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i Wednesday, September 26, 1984
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Vol. 84 No. 24
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By Jeff Dnnvsa'
Di!j Nefcr&sfc&a Scxior Eeportsr
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behind Nctr
It's all out in the open, for
the nation to see.
The nation, duly perplexed,
gawks at it for a while, takes
down a few notes and then
offers some condescending
chortles.
Behind
MX
"My lord. Those people are
plum crazy."
"Ail that fus about a foot
ball game. I'm glad we have
more important things to worry
about."
"So what if you win? You're
still from Nebraska."
Call it a fever, call it a mania.
But most Nebrsskans think of
it as a disease they just can't
live without.
Lourene Wishart of Lincoln
lives for football Saturdays, And
football Sundays, football Mon-.
days, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, '
Thursdays and Fridays.
Laurene is 92 years old and
Nebraska's self-proclaimed
oldest fan. Whenever she wants
it to be football time, she just
ambles down the stairs to the
basement of her Lincoln home.
Down there, if you take a
right just after the first left
(the other way gets you to the
laundry room) ia the Wishart
Big Eed Room. Twenty years in
the making, the Big Eed Room
details a Nebraskan's fanati
cism for the team more than
the team's perils.
"I'm sure you think this is all
quite childish," Lourene ex
plains to her visitors. "But I
just love the team."
Glasses, mugs and unopened
whiskey decanters in the forms
of Nebraska's opponents line
the tables and shelves of the
red room. A hanging tree,
replete with nooses so as to
better strangle the assorted
Longhorns, Jayhawks and Wild
cats, adorns one corner.
"I think that hanging tree is
awfully cute," Lourene said.
"That Army mule there is one
of my favorites. My driver
thought for sure we were going
to lose, but we whipped 'em, 69
to nothin'."
"It was 77 to 7, Mrs. Wishart."
. "Whatever."
Lourene has been attending
Nebraska home games since
1 923. On a gray October day in
1023, Lourene saw her first
Nebraska game and it was a
classic. The Huskers, led by
sophomore tackle Ed Weir, de
feated Notre Dame and the
backfieid that was to become
the Four Horsemen, 14-7.
She may not have worn red
that day, but she's been wear
ing red ever since. Except once.
"One day I decided to go to
the Big Red Breakfast wearing
blue. I wore my blue boots
because we were playing Penn
"State arid I thought I'd have a
little fun. Nobody recognized
who I was." '
Fun on fall Saturdays begins
early for Lourene. She follows
fans out to the Villager Motel
for the Big Red Breakfast
sponsored by KLIN.
"I havent missed one of those,
for years," she said. "Sometimes
my driver doesnt get up too
early, so I miss a bit."
Lourene then hangs around
the Villager for a while greet
ing friends and acquaintances
before she is off to the Lincoln
Country Club for lunch and
more Big Red chatter.
From there it's on to her
West Stadium seat, where she
cheers for her favorite player.
rYou may not like this," she
warns. "But my favorite player
is Craig Sundberg. I think he's
just great. He's a Swede, you
know. I'm a Swede, too.
"Craig and his father came
to visit me just the other day.
He's the nicest boy."
Many Nebraska fans may be
enthralled by the Wave, but
Lourene thinks it's all just fool
ishness. She says today's stu
dents have more on their mind
than just watching a football
game.
"Back then (in the '20s), the
students were more enthusi
astic," she said. "The other fans
have always been enthusiastic."
After the game and the
proper hellos from visiting dig
nitaries, Lourene heads home
to host a cookout for a few
close friends.
Last week, Lourene watched
days
herlluskerson television with
friends at her home. She in
tends to do the same this week
when Nebraska takes on Syra
cuse in New Yorlc
"I'm a bit worried about Syr
acuse " she said. "I think theyYe
rough. I think they're tough.
But I think well win."
Lourene is ever ready with
an opinion and is quick to
praise her three favorite
coaches. She has personally
autographed letters from Lou
Holtz and an autographed book
by Joe Paterno. Nebraska's Tom
Osborne is still her favorite.
"I had a phone call after the
UCLA game," she said. "It was
from a cousin of mine out in
Los Angeles. He told me, 'I
believe youVe got the best coach
in the world back there.' I think
that's quite a compliment, don't
you?"
Lourene relives every game
on Tuesday evenin gs. She plants
her wiry frame in front of her
television to watch Don Gill
and John Melton on Nebraska
Public Television. Thursdays
she goes to another Big Red
Breakfast, this one is hosted by
Gill.
Nebraska has the national
championship in the bag this
year, Lourene said. They just
need to convince the rest of
the country.
"We've won it the last three
years," she said. "Maybe this
year they'll let us keep it."
The tour of the Big Red Room
is over and Lourene leads the
way back upstairs.
"I broke my hip a few years
ago. The doctors in Las Vegas
didn't do too good a job. I'm a
little bit ljke Craig Sundberg. I
don't move like Turner Gill, but
I get the job done."
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David CrtcmtrDcily Mefcraskan
Lourene Wishart, 92, a log-time Husker fan in her Big Eed room.
property decision
s anger area bu
sine;
By Gall Y. Ilucy June Oldenkamp, manager of Dippy
Dzliy NcbraSiut Senior Reporter Donuts, 1227 R St., said she was never
contacted by UNL when talk of the center
As plans to construct the proposed $20 began last spring, and has yet to hear
million Lied Center for the Performing from anyone about the latest decision.
Arts come closer to reality, two business ' UNL finalized purchase agreements
managers say they still are steaming Sept. 10 to acquire the Nebraska Book Co.
because they think they got the short end property at 1 2th and R streets and some
of the stick. commercial property at 13th and R streets.
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Elaine Cass, ss!stsnt msuasgsr
hossss. Css Elory cn Tsl 8.
fce onivereity food stcrea in cna cf tlie wsre-
The NU Board of Regents on Sept. 14
approved the agreement and the trans
fer of UNL and NU Foundation property
at 13th and Q streets to Nebraska Book Co.
According to a Sept. 13 Lincoln Star
article, the NU Foundation, under the
provisions of a second agreement, will
buy the present sites of Tommy's Game
Room and Deli, Dippy Donut, Taco Inn
and the former Cotner School for Reli
gion building.
With a down payment of $50,000, the
foundation has a remaining balance of
$450,000 and interest to be paid by Oct. 1,
1985, university legal counsel Dick Wood
told the Star.
The university's present ownership and
the foundation's eventual ownership of
the property means business operators
must move a step that will be hard for
many.
"Neither the university nor the Nebraska
Bookstore talked to us about the changes
in landlord," Oldenkamp said. "Well be
out of business because we can't relocate.
There's no place for us to go."
"We got the short end of the stick,"
Steve Mathews, owner of Tommy's, said.
"The university said they'd work closely
with the business and they haven't. It's
discouraging to us."
Mathews said no one from the univer
sity or the foundation contacted him
until the agreement was final. By then, it
was too late to find another place to relo
cate, he said.
"We're university oriented, if we move
even a block away, we'll lose our busi
ness," he said.
Under the agreement, a new Nebraska
Bookstore will be built on the present site
of Kinko's, a duplicating store at 330 N.
13th St. and the two university parking
lots adjacent to the building.
Kinko's will move into the Cotner build
ing for one year and relocate on the
Tommy's site after Tommy's lease expires
in about 18 months.
Tim Thietje, vice president and counsel
for the foundation, said that before the
agreement, the university was in no posi
tion to contact the leasees.
The university needed to decide with
Nebraska Bookstore before it had any
business talking to the leasees, he said.
The university is now contacting ail
people involved, and so far the negotia
tions have been friendly, he said.
David Fowler, foundation liaison per
son for the center, said the university and
the foundation still are working on agree
ments for remaining property.
Mea nwhile, the construction of the book
store may begin Oct. 1. After the book
store is completed, the center's construc
tion may start next fall, he saidL
