Memphis State University - DeSoto Yearbook (Memphis, TN)

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big sheets of paper taped to dorm walls for that very purpose. Topics for graffiti can be anything from sex to reli- gion. Graffiti includes state- ments on the best (and worst) fraternity on cam- pus. Graffiti writers can also come up with some rather unprintable anec- dotes on racial groups or the human excretory sys- tem. Writers seem to prefer the concrete columns in the library over the desks. The concrete writings aren ' t as easy to Windex into obliv- ion. The top floor of the li- brary seems to be where the most bizarre graffiti is lo- cated. Apparently being that high up in the air means the brain gets less oxygen and causes it to work in strange ways. It wouldn ' t be fair to characterize all graffiti as mindless vandalism. Graf- fiti has its place in history. The Lascaux caves in France have graffiti dating back to about 40,000 years ago. The ancient Egyptians left valuable information in the form of wall writings and drawings. Perhaps in days to come historians and anthropologists will look I %• ' back on our graffiti to un- Photos by Devin Greaney derstand late twentieth century culture. Probably not. ■ Devin Greaney 29 graffiti

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Many people would like to leave their mark on the world, and many do— in the form of graffiti Yo f ape,28 .ou ' ve been studying on the sixth floor of Brister Library for that history fi- nal. In the past three hours you Ve gone from the Boston Massacre to John Brown ' s raid on Harpers Ferry. There ' s still a civil war to get through when all of a sud- den an idea pops into your study-crammed brain. Even after the Lincoln- Douglas debates the idea is still beckoning you to be let out, to be shared with the world, your statement that you want generations after you to look back on and say our culture is indebted to this great individual. You finally take your pencil to the library ' s desk and with the care and thought of a sculptor chiseling some- thing in marble, you write the passage that would make Plato or Descartes proud- OZZY RULES. Meanwhile at the exact same time on the 10th floor, George has abandoned any and all hopes of under- standing the differences between Keynesian and supply-side economic theo- ries as he thinks about Lisa: that woman who outshines all others. They ' ve been going together for about a year now, so in a moment of unbridled passion he writes on the concrete column George + Lisa— 4 ever. Af- ter reflecting on his creativ- ity for a minute, George looks in his book bag and finds a note that says, though quite eloquently, GET LOST signed Lisa (P.S. Can we still be just friends ' ?). George looks at another column and, in a moment of unbridled hatred, writes, If you ' re a lonely guy, call me for a good time— Lisa 454-.... The stories you have just read are false, but not too much of a deviation of real- ity. To leave your mark on this university does not always require having your basketball number retired after a successful career or dying and having a scholar- ship left in your name. It could be the simple task of writing your deepest feel- ings on a desk, wall, restroom column or those tales of tigers

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Leaders Learn not to Fear Businessmen Ron Terry and Avron Fogelman tell what it takes to reach the top of the Memphis business scene The Kansas City Royals are owned by Avron Fogelman, Memphis real estate magnate, because he needs a diversion to relax from the business. The new Fogelman Executive Center on campus was named for him, as well as the Fogelman College of Business and Economics. Photo courtesy of Fogelman Properties, Inc. page, 30 Ouccess is a goal that many strive for, but eco- nomic success is gained by few. Two men who have attained success and have chosen the Memphis area as their hunting gtround are real estate magnate Avron Fogelman and First Tennessee Chief Executive Officer Ron Terry. Fogelman, for whom the new Executive Center was named, is a native Mem- phian. At 48 years old, he is recognized as one of Mem- phis ' most wealthy men. The name Fogelman Properti es is seen on many apartment complexes and dwellings. He has been the recipient of many awards and is a strong proponent of promoting good citizenship and a sense of community. For this reason, Fogelman serves as the president of the Memphis Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the boards of several well- known organizations. Also a native Memphian, Terry is a 1952 graduate of the university. He worked his way up from being a management trainee in the First Tennessee Bank in 1 957 to being named Chair- man and Chief Executive Officer of the corporation in October 1973. He is the past president of the Fed- eral Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve System. Some of his community works included serving on the Board of Directors for both St. Jude ' s Children ' s Research Hospital and Baptist Memorial Hospital. DeSoto: When you graduated from Memphis State University, you surely had goals for your own success. What do you feel has set you apart from other graduates who have had similar goals? Terry: I don ' t know that other Memphis State graduates had goals similar to mine or that I ' m set apart. I look on myself as an indi- vidual with a goal to be the best at what I tried. I didn ' t set out to be the CEO of First Tennessee. Fogelman: I can ' t speak for other people. I can only speak for myself. I had a burning desire to do what ' s right— to be successful. And it took a lot of hard work. I didn ' t think of it as being that unusual or that unique. DeSoto: How did you achieve your level of suc- cess? Did you climb the ladder or form your own business? Terry: I went from Memphis State to fouryears in the Navy, during and after the Korean War. And I walked into the bank one day and asked for a job. They didn ' t give it to me. So I went back a second time and finally chased the per- sonnel manager down at Arkansas State, where he was one day. I asked him, and he gave me a job. (Terry began as a management trainee.) Fogelman: When I was 21 or 22 years old, I spent my Sunday afternoons keeping houses open for inspection. On Monday mornings, I was selling in- surance, and I was working seven days a week. And, even though I enjoyed sports and other things such as that, my priorities were to be a success. I tried to learn all I could regarding the business. I knew I wanted to be successful in real estate, and I didn ' t get sidetracked. I didn ' t take things in big jumps. I didn ' t try to get from here to there by leaping over the build- ing— I didn ' t mind going around the building or through the lobby. I wanted to take things in short steps . . . very quick steps, though. DeSoto: As a top Mem- phis executive, you are in- volved in many community and business activities. Of these, which works do you consider most important? Terry: The time I spent on the early stages of the Memphis Jobs Conference took a lot of my time. It was incurred at a time when Memphis was grasping for an identity. Governor Lamar Alexander thought the idea up and asked me to chair the second and third years of it. ... We [Memphis] are something. We don ' t have to be an Atlanta or a Dallas. With that thought in mind, the whole idea fo- cused on the competitive advantages of Memphis. This was the first time that people of different social status listened to one an- other about what we are. Fogelman: I think what- ever I can do to help my fellow man and improve his life and his place in society is the most important thing. I look for the kinds of things that improve one ' s lifestyle. I would say that one [pro- gram] that reaches the most people is the scholarship program. (Fogelman has offered to pay the tuition of under-privileged students who will sign a contract which provides that they will do all in their power to tales of tigers