Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 14, 1940)
DIAL 4-5444 OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE CITY OF COLLEGE STATION The Battalion DIAL 4-5444 STUDENT TRI WEEKLY NEWSPAPER OF TEXAS A. & M. COLLEGE VOL. 40 122 ADMINISTRATION BLDG. ' COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS, SATURDAY MORNING, DEC. 14, 1940 Z725 NO, 36 CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS BEGIN AT NOON TODAY Senior-Junior Meeting Climaxes Holiday Changes Watson and Bolton Appear Before Stormy Session To Arrange Friday Meeting A stormy meeting of the junior and senior classes Thursday night at which Dean F. C. Bolton and Lt. Col. James A. Watson, Command ant, appeared to hear the case, climaxed a drive by students concerned to suspend school early in order to check a current epidemic of in fluenza over the campus. Called because of a misinterpi’etation of a petition*submitted to the faculty at an earlier meeting, this joint meet ing was attended by about 1000^.' men, which was as near complete representation as were available. With Tom Richey, senior class president, presiding, the session proposed several plans for arrang ing the holidays, but the plan to leave today received the unani mous approval of the entire body. The explanation of the misunder standing by the faculty of the peti tion submitted at the last meeting of the senior class was given by Cadet Colonel Bill Becker. The idea of the senior class as submitted was to change the holidays to get out Wednesday, December 18, and return Friday, January 3. Faculty members, thinking the change to return January 3 was the import ant item and fearing the loss of a school day, made the change but stipulated that school not be turn ed, it was voted to ask Dean Bol- 19. When the decision to petition for another change had been reach- (Continued on Page 4) Caroling Tour Of Singing Cadets Cancelled by Holidays Texas A. & M.’s Singing Ca dets have cancelled their carol ing tour of the campus due to the change in the Christmas hol iday schedule, but they have an nounced several additions to their future arrangements. After the termination of the holidays, the student singers will present a program before an as sembly of Bryan High School pu pils and exhibit their talent to the Aggie Clambake. A special group of the Cadets will sing hymns and Christmas carols at the Episcopal Church Sunday night. All present members of the Sing ing Cadets and those who are given trials are invited to an invitation party to be held early in Jan uary. New Public Address System Is Far Cry From Days Before 1929 The installment of the new streamlined amplifiers in Sbisa Hall this fall marks a new addi tion to the corps public address system, which has been in use since 1929. The first sound system was built and operated by a former student, T. L. Hiner, who is now plant sup erintendent of radio station KPRC and KTRH in Houston. Previous to that time all announcements were made by the Corps Adjutant, who would stand on a chair and try to make himself heard by out- shouting the rest of the corps. As the corps grew in size the task of making announcements became more difficult, so Hiner remedied the situation by constructing a small address apparatus that was scarcely as large as a small radio set. Following Hiner as operators were H. M. Long, J. W. Runyon, N. H. Rudasill, C. J. Wimer, and Erving Mills, the present opera tor. Each of these men have made some contribution to the system and the apparatus involved, until today the financial assistance of the college, all of the original equipment has been replaced and modernized. Among the many changes that have been made the most important was the installation of two Web ster 60 watt transmitters in 1937. When the new dining hall was built Four Texas Aggie Lettermen Receive Wings at Randolph Four more Texas Aggie letter- men were among the graduating class at Randolph Field, near San Antonio, last month and they in cluded Herb (Smitty) Smith, All- Conference end on the National Champion football team of 1939. Others included E. D. Braswell, Dallas, swimming letterman and former holder of two conference records; John (Pinkie) Couch, McKinney, captain of the swim ming team of 1940 and member of the water polo team which won the junior national championship for the Aggies; and V. C. Denton, Pahokee, Fla., letterman in tennis in 1939 and in golf in 1940. At the same time seven other graduates of Texas A&M com pleted their training at the West Point of the air and are now at Kelly Field to complete the work in the summer of 1939, a complete RCA sound system was included. At the same time the sound sys tems of the two dining halls were connected so that an interchange of programs between the two din ing halls became possible. The old dining hall is equipped with a phonograph to furnish mu sic with the meals. The records be ing donated by the manufacturers of the phonograph records. This recorded music and all announce ments originate from Sbisa Hall, while all radio programs come from the new mess hall, Duncan Hall. This system is quite important to the students in that it affords both a form of entertainment and a means of distributing news and Corps orders. Short Course On Electrification Closes Here Today The Fifth Annual Rural Elec trification Short Course, which started December 12 and will con tinue through today, is under the direction of the Agricultural En gineering department in coopera tion with the Texas Committee on the Relation of Electricity to Agri culture. The Rural Electrification Short Course is designed primarily for rural service representatives of the electric companies, superintendents of electric cooperatives, county ag ents, vocational teachers, repre sentatives of electrical equipment manufacturers, dealers, and other leaders who may be called upon to assist the farmer with his electric utilization problems. It affords an opportunity for these leaders to be come more familiar with the newest developments in electric equip ment for the farm and to discuss latest information made available through research and practical ex perience. An unusual and practical feature of the short course this year is that formal lectures and demonstrations have been held to a minimum. This has made it possible for those tak ing the course to actually operate the newest types of equipment and work out practical problems in volved' in the use of modern elec trical equipment on Texas farms. The Battalion Wishes You Early Dismissal Result Of A Very Merry Christmas Widespread Flu Epidemic New Ruling Decided On at Joint Meeting Of Faculty Members and Junior Senior Group Classes are suspended today at noon and will be resumed Thurs day, January 2, at 1 p. m. This decision was reached at a joint meeting of the faculty members and a committee appointed from the junior and senior classes Friday morning. The recommendation was made as result of an epidemic of influenza that is spreading through the student body. After a meeting of the junior and ME Dept Has Large List Of Missing Articles If you’ve missed a jacket or hat recently, drop by the Mechanical Engineering Office and take a look at the long list of lost articles found in the M. E. Department. The list contains a wide and va rious assortment of books, clothes, and engineering drawing instru ments. Several books and jackets are marked by the following names;: J. B. Cupp, C. S. Hiese, Jay Kay, A. Brown, C. K. Brown, and Carl Bentley. C. W. Crawford, head of the department, requests that anyone who has lost any personal be longings recently come by his of fice as soon as possible and iden tify the same. senior classes Thursday night, a committee was appointed to be accompanied by Lt. Col. J. A. Wat son, Commandant, to appear be fore the President of the school, and certain members of the fac ulty to discuss the matter. This meeting resulted in the decision to begin the holidays at noon today rather than after the last classes Thursday, December 19, as was previously the rule. Members of the student com mittee included Paul Lowry, Roy Chappell, Jack Keyes, Jack Kim brough, Buster Keeton, Alden Cathey, and Bob Nisbet. Faculty members present at the discussion were President Walton, Dean Bol ton, Col. Watson, Dr. Marsh, Col. Ike Ash burn, Coach Homer Nor ton, and J. W. “Dough” Rollins. 25 Years of Service Receives Recognition As Seven Men Honored By Jack Holliman The Former Students Associa tion will honor seven employees of Texas A. & M. who have spent 25 the leaders and he has been large ly responsible for the progress during his long term here. Dr. Reynolds has made many ad Flu Epidemic Reaches Alarming Proportions With 300 Men on Sick List Student Committee Reports 5 to 40 Men 111 in Every Outfit For one entire week, the college hospital has had more than 200 patients as the continued cold and wet weather has brought about an increasing amount of sickness. Be tween three and four hundred boys are confined to the hospital at the present time and many more are confined to quarters in the dormi tories over the campus. As a direct result of the seriousness of the increasing sickness classes have been suspended beginning today. A committee of students com posed of Jack Keese, Roy Chap pell, Jack Kimbrough, and Paul Lowry, made an investigation of the amount of sickness in each or ganization on the campus. From 5 to 40 boys in each organization are either in the hospital, confined to quarters, or have been sent home. The average number for each or ganization is 14 boys unable to attend classes because of illness. This information was used to pre sent the case for the immediate dis missal of school. Special precautions are being taken to see that the illness does not increase. All students confin ed to quarters will not be allow ed to leave the college until they can obtain clearance from the hos pital stating that they are in phy sical condition to make the trip home. Every effort is being made to see that the condition of stu dents confined to the dormitories are not exposed to further danger. All boys who have been sick should take great care in going home for the holidays. No one who is in a weakened condition should highway it home. It is absolutely necessary that boys who are re covering from the influenza should ride home or go by bus or train. All students including those who have not been to the hospital should observe the following precautions Sick Men Will Not Leave Until Cleared By College Doctor issued by Dr. Marsh. Take part in no exercise and keep from getting hot. Keep feet and head dry by wear ing hat and shoes at all times when exposed to the rain. Do not sit around in wet clothes. Do not wash head at night or go to bed with the head wet. Avoid eating heavy indigestible foods such as hamburgers, chili. Drink lots of liquids such as water, milk and fruit juices. Eat soft foods. Do not let drarts blow across the bed. Avoid crowds and crowded plac es, such as the theater, “bull ses sions,” meetings, etc. Stay away frdm people with coughs. Since college is being dismissed (Continued on Page 4) Students Going to Cotton Bowl Must Have Tickets Sent to Them by Mail At the senior class meeting yes terday afternoon, it was approved and announced that any student de siring a ticket or tickets to the Cotton Bowl game should leave a stamped, home-addressed envelope with their organization command ers containing $1.65 and coupon number 32 of their coupon book. These envelopes will be turned in to J. W. “Dough” RoUins of the Athletic Department by each cap tain before the Christmas holidays begin. Beginning Monday morning, the athletic office will sort through the envelopes and mail the tickets j to the purchasers. Any other types of tickets, in addition to the ones that sell for $1.65 may be bought in the same manner. Mr. Rollins left for Dallas last | night to receive the ducats from the Cotton Bowl Association. He will bring them back with him over the weekend, and they will be counted and ready for sale by Mon day morning. Anyone desiring tickets after Monday and before the day of the game may secure them by writing to the athletic of fice, College Station, Texas. The military department has ar ranged for juniors and seniors holding advanced ROTC contracts to receive as many as five tickets to the game without any expendi ture of cash. The amount of the tickets will be deducted from their January military checks. The signing for these tickets was begun Friday afternoon in the chapel of the YMCA and will con tinue at the same location today from 8 a. m. until noon. It is be lieved that this innovation of al lowing juniors and seniors to pur chase tickets without any cash out lay will boost the attendance of students from these two classes. This is the first time that a pro cedure of this type has ever been attempted, and all advanced mil itary students are urged to take advantage of the privilege. A total of 10,000 tickets will be placed on sale here. That group includes tickets of varying price ranges, and students will be al lowed to purchase any type of ticket. years in the service of the college at the annual Christmas banquet to be held in Sbisa Hall December 20. A quarter of a century in and around Aggieland working in their various fields has brought these men a love for A. & M. and their work has brought many glories and accomplishments to the college. This banquet, sponsored by the Former Students Association of which Bert Pfaff, ’25, is president, is given to all college employees who have served 25 years, and it has become a worthy tradition of the school. Those honored become members of the Twenty-five Year Club and they are to be presented engraved walking canes by Pfaff at the gathering. Pfaff will de liver the citations and preside as principal speaker at the banquet. A. L. Darnell, professor of dairy husbandry; S. C. Hoyle, editor of college publications; Dr. E. B. Rey nolds, chief of the division of agronomy of the Agricultural Ex periment Station; R. E. Karper, agronomist in charge of sorghum investigation at Lubbock for the Experiment Station; M. P. Holle- man, chief clerk, Experiment Sta tion, Sam Steptoe (colored), con nected with the entomology depart ment, and Cable Henry (colored), employee of the college hospital, are the men to be banqueted for their outstanding service. Darnell has done flawless work in the field of dairy husbandry and he is an important cog in the op eration of this division of the col lege. Hoyle has put college publica tions of Texas A. & M. up among Spriggs Is * Principal Speaker At Sociology Meet The Rural Sociology Club met Thursday night with Mr. C. O. Spriggs, professor of English, be ing the principal speaker. After a brief business discus sion by the club Mr. Spriggs talk ed to the club on recent books and the present social trend in litera ture. In the discussion the trend toward a unified farm and labor movement and its political possi bilities were stressed. The meeting was enjoyed by all present but there was a noticeable dent in the attendance due to the rain and the influenza. vances in agronomy research and because of this he and the agrono mists associated with him have uncovered much valuable scientific information. Karper, stationed in Lubbock at the present time on sorghum in vestigation, has devoted his know ledge and experience to the agron omy division of the Experiment Station. Holleman has become known for his technical ability and the man ner in which the Experiment Sta tion has been controlled clerically by his work and industrious at tention. The two negro employees, Sam Steptoe of the entomology depart ment, and Cable Henry of the col lege hospital, have given 25 years of faithful service during which time they have become endeared in the hearts of their employers. Research In Petroleum Field Brings Many Jobs The field of research for pe troleum industries throughout the nation has brought occupations and positions to many graduates of A. & M. and other engineering schools who have made petroleum engineering their college study. Such processes as hydrogenation, solvent dewaxing, polymerization, alkylation, and catalytic cracking have entirely uprooted old systems and ideas which in turn have turn ed the oil industry into a business that must call upon the young engineers of the country for ac curate operation of plants and re- fineraies. H. G. Mclndorf of the Standard Oil Company, in his speech deliv ered to the student meeting of the A. I. Ch. E., stated the various needs of the oil industry insofar as new engineers are concerned, and according to Mclndorf, they are needed in all of the divisions where research is made. Roads are rough in the quest of desk jobs, but after their first training course given by the com pany, the young engineers do rou tine work in oil laboratories. Next, they enter special duty at the plant, and their talent may be pointed toward design.