thebattalion ● tuesday,
● serving
texas a&m since 1893
● first paper free – additional copies $1 ● © 2009 student media
Famous fan
Courtesy Photo
Silver Taps to honor Briggs
november 3, 2009
among thousands Sam Smith — THE BATTALION
Visor Guy carries Aggie Spirit
Joaquin Villegas The Battalion Texas A&M University will honor the memory of Robert “Bobby” Davis Briggs, who died on Sept. 19. Briggs died due to a pulmonary infection caused by the H1N1 flu. University Police Department received a call about an unconscious person in Aston Hall about 3:45 p.m. Sept. 19. A&M Emergency Medical Services responded and found Briggs in his bed, authorities said. Bobby, 19, was a freshman environmental design major, who died in his sleep. Bobby grew up in Maple Valley, WASH where he graduated from Tahoma High School with honors. He was involved in the Cub Scouts and his favorite sports included basketball, softball and soccer. He was an avid Seattle Sounders fan. When the time came to look for colleges, Bobby wanted to pick a university with the top architectural program. His mother, Class of 1980, remembers his desire to become an architect.
David Harris | The Battalion
W
Jeremy Northum — THE BATTALION
See Briggs on page 7
hen students think of Kyle Field on a Saturday in the fall, there are many images that resonate: The Twelfth Man, a sea of maroon, the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band, the Corps Block, The War Hymn and Visor Guy. At section 426, row two, seat 10 in the Zone sits one of the more recognizable entities at Kyle Field, Visor Guy. Look to the northeast, and you’re sure to see him and his Twelfth Man towel in full force. His pounding of the stands elicits thousands of “Whoops.” And, his constant clamoring for noise from a student section has created a cult-like following. To everybody in the student section, he is and will always be known as Visor Guy. But, behind the visor is a family man by the name of Kevin Holley. Holley is a member of the Class of 1999. He met his wife Melanie at Texas A&M at Corpus Christi, and they have been married since 2003. He has two daughters—Kiera, 2 and Kathy, 6 months respectively.
Kevin Holley, known to many as Visor Guy, waves his 12th Man towel outside of Kyle Field Saturday.
See Visor Guy on page 7
Olsen Field renovation on the way Brad Cox Jonny Green — THE BATTALION
Chuck Norris signed books and exchanged handshakes with hundreds of fans Monday at in the Post Oak Mall.
Chuck Norris visits College Station College Station residents had the opportunity to meet Chuck Norris Monday as he promoted his new book, “The Official Chuck Norris Fact Book: 101 of Chuck’s Favorite Facts and Stories.” Norris was present at a book signing event from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Scripture Haven Bookstore in Post Oak Mall. Aggies and College Station residents lined up outside of the store and throughout the mall to wait to meet the television actor and martial arts legend. Among those in attendance were Aggies from the Corps of Cadets Delta Co., the veterans unit. “He’s been over there; we’ve been over there,” senior history major Colin Thacher said. “Chuck Norris is just amazing,” said Jeremy McGee, a junior forensic investigative science major. “I’m just excited about being here.” In “The Chuck Norris Fact Book,” Norris provides the many anecdotes from throughout his life that have fueled the spread of Norris Facts. Norris also expounds upon his five core values in his life: freedom, family, fitness, faith and fight. Melissa Appel, staff writer
pg1-11.3.09.indd 1
The Battalion The 12th Man Foundation’s Olsen Field renovation campaign is moving in a positive direction despite the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Miles Marks, president of the 12th Man Foundation, said Monday they hope to have $6 million in pledges and $4 million in cash by Dec. 31. “Although we started this project in the toughest of economic times we are still optimistic that it will be successful,” Marks said. “Aggies have been receptive to the message of the needs of Olsen Field renovation and, as the economy starts to strengthen, we see them starting to line up to help make this a reality.” Marks said the Foundation has almost $4 million of the $16 million goal planned for the first phase of the project with the biggest giving season yet to come. Stu Starner, senior vice president for major gifts for
12th Man Foundation
An artist rendition provided by the 12th Man Foundation of what Olsen Field might look like after the proposed renovation. the Foundation, said most of its gifts in December, when donors and their financial advisers are reviewing giving possibilities before the end of the taxable year. In order to start the project, the Foundation is required to have 75 percent of the funds pledged from donors, which is $12 million, and 50 percent in cash, which is $8 million. “As raising money for projects is not an exact science,
we generally say that we will begin a project just as soon as the targets for fundraising are met,” Marks said. Texas A&M Facilities Planning Group, in charge of final design, specifications, bidding and a construction plan will start when the foundation has the funds. Marks said construction would begin several months after the project starts. See Olsen Field on page 7
Engineers’ ‘Howdy Car’ wins fifth place in competition Travis Lawson The Battalion For the A&M Society of Automotive Engineers, building a racecar starts with the decision of what car to use, next comes the inspection and disassembly of the parts, then comes putting it back together to create the lightweight, balanced racecar with a strong engine designed to win. And this team did just that, placing fifth out of 58 teams in the 2009 Grassroots Motorsports Challenge. For the competition, teams attempt to build the best racecar on a set of guidelines. This was the first time the organization entered this competition, and Jake Sieverling, a sophomore engineering technology major and a
member of the organization, said receiving fifth place was something to be proud of. “To get fifth place in the company we were in was a huge honor as well as winning the Editor’s Choice Award,” Sieverling said. “The editors of the magazine were very impressed with the effort we put forth and that was very unexpected and humbling.” The challenge was not just for college universities; only A&M and Georgia Tech University provided a car for the contest. The idea to enter the “Grassroots Challenge” came about when members of the organization decided designing racecars was one thing, but building the racecar was another. The racing team created a plan to get students
hands-on experience by entering them in the contest. The team’s car for the challenge is a 1993 Honda Civic the A&M Racing team calls “The Howdy Car.” Eduardo Idarra, a senior engineering technology major and crew chief for the team, said they made a great showing this year and plan to return with the ‘The Howdy Car’ in peak performance condition. “We have a better idea about what the judges will be looking for in the competition,” Idarra said. “‘The Howdy Car’ is going to be going back because it did so well its first time out.” The organization will also be constructing another car for volunteers to work on while “The Howdy Car” is
Courtesy Photo
A&M Society of Automotive Engineers entered ‘The Howdy Car’ as a part of the 2009 Grassroots Motorsports Challenge. worked on. The automotive engineers is an organization run by students, and focuses on preparing students for careers working with automotives on an
engineering level. The organization puts an emphasis on the technical skills of building a racecar. See Racecar on page 7
11/2/09 11:16 PM