Why You Didn't Get Your Times

Business has not gone well this year for Angus Mack Gaither '78, the full-scholarship farmboy from Thompsonville. Ill. who came to Harvard and became director of the Harvard Delivery Service.

Gaither disclosed this week that the service virtually abandoned attempts after Christmas to answer a stream of subscriber complaints left with the recorded "phone-mate" in the delivery service office--many requesting reimbursement for undelivered newspapers.

Gaither also disconnected his Winthrop House telephone this month when a Crimson notice unauthorized by him listed his room number and prompted complaining students to call him "day and night," Rolf Goodwin '78, who lives in Gaither's entry, said this week.

The six-month-old delivery service, which has yet to perform an audit of its books, Gaither said, also does not know whether it will be financially able to refund money to all angry subscribers--some of whom this week said they missed up to four Sunday and ten daily newspapers last term.

Also, Thomas Vacha, a Buildings and Grounds employee, revealed this week that, because of a special request from Archie C. Epps III, dean of students, the delivery service receives free use of a B&G Cushman motor vehicle.

This loan violates a long-standing B&G policy, that non-department groups cannot borrow B&G equipment, which University insurance only covers during departmental use, Irene M. Foran, administrative assistant to the director of B&G said this week.

Epps said he did submit a special request to B&G to allow the delivery service to use the vehicle. The dean's office this month has also passed on both written and phone subscriber complaints to Gaither, Epps said.

Epps stressed, however, that the University will assume no financial responsibility for the delivery system if it fails. "It may be that if the troubles continue we will not be able to continue with such a service in the future," Epps said.

Gaither said he has several plans to improve service this term, though. He said he "approached several University functions I cannot name to ask for use of other vehicles to act as back up for the B&G cart."

The Harvard University Press (HUP), however, which received a request for a vehicle from Gaither, "probably won't be able to give it to them," Charles W. Getz, director of the HUP printing office said yesterday.

Gaither came to his position at the Harvard Delivery Service after receiving national exposure in "Time Magazine" as a Harvard admittant with a history of unusual hardships.

After his father died in 1968 and his brother suffered a stroke in 1971, Gaither worked from 5 a.m. sometimes until midnight helping his mother manage the 400-acre family farm--and still maintained a near straight-A grade average.

But a month after Gaither received a full $5,250 scholarship to Harvard and was named valedictorian of his 26-member high school class, his mother also suffered a stroke and was bed-ridden.

An article in Southern Illinois, a local paper, attracted sympathy for Gaither's case, and enough people sent him money for family medical bills so he could go east to Harvard.