Kansas State University - Royal Purple Yearbook (Manhattan, KS)

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26 — Ewe licks

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Campus kneels to slow face lift By Jeff Funk Detour signs flashed, jackhammers rattled, bun saws whined, and three new buildings grew on campus. A three-story limestone addition to the KSU Auditorium was finished in February. It was built to house the music department, radio stations KSAC and KSDB-FM, and television studios — all destroyed in the Nichols Gym fire eight years earlier. Blending nicely with the hulking auditorium, the addition features modern facilities sur- rounding a courtyard with a fountain —a contribution by the architect. One of many planned stages was finished in the large veterinary medi- cine complex north of campus, allow- ing more offices and classes to move out of decaying Leasure Hall. The four-part complex will be one of the better in the nation when completed. Only days after the first spade of did was turned, the heavy machinery moved in to tear up the old football practice field north of Ahearn Field House. Durland Hall, a new chemical and industrial engineering building, was under way. As students registered for classes in August, only a big hole and a huge mound ol dirt were visible. At mid-term time, pillars arose from the ground. Santa Claus would have seen a com- pleted steel structure with concrete flooring if he had looked down on his rounds over Manhattan. And as the last snow of the season cleared. a mammoth building commanded the attention of dozens of noisy construc- tion workers. One of the bigger obstacles for stu- dents was the reworking of sidewalks for better drainage around Farrell Library. Starting in early summer, Physical Plant workers — who would lose a race with a snail, according to a Collegian editorial — struggled with the project through fall. Remolding plans for the Union park- ing lot and the perennial problem of what to do with the gutted shell of Nichols Gym also filled drawing boards. Construction — 25

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III II II II III II • II II II I II • 11 II II II Flash, Tracy zap Wednesdays free of charge By. Linda Reed Lights dim and cheers sputter in the close-aired theatre. People wiggle deeper into their seats, maybe prop- ping a foot to find comfort. The projec- tor gains speed and flickers. Music up . . . scant images . . . the words roll by . . . FOREWORD CHAPTER FIVE FLASH and Rohe capture a Ming ship and force the crew to fly them to Ming ' s palace and . . . To the delight of middle-of-the- week woefuls . and the K-State stu- dent body in general, Flash Gordon leaped into action — not once, but three limes — every Wednesday! As before, the ever-competent Union Program Council managed to add a little zip and zowie to the aver- age student ' s life by offering the Free Films series. Each week ' s show con- sisted of one feature serial adventure with several old, and usually moldy, short subjects. Flash Gordon and Dick Tracy. stars of those Saturday morning nickel flicks Mom and Dad raved about, each headlined a semester ' s cast. Playing once again to packed houses, these daring, unspoiled heroes out- fought, out-foxed, and at times, out- hammed even their foulest of foes. The sight of such wholesome good- ness and evil evilness drew spontane- ous commental outbursts from ticket- holders: hisses and boos for the rotten guys — cheering encouragement for the more civic-minded characters. Flash Gordon and his crew of earthl- ings tooled through the Universe in wobbly, bullet-like space ships, keep- ing track of the cruel Emperor Ming. Through ten installments, these mortal enemies chased each other in efforts to save and destroy, respectively, the kingdom ruled by Princess Aura and Prince Barren. Prince Barren? Oh well, Flash felt the guy was worth saving so he continued to foolhardedly risk his neck. And how could he possibly lose with the help of pretty Date Arden, who, as her female foes discovered, could handle herself quite well under pres- sure. But then what superhero, and ex-Olympic swimmer. like Buster Crabbe, couldn ' t punch out a whole regiment of Mingites who resembled over-stuffed Munchkins with a bit of Robin Hood ' s merrymen mixed in? Second semester Free Film buffs were treated to the antics of Dick Tracy and company. Acting as calm, cool, and collected as Katie Winters, Dick battled modern day baddies with success and sap equal to Flash. Tracy ' s number-one fiend was The Spider , a cripple armed with a myste- rious pocket flashlight that marked his victims quite appropriately with an illu- minated spider. This no-good wrong- doer was aided by the terribly mis- guided physician and hunchback Mol- och. Definitely not as classy as an !gore. Moloch ' s big thrill was rearrang- ing brains with his own special method of cerebral surgery. His operations usually left few scars but had the uncanny knack of skunk-striping the patient ' s hair. Cohorts of Tracy included Gwen and Junior, that drab devoted duo always ready to remind their idol and boss just exactly how much the free world needed him. Where Flash relied on elaborate weaponry, Tracy employed a simpler tactic. He smiled his enemies into submission! Those ivories could even do a number on audiences! Supplementing these two serial adventures were an aged assortment of short subjects. From the Keystone Cops to what seemed to be at least one sample each of the Our Gang-Lit- tle Rascals remakes, the shorts served as warm-ups for the really good stuff . While UPC provided the nostalgic medium, student viewers added their own collegiate flavoring with audible sighs of Oh, Flash! or a heartfelt Way to go, Dick! . And when the action or dialogue became too much to swallow, a good, long belch helped put things back into proper perspec- tive! Free ticks — 27