Mark Swarthout
Other Activities

Cepheid Variable
The Science Fiction and Fantasy organization on campus.
Sponsored AggieCon each Spring.

I was nicknamed the Tolkien CT. I was one of the few members of the Corps of Cadets that participated in the activities of the Student Union. After all, it was a pain to be wearing a uniform all the time!

Cepheid Treasurer 79-80
Cepheid Media Czar – 78-79 - A new position that was created, but was never an officially sanctioned by the University.

In addition to working with Cepheid Variable, I also worked with Aggie Cinema (assistant treasurer junior year, after the ‘Media Czar’ thing didn’t work out!) and the Gromets war gamers.

My sergebutt year I was the assistant editor for the Corps Section of the Aggieland and Zip year I was the editor.

Some fond memories – the bridge/D&D games in the MSC going for all hours of the night. Walking across campus to the Pancake house for breakfast with Damon Knight. A trip to the Houston Ren Festival with other Cepheids/SCA members. Working the box office at the ending of AggieCon and missing the auction of the exhibited art work, only to discover that by consensus, no one else bid on the piece I wanted so I could have it! And it is still framed and hanging on the wall!

The biggest deal with the Aggie Cinema was that you worked the movie and got to see the movie for free. And the movies were only a buck if you didn't work them. I saw more movies my fish year than I had seen in my life. A good theme weekend could total five or six movies.

And Cepheid Variable had a Fantasy or Science Fiction movie every Thursday night .

During my Junior year, senior Kim Groves asked me to assist with the layout of the Corps of Cadet sections of the Aggieland, the University yearbook.

As a result of working with Kim the year before, I had responsibility for the 100 pages of the Aggieland dedicated to the Corps for the 1980 Edition. Imagine my surprise to discover it was a paid position!