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

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Memorial Weekend Floods Wash Austin Into Sweltering Summer Solstice The disastrous floods of the Memorial Day weekend foreshadowed the weather for June which found many sections of town inundated by floodwaters from torrential rains. Although damage from this deluge ran into millions of dollars, Presi- dent Reagan refused to designate Austin a federal disaster area. Watered-down days didn ' t dampen Austinites ' spirits for long, though. To the relief of sun-starved citizens. Barton Springs reopened in early July after the flood-eroded embankment was rebuilt. Some Austin residents expressed more apprehension than elation, however, because they believed the construction of the Barton Creek Square Mall posed a threat to the natural spring. Texas legislators shunned the sun and re- mained in the Capitol as Gov. Bill Clements called two special sessions. Problems with the redistricting plan extended the legislative assembly well past its 142-day term. On campus, shuttle bus drivers prepared to strike if Transportation Enterprises, Inc. failed to meet contract demands for better wages and working conditions. Protesting UT employee, Kathleen Kelleher, assistant instructor in government, lost her battle against the administration. She remained relieved of her teaching duties when UT President Peter Flawn decided that she had failed to follow a course syllabus by bringing homosexuals to speak to a 312L section she taught in summer 1980- Around Texas, state troopers set up roadblocks to prevent California produce contaminated by the Mediterranean fruit fly from entering the Lone Star state. On the Gulf Coast, no one could stop, much less explain, the mysterious deaths of approx- imately 3,000 adult redfish that washed up on a 140-mile stretch of South Texas beach. After the dust settled, it was time for freshman legislator Mike Martin of Longview to kiss his political dreams good- bye. Shot in the elbow on July 31 while park- ed outside a trailer park, it was later discovered that with the help of a cousin, he had staged his own shooting for publicity. He topped off his conflicting cover-up stories of being pursued by satanic cults and unknown enemies by announcing his can- didacy for re-election. Irate Californians endured the medfly invasion and some of them were even more provoked when Gov. Jerry Brown finally gave in and allowed the spraying of malathion to control the infestation. In the nation ' s capital, the Supreme Court made room on the bench for its first female justice, Sandra Day O ' Connor, and President Reagan succeeded in getting his three-year tax cut out of Congress in one piece. While Pope John Paul II struggled through a slow recovery from the gunshot wound he received in April, his dream of Swift currents rush ovtt issored rubble nd three Mitomobfles tht were unlucky enough to get inthewiy of Shoal Creek ' s ngry torrents during the summer flooding. Summer

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Features 19

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' Austin tice TO . t tat tvtn mote ' Jay BOTH My fc piying of affcibui - ' ...: i boh fmik ...:-.: - .:: p |Kt i j M D nigU ; Austin resident Carol Baeza takes advantage of Waterloo Park and the long-awaited summer weather. world peace seemed more distant than ever. In the Middle East, Israel used U.S.-built warplanes to destroy an Iraqi nuclear reactor, and claimed self-defense. Impeached Iranian president Bani-Sadr sought asylum in Paris and an explosion killed the new president and prime minister. The world seemed to teeter on the brink of war in mid-August when U.S. F-l4s were fired upon by Libyan jets over the Mediterranean. The Americans returned fire, shooting down two Libyan air- craft. Gen. Muammar Gaddafi of Libya claimed the U.S. had violated Libyan ter- ritorial waters. Great Britain was ridden with internal strife that culminated in a week of rioting in Liverpool. Disenchanted youth burned and looted buildings to protest high unemploy- ment and the poor state of the economy. A week later, most of the world joined the English in watching the fairy tale wedding of the century on July 29 when Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer exchanged vows in St. Paul ' s Cathedral in London. On the sports scene, aggravated baseball fans eagerly awaited the end of the major league players ' strike. When the second season did begin, the National League won the All-Star game and nothing could stop Pete Rose from breaking Stan Musial ' s all- time record for base hits. At the World Student Games in Romania, UT helped the United States swim away with 16 gold medals, more than any other competing country. In England, American athletes also came out ahead on the grassy courts of Wimbledon when they captured four of the five titles. Spain ' s leaders decide to join NATO, making their country the 16th member of that organization. The first flood since the Memorial Day weekend strikes. No deaths or serious injuries are reported. Major league baseball strike begins. The third flood of the rainy season pours 4.5 inches on Austin. South Austin is hardest hit, but no deaths or serious injuries result. Black free-lance photographer Wayne B. Williams, suspected in the string of 28 Atlanta murders of young blacks, is arrested in con- nection with the slaying of the last victim. The New Hyatt Regency in Kansas City closes indefinitely when a walkway collapses, taking 113 lives and injuring 186 others. Fifty days of negotiation settle the baseball strike. Air traffic controllers strike; Presi- dent Reagan gives picketing employees 48 hours to return to work. It is the first time in the 26- year history of the law prohibiting federal workers from striking that criminal prosecution is instituted. Summer 21