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COVERING THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA SINCE 1901 VOL. 95 NO. 24 Z'OH'ln lower 30’s._
- |_September 22, 1995
Remembering Martina
McMenamin
; recalls days
with daughter
By Jeff Zeleny
Senior Reporter — ~
Today is Martina McMenamin’s 19th birth
day.
This year there is no cake to frost, nc
candles to light and no birthday song to sing
Instead, flowers will be placed on her grave
at Calvary Cemetery in Omaha.
“She was young and attractive, that’s one ol
the reasons why she died,” her mother.
Bernadette McMenamin, said. “When she
walked in, people would notice.”
Martina McMenamin was stabbed to death
about one month before she started her sopho
more year at the University of Nebraska-Lin
coln. Her roommate found her body July 25 in
a pool of blood in their south Lincoln apart
ment.
Police have made no arrests in the slaying.
For nearly two months, Bernadette “B.J.”
McMenamin has been publicly silent about
her daughter’s death. This week she spoke to
the Daily Nebraskan about Tina — her only
child. - .
The two were close, McMenamin said, more
like sidekicks than mother and daughter. They
lived alone together in their south Omaha
home since Bernadette and John McMenamin
separated when Tina was 3.
“I don’t think that children should be a
product of their parents,” McMenamin said.
“The goal is that you will eventually be friends
with your child. I think we had achieved that.”
McMenamin said Tina readily confided in
her. They discussed boyfriends, parties and
classes. Tina was unsure of her future, her
mother said, but she wanted a career that
would pay well.
“There were so many choices, sometimes it
was overwhelming,” McMenamin said. “She
was interested in English and creative writing,
but she knew that’s the way to starve to death.”
After graduating from Daniel J. Gross High
School in 1994, Tina became a general studies
major at UNL. She developed an interest in
politics, her mother said, but wanted to wait
until her second or third year to declare a
major.
“I didn’t say anything because she was so
enthusiastic,” McMenamin said. “She was lean
ing into political science.”
Tina thrived on living away from home. She
worked out almost daily — “except when it
snowed” — at the Campus Recreation Center.
She quickly became a Nebraska Comhusker
fanatic and attended nearly every football game
during the national championship season.
She didn’t return to Omaha often, her mother
Martina McMenamin moved from Smith Residence Hall to Amberwood Apartments in Mav. Slw«assfrmJuh?sS^r>n
new home. Bernadette McMenamin recalls when she took the pictures Ma^inasaid: “Oh^hw^^TOurra™-^
said, coming home mainly for dental and eye
appointments or to get her blue Plymouth
Horizon repaired.
“She really enjoyed college and college
life,” McMenamin said. “The best thing she
liked about college, I’m sorry to say, was Padre
Island.”
Last March, Tina and two friends embarked
on a spring break adventure in “that little
Plymouth Horizon,” her mother said. The drive
was long and annoying, her mother said. But
Tuia already was planning for Spring Break
“She said, ‘Next year we’re going to fly
down,’” McMenamin recalled. ; '
By this time, Tina and her roommate Sarah
were tiring of living in Smith Residence Hall.
The cafeteria food was wearing on her. The
noise was disrupting her. And she was ready to
decorate her own home.
“She didn’t want to live by school,” her
mother said. “She said, ‘All we want, Mom, is
an apartment that doesn’t smell bad.’”
Sarah and Tina viewed the Chateau apart
ments in northeast Lincoln. But the two de
cided to move into Amberwood Apartments
4600 Briarpark Drive, Apt. 515, after finals
week.
“They were so excited about this apart
ment,” McMenamin said. “It looked very big
because there wasn’t much stuff in there/’
The two women lived on the second floor.
They were busy with their restaurant jobs.
Tina worked at Godfather’s, and Sarah at
Grisanti’s. Tina came back to Omaha only
three or four times all summer, her mother
said.
When Tina began working, she would miss
her favorite television show, “The X-Files,”
on Friday evenings. Her mother would record
the weekly show for Tina and mail her the
video tape.
She only taped the show 10 times.
See MCMENAMIN on 3
Courtesy of Arnold Clark Studio
Osborne will allow
Washington to play
By Derek Samson
Senior Reporter —
Nebraska coach Tom Osborne
announced Thursday that he would
allow junior wingback Riley Wash
ington to play against the University
of Pacific Saturday.
Washington has pleaded not guilty
to charges of second- degree at
tempted murder and use of a weapon
to commit a felony in connection
with the Aug. 2 shoot ing of Jermaine
Cole at a Lincoln convenience store.
“All of the information that I have
been able to gather regarding Riley
114444444444 444 44 444444 4-4 4«4Aa..aI
Washington would indicate that he is
not guilty of the charges that have
been brought against him,” Osborne
said in a statement releasecfThursday
afternoon.
At Washington’spreliminary hear
ing Sept. 8, Lancaster County Court
Judge James Foster ruled that there
was sufficient evidence and probable
cause to order Washington to stand
trial. Washington is scheduled to stand
trial in Lancaster County District
Court during the week of Oct. 23.
NU Athletic Director Bill Byrne
sided with Osborne.
See WASHINGTON on 8
Domestic abuse exists at UNL
oy jonn i-uiwiaer
£>enior Heporter
Though it seems domestic vio
lence only makes the news when
public figures are involved, it is an
ongoing problem in society and on
the UNL campus.
There have been 30 cases of
domestic violence in the univer
sity community since Jan. 1, said
Lisa Cauble, Victim Services co
ordinator. Thirteen of those cases
involved students, and seven in
volved faculty or staff.
Cauble said she classified do
mestic violence differently from
police by including fights between
girlfriends and boyfriends in her
statistics.
..
ror the police to qualify an in
cident as domestic violence, she
said, the people involved must have
lived together or had a child to
gether.
UNL police, who also use that
definition, have recorded two do
mestic violence cases in the uni
versity community this year.
Women and men who experi
ence domestic violence have two
free campus resources: Victim
Services and the Women’s Center.
Victim Services, which is in
room 128 of the 501 Building,
answers questions, helps get pro
tection orders and gives referrals
to other services.
Cauble also will help get the
fees for protection orders waived.if
necessary. It costs $59 to file a
protection order with a $20 fee to
have the sheriff serve it.
Harassing or threatening phone
calls, threats and stalking all can
be reasons to get a protection or
der. If someone shows uf> to meet
you when he or she shouldn’t have
known where you were, Cauble
said, you might consider a protec
tion order.
Cauble stressed that protection
orders could be obtained without
filing a police report.
Statistically, men abuse women
more than women abuse men. But
Cauble recalled cases of men be
ing abused by their girlfriends —
See VIOLENCE on 2
