Stephen F Austin State University - Stone Fort Yearbook (Nacogdoches, TX)

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Hdley ' s Comet hits 1986 by Scott Miller and Doug Craig The mysteries of the universe have been met with fear, myths and the desire to conquer the unknown. Halley ' s Comet was probably first sighted by the Chinese in 240 B.C. Since that time, the comet has baffled many who saw it. Others have responded to the comet with fear while still others have studied and researched to answer the questions behind Halley ' s Comet. According to Dr. Norman L. Markworth, assistant professor of physics, Halley ' s Comet is made up of water, carbon dioxide, ammonia, methane and dust. The comet appears every 76 years to entertain the masses and to provide re- search for astronomers. The comet was named after Edmund Halley, an English astronomer, who was the first to develop the theory that comets orbit the sun in an elongated elliptical path. Halley realized that appearances of comets in 1531, 1607 and 1682 were the reappearance of the same comet. He also successfully predicted that the comet would reappear in 1758. Halley ' s comet can be viewed as it comes between the earth and the sun. Once it passes the sun, the comet will head towards Pluto. Just before reaching the planet, the comet will head back towards the sun to be seen again in the year 2061. The optimal time to have seen Halley ' s comet was in November and December of 1985, and March and April of 1986. The first photograph of Halley ' s Comet was taken was taken in 1910 by Donald H. Menzel. The photograph above was taken at the SFA observatory through the 41-inch telescope. The telescope is the largest between the McDonald Observatory in West Texas and Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. According to Dr. Thomas O. Callaway, There are only 12 sites in the United States with larger telescopes. In addition to academic uses of the new telescope and research uses in tracking bi- nary stars, the scope is an integral part of public showings and is used in tracking pro- grams with observatories around the world. And I think we ' ll be attracting more as- tronomy students, Callaway said. There aren ' t many educational facilities that can match what we have for astronomers. SFA ' s 41-inch telescope and observatory are just two more symbols of the excellence that SFA is achieving. SFA - 9

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Austin statue honors namesake by Linda Schiessl The 150th birthday of Texas made Tex- ans take a closer look at the history, bravery and contributions of our forefa- thers. One such contributor to the colorful history of Texas was Stephen Fuller Austin, the namesake of our university. The erec- tion of his commemorative statue will stand tall and proud just as his contributions to the history of Texas have remained stead- fast through the years. It was not an easy task to find a sculptor who could capture the essence and strength of Stephen F. Austin. A $100,000 competition headed by SFA General Counsel Robert Provan proved to be a year-long project with over 180 artists submitting portfolios. Of these 180 entries, three finalists were chosen to complete min- iature models of their projected sculptures. After the committee analyzed finalists ' works, Richard MacDonald was named the winner of the $100,000 competition. Mac- Donald, the nationally renowned artist, has commissioned works for such corporations as American Telephone and Telegraph, IBM, Anheuser-Busch and R.J. Reynolds. One of MacDonald ' s major accomplish- ments was the placement of his work The Gymnast in the permanant collection of the National Art Museum of Sport. Mac- Donald is also known for his potraits as well as his sculptures. His portfolio includes Bear Bryant, Johnny Carson, Martin Lu- ther King, Joe Namath, Pete Rose, O.J. Simpson and Don Shula. MacDonald ' s model of the commissioned Austin statue depicts the Texas statesman standing atop the Lone Star of Texas which emerges from a rock as water cascades over the rock and the star. According to MacDonald the emerging Lone Star represents Austin ' s efforts to carve a civil- ized society from a rough land with the emergence suggesting the bright future which is yet to come. The statue of Austin will remain a mark of excellence on campus and will stand proud for years to come, just as Austin ' s Texas has stood tall and proud throughout the years.

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10 - Gulf Star Conference