the Provost; and that industrial distribution remain a separate administrative unit Independent of
the school structure of the College.
"Little Blue Box."
Eight students from Clarkson, Potsdam State, and the New York Institute of
Technology on Long Island were arrested in May, charged with theft of services, possession of
burglary tools, and criminal tampering in connection with the use of devices to bypass billing
systems in telephones by using a clever little blue box.
Although telephone company officials refused to divulge the details of this device, the
Nassau County District Attorney explained it for reporters from the
New York Times
. The
device consisted of a small box measuring 5 by 6 by 3 1/2 inches containing a maze of wires,
electronic equipment, and a small battery, and had 14 buttons, a small switch, and a hole for a
jack on the top.
It worked this way: a person wishing to make a toll free call to Los Angeles area would
first dial the area code 213 and then 555-1212 to reach the information operator there (a free
call in 1971). When the connection was made with the information operator, the caller used the
switch on top of the box to disconnect the operator, and by so doing, he or she remained
connected to the area code telephone system. Then, using the black buttons, she or he could
punch any telephone number in the area without having the call recorded for charge purposes.
The telephone company had begun an investigation when computer cards showing the
amount of time used for information calls indicated that some calls were taking much more than
the usual one to three minutes.
All-ECAC Hockey Players.
Selected as members of the ECAC All-East All-Star Division I
Hockey Team for 1970-71 season were Bruce Bullock, goalie; Stephen Warr, defenseman; and
Jerry Kemp, forward.
Chess Club Wins.
Defeating such stalwarts in intercollegiate chess as Purdue and Notre Dame,
Clarkson's chess team won over 50 percent of its matches at the North American Intercollegiate
Chess Tournament in Chicago. Dick Sutter scored a surprising victory over Irving Rosenstein
of Wayne State to bring home the upset trophy of the match, winning despite the more than
550-point differential in their respective ratings.
As a highlight in the third round, Curt Weinstein and Mike Budnik won by playing to a
draw against one of the Northwestern teams. In the fifth round, Clarkson took a four-game
sweep against another Northwestern team on wins by Phil Gahtan, Mark Pascale, Weinstein,
and Sutter. Dick Lynch also played in the tournament.
Dean Benson Died.
Following an extended illness, Wilbur Benson, dean of the School of
Management, died on June 23. The Virginia-born Benson obtained all his degrees from George
Washington University in Washington, D.C. His career included teaching at the University of
Georgia, and serving as dean of the College of Business Administration at the University of
Akron before assuming the deanship here at Clarkson in 1970.
10,000th Graduate.
When he received his diploma during the Commencement ceremonies on
May 23, 1971, George Wrobel, mechanical engineering major from Rochester, N.Y., became
the 10,000th graduate of Clarkson. Clarkson's first degree was conferred in 1900; the 5,000th
degree was conferred in 1959.
