VOLUME 108, ISSUE NO. 25 | STUDENT-RUN SINCE 1916 | RICETHRESHER.ORG | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2024
To bike or not to bike? Beer Bike 2024 sees tents, possible wind
BRANDON CHEN / THRESHER TJ Li, a Hanszen College biker, catches up with Brendan Hlibok, a Jones College biker, in the second heat of the men’s race.
MARLO WILCOX / THRESHER A Lovett College biker gets ready for the race. For the second year in a row, each of the races were divided into two heats.
BRANDON CHEN / THRESHER Mohamed Abead, a Lovett biker, celebrates alongside fellow seniors after the men’s team finished in the first heat. BRANDON CHEN / THRESHER Baker College chug captain Paul Filerio competes in the first heat.
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Greg Abbott discusses power ‘Change is inevitable’: Rice Village grid at Baker Institute summit through the years charging stations and adapting power supply to the ever-growing needs of EDITOR-IN-CHIEF artificial intelligence. Abbott said his Texas Governor Greg Abbott came to administration has added 3,820 megawatts campus to speak at the Texas Electricity of dispatchable power to the grid in the Policy Summit, hosted by the Baker past year and will add an additional 7,300 Institute for Public Policy April 9. In his in the upcoming year. He also pointed to Texas’ role in oil 15-minute speech, he discussed Texas’ production for cementing the state as power grid and economic development. an “economic “Texas [has] a legend.” From grid that is stable, Spindletop — a reliable and Texas oilfield robust,” Abbott When our businesses in discovered in said in his opening 1901 that jumpremarks. “The grid Texas succeed, Texas as a started the truly is better than state succeeds. modern petroleum it’s ever been.” industry — to He pivoted to Greg Abbott the present day, discuss the state’s GOVERNOR OF TEXAS Abbott said that gross domestic product, valued at over $2.4 trillion. There Texas has “literally powered the entire are only seven countries with a larger GDP world.” “The United States is now producing than Texas, Abbott said, including nations such as China, India, Germany and France. more oil than any nation ever,” Abbott Texas has the second-largest GDP of any said. “That is because of the hard work and U.S. state — California claims the largest, determination of the men and women in this room today. You all have to fight back with a GDP just shy of $3.6 trillion in 2022. “Candidly, you look at the way the against an administration in Washington Texas economy has been growing, D.C. that constantly demonizes you and probably by this time next year Texas will attacks your industry. But here in Texas, have the seventh-largest economy because we support and encourage you.” He cited this very support as the “secret we’ll surpass France,” Abbott said. “When we do so, we’ll come right back here to sauce” that helps Texas excel. “We truly partner with our businesses Rice University and have a big French fry because of this simple mathematical cookoff.” Abbott then spoke about future utility formula. When our businesses in Texas developments, including bolstering succeed, Texas as a state succeeds,” the grid, building electric vehicle Abbott said.
RIYA MISRA
AMY LI
SENIOR WRITER Today, Rice Village is frequented by students and local families alike for its collection of cafes, restaurants, boutiques and brand-name stores. At the time of its founding in 1938, though, the Village was an undeveloped, wooded area with a single dirt road. On that road — now Rice Boulevard — just two buildings stood: Rice Blvd. Food Market, which would be frequented by Rice students grocery shopping for decades to come, and an ice house. Over the next few decades, new stores began popping up in the Village. A second grocery store, Weingarten’s Grocery, opened on University Boulevard in 1941. A map of Rice Village in the Sept. 12, 1968 issue of the Thresher showed stores providing university essentials like the Village Laundromat, a post office and Browz-A-Bit, which sold cards, books and buttons. The Oct. 25, 1973 issue of the Thresher offered a $1 coupon good for use at any of three adult cinemas in Rice Village, including Cinema West, Art Cinema and Academy Theatre. By the late 1900s, Rice Village had become a hub for Rice students to do everything from buy groceries to find work. “When I lived on campus, especially in the first two years of the 1980s, the Village was the most convenient place for almost everything: cashing checks, buying groceries, going to the post office, eating off campus,” Marty Merritt ’85 wrote in an email to the Thresher. Jonathan Horowitz ’95 similarly recalls
going out to eat, drink and shop in the Village with his friends. “We would get sandwiches from Kahn’s Deli and shop at the small mom-and-pop stores along University and Rice Blvds.,” Horowitz wrote in an email to the Thresher. “Later, my friends and I would spend many nights each week trying the many beers at The Gingerman on Morningside and eating Chinese food at Fu’s Garden or Thai food at Nit Noi. Many key events in all our lives occurred in or around the Village.” Many students also found work in the Village. Cathy Shin ’88 served gelato and espresso at Dolce and Freddo. John “Grungy” Gladu, who never attended Rice but has been an involved member of the Marching Owl Band since 1970, sold sports gear and printed custom T-shirts at the Rice Sport Shop. “I got to witness making Beer Bike shirts and things like that because they did nearly all the Beer Bike shirts back then,” Gladu said. “It was local, it was cheap and they turned out a quality product. We cared about what we were printing.” Others, including Ann Rosenwinkel ’86, indirectly found work through the Village. “I put an ad up in the Weingarten’s to babysit because I was trying to make some money and I liked babysitting,” Rosenwinkel said. “I got a job with a doctor that lived in Southgate and I babysat for them on a regular basis.” At the time, Rice Village was unique for its collection of locally owned, affordable stores. Students frequented these stores, and knew
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