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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 22, 1945)
,( I ^ I V 5 * DIAL 4-5444 OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE CITY OF COLLEGE STATION Texas A&M The B College alion WEEKLY STUDENT NEWSPAPER DEEP IN AGGIELAND TEXAS A. & M. VOLUME 44 COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS, THURSDAY AFTERNOON, MARCH 22, 1945 NO. 72 Corps To Tuesday Student Activities Okays Senior Ring Dance Banquet for Junior Class Also Okayed A Ring Dance for the present Senior Class in May was okayed by the Student Activities Committee at a meeting held yesterday after noon. At the same time, permis sion was given the Junior Class to have their previously planned ban quet before their Prom. Present war-time conditions and the uncertainty of enrollment were the deciding factors in the deci sions, as a Ring Dance and Junior Prom were held only last semester and it had never been the custom or practice to hold the two every semester. Dan McGurk, Senior Class Pres ident, explained that since each class was entitled to its annual dance the Seniors had the option of having it this semester or next September, but since very few of the present Seniors will return to the campus next semester it was felt that this semester would be the most opportune time for the event. Eli Barker, President of the Junior Class, said that his class was in the same predicament and very few of his class would be back next summer to enjoy such a dance. Another reason cited was the pos sibility of the abolishing of Jun ior and Senior courses in certain fields as was done last summer, thereby cutting the enrollment of Juniors and Seniors drastically. Included in the motion favoring the dances this semester was a resolution that no similar affairs be held prior to 1946. Dr. Trotter Leaves For Nation’s Capital Director Ide P. Trotter of the A. and M. College Extension Serv ice left College Station for Wash ington on Sunday for a series of conferences and an important com mittee meeting which will occupy his time until he returns on March 31. This will be Dr. Trotter’s first official visit to the National Capi tal since he assumed the director ship on November 1, last. From March 21 to 24, Director (See TROTTER, Page 6) Freshman Ball, SeniorFrolic, Take Social Limelight Corps Review To Begin Promptly At One O’Clock Kiest Lounge Opened For Freshmen Guests By L. H. Calahan M. Y. Swatzell, president of the Freshman class, announced today that the decoration of Sbisa Hall is practically finished, and that it will be completed by Friday morn ing at the latest. Both Frogs and Fish have been working very hard the last few days preparing the building for the Ball Friday night, and although there were not too many cadets helping with the dec orating, the building’s decorations look very nice. Tommy Fitzwilliam, chairman of the ticket committee, said that ticket sales have been pretty slow, especially in the Frog dorm, and freshmen are urged to buy their tickets now so that an estimation can be made as to the number that are expected to attend the dance. Tickets for the Bluebonnet Ball are $1.50 couple or stag, and (See FRESHMEN, Page 6) McNew Speaks To Brazos Co. Aggies The future of India is one of the most complex problems of the post war era, J. T. L. McNew told the March meeting of the Brazos County A. & M. Club Monday night at the Bryan Country Club. Al ready overpopulated, poverty stricken, and backward according to every occidental standard, the people of India have increased 50 million in the past 25 years. Around 100 former Texas A. & M. College students living in this section, one of the best crowds to attend a regular meeting in a long time, were on hand to hear the former lieutenant colonel of Engi neers discuss his impressions of the peoples of India and China, and to work out the details of local observance of April 21 as Aggie Muster day. McNew, now A. & M.’s vice president for Engineering, showed many pictures he had taken or (See McNEW, Nage 6) FRESHMAN CLASS OFFICERS Shown above are the Freshmen Class officers who have handled the arrangements for their annual Ball tomorrow night. Left to right, they are: M. Y. Swatzell, Class President; David Gentry, Vice Pres ident; Frank Wiegand, Treasurer; and Leeper, Class Secretary. J. Norman (the “Old Sarge”) Lodge To Appear On Guion Stage Mon. Night J. Norman (the “Old Sarge”) Lodge, Associated Press Foreign correspondent, will appear at Guion Hall Monday night at 8 o’clock, under the auspices of the Battalion and Radio Station WTAW. No ad mission will be charged. Lodge likes action, for he has found that where there’s action there’s news. And Lodge has been in the thick of action and big news since he ran away as a boy to fight in the Mexican war. He’s only 44, but he has taken part in three wars, and seen action on half a hundred fronts, from Mexico to Europe to the Southwest Pacific. At 15, Lodge ran away from Aggie of the Week Charlie West, Corps Cadet Colonel By Bill Withers Perhaps the best known figure on the campus is Charles R. West, a senior who represents the entire corps as Cadet Colonel, the highest commission in the corps. Charlie is a handsome, blond Aggie with a sparkling personality, and hails from Marianna, Arkansas. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles R. West, of the same town, and it was there that he attended grade and high school. He was president of the student body, val edictorian of his graduating class, president of the National Honor Society there, editor of the school publication and also of the annual, president of the Quill and Scroll, and besides holding down all these important jobs, he played as a guard on the school football squad for three years. West entered A. & M. in June 1943, and the record that he has left since then is one of the best. Besides often being a distinguished student, which in itself is a very creditable achievement, he has been president of his Fish, Sophomore, and Junior classes and now holds the position of Cadet Colonel, the Corps Commander. A brief glimpse at the lighter side of Charlie’s life reveals that he has found time from all of his studies and duties to become an ardent bridge fan. But one glance Charlie West at his bookshelf would show the most casual of observers that card playing is by no means his favor ite pastime. He loves to read cur rent psychological novels, and lists W. Somerset Maugham as his fa vorite author. “I sometimes think that I read too much,” he confid ed. The menu which Charlie likes best includes fried chicken and avocados. He states that he likes semi-classical music, but that Cole Porter’s “Begin the Beguine” oc cupies the No. 1 slot on his hit parade. When asked about the “Aggies’ hobby,” women, West said, “I believe that the last thing to ever be civilized by men will be —women.” Since he has four sis ters in his family, this statement sounds as if it comes from an au thoritative source. He named foot ball, swimming, and tennis as his favorite sports. Charlie said that he had never wanted to come to A. & M. until he witnessed a Cotton Bowl game in Dallas one year. “I was sitting directly across from about 9,000 yelling Aggies, and it was then that I decided that A. & M. was the school for me,” he said, adding that his parents had scheduled him to go to Georgia Tech, but that he left for A. & M. three days before he was supposed to become a Ram blin’ Wreck. His most memorable experience Charlie declares, is the tradition of Silver Taps. He longs for a better understanding between the students, the administration (military and civilian), and the faculty. He also wants Aggies to better uphold their reputation as gentlemen which has been built up in years past. West is a Liberal Arts student, and is majoring in Mathematics and minoring in English. As to his future, that is rather uncertain, but he has taken some West Point ex aminations and is expected to leave for there in July. home to join General Pershing’s punitive expedition into Mexico in 1916. An expert rifleman at 16, when World War I came he went to France with the A.E.F. in 1917. He was on front-line duty for ten months and took part in six major engagements in which he was wounded by machine gun bullets and gassed. He was awarded the Croix de Guerre with Palm for carrying or ders under fire and was cited three times in divisional orders. The day of the Armistice, Lodge and some of his war-toughened bud dies stood on a firing step discuss ing the future of Europe. That conversation, and others, have pro vided the backgrounds for Lodge’s famous Armistice Day stories car ried by The Associated Press. After the Armistice, Lodge stay ed in Europe with the armies of (See J. N. LODGE, Page 6) Former Students Board of Directors Will Meet Here by W. E. Denson The Board of Directors of the Former Students Association will hold their annual spring meeting on the campus Saturday and Sun day of this week. Approximately fifty members will be in atten dance including George B. Morgan of Beaumont and Doctor Verne Scott who will visit with their sons. The directors will be quartered in Wharton Hall during their stay on the campus. S. A. Liscomb and W. F. Mun- nerlyn, local directors will be hosts to the directors at a barbecue Sat urday night. President Rufus H. Peeples, Class of ’28 from Tehuacana, Tex., will preside over the business meet ing which will begin Saturday afternoon and adjourn Sunday at noon. Three issues are apparent as subject matter for the discussion at the meeting, they are: the for mulation of a policy regarding the annual meeting normally held at commencement, but now prohibit ed by ODT restrictions; proposed changes in the by-laws of the as sociation; and further discussion of the Student Memorial Center or Union Building which is to be built on the campus after the war. Seniors Anticipate Large Crowd At Show By L. A. Calahan Saturday, March 24, the senior class will present a stage show at Guion Hall, which is slated to be gin promptly at 2:00. The senior class has gone to great length to furnish the cadets with some good and unusual entertainment which should add greatly to the big week end. The stage show is expected to last around 50 or 60-minutes, and will feature various types of mu sical numbers. Some of those par ticipating in the show are: Mari lyn Crabtree, graduate of T.S.C.W., who can really beat out the boogie on a piano. Zaider Watson, from Sam Houston State Teachers Col lege, who will sing a few blue num bers, and Jane McCulloch, also from Huntsville, will take off with a couple of hot licks on the trum pet. Soloists for the performance are Audrey Williams of T.S.C.W., and Burl Ervin of the A. & M. Singing Cadets. Five charming la dies from T.S.C.W. will present a Can-Can number, those participat ing being Eloise Cooper, Sister Mc Coy, Martha Reiger, Betty Jo Holmes and Patsy Durham. Patsy Durham and Jean McConnell will also sing a duet in another number. The Aggieland Orchestra, under the direction of W. M. Turner, will also accompany some of the num bers, and will also present some of its own numbers. The senior class has succeeded in getting an impersonator from Bryan Field to appear on the program, and it is rumored that he has stolen many a camp show with his impersona tions. Students are reminded that the tickets for the stage show are also good for the regular feature which will be presented directly after the show. Tickets are 50<f per person and can be bought from any com pany commander, or a Guion Hall Saturday afernoon. Members of the ASTP units stationed on the campus have been cordially invited to attend the performance and are reminded that they can purchase their tickets at the door Saturday. Annual Inspection Determines Cadet Rating Honor Star Has Been Held Since ROTC Began By Bill Withers Top event on the Corps Calen dar next week will be the federal revue to be held next Tuesday, March 27th. This is an annual in spection, and its pprpose is to de termine the rating of the A. & M. cadet corps, and to see whether or not the corps will be able to keep the Blue Star, which is the symbol of a rating of excellent. This in signia also designates an honor unit, and that is the highest rating which an R.O.T.C. unit of the type we have here can attain. According to Colonel Bennett, the inspecting officers will be Col onel Beverly Coiner and Major Roberts, both from Dallas. Colonel Coiner is head of all ROTC and ASTP units in the Eighth Corps Area. Major Roberts was once sta- J. H. Jones Is Judge At Fort Worth Show John H. Jones of the Division of Range Animal Husbandry of the Experiment Station judged the fat lambs at the Fort Worth Fat Stock Show. The Grand Champion lamb of the show, a Shropshire, was entered by Oklahoma A. & M. College. The Fort Worth Club paid $300 for this animal. The Reserve Champion was a Southdown shown by Cloyce Ter rell of Plainview, Texas. Swift & Company paid $200 for this lamb. This Reserve Champion was also the Champion of the boys’ lamb show. The Grand Champion Car load of 50 lambs was shown by Reagan County F.F.A. and 4-H Club boys of Big Lake, Texas, and the Reserve Champion Carload was shown by Sterling City F.F.A. club boys. The first prize group of 15 crossbred lambs was shown by Rea gan County F.F.A. and 4-H Club boys. There were approximately 400 lambs entered in the show, and, ac cording to Mr. Jones, the lambs of all classes were very creditably finished and fitted. tioned here at A. & M., and both men have been here before. Colonel Bennett also said, that the two of ficers will be on a tour of all ROTC units in the Eighth Corps Area and that they will stay here only Tuesday, and then they leave for Prairie View to inspect the unit there. The uniform prescribed for the revue will be the Number One, that is, blouses, khaki shirts, O. D. wool pants, tan wool ties, and khaki web belts for those taking Military Science. Other cadets who are not taking Military Science, but are still assigned to military organizations will wear dark wool serge blouses and pants, with khaki shirts, or the latter will also be permitted to wear dark wool serve shirts and pants, with tan wool ties and white web belts. The revue on which this ROTC unit is to be graded is slated for 1:30 p.m., but there will be another revue at 1:00 p.m. on the same day. The entire corps will participate in the first revue, but only those taking Military Science will be in the sec ond one. Following the second revue, Col onel Coiner and Major Roberts will inspect those cadets who have tak en part in it. They may also ask some of the various organizations to give demonstrations of close and extended order drill, Colonel Ben nett stated, adding that the offi cers will also visit classes and that the school will be graded on every phase of military work carried on here that is connected with the ROTC. He also announced that the first revue at 1:00 p.m. will not affect our grade, but that we.would be graded on the percentage of cadet taking Military Science that participate in the second revue, so there would probably be some sort of a check made on the attendance.' A. & M. has a proud record as a military school, in fact, we have had our rating of excellent and have been privileged to wear the Blue Star ever since the ROTC was formed. Alden B. Dow, One of Nation s Leading Architects, To Visit Campus Mar. 27-28 Alden B. Dow, one of the na tion’s front-rank architects, will spend March 27 and 28 with the faculty and students of the A&M Department of Architectui’e, Ernest Langford, department head, has announced. Dow will deliver lec tures to students enrolled in arch itecture and will advise with the department on current trends in architecture. Among Dow’s better known works in Texas are the Dow Chem ical Company plant at Freeport and the Lake Jackson village which surrounds it. This village was transformed almost overnight from the heart of a forest of oak and pecan trees to a modern city thoughtfully developed to become an architectural showplace. He is a son of the founder and a brother of the president of the Dow Com pany. When Temple citizens called up on leading Texas achitects to sub mit designs for a postwar 36th Division Memorial, Dow entered the contest and his plans were the ones accepted. Dow’s professional honors also have included the Diplome de Grande Prix for Residential Arch itecture given at the 1937 Indus trial Exposition in Paris. He also Alden B. Dow holds patents on unit cinder blocks and plastic building units. In discussing his own works, Dow comments that his thoughts are primarily architectural and urges upon architects thay they “create a theory that the public can understand; in order words, a common language.” “Today I do nothing that I can not reasonably explain, at least to myself,” he added. “In this age the artist’s job is to put the finishing touches to science; to use science as a tool for, after all, architecture is refined as an art and organized as a science. “I believe real greatness in arch itecture will not come until we en ter the scientific stage. We first must realize, however, that crea tions and inventions are never ac cidents, but always products of reasoning. When we accept this fact, then the great job for our profession will be to record the reasoning processes at work and organize them into a science of architecture.” Dow is resident architect in Michigan, Texas and Illinois. Until recently his headquarters were in a beautifully designed office build ing at Midland, Mich. Now he also has offices in the Commerce build ing at Houston, and likely will spend more of his time in the fu ture in the latter place. A graduate of th Engineering School at the University of Mich igan, Dow toured extensively in Japan and Europe before going to Columbia University to study arch itecture where he got his degree some 14 years ago. i