‘AggielancT Or Bust!
Page 2 Editorial
Texas A*M
The B
Attend the Banquet
* Tomorrow Night
VOLUME 46
COLLEGE STATION (Aggieland), TEXAS, FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 1947
Number 25
The Model and the Man
‘Star Gazers’ To Unveil Dome,
Hear O. E. Monnig at Banquet
Amateur astronomers at A. & M., gathered into the
new Astronomy Club, will hold their first annual banquet
Monday night at Sbisa Hall, with a “double-feature” at
traction.
Oscar E. Monnig of Fort Worth,
one of the best-known amateur
astronomers in Texas, will be the
chief speaker of the evening. Mr.
Monnig, secretary of the Monnig
Department Store in Fort Worth,
has achieved a substantial scien
tific reputation for his studies of
meteorites.
A three-foot model of a pro
posed eighteen-foot telescope dome
will be unveiled by Prof. E. E.
Vezey of the Physics Department.
Erection of the dome is the first
goal set by the Astronomy Club,
and college authorities are con
sidering the proposal that a full-
size dome similar to the model be
erected on top of the Physics
Building. There it would house a
24-inch reflecting telescope, the
mirror for which is now being
ground by Prof. Vezey. This tel
escope would be the largest be
tween the eastern seaboard and
the huge MacDonald Observatory
in West Texas.
Student members of the Astron
omy Club assisted Prof. Vezey in
the design and construction of the
model dome. One of the special
features is an original method of
supporting the sliding doors, which
cover a slot in the dome when the
telescope is not in use.
The Astronomy Club was organ
ized only a few months ago, draw
ing its membership from a group
of students and faculty members
who had been meeting intermit
tently—in good weather—to look
at stars, meteorites and V-12 rock
ets through the 12-inch telescope
built by Prof. Vezey some years
ago. This instrument was not
protected from the weather, so the
mirror and other delicate parts
had to be kept in a closet. It was
necessary to set up and adjust the
telescope before each viewing, and
dissamble the apparatus after
ward. The awkwardness of these
conditions led the club, when or
ganized, to make the proposal for
an all-weather dome.
Dick Bolin, president of the club,
will be toastmaster at the dinner.
PROF. E. F. VEZEY, a fac
ulty member of the Astronomy
Club, working on the model of
a telescope dome proposed for
A. & M. The completed model
will be unveiled at the Astron
omy Club’s first annual banquet
at Sbisa Hall Monday night.
Military Plans to
Include Formation
Of ROIC Squadrons
Single Advanced ROTC
Students Will Move to
Dorm 9 With Air Corps
Two or more . ROTC Air
Corps squadrons will be form
ed next semester, according
to an announcement of the
Military Department, January 8.
Each squadron will contain 75
men. Plans are being made to in
clude both basic and advanced
ROTC Air Corps students.
Advanced students will fall un
der several classifications in re
gard to transfer from their pres
ent units to the Air Corps squad
rons. Those advanced cadets who
do not hold responsible commis
sions in the Cadet Corps will trans
fer to the Air Corps squadrons
next semester along with those
cadets who are studying basic at
MS 342, the advanced course
in aviation ROTC, is open to
those students, who have com
pleted the preliminary course,
College Station or Aggieland? Poll
Reveals the 'Ayes’ Seem to Have It
By Ferd English and Bob MacDonald
The Battalion’s recent sugges
tion of changing the name of Col
lege Station to “Aggieland” has
brought a favorable response from
the students. With such far-away
thoughts in mind, roving reporters
compiled a cross-section poll of
students, housewives, college offi
cials, and business men of “Col
lege Station.”
The question asked was: DO
YOU BELIEVE THE NAME OF
COLLEGE STATION SHOULD
BE CHANGED T O ‘AGGIE
LAND’ ? Below are printed the
findings of the twosome.
Librarian Comments
Paul S. Ballance, Librarian, sta
ted, “Since the institution is known
as Aggieland, I think it would be
well to carry forward that tradi
tion.”
Housewives Ponder
Mrs. T. R. McKinley, secretary
at J. C. Culpepper Realty Com
pany and housewife, replied to the
query, “I believe I’d be in favor
of ‘Aggieland’. More people know
about A. & M. than they do about
College Station.”
Mrs. C. A. O’Brien, housewife,
came forth with: “I’m sure it
wouldn’t make any difference to
me.”
Wife of Aggie ’39er, Mrs. A. L.
Carpenter, relied upon her hus
band but who wouldn’t talk. ‘Golly’,
said the young wife, “I don’t mind
at all if everyone wants to change
it. I think Aggieland -is nice—
prettier than College Station.”
Sermon
The Rev. R. L. Brown, of College
Station’s Baptist Church, answer
ed with: “College Station might
denote a small place. Changing
an ‘old’ name means a lot, but it
would better express what is loca
ted here, because College Station
rnight mean any college may be
lo*cated here. College Station does
not necessarily designate the place
where A. & M. is located—‘Aggie
land’ perhaps would.”
Postmaster Replies
Dr. Thomas O. Walton, postmas
ter, stated, “I hadn’t thought about
it. I’ve never understood why
they named it College Station in
the first place.”
He said that such a procedure to
change the name would necessitate
the approval of the Board of Di
rectors and the city jointly. How
ever, this statement w^.s only his
thoughts on the subject.
The Mayor Talks
“No; I don’t have any objections
to changing it if we can find a bet
ter name than Aggieland’, Ernest
Langford said. After prying him
a bit further, he slowly changed
his “no” to “yes”—indirectly.
Grammatically Correct
Dr. Thomas F. Mayo, head of
the English Department, was op
posed to the question, saying, “No!
I think Aggieland is unpleasantly
sentimental.”
Businessmen
Ray Oden, Southside Grocery
owner, replied with one word: “De
finitely!” (In favor, he means.)
Madeley Pharmacy’s owner, G. E.
Madeley, stated: “No, I don’t think
so. In the first place, you would
have about 6000 post office boxes
to change, also requiring Uncle
Sam’s permission. Business hou
ses would have to notify 35 to 65
firans, in addition to personal cor
respondents.”
S.A. “Doc” Lipscomb, of Lips
comb Pharmacy, answered, “Well,
that’s a pretty hard question. If
you’re going to stay with that
name Aggieland, I’d favor it all
right.”
Real estate man Paul Jones,
thinks, “It’s very appropriate. I’d
like to see it ‘Aggieland’ ”.
Students 100% in Favor
W. F. “Frosty” Moore, Class of
’47, said, “Principally, I think that
Aggieland simply sounds better,
and I feel sure it will prove ac
ceptable to everyone in College
Station.”
“I have met people in the past
who knew of Aggieland, but had
no idea as to the location of Col
lege Station—let’s change it!” re
plied Herbert Walne, junior, of
‘B” Battery Field Artillery.
Class of ’44 veteran Harold De-
Bona: “I think it’s a good idea
myself.”
Clyde H. Patterson, Jr., B Cav
alry junior, answered: “As it is
now, we are just about one in forty-
eight, because every state with a
large university in a small town
has a College Station. I am defi-
(See AGGIELAND, Page 4)
ino otjta*
a nere are iiuw vacan
cies in the MS 341 course foi
140 students who are accademic
ally classified as juniors or wh<
will graduate at the end of foui
semesters. (Figured from th<
end of this present term). Thos<
interested are asked to inter
view Lt. Colonel Hodge, PAS
& T, Room 25, Ross Hall.
present, and who intend to take ad
vanced instruction next semester.
However, advanced students who
do hold responsible cadet c o m-
missions will remain in their re
spective units until next Septem
ber.
The Air Corps units will be
housed in Dormitory 9, which is
now being used for veterans.
Along with this announcement,
the Military Department stated
two other changes in the present
military set-up.
Single Yets in Advanced ROTC
Unmarried veterans in advanced
ROTC will be formed into two
military organizations, and moved
into Dormitory 9 along with the
See AIR ROTC, Page 4
‘Contact Profs
About Absences’,
Clarifies Zinn
. Because of the cold weather ai
icy roads, many students were u
able to reach the College in tin
for regular classes Thursday, Ja
uary 2. Bennie A. Zinn, Assis
ant Dean of Men, stated that L
this reason many students ha * 1
requested excused absence slips.
“There is no excused absence
he stated, “and every absence r
suits in a part of the w o r
misssed”. It is the responsibili
of the student to contact instru
tors of classes missed, and,
agreeable with the instructor, tl
work may be made up. Such a
tion is especially desirable for st
dents on scholastic probation. “J
further action is required”, Zii
concluded.
Aggie Football and Cross Country
Teams To Be Feted Tomorrow Night
Serge for Sophs-
Fish,in Proposed
Uniform Revision
Senior Class Opposes
Change; Distinctive
Uniform Considered
By Allen Self
First surprise of the new
year came Monday night at
the Senior Class meeting in
the “Y” Chapel when Cadet
Col. Ed Brandt announced that the
uniform for the A. & M. cadet
would undergo a change embody
ing officer-type green serge blous
es and trousers for freshmen and
sophomores, replacing the O D
wool, if orders from Washington
come through as expected.
Under the new uniform issue,
Brandt explained, basic ROTC
cadets will receive green serge
blouse and trousers, and an officer-
t y p e short overcoat. Advanced
students, both juniors and seniors
will be issued pink trousers as
well, he stated, adding that juniors
could easily be prohibited from
wearing pinks. Possible distinc
tive uniform combinations were
also suggested by the Cadet Colon
el.
Opposition Air Views
The announcement threw a
bombshell into the meeting, with
individual members of the class
protesting against the destruction
of the uniform class distinction
tradition. Others defended the
proposed change on the basis of
better and r - neater appearance in
ranks and on the campus.
In order to clear up prevalent
misunderstandings concerning the
change, Brandt suggested that the
class meet with Col. G. S. Meloy,
PMS&T on the following night.
Committee to Probe
With the sentiment of the class
in mind, class ’president Bill Mc
Cormick appointed a delegation of
Ed Brandt, Shannon Jones, Tom
my John, and Allen Self to go
with him to visit college officials
and investigate the possibility of
remaining under the present issue
or of obtaining a distinctive uni
form for the cadets.
Meloy Clarifies
The fact that this would be a
change for only the period between
now and June, 1948 was pointed
out by Col. Meloy in the Tuesday
night session of the class. He as
sured members that distinctive
markings showin^class distinction
could be sewn on blouses.
Queried about whether A. & M.
could establish its own distinctive
cadet uniform, Col. Meloy replied
that it would be possible when the
interim period ends in June, 1948,
according to a letter received by
him from Maj. Gen. Breese, chief
of the ROTC section in Washing
ton.
This spring is probably the last
time that blue lapelled blouses will
be worn by basic cadets, as the
Exchange Store is now packing
all the surplus shipment. OD blous
es of the type worn by enlisted
See UNIFORM, Page 4
Additional Flight
Courses on List .
For Next Semester
A new series of flight training
courses will be offered during the
spring semester at A. & M., Dean
of Engineering Howard W. Barlow
announced today.
Starting parly in February, cour
ses leading to private or commer
cial pilot’s licenses and flight in
structor ratings will be offered.
The courses are open to any per
son, whether an A. & M. student
or not, Barlow said.
Tuition for the private pilot
course is $457.80 and for flight
instructor, $338.50. Cost of the
commercial pilot course has not
yet been computed, inasmuch as
it will extend over three semes
ters.
Veterans may have the cost of
flight training deducted from their
college entitlement under the GI
Bill of Rights, Barlow pointed out,
adding that most of the students
in previous classes have been vet
erans.
In addition to a license, the
student successfully completing
the flight course receives schol
astic credit in aeronautical en
gineering. The private pilot
course, listed as Aero 221, car
ries three credit hours for 35-45
hours of flight and 36 hours of
ground school.
All flight is conducted at East-
erwood field, the college-owned
airport, where hundreds of A. &
M. men have learned to fly in the
past.
A meeting of prospective flight
trainees will be called in mid-Jan
uary, Barlow said.
Speaker of Evening Will Be Eddie Dyer of St. Louis Cards;
Bryan’s A Capella Choir To Present Numbers; Dance Follows
-f
Skiles to Assist
Attorney General
On 6-Month Leave
Student Activities
Director to Become
Executive Assistant
Joe Skiles, director of Student
Activities, has announced that he
will take six-months’ leave of ab
sence from the college in order to
accept appointment as executive
assistant to the attorney general
of the state of Texas. Mr. Skiles
made this announcement at a meet
ing of the Battalion staff Wed
nesday night.
Joe Skiles
Skiles has served as director of
Student Activities since his ap
pointment in 1941, with the ex
ception of time served in the army
from 1942 to 1945. During the
leave of absence, Grady Elms will
serve as acting manager, and Ro
land Bing will continue as editor
ial advisor.
Prior to his appointment as di
rector of Student Activities here
at A. & M., Skiles practiced law
in Denton, Texas for eight years.
He served in the Texas legislature
as representative from Denton
County. During his term in the
legislature, Skiles became a friend
of Price Daniels the new state at
torney-general.
Three-Day Course
For Drivers to Be
Held in February
Enrollment Limited to
50 Registrants, Says
Head E. L. Williams
Enrollment in the third annual
short course on driver training for
automotive fleet supervisors will
be limited to 50, E. L. Williams,
head of the Industrial Extension
Service and course director, an
nounced. “Attendance at this
course, to be held here February
10-14, is limited to a total of 50
in order to provide more effective
instruction and demonstration”,
Williams stated.
Prospective registrants are
urged by Williams to submit their
$10 registration fee immediately
to be sure of a place in the class
es.
Commercial Driving Subjects
Problems of testing, selecting
and training of commercial vehicle
drivers and safe and efficient op
eration of fleets are among the
subjects to be covered in the
course.
The annual course, which is held
all over the nation and bears the
endorsement of a number of na
tional automotive institutions, is
sponsored in Texas by the Texas
Motor Transportation association,
with headquarters at Austin, and
the Texas State Board for Voca
tional Education.
The Institute of Public Safety
of Pennsylvania State College
manages the course, and arrang
es for experts in the automotive
and safety fields to instruct in
each state.
Williams said that truck fleets
which have adopted the methods
taught have cut accident frequen
cy by as much as 50 percent in
the first year of operation.
Rooms and meals for regis
trants will be available on the
campus, Williams said. A ban
quet is planned for Thursday
night, February 13, and certifi
cates will be presented those
completing the intensive course
of instruction.
Athletes who wore maroon and white during the fall
sports season will be honored tomorrow night at Sbisa Hall.
Letters will be presented to members of the 1946 football
and cross-country teams at the second apnual football party
staged by the Brazos County A. & M. Club and the school
Athletics Council.
The occasion is much older than4
the phrase “second annual” seems
to indicate, as this affair takes the
place of two other events of long
traditions, the “T” football ban
quet and the Brazos County exes’
banquet for the football team.
Eddie Dyer, man of the year in
baseball, will be the chief speaker
of the evening. Dyer, once a base
ball star for Rice Institute,
achieved baseball immortality last
season when he took over the St.
Louis Cardinals early in the year.
He led them as manager to a Na
tional League pennant, and then
startled the country as he led them
to an upset victory over the Bos
ton Red Sox in the World Series.
Tomorrow night’s affair will be
gin at 7:00, at which time dinner
will be served. The committee has
asked all those coming to ge\; to
their tables by 6:45, so that the
banquet may start on schedule.
The Aggieland Orchestra will play
dinner music.
The A Cappella Choir of Stephen
F. Austin High School, Bryan, will
sing several numbers at the end
of the dinner, one of them being
an arrangement of “The Spirit of
Aggieland.” This choir has re
ceived national honors, and their
singing of the Aggie school song
ojpened the radio broadcast of the
San Jacinto Day memorial last
spring.
Homer H. Norton, head foot
ball coach, will name the boys on
this year’s squads who are to
receive their letters. The actual
presentation of the emblems will
be made by C. W. Crawford,
chairman of the athletic council.
Cross-country emblems will be
presented by Track Coach Frank
Anderson.
their home communities. These
boys and their sponsors will be
seated near the Aggie players, and
will each be introduced by name.
After Dyer’s talk, the hall will
be cleared for dancing, and the
Aggieland Orchestra will play
from 9:30 to midnight.
Tickets have been available at
many places both in College Sta
tion and Bryan, and it is ex
pected that a thousand people
will turn out to honor the Ag
gie athletes. The $2 charge in
cludes both the banquet and the
dance. Those attending may
Eddie Dyer
The Lipscomb-M unnerlyn
award, the Bert Pfaff best-
blocker award, and the most-
valuable-player award will also
be made at the dinner.
W. R. Carmichael, principal of
Stephen F. Austin High in Bryan,
will be toastmaster. •
High School Guests
Special honor guests will include
many high-school athletes, brought
to the dinner by Aggie-exes of
come either formally or inform
ally dressed.
The late J. T. L. McNew was
originally named as chairman for
the banquet. Since his death, the
duties have fallen upon Tad Moses
of the Extension Service, assistant
chairman. Active in committee
assignments have been many of
the college faculty and staff, stu
dents, and Brazos County business
men.
Program
FOOTBALL AND CROSS COUNTRY BANQUET
Sbisa Hall, 7 p. m.—January 11, 1947
Toastmaster, W. R. Carmichael
Invocation Rev. R. C. Terry
Pastor, First Methodist Church
Dinner Music by Aggieland Orchestra
Songs 4 A Cappella Choir
Stephen F. Austin High School
Introduction of Guests—
Presentation of Cross Country Lettermen
- Coach Frank Anderson
Presentation of Football Lettermen Coach Homer Norton
Presentation of Letters C. W. Crawford
Chairman, Athletic Council
Presentation of Special Awards
W. F. Munnerlyn and Bert Pfaff
Address Eddie Dyer
Manager, St. Louis Cardinals
Dance Music by Aggieland Orchestra
SEEING IS BELIEVING . . .
If You Have an Open Mind
And Want It Read, See Polgar
By George E. Yowell
Dr. Franz Polgar, the mind
reader, will appear on Town Hall
at Guion Hall Wednesday, January
15, at 8 p. m.
Polgar has the distinction of
being able to convert people to
believe the ideas of mind reading,
mental telepathy, and power of
suggestion, of which he is master
of all three. Polgar’s hypnotic
stare is just as an effective means
of gaining sleep as taking sleeing
tablets.
Once in displaying his mind
reading abilities, Polgar memor
ized the entire list of names and
rooms at the hotel where he was
staying. Later at a show he was
able to name the person when
ever their room number was giv
en, or vice versa. When his own
room number was called, he was
unable to call out the correct
answer because he had forgotten
to memorize his own number.
He also quite frequently forgets
wedding anniversaries and birth
days.
Polgar got his start at a Detroit
Town Hall Forum several years
ago. He spent his youth in Hun
gary and finished high school in
time to enlist in the army during
World War I. A shell explosion
on the Italian front caused him to
lapse into amnesia and aphasia.
Unable to talk or hear, Polgar had
to rely on his exceptionally keen
mind to make his way while in
the hospital. After he had recov
ered, he returned to his native
land and took up the study of
psychology and power of sugges
tion.
Coming to America, Polgar
first took a job as waiter in a
restaurant in Yorkville, a sec
tion of New York City with a
large German population. He
attracted notice there by read
ing the minds of the customers
when they peered over the menu
and then bringing their orders
without being told. Night clubs
and circus side shows immediate
ly made him offers, but Polgar
See POLGAR, Page 4 “