The Texas Aggie. (College Station, Tex.) 1921-current, September 01, 1933, Image 4

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    CANOR TRIP AND FALLING IRON
PLAY IMPORTANT PART IN LIFE
G. E. ILLUMINATING ENGINEER
SCHENECTADY, N. Y.—Fate,
in the form of a canoe trip up the
Mohaw and a falling piece if iron
on turbine test, kept A. F. Dick-
erson a resident of Schenectady,
where he was slated to become
eventually the manager of General
Electric’s lighting section and the
illuminating engineering labora-
tory. That is quite a lengthy title
—and not too illuminating to the
uninitiated, despite the use of the
word—but to General Electric and
to the rest of the world it means—
light. Street lighting systems in
the largest cities in the country,
colored lighting on a heroic scale
at Niagara Falls, boulevard light-
ing from Jones Beach on the At-
lantic to Wilshire Boulevard in
Los Angeles, exposition flood-
lighting in North and South Amer-
ica.
Born in Cuero, Texas, in 1888,
“Dick” graduated in electrical en-
gineering from Texas A. & M. at
College Station, in 1910. Effective-
ly giving the slip to bronco-busting
or any of the other favorite Texas
sports, he came to General Elec-
tric’s test course at Schenectady
immediately after leaving school.
But he found Schenectady weather
and a few other local features not
to his quick liking. He was not the
only one who has felt that way
about the Electric City at first
contact. He felt so strangely about
it that he began saving a small
margin from a small salary for
fare back to Texas, where it was
warmer. He had just about saved
enough when he went for an after-
noon paddle on the Mohawk against
a head wind. During the exertion
required to hold a course, the “first
national bank” slipped quietly out
of his rear pocket inte a watery
safe deposit box. The trip was off,
and Schnectady had won another
citizen, albeit by questionable
means.
Then on turbine test somebody
dropped a piece of iron on Dicker-
son’s foot, and it became impera-
tive that he be given a job where |
he could sit down. The only test
offering this luxury was lighting
and he became a calculator in the
illuminating engineering labora-
tory. This was in September, 1911,
and the laboratory had just been
removed here from Lynn by Wal-
ter D’Arcy Ryan, its chief moving
spirit. The small red building on
Erie Boulevard seems to have made
life interesting and pleasant for
its workers, for most of the orig-
inal crew is still there.
Under Ryan, Dickerson’s work
was largely engineering in charac-
ter. When the former was looking
about for a resident engineer for
San Francisco in connection with
the spectacular illumination of the
Pan American Exposition, he se-
lected Dickerson. The preliminary
work on the plans for the Rio de
Janeiro Exposition also fell to his
lot. His work in street lighting has
been extensive, some of the nota-
ble installations being in San
Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago,
Salt Lake City, El Paso, and
Augusta, Georgia. Proving that he
was salesman as well as engineer,
he sold the idea of flood-lighting
Niagara Falls to the sponsors—
municipal officials on both the
American and the Canadian side.
The magnificent job done on the
famous American site is still an
object of admiration for thousands
of visitors at Niagara.
In June, 1932, Dickerson was ap-
pointed manager of lighting sales
for General Electric and head of
the illuminating engineering lab-
oratory, combining the activities
of the general office commercial
lighting section with the labora-
tory in order better to co-ordinate
selling and engineering activities.
Ryan, the original director, was
named consulting engineer for the
division.
The illuminating engineering
laboratory is essentially an appli-
cation research institution. Spec-
tacular lighting has made it fa-
mous, but it also plans comprehen-
sively municipal street lighting
systems, even to the design of the
lighting units and fixtures. Its
field of endeavor is the outdoors,
internal jobs going to Nela Park
at Cleveland. In developing flood-
lighting to its present state, the
laboratory has made a lasting con-
tribution to architectural beautifi-
cation. It will contract to light
anything—and do it well. In the
|
|
electric fountain it conceived not
only a new product for the first
time as a unified job, but added a |
new factor to outdoor landscaping
science. The first electric fountain |
was installed in Schnectady and |
more than a hundred have been
sold throughout the depression.
Unlike so many men, Dickerson
is fortunate in being privileged to
see evidence of his work wherever
he goes. Now he has probably
ceased feeling badly about losing
his wallet.
WICHITA CLUB—
(Continued from Page 1)
new students back to school with
them this year was greeted with
applause. The club laid plans for
aiding these new and old students
in any possible way, and for the
dissemination of information about
A. & M. to prospective students
and their families. Another meet-
ing, just before the opening of
school in September, was planned
by the club, with full details to be
announced later.
DINNER DANCE
(Continued from Page 1)
were taking a large number of
“gel, ’15, head of the Animal Hus-
bandry Dept., of Texas Tech, spoke
briefly. A word of welcome to
those present and their visitors
was given by Mr. C. E. Davis,
Superintendent of Schools of Plain-
view.
The meeting proved one of the
most pleasant and best attended
affair of its kind ever staged in
Plainview. President T. B. War-
den, ’03, of the Association, who
was scheduled to be present, was
unable to get to Plainview in time
for the meeting. Plainview has a
fine representation of its boys as
students at A. & M., with a nice
group of freshmen expected to -en-
roll from that city this fall.
“Jimmie” Nagle, ’11
~ Houston’s Busy Man
J. M. “Jimmie” Nagle, ’11, is
one of the busiest men in the coun-
try. He is Director of the Depart-
ment of Public Works of the city
of Houston. All he has to do is to
act as the directing head of the
Park, Street and Bridge, Engineer-
ing, Zoo, Sewerage, Water and
Gas, Motor Repairs and the Pub-
lic Service Commission of the city
of Houston. He was formerly City
Engineer, being promoted to his
present place upon the election of
Mayor Holcomb. Prior to becoming
City Engineer he was doing engi-
neering work at Wharton. He gra-
duated in C. E. with the class of
1911.
Dr. Frank S. Palmer, 23, Dal-
las city health department veteri-
narian, recently caught a fifty
pound Sting Ray while on his va-
cation near Texas City. He spear-
ed the big fellow one night, later
finding it was the largest of its
kind seen along the coast in some
time.
C. P. Dodson, ‘11, -is- District
Manager for the Texas P. & L.
Co., and makes his home at De-
catur. He is president of the De-
Catur Lions Club and active in
other civic and business affairs of
that city. His son, Ralph, will be
a Junior at A. & M. this year.
S. C. Smith, ’32, underwent a
horrible experience on July 13th.,
when his boss and six other men,
including his room-mate, were
killed by a fire and explosion at
Smackover, Arkansas. Smith for-
tunately escaped. His address is
Box 142, Smackover.
A. L. McKnight, ’31, is still with
the American Airways, Inc., at El
Paso and delighted with his work.
He is handling all the operations
work on the night shift at El Paso
at the present time. He reports a
recent vacation trip to the World’s
Fair where he ran into Henry Ed-
dins, ’31, and took in the fair with
him. On his way home he talked
with T. C. McGuire, ’31, who is
with the Continental Supply Co.,
in St. Louis. One of the pilots of
the American Airways line is Paul
A. Vance, ’18, who has been flying
since the World War. McKnight’s
address is 3524 Tularosa, El Paso.
What a Crowd
This Would Be
The grapevine telegraph
brings news of a proposed
meeting of South Texas Ag-
gies, to be held sometime
early in September, under
the joint auspices of the
Houston, Beaumont, Port Ar-
thur and Galveston A. & M.
Clubs. Final details have not
been announced, but if the
meeting should be held it
promises to be quite a gath-
ering. A possible location
would be somewhere between
Houston and Beaumont.
Charles C. Speed, '10, was a re-
cent visitor to the campus, accem-
panied by his son who expects to
enter A. & M. this fall. Mr. Speed
is farming at Kerens, Texas.
C. C. Baughn, 23, is in the min-
eral water crystal business for
himself at Mineral Wells, Texas.
His address is 601 N. E. 7th. Ave,,
that city.
Wm. E. “Bill” Morgan, 30, has
returned to College Station after
a year’s graduate work at the Uni-
versity of California. He will be in
the office of the Registrar of the
College during the coming year.
He did similar work before going
to California last year.
Myron D. Lacy, ’30, is located
at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, where he is
a County Agent for the Iowa Ex-
tension Service. He has been tak-
ing graduate work at Ames, Iowa,
since his graduation, took his M.
S. in 1932 and was working upon
his Ph.D., when he took the above
job.
Richard E. “Dick” Homann, ’27,
is living near Junction, Texas, and
working for the Federal Interme-
diate Credit Bank of Houston. He
is livestock inspector for the bank
in Kimble, Sutton, Menard and
Edwards counties. He reports Mrs.
Homann and their young son as
joining him in sending regards to
his many A. & M. friends. He was
formerly County Agent at June-
tion.
Z. W. “Willie” Bartlett, Jr., ’29,
with the Freeport Sulphur Co., has
been transferred from New Or-
leans back to Freeport, Texas,
where he will be for the rest of
this year. He expects next year to
be sent back to Louisiana, but is
glad to be in Texas during the fal
football season. He captained the
Aggie Eleven in 1928 and was ar
All-Conference center.
E. P. “Skid” Haltom, ’19, of Ft.
Worth, has become one of the
most skillful and most enthusiastic
sailors of the state. He recently
won a feature sailing race at Lake
Worth against representatives of
the Houston Yacht Club. W. E.
Humphreyville, 07, of Houston, is
an outstanding member of the sail-
ing fraternity of his city, and
came in close behind Haltom in the
above mentioned race.
Carleton D. Speed, Jr., ’26, re-
cently moved from Corsicana to
Woodville, Texas, where his ad-
dress is Box 71, and where he is
continuing his work as a Petroleum
Geologist. After working his way
through A. & M. Speed took two
years graduate work in Geology
at the University of Chicago,
working all his way through that
institution. He has been working
as an independent geologist for the
past few years and was previously
with several oil companies. As a
student at A. & M. he was a letter-
man at guard on the championship
team of 1925.
Rock Tabor Made
General Manager
Michigan Concern
Rock G. Tabor, '10, was recently
| made General Manager of the |
' Michigan Federated Utilities at
| Mt. Clemens, Mich. He was pro- |
' moted to that position from his |
post as Vice President of the Fall |
| River Gas Co., in Massachusetts.
Until 1930 he was in charge of
| the Stone and Webster Engineer- |
| ing Co. branch in Ft. Worth, go-
ing from there to El Paso where
he was in charge of the construc- |
tion of a big power plant for
| Stone and Webster. He has been |
| with the Stone and Webster orga-
| nization for many years and has
engaged in various engineering and |
supervisory work in various sec- |
tions of the country.
C.F: Hansen»: '32,% and. A. |
Dietz, ’31, are rooming together
in Port Arthur at 939 Lakeshore
Drive.
M. S. Denman, ’32, is doing flood
control work with the U. S. Engi-
neering Dept., and lives at 1704
Cherry St., Vicksburg, Miss.
J. E. Barbee, 31, writes to ask
the address of his classmate, F. G.
Sleeper, who lives at 5606 Merri-
mac, Dallas. Barbee lives at Water-
proof, La., Box 121.
Mack Severn, 22, is traveling
out of Mt. Pleasant, Texas, for
the Sinclair Oil Co., having been
recently transferred there from
Tyler. He was on the basball squad
at A. & M., and pitched profession-
al ball for several years after
leaving school.
W. C. “Heinie” Weir, ’23, was a
recent campus visitor. He is head
coach and athletic director of the
Vernon, Texas, high schools. He
had a great year last year in foot-
ball and other athletics. As a stu-
dent at A. & M. he was a star in
both football and track and served
as captain of both these sports.
He was a half-back and a sprinter.
Francis McGinnis, ’32, who has
been attending Harvard University
the past school year, was recently
awarded the Austin Scholarship in
Landscape Design and City Plan-
ning and will work under that
scholarship at Harvard again next
year. The scholarship is one of the
most sought-for honors awarded
by Harvard University, and car-
ries with it a substantial award.
Young McGinnis is the son of F.
K. McGinnis, ’'00, well-known
Landscape Architect of Dallas.
W. E. “Sweetie” Davis, 32, is
on active duty at Barksdale Field,
La., with the U. S. Air Corps. He
completed the flying course at
Randolph Field early this year.
He is a former baseball and foot-
ball letter-man, and is doing nicely
in his flying. He recently received
many compliments for a fine
bit of flying when he made an
emergency landing of a large plane
loaded with soldiers in a cotton
field. His address is Box 24, Barks-
dale Field, La.
Seven A. & M. men are listed
among the 19 Texans as members
of the recently opened Western
Universities Club, occupying the
four top floors of a 60-story sky-
scraper located at 42nd St. and
15th Ave., in New York City. The
A. & M. men are, W. E. Giesecke,
'93, Fred J. Bechert, "11, J. C. Har-
digg, ’15, Frank M. Leverett, 21,
H. A. Sawyer, ’16, George C. Mor-
ris, '19, and Edgar C. Rack, ’15.
The new club is one of the finest
in the big city and was organized
for the pleasure and_ benefit of
College and University men from
the Western States.
Our Guarantee
The Guarantee
“Satisfaction or Your
Money Back”
written when it was—45 years ago—created a new
era in advertising.
and trade” with “let the buyer beware” to a new
and higher plane.
of all our assets.
Sears Roebuck & Co.
of the World’s Largest Store
It lifted selling from “barter
It is the most jealously guarded
7
FLOYD & LOCHRIDGE
CONSULTING ENGINEERS
O. N. FLOYD J. F. LOCHRIDGE, ’10
Mem. Am. Soc. C. E. Mem. Am. Soc. C. E.
Hydraulic Investigations, Water Supply, Irrigation,
{ Flood Control, Drainage, Sewers and Power
Development.
411-414 TOWER PETROLEUM BLDG.—DALLAS, TEXAS
Telephone 7-4402
§
—17
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SAMSCO
MACHINERY AND SUPPLIES
Irrigation Plants — Cotton Gins — Power Plants
Foundry and Machine Shops
SAN ANTONIO
MACHINE & SUPPLY CO.
San Antonio Waco Corpus Christi
Q
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— Breathe again the Spirit of Aggieland—
- When at or near College Station
By Stopping at
THE AGGIELAND INN
On the Campus
Good Food
For Reservations address the
AGGIELAND INN
College Station, Texas
Modern Conveniences
Va
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Wm. CAMERON & Co.
(INCORPORATED)
OUR IDEAL BUILT IN FURNITURE
WILL MODERNIZE YOUR HOME
ATTRACTIVE — STEP SAVING
Ninety Lumber Stores To Serve You
7 |
GRAHAM HALL ’13
When You're
In Houston
Lift the
LATCHSTRING
AT THE
BEN MILAM
“Where a Friendly Welcome
Awaits You.”
Coffee Shop
BARBER SHOP
Garage Adjoining
Rates $2.00 to $2.50
Qe
Operation of
T. L. POWELL - GRAHAM HALL
250 Rooms
250 Baths
We have a Roster of Houston A. and M. Club.
You're welcome to see it any time.
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