Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 21, 1997)
Sen. Jerome Warner dies at 69 of prostate cancer WARNER from page 1 than his neighbors because he put his time in Lincoln ahead of his com, milo, sorghum or wheat in Waverly. But Althouse said he knew the sena tor was fighting the good fight in the Nebraska Legislature. “I would see where his vote was and I may speak to him about it,” Althouse said. “I couldn’t understand why he voted this way. “He would tell me there were a lot of things involved with the issue I didn’t understand. He always con vinced me that what he did, I would have done the same thing had I been voting.” Gov. Ben Nelson, from his home in Omaha, said Nebraska lost a pub lic servant Sunday, and he lost a friend. Sen. Warner gave everything to the people of Nebraska,” the gover nor said. “While George Norris in vented (the Legislature), Sen. Warner and his father perfected it.” The senator was 10 when his fa ther Charles Warner was the state’s first Speaker of the Legislature in 1937. Warner followed in his footsteps by serving as Speaker of the Legisla ture from 1969-71. Peggy Brown was 10 when her dis trict sent the longtime family friend and farmer from her hometown to Lin coln. Brown said she remembered driv ing on Highway 6 near Waverly and seeing Warner working in his fields — until someone would drive up and Warner would get off his tractor to visit. “He should be plowing his fields when he’d be in the middle of the road talking to somebody,” she said. “And you knew he was talking politics.” Brown, business manager of the Waverly newspaper, said Warner was always there for his constituents. She said she remembered how he helped start a rescue squad in Waverly 23 years ago and brought a nursing home to Waverly eight years ago. “He always got elected,” she said. “He did a lot for the farmers. “He was just always a friendly guy and always loved talking to you.” Sen. Stan Schellpeper of Stanton said Warner’s advice, which all sena tors could look to, will be missed. “You could always talk to Jerry Warner,” Schellpeper said. Before Schellpeper came to the Legislature to work with Warner on the Revenue Committee and serve as chairman of the General Affairs Com mittee, he worked with Warner cm the State Fair Board for 15 years. “The Legislature was his whole life. It was his life, and he was very dedicated to taking care of the people of this state.” That life was chronicled by Charlyne Berens, a University of Ne braska-Lincoln assistant news-edito rial professor. The biography, “Leav ing Your Mark: The Political Career of Nebraska State Senator Jerome Warner,” came out in March. What impressed her the most about the farmer, senator and public servant was his long-term vision in govern ment and democracy, a foresight that went beyond all others. “It was satisfying to hear of some one who knew of these things by liv ing it, some of the basic principles of democratic government,” she said. “He went well beyond coping with the day-to-day problems of government to see the underlying problems in it.” “The impact that he had on the state was just enormous.” That impact was admired by oth ers, including Robert Sittig, a Univer sity of Nebraska-Lincoln political sci ence professor who studies the Ne braska Legislature. Sittig said the senator “stood alone in his durability.” “His legislative style was one that facilitated compromise and agreement in diflusing some of the major issues in state policy-making,” Sittig said. “That’s where the long-term loss is going to be felt the most.” Warner could always find a com mon viewpoint between rural and ur ban issues, Sittig said, and “seemed to be able to diffuse explosive situa tions and could probe around and find acceptable solutions.” With the political divisions dig ging more of a divide in the one-house Legislature and the economic and time constraints making it harder to serve, Sittig said the mediation style and 35 year dedication of Warner would be hard to replace. “The totality of his accomplish ments is not going to be matched any time in the near future,” he said, “ ... maybe never again given some of the political realities down there.” Sen. George Coordsen of Hebron agreed. “He’s simply irreplaceable,” he said. He said Warner had a strong in fluence on the Legislature and the tax package — often the most high-pro file and closely watched bill in a given session. Coord sen, also chairman of the Executive Committee, said he had called a meeting of the board for 9:30 a.m. today for other reasons. He said the job of filling Warner’s vacancy will now be an issue at that meeting. The governor ordered the flags to be flown at half staff until sundown of the day Warner is laid to rest. “I never expected to have the oc casion to appoint Sen. Warner’s re placement,” Nelson said. “I am just not prepared to deal with this yet.” Next week, Nelson said, he will start the daunting task of replacing the senior member of the Legislature. "Youjust don't expert someone of his stature not to be in your midst. You just think they are forever, despite your knowledge to the contrary.” UNL to honor Earth Day EARTH DAY from page 1 able Energy for Economic Devel opment. SEED researches alternate energy forms such as wind and so lar power. The legislation will deal with making such energy forms more economical and affordable. ■ A performance by local acoustic guitarist Larry Evermann at 2 pjn. ■ A performance by local rock band Love Cabol at 4 p.m. There also will be food provided by Food Not Bombs, a Lincoln or ganization that distributes food to the needy. All the food will be veg etarian, said Michelle Haddix, Earth Day Fair co-coordinator and freshman environmental studies major. f ' --■ Also throughout the fair, the participants who were carrying their week’s worth of trash will be sorting out the trash and discuss ing how the trash can be recycled, Haddix said. Trash picked up on campus Saturday also will be ana lyzed. Haddix said there would be in teractive booths, including prizes for smashing and recycling cans. The purpose of the fair is to make students aware of ways they can help the Earth and to celebrate “everything we get from the earth,” Londine said. “It’s basically to illustrate to stu dents all the things that they can do,” she said, “little, easy things on a daily basis tP keep what we have going.” I' r. American Heart M Association*^^ Fighting Heart Disease *■ and Stroke AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION MEMORIALS & TRIBUTES wsomssss 1-800-AHA-USA1 This space provided as a pUbhc service. _Cl994, American Heart Association _:_„_ ~ ■: - V. K'l AlV When you learn that your ^1 \ I child has a neuromuscular ’ disease, you have a million 1 \ . * questions. MDA answers . 1 .T0V them all through special \_ J videos and brochures for ^ parents, and just by being - \ ~ 4 f - there. It's education for life. ■ tr nfr If you need MDA, VAT | W*— eaU 1-800-872-1717. f MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY ASSOCIATION |bestselfStorage| j. Leave your stuff in X §iJ Lincoln this summer! Q f| Special Discount Dafesjl W April 21-May 15 j1 fl 7001 Custer • (402) 464-9042 Free Computer Classes! Information Technology Support offers FREE classes to UNL students. Classes are held in Bancroft, Room 239. Seats are available first come, first served (12 seats available for each class). If you have any questions call: 472-9050. Classes will be held throughout the semester. Introduction to BIGRED Email Monday, April 21: 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, April22: 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Advanced Email on BIGRED Monday, April 21: 11:30 to 1:00 p.m. Netscape Wednesday, April 23: 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. Thursday, April 24: 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. This week at UPC "We<fotd& arte... Baby Jason and the Spankers Thursday • April 24 • 9-11 p.m. you've teen 'em at the ZOO BAR, Elm how. come tee em^oA^iee at THE CRIB.. • don't miss one of the best blues bands in town • Living Before Dead Week End-of-the-year bash Friday, April 25 3:30 - 9:30 p.m. Green Space Free! Domestic After a woman told her boy friend to get a job or get out, he answered her by hacking items in their bedroom with a meat cleaver - Thursday morning. Lincoln Police Sgt. Ann Heermann said the woman told police that at 6 a.m. she told her boyfriend to get a job. He then be came enraged and grabbed a meat cleaver. The woman said her boy friend then told her he was going to kill her. Heermann said the man started striking objects in the bedroom of their apartment on the 1000 block of A Street with the meat cleaver, damaging the headboard and the wall. The woman then tried to call 911, but the man yanked the phone out of the wall. The woman re ported that the man hit her in the face several times, then left the house. Outside, he vandalized the woman’s 1987 Nissan Pulsar, breaking the windshield and the rear window. Police are still looking for the 25-year-old man. Radar watch Lincoln Police radar units will be on Vine Street from 70th to 84th streets and on Leighton and Hun tington avenues, from 33rd to 48th streets today.