SUMMER NERHASKAN
July X, 1982
Husker Bob ageless
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Photo by Kathy Graff
Robert Rowe, or Husker Bob as he is more widely
known, shows off some of his Big Red collection.
Lincoln's wet wonders
ready to take their mark
BY PAT MASTERS
Weary and exhausted after a 100-mile bike
ride home from a Grand Island swim meet,
the Lincoln Aquatics team continues to pre
pare for the Great Plains Invitational July 23
25 in Lincoln.
SUMMER
NEBRASKAN
The Summer Nebraskan is a student
newspaper published each Thursday as a
laboratory project by School of Journalism
classes in Advertising, Kditing, Photogra
phy and Reporting.
REPORTERS
Jim Anderson Mark Krieger
Marlene Burbach
Jenni Burrows
Mike Klusaw
PHOTOGR
Mike Boettcher
Bruce Boyle
Jeff Browne
Connie Gonyea
Jeff Goodwin
Kathy Graff
Julie Hagemeier
Terry Ilyland
Kris Knudsen
Dianne Lutzi
Pat Masters
Jean Timmerman
APHERS
Beth Lawton
Kris Mullen
Kevin O'Hanlon
Peggy Polacek
Tim Schaffert
Tom Shelton
Larry Sparks
Ann Stedman
COPY EDITORS
Linnea Fredrickson
Theresa Goodall
Bill Hayes
Pat Kovanda
ACCOUNT REPS
Gary Coleman Jeanie Lingenfelter
Instructors are Jack Botts. Julie Dean,
Ron Gibson and Don Glover. School of
Journalism Dean is R Neale Copple
Lincoln Aquatics coach Rich Ilodenburg
said 15 of the 50 swimmers who competed
rode bikes home with him along Highway 34.
The bikes were packed in a van the swim
mers took to Grand Island.
The morning after the 100-mile bike trek
the swimmers were practicing again at
Woods Memorial Pool on 33rd and J streets.
Rodenburg said about 50 of the club's 100
swimmers will compete in the 18th annual in
vitational. A strong contingent of Nebraska
swimmers will compete against swimmers
from Iowa and Kansas at the invitational
meet. Rodenburg said he expects the biggest
challenges to come from the Omaha Westside
swimmers and those from Bellevue.
"But, we're going to give it a heck of a
try." Rodenburg said.
At least five swimmers from the Univer
sity of Nebraska-Lincoln varsity teams will
compete. Rodenburg said three outstanding
freshmen Rick Gilbertson, Matt Rye and
Aaron Drake will be swimming in the
meet.
At the Big Eight meet last year Gilbertson
won the 400 individual medlley. Rye walked
off with the first place medal in the 200 meter
breastslroke.
Rodenburg said two sister swimmers from
the woman's team, Renee Sullivan and
Tamara Sullivan, should also be competing. -
At the invitational meet the swimmers are
divided into age groups the youngest group
is eight and under and the oldest is the mas
ters division for swimmers over 25.
In each event swimmers are classified as
A or B swimmers depending on their fastest
times this year. Rodenburg said only 15 per
cent of the swimmers compete in the faster A
division.
Rodenburg said the invitational meet is
highlighted with the presentation of the Lam
bert trophy, awarded to the swimmer with
the best time in the 200 meter freestyle. The
trophy is named after an outstanding Lincoln
swimmer. Cliff Lambert, who died in the Ko
rean War.
Rodenburg said that last years winner,
I 'VI. swimmer Dave Achtemeier. may re
turn this ear to defend his title
BY MARLENE It HUB ACM
A man, older than the typical bar-hopping
crowd, was on the dance floor at P.O. Pears
bar, 322 S. 0th St.. Friday night, lie may have
been a few years older than the rest, but he
seemed to fit in. lie was popular with the
women, dancing and conversing. Yes, he
seemed to te well known among this younger
group.
lie is easily identified. Dressed in red and
while, wearing a white cap with a red "N" on
it, dancing and laughing, notorious Husker
Bob was the center of attention.
Although Husker Bob is obviously older
than most of the patrons at P.O. Pears, he will
not say how much older, lie recently cele
brated his birthday on June 25. "I am 49 and
holding." said Nebraska's superfan. "Age re
ally doesn't matter to me. A lot of people don't
beiieve me when I do tell them (his age),"
Husker Bob said.
Kobert L. Rowe tieeame known as Husker
Bob seven years ago at Nebraska's first home
football game.
It began with a hat
He decided to go "where the action was,"
so he headed for the field boundary fence,
threw his hat onto the Memorial Stadium field
and went over the fence after it. After re
trieving his hat he ran across the field and
joined the band. The next game was a replay
of the same shenanigans. The band members
had taken a liking to him and asked him to
join them at the games.
"Once, someone asked 'II I low are you
doing, Husker,' and from that I got my name,"
Rowe said. "After that, one thitfg just lead to
another."
Husker Bob has now branched out. He
avidly follows and supports all the sports
events offered by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
"I haven't missed a Nebraska football
game in seven years and I try to attend the
ol her meets as often as I can," he said.
Good physical condition is important to
Husker Bob.
"That is one thing I do for myself."
He jogs everyday to stay in shape and says
he enjoys dancing, lie has participated n, a
dance-a thon and a jog-a-thon. When the r,u!
sports schedule unfolds, Husker Bob plans .,
le in such good condition that he can make
his traditional run from the southwest comer
of the stadium, circle the "N" in the center ,f
the field and exit through the northeasl ,r
ner. During the summer, Husker Bob says
enjoys sitting back and "catching some sn i "
lie hooks his stero speakers up outside and
relaxes in a lawn chair in back of his apart
ment at 1114 G.St.
Elves the big red life
His apartment decor is unique. Two ot ih
living room walls are covered with Nebra.ua
posters and pictures which were given to ln:n
A third wall has shelves filled with his colli
lion of Big Red hats. On his television i . mis
bright red wig and beside it a red telephone
"My name is listed under Husker Boh un
page 251 of the phone book," he said The
phone company suggested he li it as lluskei
Bob Rowe as well as Robert L. Rowe.
The Husker Bob Rowe has caused nunc
than one change in the life of Robert L Howe
"I am in the public's eye more. I meet a h!
of people and I am always making so m.mv
new friends," he said.
Husker Bob maybe have become one yar
older with his June 25 birthday, but his -(
t iv it y schedule for the games hasn't chain." !
"I en joy being Husker Bob and a lot oi p n
pie get enjoyment out of it. I may neet -'up
doing it no matter how old I get."
NOW officer: ERA failed
because of education, power
BY DIANNE LUTZI
The Equal Rights Amendment would
judge all people for any specific job or role on
the capability of the person and also gives
them privacy, said Deb Staley, president of
Lincoln chapter of NOW, the National Organi
zation of Women.
The admendment as proposed states
"equality of rights under the law shall not be
denied or abridged by the United States or
any state on account of sex."
Ms. Staley said that ERA was not ratified
because of education and power. People did
not understand why the nation needed ERA,
Ms. Staley said. Sex has never been used as a
protection for rights and that's what ERA
would do, Ms. Staley said.
ERA would also threaten corporations,
and politics are controlled by white males,
Ms. Staley said. They have the power base
and don't want to lose it, Ms. Staley said.
Ms. Staley said she thinks ERA was not
ratified because people have a fear of the un
known and misunderstand ERA.
ERA was proposed in the 1930s and every
year after that, said Dr. Helen Moore, associ
ate professor of sociology at UN-L. "This is
not the end," Dr. Moore said. "It will be pro
posed again and ratified."
ERA is a tame admendment, stating that
women are to e treated equal to men, and it
will pass, Dr. Moore said.
Women's groups will applly pressure dur
ing the upcoming election and in 1984. Dr.
Moore said.
At the Democratic Party's National Con
ference in Philadelphia, Eleanor Smeal, presi
dent of NOW, said that after a 10 year battle,
ratification of ERA was defeated.. Dr. Moore
said Ms. Smeal's statement was a "political
reality."
Some of the reasons ERA was not ratified.
Dr. Moore said, were that some states I ive
never ratified ERA since the 1930s, ami peo
ple would rather have a state right instead ol
a federal right, Dr. Moore said.
The media has also hyped-up some issues
on ERA which are not a part of the ERA ad
mendment, Dr. Moore said. The public be
lieves issues like homosexual marriages,
women in the military service, and unisex
bathrooms will be a part of the admendment.
Dr. Moore said. ERA as been muddied with
unrelated issues, Dr. Moore said.
Organizations and groups opposed to EH A
are bringing in more controversial informa
tion, said Linda Robinson Rutz, chair of the
Lincoln Commission on the Status of Women.
She thinks that many people don't have cor
rect information about ERA and don't under
stand the procedures.
ERA is not a seven-year issue, its a for
ever issue, said Ms. Rutz. ERA members
want to continue awareness of what ERA
stands for and change the attitudes of those
who are against it, Ms. Rutz said. The nation
has progressed, Ms. Rutz said, but changing
attitudes is hard.
The Womens Commission is continuing to
support ERA and help those who want more
information on ERA, Ms. Rutz said. The fail
ure to ratify ERA will affect welfare client
indirectly, said Mary Boschult, assistant d'
rector of the Lancaster Welfare Department
When husbands leave their wives, the womer
often have no job skills, Ms. Boschult said
Women are not paid equally for the same job
as men, Ms. Boschult said.
Also, 85 to 90 percent of the Aid to Depend
ent Children households are headed b
women on welfare, Ms. Boschult said. These
women are single or widowed and live in
homes throughout Lincoln, Ms. Boschult said
ERA would help protect women's rights in
.jobs and housing, Ms. Boschult said.
Fellman's financial disclosure awaited
OMAHA (AP) - Richard Fellman, Demo
cratic candidate for the 2nd Congressional
District, has yet to file a financial disclosure
document required by federal law of those
seeking election to Congress, according to the
chairman of the Douglas Countv Republican
Partv.
Chuck Sigerson said in a news release
Tuesday that Fellman is more than 50 days
late and should file the form immediately, "or
tell the people ot the 2nd Congressional Dis
trict what it is that he is hiding from then
view."
Fellman said the form, mailed to him
earlier this ear by the clerk of the House of
Representatives, was laid aside during the
primary election campaign and then "merely
overlooked."
"I have absolutely nothing to hide." Fell
man said "I will file it within the next few
days 1 thank them lor the reminder."
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