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George Plimpton
- by Hslen Ross
Staff Writer
"I have this nose that bleeds at the slightest touch,
and I suffer from something called sympathetic
response, which means that when you hit me I weep,"
author and editor George Plimpton told a Memorial
Hall audience Monday night.
However, these slight handicaps have not prevented
Plimpton from taking positions in a wide variety of
professions: as quarterback for a professional football
team, as a boxer against former heavyweight champ
Archie Moore, as a Playboy magazine photographer
and as a muscian with the New York Philharmonic
Orchestra.
Plimpton is a self-professed "participatory
journalist, which means that 1 enter people's
professions for a short while, if I can survive, in order
to write about them.
"Almost all American males go to sleep dreaming of
striking out the New York Yankees, Plimpton said.
This dream is less complicated than dreaming about
beautiful women.
After all, he said, if you invited Jane Fonda or
Jennifer O'Neill to visit you in Chapel H ill, how would
you entertain them? "Here, I understand, you would
take her to the Shack."
Plimpton entered sports by pitching in an All-Star
game in New York City. He retired the first two
batters, including Willie Mays, on long pop-flys.
The third batter, however, hit a home run. "My
reaction as a pitcher was that I had assisted in some
great mechanical miracle."
Plimpton said he enjoyed pitching. "You can stand
around and relish what you've done because you've
got the ball and the game can't start again."
On the football field, Plimpton quartcrbacked the
Detriot Lions during part of the exhibition season.
"The defense used to ask the offense to leave me
standing so they could get at me," he said.
As a golfer, Plimpton played in such tournaments as
the Bing Crosby and the Bob Hope Desert Classics.
During one tournament, he found himself in the
unenviable position of playing ahead of Arnold
Palmer.
At one point, when Plimpton was searching for his
ball deep in the rough, he glanced back at the tee and
saw Palmer looking at him "with the look of a
businessman who has just discovered something
moving in the bottom of his wastepaper basket."
'"The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Plimpton earned the
nickname, "Flying Telephone Pole," during his tenure
as a trapeze artist in a circus. "1 rarely, if ever, got to
the catcher before tumbling into the net.'
Playing as a percussionist for the New York
Philharmonic scared Plimpton more than sports.
"Sports is predicated on the assumption that someone
is going to make a mistake. In music, there is no room
for errors," he said.
Although Plimpton's mistakes marred a
performance in Canada. Leonard Bernstein, then
conductor of the orchestra, was persuaded to give
PlimptorKanother chance.
" 'You can't read music and you're not fooling
anybody by turning the pages, " Bernstein said as he
commanded Plimpton to watch carefully for the
conductor's cue.
This time, Plimpton said, he did so well that he was
invited to play the gong when the Philharmonic
recorded the same symphony.
Plimpton's next adventure will be to play hockey
with the Philadelphia Flyers. He wants to play goalie,
since it requires little skating ability.
"The Philadelphia defense might play as if there
wasn't anyone in the goal. And that wouldn't be far
from the truth," he said. "My idea is to paint an
enormous cyclopian eye on my mask to ward off the
opponent's offense.
Plimpton called losing the "most profound
humiliation" and said he always goes out hoping, but
not expecting, to win. Two of his greatest sports
triumphs include scoring four points for the Boston
Celtics basketball team and gaining 26 yards as
quarterback for the Baltimore Colts. (Fifteen of those
yards came on a roughing the passer penalty.)
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Vol. 83, No. 137
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Wednesday, April 16, 1975
Founded February 23, 1C33
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by Tim Pittman
Staff Writer
'
RALEIGH The North Carolina House
of Representatives tentatively approved the
Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) Tuesday
by a two-vote margin.
The 60-58 vote came on the second
reading of the ERA following three hours of
debate.
Before the amendment is ratified by the
House it must pass on a third and final
reading. That final vote is expected to come
in this afternoon's session.
The spectators in the packed gallery sat
tensely and quietly as the roll was called and
votes tallied. Before the vote was announced
Rep. Ronald E. Mason, D-Carteret, called
out that he was switching his vote from "no"
to "aye." The switch made the vote 60-58.
Had Mason not changed his vote, a 59-59.
tie would have resulted and House Speaker
James C. Green would have been forced to
break the tie. Green has not made public his
preference on the amendment.
After the vote Mason told reporters he
might switch his vote again today.
At the start of Tuesday's session, Rep.
Hartwell Campbell, D-Wilson, proposed a
rules change requesting that a three-fifths
majority be required to pass a constitutional
amendment instead of the. simple majority
required now.
Campbell justified his proposal by arguing
that the U.S. House of Representatives
requires a three-fifths majority to ratify
constitutional amendments.
However, Rep. Herbert L. Hyde, D
Buncombe, used a copy of the House rules
and the rules of Congress to prove that the
change was out of order.
Juniors preregister early;
building opened due to rain
by Merton Vance
Staff Writer
Approximately 800 UNC juniors were
allowed to preregister Monday between 9
p.m. and midnight, although preregistration
for rising juniors was not scheduled to begin
until 8 a.m. Tuesday.
Ben Perry, assistant director of Records
and Registration, said he decided Monday
night to let students waiting outside Hanes
Hall enter the building to escape the rain.
The crowd of students grew so large he
allowed them to preregister to clear the halls
of congestion, he said.
The incident began when it started raining
on a group of 70 students spending the night
in line outside Hanes Hall.
One of the students telephoned Ray
Strong, director of. Records and
Registration, to ask if the students already in
line could use the building for shelter from
. Strong gave his permission and told Perry
to process the students as quickly as possible
Tuesday morning to clear the halls in time
for eight o'clock classes.
Perry said that by 9 p.m. the line had
grown to approximately 125 students. He
then decided to start preregistering the
students. ,
He said he made the decision for two
purposes to clear congestion in the halls
and to help students waiting outside to get in
out of the rain.
Students then began calling roommates
and friends, and the crowd swelled until
Perry had to call the Campus Police to close
the building.
Chancellor N. Ferebee Taylor said, "It
was a very unfortunate episode and one I
hope will not happen again.
Perry .said students who did preregister
Monday night did not benefit more than
those who came at the scheduled time, since
they still would have had to wait in line
behind those who spent the night.
The Office of Records and Registration is
now considering assigning random numbers
to process upper-class preregistration.
" Preregistration for juniors and seniors
currently operates on a first-come, first-serve
basis. The proposed random selection would
be similar to the process used now for
General College preregistration.
Green then called the H ouse to a vote. The
rule change was defeated, 60-58, and the
legislative debate began.
Hyde, who introduced the ERA in North
Carolina, led the supporters. Campbell,
chairperson of the House Constitutional
Amendments Committee which held the
ERA for eight weeks, led the opponents in
the debate.
Hyde recited a list of prestigious
Americans who supported the ERA, and
said,' "I think this is good for the country. 1
think it is consistent with the American
dream." -C , ' :
Campbell called the ERA an unnecessary
amendment and warned that no one can
predict how the amendment will be
. interpreted by the Supreme Court. "I do not
know, Rep. Hyde does not know, no one in
this assembly know how this bill will be
interpreted," Campbell said.
If the ERA passes its third roll-call
tomorrow, legislators predict an easy victory .
in the Senate. The Senate narrowly defeated
the ERA two years ago.
By ratifying the ERA, North Carolina
would become the 35th state to approve.
Thirty-eight states must ratify the ERA
before it becomes a constitutional
amendment.
The Florida and Missouri Legislatures are
currently debating the ERA.
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Rep. Herbert L. Hyrie...
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...addresses the House and gallery during the three-hour debate over ratification of
the Equal Right Admendment. Hyde, (Dem.-Buncombe), is the chief legislative
supporter of the ERA, which passed its second vote, 60-58. The measure comes up
for a third vote today.
Taylor, Friday drop by Suite C
Administrators meet
SG
on
icers
Media head selected
Tim Dugan, a junior accounting major
.from Washington, D.C., was unanimously
elected Media Board chairperson Tuesday.
Geroge Bacso, a freshman journalism major
from Westfield, N.J., was unanimously
elected treasurer.
Dugan replaced Mark Dearmon as
chairperson, and Bacso assumes the office!
vacated by John Speagle in October, 1974.
The Media Board (formerly the
Publications Board) supervises the Daily
Jar Heel, the Yackety-Yack. WCAR. the
and
t
. Slatt photo by Martha Stevww ,
Dugan (left), Dearmon)
Cellar Door, the Carolina Quarterly
Student Graphics, Inc.
Dugan said his first concern as
chairperson will be to obtain a construction
permit for a student-run FM radio station.
"To do this, we have already adopted a
resolution to reapply for a permit as the
Board of Directors of Student Educational
Broadcasting, Inc.," he said.
We also would like to increase the
advertising and marketing potential of the
DTH, and to expand the services of Student
Graphics," Dugan said.
He said the board has submitted a well
prepared budget request for its member
organizations to the Campus Governing
Council (CGC) and is expecting a favorable
response from the CGC Finance Committee.
Other members of the Media Board
include David Klinger, Richard Lowe, Bill
Moss, John Sawyer and Rob Rice.
The organizational representatives are
Gary Rendsburg of WCAR, Joyce
Fitzpatrick of the Yack. Susan Lindsay of
the Cellar Door, Barnie Day of the DTH and
Don Hasse of the Carolina Quarterly.
iMelissa Cole is the board's secretary.
The board will hold interviews for the
position of WCAR business manager and
Carolina Quarterly editor at 4 p.m. next
Monday and summer Tar Heel editor at 5
p.m.
Applicants for these positions should
bring a resume and any letters of
recommendation to the meeting on M onday.
For further information applicants should
contact Dugan by phone at 933-8712.
by Art Eisenstadt and Mike Home
Staff Writers
The atmosphere was light and
informal in Suite C Tuesday as the
Student Government staff clustered
around the punch bowl and talked in
small groups with more than 30
administrators who wandered in for
UNCs first Administration Day.
The open house was held to improve
communications between Student
Government and the University
administration, Student Body President
Bill Bates said.
Chancellor N. Ferebee Taylor said,
"This is a very pleasant function. I've
had a chance to meet a lot of people I
hadn't met before.
Dean of Student Affairs Donald A.
Boulton said, "I think this is an excellent
idea. I've met quite a few of the people
here before, though they come to me
mostly for money. But you can't have a
good working relationship until you
find out who the person you're talking
to is. Officials ranging from assistant
deans and CGC members to the
Consolidated University president
chatted in small groups over punch,
cookies, chips and dips.
Consolidated University President
William Friday was the first
administrator to arrive, and University
Housing Director James Condie was the
last.
"1 appreciated being invited and I got
here early so 1 could meet everyone,"
Friday said. He said he had discussed
the $73 million budget cut and planned
tuition increases at the state universities
with Bates.
"I just got here," Condie said,
laughing and sipping punch. "1 think
this is a good idea. As you know, I have
already been meeting with student
groups from the residence halls.
Condie, who attracted one of the largest
groups of questioners all afternoon,
patiently explained housing ideas and
policies, and listened to suggestions.
Echoing that idea was Harold
Wallace, assistant dean of Student
Affairs. "I'd like to have more meetings
on a kind of informal basis. When
you're on the phone, you're calling a
name, but now you think of a
personality."
Karen McDonald, a Bates assistant
who helped set up the affair, slumped in
a chair, looking tired after the
administrators left, and said,"l was very
pleased with the response. They all
seemed to appreciate the interaction.
Aldermen ireouneslt federal funds
by Janet Fry
Staff Writer
Chapel Hill Board of Aldermen approved Monday
an application for $465 million of federal community
development funds and endorsed a state Senate bill
giving cities and counties power to spend funds for
community development programs.
The application for a grant from the Department of
Housing and Urban Development was approved after
two changes in the application were made at the
suggestion of Asst. Town Manager Kurt Jenne.
Jenne requested that $21,500 of day care funds and
$240,000 of housing rehabilitation grants be
transferred to other classifications because the town
cannot yet spend funds for these purposes.
The temporary transfers will be in effect, he said,
until the town charter is ratified, or until the bill giving
towns the authority to use funds for community
development is passed by the legislature. The deadline
for the request was Tuesday.
The Senate bill states, "Any city is authorized to
engage in, to accept federal and state grants and loans
for, and to appropriate and expend funds for
community development programs and activities."
If approved, the bill will allow municipal programs
dealing with employment, economic development,,
crime prevention, child care, health, drug abuse,
education and welfare.
Although some aldermen had opposed the section of
the charter allowing the town to support day care and
to finance a department of human services,
endorsement of the Senate bill was unanimous.
The board also announced that Aldermen Tommy
Gardner and Gerry Cohen will represent the board at a
N.C. Highway Department hearing in Raleigh next
Monday. They will express the board's concern about
the state road system in Chapel Hill and ask for
improvements on N.C. 86 North and N.C. 54 East.
Concern was expressed about the highway
department's plans for routing traffic to the N.C. state
zoo in Asheboro. Alderman R.D. Smith pointed out
that much of the traffic would be routed through
Chapel Hill, which already has its own traffic
problems.
"We should be concerned about plans the state Jias
for improving roads going to the zoological park, he
said.
The Transportation Advisory Committee will hold a
public meeting on the town's transportation system on
April 24, committee chairperson Marvin Silver told
the board Monday. "Now we feel we need to get input
from citizens about changes in service and bus routes
they would like to see, he said.