SATURDAY, MAY 10, 1941-
THE BATTALION
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1940-41, A Thrill-Packed Year of Activity and Excitement
A Bouquet for a Star
From College Night to Final Review
Year Will Be Classic in A&M History
Early Dismissal for Xmas Holidays and Removal of
Mess Hall Guest Charge Are Year’s Memorable Events
An event-packed year, some of them thrills and some heart breaks,
will be indellibly impressed upon the memory of all the Aggies as
the 1940-41 school year comes to a close at Final Review June 7. The
year saw the Aggies on the top of the world on several occasions
and in the depths of despondency on others, all of which only go to
make the year more memorable. But throughout all the outstanding
events which will be particularly remembered as part of the Aggie
scene during the reign of the Class of ’41, the regular and traditional
atmosphere of the A. & M. college filled in all the spaces by adding
deeply to the pleasant memories of the cadets and the traditions of
the corps.
The was only one official corps the activities which the college
Clustered about lovely Jean Dickenson are those responsible for
the arrangement of this year’s Town Hall series. From left to right
are Henry Seville of Waco, David Yarbrough of Allen, Jean Dicken
son, Paul Haines, manager, from Bryan, and Billy Hensel of College
Station.
Eight Outstanding Performers
Presented on Town Hall Programs
Drawing attention from cadets,
and local citizens alike is the A.
& M. Town Hall, a series of enter
tainments presented at interval
throughout the school year. Na
tionally famous entertainers and
performers are brought to the cam
pus to supply the spice for enliven
ing campus life. This year eight
such performers appeared at A. &
M. under the sponsorship of this
activity.
Opening the years programs, the
United States Marine Band, known
as the “Presiden’t Own Band” ap
peared on the campus early in
October. The Marine Band is di
rected by Capt. W. F. Santelman.
Second group to be presented on
the Town Hall program was a
colored vocal ensemble, the Fisk
Jubilee Singers. This group was
originally organized shortly after
the Civil War.
Beautiful and gracious Jean
Dickenson, radio and concert star,
was next in line on the list of pre
sentations, presenting a program of
familiar semi-classical numbers.
With the appearance of the Lit
tlefield Ballet, the Town Hall mon-
agement presented a new cyclo-
rama for the stage of Guion hall.
Also new to the A. & M. was the
ballet itself, being the first of its
kind to perform here. The pro
gram featured 40 beautiful girls
with dazzling costumes, and the
music of a symphony orchestra.
A lecture on the current war sit
uation by one fresh from the field
of action was given by William L.
White, famous foreign correspond
ent and author.
At A. & M. for the third suc
cessive year was the Houston Sym-
Symphony orchestra. A packed
house and unlimited encore it its
annual reception.
And a progi’am by A. & M.’s own
musical organization, the Singing
Cadets, was in order, marking their
first concert appearance on the
campus, though they have sung
concert tours throughout the state
and have sung for numerous cam
pus entertainments.
Final program of the year was
a program of popular music by
Dke Ellington, nationally famous
orchestra. He has been judged
among the best in the country.
Directories of Catholic university
graduates living in every metro
politan center of the country are
being compiled by the university’s
national alumni office.
The University of Kentucky is
offering a five-week course in bil
liards for co-eds.
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A PERSONAL NOTE TO
High School Seniors
We hope that your choice
of schools will be A. & M.
College for here is the col
lege with the largest en
rollment. Also you will
find that the grandest
spirit predominates here
among 6500 men. Any man
will be proud to be at THE
HOME OF THE FIGHT
ING AGGIES!
After you become an AGGIE, come
in and see our selection of AGGIE Jew
elry, Watches, and Rings.
Caldwell’s Jewelry Store
Bryan, Texas
trip during the year, to Dallas, but
the football game with the S. M. U.
Mustangs and the joint corps trip
with the TSCW-ites added never-
to-be forgotten events. The corps
parade was rained out, but that did
not prevent the joint festivities of
the Aggies and the Denton sister
students. Miss Mary Margaret Mc
Carthy, freshman from Fort Worth,
was chosen by an Aggie committee
of five seniors to be the Aggie
Sweetheart from T. S. C. W. for
the occasion. She was presented in
Dallas at a banquet for Dean E. J.
Kyle, reigned as queen of the fes
tivities between the halves of the
football game, and led the grand
mach of the official corps dance
with Bill Becker that night in the
Adolphus Hotel.
Early Holiday Dissmissal
As the year approached Christ
mas, the holidays loomed large in
the eyes of the students, as any
holidays do, but the Christmas hol
idays this year were especially im
portant.
An epidemic of influenza broke
out on the campus. The college hos
pital was filled to overflowing by
a week before the holidays were
due to begin. At a turbulent meet
ing of the junior and senior class
es, at which Commandant James A.
Watson and Dean F. C. Bolton were
present, the classes decided to leave
school on Saturday, December 14,
one whole week before holidays
were scheduled to begin. The epi
demic was getting worse and mov
ing the holiday period up would
allow more Aggies to attend the
Cotton Bowl game on New Year’s
Day in Dallas. At an emergency
meeting of the president of the
college and othed high authorities,
the period of the holidays was of
ficially changed to these dates, and
a joyous group of Aggies, minus
their sick friends, went home one
week early.
Mess Hall Meals
Further strife which will make
the year remembered was the 30-
cent meal charge issue which seem
ed to change Aggie mess hall
guests into customers. The board
of directors imposed the meal
charge and was promptly petition
ed by the senior class to have the
charge removed. After delayed act
ion and wild talk by students, the
board finally heard a class com
mittee present the reasons of the
corps for wanting the charge re
moved, and finally granted the pe
tition. Aggie visitors were once
again guests of the corps and not
customers.
Motion Picture Committee
Further action by the cadet corps
which will ultimately help the con
ditions on the campus is the action
of the Student Motion Picture com
mittee which is continuing the ef
fort of the students to obtain first-
run motion pictures on the cam
pus.
Last year a campaign was start
ed with that end in view, an action
which to date has led to filing of
a charge to settle the question by
arbitration under a new concent
decree ruling. The question is yet
tied up in legal red tape, and it
may not be finished this year, but
definite progress has been made,
responsibility for the condition has
been fixed, and steps made to al
leviate the condition.
Honor 'Graduates
On the side of the accomplish
ments of the school during the year
there have been many. Concerning
the military phases of the school,
it stands well that of the 6 grad
uates of military schools in the
Eighth Corps Area selected to re
ceive regular army commissions,
3 were from A. & M. Cadet Colonel
William A. Becker, Cadet Major
Hub Gillespie, and Senior vice-
president Howard Shelton were the
three principals selected. Four of
the alternates for the commissions
were Aggies Tom Harris, Ernest
Wehner, Joe McCrary, and Lynn
Grasshoff.
Defense Week Observance
Another military event which re
flects credit upon the school was
carried on in connection with Na
tional Defense Week. The week
was proclaimed throughout the na
tion by President Roosevelt, and a
student committee originated plans
and carried out a vigorous pro
gram for the participation of A. &
M. in the observance of the week.
Three days of events were climax
ed by a full dress mounted review
of the Cadet corps, followed by a
mass rally of the corps and visitors
in Kyle Field stadium. There they
were addressed by Commandant
James A. Watson and Dr. T. O.
Walton, president of the college,
on pertinent matters concerning
national defense.
Student Aid Fund
But one of the greatest accom
plishments of the year and one
which will probably have the most
effect on students which are to
follow was the organization of the
Student Aid Fund. Growing out of
the George Stidham Fund which
was raised from the corps last
year to help the injured Aggie,
(Continued on Page 12)
Aggieland Orchestra, Singing Cadets and
Aggie Band—No Dearth of Music at A&M
By Allen Madeley ^
Any way you look at it Texas
A. & M. has a variety of musical
organizations.
First there’s the 220 piece cadet
band, truly the pulse of the “Spirit
of Aggieland.” The largest col
lege band in the Southwest, it is
divided into two units, an Artil
lery Band and an Infantry Band.
These bands have their own of
ficers and all members live in
one dormitory. They furnish the
music for military reviews, parades,
yell practice, and meal formations.
Widely known for its marching
and drilling ability, the band plays
at all intercollegiate athletic con
tests held at the college and ac
companies the football team on
trips to other schools.
From the Artillery and Infantry
Bands is selected the 75 piece con
cert band which gives Sunday af
ternoon concerts throughout the
spring and a final concert during
the last week of school. Highlights
in the concert band’s activities are
the annual concert trips made each
spring to surrounding cities and
colleges.
The Bandmaster, Lieut. Col. Rich
ard J. Dunn, GSST., is one of the
few members in Texas of the
American Bandmaster’s Associa
tion.
At the beginning of school, try
outs are conducted by senior band
officers and by Col. Dunn to de
termine which applicants shall be
come band members. Candidates
of top-ranking ability are chosen
on the basis of current needs of
the organization.
The band has consistently rank
ed high scholastically, indicating
that being a member of the band
does not handicap a student in his
studies.
Then there’s the Singing Cadets,
a student organization under the
direction of a member of the Fac
ulty. The purpose of the organiza
tion is to build up and support all
musical interest on the campus and
(Continued on Page 12)
GREETINGS...!
Make Our One-Stop Service Station
Your Headquarters For Gas & Oil
Washing & Greasing - Battery Service
General Repairing
ALL WORK GUARANTEED
AGGIELAND SERVICE STATION
Phone College 4-1188 John Bravenec, Owner
East of Campus
GONGRtTOLlTIONS!
HIGH SCHOOL
‘THE OFFICIAL COLLEGE STORE”
wishes to congratulate you in finishing
the first step in your education. We
hope your next step in education will be
made at Texas A. & M. College. Here is
‘The Home of The Fighting Aggies.”
This college was established in 1876 and
since then it has grown by leaps and
bounds.
THE FIRST STEP AFTER YOU REGISTER IN A. AND M. COLLEGE IS TO
COME BY THE EXCHANGE STORE TO BUY YOUR COLLEGE NEEDS. WE
HAVE COURTEOUS CLERKS WHO UNDERSTAND YOUR NEEDS AND
WILL HELP YOU.
THE EXCHANGE STORE
“Official College Store’