News Scrapbook 1989

ut 181

P. C. B fat 1188 AN DIEGO SPORTS ET CETERA

• L CWomenSetRecord in 107-33 Victory

Commentary

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San Diego, Calif. (San D!.eg SAll DI

DEC 1 21989

Jliffl', P. C. 8

F.sr 1888 / Slain newsman's widow s i I consumed by pain

helped carry her through the trial. She testified in the trial, identifying Weeding as the man who attacked her and her husband. "I bad no idea bow all-consuming this trial would be," Vickie said. "I haven't been able to think about any- thing else." Vickie attended the trial every day and spent hours in the courthouse hallway waiting for verdicts. She said the burden of the trial prompted her to take a leave from th Univer- sity of San Diego. Vickie said listemng to Weedlng's family and friends describe him as a compassionate man and talented art• ist during the penalty fbase of the proceedings was one o the hardest parts of the trial. "It was like being in a fistfight and having your arms tied up," she said. "I was there. I know what David Weeding did. I'm glad he'll n/ ever be able to hurt anyone again." I

The trial ~fov?tea\iuer David Alan Weeding is over, but the trials faced by bis victim's widow continue. "Hopefully, there will come a day when the pain won't consume me so much and I'll continue my life," Vickie Linn Peti1 said. "No punish- ment is enough for violating anyone m any way, especially In the ways David Weeding has violated people." Weeding was found guilty on ov. 22 of trying to rape Vickie Pe i1 and of murdering newspaperman Steve Petil in May 1988. Yesterday, a Su- perior Court jury recommended that Weeding be sentenced to life in pris- on without possibility of parole. The recommendation provides some solace to Vickie Peti1, a 25• year-old graphic artiSt and account- mg tudent at the Universit of San DiegQ..B&it it can't erase t e memory ontiy 1988, she said. "Any time I want to, I could look up into my nund and relive that day - smell it, see it and feel 1t." That day began much like any other in the life of Vickie and Steve Pet11 who were married in July 1987. ' Vickie spent the morning in class; Steve was working at The Cali- fornian. Vickie went to the couple's El Cajon apartment and called her hus- band. They agreed to meet for lun~h. David Weeding, posmg as a repair- man tricked Vickie into letting him mto 0 the apartment. He then tried to rape her at knifepoint. When Steve amved home, Weeding stabbed the 31-year-old newspaperman five tJIDes and then fled. Vickie hesitates only briefly when asked bow she feels about her bus• band's killer. "I hate him," she said. "I know that's a strong thought, but he's earned that emotion from me." Vickie said it was the memory of her late husband, in addition to sup- port from family and friends, that I

UniformsAid StudentPerformance • Academics: Not only d

When cr1ucal thin mg skills are used to det rmine what label i.s bemg worn by the tudent m the next row legitimate education 1s impa1r~d When rece and lunch discui;~1on center on itemized analysis of what the "in" group 1s weanng, student focus is dlstorted By

they are more boisterous-not because of some new-found freedom from the assumed restnct1ons on self-expression that uniform-we.iring schools are frequently accused of, but ra ther . because there is a less serious attitude;~ · the classroom. In conversation with students from our school, the amount of time they spend trying lo decide what to wear on free-_dress days comes up frequently as a topic of stress. Their parents make the same comment-and they say the amount of time a child takes deciding what t<> wear increases geometncally with agt:. Would that all or that lime could be spent buying back a few • ~recious moments or the family mt1macy that 20th-Century America makes so 1mposs1blc. Blessed Sacrament is the largest Catholic elementary school in the city of San Diego, with 418 students in preschool through the nrnth grade. It's an urban campus where 30% of the students come from single-parent homes, and, m 93% of the families, the single parent or both parents work outside the home. Forty percent of the students arc from other than Anglo ethnic groups. And 25% or our students come from famihes poor enough to quahfy for free or reduced-price school lunches. It's a socioeconomic makeup in which academic standards can often be hard to meet. Yet at Blessed Sacrament standardized test scores are 30 t~ 40 points above the national average. I would be the first to admit that the presence or the uniform policy is not the only secret of our students' success, but · without uniforms I believe they would , not perform as well academically. Oh-as to Mr. Searles, You don't "own" my children. Brian Bennett is principal of Blessed &crament Q.athofic Scbool in Fast &n Diego, and is the father of two girls, ages 8 and 11. He has been a visiting professor in the _scho~ls of education at San C4ego Std~e Unuit:u1ty and the Uni1_!crsily o~n Diego .

uniforms liminatc .tatus war • they h Ip tudents c nccntrate ' on hoolwork.

AU of lhtu peop~ und r11and somtthing removing the clothing distraction, that i. VtT)J bas1r and loo,caL• that if 11ou own parents can ensure ti at at least one 1111 rh1J,I ae an ta r/11 age, 11ou can own thu non-educational element is removed rhiul fo; 11ear to come ... Companie• are from the thinking process. a!rng, JI~. I want to ow~ .~ht kid 11ounger Uniforms al o save money. At Bies ed d 11ounge-r and young r. Sacrament elementary school in Ea t - Mike •••rln, prt,ldtnt of Kid • 'A' Ua S, n Diego, on child' uniforms-skirts Hy HRI HE E1T or Jump rs and blouse for girls and lack and shirt for boys-will W ith about • ,000 d y of the 20th gen rally not exceed $100 per Cen tury rem ming, we have year-even if parents choose to com f c to fac with the trulh purchas the non-mandatory or t least one old adage-"Clothes make accessories. I shudder at the financial th m n," or, tn I chauvmt tic language burden that fam1he ·in non-uniform mor In tun with the conomtcs of the schools must endure, and, as the father ch1lr lr n's clothing market, "Clothes (with or two girls, I ecretly reJoice in July and prop r dverusing budget, and correct August when I can walk by the many mark t pos1 ttonmg] make (so long as we back-to-school "sales" can convince them lhrough media and I~ an age of competing economic pre s ure r th child." nl,,hty, r.h1ldren from i.>wer-mcome To ext nd the logic, the child who is homes, and even m1ddJe-1ncome homes "made" i c rtain lo be more accepted. would be at least sartorially equal in th~ mer popular nd, socio-economically at mmds or their fellow s·udents if all wore least, p re iv d to be better off. It's a uniforms. The promotion of values based s1mphst1c logic tha t preys on precisely on a positive self-concept and rooted m t ho fears th t m r k adole cent life. It the premi c that all children do have an hould s dden u grea tly that thJs opportunity to be equal would serve any economic v1ctimization of children 19 school well. occumng. It should shock us more that at Uniforms would also help ehminate lea t omc parents fall prey to the same the "color con •piracy" n neighborhood~ temptation-behevmg, J suppose, that with gang activity. There would be brand-name t tu om how equates with fewer school as aults based on gang succes ful parenting. clothing 1dentif1cat1on and less I wend r at tim when we can exp ct psychological intimidation. the list of popular first names or chtldren lo But the main reason for uniforms is expand so th t Reebok, Bugle Boy, that they promote discipline, which in Jordache and Espri t will rank n ght up turn helps improve academic there with Michael, Monica, Anme and performance. James. Blessed Sacrament ehmtnaled But there ls something we can do lo uniforms for a while m the 1970s. but lessen t he influence or Madison Avenue. returned to them at the parents' strong Parents can claim their proper role as requeSt Now students have a free-dress parents and demand of their pohcy th at allows the student council to schools-public and pn vate-that children set the dress code one day a month. The adhere to a strict dres code. This would uniform policy is reviewed every year create at least one environment in which by the parent-teacher group, and, what one wears is secondary to what one predictably, each year the student learns-an elementary principle that this council asks for a free-dress pohcy. elementary pn ncipal has found contributes d. B~\our teacher s have found that to academic and developmental success Js~p me Is better on days when Simply put, children should be in stu ents are weanng uniforms. On uniform when they go lo school. free-dress days, students are less attentive, they talk more in class, and

DEC 1 2 1989

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police unil drug-relate Sing, spoke forcement Sing sai for drug-r He said during the· that num filiations.

?-'fS '-5' The glow ofremembrance Jerry Ray lights a candle during ceremonies of remembrance held last night at the University of San Diego in memory of <" -

ter of Mothers Against Drunk Dr attention to the problems caused 1

people killed and injured in alcohol-related traffic accidents. The services were sponsored by the San Diego County Chap-

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News---------- From 1C

ers, shower chairs and other equipment commonly used by in - firmed seniors following dis - charge from the hospital. • Norma Pierce, a student at the Univ~§ity of San Dieg( School of Law, h as won seconc prize in the American Judges As- sociation's 30th-anniversary es say contest for her paper "Wil Alternative Dispute Resolutiorn Withstand the Impact of Judicia Excess?" She received a priz, and commemorative certificate and was presented by associatio1 member Judge George Crawfor, of San Diego with another certif icate designed for display in th law school. Pierce is a graduate c Western High School and th University of Nevada, Reno. • At the recent City of La Vegas council meeting servi( awards for longevity were pn sented to approximately 159 en ployees. At the pre-council mee ing, employees who received 31 year pins were Municipal Cou presiding Judge Seymore Brow Melvin Lowell from fire servic and Bill Jackson from pub] works. In addition, 12 employe were recognized for 25 years service, eight were honored for · years, 31 for 15 years, 20 for years and 86 for five years.

national publication, Who's Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities. Free is a third year student in optome- try. Campus committees nomi- nate students to the national or- ganization for listing in the book of outstanding leaders. Selection is based on academic achieve- ment, service to the community, leadership in extracurricular ac- tivities and potential for contin- ued success. • The Nevada Association of Counties has selected its 1990 officers. They are: Jay Bingham, Clark County, president; Ernie Hall, Elko County, first vice pres- ident; John Lampros, White Pine County, second vice presi- dent; Larry Beck, Washoe Coun- ty, third vice president; Gene McDowell, Washoe County, past president; Thalia Dondero, Clark County, NACo representative; Barbara Cook, Douglas County, WIR representative; and Don Cummil'IQS, Lyon County, WIR alternate. • The Southwest Rotary Club !IJltently donated medical equip-

Custer the honor of being the "top giver" on the police force. A 17-year veteran of the force, Custer also is active with a local Boy Scout troop in the Gerson Park area, the Southern Nevada ubstance Abuse Council and the Southern Nevada task force on the homeless. "I believe in the kids," Custer said. He said he is particularly inter- ested in helping charities de- signed for children and the home- less, as well as hospices. • Security Pacific Bank Ne- · vada's s~ip of the recent Up With People Concert in Las Vegas nefted $4,000 to Opportu- nity Village. The Up With People cast was involved in numerous community activities while in Las Vegas including visits to the Sign Design Theatre Company, Opportunity Village and Las Ve- gas Day School. • James McKeon of Las Ve- 1 gas has recently retired. He taught the hearing-impaired for • Tracy Lynn Free of Las Ve- gll.8 is among 14 students in the Pacific University College of Op- tol'netry selected for listing in the the past 35 years. i . 1 c,

PD LI CE

Rene Germanler/Aev,ew-Journal Steve Cu ter is department's " top giver" to charity campaign . Police officer gives to United Way in big way L a~ VeicHn Steve Custer helps 111 community in more ways thun un . County Sheriff John Moran for the significant donation - $100 a month - he make to the charity organization. Por hi contributions Custer

In addition to being an officer 011 th Metropolit n Police force, C'11ster also is known for his large ontrihution to th United Way. In fuct, C1111ter wnK recently honored by the nited Way f 'outh rn Nevada and by lark

has been inducted 11.8 a member of United Way's Paladin ociety, which recognizes people who do- nate $1,000 or more annually. His contributions also earned Please see NEWS/5C ,;

It' .J lf"'"'rlient to University Medical Cen- ter's Silver Advantage Network, a program for seniors. The dona- tion of $2,000 in equipment in- eluded a wheelchair, canes, walk-