Truman State University - Echo Yearbook (Kirksville, MO)

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they try beer, and when that doesn't work, they suggest wine. Then it's soda. It's like they won't feel comfortable until I've got some kind of drink in my hand. Berger simply tries to avoid the possible pressures from those who drink. It's part of their lifestyle but not mine. Most of my friends know that I don't drink, and I hardly ever go to parties where I know there will be a lot of drinking going on. To Henderson, the pressure seemed more intense at home than in Kirksville. Up here, people don't care if I drink or not. My friends don't bother me about my not drinking, they just accept it. Other reasons people give for choosing not to drink include fear of losing control of personal behavior when drunk, religious restrictions, fear of permanent physical or mental disabilities and financial strain. SELECTING an alcohol alternative, freshman Lucretia Wilkinson punches the Pepsi button on a vending machine. Wilkinson prefers to drink her beverages straight rather than mix them with liquor. None of the three felt that their drinking habits would alter drastically once they got out of college. There would be no reason for me to change, said Wilkinson, picking up a glass of water. — Karen Olsen and Riley Fllerbusch

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Uptown taverns, parties at the lake, Greek mixers — what fun would they be without booze? Most students would say no fun at all. But others see it differently. I don't need it. I can have a good time without it, said Lucretia Wilkinson, freshman. She goes to parties but does not drink. To her it is not a moral issue. I just don't like the taste. I don't care if other people drink. That's their business. Even though Steve Berger, freshman, does not drink, it does not matter to him that some of his friends do. I don't feel as if I'm missing anything, he said. Sure, I've wanted to get drunk, but I've never gone through with it. The taste has always stopped me. Another reason Berger does not drink is that he is under the legal drinking age in Missouri. I know I could go up to Iowa, but it isn't worth it to me. Sophomore Connie Henderson avoids alcohol because of her family and hometown friends. None of my friends back home drank in high school, and they thought people who did were really bad. And nobody in my family drinks either. They're not against other people doing it; they just don't join in. Non-drinkers occasionally feel pressured by those who drink. First, said Wilkinson, they offer me mixed drinks. When I refuse those, 28 Teetotalers

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The atmosphere was lay-back, the harmony natural and the singing a sleepy Southern drawl. Although the concert is over now, somewhere in Missouri Hall a stereo blares New Orleans Lady'' by Louisiana's LeRoux. The headline act for the 1979 Spring Concert, LeRoux has left its mark on Kirksville. Heartsfield, the warm-up group for the concert, initiated handclapping and a-men responses from the audience. Both groups wrapped the crowd into their riverboat music and drew them to their feet, striking a medium between blue- grass, ja7.7., and rock and roll. Audience reception was warm, although the crowd of 800 was far from being a record-setting one for either Baldwin Auditorium or LeRoux. But the warm, southern hospitality of the group spread around campus before their music did. Members of the group arrived early the afternoon before the CALM BEFORE THE STORM describes Jeff Pollard's guitar-strumming warm-up session backstage before his performance. Pollard is lead singer and guitarist for LeRoux. ALTHOUGH STUDENTS STILL voice com- plaints when concerts are held in Baldwin Hall, the size and design of the auditorium allows for a certain intimacy between students and band members. 30 Spring concert