By Greg Bassett

Thursday, July 21, 1977 --

• Leaders at Salisbury State College are taking a strong position against a plan that would put the Salisbury institution under the control and oversight of the University of Maryland System. SSC Board of Trustees Chairman Dr. H. Gray Reeves said a better solution would be to eventually combine the University of Maryland Eastern Shore with the Salisbury college. K. Nelson Butler, Chairman of the SSC Physical Education Department, said the University of Maryland Board of Regents were not suited to oversee Salisbury and SSC’s reputation for personalized education would become less of a priority.
• Patti Sue Gravenor, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Norman F. Gravenor of Camden Avenue, was chosen as the DeMolay’s “State Sweetheart” for 1977-78 at the State DeMolay Conclave held last weekend at Hood College in Frederick. Gravenor, 17, a recent graduate of Parkside High School, was already the 1976-77 “Sweetheart” for the Salisbury Chapter of the DeMolay. She will begin her college studies this fall at Salisbury State College.
• Soaring temperatures on Wednesday claimed two victims that – because of an unusual coincidence – left Salisbury without emergency medical assistance. The “victims” were both Salisbury Fire Department ambulances. According to Chief Francis Darling, both vehicles overheated within a few minutes of each other. Because both ambulances were garage-bound, Salisbury was unable to handle an emergency call at 2:20 p.m. An ambulance from Delmar was called to transport a sick person from an East Church Street address to Peninsula General Hospital.
• Movies playing in Salisbury this week include “Star Wars” and “Orca The Killer Whale” at the Salisbury Mall Cinema, “Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo” at the Boulevard Theater, “The Spy Who Loved Me” and “A Bridge Too Far” at the World Cinemas and “Vigilante Force” at the Bowl Drive In.
• Salisbury and Delmar firefighters used a boat to drag the bottom of Leonard’s Mill Pond, where it was reported a youth had drowned. No body was found, however, during the two-hour Thursday evening operation, and officials later labeled the report a false alarm. The pond, which is under Wicomico Recreation and Parks supervision, has been the scene of two drownings this summer.