The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 84, No. 22, Ed. 1, Wednesday, November 8, 1995 Page: 3 of 6
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4
.Wednesday Nov. 8 1995
OPTIMIST
Page 3
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1968
Old cars and wooden shacks line a narrow streer In Vietnam.
Pholo courtes of Fill llbby 1994 P! courtesy of Bill Ubty
Powec lines and people bring little change to the same street nearly three decades later ;
Tittle lapse between photos shows chaiige in Vietnam
V-
I
By Jwffa RcuUvr
Sludenl Pportef
The photographs side by
side portrayed identical
rustic images: a street in Viet-
nam. '
l. The scene was the same but
the photographs were different.
One taken in 1968 was old and
square a faded black and white.
The other from 1994 was a
modern rectangle in brilliarit col-
ors. - Both photographs were taken
by Rev. Dill Libby associate pas-
tor of St. Paul United Methodist
Church and former chaplain
wid the Army's 101st Airborne-Division.
I The pictures are part or an
I exhibit that will be on display
11 beginning Nov. 7 at the Center
il ?or Contemporary Arts at 220
Cypress St.
The exhibit will contain pho-
tographs from 1968 depicting
Vietnamese village and city life
and die lives of American ser-
vicemen stationed there during
the war.
Also included will be pictures
taken by Libby during a visit to
Vietnam in 1994.
The photos taken in many of
the same spots compare the
changes if any to the country
and to the lives of the people in
the '60s and in the '90s.
In 1968 Vietnam was torn by
war and Libby said that many
times during his tour of duty he
' was badly frightened.
Some experiences though
were more routine he said.
"There were days when it was
terribly mundane and I'd write
about the bad food in the mess
-quote.-?
I was merely
a traveler
that
happened
to take
phonographs.
Rev. Bill Libby
.11.1
when he left for Vietnam Libby 1968 My Lai massacre where "I think it's tragic that' it has!
tntn K.rttMin 1 K( inrl' Kf( itnirmwl nl.n rhit Inner nlir ntr trttr.
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said.
His return to Vietnam in 1954
initiated by an acquaintance was
a bittersweet experience Libby
said.
But he realized that much of
the heavy emotion had disap-
peared. Libby attributed this to his
having stayed on in the Army
civilians died. -
Libby said one particularly'-
interesting experience was a 24-
hour train trip from Ho Chi
Minh City formerlySaigon to
Da Nang.
While in Da Nahg Libby said
he was the guest of a hospital
administratof who' earned the
taken this long 'but not every
body agrees with me he said." ;
As a tourist Libby snapped J
more than 200 photographs dur-1
ing the trip. i ' '
The pictures were not pa'rticu-l
larly professional he said. ' j
MI am not an artist and these;
pictures were not taken 'to be J
hall" he said of letters that he
wrote to his wife.
Those letters combined with
the photographs have proven to
be a valuable history lesson to his
children who were very young
' I I T I
arustic- ne saiu. jl was mereiya
where he taught about; Vietnam. ij lilt . . vA '(""' l traveler Jthac ihappenca taatake 1
' anil to having" talked about the . . SW ' "H ' r" photographsjft.i..: a J w i j
n;Jn. -'u- m t ;kkv .Libby encouraged all veterans;
said he believes the lives of the
people will improve because of
recent increases in trade in-
dustrial development and tour-
ism. .
He said the normalization of
relations between the United
States and Vietnam was also
experience publicly for many
years.
"Going back for me was not so
much 'therapeutic" he said. "I
quickly relaxed and was just a
tourist.
Traveling 'With a group Libby
spent three weeksln the country.
The group visited places like the
former U.S. airbase at KhcSanh
and the site of the March 16
important.
of the war tt return to Vietnam.
Even though for some it could '
be painful the visit could help?
by providing some closure he
said. '
"For others though it would
be a visit to one of the most
beautiful places in the world
under entirely different circum-.
stances" he said. . '
Antarctic author explorer inventor to sign books
By Mndy RJchUr
Student Reporter
Charles Passcl co-inventor of the
wind chill factor and member of
the 1939 Bvrd expedition to Ant
arctica will auroeranh cooies of his cylindrical container filled with
book Ice during Artwalk on water and placing it in different tern
named Paul Siples.
"In 1938 we started working on
the trip; but we didn't leave until
1939" Passcl said.
While in Antarctica Passcl invent- about 4o d bclow Mr0t anA thc
ed the wind chill factor by using a wind bowing aboiu 20 mph"
he said.
IHHIHHHHHHBiiHHHHHHIIH .
Thursday.
Passel said his book was based on a
diary he daily wrote in during his
trip to Antarctica.
"I wrote about our experiences
what we did and what we griped
about" Passcl said. "Mostly we
griped about the fact that during the
winter it's dark for 4 12 months."
Artwalk consists of art displays at
"25 locations along Cypress Cedar
Second Third and Fourth streets.
Passcl decided to go to Antarctica
after he was asked by a Boy Scout
pcratures and wind conditions to
gauge how long it would take to
freeze.
Sometimes instead of using water
Passcl said he and his associates
would use themselves for experiments
"We would just go outside with a
Originally Passel and his associates
did not name his invention the wind
chill factor.
"At first I just called it thc relative
comfort index because it has to do
with how the wind reduces ' your
body heat and makes you feel
War II" Passel said. "They asked me
where I had been. and. I told diem
but they didn't believe me.. I had to
ishow them my passport."
The draft board deferred him fof
one year to work on the material he
had gathered.
He later served in the Marine
Corps got married and entered the
petroleum business. He did not con-
tinue his work with the wind chill
factor. .
"Then in the 70s I was driving
back from Louisiana and I was lis
tening to the radio station ... and I
artwalk s chedule .
uncomfortable" he said
After they explored the land and heard my name Passel said.
stopwatch and see how long it would conducted their experiments on how "I had completely forgotten about
take our faces to freeze under certain high winds cause things to freeze cas- the work wc had done because
wind and temperature conditions" ier they returned to the United Alaska was the only state that used
Passel said. States. the wind chill factor. So I guess the
"The fastest my face ever froze was "When we came back I had to . DJs didn't start using it here until the
in 17 seconds. The temperature was report to thc draft board for World middle 70s" he said.
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During this month's
Artwalk Thursday from
5-8:30 p.m. these and other
dowritown establishments will
bc.open to visitors;
i"""1"' of Abilene lpl '
Chihow Calass
Richard Ash prints
fettW Sfe
Buschjewelcrs 250 Cypress
David Yurman jewelry trunk
show
The Windsor 401 Pine
Model railroaders ANDA
Renaissance dancers
Wahlrop Furaituri 20 '
Walnut '-.'
European oiipalntjnfs
Arts 220 Cypress
Old and New Mexico by
Anthony Brown and Paul
Friskc; photos of Vietnam by
Rev. Bill Libby; Charles Passcl
. autographing his Antarctic
Hiary Ice Musicby Pannyi
'fSsfThomasand Roger KiikpatricJc
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Art by Millie Bcnge of
Austin
Red Carpet Gallery Abilene
Civic Center .
Children's book jUustra tors
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phcxo veA; WJf
Under One Roof 244 Pine
Western prints by Jack Terry
China painting
; McLemore-JJas? Drugstore
21pine" .' ; '
I McMurry art students'
exhibit "' " ' ''"V: -
.
.
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6:30 p.m.
Live music by Barnyard
throughout the evening
Espresso Europa 320 ? ;
Patty Rae Wellborn and smt
7amcSiUh wearablcart by. :
Silvcrheart music byMirandag
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The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 84, No. 22, Ed. 1, Wednesday, November 8, 1995, newspaper, November 8, 1995; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth99659/m1/3/: accessed May 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.