Aviation pioneer, 82,
fatally shot in robbery
By Jeff Barnard
The Associated Press
ROSEBURG — Retired Marine
Maj. Gen. Marion Carl survived
dogfights from World War II to Viet
nam, shot down 18 enemy aircraft
and at one time soared higher and
faster than anyone on the planet.
He was finally killed by an in
truder with a shotgun.
Carl, 82, died from a blast to the
head, and his wife was wounded
in a home-invasion robbery late
Sunday night that touched off a
manhunt for the suspect in the
rugged hills of southern Oregon.
“It’s a hell of a way to lose a great
American hero," said retired Ma
rine Col. Denis J. Keily,
spokesman for the Naval Aviation
Museum Foundation in Pensaco
la, Fla. “I guess it’s a statement of
ourtimes.”
Edna Carl, who suffered a glanc
ing blast to the head, told police
that a young man who was wear
ing wraparound sunglasses and
had a German shepherd with him
kicked in the front door, asked for
money and her car keys, and shot
her husband when he confronted
the intruder.
The gunman took $200 to $400
from the couple’s wallets and
drove off in their 1984 Audi sedan.
Mrs. Carl said there may have
been another person outside be
cause there was a commotion in
the driveway.
The car was abandoned about
10 miles away, and a patrolman
later found the dog walking about
a mile from the car.
“It appears to be totally random
— random and irrational and not
thought out,” said sheriffs detec
tive Joe Perkins.
Carl was regarded by aviation
historians as the “Chuck Yeager of
the Marine Corps” for his flying
exploits that spanned from World
War II to Vietnam.
A native of Hubbard, Ore., Carl
was commissioned a Marine sec
ond lieutenant in 1939 and saw
his first combat on Midway Island
in 1942. Later that year, he became
the first Marine fighter ace, down
ing three Japanese bombers and a
fighter plane over Guadalcanal.
In one dogfight, his shot-up
Wildcat fighter plane went down
off the coast of Guadalcanal. His
official Marine bio says he was
“losing his battle to swim ashore
against the tide, when he was
picked up by friendly natives in a
canoe. After five days with the na
tives, he finally made his way back
to his base.”
Yeager, the Air Force’s top test
pilot, wrested away the title of
world’s fastest human by breaking
the sound barrier two months lat
er, also at Muroc. He flew a Bell X
1 rocket plane at Mach 1.07 — 700
mph—on Oct. 14.
In 1953, Carl set a world altitude
record of 83,235 feet and two years
later flew U-2 photo reconnais
sance missions over China.
“He should have died of natural
causes, not something like this, in
front of his wife,” said Penny Ret
zloff, who like many neighbors in
the area have always felt safe
enough to leave their doors un
locked.
Monday afternoon, authorities
issued warrants for the arrest of
Jesse Stuart Fanus, a 19-year-old
from the area who has a record of
arrests on charges including
drunken driving, burglary and
criminal trespass. In May, he was
accused of confronting a city
councilman in a restaurant park
ing lot while armed with a samu
rai-style sword strapped to his leg.
The suspect was described as 5
foot-8, 150 pounds, with short,
dark hair. He was last seen wear
ing blue jeans and a white T-shirt
with a logo.
A police search dog followed
the man’s scent about 300 yards
up a gravel driveway leading to a
cattle ranch but lost it at a spot
where a wire fence was bent over.
Said Detective Perkins: “If he’s
out there, he could stay out there
for days and never been seen. ”
News Briefs
Three professors get
endowed positions
Three University professors
were appointed to endowed
positions Monday.
Alec Murphy, professor of
geography, will hold the
Rippey Chair in Liberal Arts
and Sciences. Geraldine Rich
mond, professor of chemistry,
and Quintard Taylor, professor
of history, were appointed as
Knight Professors of Liberal
Arts and Sciences.
Murphy is an expert in cul
tural and political geography,
Europe and European integra
tion, East-West relations and
the impact of language on po
litical problems and conflicts.
Richmond is a nationally
recognized physical chemist.
She is the director of the Uni
versity Chemical Physics Insti
tute and a member of the Uni
versity Materials Science
Institute.
Taylor is an author and ex
pert in western U.S. history,
and is the first African-Ameri
can department head in the
College of Arts and Sciences.
The Rippey Chair is a rotat
ing, endowed chair that recog
nizes faculty members who are
equally distinguished in re
search and lower-division
teaching. The Knight Profes
sorships are available because
of a large 1996 'donation by
Phil Knight, part of which is
dedicated to creating endowed
positions. The University
pledged to match Knight's gift,
and as donations are received a
new Knight Chair or Professor
ship is “released."
Sacred Heart offers
class about diabetes
Sacred Heart Medical Center
is offering a free class about di
abetes control. “New Ap
proach to Insulin and Carbohy
drates” will provide informa
tion about a consistent carbo
hydrate diet and its
relationship to insulin. The
class will be held at 7 p.m. July
15 at PeaceHealth Medical
Group, 1162 Willamette St., in
conference rooms 3A and 3B.
No registration is required. For
more information, call Sacred
Heart at 686-7029.
Anonymous gift
helps homeless
Lane ShelterCare has re
ceived a $5,000 anonymous
grant that will help fund a pro
posed homelessness-preven
tion program. The program is
aimed at reducing the number
of families evicted because
they are unable to pay their
rent. According to Lane Shel
terCare, many families only
need rent or mortgage assis
tance for a single month before
they are again self-sufficient.
The proposed program will
also work with families to en
sure that emergency situations
occur less frequently. The new
program would serve about
fifty families each year at a cost
of $47,000.
ESPN receives rights
to UO athletic events
ESPN Regional Television
and the University recently col
laborated to increase exposure
of the athletic department.
The principal focus of this
five-year partnership will be
turned to the growth of the ath
letic department’s corporate
sponsorship, advertising, signs
and event programs. ESPN will
be highlighting a major basket
ball event in Portland in which
the University’s women’s and
men’s basketball teams will
challenge nationally-ranked
teams in a doubleheader Dec.
22 at the Rose Garden.
According to Dave Heeke, as
sociate athletic director for me
dia relations, this agreement
will bring in a minimum rev
enue of $3.7 million that will go
toward the athletic department
and general funds.
ESPN will receive statewide
distribution of local live pro
gramming and promotional
rights for all University athletic,
department coaches and
events. In exchange, the Uni
versity will receive annual
rights and fees starting with a
$700,000 payment for the 1998
99 season, rising to $800,000 in
2002-03.
Professor gets grant
for interactive class
University physics professor
Greg Bothun has received a
$3,000 grant from the North
west Academic Computing
Consortium to help with a pro
ject that integrates the World
Wide Web into the classroom.
A section of Physics 101
planned for fall term will virtu
ally eliminate traditional lec
tures and instead present basic
physics laws through interac
tive Java applets, class demon
strations and hands-on activi
ties. The grant provides partial
financial compensation for
Bothun and a graduate assistant
as they work during the sum
mer to develop an electronic
lab manual containing the Java
applets.
United Way needs
tutoring volunteers
The United Way of Lane
County is seeking volunteers to
work with at-risk youth. Tutors
are needed two hours per week
at Lane County Youth Ser
vices. For more information,
call the United Way at 741
6000.
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