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thebattalionA&M marketing department head Conant dies

Texas is experiencing a drought. “From 2006 to this point now, there are some places in the

state that have not received any significant rainfall,” said Larry Redmon, Texas Agrilife Extension Service forage specialist and soil and crop sciences professor.

The drought has done considerable damage to Texas farms and ranches, said Al Nelson, Texas Agrilife Research agricul-tural research superintendent.

“The pastures and hay meadows are really suffering tremendous losses,” Nelson said. “A lot of cattle owners are liquidating their herds be-cause they don’t have enough hay or grazing.”

Even the agricultural re-search divisions at Texas A&M University have been affected by the drought, said agronomy professor Tom Cothren.

“We pump water out of the Brazos River into a reservoir and we depend on the water in the reservoir to irrigate the plants. It’s hard for us to keep up, even if we’re trying to work around the clock with the employees,” Cothren said. “There’s just too many people asking for availability to the wa-ter source and there’s not enough.”

Many Texas crops have been a total loss, Redmon said.“If you don’t get the moisture to make the crop then you’re

not able to harvest,” he said. “In some cases you don’t harvest anything, and in some cases the harvest is so minimal that it’s not worth going through the harvest activity.”

The most heavily affected crops include cotton and corn, Cothren said.

“Our South Texas people lost crops early in the year. They had cotton acreage they couldn’t irrigate, and corn acreage they

Julie Rambin The Battalion

As Graduate Student Council presi-

dent, a proud parent and petroleum

engineering student, Saudi Arabia na-

tive Husameddin AlMadani knows the

meaning of hard work, and its rewards.

When AlMadani came to the U.S.,

he quickly exhibited the characteristics

of a leader — dedication, and having a

significant organizational capacity, said

Mark Algren, associate director of the

Applied English Center at the Univer-

sity of Kansas.

above the crowd

Jeremy Northum — THE BATTALION

Petroleum engineering graduate student Husameddin AlMadani says one of his most important priorities as the new president of the Graduate Student Council is to increase communication between Graduate Student Council representatives and their graduate student constituents.

Student leader profi le seriesOnce a week during the summer, The Battalion will be profi ling a student leader to gain insight into their lives and what it takes to do their job.

See Leading on page 5

By Patrique Ludan | The Battalion Meet HusameddinFind out what he loves most about being an Aggie.

Tennis talent Learn about his many sports interests.

Hear from himRead Husameddin’s guest column to students. student leaders | 5

Rising

Drought affects farms and ranches■ Texas is in the middle of a severe drought with crops at or below half yield

See Drought on page 2

Junior biomedical science major Jessica Vasquez listens to her iPod Tuesday while waiting for the bus in the rain in front of the Coke Building.

Natasha Sankovich — THE BATTALION

Jeffrey Conant, department head, professor of marketing and presidential and Eppright pro-fessor for teaching excellence at Mays Business School, died Tuesday morning at Scott & White Hospital in Temple, Texas, after being admitted with pneumonia.

He had been undergoing chemotherapy after he was diagnosed with leukemia.

“It was absolutely unexpected. It was a great shock,” said Leonard Berry, distinguished mar-keting professor. “We received a an e-mail from Jeff one week ago telling us he was diagnosed with a particular type of leukemia, and that it was

a highly treatable disease and he expected to be back in the office in December.”

Conant began his 23-year ca-reer at Texas A&M University in 1986 as an associate marketing professor before earning his doc-torate degree in marketing from Arizona State University the same year. He received his bachelor’s degree in political science from New York University in 1977

and his master’s degree in marketing and finance from the University of Arizona in 1979.

“Ever since he joined in 1986, his colleagues and I were in awe and admiration of the time and

effort he devoted to prepare for each class ses-sion, the mastery of the subject he demonstrated when he was teaching,” said Rajan Varadarajan, distinguished marketing professor and preceding department head. “He will go into A&M his-tory as one of the teaching legends. He was such an outstanding teacher, at the undergraduate and graduate level. He had this burning passion to excel in teaching.”

He became a marketing professor in 2000 and the head of the marketing department in 2006.

“In the last three years as the department head, the faculty, staff and students have come to know him as a very caring, considerate and compassion-ate department head. The thing that stood out

was the great lengths he went to publicize and recognize the accomplishments of the faculty and doctoral students,” Varadarajan said. “Anytime a faculty member or staff member or a student received an award for outstanding teaching, or outstanding service, or outstanding research, the world was made aware of it; he made sure this news was very widely publicized.”

Leading up to his appointment as department head, he was named Presidential Professor for Teaching Excellence in 2004, and he was named Eppright University Professor in Undergraduate Teaching Excellence in 2005.

Meagan O’Toole-PittsThe Battalion

See Conant on page 2

CONANT

The pastures and hay meadows are really

suffering tremendous losses. A lot of cattle

owners are liquidating their herds because they don’t have enough hay or

grazing.

— Al NelsonTexas Agrilife Research

agricultural research superintendent

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pagetwothebattalion 7.1.2009

7/1/2009

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THE BATTALION (ISSN #1055-4726) is published daily, Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and Monday through Thursday during the summer session (except University holidays and exam periods) at Texas A&M University. Periodicals Postage Paid at College Station, TX 77840. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Battalion, Texas A&M University, 1111 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-1111.News: The Battalion news department is managed by students at Texas A&M University in Student Media, a unit of the Division of Student Affairs. News offices are in The Grove, Bldg. 8901. Newsroom phone: 979-845-3313; Fax: 979-845-2647; E-mail: metro@thebatt.com; website: http://www.thebatt.com.Advertising: Publication of advertising does not imply sponsorship or endorsement by The Battalion. For campus, local, and national display advertising, call 979-845-2696. For classified advertising, call 979-845-0569. Advertising offices are in The Grove, Bldg. 8901, and office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Fax: 979-845-2678.Subscriptions: A part of the Student Services Fee entitles each Texas A&M student to pick up a single copy of The Battalion. First copy free, additional copies $1. Mail subscriptions are $125 per school year. To charge by Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express, call 979-845-2613.

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Gunmen shoot 7 Detroit teensDETROIT — Gunmen in a green minivan opened fi re on a group of teenagers waiting at a bus stop near a Detroit school Tuesday, wounding seven, including three who were in critical condition. Five of the teens had just left Cody Ninth Grade Academy, where they were taking summer classes, when they were shot at the nearby bus stop.

Associated Press

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Today

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Natasha Sankovich — THE BATTALION

Think you know every nook and cranny of Texas A&M? Test your campus know-how by e-mailing The Battalion and telling us where you think this photo was taken. The first people to get the answers correct will have their names published in The Battalion. Send your response with your name, class and major to photo@thebatt.com.

Correct responses:Rachel McCreary, senior biology majorTroy Preston, senior history majorNick Heil, senior geography major

Wednesday’s answer:Academic Building

“He’ll be remembered by his students as one of the greatest teachers they had. Jeff was a stu-dent’s professor; he loved work-ing for the students. No one cared more about the students than Jeff Conant,” Berry said. “It’s just a great loss for the students at A&M, for the faculty, his colleagues and friends.”

Conant focused his research on marketing strategy and the scholar-ship of teaching and learning. He received the Journal of Marketing Education’s Outstanding Article of the Year Award in 1989, 1999 and 2003 and earned the Best Article Award from the Marketing Educa-tion Review in 2003.

“He has always been an excel-lent professor; he won more teach-ing awards than perhaps anyone at A&M. He fully deserved all of those awards,” said William Pride, marketing professor. “I’ve known him as a friend a very long time. He has the highest integrity pos-sible. He was highly respected by his colleagues here at A&M as well as other institutions. He was a very good leader for our department, not just very good, I would say he was an excellent leader.”

Having been published in nu-merous scholarly publications in-cluding Strategic Management Journal, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Marketing Education, Industrial Marketing Management, and Jour-nal of Retailing, and authored two book chapters, Conant received multiple awards in his tenure.

“As a department head he played a major role in the Mays Business

School in getting class sizes down to very manageable levels. Gen-erally speaking students in smaller classes will have a better opportu-nity to participate and interact dur-ing class — he took action to help make that happen,” Pride said. “He was a very genuine, nice individual that was very willing to help stu-dents and faculty members.”

As a leader, a teacher and a dear friend, Conant will be missed.

“I’ve known Jeff ever since he arrived here as an assistant profes-sor. On a personal level he’s very much a family oriented person. He was always very positive, upbeat type of individual — very enjoy-able to work with. Clearly we will miss him a great deal as a friend and as a department head,” Pride said. “[His death is] beyond a sur-prise, I would say shocking because we believed that he had a medi-cal problem that, although serious, was in fact a problem that could be managed and treated. All of us here in the department were just terribly shocked and so saddened.”

E-mails have already started to pour in from students expressing their condolences and gratitude for Conant’s commitment to them, Varadarajan said.

“He was a role model, really worthy of emulation from all of us,” he said.

Funeral arrangements are pend-ing with Hillier Funeral Home in Bryan.

ConantContinued from page 1

couldn’t irrigate,” he said. “The problem being that if you’re de-pending on irrigation water now, you’re in trouble.”

Even in the Brazos Valley, crop yields are down to approximately half of normal yield, Nelson said.

“We did get some rain earlier in the spring and early crops are OK, but still about half,” he said.

The rain in College Station on Tuesday might have brought tem-peratures down, but the drought is not over, said Texas Agrilife Ex-tension Research spokesman Blair Fanning.

“Certainly the rain is welcome and it has cooled things down, but it’s temporary,” Fanning said. “It doesn’t do much for crops that have been out there baking in 100-degree heat.”

“It’s a pretty substantial drought,” he said. “On a scale of one to 10 it’s probably a nine.”

This drought is likely part of a recurring cycle, Redmon said.

“The climatologists tell us that we’re a little past midway in a 20- to 25-year dry cycle. That cycle started in 1995 or 1996,” Redmon said. “These cycles are usually about 25 years, so they aren’t unheard of or unusual, but they sure do make it tough on our producers.”

DroughtContinued from page 1

MORONI, Comoros — A Yemeni jetliner carrying 153 people crashed into the Indian Ocean on Tuesday as it attempted to land amid severe turbulence and howling winds. Offi cials said a teenage girl was plucked from the sea, the only known survivor. The crash in waters off this island nation comes two years after aviation offi cials reported equipment faults with the plane, an aging Airbus 310 fl ying the last leg of a Yemenia Airlines fl ight from Paris and Marseilles to Comoros, with a stop in Yemen to change planes. Most of the passengers were from Comoros, a former French colony. Sixty-six on board were French nationals. Khaled el-Kaei, the head of Yemenia’s public relations offi ce, said a 14-year-old girl survived the crash, and Yemen’s embassy in Washington issued a statement saying a young girl was taken to a hospital. It also said fi ve bodies were recovered. There were earlier statements from offi cials that a 5-year-old boy survived.

Associated Press

Plane crashes, 1 teen survives

BiographyFor more information on Jeffrey Conant’s impact on the Mays Business School at Texas A&M, view his biography at http://wehner.tamu.edu/mktg/faculty/conant/

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sportspage37.1.2009thebattalion

Pros of summerIn the span of three days,

Major League Baseball teams selected about 1,500 players from the ranks of college and high school baseball. Six of the 1,500 were from the Texas Ag-gie baseball team that finished the season ranked No. 25.

Redshirt junior pitcher Alex Wilson was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the second round with the 77th overall pick in the draft, which was June 9-11.

“He goes right after hitters and while he’s a little max-imum-effort with his deliv-ery, he maintains it deep into starts,” said Jonathan Mayoof MLB.com.

The right-hander was the highest Aggie selection since Cliff Pennington was taken by the A’s in the first round of the 2005 draft. In Major League Baseball, draftees with eligi-bility are allowed to decide to stay in college if they can’t get a contract worked out with a team. Wilson, however, signed a contract June 12, ending his eligibility to return, and joined the Lowell Spinners in rookie ball Sunday.

On day two of the draft, two Aggies were selected. With the 200th pick overall, the Chi-cago Cubs selected sophomore pitcher Brooks Raley.

“Raley is one of those safe-bet lefties,” said Mayo on MLB.com. “You can be pretty sure they’ll pitch in the big leagues.”

Raley, still with two years of eligibility, has yet to decide whether or not he is returning to A&M. Raley doubles as an

outfielder as well as a LHP. Senior outfielder Kyle Col-

ligan was also chosen on day two of the draft. The Chicago White Sox selected Colligan with the 373rd overall selec-tion. With no eligibility, Col-ligan signed a deal and reported to the White Sox rookie league team in Great Falls, Ill.

Three more Aggies were chosen in the later rounds on day three of the draft. Senior

first baseman Luke Anders was chosen in the 32nd round by the San Francisco Giants. Ju-nior pitcher Scott Migl was chosen in the 34th round by the Houston Astros. Junior sec-ond baseman Brodie Greene was taken by the Phillies in the 37th round.

Most of the players were scattered around the coun-try for summer; competing in summer ball or considering

options to stay at A&M or go pro and thus were unavailable for comment.

With the six selections, Texas A&M has produced 83 drafted players. That is the most by any Big 12 school since the conference’s inception in 1997. Over its history the Aggie base-ball program has fielded more than 115 players to compete in MLB’s minor leagues and more than 30 MLB players.

David Harris The Battalion

Jon Eilts — THE BATTALION

Former Aggie pitcher Alex Wilson pitches earlier this year. Wilson was selected in the second round (77th) by the Boston Red Sox and signed with them on June 12.

Aggie golfer Hurley wins Nebraska titleJunior John Hurley, a member of Texas A&M’s national champion men’s golf team, won the Nebraska match play title on Sunday. He defeated Andy Sajevic seven and six at Willow Lakes Golf Course in Bellevue, Neb. It is his second Nebraska match play title. “It felt good to get out and

get an early lead,” Hurley said. “ I was hitting some good wedges. Andy hit some good shots, but I stuck it in

there closer and made some putts. He was close to making a lot of putts, which would have made it a lot tighter match.” Hurley was up by eight through 27 holes, hitting a 20-foot putt on the 12th hole for an eagle.

A&M fi nishes 13th in Director’s CupTexas A&M fi nished 13th in the 2008-2009 Learfi eld Sports Director’s Cup with 976 points. It is the third straight year for A&M to fi nish in the top 18. The Aggies best fi nish was 12th in 2007-2008 with 1031 points. “I am pleased with the overall performance of our athletics department and I am very excited about the three national championships from men’s golf, women’s outdoor track and fi eld and men’s outdoor track and fi eld,” Athletic Director Bill Byrne said. “As a department, we are not satisfi ed. We have several areas we need to improve

upon and I believe we have the ability to consistently fi nish in the Top 10 in the nation.” Before 2006-2007, A&M fi nished in the top 20 only once, placing 16th in 2003-2004. Stanford won the Cup with 1455 points. North Carolina, Florida, USC, and Michigan rounded out the top fi ve. Texas, which fi nished 6th, was the highest placing Big 12 school with A&M in 2nd with its 13th place fi nish.

Softball recruit named player of the yearA&M softball signee Mel Dumezich was named Gatorade Indiana Player of the Year this week. Dumezich. a right handed pitcher, owns Indiana records for strikeouts (1,651), wins (107), shutouts (73), no-hitters (32), ERA (0.22), games started (116), and runs scored (194). In addition she led Whiting High School to two undefeated seasons, two states titles, and was a four year all-state selection.

A&M graduate qualifi es for championshipsFormer Aggie Simone Facey, a 2008 NCAA Champion, qualifi ed for the World Championships for track in Kingston, Jamaica. She qualifi ed with a third place fi nish in the 200 fi nal of the Jamaica Championships with a time of 22.96 seconds. In addition, A&M volunteer assistants Muna Lee and Wallace Spearmon qualifi ed for the U.S. team in the 200s. Lee fi nished second with a 22.13 while Spearmon fi nished sixth with 20.30.

Brett Sebastian

Hurley

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Howdy! It is my great privilege to serve Texas A&M

University as the 2009-2010 president of the Graduate Student Council.

The council serves as the voice of the graduate students to the University administration on matters that affect A&M graduate and professional students.

In spring 2009, the population of graduate and professional students exceeded 9,000, about 20 percent of the A&M student community.

The University, as a leading research institute, heavily counts on this significant group of its students to contribute to achieving Vision 2020’s goal of building a culture of research excellence.

Our role in the council is to represent the needs and communicate the voice of graduate students to the University administration in order to enrich our experiences, both academic and social, during our course of study.

We can only achieve this when we have effective communication channels between the council and the students we represent.

That is why the 2009-2010 executive committee is working on building more effective communication channels with administrators, graduate students and other student leaders.

Following in the footsteps of the 2008-2009 executive committee, we will continue identifying opportunities to seamlessly immerse the graduate students in the rich culture and traditions of this University and highlight their achievements campuswide.

This summer we will introduce the Graduate Camp experience, similar to Fish Camp, but designed for graduate students. We will also reintroduce a Graduate Mentorship Program to assist new arrivals in the transition to Aggieland.

At the council, we recognize that graduate and professional students are distinguished by their academic excellence, talents and cultural diversity.

Therefore, we plan to tap into the graduate population

thebattalion

student leaderpage 4

wednesday 7.1.2009

Husameddin AlMadani

Graduate students should take full part in sharing the Aggie Spirit.

GUESTCOLUMN

of international and U.S. students, to collect creative ideas and feedback and execute effective programs that address the students’ different needs.

The success of the council in meeting its objectives depends on the active participation of students in programs and initiatives we coordinate.

When I arrived at A&M in the spring, a friend of mine left me with an invaluable word of advice. She said: “Students miss great opportunities when

they only limit their University experiences to academic development. One of our Core Aggie Values is selfless service, and by serving, we become leaders.”

She then left me with a powerful quote by Abraham Lincoln, who said: “I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him.”

I recommend that you explore the graduate council’s Web site for information about how to be involved in leadership opportunities, programs and social activities that are specifically tailored for the needs of graduate students.

Remember, we are Aggies first, and graduate students second.

Husameddin AlMadani is a

graduate petroleum engineering

student

A&M comes first and foremost

With graduate, all

sports are fair game

Remember, we are Aggies first, and graduate students second.

— Husameddin AlMadanipresident, Graduate Student

Council

In a country on the other side of the world, the term “sport” has a slightly differ-ent meaning. For Graduate Student Council President Husameddin AlMadani, this meaning is table tennis.

Growing up in Saudi Arabia, indoor sports were preferred over outdoor activities because the temperatures are so high.

“Except for soccer,” Al-Madani said. “Everyone plays soccer.”

AlMadani started playing table tennis at the age of 6 when his parents brought a tennis table to their home.

“My siblings and I used to spend most of our free time playing table tennis,” AlMadani said.

All of his playing and prac-tice paid off when he won the championship at his intermedi-ate school for table tennis and went on to win third place in a district competition.

In Saudi Arabia people do not play football or baseball. Even though basketball is becoming more popular, the main sports people play are volleyball and soccer.

“Apparently, the passion for soccer is overshadowing many other good sports,” AlMadani said. He received his undergraduate degree at the University of Kansas in computer science engineering.

It was there that he took a tennis class and fell in love with the sport. At one point when he was first learning the game he wanted to become a professional tennis player.

“I realized my time had passed,” AlMadani said. “Now I just play for fun.”

It was also at Kansas that he learned to scuba dive. This has become a passion for him.

When AlMadani came to Texas A&M University to obtain his masters in petro-leum engineering, he became invested in the University’s sports. He is a fan of the men’s and women’s basketball teams and the football team.

He has started to get into baseball because his son plays baseball in the College Station league.

AlMadani, like any other Aggie invested in this Univer-sity’s sports, was excited about the national championship titles in track and golf.

“I am very proud of the way the track team is building their program,” AlMadani said.

He uses the champion-ships and great school athletics in conversation with other students and friends as a form of recruitment.

“Championships like these bring great publicity to the school,” AlMadani said. “It really helps the University and I like to talk about it.”

Morgan Pindel Special to The Battalion

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7/1/2009

1 What do you love most about being an Aggie? The unmatched

sense of service and unity. I have been to many schools and never have I experienced a student body that held those values dear to their heart like Aggies.

2 If you had three hours of free time, what would you do

with it? I would go fishing with my son for two hours and 55 minutes, then check my Blackberry for e-mails for five minutes.

3 When you were a child, what did you want to be when you

grew up? I always wanted to be a doctor. However, when I think about it now, I realize that I wanted to be a doctor because doctors have direct impact on people’s lives. I guess this drives my desire to volunteer and work on community projects.

4 What are your goals for after graduation? My

short-term plan, after graduation, is to join Saudi Aramco as a petroleum engineer and work in reservoir management for the next few years. I will also put my efforts into growing

my small business along the way.

5 What is your favorite memory made at Aggieland

so far? One of my favorite memories is Feb. 23, when I took my family to watch the Aggie women’s basketball team win against Oklahoma 57-56. Muster in April was also an exceptional one that I will always remember.

thebattalion

studentleaders page 5

wednesday, 7.1.2009

Husameddin AlMadanigraduate petroleum engineering student

former chairman of the Young Professionals and Students Outreach Committee in Saudi Arabia

former chairman of the SPE Young Professionals Technical Symposium in Saudi Arabia

“He is one of those people who is a natural-born leader,”said Algren, who taught AlMadani English when he came to the U.S.

The Graduate Student Council is committed in achieving its goals, AlMadani said.

“The GSC serves as the student government for Texas A&M Uni-versity’s graduate and professional students,” he said. “We are a council of graduate students representing all Texas A&M graduate students with a purpose to improve graduate students’ academic, living and social experiences.”

AlMadani was born in Saudi Ara-bia and came to America in 1999. He received his undergraduate degree in computer science in 2003 at Kansas. He worked for Saudi Ar-amco, a leading oil company based in Saudi Arabia.

“From 2004 to 2008, I worked as a petroleum engineering systems analyst, working on and leading various projects for the development and implementation of reservoir simulation and well testing applica-tions,” AlMadani said.

His future showed promise from the beginning, Algren said. He was one of 25 students selected for an exclusive program at Saudi Aramco.

He was sent to Kansas to learn English and pursue an undergraduate degree at a U.S. institution.

AlMadani said one of his greatest accomplishments while working for Saudi Aramco was receiving the 2008 Society of Petroleum Engi-neering International Young Mem-ber Outstanding Services Award.

It made him stand out because it is given to a small number of recipients worldwide every year, said Stephen Holditch, head of the petroleum engineering department at A&M.

AlMadani also served as chairman of the Young Professionals and Stu-dents Outreach Committee in the SPE Saudi Arabia Section in 2007, and was the chairman of the 2008 SPE Young Professionals Technical Symposium, Saudi Arabia Section.

“He just seems to rise above the crowd wherever he is,” Holditch said.

AlMadani is pursuing a master’s degree in petroleum engineering and conducting research on unconven-tional gas reservoirs at A&M.

“He just started working with me earlier this year,” Holditch said. “He’s just now getting ramped up on the work he is doing.”

When Saudi Aramco approved AlMadani to pursue an advanced degree, he said he knew coming

Continued from page 1

to A&M was the obvious decision because of A&M’s reputation as an outstanding research institute with top-notch faculty and research projects within the oil and gas industry.

Although success was common for AlMadani, he encountered difficulty in one of his endeavors: starting a small business.

“I used to work from 7 in the morning to midnight every day, for about four months,” AlMadani said. “The result was unbelievable with the inauguration of the business.”

AlMadani said having a wife and two children is his greatest accom-plishment in life.

After graduation, AlMadani is still unsure what he wants to do in the long term.

“My short-term plan, after gradu-ation, is to join Saudi Aramco as a petroleum engineer and work in reservoir management for the next few years,” AlMadani said. “I will also put some efforts in growing my small busi-ness along the way. My philosophy is to always try to do the job at hand

well, growing personally and profes-sionally along the way.

“My aspiration is to be in a position where I can work with great people, create more productive and healthy work environments and participate in and create opportunities for young people to tap into their potential, and ultimately become good citizens in our society.”

Jeremy Northum— THE BATTALION

Saudi Arabia native and father of two Husameddin AlMadani is pursuing a master’s degree in petroleum engineering and conducting research on uncoventional gas reservoirs at A&M.

Leading with heart and mind

President of the Graduate Student Council

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comics/peoplepage 6

wednesday 7.1.2009

LOS ANGELES — Michael Jackson’s body will be taken to his Neverland Ranch on Thursday morning for a public viewing Friday, CNN has learned. A private memorial service is scheduled for Sunday at Neverland.

Also, Jackson’s will written in 2002 has been found, family lawyer Londell McMillan said.

Planning is under way for a 30-car motor-cade carrying Jackson’s remains to leave the Los Angeles area at 10 a.m. Thursday for Santa Barbara County, Calif., a source said.

The question of where Jackson will be buried remains unanswered.

Jackson’s will is said to divide his assets between his mother, three children and charities.

According to The Wall Street Journal, several sources close with the pop star said a lawyer for Jackson could submit the will — which is thought to be his last — to Los Angeles Su-perior Court on Thursday. The star’s mother, Katherine Jackson, who was granted tempo-rary guardianship of Jackson’s three children on Monday, along with husband Joe Jackson, initially said they believed their son died without a valid will.

Joe Jackson — who has been very vocal since his son’s passing — has reportedly been left out of the 2002 will.

Net worth: $236M

Michael Jackson claimed to have a net worth of $236 million as of March 31, 2007, according to fi nancial documents obtained by The Associated Press. Jackson had $567.6 million in assets.

chael Jackson’s Neverland Rancha public viewing A private memorial nday at Neverland.tten in 2002 has been dell McMillan said.for a 30-car motor-mains to leave the

m. Thursday for lif., a source said.Jackson will be d.divide his assets between and charities.Street Journal, several star said a lawyer

he will — which is o Los Angeles Su-. The star’s mother,

was granted tempo-on’s three children usband Joe Jackson, their son died

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Public memorial set for Fridayday

Jackson, Rowe not biological parents of kids

Us magazine and TMZ reports that neither Debbie Rowe nor Michael Jackson are

the biological parents of children Prince Michael and Paris. Numerous sources close to the situation say that Rowe was a paid surrogate

for both children.

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