Graduate, 2 Students Implicated in Rockne Theft Purdue Student, Sophomores Deny Involvement in Prank
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----------------------------------------------------------------~~~------ -- Downtown page7 VOL XIX, NO. 1.-\ WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER I 2, 1984 Graduate, 2 students implicated in Rockne theft Purdue student, sophomores deny involvement in prank By BOB VONDERHEIDE were Involved in the plan to steal the Edttor-tn-Cbtef bust, and have helped in hiding the bust since last May. Peter E. Sobol, a graduate student The friend, who asked not to be at Purdue University and a 1984 identified, said the abductors en graduate of Notre Dame, stole the tered the Rockne Memorial at night bust of Knute Rockne from the through underground steam tun Rockne Memorial last May, accor nels. The bust was removed from its ding to Robert). Weber, Jr., a Notre pedestal and transported through Dame classmate of Sobol. the tunnds. "Pete told me so," Weber said last Last night, Notre Dame security night by telephone from Winter officer Anne Schellinger said that if park, Fla. "But I don't really know students are apprehended for the who ma'>terminded it." theft of the bust, they probably Richard T. Stanage, a 1984 Notre would be referred to John Goldrick, Dame graduate who lives in associate vice president for Frankewing, Tenn., said Monday that residence life. in addition to Sobol, Paul R. Wilkins Any decision to issue formal and Christina M. Bird, both sop charges against students is made by homores at Notre Dame, were also Notre Dame Security Director involved in the theft of the bust. Glenn Terry, Schellinger said. statue of Father Sorin (left) in the lobby of 'Rockne junior," a smaller-scale version of the In a telephone conversation last Monday, Assistant Director of Se Sorin Hall bas been the vic: tim of several pranks bust whose whereabouts are still unknown, night, Sobol said he took no part in curity Rex Rakow said the depart during the last 30 years. It is now filled with con stands as a replacement statue on the pedestal in the theft. "No. I deny it," he said. ment had received a lead on the crete lbrougb to the pedestal so that future kid the lobby of the Knute Rockne Memorial build "I've heard rumors about it just like case, which was forwarded to the nappirlgs are unlikely. ing. everybody else." Los Angeles Police Department. He Wilkins and Bird also denied any would not be more specific. involvement in the theft. "Of course Notre Dame security reported the Storm breaks open hull of sunken it isn't true," Bird said. theft May 3, 1984. Wilkins said he had seen the bust On May 18, a single color photo of once at a party for graduating the bust accompanied a ransom note physics students last May on the that was delivered anonymously to ship containing radioactive cargo shores of Lake Michigan. Sobol, The Observer. Weber and Stanage graduated with The note said the bust would not As..<ioclated Press any of the containers holding Belgian coast were warned of the bachelor's degrees in physics. return "till the students have their uranium hexafluoride had escaped potential danger. Wilkins and Bird are physics majors. beer." The photo showed the bust, OSTEND, Belgium - Gale force from the hull. "I hope divers can "Taking the pessimistic view, the "Basically, it was done by some in sunglasses, sunning on a beach winds and I 2-foot waves in the carry out an inspection tomorrow containers could roll out of the seniors who were graduating," surrounded by a beer keg, a portable North Sea late Monday broke open and see whether the containers are hulk," Gooris said. "Then we'll have Wilkins said. "I didn't have anything stereo and a football. the huU of a sunken freighter carry· in place," he said. to go look for them, and they will be to do with the theft of the statue." Weber, Stanage and Wilkins said ing 30 containers of radioactive ma One crate holding high technol difficult to trace." Wilkins said he had no idea where the beach in the photo was the shore terial, maritime and salvage officials ogy equipment that was en route to In Paris, a French Atomic Energy the bust is located now. "He could of Lake Michigan. Wilkins said he said. the Soviet. Union for the Soviet Commission spokesman said the be anywhere," Wilkins said. "I saw saw Sobol taking photos of the bust. Marc Claus. nautical director of European natural gas pipeline break-up of the Mont Louis did not him. I don't have him. I saw him 'lbree more color photos were the Ostend pilot service, said the washed ashore Monday in Wen increase the danger of the uranium once. I thought it was a good prank." delivered Monday to the Observer hull of the French freighter Mont duine, a coa'ital resort near Ostend. hexafluoride containers being Sobol said he not seen the bust office, two of which were published /.outs hroke under the "continuous Another Soviet-hound crate was breached. since it was stolen. Wilkins said last in yesterday's issue. One photo attacks of the waves." Claus said he picked up at sea, Drenth said. night Sobol "may have" stolen the shows the bust, dressed in a Purdue had no information on the fate of the The equipment included remote "The containers in the Mont bust. "He (Sobol) was there (at the T-shirt, posed outdoors in front of a :\0 containers of uranium controlled valves and gears in Louis were resistant while in the Lake Michigan party) when I got West Lafayette road sign, although · ht·xafluoride, a slightly radioactive tended to control the flow of gas hull; there is no reason that they there," Wilkins said. "I think he was the bottom centimeter of the photo material that wa'i being shipped to along the pipeline, according to should not resist when on the taking photos (of the bust)." was apparently cut off. the Soviet Union, and he didn't ex French government officials in Paris. seabed," said the spokesman, who "No," Sobol said, "that's not true The other two photos show the clude the possibility they might be They said Saturday the export of the spoke on condition that he not be at all. Period." bust indoors at a ~able. strewn on the sea bed. equipment to the Soviet Union was identified. Bird said she has "never seen" the Yesterday, .The Observer learned "'lbe hull hroke hut the _parts of in keeping with French laws on bust since it was stolen, and said be that all four photos were processed the wreck are still attached by the foreign trade. He said the only uncertainty was if cause of a physical injury, she did at Sixty Minute Color Prints in the how," said Ht"nk Drenth of the Meanwhile, Paul Gooris, of the the containers, made of 16mm steel, not attend the party at Lake Mic University Park Mall, according to a Dutch salvaging company Smit Tak Belgian salvage company !'Union de would be rolled about by wave ac higan. manager of the store. Markings on International. Remorquage et de Sauvetage, said tion on the seabed, but that ap A friend of Sobol, however, said Drenth added he did not know if civil defense authorities along the peared improbable. yesterday that both Wilkins and Bird see ROCKNE, page 4 The Notre Dame 500 Sophomore jeff Stump tries his band at ml(y course raci11g in a course setup yes lc't'day at the ACC by IJrJdge. The race u>as a promotional event and all interested sill dents are im,iled to take a turn. The wimu.,. ui/1 get a trip to Daytmw Reach, Fla., during spring break. The course will be open today from /0 a.m. to 4 p.m. Stump made /be course in 23.159 seconds. The Obo<ncr/Mary Flynn ..-----------------~·-· -------- -----------·--------------------------~- The Observer Wednesday, September 12, 1984 - page 2 In Brief The press as a source of political decision-making The three Notre Dame ROTC programs today Everyday, newspapers provide a variety of services announced the recipients of three and two-year scholarships. Sop for their readers. Information, entertainment and Dan McCullough homores receiving three-year scholarships are Scott Cassidy, Mark opinion are only a few of the things newspapers bring Jensen, Arturo Pico, Michael Rensch, Christopher Ryan and Lance into our homes and offices daily. They can also pass the News Editor Williams. Two-year scholarship recipients are juniors Stephen Blaha, time during lunch. Cynthia Blong, Laura McKnight, Anne· Marie Quinlan and David But this year newspapers can play an especially cru Inside Wednesd Wood. These scholarships are worth approximately $8,500 per year. cial role for their readers. With Walter Mondale and - The Obseroer Ronald Reagan both running around the nation trying to get elected president, the front page allows the Most every student, faculty and staff member at Notre reader to follow the politicians on the campaign trail Dame is past the voting age of eighteen. The intellectual Roast beef that went unrefrigerated for almost ten hours while the opinion page gives the reader insight into the level of thought here is much higher than other places on a warm day was responsible for a salmonella poisoning epidemic rhetoric that gets thrown around. in the country, so it follows that members of the Notre that killed 26 patients in a northern England psychiatric hospital, a Without the daily newspaper, it would be very diffi Dame community would not submit to such unintellec· r medical expert said Monday. Geoffrey Ireland, district medical offi cult for the public to gaitl even the most basic under tual political decision-making processes.