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VOL. 45-NUMBER 3
Spradlin Sentenced to Twenty Years
Student Murder Case Decided On Wednesday
Editor’s Note: After this
story was written, Spradlin was
found guilty of Bastain’s
murder, and sentenced to
twenty years. Brown and Bailey
were acquitted.
Following a confession by one
of three defendants, the Danny
Lee Bastain murder case went
to jury late Tuesday afternoon.
Bastain, a West Georgia
College student and resident of
College Arms Apartments, died
of repeated stab wounds after
he was admitted to Tanner
John Pershing Suffers
Fatal Heart Attack
Dr. John J. Pershing,
professor of counseling and
guidance and former dean
of student affairs, at West
Georgia, died Saturday at
Tanner Memorial Hospital
of a heart attack.
Pershing, a native of
Canton, Ohio, received his
A.B. from Wittenburg
University, his master’s
degree from Springfield
and his doctorate from
Indiana University. Per
shing’s funeral was held
Monday at the Peachtree
Road Lutheran Church,
and he was interred in the
Lutherania Cemetery in
Richmond, Indiana.
Pershing served as dean
of students at Georgia Tech
from 1945 to 1960, when he
left to go to Emory as dean
Enrollment Sinks
Seven Per Cent
Enrollment at West Georgia
for the fall quarter currently is
5,119, a decrease of about 7
percent from last fall.
A major factor in the overall
enrollment decline is a
decrease of 206 in the graduate
school, where enrollment
fluctuates considerably from
quarter to quarter, according to
officials.
A second significant reason
for the decrease, according to
Dr. Maurice Townsend,
president, is an upgrading of
academic standards initiated
during the past year which
encompasses the admissions,
grading, and student retention
processes.
New students enrolling as
undergraduates at West
Georgia remained ap
proximately the same in
number as last year, indicating
that anew requirement that
sophomores as well as fresh
WEST GEORGIA COLLEGE, CARROLLTON. GA 30118
Memorial Hospital Aug. 28.
Frank Spradlin, Michael
Edward Brown, and John
William Bailey, all of Carroll
County, are charged with this
slaying.
Spradlin signed a confession
prior to the trial stating that he
alone had stabbed Bastain, but
he claimed that he had done so
in self defense. Carrollton
Police Corp. Larry Rampley
testified that Spradlin had
identified two sites on the
Temple Road where he states
that Bastain and the three
of men. He served at
Emory for five years, and
came to West Georgia in
1965.
Pershing was a past
president of the West
Georgia AAUP, a former
member of the board of
trustees at Newberry
College, and was listed in
Who’s Who In America.
In 1968, Georgia Tech
established the ‘Dean
Pershing Award,’ given
annually to a faculty
member who makes an
outstanding contribution to
student activities.
Pershing was also active
in community affairs. He
was a former president and
director of the Carrollton
Rotary Club. He was past
president of the Peachtree
men live on campus has not
affected enrollment.
Sophomore enrollment ac
tually shows an increase over
last fall.
Dr. Don Adams, associate
dean of faculties, pointed out
that “545 undergraduates who
were enrolled in 1977-78 were
not permitted to enroll this year
because of stricter enforcement
of standards on student
retention.”
He also indicated that only 30
percent of those appealing their
dismissal for not meeting
grading standards were
readmitted this fall compared
with considerably more in
previous years.
“Denial of readmission,”
Adams said, “is probably best
for these students since their
college record indicates that
they are not likely to succeed in
college work.”
Continued on page 9
defendants struggled and he
later stabbed Bastain.
Spradlin’s confession states
that the four men had gone to
Atlanta to get concert tickets
and on the way back an
argument began between
Bailey and Bastain. The four
stopped driving so that Bailey
and Bastain could settle their
dispute. Spradlin states that
when he and Brown intervened
in the ensuing fight, Bastain
stabbed him in the arm.
Spradlin said that he pulled out
•n. • <■ • m
DR. JOHN PERSHING
Road Lutheran Church,
had served on the Lutheran
national board of higher
education, and was a
member of the Lutheran
national executive council.
President Maurice
Townsend described
Pershing as a “fine per
son,” and said that he,
“made a fine contribution
to a number of institutions
in the state, not only here
but at Georgia Tech and
Emory.”
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Construction has begun on a 45,909 square foot addition to the West Georgia Library with com
pletion expected in approximately two years.
The addition will more than double shelf space for volumes from the present 209,909 to more than
409,009, according to college President Maurice Townsend.
Additional carrels will be provided for student and faculty study and, combined with the present
building, seating for 1,000 readers will be available.
The present building also has 350,000 pieces of microtext and 12,500 reels of microtext.
his knife and stabbed Bastain
several times in the torso.
A total of 13 knife wounds
were found in Bastain’s middle
back.
Testimony by Detective
Barry Carroll of the Carrollton
Police Department indicated
that evidence existed to im
plicate Brown and Bailey in the
murder.
Late night traveler Randy
Creel testified that he was
driving past south on the
Townsend:
Grade Quotas Unfair;
AAUP Poll No Surprise
By FRANK GREGORSKY
Dr. Maurice Townsend is in
favor of academic freedom and
affirmative action. He is op
posed to grade quotas and the
liberal policies governing the
Regents exam. These are some
of the points made by the
president of West Georgia
during a wide-ranging in
terview in his office Monday
afternoon.
Q. What should be done about
grade inflation? Is there any
real chance of introducing
grade quotas?
Townsend: “Grades are a
faculty judgment and the ad
ministration should do no more
than suggest possible changes.
In this case, we are recom
mending that instructors be a
little less generous in their
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1978
Temple Road and spotted four
men outside a car below the 1-20
interchange. After turning
around, he drove closer to the
scene. From a distance of 30
feet he saw one man striking
another who was held between
two others, whom he could not
identify.. Creel said the
unidentified victim was being
struck in the torso and his
assailant was cut on the
forearm.
Continued on page 2
grading policies, making them
reflect a student’s real worth.
The problem of grade inflation
is not peculiar to West Georgia.
“I don’t believe in grade
quotas. They are arbitrary and
distinctly unfair.”
Q. Are you surprised by the
results of the recent AAUP
poll?
Townsend: I’ve been here
three years, and found no real
surprises in it. The faculty
normally has its guard up at the
administration, and there must
be 1,000 different reasons why a
faculty member will check any
one given box on a generalized
poll question.
Q. A large percentage of the
respondents thought that
academic freedom was lacking
Continued on page 3