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Show THE THUNDEABIRDOSOUTHERN UTAH UNIVEASITYOMONOAY MAY 4, 19920 PAGE 3 Group gains momentum BY DARREN GATES Thunderbird Correspondent An SUU campus hosting group gathers momentum as it moves through its second year of organization. The Presidential Ambassadors, a group formed in the fall of 1990 under past SUUSA President Julie Stuart, continues progressing its plans to showcase SUU's campus to prospective students. Formerly called the Young Ambassadors, the group specializes in hosting visiting students, giving campus tours, and assisting SUU President Gerald R. Sherratt with special festivals and commencements. The idea began when Missie Wilson, SUU student relations assistant, dug through several old yearbooks and found that a similar program once existed on campus. Wilson then approached D. Mark Barton, director of admissions and records, and Rcdge Johnson, admissions counselor, to see if SUUSA would sponsor such a program . Although the group existed last year, it didn' t begin blooming until it became a sponsored group by Sherratt. According to Stuart, acting as a Presidential Ambassador demonstrates a dedicated and excelling student. "It is a very prestigious position, '' she said, "they are chosen for their hard working ethics, overall dynamics and a sincere love for SUU." According to Stuart, an addition to the program next year includes involving all incoming freshmen as well as transfer students who come to SUU on a leadership scholarship. Stuart said the students will help in many aspects of the organization, but won't receive actual membership in the group until the honor comes through general application the following spring. ON CAMPUS . RECITAL TONIGHT: The SUU music department presents a faculty recital tonight at 7 :30 p.m. in Thorley Recital Hall featuring Virginia Stitt and Thomas Silliman. Stitt will perform on oboe, English horn and bassoon, while Silliman will perform on violoncello. POETRY READING: Poets Katherine Coles and Kenneth Brewer will present readings Thursday at 8 p.m. in Braithwaite 204. STUHNT EXHIBIT: The annual Student Art Exhibit opens Thursday in the Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery in conjun ction with the second annual Mayfest Art Walk. The reception begins at 5 p.m . and awards will be given at 7 :30 p.m. at the gallery. PLAY OPENS: Into the Woods, , SUU's final mainstage production of the season, opens Thursday at 8 p.m. in the Randall L. Jones Theatre. The play brings together a number of fairy tale characters in a Stephen Sondheim musical comedy. Tickets are $2 for students with current I.D. through the Theatre Box Office, 586-7878 . Megasaoant Kim Peek, right, and his father spoke in a special Conoocalion Fri.day. Peek repeatedly wandered off to give random hugs. ' Rainman' sprinkles love BY DAVID JOHNSON Thunderbird Associate Editor " You are a fine looking woman." This statement, among others, sparked the SUU audience into laughter as Convocation speaker Kim Peek embraced a person quizzing his dizzying recall ability. Peek, the inspiration for the movie Rainman amazed the audience as they quizzed him on American geography, Civil War history, and perpetual calendar dates. Students asked questions of the location of any town in the nation with the stipulation that it has more than 1,000 in population. "Do you know where Annabel, Utah is?" one person asked. "Go right out on 400 South and it's a dead end, " Peek replied emphatically, setting the audience into laughter. Another asked where the town of Linsay resided. Immediately Peek asked, " Is it Arkansas or Oklahoma? " " Oklahoma, " the man replied. " It's on the way south toward Sherman, Dennison and Dallas. The freeway goes by Sherman, Dennison, and Dallas. It's called Central Expressway when it goes into Dallas," he said. Peek then cheered, ''Oklahoma, wash-your-face, BYU , BYU! " During the exhibition Peek repeatedly approached members of the audience and intently examined them, and embraced them. "What year was my birthday on Easter?" One member asked , providing her date of birth. "27, 38, 49 and 60," Peek immediately replied . " What a.s tronauts died on the first Apollo mission?" another asked. " It was Grissom, White and Chaffey," Peek said. " And what was the date?" " January 27 , 1967." "What day was that?" "Friday," Peek responded immediately. Peck's father Fran also attended, holding Kim's microphone and assisting in the exhibition. Local landlord Dalton is no demon BY MERCY SEEGMILLER Thunderbird Staff Writer John Dalton-the name is well known on the Cc1mpus of Southern Utah University. Those students not living in Dalton-owned apartments have friends, cousins, or at least classmates who do. The name Dalton connects with many words, usually negative to college students, words like rent, bilJ, broken toilet or heater. Although Dalton, owner of many local apartments rented to students, realizes landlords inevitably are known as bad guys, he also knows that he has responsibilities, as do everyone, to the people he works for. And that he does not, in fact, own the apartments he runs may be a surprise to some, it ilJustrates that few students really know the man. John Dalton was born and raised in Paragonah, Utah, and has been in the rental business for 25 years. The first 10 years he only rented to married couples, then became involved in renting single student housing as well. Dalton served in the military and farmed , and also taught in elementary and middle schools for 25 years. H e retired from teaching five years ago . Local /,andlord of student aportments, john Dalton works as a contractor. Now he spends his time as an electrical and general contractor. He and his wife, Erma, have three daughters and six grandchildren. They enjoy traveling, fishing, hunting and reading. The Dalton apartments are owned by a group of investors from northern Utah. Working together as the general managers of the apartments, Erma keeps the books and handles most of the renting, he says. Both say they enjoy working with the college generation. ''They are a good caliber of kids who are optimistic and have a zest for life. They are as fine a group of people as you can work with." Dalton says. They admitted having a lot of discipline problems, but feel it is important to be firm . There are four couples working as managers for the apartments and the Daltons say they work through them as much as possible. The rules for their apartments are simple: no smoking, drinking, drugs or pets and no overnight guests without managerial permission. A curfew exists, but they admitted not much is done to enforce it unless noise becomes a problem . " We know it is impossible to please everyone all the time, so we just do our best,'' says Erma. According to Erma, a lot of landscaping on the ~partments is slated for summer and Dalton says they are in a position to build more apartments close to campus, but they are holding off to see how much growth occurs and what future demand will be. |