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Wednesday, november 7, 1973
lincoln, nebraska vol. 97 no. 40
Abortion speakers agree:
unwed father important too
By Vince Boucher
Participants agreed that the rights and
concerns of the unwed father are becoming as
important as those of the unwed mother during
the first session of the abortion conference
"Beyond Conception" Tuesday night.
Speaking to an audience of about 60
persons, Birthright representative Beth Morgan
said one-third of the telephone calls received by
Birthright are from men.
Morgan explained that Birthright is a
non-clergical, non-denominational service which
only provides alternatives to abortion.
"Our motto is every pregnant woman has
the right to give birth and every child has the
right to be born," she stated.
Morgan explained that most women who
seek the counseling of Birthright volunteers
have not decided definitely to have an abortion.
Many people are aware of Birthright's pro-life
status, she said.
Morgan explained that Birthright offers a
variety of services to the unwed mother and
often to the unwed father. A trained staff of
volunteer doctors and social workers provide
much of the professional aid.
Birthright maintains a hotline which is
staffed by housewives and other women, "as a
sounding board," she said. Morgan said most
women call when they have not yet determined
if they are pregnant Oftentimes men call,
"because they are a bit braver," she added.
Birthright will provide pregnancy testing
through community facilities, assuring
complete confidentiality, she said. Birthright
staffers will also help younger girls tell their
parents, often the most major hurdle of an
unwed pregnancy, she said.
Counseling about alternatives of adoption or
keeping the child are often discussed. In
Nebraska the father must give his permission
for adoption if he admits paternity, although
no consent is required for the unwed mother to
have an abortion, Morgan said.
Counseling is also made available for the
family of the unwed mother, the unwed father
and even his family if they are involved.
Counseling continues after the pregnancy
especially if the mother keeps the child. Such
assistance may entail job counseling and
obtaining financial aid through community and
private resources, she said.
"The father has been often forgotten in the
past," Morgan said. "We've found out that they
care very much, especially when marriage is
impossible," she said.
Another speaker, Pat Bouse of Family
Services, said that the rights of the father, who
may want to adopt the child, while the mother
wishes an abortion are still in question.
Nebraska lawyers have not interpreted that
part of the Supreme Court decision on abortion
and community agencies are waiting for a test
case. She predicted that it may be a long time
before one occurs because of the public nature
of landmark cases.
Another speaker, Janet Wilcoxen, spoke of
providing foster homes for unwed mothers
during their pregnancy.
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Beth Morgan explained the view of Birthright
concerning abortions.
Newcomer Oly taps 3rd in state beer sales
Editor's note: The following story was written as
an assignment in the UNL School of Journalism's
depth reporting class. The author is a senior from
Omaha.
By Ellyn Hess
A stranger to the state's beer market rode into
town last May, a golden horseshoe slapped across its
aluminum middle. The new brew from out West
stepped up and introduced itself. Hello Nebraska.
We're the new beer in town.
Newspaper and billboard ads poured on the
charm, followed by catchy "Oly, Oly O" and "It's
the water" jingles on television and radio.
It didn't take Olympia beer long to click with
Ncbraskans. Maybe it was the friendly advertising.
Some beer experts said Nebraska was ready to try a
lighter tasting beer. Or could it be that a certain beer
from next door primed Nebraska for it?
"We thought we offered a decided alternative to
the products that were already in Nebraska," said
Rick Schmidt, Olympia's marketing vice president.
So did Nebr aska.
Starting May 1, Olympia sales galloped full speed
to the No. 3 spot in state beer sales, according to
figures supplied to Olympia by The Harris Service, an
indeixnident beer statistics firm.
Don Morrow, Olympia senior district manager,
said Olympia's 13 per cent of state beer sales
indicates a blue ribbon future. Olympia marketing
analyst Dennis Murphy said he expects Olympia to
round out at about 12 per cent of the market in
1974.
Nebraska beer dealers are less cautious.
Jim Raymond, owner of Raymond Distributing in
Scottsbluff, said in the 15 years he's been a beer
distributor he's never seen a beer catch on in
Nebraska as fast as Olympia.
"Previously to gain this per cent of the market, a
beer had to be in the market at least three to five
years," he said.
Terry Fincham of United Wholesale Inc. in
Fremont said Olympia sales totaled 80,000 cases
since May 1, topping old standby Hamm's.
Business has increased since Olympia's arrival,
according to Fincham. He said the firm has added
new trucks, more employes and a warehouse as a
result of the increase.
Don Becker of the O'Neil Beverage Co. said
Olympia ranks second or third in the seven counties
in his distribution area, capturing from 13 to 22 per
cent of the market.
In July in Grand Island and Lincoln, Olympia was
No. 3 behind Budweiser and Schlitz, according to the
Harris Service. In Scottsbluff that month, Olympia
topped Schlitz at 20 per cent of the market to
Schlitz' 14 per cent. Budweiser still reigned with a
whopping 45 per cent market share despite a 10 day
bottling strike in St Louis.
Enough Oly has been sold in Nebraska to put a
12 oz, six pack in the hands of every man, woman
and child in the state. Fourteen Olympic-size
swimming pools could be filled with the gallons of
Oly sold in Nebraska. The amount sold in Nebraska
would fill enough 12-oz. cans that if put end to end
would reach from Omaha to Brandywine, W. Va., or
Ballantine, Mont.
Who's drinking all that beer? Distributors say it's
people under 35, which means Oly's advertising is
hitting its prime target almost bullseye.
Sponsorship of sports shows and rugged,
outcloorsy billboards and posters are designed
primarily to tempt and convince males from 21 to 34
that Oly's the beer they've been looking for.
But men aren't the only ones buying Olympia.
Women are buying Oly suds, too, distributors say,
because they like the light taste. UNL women
students surveyed on the subject agreed on one thing
about Olympia beer: It's lighter than most beers one
can buy in Nebraska.
Jane Estabrook, a 19-year-old sophomore from
Omaha, said she likes Oly because "it doesn't bite
back." Judy Spencer, 20, of Neligh, said she doesn't
like it because "it's too watered down." A southeast
Nebraska fanner put it this way: "I don't like
Olympia lx;er, I know that. They say it's the water,
and that's right. They water it down."
One Lincoln beer fan said he rememlx?rs drinking
Olympia as a substitute for Midwestern beers in
California during World War II. He said when he first
saw it in Nebraska he wanted to try it for old times'
sake.
"I can't say is has improved any from my memory
of it. It's the water all right-it can't be much else,"
he said.
But apparently a lot of Nebraskans disagree.
According to one beer can collector's roadside survey,
there are now more Oly cans in ditches than anything
else.
Since 1970, the Olympia Company has made a
$100,000 effort to combat that problem. Tom Black,
coordinator of the Olympia recycling program, said
the figure represents a loss to the company, but that
in the future it hopes to break even. Olympia
distributors pay cash for any all-aluminum cans and
for Olympia bottles returned to recycling pick-up
points.
"The percentage coming back just keeps going up
and up," Black said. Public relations director Don Lee
said at least 1.5 tons of cans and bottles aro ready in
the brewery's warehouse area for recycling next June
wl.en Olympia opens a $1.9 million recycling center.
Local advertising is directed at the male beer
drinker, according to Barney Hcndercr, Olympia
advertising director.
"We didn't waste any time buying the Torn
Osborne Show," he said, so that Nebraska football
fans watching the Sunday night filmed replays also
get the Uly message.
See Olympia, Page 2