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Monday, March 5, 1834
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Vol. 83 No. 113
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Crt!j AndressnDsily N'ebrsskan
UIL swimmers come heme with their fifth
C; J Eight Chan.picr.ship tills last weekend.
Frcn left, Jen Lir.der (3rd), Jin Fellows
(Eth), Ernia Duran (1st) end Per Ove Stave
land (Cth) competed in the lC0-yard free
style at IIlTs Ccnbinscn Peel in Lawrence,
Kan. Complete results cn Pa2 0.
Dy Ct&cic Thomas
Editor's Ncte: This i3 the first cf a three-Fart
series cn UNL political croups.
The UNL College Republicans worked for a year to
gain the approval ofKZUM-FM radio to broadcast a
call-in talk show. The half-time program, called
"Right Word," aired Feb. 24.
Mike Kratville, host of "Right Word " said the
show's debut was a success.
There were so many calls, we could have gone on
for an hour " Kratville said.
Kratville said the KZUM officials allowed "Right
Word" to be broadcast because they needed a
conservative view to balance their more liberal
program list. KZUM broadcasts a variety of informa
tion shows including Radio Moscow, a lesbian show
and a show by the Nebraska Civil Liberties Union.
"Right Word" is just one of the UNL College
Republicans' efforts designed to change the image of
the Republican party, Kratville said. Last November,
he said, the group tried to eliminate its stuffed-shirt
image when it sponsored a mud-wrestling tourna
ment. Kratville said the group may have surprised
people by inviting state Sen. Ernie Chambers to
speak on the broadcast.
"We want to show the campus that we want to
hear all sides," Kratville said. "We don't just want
people to tell us things we already believe."
Another activity, designed to inform students
about the Republican group, is Reagan Week, which
Thriving despite and because of history
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starts today. Part of the week's activities will include
a Ronald Reagan film festival, the sale of buttons,
bumper stickers and a mock presidential election.
The week should raise money and recruit members,
Kratville said.
Because the president has 68 percent of the vote
in Nebraska, Kratville said, Reagan Week will end
the group's campaign activities.
The group will concentrate on Nebraska legisla
tive campaigns. The group can make the most
impact there, Kratville said.
Although the College Republicans sponsor voter
registration drives in the Nebraska Union, Kratville
said, few people register.
"It's hard to motivate students politically," he said.
Kratville said students don't see the choices in
political candidates they have, nor do they see that
politics affects them or can do anything for them. He
also said he thinks neither the Democratic nor the
Republican party has made a large effort to get
students to work for them.
Kratville said the Democratic party is more aggres
sive an attribute he thinks the Republican party
needs to acquire.
"I think the Democratic party helps their candi
dates much more than the Republican does," Krat
ville said.
He said he hopes the new party state director,
Kermit Brashear, will help accomplish that.
The UNL College Republicans group was re
established in 1945 after a short absence during "
World War II. The group now has 123 members.
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Elsie Thomas, UNL associate professor
of libraries, works in a world of the
past. She works in the archives and
special collections of Love Library.
It is there people and events in
history are recreated. It is there that
books made hundreds of years ago
rest. And it is there that Elsie Thomas
thrives. .
Thomas saidsha always was fascinated
by history, world literature and old
books. She said her job is fun because
most studies using archives or special
collections are original research.
But it might seem odd that Thomas
would like history, since she has seen
first-hand some of its ugliest scenes.
She has seen communism and Nazism
tear Europe apart.
Thomas was born in Liepaja, Latvia,
when Latvia was still independent of
Russia. Thomas said she has fond me
mories of beaches, sailing, swimming
and horseback riding.
Then Hitler and Stalin signed a non
aggression pact in 1 939. Latvia became
a part of Russia, but Germans in Latvia
could repatriate or move to Germany.
Because her father was of German
descent, the family moved to German
occupied Poland when Thomas was a
senior in high school.
Thomas was sent to Poznan, where
she attended Poznan University. Her
parents were sent to Kalisz, which was
about 160 miles from Poznan. Thomas
said she could travel freely.
She said life in occupied Poland was
ic3 Elcia Tzzr.zz. .
very depressing, and she slowly became
aware of the true nature cf Nazism. In
1942-43, she attended the Library
School of the Prussian State Library in
Berlin. She said she experienced many
exciting cultural events there, but often
was reminded of the war. She exper
ienced her first air raids in Berlin. She
said her final exams frequently were
interrupted by air raid sirens.
Thomas returned to Poznan to work
in the university's library after graduat
ing. But in January 1945, the threat of
the advancing Red Army caused her to
flee to Germany. Her widowed mother
came to Poznan to pick her up after
fleeing from Kalisz. Thomas said she
took only two suitcases with her.
In bitter cold and snow, she watched
as thousands of people climbed aboard
the trains. She said she saw horrible
scenes of families being separated and
deserting soldiers being caught.
Thomas and her mother boarded a
freight train and went to Dresden.
Thomas said she felt scared and uneasy
in Dresden because she had a premoni
tion that something was going to happen.
After two weeks, Thomas and her
mother went to Leipzig, missing several
consecutive air raids on Dresden by
only 24 hours.
They stayed in a camp at Leipzig.
Her fiance's father also lived in the
camp and was a good friend of the
Thomas family. The didn't stay long in
Leipzig after friends and relatives offered
them housing in Mecklenburg. Once
again, Thomas and her mother moved.
Thomas said in Mecklenburg she
could see her fiance, who was on leave
from the German navy. She said her
fiance, who also was Latvian, had the
choice of volunteering for the navy or
being drafted by the stormtroopers.
She'said he chose the navy to avoid the
stronger Nazi affiliation of the storm
troopers. His leave in April 1945, was the last
he received. He returned to duty and
was eventually captured by the British.
The Red Army kept advancing in
Germany, From Mecklenburg Thomas
and her mother moved to Schleswig
Holsten, which later became part of
East Germany. The British were advanc
ing from one side, the Russians from
the other. Thomas said she had hoped
the British would arrive first, but the
UNL impresses industrial engineers
Guest speakers, a banquet, a night
on the town and new friendships work
ed together last weekend to make
UNL's Institute of Industrial Engineer
ing Conference a success, said the co
chairperson of the event, Pamela Olson.
Olson said that when the' conference
organizers received a standing ovation
for their work, all the effort put into
the annual three-day conference; was
worth it.
She said she never seen a standing
ovation at a conference before.
"I think many people came to Nebra
ska thinking we were hicks from the
sticks . . . but they were impressed," she
said.
The conference helped IE students -develop
organizational and leadership
skills and exchange technical informa
tion, Olson said.
One hundred eighty IE majors from
nine states attended the regional con
ference, she said. Nebraska hosts the
conference about every 10 years.
The conference featured an essay
contest. Fifteen students entered
. essays . on IE subjects ranging from
management to. health care. Robert
' Duhlap of Purd ie University, West
Lafayette, Ind., won the competition.
He will take his essay to the national
competition.
Red Army did.
While in Schleswig-Holstein, Thomas
received word that her fiance was in
Hanover. In August 1945 they were
married there.
Thomas and her husband lived as
refugees in West Germany from 1945
to 1952. Two of their sons were born
there.
Thomas said refugee life was horrible.
She said the living conditions were
poor for the 20 million refugees in West
Germany. She said her family slept in
an attic used for grain storage.
In 1 952 they emigrated to the United
States and were sent to Lincoln, where"
they have lived ever since. Thomas said
she now is beginning to realize that
emigrating to the United States was a
giant step. A step, she said, they have
never regretted.
Thomas said although her life is no
longer adventurous, it is never dull
She has her husband, three sons, two
horses and two dogs to keep life interes
ting, she said.
Inside
Columnist Bill Allen provides
UNL students with their horo
scopes for today . .Pa3 4
A series of films from East
Germany highlight this week's
activities at the Sheldon Film
Theatre Par;3 6
Nebraska wins its fifth consec
utive Big Eight men's swimming
and diving championship ......
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Inde
Arts and Entertainment 6
Classified 11
Crossword .
Editorial. .
Off The Wire
Sports
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