News briefs

Star Coach Recalls 60 Years in Basketball Former Berkeley basketball coach and star strategist Pete Newell recounts 60 years of basketball in a new 400-page oral history prepared by the Regional Oral History Office of the Bancroft Library. The memoir is an account of his life in basketball and changes in the game over more than half a century. Known as an innovative basketball strategist and mentor to generations of coaches and players, Newell founded the Pete Newell Big Man Camps and coached two national collegiate championship teams and the U.S. 1960 Olympic champions. He was general manager of the L.A. Lakers from 1972 to 1976 and the San Diego Rockets from 1968 to 1971. Newell was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978. At 82, he currently serves as a consultant and West Coast scout for the NBA's Cleve-land Cavaliers. Newell was presented with a copy of the newly published oral history at the Pete Newell Challenge, an NCAA basketball tournament held at the Oakland Coliseum Dec. 22. The tournament featured University of San Francisco vs. Indiana (won by Indiana, 65 to 52), followed by California vs. Brigham Young University (won by Cal, 68 to 64). New Vehicle Purchases Departments interested in purchasing new vehicles during the 1998 calendar year should contact Fleet Services to place their orders. The deadline for placing orders through the state contract varies according to make and model. For the majority of manufacturers, the cut-off date is in March. Use of the contract is mandated by the State of California's planned purchasing agreements. Campus departments must adhere to the contract and various ordering windows. Departments that miss the 1998 ordering window must wait until the next ordering window opens in January 1999. For information contact Eric Robinson at 643-6596 or ejr@uclink4.berkeley.edu. Bugging Out Make your own miniature terrarium to take home, explore isopods and crickets, and learn what plants and animals need to survive. It all takes place at "Down to Earth, Bugs and All," a Lawrence Hall of Science family workshop, Saturday, Jan. 24. The workshop is offered from 10 to 11 a.m. and from 11 a.m. to noon for children ages 3 to 10 and adults. To register for family workshops, call 642-5134. Each child must be accompanied by an adult. Fees for non-members are $15 for one adult and one child; $5 for each additional person. For members the fees are $13 and $4 respectively. LHS admission is included. Neurons and Language The Hewlett Foundation Courses in General Education will be launched this spring with "The Neural Basis of Thought and Language." The new course, developed and taught by George Lakoff, professor of linguistics, and Jerome Feldman, professor of electrical engineering and computer science, is a hands-on class designed for students in many disciplines. It will focus on the neural theory of language, as opposed to most philosophical theories of mind and to "functional" theories that assume that mind is a kind of "software" that runs on the brain's "hardware." Students will use interactive software to learn in detail how neural models work. Hewlett undergraduate courses are team taught by a faculty member in letters and sciences and a faculty member from one of the professional schools or colleges. The aim is to establish interdisciplinary undergraduate courses that will continue beyond the grant period. Development of these courses is funded by the Hewlett Foundation, matched by The Vice Chancellor Carol Christ and administered by Undergraduate and Interdisciplinary Studies under the directorship of Dean Carolyn Porter. For information on "The Neural Basis of Thought and Language" or Hewlett Courses grants, or to request a grant application, email dbudd@uclink4.berkeley.edu. School Book Donations Honor Poet Brooks In honor of Pulitzer-Prize winning poet Gwendolyn Brooks, who visited campus last April, the Department of African American Studies and the Bancroft Library are donating 10 complimentary copies of the "Norton Anthology of African American Literature," co-edited by professor Barbara Christian, to various local high schools. A custom-designed book plate accompanies each book donated to the following high schools: Berkeley, Castlemont (Oakland), Dewey Alternative (O#akland), McClymonds (Oakland), Oakland Technical and Puente Project (Suisun City). Mark Your Calendar Robert Berdahl will be inaugurated the eighth chancellor of the Berkeley campus Friday, April 24, at 10:30 a.m. in Zellerbach Auditorium. April 24 is also Berkeley's 130th Charter Anniversary. Free tickets for the joint celebration will be available after April 1 through the Zellerbach ticket office.