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About The Texas Aggie. (College Station, Tex.) 1921-current | View Entire Issue (March 8, 1943)
LIBRARY CAMPUS FROM THE REVIEWING STAND The Aggie Muster on April 21 For many years April 21st, an-1 niversary of the Battle of San Ja- cinto, has been the traditional date for A. & M. men to meet together wherever they might be. That tra- dition was immortalized and tre- mendously energized by that his- toric group of thirty Aggies ‘who met on Corregidor last April 21. Most of them have since been an- nounced as Prisoners of War, but their spirit set an example to the Aggie Fraternity that will never be forgotten. In calling for an annual MUS- TER of the Fraternity of A. & M. men on this date the Board of Di- rectors of the Association has lifted the April 21 traditions out of the bvery term MUSTER, with its mili- tary significance and its implica- tion of both duty and privilege, is exerting strong influence toward making this year’s April 21st ob- servance more wide-spread than ever before. Between now and the Muster date the AGGIE will carry an- nouncements of the scores of gath- erings that will be held. Make your plans to answer “HERE” when the Muster-Roll of the Aggie Frater- nity is called. There will be a mus- ter somewhere in your neighbor- hood. If not, arrange your own SO that you will not be missing. [J ATTEND AN APRIL 21 MUSTER ranks of the commonplace. The There Will Always There will always be a student4air force lads sing out body at Aggieland, even though the campus almost daily becomes more and more an actual military estab- lishment for training men IN the armed services. College officials be- lieve from two thousand to three thousand regular students will al- ways be in attendance, the group made up of youngsters under eigh- teen years of age, certain deferred groups, and those unable to pass the required physical tests. That statement is made to set at ease the prevalent thought that by summer there would no longer be an A. & M. student body or Cadet Corps. Every boy who CAN go to college, even if for only one term, should do so, for his own advantage even in the military service to which he might soon be called. True, the campus has already taken on the appearance of a va- ried military service establishment. The fifteen hundred sailors and marines have their “Ship Bay,” their “Brig” and their “Shore Pa- trol.” The one thousand pre-flight Be a Student Body “The Army Air Corps” where once only the “Spirit of Aggieland” was heard. Five hundred engineering trainees are expected daily. There are a total of three thousand of Unele Sam’s boys already assigned to the campus, and they make a differ- ence in any college atmosphere. In addition to those groups the Enlisted Reserve Corps is expected to be mustered into the service any day, and that will put well over half of the remaining Aggies in the army. They are expected to be left on the campus and to pursue their regular academic work, at least through the current spring term and possibly longer. It all adds up to putting the Col- lege in the forefront of the Nation’s schools in training men for war. Despite it all, there will always be a student body—and Texas A. & M. will continue to function as a school, in addition to its tremen- dous assignment of housing, feed- ing and instructing thousands of men in the armed services. One After the War Boom Several indications point to antAlso widely discussed and once after-the-war boom in College and University attendance. The Texas Senate recently passed a bill by *George Moffett, 16, remitting reg- istration or tuition fees at all state institutions to veterans of World War II. Under present rates that means a saving of $25 each term. mentioned by the President himself are plans to financially assist col- lege attendance for the boys who are now foregoing college for the armed services. There is every like- lihood that college attendance after the war will be ea ier and heavier than in past enrollment record- breaking years. Fighting His Second War LT. COL. D. S. BUCHANAN, ’17 Lt. Col. D. S. Buchanan, ’17, jor engagements in World War I Marine Corps veteran of four ma- , is now serving somewhere in the Pacific after reentering active service with the Marines a year ago. In World War I he fought in four major campaigns in France. He was awarded the Silver Star, was twice awarded the French Croix du Guerre, and was awar ded the Forregere as participant in Regimental citation. He wears the Purple Heart for wounds in action in World War L A native of Brazos County, he was manager of the extensive Heep Farm interests in Travis County when called to active duty. Prior te that time he was professor of animal husbandry at Texas A. and M. He is a member of the at the present time. Mrs. Buchan their home at Buda. Board of Directors of the College an and their daughter are making t If this paper is not called for return postage is guaranteed by publisher. THE TEXAS AGGIE RETURN POSTAGE GUARANTEED Published Semi-Monthly Except During the Summer Months when issued Monthly by the Association of Former Students of the Agricultural and Mecha nical College of Texas VOL. XII COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS, MONDAY, MARCH 8, 1943 NUMBER 41 The “Big Stroke” of the “Big Inch” BURT E. HULL, ’04 “THE BIG STROKE” on thetwere at Little Rock, Ark., during famous “BIG INCH”, may be un- intelligible to most folks who other- wise think they have a fair knowl- edge of the English language. But it’s simple as dirt to the thousands of unsung heroes who have built and are building the world’s great- est pipe-line, and to men geenrally in the pipe-line and oil business. The “Big Inch” is the longest and largest pipe line the world has ever known, already completed in record time from Longview, Texas, to Norris City, Ill., and now reach- ing out toward the East Coast. It is one of the wonders of the engi- neering world. It was made a na- tional emergency by Pearl Harbor and the near fatal petroleum short- age in the East. _ His Pipeliners Named Him The “BIG STROKE” is Burt E. Hull, ’04, Houston, drafted by Uncle Sam to be Vice President and Gen- eral Manager of War Emergency Pipelines, Inc., formed to do the unbelievable job. He is known af- fectionately by title to the thou- sands of veteran pipe-liners who have performed the big job. He brought with him 38 years experi- ence in pipe-line construction and operation, and was loaned for the job by the several pipe-line com- panies he heads, The Texas Pipe- line Co., The Texas Empire, The Texas-New Mexico and the Kaw Pipeline Companies. Burt Hull has been pipelining since his graduation from A. & M. in Civil Engineering in 1904. Headquarters for WEP construction of the line to Southern Illinois. They have now been moved to Cincinnati for the next push East. In addition to the present line another is being surveyed and will be built from Texas City and Hous- ton to Seymour, Indiana, to carry gasoline. The original “Big Inch” will carry crude oil and No. 2 heat- ing oil. To Make Victory Sure The original line will stretch 1250 miles from petroleum rich Texas to New York and other eastern points. It will have a daily capacity of well over 12,000,000 gallons, The big line is of 24-inch diameter. The gasoline line will be of 20-inch diameter. Completion of the lines will go far to win the oil battle that has threatened not only frigid homes and offices in the East, but the operation of thou- sands of vital war production plants in that huge industrial area. It is truly a war job; a job that will play a vital part in making victory sure. “Big Stroke” Burt Hull, who is providing the “know how” and the driving force to build the big lines, is a past president of the Associ- ation of Former Students and of the Houston A. & M. Club. He has received honors in the field of pe- troleum engineering and pipelining too numerous to mention. He and Mrs. Hull have two children, a daughter and a son, Burton E. Hull, ’37, now in the armed serv- ices. By Jim Gabbard North Gate, East Gate, West Gate—confusing perhaps, but these are just some of the ways of “com- ing to college” here at A. & M. Soon there’ll be another, the North- east Gate.. It’s just part of the road-building program going on north of the campus. In fact the new “gate” will be only an incidental part of a mile- lang beulevard which is being built along the northern boundary of the campus and a new direct-route highway to Bryan. The boulevard, when completed, will replace the old Sulphur Springs New North East Gate Planned As Future Entrance to Campus Road, giving a modern, convenient approach to the College and the business district. Branching from the boulevard near the old College water wells, the highway goes directly north- west, joining the “old No. 6” near Union Hill. Sections of it lie along the old Bryan-College trolley right- of-way. This road will probably be- come a favorite route for Bryan- College traffic, as it will be con- siderably shorter than existing roads and will provide a prettier drive, as much of it euts through the wooded sections of Hensel Park and North Oakwood. Attend an Ap ril 21 Muster yy. b- Carleton Speed New President Washington Club Ladies Feted at Feb. Meet; Luther Johnson to Address March 18 Meeting; Big Plans Under Way for April 21 Aggie Muster With their ladies as guests, mem- bers of the National Capital A. & M. Club held a highly successful party on the evening of February 18. Featuring the entertainment program was a professional accor- dionist accompanied by Mrs. C. L. (Jack) Brockschmidt, ’26. Honor guests were Capt. Hiram Broiles, ’28, and Capt. Don Hurst, ’31, both just returned from piloting part of the presidential party to Casa Blanca. Carleton Speed, ’26, was elected president of the club for its spring term. D. C. (Spike) Arnold, ’27, and R. T. (Ted) Baggett, ’26, were named vice presidents, and Leonard J. Watson, ’30, secretary-treasurer. Retiring officers were: Ernest Hol- comb, ’32, president; Lt. Col. James Aston, ’33, 1st vice president; Leon- ard J. Watson, ’30, 2nd vice pres- ident; and Jack Brockschmidt, ’26, secretary-treasurer. The new offi- cers were nominated by a commit- tee composed of Tom Banks, ’31, T. Lee Gaston, Jr., ’24, and Major Luther Bell, ’32. New president Carleton Speed has already announced plans for a gigantic April 21st muster for all A. & M. men in the Washington area. He 1s in Washington doing work in the Office of Petroleum Coordinator Harold Ickes. Final details of the muster will be an- nounced in a later issue of The Texas Aggie. Texas Congressman Luther A. Johnson of Corsicana, who repre- sents A. & M.’s Congressional Dis- trict, will be the speaker at the regular March meeting of the Club on March 18, ° ATTEND AN APRIL 21 MUSTER & World-Wide Aggie Muster April 21st Corregidor Meeting Adds Inspiration to Tradition Joint Program Under Preparation; Volunteer Chairmen Asked to Serve An estimated 10,000 A.&M. men will attend this year’s April 21 Muster of the Aggie Fraternity, with hundreds of meetings to be held all over the world. For many years April 21, aniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto, has been a tra- ditional date for A.&M. men to meet together wherever as many as two of them are together. A heroic group of 30 Aggi last April 21 when they held a of Corregidor. News of that m es immortalized that tradition meeting on the island fortress eeting, flashed to America by radio, thrilled the nation and every A.&M. man. Most of that immortal group have since bee but their spirit and meeting n announced prisoners of war added an inspiration to the April 21 meeting tradition that will never die. Easterwood Field Paving To Be Dene By Tyree Bell, ’13 Extensive concrete paving will be started in the near future at Easterwood Field, A. & M. College airport, under a contract awarded last week to the Austin Road Com- pany, Dallas, Tyree L. Bell, ’1S3, vice president and general man- ager. Easterwood Field is on Col- lege land located 1% miles west of the main campus near the old fish tank, one time favored swimming hole for Aggie cadets. 226,000 square yards of concrete paving will be laid. Included are two runways 150 feet wide and 5,150 feet long. Also included are two taxi-ways 50 feet wide and 5,150 feet long. When completed it is safe to say that Easterwood Field will give Texas A. & M, the finest college airfield in the world. The program of improvement is under the direction of and is being done by the Civil Aeronautics Au- thority. ° ATTEND AN APRIL 21 MUSTER [J Smartest Quarterback Appointed Adjutant-General by Stevenson ARTHUR KNICKERBOCKER, ’21 Arthur B. Knickerbocker, ’21, of Odessa has been appointed Adju- tant General for the State of Tex- as by Governor Coke Stevenson. He has been confirmed by the Sen- ate. Knickerbocker is still rated by many football experts as the smart- est signal-caller ever to perform in the Southwest. He was an out- standing quarterback on the Aggie championship team of 1919 and on the team of 1920. He is a younger brother of Harry C. Knickerbocker, ’18, and an older brother of H. W. (Slim) Knickerbocker, ’25. He studied civil engineering. For the past seven years Knick- erbocker has lived in Odessa where he was engaged in the contracting business. He was a member of the Odessa School Board and the High School Athletic Council. He accept- ed a place in the Adjutant Gener- al’s Department last December, moving to Austin with Mrs. Knick- erbocker and their two daughters, Betty Sue, a student in the Uni- versity, and Nancy, a pupil in the Austin public schools. Before leav- ing Odessa he helped organize the Texas Defense Guard in West Tex- as and holds the rank of major in that organization, During World War I he served in the U. S. Navy. Tales of Knickerbocker’s grid- iron cunning are numerous. Aggie fans still believe that the cadets could have repeated their 1919 championship in 1920 had not Knickerbocker been declared ineli- gible on a technicality. In the championship drive in 1919 he was injured during a period that cov- ered three crucial games. His sig- nal calling was so valuable, how- ever, that he played through the games without ever handling the ball or doing anything but calling signals. The Aggies were undefeat- ed for the season. ® ATTEND AN APRIL 21 MUSTER [ J Major Rollin Elkins In Tunisia Fighting Major Roliin L. Elkins, ’33, was right in the thick of the late Febru- ary fighting on the southern Tu- nisian front, and his experiences were vividly described in Ernie Pyle’s newspaper column. The half- track in which Major Elkins was riding was struck several times by German shells but he came through with only minor injuries according to Pyle who was also in the thick of the action. Known to his class- mates, and it must be admitted to his students, as “Satch” Elkins, the Major was a member of the Economics Department Faculty of A. & M. before reporting to active duty. Mrs. Elkins and their child are making their home at College Station. + Joint Program Planned Under preparation is a joint pro- gram to be followed at every one of the many April 21 meetings to be held. Final details of that pro- gram are not ready for announce- ment. It will provide, however, a common theme so that the thou- sands of A. & M. men meeting all over the world will have a common bond on the occasion. More about the program in the next issue of the AGGIE. In addition to all regularly or- ganized A. & M. clubs, hundreds of local chairmen have been ap- pointed at the direction of the Board of Directors of the Associa- tion of Former Students, and re- quested to arrange for the 1943 April 21 Aggie muster in their communities. In this connection Association President W, J. (Bill) Lawson, ’24, Austin, said, “Al- though we have requested hundreds of local A. & M. men to serve as chairmen and arrange the Apri 21 musters in their communities, there are additional hundreds of places where we hope some A. & M. man will take the lead and arrange for a muster. This is particularly true of Army locations, many of them unknown to Association offi- cers. If no local chairman has been appointed in your community or post, please volunteer and advise our headquarters office at College Station that there will be a muster on the evening of April 21 at your locality, even though there may be only two of you in attendance.” Scores of meetings have already been announced. Special prepara- tions are under way by the big clubs but President Lawson points out that only two men are needed to hold an April 21 muster and that regardless of the size of the group a muster should be held. A complete list of muster announce- ments from all over the United States will be contained in the next issue of the TEXAS AGGIE. LJ ATTEND AN APRIL 21 MUSTER (J SPECIAL TO OVERSEAS AGGIES The Association office has no means of knowing just where A. & M. men overseas are grouped. Wherever you are, and if condi- tions permit, it is hoped you will gather together to hold your owm APRIL 21 MUSTER. It is not pos- sible for any local chairmen to be appointed for your groups, but WON'T SOME VOLUNTEER TAKE OVER AND MAKE WHAT- EVER PLANS AND ARRANGE- MENTS THAT CAN BE MADE FOR YOUR MUSTER? There will be a tremendous thrill for the stay- at-homes to know that on April 21 there are also fellow Aggies mus- tered in Australia, or India, or North Africa, or England, er the Caribbean, or at any of the ether thousand far-flung places where you are making us so proud of you. Thousands of A. & M. men will be thinking about you om that night; and if your ewn difficult situations make your own Muster practical we hope you'll be meet- ing together, too, wherever as many as two of you can be together. ® ATTEND AN APRIL 21 MUSTER
