European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 22, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 the stars and stripes saturday March 22,1986 Lack of gym classes keeping . Youth unfit panel says new York a an alarming number of slower in the 50-Yard dash on average than in a 1975youngsters attending Public school in the United states Are physically unfit and a Lack of mandatory daily gym classes is the chief reason says the president s Council on physical fitness and sports. The Council said thursday that a Survey of 18,857 schoolchildren last year found no improvement in phys ical prowess in the past decade and significant declines in some cases such As the 50-Yard dash for girls. There Are some major problems in physical fitness among the youth of this country said George Allen the Council chairman and former head coach of the Washington redskins. Many children simply Aren t getting the vigorous exercise they need to develop Strong and healthy  he said Many children performed poorly in activities such As running jumping flexibility and strength. The conclusion to me is that America is in last place in physical fitness he said at a news conference. The Survey the largest of its kind conducted in the United states tested 6 to 17-year-Olds at 187 Public schools. Allen called the poorer test results alarming appalling and almost  in one test he said 40 percent of the boys aged 6 to 12 and 70 percent of All the girls could not do More than one pull up and 55 percent of the girls could not do any. In others forty five percent of boys aged 6 to 14 and 55 percent of All the girls could not hold their Chin Over a raised bar for More than 10 seconds. That is a Dis Grace Allen said. Half the girls aged 6 to 17 and 30 percent of the boys aged 6 to 12 could not run a mile in less than 10 minutes. Forty percent of boys aged 6 to 15 could not reach beyond their toes while seated on a floor with legs outstretched. Girls aged 10, 11, 14 and 16 were significantly slower Survey. As in previous studies girls generally stopped improving at about age 14, except in flexibility the study found. They get to age 14, and they quit possibly because of social pressures said Guy g. Reiff director of the Survey. Overall the Survey found that fitness was Little changed from 1965 and 1975 surveys and remained better than in 1958. Generally kids Are doing about the same said Ash Hayes the Council s executive director. And for Many that is  the report said poor fitness in youth can Lead to lessened intellectual performance and health prob lems later in life. Said Allen when you lose in fitness you lose in health you lose in leadership you lose in  the Council released a statement in which former president Nixon called television the greatest culprit in this decline and urged that children halve their viewing time now averaging six hours per Day. Council officials agreed that television and social attitudes played roles in the fitness problem but they cited a Lack of school physical education programs As the chief cause. Hayes said Only about a third of Public school Stu dents take daily gym classes and Allen urged Manda tory one hour daily physical education programs. That would be the key he said. That would be the super bowl putting physical education Back in the  but he noted that local budget cutting initiatives have scrapped Many gym programs and said Federal support was unlikely although desirable. Instead the Council hoped to boost fitness awareness by convincing corporations to fund athletic programs for children Allen said. Alabama executes double murderer for deaths of cabbie storekeeper Atmore Ala. A double murderer Arthur Lee Jones or. Died in the electric chair Early Friday for the shooting deaths of a cab Driver and a storekeeper during separate robberies. Jones 47, was pronounced dead at 12 15 a.m., after receiving one 1,900-Volt surge of electricity that began at 12 08 a.m., said prison commissioner Freddie Smith. Jones became the 53rd person put to death since the . Supreme court allowed states to restore the death penalty in 1976. He showed no sign of emotion As he entered the death chamber at Holman prison but inmates on death Row and in isolation units began Yelling and clanging on bars about five minutes before the execution began and continued through the electrocution. Jones wore a Black suit and White shirt to the execution and made no final statement. He mumbled inaudibly be fore a Black mask was placed Over his head. The execution came after the supreme court refused thursday on a 5-4 vote to delay it and gov. George c. Wallace failed to commute the sentence to life in Pris on. On death Row thursday Jones was visited by relatives and ate a last meal of Pink Salmon Cole Slaw candied yams chilled peaches and a grape drink. Jones first went to prison at age 17. He received two death sentences one for killing William Hosea Waymon a 71-year-old cab Driver and the other for killing a 21-year old storekeeper Vaughn Thompson in separate robberies in 1981. Jones who also went by the name Abdul sitar Braque claimed he is innocent and that he was framed by police. He said it was against his Muslim religion to steal or kill. The last execution in Alabama was in 1983 when it took 14 minutes and three 1,900-Volt jolts of electricity before convicted killer John Louis Evans i was pronounced dead. That execution was branded As cruel and unusual by death penalty foes but a Federal judge rejected pleadings to alter the state s Mode of execution in an electric chair known As yellow  race was not an Issue in Jones appeals but opponents of the death penalty have argued that it is imposed with disproportionate frequency against Blacks. Prison records dating Back to 1927 show that 125 Black men and one Black woman and 26 White men and two White women have been executed in Alabama. The last Black to be executed in the state was put to death in 1962. Stateside sex manager of Tva leaves Agency for Lack of support Knoxville Tenn. A the former nuclear Power manager for the Tennessee Valley authority has resigned from the Agency saying its Board members did not Back him up when he needed it. They did t follow through with the commitment they made when they persuaded me to take the assignment last summer Hugh g. Parris said after submitting his Resig nation effective april 4. Parris 50, said he expected the Board to take the Long term View not the Short term and support  Parris was replaced in january by Steven a. White but remained As senior adviser to the general manager of the Tva which has three Idle nuclear plants. Woman who fell from Sailboat rescued after 2% hours in Ocean Miami a a woman who fell from her Sailboat at night without a life preserver treated water for 2 /2 hours in Choppy Atlantic Ocean Waters before a cruise ship rescued her her husband said. Rachael Pope her husband Robert their two children and three friends were on the Popes 37-foot Sailboat when they encountered the 1,000-foot supertanker Chevron South America bearing Down on them some 60 Miles Northeast of Miami Pope said. An immediate Rescue Call went out to four cruise ships near the site of the Accident and one of them spotted mrs. Pope and picked her up. Portland Ore., police to hire Only non smokers starting july 1 Portland Ore. A anyone applying for a Job with the Portland police Bureau after july 1 must agree not to smoke on or off the Job the police chief has said but the head of the officers Union has called the policy ridiculous. A police Force free of smokers would save Money on sick time health care and pensions chief Penny Harrington a former smoker said. The Bureau has 900 employees including 300 officers and hires about 35 employees a year. Stan Peters a smoker and head of the police Union called the proposal ridiculous and said the Union was pre pared to fight it. Last year Harrington tried to ban smoking by police officers while they were on duty. That Effort failed. Prospective employees already Are being asked if they would be willing to sign a pledge to refrain from smoking or using tobacco and Harrington said that As of july 1 new employees would have to agree not to smoke on or off the Job if they re hired. Man rejected As firefighter loses 85 pounds for second try Westfield mass. A a Man who shed 85 pounds in 15 months in an Effort to become a firefighter is getting another Chance. Gerald Regan 26, who aced the civil service test with a score of 100 and passed required strength and agility tests was disqualified in november 1984 because he weighed 365 pounds. State guidelines say Regan should carry no More than 200 pounds on his 6-foot-1 Frame. Personally i think i d have trouble if i weighed 200 pounds Regan said. But he said if he fails the physical again ill just have to wait and lose More  our hearts Are with him fire commission chairman Joseph Mazza said after the commission voted unanimously to appoint Regan to the Force pending another weigh in. I have never seen any candidate come before the com Mission that was More determined or with a bigger desire to be a  Regan s appointment is totally dependent on passing the physical Mazza said. It will be up to the state to decide whether 280 pounds is a proper weight for his physical size he  Mam any Sinai size no Sai award to Meese draws criticism clerk finds tampered cookies Cambridge mass. A the John f. Kennedy school of government at Harvard has awarded a Public service medal to . Attorney general Edwin Meese Iii sparking criticism from some professors and students. It sounds like a joke said Laurence h. Tribe a pro Fessor at Harvard Law school. He does not seem to be a distinguished Public servant or a distinguished attorney general. And i am surprised that this University would Honor him for  another Law school professor Alan m. Dershowitz called the award an absolute  the Kennedy school should learn that it is a part of a great University and not an opportunistic place where Ca reer oriented people can butter up to those in Power he said. Meese was one of three medal winners announced wednesday As part of the school s 50th anniversary Cele bration. The others Are defense Secretary Caspar Wein Berger and sen. Edward m. Kennedy a mass. The medals Are for people who have achieved standing in Public service Kennedy school Dean Graham t. Alli son told the Harvard Crimson. Allison said he decided on the award for Meese after recommendations by a panel of five school staff members. The awards Are to be presented later this Spring but no Date has been set. Calls police and then loses Job Jacksonville Fla. A a clerk has been fired after calling police from work to report finding Staples embedded in girl scout cookies she opened on a Coffee break. Robert l. Barnett president of statewide collection Agency of Jacksonville said Lillian Grant was fired for failure to get authorization before making the Call. She acted without authority for this company and she was terminated Barnett said. Grant 47, an accounting clerk for the Agency for nine months called police after her husband a retired police officer told her that tampering with food was a Crimin act