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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 22, 1996)
MONDAY WEATHER: Today - Mostly sunny & cool. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph. Tonight - Fair & cold. Low around 30. - - April 22, 1996 weekend spent remembering Berringer by Mike Kluck Senior Reporter — Friends, family and fans of former Nebraska quarterback Bnx>k Berringer spent the weekend remembering their fallen hero. Berringer, 22, of Goodland, Kan., and Tobey Lake, 32, of Aurora, Colo., died Thursday when the 1946 Piper Cub plane Berringer was Hying crashed shortly after takeoff in a grassy field near Raymond. University of Nebraska officials canceled Friday’s “Night of Champi ons” celebration at Memorial Stadium, but about 80 people, prompted by a call to a local radio station, came to a candlelight vigil service on the sta dium steps. Most were dressed in red, and many came from as far away as Grand Island and Norfolk to pay their last respects to a man they had grown to admire both on and off the field. They sang “Amazing Grace,” “Wind Beneath My Wings” and “There is No Place Like Nebraska,” among other songs, and they shared fond memories of Berringer. Jerry Simerly, who wore a white hat with a red No. 18 (Berringcr’s number at Nebraska), said he remembered Berringer’s smile when quarterback Tommie Frazier’s two-point conver sion pass in the 1995 Orange Bowl tied the game against Miami. The Huskers won the game 24-17, giving them the first oftwoeonsecutivenational cham pionships. Simerly said he hadn’t wanted to come to the vigil on the cold, damp, windy night, but he did so for his son, Adam, and also for Berringer. He said his son, who is mentally handicapped, was adamant about com ing to the vigil because Berringer was his favorite player. Thisyear for Christmas, Cornhusker quarterback coach Turner Gill pre sented Adam Simerly a football signed by Berringer, Gill and Nebraska coach Tom Osborne. “Adam was really impressed that one time Brook came to his school and went over to Adam and just started talking to him,” his father said. For Adam Simerly, who was wear ing a hat autographed by Berringer, the vigil was a chance to say goodbye to a friend. On Saturday, before the annual spring game, Berringer was honored in a 3 1 /2-minutc HuskcrVision video tribute, produced by JefTSchmahl. The video featured highlights of Berringer’s career at Nebraska, plus clips of him reading to students, hunt ing and receiving his diploma. Berringer graduated in December with a degree in business management. After the video, the crowd of more than 48,000 fans gave Berringer a standing ovation, and many of the foot ball players raised their helmets to the sky. Many of the Husker coaches and players wore black T-shirts with the No. 18 in remembrance of Berringer. In New York City at the NFL Draft on Saturday, commissioner Paul Tagliabue led a moment of silence for See BERRINGER on 2 Matthew Waite/DN Friends and fans of former NU quarterback Brook Berringer gather Friday night for a candlelight vigil on the steps of Memorial Stadium. K Seeing stars Matt Miiler/DN Syndrom d.PhSSw^Se photSes^^ifp^e 6* 9iVe" * standing e'9W coun* af,er receiving a strong blow in the Stenberg’s commercial airs today By Chad Lorenz Senior Reporter Senate candidate Don Stenberg’s first tele vision commercial will hit Nebraska airwaves today, almost three months after fellow GOP opponent Chuck Hagel started airing TV adver tisements. “The voters arc just now starting to tune in and recognize the race is going on,” said Steve Thomlison, Stenberg’s campaign manager. “Now is the opportune time to get out and deliver the message.” The Stenberg commercial, titled “Accom plishment,” is intended to remind voters of Stenberg’s record as attorney general, Thomlison said, and reviews his priorities for the Senate. Deb Fiddelke, communications director for the Hagel campaign, said the sixth Hagel cam paign commercial began airing Friday. Fiddelke said the Hagel commercials had been well-received because they were positive and issue-oriented. “People are so sick of nasty, negative cam paigns,” she said. Thomlison said he was surprised by the amount of television advertising used by the Hagel campaign. “Even though there’s been an onslaught of TV advertising, they haven’t been able to con vince Nebraska Republican voters that he’s the m man,” Thomlison said. Stenberg’s 30-second advertisement will start airing today in Lincoln, Hastings, Kearney and Grand Island, Thomlison said. The campaign will run one or two more commercials before the May 14 primary elec tion, he said. Thomlison said about half of the $374,000 total campaign expenditures had been spent on direct voter contact, including mailings, signs and travel. Much of that $ 187,000 was spent on commercial production and air time. Fiddelke said about two-thirds of Hagel’s campaign expenditures were for television ad vertising. Hagel has spent about $1 million in campaign funds, according to Federal Election Commission reports. Replacement for Leitzel appointed By Julie Sobczyk Senior Reporter " “ A veteran UNL administrator has been named interim senior vice chancellor for academic a Hairs. Irv Omtvedt, who has been at UNL for 21 years, will take over for Joan Leitzel when she leaves UNL on June 30 to become president of the University of New Hampshire in Durham. “I’m looking forward to it,” said Omtvedt, now vice chancellor for the Institute of Agricul ture and Natural Resources. “I’m honored to have the opportunity to represent the university in this role.” Omtvedt, who is also the NU system’s vice president for agriculture and natural resources, was appointed to the position by Chancellor James Moeser last week. He wasn’t expecting the appointment, he said. “It was a complete surprise because it’s not a position I would want to move into unless I felt I had strong support from faculty, administra tors and deans,” Omtvedt said. “From ail indi cations that I’ve received, there seems to be good support for me to go in on an interim position. Leitzel, however, said she was not surprised at all that Moeser chose Omtvedt. “I thought he was the obvious person to choose because he understands the whole uni versity and our role across the whole state of Nebraska,” Leitzel said. Omtvedt said he planned to make the most of his time as senior vice chancellor. “I’m an action-oriented type of individual,” he said. “I’m not interested in just marking time here. I feel it’s such an important time in higher education and at UNL.” The coming of a new chancellor marks an important time for UNL, he said. “We need to move his agenda forward,” Omtvedt said. “I fully support what he (Moeser) has laid out since coming here as the strategic plan of UNL, such as an emphasis on under graduate education and outreach.” An important topic to Moeser is distance education, Omtvedt said — something that is not new to him. “I’ve had a fair amount of experience in the rapid movement toward distance education and virtual universities,” Omtvedt said. Some key positions at UNL — such as the deans for continuing studies, fine and perform See OMTVEDT on 3
