The Magazine of Rice University Fall 1990, Vol. 47, No. 1 Jr.• J•••••.. The 1990 Economic Summit The 1990 Economic Summit For three days in July, the usually peaceful summertime campus of Rice University became part security zone, part SALLYPORT media circus and part international political forum as the Fall 1990, Vol. 47, No. I 1990 Economic Summit of Industrialized Nations took Editor place here. The following features offer different perspec- Suzanne Johnson tives on a major chapter ofworld—and Rice—history. Assistant Editor Maggi Stewart Behind the Scenes: A Summit Glossary Collte-11ilts Contributing and Staff Writers While the summit itself lasted only three days, for Rice Scott Andrews Kathie Krause the event was the culmination of months of hard work on Jay Fitzgerald '91 the part of hundreds of faculty and staff members, stu- Ross Goldberg '91 Jim Low '91 dents and volunteers. Sallyport takes you behind the Timothy Moloney '90 scenes for a look at the good, the bad and the merely silly. Bill Noblitt Debbie Schmidt '89 Mixed Media Art Director 20 Jeff Cox Holding theeconomic summit on a university campus Senior Graphic Designer meant the educational opportunities were too good to Corinne Zeutzius pass up. Staff members of the Thresher took advantage of Graphic Designers Economic Summits hosted by the United States their "once-in-a-lifetime" opportunity by inviting student Michael Sawyers have been in San Juan, Puerto Rico (1976); journalists from around the globe to join them in publish- Mary Owens '90 Williamsburg, Va.(1983); and Houston, at Carrie McDonald '91 Rice (1990). ing a daily newspaper during the summit. Tivo Thresher reporters provide the details. Photographer Tommy LaVergne From Rambouillet to Rice 22 Officers of the Association of Rice Alumni President, Louis Spaw Jr. '40 The 1990 Economic Summit was the 16th such meeting President-Elect, Robert Flatt '69 between leaders of 1st Vice President, Carolyn Heafer Woodruff' 68 the world's major industrialized na- 2nd Vice President, Jack Faubion '71 tions. What do the meetings accomplish? How have they Treasurer, Homer Borgstedt '57 Past President, Bridget Jensen '53 changed through the Ford, Carter, Reagan and now Bush Executive Director, Susan Baker '78 administrations? History professor Francis Loewenheim Association Committee on Publications looks at the history of economic summitry and offers his Robert Flatt '69, ex officio, views on what political discussions at the 1990 Summit Association of Rice Alumni Cover illustration by Patti Bonham Susan Baker '78, ex officio, actually showed. Association of Rice Alumni Lynda L. Crist '67, chair John Boles '65 Paul Burka '63 Jeff Cox Needless to say, I found the entire issue ment. The article refers to an individual with Suzanne annoying and more Johnson than a little unbalanced. "environmental illness, where pollution Bill Noblitt informing Try rather than indoctrinating. causes the body to develop allergies to things Robert Patten And lose the propaganda photographs. both natural and chemical." Although the Frank Ryan '58 Admit it, your photographer arranged the article does contain one reference to the lack Ronnie Wells '62 trash on the beach, didn't he? of agreement as to the existence of such a Jerry Wood '76 disease, the reader is left with an impression Alumni Governors Houston, Texas that the basic premise of environmental ill- Albert Kidd '64 ness is factual. Walter McReynolds '65 Editor's note: Unfortunately, no—all trash in Unfortunately, this is quite misleading. Carolyn Douglas Devine '52 the cover photo wasfound on the Galveston The various terms given to this condition— Paula Meredith Mosle '52 beach where you see it. We did, however, chemical hypersensitivity syndrome, total 5 tlY clean it up before we left. allergy syndrome and brain allergy—are used Sallyport (USPS 412950) is published qu''"4e by certain physicians and others known as by the Association of Rice Alumni and Rice Letters University, and is sent free to all university clinical ecologists. These practitioners repre- Paper Chase friends. sent the antithesis of modern allergists/im- alumni, parents of students and I couldn't escape the irony that your "Green" Second-class postage paid at Houston, Texas. issue was printed on apparently unrecycled munologists. According to the doctrine of clinical ecologists, paper—definitely unrecyclable paper. Practice almost any physical com- William Marsh Rice University offers equal, to Wary of the Green what you preach. plaint is sufficient for diagnosis. Yet there are opportunity to all applicants without regar,_,u I resent the obvious attempt to manipulate J. E. McNeil '73 no objective findings to substantiate the dis- race, color, sex, age, national or ethnic °rig" your readers through the cover photograph Washington, D.C. ease. or physical handicap. (Summer '90 issue). I'm irritated over a se- Treatment of environmental illness is as located 10! if ries of articles that purport to explore a com- Editor's Note: We did extensive research be- outlined in your article. Patients are usually Editorial offices for Sallyport are plicated and contradictory issue, but do so fore the Summer issue tofind a recycled paper required to restrict their diets and are peri- Office of University Relations, Allen Center I° from only one side. There are perfectly re- odically hospitalized in a presumably chemi- Business Activities, Rice University, 6100 we could use. Unfortunately, we encountered address: P.u. spectable scientists who don't believe that a Catch-22: the practice of using such paper cally free environment. Main St., Houston, TX. Mailing Box 1892, Houston, TX our climate is changing. Why was that point has not yet reached the point where we canfit There are no published data to support the 77251. of view ignored? Probably because you chose it in our budget, and until its use becomes claims of clinical ecologists. The American Postmaster: Send address changes to SallYP°.,rt' writers who are converted to "greenism" by a more widespread, the prices will not come Academy of Allergy and Immunology has is- Universitr Greenpeace brochure. sued statements that the diagnostic and Office of University Relations, Rice down. We will continue to monitor the situ- P.O. Box 1892, Houston, TX 77251. I don't know what the answer is, but I am ation, however. therapeutic principles of clinical ecology are extremely wary of unproven, time-consuming, the current craze for severely restric- Alumni. doomsday. Perhaps I don't believe in the dire tive to the patient and experimental in na- © 1990 Association of Rice predictions because I remember a previous A Second Opinion ture. The California Medical Association has a wave of end-of-the-world scenarios in the late In the Summer 1990 issue of Sallyport an position that labeling clinical ecology prac- 1960s. article by Ms. Schmidt deserves special com- (Continued on page 39) Page 2/FALL 1990 Summit on Exhibit Gallery. Computers set up with spe- One suffers from a detached retina If you missed it the first time cially programmed HyperCard soft- and is partially blind; the other Through around and this issue of Sallyport ware on Rice and Houston facts and sports a hole in her wing and de- doesn't send you looking for the videos featuring brief interviews tached tendons (from an encounter NoDoz, there's still a chance to get with Rice faculty—both part of the with a barbed-wire fence) that hin- a glimpse of the economic summit Rice information booth at the ders her ability to fly. the at Rice. A slightly offbeat exhibit, George R. Brown Convention Cen- Sammy and George are both fe- "Rice Highlights from the 1990 ter during the summit—and a newly male, despite their names. George, Economic Summit of Industrialized created video collage of Rice sum- like Sammy, owes her nomenclature Nations," opened at Farish Gallery mit highlights are on display. Pots to a Rice tradition that calls for Sallyport on Sept. 21 and will continue filled with white periwinkles from naming the second bird after the through homecoming weekend, the Houston Garden Club adorn the university president. Nov. 10-11. The show is informal in exhibit site and the Smith Garden. The owls are housed in a large style and content, with contribu- "The idea was to show people cage that encloses an oak tree on tions from faculty and staff. what went on during the Summit, campus. Student caretakers are See a piece of artwork made and it's also a way of thanking ev- taught to feed and handle the birds Bench Warrant from scraps of the red and blue car- eryone involved," says Dobbins. The by professional rehabilitators. One August afternoon, after our peting stepped on by visiting world multi-media exhibit "covers the Sammy and George replace the summit guests had gone home and leaders or a snapshot of President gamut from serious political, eco- two previous owls, Sammy and before the new students arrived, we Bush shaking hands with a Rice stu- nomic and literary commentary to Norm, who died suddenly in an at- were thinking of taking a breather dent volunteer. Photos by Geoff visually appealing and playful im- tack by a raccoon last spring. The and sitting on the new patio con- Winningham of art and art history, ages," she says. death of the previous mascots, who structed in front of Cohen House university photographer Tommy Even the Founder's Room, re- are buried next to the new owls' for the summit. LaVergne and Campanile photogra- created as it was during the sum- home, shocked the owlkeepers, who But we arrived to find the new pher James Yao grace the walls of mit, is part of the exhibit and open say they are doing everything in benches were gone—in fact, the the angular-shaped gallery.