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

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In the Events focus attention upon While shades of gray and uncertainty may have many things at K-State — the proposed coliseum, selection of a new University president, the future of K-State football the Landon Lecture series colored K-State but one shade, impressive. Visits to K-State by Thomas P. Tip O ' Neill, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, and Vice President George Bush focused the national spotlight on the campus and gave students an opportunity to hear important, yet differing, commentary on American and world politics. K-State hoped that impressive tint would carry over into the selection of a new University president. Duane Acker ' s resignation from the post in June 1985 left K-Staters wondering who would lead the University and address the problems of declining enrollment, student retention and ever decreasing state allocations. While uncertainty shrouded this issue, K-Staters were certain to see this gray resolved. Nichols Hall had that impressive tint as the doors were opened on November 9, 1985, for the dedication ceremonies. Since December 13, 1968, when Nichols burned, it has stood silent and empty. During the ' 70s when the question came up whether to level the or restore it, students rallied to renovate the hall. Nichols lives once more with the speech and computer scence departments filling the halls with activity. As part of the Landon Lecture series, Vice President George Bush spoke to a half-filled Ahearn Field House about better international relations and the upcoming meeting between President Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Gorbachev. After his speech, Bush traveled to Topeka to celebrate Alf Landon ' s 98th birthday. (Photo by John Thelander) Speaker of the House of Thomas P. Tip O ' Neill, answers questions during a press conference held before the 69th Lecture. O ' Neill, who has been the Speaker of the House since 1977 and a member of Congress for 34 years, said he would retire at the end of his current term. (Photo by Chris Stewart)

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10 Focus

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Good Spirit of fall brings life to campus It was a typical fall as far as Kansas is concerned. August was cool, September was cold, October was in between, and during November, snow flurries were in the air. But the weather did not dampen students ' spirit as they plunged into the fall season ' s events with enthusiasm. The firing of Jim Dickey as head football coach did not turn the tide of purple pride during the football season as expected. The ' Cats were just another shade of gray. Students still kept a positive attitude (mixed with a bit of cynicism) toward homecoming activities with the attitude that it was a time for reunions with alumni and friends. The day was warm and sunny, and even though the Oklahoma Sooners carried the game, the student section was full of cheering fans. Other fall events were heralded with just as much anticipation. Students neglected studies for a wild- and-crazy night in Aggieville on Halloween. Costumes as outlandish as being a piece of gum on the bottom of a chair were paraded down Moro Street. As dawn crept closer and the gray shadows disappeared, the spooks were packed away for another year and another crowd of students. Shielding himself from intense heat, Willie the Wildcat roasts hot dogs for a post-Homecoming bonfire meal. On the cold and rainy night before Homecoming, the cheerleaders and band pepped up the fans at the after marching past the residence halls where more students joined the growing line. (Photo by Andy Nelson) Fall Spirit