this day in
thebattalion
S U history
April 6, 1959
● tuesday,
Hal Holbrook opened in the critically acclaimed, off-Broadway presentation of “Mark Twain Tonight.” Quotes from the famous humorist included: “It is best to read the weather forecast, before we pray for rain,” “The more things are forbidden, the more popular they become,” “Modesty died when clothes were born,” “Be good and you will be lonesome,” and “Familiarity breeds contempt — and children.”
april 6, 2010
● serving
texas a&m since 1893
● first paper free – additional copies $1 ● © 2010 student media
thebatt.com
Duke wins title
Butler forward Gordon Heyward missed a half-court shot at the buzzer as Duke prevailed 61-59 over the Bulldogs to capture the 2010 national championship.
coming wednesday
Islam intimacy The Muslim Students Association is hosting an awareness week, connecting Aggies to another culture.
Jeremy Northum — THE BATTALION
Renowned physicist professor Stephen Hawking delivers a lecture, “Out of a Black Hole” Monday in Rudder Auditorium.
Out of this world
Stephen Hawking speaks to students about recent discoveries concerning black holes Vicky Flores
The Battalion What once was a concept of science fiction, the mystery of black holes are slowly being uncovered, said Professor Steven Hawking Monday in Rudder Auditorium in his lecture “Out of a Black Hole.” In an introduction Chris Pope, professor of physics at Texas A&M and astronomy and holder of the Stephen Hawking chair in fundamental physics, said he had been working with Hawking ever since he studied under him.
July 10, 1987 — Feb. 13, 2010 Clinton William Dickey
“I think it is safe to say that Stephen requires no introduction. I would, however, like to add words of my own as I have had the very great privilege to know him,” Pope said. “Stephen’s research has been in some of the most challenging questions in physics, where did we come from? How will it end up?” Because Hawking stumped the physics community in 1975 by showing that black holes are not black at all, but they emit radiation, Pope said, he created the problem concerned with the apparent loss of information inside the black hole. It is something Hawking has been wor-
Sept. 9, 1988 – March 22, 2010 Vinh Duc Le
ried about ever since. To a sold out auditorium, as well as sold out overflow seats in the Rudder Theatre, Hawking began his lecture with a comparison of a 1970s Disney movie “Black Hole.” “It wasn’t a very good film but it had an interesting ending,” Hawking said. “In fact science fiction writers should not be taken so much by surprise, the idea of black holes has been around the scientific community for over 200 years.”
Melissa Appel
Brandi Tevebaugh
Amber Jaura
Vinh Duc Le, a junior biology major, died March 23 at age 21. He was born Sept. 9, 1988, in Houston. Le was a member of the Vietnamese American Students Association and was rushing Gamma Beta Fraternity, an Asian-American interest fraternity. Matthew Zheng, the president of Gamma Beta, said Le planned to use his biology degree to enter the health field. “He was a really intelligent person,” Zheng
Eric Michael Finnigan, 31, died March 4 in his home. The Bryan, Texas, native was born to Thomas Finnigan and Linda Keene on March 28, 1978. He was a graduate student at Texas A&M majoring in educaFinnigan tional technology. He was class of 2007 and a member of Community Bible Church. He was a
See Le on page 12
See Finnigan on page 5
See Dickey on page 5
Nov. 9, 1985 — March 18, 2010 Scott Johnsgard, Jr.
Family man to be honored The Battalion
March 20, 1989 — Feb. 16, 2010 John Kinkead Stiles
Sept. 6, 1989 — March 19, 2010 Sydney Nicole Williams
Life’s student, God’s servant
Devoted to being an Aggie
Remembering a constant smile
Samantha Johnson
Ann Littman
Katy Ralston
The Battalion Scott Johnsgard Jr., 24, died March 18 in College Station. Johnsgard was studying to complete two degrees in chemistry and philosophy at Texas A&M. Stephen Duncan, class of 2007, met Johnsgard in Boy Scouts and Johnsgard knew him for 12 years. “His chemistry degree is being awarded See Johnsgard on page 2
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March 28, 1978 — March 4, 2010 Eric Michael Finnigan
Dedication to intelligence The Battalion
Stephen Hawking’s genius is unparalleled in our generation. Listening to him speak on the universe was a tremendous opportunity for Aggieland.
See Hawking on page 6
Placing others before himself The Battalion Loyalty, integrity, excellence, leadership, selfless service and respect were more than just items on a list of the Aggie core values for Clint Dickey. For the U.S. Army sergeant first-semester Texas A&M student, it was a way of life. “The two characteristics that he emulated the most would be loyalty and ability to love others unconditionally,” said his wife Samantha Dickey. Dickey, 22, who delayed his entrance into
Hearing out Hawking
The Battalion John Kinkead Stiles was a junior agribusiness major at Texas A&M when he lost a 20-month battle with leukemia in his hometown of Leander, Texas. He was 20 years old. “He planned to complete an Stiles undergraduate degree in either ag economics or finance and then go on to complete an MBA and then law school,” See Stiles on page12
The Battalion The right smile can light up a room, cheer up a friend and brighten a day. For those who knew Sydney Nicole Williams, it only took one smile — her smile.” “Sydney always had a big smile on her face and, she had a beauWilliams tiful smile,” said her father, John Williams. Williams died March 19 at age 20. Born on
Silver Taps The event will be at 10:30 p.m. in front of the Academic Building In order to reserve the integrity of the tradition all lights must be out and noise kept to a minimum. The Silver Taps tradition dates back to 1898 and is one of the oldest and most respected of the A&M traditions. For more information on Silver Taps and its history visit http:// studentaffairs. tamu.edu/sas/ silvertaps.
See Williams on page 4
4/6/10 12:49 AM