VOLUME 44 COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS, FRIDAY AFTERNOON, JULY 21, 1944 NUMBER 14
Mechanics
m
Courses Are
Available
At the request of the War Man
power Commission, an “Aircraft
and Aircraft Engine Repair” pro
gram will be offered by the col
lege. The course has been approved
by the W.M.C. and is being oper
ated by the Agricultural and Me
chanical College of Texas and by
the State Board for Vocational
Education.
Any person who is qualified may
take the course. To be qualified,
one has to be a citizen of the Unit
ed States, over sixteen years of
age, and have a sufficient amount
* of education. Those boys attending
high school at the present time are
qualified. It is open to both men
and women.
The course will last for ten
months or until the students can
qualify for a C.A.A. mechanic^
license. The course itself will not
qualify one for a license immedi
ately, for there are certain tests
to take.
Students currently enrolled in
the college may be able to arrange
their courses so that half a day
could be devoted to the new course.
Those not enrolled in the college
(See AIRCRAFT, Page 8)
Former Professor
Dies In Dallas
Edwin Bruce La Roche, head of
the Architectural Department of
A. & M. from July 1919, to the
spring of 1925, died at his home
in Dallas, Tuesday. He was a mem
ber of the La Roche and Dahl
architectural firm at the time of
his death.
Mr. La Roche came to A. & M.
immediately after the close of
World War I to assume the posi
tion of head of the Architectural
Department. While a member of
the A. and M. staff he designed
the plans for the Extension Serv
ice Building, the Agriculture Build
ing, and the M.E. Shops Building.
He left A. and M. to engage in
personal business.
Cadet Officers
Dine In Sbisa
Cadet commissioned officers din
ed Tuesday evening at 7 o’clock
with Colonel Welty in the Sbisa
Banquet room to discuss affairs of
the school. After the meal, Cadet
Colonel George Strickhausen in
troduced Colonel Welty who made
a short talk. The cadet officers had
a short business meeting, lasting
five or ten minutes, after the tacti
cal officers left.
Plans are being made for similar
meetings in the future.
Singing Cadets Make Trips
■Over State During Winter
By Dick Osterholm
Although there has always been
• some sort of a singing group at
Texas A. & M., it was not until
January 1938 that the present
club came into being when 18
Aggies decided that they wanted
official sanction for their war
bling. At that time, Professor J.
J. (Joe) Woolket of the modern
language department, a former
glee club member from Oberlin
College, Ohio, and a father of ear
lier singing groups at college, was
drafted by the club to be their
director. So the club was on its
^ way.
At first they got together just
for the fun of singing but after ap-
pearing in public on the campus a
few times, Professor Woolket de
cided that they were good enough
• to uncover to the general public,
so he arranged a benefit show to
raise the funds necessary to trans
port the club and when the gate
was counted, there was enough
money for the club to make a
trip as far south as San Antonio.
During the school year of 1938-
39 ,the club increased its member
ship from eighteen to twenty-sev
en. Besides making several local
appearances on the campus, the
club toured Galveston and Hous
ton. Here they appeared in thea
tres, on the cities radio broadcast- j
ing systems, and in schools and,
clubs. These trips greatly stimu
lated interest in the club and
many boys began to join the club,
but lack of training time, grades,
and other interests kept the mem
bership around a normal of about
sixty voices.
During the year of 1940, the
club became greater known while
(See CADETS, Page 7)
Mid-Semester Dances Postponed
Correction
In the Battalion, Tuesday,
July 18, the anouncement of the
faculty and staff dinner honor
ing Prseident Gibb Gilchrist
should have included the com
plete date, Thursday," July 27,
at 8 p.m.
Concessions Must
Be Approved By
Activities Office
It has been reported to the Stu
dent Activities Office, according to
L. M. Collins, that some students
are holding concessions of local
merchants without the approval of
the proper authorities. Such opera
tion is not in accord with estab
lished policies of the school.
Students who maintain conces
sions which are properly authorized
must follow certain regulations.
They must not go from room to
room in the dormitories selling
articles after C. Q. No student must
operate a concession whatsoever
unless he has been approved by the
manager of the Student Activities
Office, who is authorized by the
Board of Directors and the Busi
ness Manager of the college to is
sue an approval card. Students
who operate concessions without
this approval are subject to discip
linary action.
The cadet officers, the tactical
officers, and the commandant have
a thorough understanding of this
plan and are working with the
Student Activities and Placement
Office in order to prevent inter
ruption during study hours.
The purpose of the student con
cession is two-fold. It serves as
a means of helping students in
working a part of their way
through school. At the same time,
it provides for the students, in a
convenient way, many needed sup
plies.
Hillel Club Holds
Services Sunday
Regular Services of the Hillel
Club will be held in the Cabinet
Room of the YMCA on Sunday,
July 21. The president requests
that all member* be present to/dis-
Brazos A&M Club
Elects Officers
J. E. (Jocko) Roberts was
elected president of the Brazos
County A. and M. Club at the reg
ular monthly meeting held Tues
day night at the Bryan Country
Club. Roberts succeeds Walter J.
Coulter, who was given a rising
vote of thanks for the manner in
which he conducted the affairs of
the organization during the past
year.
Other officers elected were: W.
R. Carmichael, vice-president; Fred
Hale, secretary-treasurer; Sgt. W.
N. (Flop) Colson, sergeant at
arms; and P. L. Downs, Jr., good
Samaritan.
In an address off the record,
Chaplain, G. A. Zoch, of the pris
oner of war camp at Hearn, de
scribed his duties and gave an in
sight of the state of mind of dif
ferent classes of prisoners handled.
Plans of the new officers call
for a watermelon supper to be held
some time in August, date and
place to be determined later.
In a London suburb, a large fac
tory making electrical equipment
for aircraft is only 40 feet wide,
bue seven miles long. It occpies an
unused subway.
Town Hall is presenting the
Houston Symphony Orchestra in
Kyle Field on Thursday, August
17, 1944. A varied and entertain
ing program is being provided for
the Aggies and servicemen on the
campus. The public is also invited
to attend the performance. This
will be the second performance
from the Houston Symphony Or
chestra presented on the campus
this year, having given a splendid
concert last spring.
Ernest Hoffman, director of the
orchestra, presents a varied pro
gram, which has met with a fine
reception by those who have heard
the orchestra in the past.
First Regiment Ball
Will Be Next Dance
It was announced in last Tues
day’s Battalion that the Junior-
Senior Ball would be held July 28
in Sbisa Hall. L. M. Collins, head
of the Student Activities Office,
said yesterday that this dance
and the All-Service Dance which
was announced for the following
night have been postponed at the
request of the students. The stu
dents asked that it be postponed
on account of the fact that a large
number of boys have planned to
(See DANCE, Page 3)
»•
McQuillen Speaks
To Freshmen Sat.
The second speaker for the
Freshman orientation program will
be E. E. McQuillen, executive sec
retary of the Former Students As
sociation of A. and M. College.
The meeting will be held in Guion
Hall at eleven o’clock Saturday,
July 22. Mr. McQuillen’s topic will
be “Traditions of the A. and M.
College.”
Knowing much of the back
ground and interesting facts about
the famed traditions of the col
lege, Mr. McQuillen will bring
(See SPEAKER Page 3)
city. This curious fact can be un
derstood only when it is remember
ed that the orchestra was organ
ized and developed to bring the
world’s finest music to the entire
Southwest, not merely to the peo
ple of Houston and vicinity.
Under the direction of Ernst
Hoffman, the orchestra has led
an outstanding career of success.
Mr. Hoffman, who believes in
playing all kinds of music for all
kinds of people, came to Houston
and the symphony in 1936 and has
been in charge of the develop
ment of his musical organization
for the past eight years. He stud
ied in Germany and held the posi
tion of Director of Music at the
Breslau Opera, the only American
to ever fill such a position. Direc
tor Hoffman is rated as one of
the outstanding symphony orches
tra directors' in the United States.
cuss urgent business in the meeting I Supported by leading civic-min<
that will follow. Members are re- ed citizens of Houston, it is, pel
minded that the time of the serv- haps the only orchestra in Amer
ices has been changed to ten thir- ca that plays more concerts “c
ty. ’tour” than it does in its hoir
Houston Symphony To Appear
On Town Hall At Kyle Field