Texas A&M
Y. M. C. A. Forum
Starts Tonight
The B
College
alion
Swimming Team
Meet S.M.U.
PUBLISHED IN THE INTEREST OF A GREATER A&M COLLEGE
VOLUME 46
COLLEGE STATION (Aggieland), TEXAS, THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 1947
Number 46
Joann Dobbs of Menard Elected
13th Annual Cotton Ball Queen
Third Fee Installment
Due Fiscal Office
Board to April 21 $ 39.60
Room Rent to April 21.... 8.25
Laundry to April 21 .... 2.90
Total $ 50.75
Aggie Players ‘Murder’ Last
Time Tonight and Tomorrow
New YMCA Forums
Start Tonight With
C. C. Doak Leader
Dr. C. C. Doak, head of the
biology department, will present
the first in a series of four
YMCA forums this evening at
7:15 o’clock in the YMCA. His
subject will be the “Biological
Aspects of Marriage”.
The Y forums are the contin
uation of discussions started by
Dr. W. H. Alexander during
Religious Emphasis Week. It
is hoped that the get-togethers
will grow into campus-wide or
ganizations, probably with guest
speakers to lead discussions.
Next on the list of Y forums
is Dr. Dan Russell, of the agri
cultural economics and Sociology
Department.
Miss Joann Dobbs of Menard will reign as Queen of the
Agronomy Society’s 13th Annual Cotton Ball and Pageant
to be held here April 18.
Eight Duchesses were selected
for the Pageant and Style Show.
They were:
Patsy Jo Jones—Dallas
Roberta Hampton—Ft. Worth
Margaret Ann Browning—
Sherman
Alleen Williams—Temple
Billie Walker—Midland
Tesse Hiller—Victoria
Betty Jane Ellis—Dallas
Lucie Davis—El Dorado, Ark.
Alternates:
Polly Carroll—Lamesa
J ane Adamson—Little Rock,
Ark.
The royalty was chosen from 32
nominees—eight from each class
—elected at T. S. C. W. class
meetings.
A committee composed of Eu
gene Vacek, King of Cotton, John
Stanford, president of the Agro
nomy Society, Andrew Moore, Ber-
tis Richey, Roy Anderson, Robert
Moore, Herschel Ellis, Clan An-
terson, Douglas Kuehn, Mrs. Man
ning Smith, and J. M. Mogford
made the trip to Denton to select
the Queen and the Duchesses.
The pageant will be held in the
DeWare Field House with over
200 duchesses representing various
clubs and groups over the state
in attendance. The T. S. C. W.
Caperettes will appear in the pa
geant. The purpose of the ball and
pageant is to finance general cot
ton tours of the United States and
Mexico for the agronomy students.
The ball will be held in Sbisa
Hall and music furnished by the
Aggieland Orchestra.
They Sing On Town Hall Tuesday Evening
‘I Am American’ Day
Proclaimed by Truman
President Truman proclaimed
Sunday, May 18 as “I Am an Am
erican Day” and called on federal,
state, local and private agencies
to hold commemorative exercises.
The ceremonies, he said, will be
to “help our citizens better to un
derstand their privileges and re
sponsibilities as particSpants in
our presentative democracy, to the
end that world peace and domes
ticity may be attained and perpet
uated.”
The celebration is an annual
affair to honor those who have
become naturalized and those who
have become of age during the
year.
Bryan YA Office
Changes Hours
Bryan Contact Office of the Vet
erans Administration began a new
schedule this week, John R. Var-
nell, Contact Representative, an
nounced today.
On Mondays the office will be
open from 8 a. m. until 4:30 p. m.
On Tuesdays through Fridays the
office will open at 9 a. m. and
close at 4:30 p. m. On Saturdays
the office will be open only from
9 a. m. until 1 p. m.
The Bryan Contact Office is lo
cated on the second floor of the
City Hall.
Need for Teachers
In Vet Agriculture
Program Cited
“The Veterans’ Agricultural
Training Program needs four hun
dred instructors”, B. C. Davis, State
Supervisor of Veterans’ Education,
stated Monday evening while speak
ing to the Collegiate F. F. A.
Chapter.
A college degree with twenty-
seven hours of technical agricul-
ure are the only qualifications re
quired; however, a farm back
ground and a desire to work with
adults are additional beneficial
qualifications, Davis added.
“County Vocational Schools for
Veterans are paying $3032 per
year base pay plus expenses”, he
said.
In concluding the informal dis
cussion of the Veterans Training
Program, Davis urged graduating
agricultural seniors who qualify
as instructors to consider this
field of employment.
U. S. to Observe
Army Week April 6-12
By W. K. Colville
America will observe Army
Week, April 6-12, and “A strong
America is a peaceful America”,
has been selected as the theme for
this year’s observance. In all ac
tivities across the nation it is
planned to acquaint citizens with
the relationship between an ade
quate Army and the national se
curity, and the role of the entire
Army. This includes the National
Guard of the United States, the
Organized Reserve Corps, and the
Reserve Officer’s Training Corps.
Citizens will be acquainted in the
n a t i o n’s security establishment,
and in the maintenance of the
peace which has been won at so
great a price.
Make Arrangements
Before March 20
Clubs and organizations are
reminded that pictures for the
1947 LONGHORN must be made
before March 20. Arrangements
should be made with the A. & M.
Photo Shop so that pictures can
be taken before that deadline.
Athletic Director
ToBe Chosen Soon
The Athletic Council is at pre
sent devoting serious consideration
to the choice of a capable Ath
letic Director, according to C. W.
Crawford, chairman of the council.
Crawford further stated that he
expected the council to meet with
in the next two weeks for discus
sion of possible candidates, and if
a suitable man is found, to take
action at once towards securing
his services.
“The Athletic Director’s duties
will cover the whole field if inter
collegiate sporting activities in
cluding minor as well as major
sports. He will also administrate
approximately nine-tenths of the
athletic fund. This will take many
of the details as to management
off the shoulders of the Athletic
Council and leave them only to
govern the . athletic policies of A
& M,” Crawford said.
Singing on Town Hall next Tuesday will be the SINGING CADETS, Aggie Glee Club that is gaining
a statewide reputation for their versatile choral performances. Ably directed by Bill Turner, the Ca
dets have made several out of town appearances this year and are planning more.
Navy Recruiters In
Goodwin Daily For
Inactive Reserves
Representatives from the Navy
will be in Room 207, Goodwin Hall
to enlist men in the Inactive Naval
Reserve. From 8 a. m. to 5 p. m.
daily these recruiters will answer
queries and give information on
the new branch of the Navy.
The group will be here through
Saturday.
A part of the Navy’s plan to
enlist a million men as a reserve
force, this set-up provides a way
of keeping enlistees up with the
new advancements and still re
maining a civilian. The enlistee re
ceives credit for longevity pay, is
not obligated to perform any duty,
may advance in rate, and is not
subject to draft to service except
in the event of a national emer
gency.
Both veterans and non-veterans
are eligible to join the V-6 pro
gram as it is called. Men 17 to
40 from the army, 17 to 64 from
the navy, marines or coast guard,
and non-veterans from 17 to 18%
and 30 to 40 may enlist. Veterans
heed no new physical examinations.
The periods of enlistment is a
minority or four years.
Men wishing to enlist are asked
to bring with them the original
or photostatic copies of their dis
charge papers.
Lynch Tells Kiwanians
Petroleum Here to Stay
S. A. Lynch, head of the depart--f
ment of geology, told Kiwanians
Tuesday that the value of petro
leum and its products are to be
enjoyed for many generations to
come, notwithstanding conflicting
claims that reserves are inade
quate.
At some future time, however,
Americans may find that natural
gas is far too valuable a resource
to be used for heating and cooking,
since its potentialities for manu
facture of other products are vast.
Mr. Lynch said the origin of
petroleum has not been determin
ed despite some twenty years of
research on the subject. He did
say, however, that knowledge is
increasing daily and methods are
being improved constantly to the
point where maximum recoveries
are to be made wherever deposits
are located.
The first well drilled in the Uni
ted States in 1859 at Oil Creek,
Penna., was 69 feet deep. This
year in the Caddo, Oklahoma, field
a well will be drilled to a depth
of 17,000 feet.
There were 424,286 producing
wells last year, 30,000 of which
were drilled last year. The daily
average production of all wells
last year was 11.3 barrels, and 75
percent of producers are wells of
the stripper type, with very low
production. Some 80 fields produc
ed more than 50 percent of the
oil in 1946, when a total of 4.7
million barrels were recovered. The
East Texas field is still the world’s
largest oil producing area. Known
oil reserves today are 12.3 times
last year’s production, but this
does not mean that all of the
known reserves will be exhausted
in a dozen years, Lynch pointed
out.
Production of oil during the war
years was far in excess of new dis
coveries, the speaker said, but since
the war has ended the position has
somewhat improved.
Lynch was very hopeful that a
method would be perfected to re
cover oil from shale deposits. It
now costs from seven to nine cents
per gallon to produce gasoline
from shale, he said, but when cost
is reduced a large reserve will be
tapped from this source.
Texas is first in natural gas,
natural gasoline, and future re
serves of gas and oil, and has the
largest oil field, Lynch concluded.
‘Kind Lady’ to Be
Next Play Produced
By Aggie Players
by J. K. B. Nelson
“Kind Lady” has been chosen
as the next play on the roster of
the Aggie Player’s productions,
and will be directed and presented
by Art Angrist, April 30 and May
1-2.
Written by Edward Chodorov,
“Kind Lady” was very successful
on Broadway, featuring Gladys
George in the leading role. Many
colleges, universities, and little
theatre groups all over the coun
try produced the play.
Contrary to the idea lent by the
title, “Kind Lady” is by no means
an effiminate dramatization. It
has a psychological inclination, and
the plot is concerned with the at
tempts of a befriended crook to
embezzle the fortune of the “kind
lady” who took him in to her
household by trying to convince
her that she has lost her mind and
is no longer capable of adminis
trating her estate. A thorough
treatment of this interesting plot
results in a gripping drama that
is expected to rival all previous
productions put on by the Aggie
Players.
All Had a Time,
Seeing ‘The Time’
There was comedy on the screen
and murder in the aisles at a Dal
las movie the other night in an
unexpected double - feature. The
movie was three fourths filled
when a man walked into the audi
torium, surveyed the audience,
found his ex-wife seated with her
ex-second husband, and fired twice
to kill his rival instantly.
As he started to run toward the
entrance, he was overpowered by
two male patrons. Although the
slaying was a startling and unex
pected event, few patrons left the
theatre. Virtually everyone stayed
on to see the rest of the comedy on
the screen, “The Time of Their
Lives.”
San Angelo Club to Meet
The San Angelo A&M Club
will meet tonight at 7 o’clock in
the Agricultural Building. All Ag
gies from that vicinity are invited
to attend.
Singing Cadets to Present
TownHall Program March 18
A. and M.’s Singing Cadets will appear on Town Hall
March 18, in a program of classical, semi-classical, and popu
lar choral music. Special features of the program will be
the Barber Shop quartet, a piano team, and three soloists.
Jason Moore, a faculty mem
ber tenor, will take the lead
solos in the famous Russian mar
ching song “Meadowland”, and the
popular song from Billy Rose’s
Casa Manana show, “The Night is
Young and You’re so Beautiful”.
Moore, the only faculty member
who has taken part in such a pro
gram since 1938, is in the archi
tecture department.
Leonard Perkins, baritone solo
ist from Ft. Worth, is a former
member of the Denton A Capella
choir, and has done extensive solo
work in the Armed Services. He
will sing the solo in the Cadets
arrangement of “The Lost Chord”.
Richard Alves, a senior from San
Antonio, will sing the tenor solo
in the song “Welsh Choral”.
Tommy Holcomb, a junior from
Bryan, will sing the tenor solos
in “Red River Valley” and “Dark
Eyes”.
The piano team, composed of
Leonard Perkins and Marvin
Brown, will play their arrange
ment of “Stormy Weather” and
“The Harmonica Player”.
According to director Bill Tur
ner, the program is designed to
please all types of listeners, and
the numbers range from “The Cre
ation” by Richter, to Cole Porter’s
“Night and Day”. The traditional
Aggie songs, which have been ar
ranged for the choir by Ken Dar
by, will comprise the greater part
of the last group.
Previously this year, the organ
ization has sung at TSCW and at
Sam Houston State Teachers Col
lege in Huntsville. They plan to
give several more out-of-town con
certs this spring including one in
Beaumont to be sponsored by the
Beaumont A&M Mother’s Club,
and a later concert for John Tarle-
ton Agricultural College in Steph-
enville.
Officers of the 1946-47 Singing
Cadets are: John Smith, president;
Leonard Perkins, vice-president;
Robert Leatherwood, business man
ager; and Thomas Smith, librar
ian.
Highway Course To
Be Held On Campus
Texas Highway Department of
ficials and employees gathered
here Tuesday for a business meet
ing on the eve of the twenty-first
annual Highway Engineering short
course, which was held Wednesday
and today.
The civil engineering depart
ment is joint sponsor of the short
course with the state highway de
partment.
Approximately 3 0 0 engineers
and highway technicians attended,
according to J. A. Orr, director of
the course.
Speakers for the various ses
sions, which covered modern trends
in highway design and personnel
training, included D. C. Greer,
state highway engineer chief; John
S. Redditt of Lufkin, chairman of
the state highway commission;
Colonel Ike S. Ashburn, executive
vice president of the Texas Good
Roads Association, Austin; Charles
H. Newell of Associated General
Contractors, Austin. In addition,
a number of highway department
specialists spoke.
A banquet was held Wednesday
night for the engineers and tech
nicians who attended the course.
Abilene Club Meets Tonight
The Abilene Club will elect of
ficers and make plans for selecting
a duchess for the Cotton Ball this
evening at 7:15 o’clock. The. spe
cial meeting will take place in the
YMCA.
By Ferd B. English
Tonight and tomorrow night the attention of “enter
tainment minded” people will be focussed on the stage of
the Assembly Hall, where the Aggie Players are present
ing a British play written by Emlyn Williams, “A Murder
Has Been Arranged”.
The members of the cast are"* -
volunteers who have given their
time and talents for the sake of
theatrical experience. As 'yett
there is no class being taught in
Dramatic Arts here at A. & M.,
due to an insufficient number of
students enrolled in the course
when it was first offered, but the
Thespian group hopes to encourage
others to join their ranks before
next semester and get a course in
dramatics authorized for the fall
The plot behind “A Murder
Has Been Arranged” involves the
inheritance of two million pounds
by one. Sir Charles Jasper. The
will granting the inheritance
stipulates that Sir Charles live
to be forty years old, because
in his youth he was plagued by
ill health, and the uncle leaving
him the money wanted to make
sure that he didn’t blow it in
his youth. Sir Charles is a very
prepossessed man, and when he
hears of a superstition concern
ing the old St. James theater of
London, he decides to hold his
fortieth birthday party on the
stage of the ancient building
in order to disprove the super
stition.
According to the superstition,
whenever someone was murdered in
the old London play palace a dumb
woman would walk into the theater
and she also would meet an un
timely end. After the death of
the woman, the ghost of the mur
dered man would return to the
scene to avenge his uncalled for
departure from this world.
The Murder
During the party, Sir Charles is
given a poisoned drink and suc
cumbs. The members of the party
are terrified, but a few are deter
mined to wait for the appearance
(See AGGIE PLAYERS, Page 4)
Lady Beatrice Jasper . . .
Mary O. Johnson
Shrouded in Mystery . .
Pat Kirkpatrick
Artillery Regimental Parade
Results Announced by Meloy
On Wednesday, March 5, the Field Artillery Regiment, command
ed by Cadet Lt. Colonel John H. Cochrane of Galveston, held a regi
mental review on the Infantry Drill Field east of Duncan Mess Hall.
The Field Artillery Regiment consists of two Battalions commanded
by Cadet Major Joe P. Mueller of Corpus Christi, and Cadet Major
J. E. Mortensen of Crystal City.
The units of this regiment were judged at this time as to their
military proficiencies and precision; the results of the judging has
been announced by Colonel Guy S. Meloy, P. M. S. & T. The first four
places are listed below:
1st Place
Battery H, Commanded by Major Jere Lewis of Overton
2nd Place
Battery G, Commanded by Captain J. L. Nichols of El Campo
3rd Place
Battery A, CAC, Commanded by Edward D. Bateman of Wills Point
4th Place
Battery B, Commanded by Captain Robert W. Martin of Dallas
W.P. Ward Dies At
Home Monday;
B&CU Member
Webb P. Ward, 64, passed away
at the family home, 1725 Ursu-
line Avenue in Bryan on Monday
night at 11 o’clock. He was a
member of the Building and Col
lege Utilities Department at the
time of his death.
Born in Cameron on October 25,
1882, Mr. Ward had been a resi
dent of Bryan for the past 55
years. He was a member of the
First Baptist Church and the local
Carpenters Union, 1855.
Surviving are his widow, Mrs.
Pearl Ward; three daughters, Miss
Lyndal Ward of Bryan, Mrs. J. L.
Kith of Houston, and Mrs. B. M.
Caldwll of Dallas; two sistrs, Mrs.
V. B. Henry of Houston and Mrs.
C. J. Pulliam of Glob, Arizona;
and two grandchildrn.
Funeral services, which were de
layed until the arrival of relatives,
were held for Mr. Ward at the
Hillier Funeral Home, Bryan at
10:30 this morning.
During ’46 Texas
Accidents Varied
Everyday Life
During the first year of peace
it was not altogether a great rush
for reconversion, but odd and fun
ny stories were numerous in all
of the Texas papers.
For a full weekend little Mary
Trussell, three and one-half year
old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jake
Trussell of Kingsville, had a bul
let lodged in her, yet there was
no pain. She had swallowed a .22-
caliber rifle bullet.
A veteran of World War II
named Jim Walls has now found
himself a new business from his
experience in the Air Corps. He
has formed a company, Aerox Com
pany, to treat hangovers by the
use of oxygen. (If he really wants
to make money, why doesn’t he
build a sub-station down here?)
Homer Goff, Texarkana desk
sergeant, said that he had heard
of everything when a visitor park
ed in town (it was a woman as if
you couldn’t guess) and didn’t put
a nickel in the parking meter, for
she thought it was a hitching post.
(Maybe that wasn’t the only rea
son. Uhm-m-m!)
Gary Lee, Electra rancher and
cattleman, was trying to vaccinate
his cow when it kicked and drove
the needle into Lee’s finger, giv
ing him a full dose of the serum.
(Most probably a V. M. major of
T. U.)
We Aggies are always unlucky,
for one day, (it was not the week
end of the Texas Tech-A & M
game this year) that a bibulous
boxcar loaded with BEER broke
loose, and slowly rolled down the
main streets of San Antonio on
Broadway in the busy daytime.
Truck Inspectors
Win Suit From Union
Because they exceeded union
standards of work during the war
at the Edgewater plant of the Ford
Motor Company, John Elvin and
Neil Smith, truck inspectors at
the plant, won awards of $3,500
each in libel action before Justice
J. Wallace Leyden in the New Jer
sey Supreme Court against Local
906 of the United Automobile,
Aircraft and Agricultural Imple
ment Workers of America, a CIO
affiliate.
Elvin and Smith inspected trucks
too fast to suit the union in the
winter of 1943-’44. They turned
out 18 or 20 trucks a day while
the pace set by the union was 12
or 14. The union took steps a-
gainst them for conduct unbe
coming a union man and later ex
pelled them.
Libel action came as a result
of articles printed about them in
the local’s monthly publication and
signed by Joseph Eccles, president
of the local, however the suit
against him was not pressed when
it was learned that he had not
written the articles.
Potter to Teach at U. of
Southern Cal During August
Dr. George E. Potter, professor
of zoology and pre-medical advisor,
has accepted an appointment to
teach during August at the Uni
versity of Southern California, lo
cated in Los Angeles.
He will teach Human Embry-
I ology.