page 5
A tophat and song provide
unique way to make money
photo by Bill Graf
Cecilia Lawson The Tune-a-gram Lady.
BY TERM PARRISH
Many people dream of starting their own business and
being their own bosses. Trouble is, it's usually a very ex
pensive proposition. But not always. Cecilia Lawson
started her business with a song, a dozen helium-filled
balloons and a tuxedo. Her new-found business, Tune-A
Gram, is a revival of the old "singing telegram" service.
With prior notice, Lawson will have a song and balloons
delivered to the doorstep of a loved one. She can even ar
range a hot-air balloon ride for you and your girl or guy
on Valentine's Day.
Tune-A-Gram was started about a year ago by Law
son. She was tired of her job and needed some money.
She'd thought of starting her own business before, but
getting the money to begin business with was a problem,
she said.
When the idea of singing telegrams came to her, she
called her friends, Mark and Mary Ellen Brown, to see
what they thought about it, Lawson said. It was agreed
that it sounded great and inexpensive to begin, she said.
Lawson remebers their first call.
"The client wanted the message delivered in three
hours and we weren't prepared," she said. Mary Ellen
ran to several stores trying to get the proper attire for
the occasion. In two hours, they had uniforms and a song
written, she said.
Now Tune-A-Gram is an organized business with
three employees. Mary Ellen and Mark Brown have since
moved to New Mexico and hope to start a business there,
Lawson said.
Lawson recalled one delivery she made to a party. She
sang her song and was leaving when a man asked if she
needed any help. He started singing "Cecilia" and so she
joined in.
"I told him he sang pretty good. When I got to the
door, someone tapped me on the shoulder and asked me
if I knew who that man was. It was Gordon McCrae, and
I had said he sang pretty good," Lawson said laughing.
Lawson has had other unusual deliveries. Once she
sang a song to all the check-out clerks at a grocery store.
She also had the privilege of delivering a singing mar
riage proposal, she said.
Most of the messages are for birthdays and anniver
saries. Of course, holidays like Mother's Day, Father's
Day and Valentines Day are busy also, Lawson said.
There are some messages Tune-A-Gram won't deliver.
These include songs to lovers from married people or any
messages that could cause the messenger to get hurt, like
telling someone he's fired, she said.
The prices for Tune-A-Gram services range from $15
to $35. The most popular service costs $25 and includes
12 ballons delivered by a messenger in uniform, who sings
the standard song and leaves a copy of the song, Lawson
said.
Although Lawson can arrange balloon rides, they're
not part of her regular business and they cost $100 for
one person or $150 for two people, she said.
Tune-A-Gram delivers in Lincoln and will go to towns
within a 20-mile radius of Lincoln for 30 cents a mile, she
said. Messages can be phoned to other cities or states at a
cost of $16.
Lawson does most of the deliveries, but has three em
ployees to help her if needed. They are: Karl Nyquist,
June Segal and Ellie McKinnon.
"We have to have an absolute mminimum of a day to
prepare a message and get it delivered. Same-day service
is available occasionally, but it costs $2 extra," Lawson
said.
Morrocan tour gives students a dose of culture shock
BY LORI MERRYMAN
UNL students experienced culture
shock stronger than any picture or story
could relate while touring Morocco, a
third world country which UNL re
searches through a government AID
grant.
Fifteen UNL agriculture students
compared agriculture in both lesser and
higher developed countries while takirjg a
23-day tour with Ted Doane, professor of
animal science, in June.
Extreme poverty and vast differences
between social levels left strong impacts
on his students, forming a "real picture of
poverty," Doane said.
Students perceptions of the third
world country were formed, among many
stops, with a tour of a small, 240-acre
farm which supported five to six families,
a large poultry farm and the royal farm
owned by the Moroccan government
While people on small farms had poor
livestock and overgrazed land, the royal
farm bred some of the finest cattle in the
world, Doane said.
People owning land, usually small
amounts like 240 acres, have a subsist
ence living, he said. Many Moroccan men
have four or five wives, increasing the
number of mouths to feed, he said.
Production on the small farms is low
compared to a good large farm because
the land is overworked. Cattle graze con
tinuously on the same overworked land,
he said.
"Livestock are walking bankrolls,
Doane said, in Morocco "three poor cows
are worth more than one good cow."
Farm men search work in town to sup
port their families. These men usually
end up in the slums with minimal pay,
Doane said.
The climate adds to the poor condi
tions in Morocco. While the UNL stu
dents were touring the country there was
a drought in Morocco, Doane said, result
ing in extremely poor and thin wheat
crops.
The major contrast in the country is
the poor living condition of the small
acreage farmers and the conditions on
the royal farm, he said.
Described in a journal kept by the stu
dents as 16 miles long and six miles wide
with 7,000 head of cattle, the royal ranch
breeds cattle which produce better in the
poor Moroccan conditions.
Qualified and educated people on the
royal ranch have used breeding crosses of
native cattle fed on improved pastures,
Ann Henderson of Alliance wrote in the
tour groups journal. By cheating a better
breed of cattle, the royal ranch hopes to
be an elite seedstock ranch selling cattle
to local smaller acreage farmers, she
wrote.
When leaving , Morocco, one student
said "I'll never complain about not hav
ing some things again," Doane said.
Deb Hamernik of Columbus wrote in
the journal that at first she felt sorry for
the Moroccan people.
"But then, they seemed so proud of
what they have and were so willing to
share their lifestyle with us, I have to
wonder who was really happier.
"They know no other kind of life," she
said.
From Morocco, students compared
other types of agriculture systems in
Spain, France, Switzerland and England.
Some of the different agricultural
stops the group made were: a large dairy
farm and the American embassy in
Switzerland; Limousine and Charlais cat
tle ranches in France; purebred sheep
farm and cheese factory in Switzerland
and government-owned demonstration
farms in England.
Now back in the United States,
Doane's students who took the course for
credit will write a report on a subject re
lated to the trip and give seminars to
groups about subjects and experiences on
the trip.
Doane, a sheep specialist in the De
partment of Animal "Sciences, has taught
three overseas study tours since 1974. He
will teach a three-credit-hour winterim
course in Australia, New Zealand and
Hawaii from Dec. 26 to Jan. 10.
Art collection
The most romantic purchase
of your I tfe should also be a
most knowledgeable one.
WH tfht's
13th & P St.
Lincoln Nebraska 68508
graphs and magazine illustrations. "He
wanted to go the the U.S.," said Nelson,
who has been piecing together a biogra
phy of Kauba, "but his wife wouldn't
leave Vienna."
The names of numerous well known
artists and sculptors crop up as Nelson
discusses "the collection: Frederic Rem
ington, Andrew Wyeth, Gutzon Borglum,
Olaf Wieghorst; and each piece seems to
have a story to go with it. In his office,
Nelson turned and pointed to an bil
painting in shades of gray, entitled, "The
Manhunt" painted around 1915 by a
then-unknown artist named Norman
Rockwell.
"It was painted before Rockwell had
any commissions for illustrations," said
Nelson. "It's either a piece he painted as
a student, or, more likely, he painted it
on the chance of getting it published, but
was rejected. The youth in the picure is
supposed to be a self-portrait."
- There are far too many pieces of art to
keep all of them on display at one time in
the 40 by 140 foot room in the library, so
some of the works will be changed period
ically. However, "It is a permanent col
lection for the University," said John
Christlieb, who wants it to be "available
for study by all the students and anyone
else interested in the area of Great Plains
study."
Because the Christlieb collection is
one of the finest in this part of the coun
try, Ed Hirsch says that the University
Foundation has already received "in
quiries from others who are interested iin
donating pieces, because they've heard
we have a particularly fine display here."
Nelson said tht while tha Great Plains
Art Collection is in its infancy, "the
Christlieb Collection is a very good core
collection" to start with, and he hopes
that as more people become familiar with
the collection, it will give the Center for
Great Plains Studies a stronger public
identity. The opening of the collection to
the public on Sept. 12 "is just the begin
ning," according to Nelson.
But shifting back quickly to the
present and the business at hand, Nelson
relates that once the exhibition opens, his
next project will be to publish a complete
scholarly catalog of the collection "with
biograpies of all artists and histories of
all the pieces."
He said that it should take two years
to complete the catalog.
Centrum Plaza
J2th&0
2-fer's 4-7 p.m.
Afoa-Frf.
in the lounge
Two Great Restaurants in one
On the main level
Superb mexican dining featuring
a menu that includes chimichanga
tacoritos, chalupa and much more.
Upstairs
A fantastic luncheon buffet and
extravagant salad bar. Served from
11 to 2 p.m., Mon.-Frl. only $3.75
The Bright Idea
474-3960
