
ture of the entire Challenger crew
in similar dress with a matching
Shortage of computers
Lab has need
by Cassandra Henderson
“There is a big lack of com
puters in our writing lab,”
stated Mrs. Elaine Harringan,
the audio-lingual lab director.
Troubled by the growing
problem, Harrigan empha
sized that there are only 10
computers available to 140
students who are required to
take courses involving this
facility, “not to mention the
other students who use the
computers that aren’t even
registered in one of the
courses,” she added.
Pointing out that Bennett
is one of the few colleges with
its own writing lab in com
munication skills, Harrigan
encouraged the students to
realize that this is a privi
lege that shouldn’t be taken
for granted
“Bennett College has a
good facility that is incor
porated in its communication
skills curriculum, which of
fers students the ability to
expand their creative skills,
the opportunity to train for
summer jobs and to be ex
posed to computers without
being a computer science
major,” she said.
Trying to reach the goal of
10 more computers has been
a very difficult process, she
added. “Because this is a Title
III funded program, we have
federal guidelines. When this
program was set up, they only
had space for 10 computers.
Now the students need them,
like them and use them. They
didn’t look long-range when
they set up the program,”
she said.
Harrigan argues that the
10 extra computers will not
only better serve the stu
dents, but they will minimize
the wear and tear on the pre
sent computers and the teach
ers. “The teachers will be able
to come to the lab with their
class. They will no longer
have to be split up,” she said.
Harrigan sees many other
advantages to the writing lab.
“Students that don’t have any
experience with computers or
typewriters seem to become
more motivated. We also see
great improvements in crea
tive writing. The computer
gives you so much flexibility.
It allows you to edit and re
vise, so you have more time
to be creative,” she said.
There are disadvantages,
she stressed.
“The students seem to pro
crastinate too much. The lab
is only open 18 hours outside
of classtime and there are
only 10 computers. But if
they don’t get to a computer,
it’s a learning experience for
them. It teaches them not to
wait until the last minute,”
she said.
Harrigan hopes to have the
10 new computers by fall of
this vear.
A lab fee may be required
to help pay for the computers
and to provide diskettes for
students. Once the lab fee is
paid, students won’t have to
pay again. No fee has been
established.
M alone—from page 1
every Wednesday night at
8:15 at the Charter Center.
Andrea’s season high was 25
points. She led her team in
scoring, but her club lost.
If you get a chance, go
check out Bennett’s best
basketball talent.
House-from page 1
ponsibility not to allow stu
dents to go through life hors
ing around . . . This is your
task as a future educator and
as a black American,” she
said.
flower arrangement at the base.
“These seven starcrossed ex
plorers and those who worked
with them were fulfilling our des
tiny,” said Governor James E.
Martin. Of McNair, he said, “He
challenged others to excel as he
did” ... He was our consummate
challenger.”
Congressman Howard Coble
said, “Ron McNair was a gallant
patriot.”
Greensboro Mayor John Forbis
read a resolution by the city
council. Forbis said McNair “de
cided to reach into the unknown
and challenge the future.”
NASA University Affairs Officer
and A&T graduate. Dr. Samuel
Massenberg called McNair a “true
renaissance man who exulted in
the exploration of the difficult
and the unexplored.” He also
said, “. . there is no progress
without risk . . . From the ashes
of this tragedy will rise triumph.”
The strongest audience response
was to Dr. Stuart Ahrens, A&T
physics professor and director of
the student space shuttle program.
He recalled speaking to McNair
two weeks before the ill-fated
Challenger flight. McNair asked
Ahrens to send him an A&T pen
nant and a copy of a student-
drawn cartoon depicting the A&T
mascot (a bulldog) riding on the
outside of the shuttle. The mem
entoes were aboard Challenger
when it exploded.
Ahrens said McNair had made
his dream of space flight part of
A&T’s dream by organizing the
student space shuttle program at
the university. “Ron would want
us to continue our dream,” he
said. An A&T developed payload
is scheduled to go up on the next
shuttle flight. He added, “His
name will be engraved on it and
his picture enclosed in it. Thus,
Ron will have another space
shuttle flight.” McNair received
an undergraduate degree in phy
sics from A&T and received a
Ph.d. in physics from Massachu
setts Institute of Technology He
joined NASA as an astronaut
candidate in 1978.
The local parade for McNair
after his first space flight in
1984 was remembered by Dr.
Donald Edwards, retired chair
man of A&T’s physics depart
ment. He noted that McNair had
stopped the parade to talk to a
group of children and shake their
hands. He also quoted McNair
from an address he made to a
group of his school students. “You
can always do a little better than
you think you can,” he remem
bered McNair saying.
“Keep alive his memory by
accepting his challenge,” Edwards
said.
Foit presented Edwards and
Ahrens with a plaque from the
Guilford County commissioners to
be “enshrined on the sight of the
space shuttle project.” He also
announced the formation of a Ron
McNair scholarship fund.
Jackson concluded the program
with a speech that included re
ferences to nuclear war, military
use of space, “misplaced trust in
machines,” the sit-in movement
in Greensboro and apartheid. His
often-repeated theme was “there
is treasure in tragedy.”
“When our hearts are broken,
our dreams reduced to night
mares, and our days turned to
midnights, we don’t say, ‘Oh, my
scientist,’ or ‘Oh, my computer,’
but ‘Oh, my God,’ ” he said. We
should learn a lesson from this
tragedy about our “misplaced
trust in the machines we take for
granted,” he added.
“Nuclear wars are likely to oc
cur the same way the space shuttle
blew up, by human error, com
puter malfunction or by the
wrong signal,” he said. Space ex
ploration for “peaceful purposes”
should continue but “military
use” of space should be stopped.
“Lessons learned must not be
short-learned but long-lived,” he
said.
“There are some more Ronald
McNairs out there. There are
more McNairs all over this build
ing today,” he said “Long live
the spirit and legacy of Dr. Ronald
McNair.”
Belles uphold the dream
by Vennessa McLaugrhlin
An announcement rang out,
“Attention, ladies! Attention, lad
ies! Bennett College is gathering
in the quadrangle to commemorate
Dr. King’s birthday.
“We will be holding hands and
singing to let everyone know that
we have not forgotten what Dr.
King fought for. We are gathering
now. Please come out and partici
pate.”
The campus came alive. Stu
dents ran outside in nightgowns,
housecoats, rollers and house-
shoes. About 100 students held
hands and sang “We Shall Over
come.” They did not care that
they were not saying the right
words, that half of them were
not in tune and that the other
half were laughing because of the
way they sounded. The only mes
sage they were trying to get
across was “We did not forget.”
The crowd moved to the side
walk in front of President Isaac
H. Miller Jr.’s house. SGA Presi
dent Evelyn Fulmore told the
president, “We just wanted you
to know that we remembered.”
“You’ve done a good job,” stated
President Miller as he walked
down the sidewalk to join the
students.
The crowd sang “Let Freedom
Ring,” “Happy Birthday To You”
and “We Are The World.”
“It was outstanding the way the
students assembled on their own,”
said Miller. “This is the spirit of
the old Bennett, being on the fir
ing lines and being arrested. This
is the true spirit.”
His statement was interrupted
by a passing wino dressed in dark
clothes, a toboggan and a dark
trenchcoat. Being in the “spirit”
also, he stopped, raised his
clenched fist and in a loud voice
said, “We will never be free. Ya’U
don’t know that, but we will never
be free. You know why? Because,
until we can all come together and
be as one, we will never be free.”
Staggering to the corner, he re
peated, “We ain’t gon’ never be
free.”
“Although nothing was done on
Bennett’s campus to commemo
rate Dr. King’s birthday, Bennett
College was well represented at
Trinity A.M.E. Zion Church,”
stated Miller. “I can assure you,
though, the (Black History) com
mittee has already started plan
ning events for next year.”
“When the time comes for ma
turity, Bennett Belles have always
come through,” said Miller. “It is
important that we hang on to the
dream. We have to examine our
selves. We have to ask ourselves
what is it we must do to make
this dream a reality because in
Mississippi the dream hasn’t even
begun. We must go to college to
prepare ourselves so that we can
take over where people like Dr.
King have left off.”
Five students were responsible
for the gathering at the qua
drangle—Mary Dickerson, Audrea
Murphy, Janice Smith, Donna
Williams and Robin Williams.
Banner reporter lands jobs
Mardell Griffin, a senior who has worked for this papfr for three
semesters, has been hired as a full-time reported for The Orange/
Alamance Enterprise, located in Mebane, and as a feature writer lor
Greensboro’s The Spectator
Art Show; Walt Davis appears at the Z gallery: Freshman students view artwork with the artist. Students are (l-r) Robin
Starks, Talia McCray and Helen Laurence, (photo by Otis Hairston)