University of Texas Austin - Cactus Yearbook (Austin, TX)

Page 30 text:

Armadillos in No Hurry To Break Speed Record Scarf ace tackles his owner, Doyce Lankford, while Bill Evans tries to coax Little Red II to the finish line before Lankford recovers. C F

Page 29 text:

Endures Summer Ups, Downs The summer of 9 was devastating for the Texas tourist industry, particularly around Padre Island. The normally crowded beaches of the Texas coast were nearly deserted by mid-August as tourists fled, fearing the arrival of the world ' s largest oil slick. On June 3, the Ixtoc I oil well, located in the Bay of Campcchc off the Yucatan penin- sula, blew out, spewing 30.000 barrels of crude oil a day into Mexican waters, causing the largest spill in history. Two months later, oil from the still-uncapped well had traveled MX) miles north to hit Texas beaches. Contracted by the Coast Guard, a team of University of Texas students and scientists analyzed the chemistry of the oil spill a few weeks before it arrived on the American coastline. This group of biologists, headed by Dr. Patrick Parker, a professor of chemistry and marine science at the UT Marine Science Institute ' s laboratory at Port Aransas, also determined the substance ' s toxicity to marine life, particularly in Laguna Madre. Despite extensive and concentrated efforts on the pan of Coast Guard and environmen- tal officials, some of the crude entered the ecologically delicate lagoon, but breeding grounds were not permanently damaged. Even so, most officials agreed it would take years for the fishing and shrimping industries along the coast to return to normal. By mid-October, rwo months after the oil first washed up on shore, court action began to determine who should pay for the massive cleanup campaign. Public and private con- cerns, including the State of Texas, filed more than $371 million in damage suits against: PEMEX, the nationally owned Mexican oil company; Pemargo, a private drilling com- pany contracted by PEMEX; and SEDCO, the Texas-based drilling firm which leased the well to Mexico. SEDCO filed suit in Houston U.S. District Court to limit its liabil- ity to $300,000, citing maritime law, which restricts liability of vessels in international waters. The company claimed that the oil rig was a vessel. Under this law, all subsequent lawsuits had to be filed in Judge Robert O ' Conor ' s court, who set the filing deadline at October 23. Fifteen minutes before the deadline, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a $6 million suit against SEDCO, charging negligence. More than 94 percent of the pending suits were filed by southern Texas business inter- ests, many of them claiming revenue loss from decreased tourist trade. Area fishermen also sustained heavy losses due to the crude, which at times traveled forty feet below the surface. The oil rendered many of the shrimp and fish caught by the fishermen inedible, and guaranteed a shortage of Gulf seafood for the next two years. -Join Hollind Bjrb Booth xrapn lar from her fcci on South Padre Island

Page 31 text:

One way to go in armadillo 10 move might be to scream in its ear. This doesn ' t always work as this ' dillo jockey is finding On your mark, get set, go! Anticipating the breathless spectators ' expectations, the announcer shot the starting gun and started the First Annual Interna- tional Armadillo Races in New Braunfels, August 25. The affable audience, reeking of beer, German sausage and Mexican food, watched impatiently as the armored creatures took their time crossing the finish line. In fact, aggravated ' dillo jockeys coaxed their finicky animals near the finish line only to see them turn tails and head for a return trip to the starting line. Western music, blistering heat, as well as Playboy and Texas Girt models helped fire up the spectators. Between races, there was a freckle contest, a beauty contest and a beer chugging contest. For people not interested in the pavillion escapades, there were craft dis- plays, bucking bronco machines, food and, of course, beer. Gloria Rodman Armadillo Racn