European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 6, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 the stars and stripes saturday August 6,1988 Pentagon names new Dodds head by William j. Bartma Washington Bureau Washington the Pentagon pleased military family watchdogs and teacher unions this week by naming a Veteran school administrator As director of its overseas school system but some Federal employees questioned the Way the selection was made. John Stremple who served As the school system s director while on leave from the top position at the Fresno calif., school District is the first director in the nine year history of the department of defense de Pendents schools with experience As a superintendent. As head of Dodds. The 31-year Veteran educator s annual earnings drop from $109,000 to $77,500. And he takes the Helm of an organization he finds fascinating just Days before Congress begins a Quality assessment of the worldwide school system of 155,000 students and 10,000 teachers. Stremple s appointment is the Best news we be had in a decade said Jack Rollins president of the Over seas education association one of two unions rep resenting Dodds teachers. I m very pleased to hear that or. Stremple is our Man said Shirley Olsen who monitors education for the National military families association. The Nymfa has accused Dodds of being Unac countable to parents. Getting the parents More involved in the school system is one of his highest Priori ties she said. Another of Stremple s priorities is improving the communications also an area of prime concern to the association she said. Rollins said Stremple will face an overwhelming Challenge working with the Pentagon bureaucracy in Stead of a school Board. But he said Stremple s attitude and relationships with people should be influential in convincing both the bureaucrats and the employees he works with in having cooperative  Marie Funaro president of the overseas federation of teachers described Stremple As a very very fair Man whom her Union looks Forward to working with. On new projects in  but the satisfaction was not Universal. Some Dodds employees questioned the Way the Pentagon retained Stremple As a consultant until he was named director. They advertised the Job said one source yet they kept him in it. They planned to have him selected All  the defense department said there were 18 applicants for the director s position. No complaints have been filed to Date. Stremple who has personal links to the Reagan administration served Dodds under provisions of the intergovernmental personnel act until his resignation from Fresno july 15. At that Point his title had to be changed to consultant in order to remain with Odds. His pay changed to a daily rate of $263, a $58 per Day increase Over his salary which at the time was $75,000 per year. Stremple s selection As permanent director was recommended by Deputy assistant Secretary of defense Barbara Pope who oversees family and education is sues. Fresno officials say Stremple gained a reputation As a fair Man who restored teacher Confidence in the school system following a teacher strike. His one period of controversy during his nine years As superintendent was said to be when he led the Way for voluntary school desegregation. Stremple s appointment Marks a change for the top Dodds Job from a politically appointed Post to a senior executive civil service position. A Pentagon advisory committee recommended the change because of the longer terms that such senior executives May choose to serve. While Stremple was on leave from his regular Job the Fresno school District was paying the difference Between his regular and temporary salaries in effect keeping his annual earnings around $109,000. But since he chose not to return to Fresno he must pay Back the extra $34,000, according to the Fresno school Board. News updates prime minister of d Bangkok Thailand a King hum Biol Adulya Dej on thursday formally approved Flam Boyant former  officer and Diplomat Chatrchai Choo Shavan As the nation s prime minister. Chatrchai who has said his government May not last More than three months was expected to continue the economically oriented pro Western policies of his predecessor Prem tins Vanonda. Chatrchai 66, was Deputy prime minister under Prem and is the first elected prime minister since Seni Pramov in 1976. Pair sentenced new York a a judge has sentenced two self styled revolutionaries to Long prison terms for their part in a string of armoured car robberies including a botched 1981 Brink s Holdup that left three people dead. In handing Down his sentence . District judge Charles Haight described defendants Marilyn Jean Buck and Tutulu shakur As gifted and capable people who crossed the line into deadly Vio Lence that mocks  shakur was sentenced to 60 years and Buck was sentenced to 50 years for their May conviction on racketeering Bank robbery and murder charges. She already is serving 15 years in prison on other convictions. Buck also is under indictment with six other people in Washington for a series of protest bombings including a 1983 blast at the . Capitol. Payment to Fao Rome up the United states satisfied with wide ranging reforms under Way at the . Food and agriculture Organiza Tion has paid $25 million of the $127.7 million it owed the Agency diplomatic sources said thursday. This was applied to arrears of $17 million for 1986 and $50 Mil lion for 1987, leaving a balance of $42 million in arrears for 1987, the sources  United states the largest single . Contributor has with held funds from the United nations and its agencies to press for reorganization and to protest an alleged anti West Bias. Art sales firm agrees to renegotiate contracts with dissatisfied buyers by Crystal Laurea Ostaff writer a German Art gallery that allegedly sold inexpensive paintings from Hong Kong As the work of German artists will renegotiate some payment contracts with customers who feel they were Over charged a lawyer for the firm said Fri Day. The Mensing Art gallery also has agreed to Stop collection of past due accounts through the Hurst Agency for two months according to Ginter w. Wuttig an attorney representing the firm. The firm has admitted using German pseudonyms on paintings by chinese artists said Gebhard Volk German Law adviser for the Usa eur Legal assistance office in Heidelberg. A substantial number of people in Mil itary communities reportedly have done business with the firm. Anyone who Pur chased paintings from Mensing signed by either Meyer or "k6nig," which were confirmed by the firm to be chinese artists should review the transaction Volk said. They Are willing to reconsider con tracts and renegotiate if appropriate if a customer decides to file a complaint Volk said. Dissatisfied customers should write a letter of complaint to the address on their Purchase contract and provide a copy to their local Legal assistance office. If the response from Mensing is unsatisfactory customers still have Legal re course in German courts Volk said. According to German Law the statute of limitations on such matters of misrepresentation is one year from the time of knowledge he said. The Mensing Art gallery and owner Josef Mensing were the subjects of a criminal investigation at the time mens ing allegedly committed suicide in a Disseldorf hotel june 4. Some German newspapers and magazines incorrectly linked the chinese paintings to the investigation. However the prosecutor s primary line of investigation involves four allegations of cheat ing customers on commissions Volk said. German prosecutors claim the Inci dents occurred when Mensing sold some 19th-Century paintings to other galleries on commission falsified the amount of the sales and kept the extra Money. After Mensing s death Usa eur Legal officials advised anyone who still owed Money on artwork purchased from the gallery to Contact their local Legal assistance office. Since the Fate of the com Pany was not immediately known Many customers stopped payments Volk said. However the business still is in opera Tion he said. Nasa managers shuttle engineers plan strategy for solving latest glitch Cape canaveral Fla. A space shuttle engineers haying failed for the fifth time to test fire discovery s engines met Friday with Nasa s top Man agers to decide what changes to make to try the test again. The most Likely option fitting a new valve on one of discovery s three engines would delay the test by up to a week. A change in computer commands would allow a sunday morning test. Either Way it was doubtful that Nasa will be Able to launch discovery on the first Post challenger flight sept. 29 As planned. The meeting of directors and other to officials from the various Nasa centers began at 8 a.m., the space Agency  were presented with data gathered by engineers overnight. Nasa s dotting every t and crossing every y to make sure the next shuttle flight will be As Safe As possible  Garnr Utah said on lbs this morning Garn who flew on discovery in april1985, said i think that at this Point we probably Are being a Little bit too cautious because of Al the  a hot fire test of the three engines i necessary before Nasa commits the shuttle to flight. By rough calculation each Day s delaying the timetable leading up to launch Means a Day s postponement. The test failure thursday was the Firstin the series within the last two weeks to be caused by a flaw in the shuttle. Theother four failures All had to do with ground equipment that had not Bee used since challenger s fatal explosion shortly after liftoff Jan. 28, 1986, killing seven Crew members. An inboard computer masterminding the countdown thursday noticed that a valve had not closed properly and in thelast second before ignition commanded a halt to the firing sequence. None of the three engines had started. The valve can t be open More than20 percent said Boyce mix engine manager from Nasa s Mississippi propulsion facility. If it is the engine won t  at the cutoff the valve was 24percent open. The problem either was that the valve did t close As fast As it was supposed to or a sensor gave a wrong Reading of the valve s open closed position. We Don t know whether it was a faulty indication or really a malfunction in the valve said Joseph a. Lombardo engine program director at Nasa s propulsion facility in Mississippi. Engineers were looking at the possibility that the sensor might have been affected by Long exposure to the extreme cold of the liquid Hydrogen fuel. The tanks were loaded for 10 hours four hours longer than Normal so that special tests could be run on the fuel system. To test it engineers cycled the valve through a Range of temperatures Down to the 423 degrees below Zero necessary to keep Hydrogen in a liquid state. Mean while a new set of parts was being readied. The position of the valves is one of the most critical checks made by the com Puter. If the valve were open when liquid Hydrogen rushes through at the rate of 1,035 Gallons a second the fuel would enter areas unable to withstand such pressure and cause a  said historically some sensors Are More temperature sensitive than  the tanks were being drained he said the valve was tested and it worked sluggishly the first time but normally after it warmed  All had gone Well the shuttle s three main engines should have fired for 20seconds the major test before commit Ting a shuttle to flight