1998_04 Insight April 1998

              Insight
InStep
7
Bulldog track team inspires Fresno's youth
Athletes share knowledge,
experience with Valley's west
side kids.
by John Sanders
Staff Writer
It wasn't Christmas. Nor was il their
birthday. Bui the smiles on their faces made it
seem like something special just happened lo
them in their West Fresno School District.
And something special did happen to them.
The Fresno Stale track team. Assistant
Coach Bob Fraley and world-class athlete.
Terry Bowen. visited the West Fresno School
District to put on a track and field clinic for
students from ages eight through 15. Among
those that visited the campus were Fresno Slate
sprinters El Jackson. Demetrius Snaer. Mike
Ward and hurdler Ardin Harrison.
The kids of the West Fresno School
District have been subjected to the harsh
realities of gang violence, drugs, murders,
robberies and carjackings. In fact, some people
living in Fresno haven't been to the west side
of Fresno, because they are scared of what
might happen to them.
But fear didn't stop a track team, its
coaches and a world-class sprinter from giving
back to the students of the West Fresno School
District last Thursday.
"We're trying to provide these kids with
knowledge of track and field and leach them
the importance of education." Fraley said. "It's
a community outreach."
Among the events being taught were
sprints, hurdles, distance running, long jump
and high jump. The kirft were separated into
their respective events where they teamed how
to stretch, warm-up. start and pass the baton.
"I think this is real good for the kids and
this area." said Clifton Pondcxtcr. a former
professional basketball player. "People sec this
area as crime-ridden, but it's not all about
crime. Some of these kids just don't have the
opportunity like other kids do."
"I think it's great because a lot of these
kids don't get to come up-town and see some
of the sporting events like basketball, track or
baseball," said Tanya Ehlert. a former 4-time
Ail-American for Fresno State in the 400
meters and current assistant track coach at
Fresno State. "You don't even have to be a big
time athlete. You just have to show that you
care."
Fraley and the track team have been
putting on these clinics for a number of years.
He said that many times the West Fresno
School District becomes lost in the mix. Some
of the kids in the school haven't even seen
starting blocks.
Bowen. who ran a personal best 9.97 in
the 100 meters, knows the importance of
people taking the time to spend with the kids.
"I've been doing this for the past three
years." Bowen said. "I didn't have anyone to
help me at this age. and I really needed it back
then. So now I am in a position where 1 can
help and where 1 want to give back to the
community."
Part of the day's highlights included
competitions to see wh,o could throw the
farthest, jump the longest and the highest and
run the fastest. More than 100 kids of all ages
came out making il a very successful event.
"These athletes are real role models for
these kids," said Beau Carter, principal of West
Fresno School District. "This part of the
community has been neglected for a lot of
years. We've made a real strong commitment to
try to improve the facilities here and to get
quality programs here for our young people."
In addition to running the clinic, Fresno
Stale provided more than 30 pairs of shoes to
give the students who needed them the most.
Fresno State also brought hats and T-shirts to
give away to the kids.
"I think it's good that [the track team]
came out here." said 14-year-old Michael Lee.
a participant in the clinic. "Some of the people
throw their life away by using drugs and selling
drugs, but 1 think this will lead them in the
right direction."
"We're having a lot of fun." said 9-ycar-
old Michael Rosiles. "This will help everyone
with their running-tind stuff."
Other clinics like basketball and football
have been done. One day Carter hopes that not
only the track facilities hut other facilities as
well will be improved. Carter wants the West
Fresno School District to turn into a ".community center."
"I'm really glad to see athletes come out
and help these kids." said Raymond Mitchell,
director of technology for the West Fresno
School District. "The kids recognize and
appreciate ifiem coming out to help them."
According to Carter, these clinics are in
the infancy stage, and eventually it might
expand to even more sports.
"You have to stimulate kids to want to be
in school and this is where sports gets the kids
interested in school." Fraley said. "We just
wanted to make this a fun experience for the
kids."
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Jazz master remembered in biography
Professor pays
homage to music
teacher of Louis
Armstrong.
by Erin Maxwell
Staff Writer
He brought the world the great
ja/z trumpeter. Louis Armstrong and
touched the lives of countless boys
through music and leadership. But
Peter Davis lie»in an unmarked grave-
in a potter's field called Holt Cemetery in New Orleans. La.
Davis' name has been obscured
by time. But Dr. Robert Mikell. an
ethnic studies professor and the director of the African American Studies Resource Center at Fresno Slate,
believes Davis' work and influence
still live on.
Mikell is in the process of writing a book tentatively titled, "In
Search of Peter Davis: The First
Music Master of Louis Armstrong."
The book, after almost nine years, is
near completion.
Davis was the music teacher at
the Waif Boys' Home in New Orleans
where 12-year-old Armstrong was
sent in 1913 for shooting his
stepfather's pistol, a blank shooter,
into the air on New Year's Eve.
The research for the book took
Mikell eight years and the writing
took about a year. Several chapters
of the expected seven are completed
and waiting to be mailed to Louisiana State University Press. Mikell ex-
Peter Davis (left) and Louis
Armstrong appeared on the "I've
Got A Secret" TV show in 1965.
pects to finish the book by the end of
this summer.
Mikell's connection to Davis
goes back to his childhood. Davis
was the scoutmaster for Mikell's Cub
Scout troop.
"Everybody I knew coming up
called him Mr. Dave, even my parents." Mikell said. "There were a few
people who insisted on calling him
Mr. Davis but everybody 1 knew
called him Mr. Dave."
The lessons that Davis taught to
the boys at the Waif's hmae were the
same ones he taught, after he retired
to the boys in his scout troop.
"He gave direct instructions."
Mikell said. "He was one of the early
illustrators of scared straight."
Davis also taught music to
Mikell and his brother Calvin.
Mikell's first steps toward writing the book came when he learned
of Davis' death in April of 1971. He
called the funeral home, which was
handling the arrangements for the
burial, only to leam that Davis was
interred in a potter's field in an unmarked grave. Mikell's first thought
was to have a marker placed on the
grave, but on consideration, decided
to ask the Louis Armstrong museum
in New Orleans' French Quarter if it
would be willing to have a
plaquededicated to Davis placed
there.
The museum agreed, and the
plaque was presented by Mikell on
September 1. 1995. Ihe same day thai
a stamp commemorating Louis
Armstrong was issued by the U.S.
Post Office. A reception was held and
attended by many of the great musicians of the jazz world including
Wy nton Marsalis and Doc Cheatham.
The plaque depicts Peter Davis with
Louis Armstrong, the relief of their
smiling faces on the plaque created
from a photograph of Davis with
Armstrong who is holding the first
comet he ever played. At the bottom
is a small dedication in memory of
another of Davis' students. Mikell's
brother Calvin, who had become a
professional musician.'
Mikell believes that Davis' influence reached far beyond introducing
Armstrong to the cornet, as depicted
in the chapter "The Multipier Effect."
In the chapter. Mikell discusses the
way that those whose lives were
changed by Davis have gone on to
change the lives of others.
Although planning for an upcoming conference has slowed the
progress of the writing since January.
Mikell predicted that the book should
be out early next year.
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Engineering, Computer Science majors in trouble
by Suzanne Dieriex
Staff Writer
Computer science is one of the
fastest growing fields in the nation.
But Fresno State is falling behind
in the computer technology race.
The Computer Science
department only has nine professors when, according to University
policies, it should have 12. Last
year there were eight.
The ptofessor shortage means
essential classes are not offered on
a regular basis. Students' planned
graduation dates are being delayed
because they can't get, the classes.
Another complaint according
to department chair Brent
Auernheimer is a lack of access to
computer labs.
Engineering has about five labs
on the third floor of the East
Engineering building and one in
McKee Fisk. The labs have no
evening hours.
The computers in the McKee
Fisk lab were recently upgraded.
but the programs are about 5-years
old. The age of the programs make
the computer upgrade virtually
The labs in East Engineering
arc also shared by seven other
departments in the School of
Engineering.
Another problem students face
is that the computers or the servers
are sometimes down. They take
hours or days to fix. Every hour
that the system is down is like a day
wasted.
Auernheimer deals with
complaints from students and
professors. He said that Computer
Science's funding for computers
hasn't increased, but students
enrollment has.
The department of computer
science and the School of Engineering are working together to try
to improve both of these problems.
Last fall, the School hired
former UC Berkeley computer
specialist John Holt to oversee the
labs and to make the most out of
the budget.
i difficult to lure professors
into the field when professional
jobs often pay much more than a
professor's salary. It is also difficult
to keep students in school when
they are getting job offers from
other places.
Enrollment has dropped in
some fields of engineering, but
their funding has not decreased.
The computer science department
has seen a gradual increase in
enrollment and no change in
funding.
Auernheimer and other
members of the department have
been meeting with the administration to try to increase funding for
the department. The increase in
funding may allow Computer
Science to hire another professor
for the fall of 1998.
Students don't believe the lack
of computer access and professors
will hurt their chances of getting a
job.'The demand for computer
science graduates is currently very
high." said Alan Hay. a Computer
Science graduate student.
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