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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 4, 1947)
Texas AsM File Now For Vet Club Offices The B College alion ‘It’s All Over Now’’ Page 2 Editorial PUBLISHED IN THE INTEREST OF A GREATER A & M COLLEGE VOLUME 46 COLLEGE STATION (Aggieland), TEXAS, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1947 in umber 32 Cadet Corps Is Reorganized After Five-Day Interval Promotion List Announced By Col. Meloy Yesterday Athletic Council Decision On Norton Issue Sent to President Texas Tech Contract Extended Three Years for San Antonio A decision regarding Head Coach Homer Norton was reached by the Athletic Council Saturday afternoon and will be sent in a confidential report to President Gibb Gil christ, C. W. Crawford, athletic council chairman, stated. Meeting in a four-hour session, the council considered demands by the A. & M. Ex-Student Association that Norton be replaced. President Gilchrist will make a report on the findings of the coun cil to the board of directors later this month, and no public an^ nouncement will be made until taht time, Crawford said. Coach Norton, Aggie head coach for the past 13 years, has been un der fire from ex-students since early in the 1946 football season when the*Aggies dropped three out of the first four games. “We hope that whatever comes out of this meeting this afternoon will be beneficial to all concerned,” Craw ford declared, but declined to give any hints as to matters discussed or decisions. Former students have asked that Norton, whose contract does not expire until August 31, 1950, be re placed and the contract be dis solved. Recently, Norton has been men tioned in connection with the coaching position vacancy which now exists at the University of California. The announcement from California was supposed to have been made after the national coaches meeting held the early part of last month. Norton was closeted with the council for nearly three hours while routine business was discus sed. One member of the council, C. D. Ownby, disqualified himself from the discussion on the Norton issue, saying that he was employed by the athletic department and under direct supervision of the coach and athletic director. Ownby is busi ness manager of athletics at A. & M. Another member, S. A. Lips comb, who was in Corpus Christi at the time, telephoned his vote to the Athletic Council. Red Raider Contract It was announced that the coun cil took action extending A. & M.’s contract with Texas Tech another three years. This decision was reached in conjunction with the San Antonio chamber of commerce in which city the Red Raiders and Aggies will play through the 1950 football season. Final Date for Ordering Senior Ring Favors Feb. 12 Orders for senior ring favors are now being taken in the Stu dent Activities Office, Grady Elms, acting director, has an nounced. Cost of these favors is $2.50, and orders should be placed prior to Wednesday, Feb ruary 12. Learning How To Do It for Arabia Staff Member Will Attend National Medical Meeting Maurine Hearn, vice-director for women and state home demonstra tion agent, will represent the A. & M. Extension Service at the second annual meeting of the American Medical Association’s National Conference on Rural Health. The meeting will take place in Chicago, Illinois, February 6-8. Purpose of the conference is to give doctors and rural health workers an opportunity to ex change views' regarding vital ques tions in the development of a bet ter health service in rural com munities throughout the United States. Baby-Sitter Rules Associated Press, keeping a close eye on developments in the baby-sitter world, reported that Collector of International Revenue Francis R. Smith has ruled that fees paid to baby-sitters cannot be deducted from income-tax returns. “Paying someone for watching a baby is no different than paying someone for shoveling snow from the sidewalk,” said the collector. Camera Club to Meet The A. & M. Club will meet Monday, February 10, in the club- room, located in the basement of Guion Hall. The meeting will be gin at 7 p. m. Saddle and Sirloin Club The election of officers will be the purpose of the Saddle and Sir loin Club at its meeting tonight at 7:30 p. m. The club will meet in the AI lecture room. Marines’ Deaths Set Mark In World War II the Marine Corps proved the most perilous of the United States services as a whole, with a battle death rate of 4 per cent. San Antonio Sports Editor Blasts ‘Petition’ Squabble According to an Associated Press release, Bill Bellamy, sports editor of the San Antonio Evening News, added more fuel to the A. & M. football coaching, squabble when he re vealed in his daily column, “Strictly Sporting”, that the re fusal to sign a petition favoring the Aggie Coach Homer Norton, lost an Alamo City two-letterman his scholarship. Bellamy wrote: “We’d like to pause here mo mentarily to look into one of those petitions in circulation. As we understand it, one of several per sons on the athletic staff, including Lil Dimmitt, were canvassing the football dormitories for signatures of the players to the effect that the squad and Norton were just one big, happy family, etc. “Seems as if one burly San An tonio youngster who had lettered two years on the varsity didn’t like the idea of signing something he didn’t believe in, and he didn’t be lieve in Norton. Coincidentally (local A. and M. Club please take note), this lad, whose name we’re leaving out purposely so that he won’t be branded a trouble-maker, NORTON DENIES STORY Norton stated to newspaper men: “If they are talking about the same man I’m thinking of, it’s not true. That man left under far different circumstances than reported to the San Antonio News. His indifference and poor attitude were responsible. “As to coercion, the first I heard of the letter was when I returned from the trip to the Coast and to the coaches’ meet ing. It was written and signed while I was away.” was called on the carpet at the end of the semester last week and was told that ‘he didn’t fit into the picture and his scholarship would no longer be in effect.’ “It seems funny to our minds why a two-year letterman in a position that the Aggies are weak est and with two more years of eligibility left would be cut loose. Maybe we’re wrong, but this youngster is bitter about it all and at the present time is consid ering enrolling at Trinity Uftiver- sity. “lV(aybe the Aggie publicity bu reau should announce that two more lettermen—Mann Scott, half back, and Bill Johnson, center, have quit the squad and are slated to enroll at a California univer sity. “Something needs a washing be sides our dirty socks, especially if the ‘sign or else’ condition actual ly does exist or has existed in the present athletic setup.” Erroneous Statement The article by Bill Bellamy also stated that Tommy Johns, editor of The Battalion, was told to “lay off’ Norton in his editorials. This statement was erroneous in two ways. One, John is NOT the editor of the paper. Two, neither John nor the real editor, Allen Self, have been told to “lay off” Norton in editorials. Not even Larry Good win, vitriolic sports columnist of the Batt, has had any such threats. Thermo Books! The Mechanical Engineering Department requests all students who have Thermodynamics text books, and wish to either sell or lend them to leave their names in the departmental office. At present many students are still without texts, and there are no prospects of procuring them in the near future through reg ular channels. Reserve Officers to Hold Dinner-Dance Saturday Evening, Feb. 8, in Sbisa Hall The Brazos County Reserve Officers’ Association will sponsor a dinner-dance at Sbisa Hall Saturday, February 8, at 7:30 p. m., President E. N. Holmgreen has announced. In addition to the members of the Reserve Officers’ Association, all Navy, Marine, and National Guard x-eserve officers are invited to attend. Tickets Available Tickets at $2.25 per person are now available in College Station from the Agieland Inn, Lipscomb’s Pharmacy, George’s Confectionary, 'Sicf Loveless, Taylor Wilkins, and Grady Elms. In Bryan tickets may be obtained at Waldrop and Com pany. Music for the dance will be fur nished by the Aggieland Orchestra under the direction of Bill Turner. Men who desire rooms for their dates may make accommodations at the Placement Office in the Ad ministration Building. Ex-V-12 & V-5 Students May Get Credit for Advanced MS Col. Guy S. Meloy Jr., professor of militaxy science and tactics, announced January 31 that infor mation has been received which will allow credit toward advanced standing to ROTC for former stu dents of the Navy V-12 and V-5 programs. All students who desire to apply for advanced ROTC contracts util izing the provisions of this new di rective in lieu of basic ROTC train ing should apply at once to the Ad jutant’s Office, Ross Hall, for ver ification of service and to secure necessary forms. A smiling SAUDI ARABIAN prince learns about cotton breeding at A. & M. Crown Prince Saud Al-Saud last Saturday visited the college and was shown the latest research work in cotton® breeding. Left to right—Prince Saud, President Gibb Gilchrist, Dr. Afif Tannous, USD A, and Dr. Meta Brown, cyto geneticist of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. Behind Dr. Brown is Tom Richmond, agronomist. American Chemical Society Secretary, Business Manager to Speak Here Feb. 12 Alden H. Emery of Washington, D. C., national secretary and business manager of the American Chemical Society, will address the college section on Wednesday evening, February 12. His lecture will include the aims and activities of the American Chemical Society, the ♦’largest professional organization of scientists in the world, with 48,000 members and 112 local sec tions throughout the United States. Dr. William M. Potts, chairman of the local section, will preside at the session. A former official of the United States Bureau of Mines, Emery is a native of New Hampshire, and received his B.A. degree in chem istry from Oberlin College. After obtaining a Master of Arts degree from Ohio State University in 1923, Emery joined the staff of the Bureau of Mines as a chemist at the Pittsburgh Experiment Sta tion. In 1927 he went to Washing ton to take up administrative work in the bureau, later becoming as sistant chief engineer of the Bu reau’s Experiment Stations Di vision. He resigned in 1936 to become assistant manager of the American Chemical Society. In 1943 he was appointed assistant secretary and was elected secre tary and business manager a year ago. As a member of the American Institute of Mining and Metallur gical Engineers, Emery helped to establish the organization’s Indus trial Minerals Division, of which he was secretary in 1938 and vice- chairman in 1939. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and is the author of several Bureau of Mines Publica tion. Sophs Appoint Committees for ’Revue’ Feb. 28 Bearing the name of the Sopho more Sweetheart Revue, the an nual sophomore ball will be pre sented by the Class of 1949 on Friday evening, February 28, at 9 p. m. The dance will be held in Sbisa Hall to the music of the Aggieland Orchestra. The following committees have been appointed, George R. Ed wards, sophomore class president, announced. The invitation com mittee is composed of Chester M. Bell, Tniman G. aMrtin, Donald H. Barrett, Lee Holder, and James D. Bell. The decorations committee includes A. K. Jacobson, J. Fred Hambright, D. G. Kaspar, and Al len B. Bradshaw. John Orr, W. Hawes, Charles D. Glass, and Lar ry Kinnard are members of the refreshment committee, and the programs will be handed by Hiram Smith, James H. Simpson, and Bernard Kitchens. Deadline for Vet Club Filing Feb. 6 Nine vacancies in the Veter ans’ Association are now open, and students interested in filing may do so in the Student Acti vities Office prior to 5 p. m., February 6, Dave Bruce, acting president announced. Positions of president, vice-president, sec retary, treasurer, parliamentar ian, and sergeant-at-arms are open. Also, three members for the newly formed Mess Com mittee and one veteran on the Student Life Committee will be elected. Any veteran is eligible to file for any of the above-named pos itions. Voting will take place in the rotunda of the Academic Build ing on February 11-12, from 8 a. m. to 5 p. m. Yellow fee slips must be presented in order to cast a vote. Rio Grande Valley To Judge Beards Thursday A beard judging contest will be the principal feature of the Rio Grande Valley Club, when it meets Thursday, February 6, in the YM- CA, J. Tippit, reporter, revealed. The meeting will begin at 7 p. m. The “brush” is in preparation for Charro Days in the Rio Grande Valley from February 13-16. All students from that vicinity—and especially those with beards — are urged to attend. Thief May Get Stung The thief who took a box from the car of a California herpetolo gist may wish he hadn’t. The snake expert told police the box con tained three live rattlesnakes, com plete with fangs and poison ducts. Reappointed . . A fill > !l J '' - ■;/« 1 g Cadet Col. Ed Brandt 57 of 179 Cadet Officers Renamed; Majority Receive Old Commissions Cadet commissioned officers are once more in their po sitions of authority over the Cadet Corps, after a five-day period in which disorganization prevailed, following a mass midnight resignation. Col. G. S. Meloy, commandant, announced the revised promotion list to restored cadet officers in a meeting in Good win Hall Monday noon. * Only a skeleton organization of command ers and higher staffs exists under the present setup, but further pro motions will be announced soon, ac cording to the militai’y depart ment. Non-commissioned officers have been reinstated in an acting capac ity, subject to future approval by the new cadet officers. Majority Signs Late Friday afternoon, seniors began lining up to sign the appli cations for recommissioning as cadet officers. This action was precipitated by an order calling for all government property to be turned in to the authorities, and px-oviding for immediate movement of seniors from former cadet dor mitories. By 6 p. m. Friday evening, 143 senioj’s had signed the requests for commissions, which also embodied a pledge to obey orders of college and military authorities and as sessment of 10 demerits and 10 ex tra hours of duty. Tour of Clubs Teams of cadets toured to Ft. Worth, Dallas, Amarillo, and San Antonio to sample the sentiment of former students and to attempt to give exes the true picture of the situation and the causes for the protest. Sentiment both pro and con was discovered by these students but none of the clubs made a conclu sive move supporting either the students or the administration. President’s Statement President Gilchrist issued the following statement Monday: February 3, 1947. I have today approved the ap pointment of Cadet Officers sub mitted by Colonel G. S. Meloy, Jr. in his fe-organization of the Corps. Included in the list are 57 of the 179 Cadet Officers whose resigna tions were accepted by me early last Wednesday morning. Colonel Meloy advises that this first list is to initiate his reorgan ization and that he has not fully examined all of the applications. He still needs 30 to 35 commission ed officers in the Corps and will try to get them from the applica tions submitted. It looks now as though the commissions granted will not be much in excess of one- half the number who resigned. These young men have agreed in their applications to support the Basic Policy, and we are expecting them to do that. Gibb Gilchrist, President. In another statement issued Sat urday, President Gilchrist said, in part, “During the past semester, and before any grades had been re ported, 176 freshmen left school, 74 giving hazing as the principle reason. Reports now indicate 430 1 fi*eshmen who entered in Septem ber either resigned or were drop ped for deficient scholarship at the end of the semester. This repre sents approximately 48 percent of the freshmen students who were living with the corps of cadets and is indicative that conditions in the corps were not conducive to the pursuit of a college education.” CORPS STAFF Col. Ed Brandt, Lt. Col. Allen Self, Lt. Col. Joe Coddou, Major Philip Kosub. Infantry Band Captain Paul Allen, First Lt. State Press Jumbles Facts, Emphasizes ‘Paddle’ Issue By Allen Self Statewide press coverage of the cadet officer resignation and mid night march, with its consequent repercussions, brought curses and fervent denials from all quarters of the Aggie campus, but undoubted ly boosted sales. Only newspaper to send a cor respondent to A. & M. within a reasonable length of time was the Dallas News, which dispatched Charles Burton, veteran reporter, with instructions to get the full story from both sides and send back Reports giving the middle-of- the-road story. Burton’s first story, which was headlined with the news of the cadets’ request for President Gil christ’s ouster, was lauded jby corpsmen as the first unbiased version of the protest. The facts were straight, and both sides of the issue were equally represented. Byron Winstead, publicity direc tor for the college, and represen tative of the statewide wire serv ices as well, sent out the first news about the midnight march. His dispatches were printed in the Wednesday morning papers. Pro testing cadets considered adding him to their list of those whose resignations they were demanding, for they felt Winstead’s version was biased from the administra tion point of view, as he cited anti hazing regulations as the principal cause of the mass resignation. Winstead’s Defense Winstead said he had no other alternative but to report it as such, as.no written statement of cadet policy had ever been given him, while administration officials had been only too glad to air their views, with permission to quote fully. The garbled story which ap peared in Thursday’s Houston Post was not his doing, Winstead held. The news editor of the Post pulled out the seventeenth paragraph of his story concerning the resump tion of military formations, and made it the lead, according to Winstead. Then they boldly at tached untrue headlines to the story in order to give the impression that the “revolt” was over, when it was still going strong. The good, solid, unthinking San Antonio Express came through Saturday • morning with the most erroneous report of any, and pro claimed it to the world in 1%” double deck headlines on the front page—“188 A. & M. Cadet Officers Ousted Fi’om Corps”. In reality, practically every one of the cadet officers had already decided to take their medicine and sign back up when the Express hit the streets. The Express had misconstrued a threat as an actuality. Even Batt Slips Even The Battalion slipped once as, faced with changing situations and changing minds, it printed a late bulletin asserting Col. Meloy was recommending that the college revert to a civilian status. What the Commandant actually said was, “If the juniors and seniors fail to cooperate, I will have no other alternative than to recom mend that A. & M. be made a civil ian college.” Eagle Jumps Gun . Our neighbor, the Bryan Daily Eagle, headlined the assertion “TEXAS A&M IS NOT A MILI TARY COLLEGE TODAY”, which sounded like it would have been followed with “BY GOSH” if space had allowed. This statement was, of course, erroneous, as the military standing of the college had not changed ov ernight, even if there had been a midnight march on proxy’s home. Richard Alves, First Lt. Larry Mangold. Field Artillery Band Captain William S. Dixon. Infantry Regimental Headquarters Staff Lt. Col. H. C. Hosch. First Battalion Infantry Headquarters Staff Major B. Z. Strange. Company A, Infantry Captain Richard Reed. Company B, Infantry Captain Teddy Holekamp. Company C, Infantry Captain Oliver Potter. Company D, Infantry Captain Herschel Wood. Second Battalion Infantry Staff Major W. D. O’Hara. Company E, Infantry Captain Walter Higgins. Company F, Infantry Capain Thomas Eubank. Company G, Infantry Captain Donald Hudman. Company A, Signal Corps Captain Dean M. Denton. Artillery Regimental Staff Lt. Col. J. H. Cochrane, Major S. D. Davidson. First Battalion Artillery Staff Major Joe Mueller. Battery A, Field Artillery Captain F. M. McMillan. Battery B, Field Artillery Captain Robert Martin. Battery C, Field Artillery Captain C. T. Spence. Battery D, Field Artillery Captain Don Farrell. Second Battalion Artillery Staff Major J. E. Mortenson, Captain G. B. Bell. Battery E, Field Artillery Captain Vernon Hill. Battery F, Field Artillery Captain Arthur Haws. Battery G, Field Artillery Captain J. L. Nichols. Battery H, Field Artillery Major Jere Lewis. Battery A, Coast Artillery Captain Edward Bateman. Company A, Quartermaster Captain R. L. Moore, First Lt. J. J, Tores, First Lt. A. F. Moore, Jr. Composite Regimental Staff Lt. Col. Donald Nelson, Jr. Cavalry Squadron Major J. C. Dickson, Captain Michael Williams. Troop A, Cavalry Captain Joe Knight. Troop B, Cavalry Captain Charles Tate. Troop C, Cavalry Captain J. N. Miller. Troop D, Cavalry Captain C. W. Thoma. Troop E, Cavalry Captain Harrell Foitik. Engineer Battalion Major B. J. McCormick, Captain A. O. Hamon, First Lt. Oscar Jim enez. Company A, Engineers Captain C. W. Cecil. Company B, Engineers Captain W. J. Mannas. Company C, Engineers Captain Billy Bowden. Company A, Chemical Corps Captain R. F. Huston, First Lt. George Knox, First Lt. Earl Snavely. Army Air Force Group Major Edwin R. Daniels. Squadron A, AF Captain Tommy Blackstone. (See CADET CORPS on Page 4) '