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Daily Egyptian THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 2014 VOLUME 98 ISSUE 97
Third robbery occurs in three days Branda Mitchell Daily Egyptian
Carbondale Police are investigating the third incident in a string of robberies reported in less than 72 hours, all of which occurred less than a quarter of a mile from one another. The most recent incident was reported near midnight Tuesday in the 500 block of South Beveridge Street. Police began monitoring the area by stationing patrols
along Poplar Street, College Street and at South Illinois Avenue and West Mill Street immediately after receiving the call. A resident who lives nearby spoke with police at the scene. An officer told the neighbor a group of individuals followed the victims from a bar into the alleyway near Beveridge Street where the robbery occurred. Police said they are unsure at this point if the robberies are connected. A representative from the police department
said no one was in custody as of Wednesday morning, and advised people to take precautions, such as not walking alone in the area at night. The first of the robberies happened Sunday afternoon on the 200 block of West Hospital Drive. The second was reported less than 10 minutes later, and a block away at West Cherry Street and South University Avenue. Please see ROBBERIES · 2
The dogs Replica Vietnam wall comes to SIU behind the Dawgs Jordan Duncan Daily Egyptian
For Vicki and Jim Blair, walking the dogs sometimes includes five leashes, excitement and crowds of people. The Blairs volunteer their time and 10 saluki dogs to SIU. Vicki and Jim, who live in Herrin, bring some of their dogs to the university for special events and to run on the field during home football games. They said this is both an educational opportunity, as well as a positive experience for students. Vicki said incoming students react so positively because they miss their pets from home. The Blairs started raising salukis eight years ago, when a friend from Florida who breeds salukis, offered a puppy from a planned litter. In August 2013, their first Saluki, Kiya, a brown saluki bearing a white mark, gave birth to eight puppies. Six of that litter remains in the Blair household. “When we first moved down here, I was not even aware that SIU’s mascot was the Saluki,” Vicki said. She said she has had an infatuation with the breed from a young age. The Blairs are active with the school, and are members of the Alumni Association. Their daughter studied dental hygiene at the university 15 years ago. “It’s really nice because they make us feel like we’re part of it,” Vicki said. “It’s like we belong.” Tom Weber, assistant administrative director for media services, said the Blairs do not work for SIU, nor do they have any official standing with the school. They only arrive on campus when invited by administrative officials. “Most people think that we work for SIU, that the dogs are owned by SIU,” Vicki said. So far this year, they attended Watermelon Fest, new student orientations and the first home football game. The Blairs plan to attend every home game held by the Salukis this semester. SIU is not the only place the Blairs volunteer their time. Weber said they are active members of the Trinity Lutheran Church in Herrin. “They’re good, down to Earth, Christian people,” he said. They also bring their dogs to learning centers and nursing homes in Herrin. “We do have a lot of irons in the fire,” Vicki said. Even with the volunteerism, the Blairs still have time to care for their dogs. Charles Haire, their veterinarian, said the pair is in the “upper echelon” of pet ownership. The Blairs bring their dogs to Haire whenever there is any question about the dogs’ health. “There’s some pet owners that never tend to their dogs, some that do mediocre care,” Haire said. “Then you’ve got people who really, I mean really, take care of their dogs.” Please see SALUKIS · 2
L ewis M arien D aiLy e gyptian Melinda Astin, of Anna, watches the Traveling Vietnam Wall shuttle convoy leave Wednesday from Anna on its way to Carbondale. Astin, who lost her son nine years ago while he was serving in Iraq, said she felt very touched by the event. “I feel sad, happy; a little bit of everything right now,” Astin said. The Traveling Vietnam Wall, an 80 percent sized replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., opens today
Austin Miller Daily Egyptian
One hundred sixty-two southern Illinois natives lost their lives in the Vietnam War. They will join their 58,300 fallen comrades in memorial at the practice football field, south of Saluki Stadium. A travelling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall is on display from Thursday through Sunday. The opening ceremony will take place 6:30 p.m. at the practice football fields, just south of Saluki Stadium. Retired Maj. Gen. Randal Thomas, who is also chair of the SIU Board of Trustees, will be the keynote speaker. The 360-foot aluminum wall is a replica that is 80 percent the size of the official memorial in Washington D.C., which commemorates the American soldiers who lost their lives in Vietnam. Mark “Skip” Cosgrove, chair of the 20-person planning committee and Vietnam veteran, began working on bringing the wall to SIU in November 2012. He was appointed chair of the planning committee by former Chancellor Rita Cheng. The planning committee raised $46,000 of its $50,000 goal to bring the wall to Carbondale and advertise the event. Most of the money was raised through face-toface donations, but the committee will also sell shirts at the memorial. Cosgrove wants to donate all additional revenue to
veteran’s services in the area. He said he is thankful for the support from the university to host the wall. “Interim Chancellor [Paul] Sarvela and President [Randy] Dunn have not missed a step from where we started with former Chancellor Cheng,” Cosgrove said. He identified 162 southern Illinois veterans on the memorial, four of them SIU graduates. Paul Copeland, coordinator of Veterans Services and a 27-year Air Force veteran, chaired the volunteer subcommittee to help campus veterans participate. He has organized 145 volunteers for the event. One volunteer is Ian Wiser, a senior from Mount Carmel studying civil engineering. He did survey work for the placement of the wall as a part of the College of Engineering’s Leadership Development Program. Wiser measured the practice field to make sure the dimensions of the wall would fit properly. “It was fun to actually put my civil engineering skills to work,” Wiser said. Copeland hopes “double-digit thousands” will come pay their respects. “Vietnam veterans didn’t receive the same sort of welcome back that you see for veterans today,” Copeland said. “It’s important for us to take a look back through history and remember that time and acknowledge the service of those who didn’t receive that recognition at the time.” The wall will serve as an educational
opportunity for southern Illinois students as well. Cosgrove said local schools, as far as Effingham, have been learning about Vietnam. Thirteen schools, totaling more than 2,000 students, are attending on Friday. “There are generations of people with little to no knowledge about Vietnam,” Cosgrove said. “It always seems to get lost in the shuffle of lesson plans.” Copeland wants to create a Gold Star Salukis program to commemorate students and graduates killed in battle. After World War II, gold stars were issued to the families who lost loved ones overseas. He hopes to create a memorial, either physical or online, for those fallen Salukis, as well as a scholarship foundation for future students. “We want to recognize them in this historic sense for the ROTC cadets coming through these programs to know they have predecessors that served and served well,” Copeland said. As for a goal, Cosgrove has a simple answer. “It is important to provide an opportunity for people to pay respects and for vets to begin healing,” he said. “If this wall can help just one veteran begin their process of healing, or completing their journey, then this event will be a success.” The memorial will be open 24 hours a day, until it leaves Sept. 14 for Oregon. The Saluki football team’s annual military appreciation game will take place Sept. 13 against Southeast Missouri State University.