The Michigan Daily-Friday, July 17, 1981-Page 3 Harry Chapin dead at 38 From AP and UPI NEW YORK-Harry Chapin, the singer-composer who broke onto recording charts nearly a decade ago with the song "Taxi," was killed yesterday in an automobile accident on the Long Island Expressway. He was 38. Chapin, known for his narrative ballad style and work to end world hunger, was driving alone when he tried to switch lanes in front of a truck at about 12:27 p.m. on the westbound expressway near Jericho, 15 miles east of New York City. CHAPIN WAS DRIVING to New York City on business from his Long Island house, said Guy Thomas, a publicist for his management company. Police said the driver of the truck that struck Chapin, Robert Eggleton of Plainfield, N.J., and another truck driver cut the seatbelt that was keeping Chapin in the driver's seat and pulled him from the burning vehicle. Police said Eggleton would not be charged in the accident. Chapin struck it big in 1972 with "Taxi," a plaintive ballad about a taxi driver's chance encounter with an old sweetheart, and came back again last year with a follow-up titled simply "Sequel." The songs that intervened were never as popular, although "Cat's in the Cradle" went gold in 1974. That tune was written to a poem by Chapin's wife which chided him about neglec- ting his family. THE CONTEMPORARY Music Almanac lists Chapin as a co-founder of the World Hunger Year project, an Oscar nominee for his 1969 documentary film, "Legendary Cham- pions" and a 1975 Tony Award nominee for his multi-media Broadway show, "The Night That Made America Famous." Chapin's songs always told stories. In an Associated Press interview February, Chapin said: "Nobody during the past decade so consistently has used the extended narrative form. For stories of ordinary people and cosmic moments in their noncosmic lives, you have to turn back to Harry Chapin." He added, "And I think I've had the most social and political involvement of any singer-songwriter in America." Last fall, Chapin campaigned for five Republicans and 19 Democrats for Congress "who were good on hunger issues," he said. Chapin was declared dead shortly afterwards at Nassau County Medical Center, where he was taken by a police helicopter. No cause of death has been determined, pending an autopsy. -- - -------- --- -- - .. ....... .. .. .... .... ,. ..... ...o. .....,... .. ... .,: .. ... . :.... ... .. .,. ,.a .. _..o .. .. .. .....,. as . ...... ... ... ..s \ .... ... ... .... Americans approve of O'Connor pick NEW YORK (AP)-By an overwhelming margin, Americans approve of President Reagan's choice of Sandra O'Connor to be the first female justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, an Associated Press-NBC News Poll says. Republicans and Democrats, liberals and conser- vatives, those who support abortion and those who oppose it all approve of the choice of the Arizona ap- peals court judge for the high court. THE MAJOR opposition to Mrs. O'Connor's nomination has come from the leaders of conser- vative groups that are anti-abortion and anti-ERA. They say Mrs. O'Connor's record in the Arizona state legislature shows she supports abortion on demand and the ERA. Mrs. O'Connor has not officially stated her views on either issue since her nomination. The poll did not question the respondents on whether they knew Mrs. O'Connor's position on ERA or on abortion, nor did it link either issue to her nomination. Nearly two-thirds of those questioned-65 per- cent-said they approved of Reagan's choice of Mrs. O'Connor to fill the vacancy on the nation's highest court created by the retirement of former Justice Potter Stewart. Only 6 percent said they opposed the nomination. Twenty-nine percent of the 1,599 adults interviewed nationwide by telephone Monday and Tuesday were not sure. EVEN THOSE Protestants who say they are "born again"-a major segment of support claimed by con- servative political groups opposed to the nomination-backed Mrs. O'Connor. Sixty percent of the born-again Protestants approved of Reagan's choice, while only 7 percent were opposed. Mrs. O'Connor's nomination must be passed on by the Senate, with the hearing expected in September. ..... . . .. .. ... ..... .... .. ..... . . .. Student hurt in S. Forest fire By ANN MARIE FAZIO Daily staff writer A fire in the first floor of a two-story apartment on S. Forest Wednesday night left one of the residents, a Univer- sity student, in serious condition with burns over 20 percent of her body, ac- cording to Ann Arbor Police Sgt. Harold Tinsey. Valerie Vener, 20, of 524 S. Forest, was taken to University Hospital's Emergency Room after firefighters found her sleeping in the second floor of the burning apartment, Tinsey said. DEPUTY FIRE Marshall Wesley Prater reported that she had second degree burns on both arms and her face and suffered carbon monoxide poisoning due to smoke inhalation. The fire department received the call at about 11:30 p.m., according to Assistant Fire Chief Henry Mallory. Firemen had the fire extinguished by 11:49 p.m., he said. The burning building was a two- family unit. Eighteen firefighters and six trucks were called to the scene, which is the usual number called for a house fire, he said. THREE FIRE fighters, Robert Lechdanski, John Schnur and John Wood, found Vener, removed her and gave her oxygen and administered first aid, he added, before taking her to the hospital. The other two residents, Carole Mc- Collister and Cathi Smith, both Univer- sity students, were not in the house at the time of the fire. DEPUTY FIRE Marshal Prater said the fire was a "delayed alarm" fire which had been burning for a while before it was discovered. The fire, which he believes started in the first floor living room, completely destroyed the floor. The Fire Investigation Bureau is still investigating the incident, but Prater said although they still do not have a cause, arson has been ruled out. Prater said the other apartment in the house was undamaged except for some minor smoke damage. Daily Photo by KIM HILL WEDNESDAY NIGHT'S FIRE gutted the first floor of this S. Forest apar- tment. Chairs and the sofa, seen here on the lawn, were almost totally burnt. A student was sleeping upstairs when firemen rescued her. She received second degree burns on 20 percent of her body.