2—The Daily Collegian Friday, September 27, 197 canoe :to acid trips, -roin Writer-lecturer records life's adventures By DAVE KASZVCKI • Collegian Staff Writer From taking trips on acid to training with astronauks in Arizona, Robert Gannon has done it all and written aboit it. Now , teaching classes of English 115 and 415, Gannon has been a i free lance writer for 15 years and currently is Science Adventure editor for Popular Science magazine. He also has written articles for "Readers Digest," "Saturday Evening post." l "True" and "Popular Mechanics." "It is my feeling that in any article done, a writer has to put himself in_it in some way," Gannon said. "I become a lay expert on the subject for the time I am writing the article." His writing has sent him all over the world. He recently returned from Africa where he wrote an article about the international weather program GATE. He was aboard the Thrifty Bottle Shop (behind the Train Station) open every Sunday 1:00 p.m. 10:00 p.m. VETERANS .- G. • BENEFITS are helping to pay for a top grade college education. Now that you_ have served your country, use your military experience and pick-up additional spending money. $50.00 to $70.00 or MORE For only 16 hours a month. Your Army Reserve Center wants to utilize your experience no mat ter what branch. of service or specialty you had. Take a few minutes and find out how much you can make one weekend a month. CALL 238-6688 355-3931 1250 Fox Hollow Rd on 987 E. Bishop St. State College, Pa. 16801 Bellefonte, Pa. 16823 BETTER YET get your DD form 214 and stop in. We're open from 8:00 a.m. till 9:00 p.m. 28 Sept. to 6 Oct. '74. Non veterans: we also can show you how to earn extra money. MIEN AND WOMEN Jjet**********itt******************** Archery Season start: this Saturday BEAR & BROWNING & Complete Accessor 10% OFF ALL AMMO 41( 15% OFF ALL FISHIN * ~ , NN\\\. \ \‘‘lll/w,v,./ ,_ ..-- 3 day season for ~,, ir. :::: deer w/black powder .-:..: 4( ----this year --, —.. " ""-- Black Powder Igb. .--- Guns & accessories ......., ..----- including -- ...-? THOMPSON ".:I,i CENTER HAWKEN ''' : Z 44 4. frodN Ili 3is T TWIP FUNK'S SPORTING GOODS 2032 WALTZ 'AVENUE t. STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA 16801 Phone 814 - 466-6997 he's done it all icebreaker USS Manhattan when it became the first ship to cut through the Northwest Passage, at the North Pole. Gannon said he hal done all the "obvious things." This includes learning to fly an airplane and balloon, scuba - diVe, deep sea dive and parachute. He also has written articles about archery, meteorology and tunnel technology. Gannon said. he remembers a canoe trip in the jungles of Dutch Guinea as his "most dangerous experience." It was during a thunderstorm at night when we lost control of the canoe, Gannon said. One of the men managed to gab an overhead branch and hook his feet under thl seat and we managed to inch our way to the shore. "I found out later the route was unsafe, but one of the native guides wanted to visit one of his wives in a village up the river." Gannon said. Less dangerous, but more terrifying was an experiment on depatternization he took part in at the University of Vermont. Tested to see how long a person can stand complete sensory deprivation, Gannon was blindfolded and lowered into water. "The 90 minutes I spent in the water seemed like six hours," Gannon said. He said he decided to stop the experiment when he became convinced he was going to throw up into his face mask. His most successful piece has been "Time is Short and the Water Rises," a book about an animal rescue operation in Surinam, Dutch Guinea. The book has been translated into eight languages and condensed for Readers Digest. He has had a total of 15 articles in the Digest. "Writing for Readers Digest is really difficult, despite appearances. The editors can take a three page story and condense it into an anecdote," Gannon said. Carries an amazing selection of Hunting & Fishing Needs! h e N... Fishing & :'.••• Hunting :el Scopes by =,..t. Apparel ...... -.... • —we WEAVER, REDFIELD 7_-" -- LEATHER 7 441 LEUPOLD - by ...- ~:?, Bianchi & i,'",z Cutlery by / Western • ';ki BUCK, WESTERN , ".-- - 811% SCHRADE iiiiiiiti ii44.A.N Formerly Waltz's Sporting Goods *4E44* - * * - * * iiil An interesting article Gannon did was on his experience taking LSD for scientific purposes. He spent 10 days at Eastern Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute in Philadelphia in 1967, receiving a full barrage of medical and psychological tests before and after the trip He said the trip was used as a yardstick for further testing, "I experienced extreme euphoria, depression as well as a feeling of cosmic discoveries." Gannon said. Gannon said his stay at the Psychiatric Institute was his Most overwhelming experience, "I had plenty of time and resources to •work with, but I felt like doing nothing but watch TV and play pool,"• he said. On' his acid article he said, "I knew it was successful because everyone was mad at me for doing it. Some mothers accused me of turning on their kids while the hippies com plained that I was being used as a tool of the Narcotics Bureau." Gannon said he is particularly proud of a pollution piece done eight years ago. The story was a "positive case history" about a river in Montana that had been successfully cleaned up. One U.S. senator thought the story was important enough to put it into the Congresgional Record. Gannon said he still has further adventureS, in mind., Ha 4 g gliding in California is one experience he is looking forward , a, : he said. He said he also is interested in flying a balloon acro • s the Atlantic, although he has yet to find a sponsor. Gannon usually spends six weeks for one article, most oft: n working on four or five stories at the same) time. He sa d 1 scientific accuracy is a must or his articles. Graduated from Miami Un versity, Gannon has had on I limited teaching experience, having taught a few Courses at a community college in New York.. Teaching here has been entirely different than I expected,' he said, adding "I'm really having a good time." Always looking for ways to benefit from his experiences, Gannon said he is planning on writing a book about what he learned when his house burned down in February, destroying most of what he owned. • • • • • The Council' for Exceptional Children will meet • Monday, Sept. 30 169 Willard 7 p.m. All are welcome! Get your mind OFF the books 1 and LET LOOSE - at the Village Gallery presenting local rock groups . Dancing * Beer on tap Every Fri. & Sat. nite 10-1 a.m. Village Inn 1767 N. Atherton 237-1484 Ell a , 1 ...1.-Asr - CHANCE ! I!! Likesr CHANCE 1! !! £ A .st ... i 11M YoU A pART-iimE 1 OR FULLINE, GRAD? Z el 4 . "I 4 - nlls Is your LiorCHANCrib BE INSURED *... 1 .1 Telt FALL 773i'M 4) LucournlC €-RADvATE PoLlcy CoVIE optiLv ONE i .1° OR WHO you ARE. FA I KADLE)ie. lb Times I * 'Berra -THAN AN OntgumA6-iiimmx Gutted!' . A'N k. 0 ST US ocntecotige 1 4 5 1 -icy) %' 6 APPLiambhS ARE Re - womb - 7o qg, lier ban be 1 It iki OW HAtips TO ft•RwAßDltst 1011 IocADI4I4E .1 alleStialS? CALL- Cr5A Isits - - 900 .. /Asir CHANce !I.; LAsr cHANce f(1! !! ! ! %; Scientist, adventurer, author UNLIKE WALTER mirr V. guest lecturer Robert Gannon actually lives his dr < cams of adventure and writes about them. Gannon is teaching English 115 and 115 classes at the Uni‘ersity this term. RECYCLE THIS PAPER You are cordially invited to attend the dedication of the Community Safety Building upon the occasion of Alpha Fire Company's 75th Anniversary Sunday. Sept. 29th 1,5 p.m. Corner of W. Beaver Ave. and S. Atherton St. State College. Pa. •••••••••••• ***** micommist•••■•••••• 00000 a a : ATTENTION FRATERNITIES! : • : BE ON THE LISTEN FOR • : ; PEGASUS • SIX-MAN BAND WITH HORNS! si s SEPT. 28 Pi Kappa Alpha OCT. 4 Sigma Chi OCT. 5 Alpha Gamma Rho OCT. 12 Phi Sigma Kappa • • • Strictly dancing and party music • Wide and varied repertoire • experienced kofessional Musicians (average age 25) Easy on your budget Some Friday and Saturday nights still open for this term.. Call Rich 237-9391 or Roger 238-1168 %s•sgotiost•mosemoseammesailememosemost Photo by Enc. f►l►ck
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers