NEWS
In Brief
TWO MEN CHARGED IN
STEPHENVILLE MURDER
STEPHENVILLE, Tex. Feb. 8—
—Robert Bagwill, 17, yester
day was charged with murder in
the robbery-slaying Jan. 28 of
Crockett Ross, service station op
erator here.
Bagwill and another man, Dan
White, 48, were in jail here. White
was charged as an accomplice,
said District Attorney Sam Cleve
land. Both men were arrested
about 5:30 p. m. Sunday in Ver
non. The pair were ■ brought here
Monday.
Sheriff Ed Luttrell of Vernon,
who assisted in the arrest of Bag-
will and White, said property mis
sing in burglaries at Sapulpa and
Tulsa, Okla., and Vernon, Crowell,
Electra, Childress, Quanah and
Amarillo in Texas was recovered.
The property included cash, jew-
elry and other items valued at $12,-
000, said Luttrell.
Cleveland said Bagwill has been
recently of Vernon and Mineral
Wells and came from Holdenville,
Okla., his birthplace. White is
from Mineral Wells, said Cleve
land.
Cleveland and Sheriff Robert E.
George of Stephenville went to
Vernon last night to question the
pair. Texas Rangers were assist
ing in the investigation.
COAST GUARD RECEIVES
GULF DISTRESS MESSAGE
NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 7 —(A?)
The Coast Guard said yesterday it
had received word of a ship In dis
tress in the Gulf and had sent
three cutters and an airplane to
search waters south of Corpus
Christi.
The Coast Guard said the re
ports of S-O-S messages came
from ham radio operators in New
York and Tennessee where the sig
nals were said to have been picked
up early Sunday.
The operators said the vessel
identified itself as the SS San Sal
vador, with a crew of 18 aboard,
the Coast Guard reported.
Coast guardsmen said there is
no listing of the vessel in regis
tries, but it is believed to be a
banana boat. No direct contact has
been made, they said, by the cut
ters sent from New Orleans or
i'rom a PBM which flew into the
area from Corpus Christi.
The Coast Guard said both op
erators said the ship reported it
was disabled by a hole in the
side.
The Coast Guard said it did not
have any further details on the
amateur operators.
RIVER COMPACT PASSES
AUSTIN,' Feb. 8 —Ll>)— The
Senate Monday passed 28 to 0 a
bill approving the Pecos River-
compact between Texas and New
Mexico.
The upper house acted shortly
after Gov. Beauford Jester asked
the legislature to give the bill im
mediate consideration.
PLANE SALVAGE OPERATION
BEGUN IN PONTCHARTRAIN
NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 8 —(A>)
Weather permitting, salvage oper
ations will be resumed today at
the wreckage of a B-25 in Lake
Pontchartrain.
Portions of two bodies were re
covered Sunday, but heavy fog
forced suspension of diving and
dragging work. Eight crewmen
were believed to have gone with
the bomber last Friday.
One engine, pieces of the plane,
parachutes and bits of clothing
have been recovered.
The craft was enroute from Bi
loxi to Fort Worth when it crash
ed.
STATE’S RIGHTERS HOLD
MEETING IN BIRMINGHAM
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Feb. 8—
(A*)—States’ Rights Democrats met
here Monday to complete plans
for a national campaign to con
tinue their fight for state sover
eignty.
Former Gov. Ben Laney of Ar
kansas, chairman of the States’
Rights Executive Committee, pre
sided over today’s session. Gov.
Fielding L. Wright of Mississippi,
candidate for vice president last
November on the States’ Rights
ticket, was here also.
Gov. J. Strom Thurmond of
South Carolina, States’ Rights
candidate for president, -was un
able to attend because the legis
lature is in session at Columbia.
Delegates from Maryland, Vir
ginia, North and South Carolina,
Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Ar--
kansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Lou
isiana and Texas were here for
the session.
Contract for Shell
Construction Let
Plans for the Grove’s bandshell
have been altered slightly, and
the contract let, T. R. Spence, man
ager of Physical Plants, announced
yesterday.
Earlier bids exceeded the $15,000
allotted, and a slight reduction in
the structural design of the band-
shell brought the bids within the
cost limit, Spence added. The con
struction contract was awarded to
A. B. Butler of Bryan for $11,317
and the electrical and plumbing
work was given to C. L. Andrews
of Bryan for $2,375.
Butler is expected to stai-t with
in 10 days, Spence said. The con
tract calls for an allotted period
of 75 working days. No changes
other than structural alterations
were made, except that the rest
rooms were increased, along with
the storage spacet
The Battalion
PUBLISHED IN THE INTEREST OF A GREATER A&M COLLEGE
Volume 48
COLLEGE STATION (Aggieland), TEXAS TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1949
Number 11#
JIM TUCKER, Houston insurance man, presented a $2,000 four-year scholarship to A&M
Thursday night to smiling 16-year-old William M. Huffman, Harrison County youth, for the best all-
around entrant in the 1948 calf scramble at the Houston Fat Stock Show. Shown at the presentation
also are (left) Stanley Shipnes, general manager of Sears Roebuck stores in Houston, host at the calf
scramble dinner, and (right) Dave Cunningham, chairman of the calf scramble committee. The youth
had the best record for feeding, record-keeping, scholarship and all the other factors. His winning
entry was an 845-pound Hereford, “Huffy’s Pride.” Young Billy was one of 137 4-H and F.F.A. Club
members who captured calves in the 1948 scramble. Mr. Tucker will continue his award annually.
Juliet Mainspring in Drama
By MACK T. NOLEN
“Romeo and Juliet,” Shakes
peare’s most popular play, came
to Guion Hall last night as the
National Classic Theatre put on
a performance that was neither ex
cellent nor poor.
Originally scheduled to be “The
Merchant of Venice,” last night’s
production was handicapped by a
shortage of actors because of an
auto wreck in which several mem
bers of the cast wei’$ injured.
In spite of the hasty change
some members of the company
were in fine form and their Shakes
peare was convincing and drama
tic. Juliet had the audience fol
lowing with bated breath the tale
of ill-starred love in old Verona.
Mercutio’s untimely demise at
the beginning of Act III came
off so forcefully that a little
boy in the front row, who didn’t
know which side the hero was
on, stood up and “wildcatted.”
The audience supplied itself
with boxes of popcorn before en
tering the hall and thus placed
itself in the same category with
the groundlings of Shakespeare’s
Aggie Players To
Hold Election Of
Officers Tonight
The Aggie Players will hold the
first meeting of the Spring Semes
ter tonight in the Assembly Hall
at 7:30 p. m., according to J. How
ard Davis, president. Davis said
that the club’s financial condition
would be discussed and that an
election of club officers for the
spring semester would be held.
Davis said that George J. Dilla-
vou had returned to A&M to re
sume his role as director and spon
sor of the Aggie Players. Dillavou
has completed the requirements
for his MS degree in dramatics
from Columbia Upiversity.
The director said that he plan
ned _ to produce two plays and a
Variety show this semester, and
he asked that all old members as
well as any non-member who wish
ed to join the organization be pi’e-
sent at the initial meeting.
Dillavou said, “I plan to do our
first play in Guion Hall, but I do
not wish to release the name of it
at this time. However, it is a
modern comedy which has been
presented recently on Broadway,
and I am certain that it will be
well received and well liked by the
Aggies. If anyone wishes to join
the Aggie Players, but are unable
to attend tonight’s meeting, I hope
they will contact me in my office,
Room 102 Bizzell Hall, or see John
W. Laufenberg, “D” Vet Flight,
Dorm 12,” concluded Dillavou.
Official Sanction
Given IRE Group
Official recognition has been
granted to the A&M chapter of
the Institute of Radio Engineers,
according to Carl E. Gilchriest,
secretary of the organization.
The local group, which former
ly held membership with the Hous
ton section, was given a section of
its own after a petition was sub
mitted to national headquarters.
The A&M IRE has a member
ship of 30 members and is spon
sored by Tom Prickett of the EE
Department
own day who munched intently in
the pit while the Bard’s immortal
lines were recited from the stage.
On the creditable side of the pro
duction, Patricia Larson’s Juliet
was convincingly young, easy to
hear, easier to look at, and lovely.
Romeo, played by Winton Sedg
wick, improved as the play con
tinued. Page Hedden as Nurse and
Raymond Allen as the servant Pe
ter contributed amusing bits of
comedy to lighten the tragic load.
Most of the other characters
were unfortunately flat, mum
bling through their crepe-hair
beards.
Guion Hall’s newly widened
stage was appreciated. A year ago
it would have been impractical if
not impossible to stage such a pro
duction there. And when the per
formance was weakest, it was pos
sible to relax and enjoy the visual
combination of sets, costumes and
lights.
Museum Mummy Probably Man
Of Distinction in Early Egypt
Student Senate Plans to Meet
With Annex Representative^!
WSSF, Identification Cards, Traffic Report
And Memorial Center Subjects for Discussion
By GEORGE CHARLTON
(Ed. Note: We had a picture
of the mummy shaking hands
with Pinky Downs, but the en
gravers dropped the negative
and broke it.)
The mummy Anh-Hr-H3cpt, who
can now be found any day or night
reclining and resting his four
thousand year-old head in his
suite, in the college museum, must
have been a gay old dog.
Anh, assuming that is what his
fxdends called him, according to
ax-chaeologists was someone of lo
cal importance, a casual cat, pi’ob-
ably a tax collector. Conti’asted
with the current species in that
occupation, tax collectors in those
days were held in high esteem.
They had the run of the land in
their two wheeled chariots decor
ated with emblems of the ownei's’
ancestors. Sometimes they were di
rect representatives of the Egyp
tian ruler.
If anyone could be called a
“wheel,” Anh could. He rose
promptly every morning at eight
and a half candles axxd partook
of boiled ostrich eggs and a
handful of pomegranates. Of
course, his “breakfast of cham
pions” would not have been com
plete without a handsome help
ing of shx-edded wheat.
Then off to the provinces for
Anh, for he had a busy day sche
duled on his Egyptian calendar'.
Back from the provinces promptly
at nine after collecting one million
Hervey Announces
New Student Loan
Interview Hours
Special hours for inteiwiews for
student loans have been announ
ced by the Association of Former
Students, according to J. B. Hei’-
vey, executive secretary.
Students with satisfactory schol
astic standing who desii'e to con
fer with association representa
tives concerning loans for neces
sary school expenses should visit
the office between 1 and 5 p. m.
on Monday; between 8 and 11:55
a. m. on Wednesday; and between
1 and 5 p. m. on Thursday.
In the past, students could visit
the offices of the association any
time between 8 and 5 p. m., but
stricter regulation has become nec
essary because of the large number
of loans being negotiated, Hervey
said.
The new setup is designed to
expedite loans and allow the maxi
mum attention to the individual
student and it will not be possible
to obtain a loan interview at any
time except during those hours
under noi'mal circumstances, Her
vey added.
elephant tusks, Anh prepared to
leave once again for his riverside
house, appropriately named “Pile
on the Nile,” to spend a day of
drunken relaxation with a group
of selected sphinxes. Later, much
to Anh’s anxiety, he found that
these chai'acters were demons at
playing cards—such poker faces.
That night Anh relaxed or re
cuperated, as the case might have
been, in liis tiled-in swiming pool
with the latest copy of the Cairo
Daily Papyrus.
Anh had the habit of com
menting oix the paper: “Why?
Why? Can someone tell me why
feature writex-s on the Papyrus
are so hard hit for something to
write about that makes sense?”
The sarcophagus of Anh was
removed from Egypt in 1891 and
brought to the United States.
The old fellow is approximately
five feet, two inches tall and is
somewhat on the slim side. But
for his age he’s really very “well
pi’eserved.”
Dr. Barbour To
Lead Religious
Emphasis Week
The seventh annual Religi
ous Emphasis Week for A&M
will begin Monday morning
in Guion Hall when Dr. Fred
E. Barbour of Knoxville, Ten
nessee, gives the first of five
lectures, according to Gordan
Gay, assistant secretary of
the YMCA.
Special evening services will be
held in each of the churches serv
ing the college in conjunction with
the Guion Hall services by Dr.
Barbour. Guest pastors from each
church will speak every week night
at 7:15.
Dr. Barbour, who is pastor of
the second Presbyterian Church of
Knoxville, is dean of the school of
religion of the Univei*sity of Ten
nessee, a director of Maryville Col
lege, and vice-moderator of the
Presbyterian Church, U. S. A.
He holds bachelors degrees from
the University of Pittsbui'gh and
Western Theological Seminary, and
a Ph.D from the University of
Edinbui'gh in Scotland.
Each of the morning services
in Guion Hall will be presided
over by a student leader. Spe
cial music will be furnished and
the morning prayer will be given
by a different student each day.
The speaking hours for the week
have been staggered so that no
student will miss more than one
class in each subject throughout
the week. Classes will be dismis
sed during the hours of the servi
ces. Monday and Tuesday the talks
by Di\ Barbour will be from 10
a. m. until 11 a. m. The hours for
Wednesday and Thursday are from
11 a. m. until 12 a. m., and on
Friday the service will be held
from 9 a. m. until 10 a. m.
For those students in the corps
attending the evening services in
the churches, an official excuse
from the CQ has been authorized,
Gay announced. The Jewish ser
vices in the evening will be con
ducted in the cabinet room of the
YMCA.
The Student Senate will meet tomorrow evening at 7 in the Biology Lecture Room at
Bryan Field Annex. This will be the first regular meeting of the Senate off the campus.
Listed on the long agenda are reports from several special committees as well as regu
lar committee reports. The subject of identification cards for next year’s student body will
be introduced by John Orr, chairman of the executive committee. This committee has studied
possible uses for identification
Annual Highway
Short Course Will
Be Held March 8
The annual highway engineering
short course will begin at A&M
March 8, according to an announce
ment made by Fred J. Benson,
chairman of the coui’se.
The coui'se will be conducted by
the civil engineering department
on Mai’ch 9, and 10 in Sbisa Hall.
About 400 highway engineers are
expected to attend, Benson said.
A dinner will be held in Sbisa
Hall Wednesday night, March 9,
for those attending, Benson con
cluded.
Norway Ponders Western Pact
Under Pressure From Russia
By DeWITT MACKENZIE
AP Foreign Affairs Analyst
Is it possible for any nation to maintain neutrality when
virtually the whole civilized world is divided into two camps
—communists and anti communists? For that matter, is
it wise to try?
Those are the questions in effect, I take it, which Nor
way will try to iron out this week*-
in Washington.
Norwegian Foreign Minister
Halvard Lange has ai’rived in
America for conferences on wheth
er his strategically situated coun
try should join the proposed North
Atlantic Alliance. This projects a
treaty among the United States,
Canada, Britain, France, Belgium,
The Netherlands, Luxembourg and
other nations for self-defense.
The Scandinavian states of Nor
way, Sweden and Denmark, have
been invited to consider joining the
alliance. Norway has been leaning
towards participation. Sweden
fears antagonizing Russia, and
Denmark is undecided.
Moscow has been trying to in
timidate the trio, with special
attention to Norway. The Soviet
Union sent a pointed note to
Oslo, intimating the Norwegians
were riding for trouble. The lat
est Red move is an offer to con
clude a mutual non-aggression
pact with Norway—a proposal
which still has to be considered
by the Oslo parliament.
However, the sturdy Norwegians
don’t intimidate easily. Foreign
Minister Lange is going right
ahead and discuss matters with
American Secretary of State Dean
Acheson. Presumably Norway’s de
cision will depend on the outcome
of these discussions. In any event,
Foreign Minister Lange made it
clear in a speech before his parlia
ment last week that Norway’s po
sition will be decided by herself
and not by any other nation.
The problem of the Scandinavian
countries certainly isn’t easy, sit
ting as they do under the muzzles
of Moscow’s big guns.
The nations which don’t resist
the Red revolution will be taken
over like Czechoslovakia, Hun
gary and the rest of the wretch
ed slave states.
“Neutrality,” in the accepted
sense of the term, is out the win
dow. It just can’t be counted on,
for the reason that ruthless ag
gression is stalking the world and
it has no regard for the “rights”
of “neutrals.” \
HORACE K. JACKSON
Horace K.Jackson
To Address Local
Masons Tomorrow
Horace K. Jackson, immediate
past Grand Master of the Grand
Lodge of Texas A.F. & A.M., will
be the guest speaker at the reg
ular meeting of the Sul Ross Re
search Club to be held tomoiTow
in the Physics Lecture Room, ac
cording to Rudolph Huddleston,
chairman.
The lodge will be opened at 7
p. m. in the Physics Lecture Room
for the purpose of examinations,
since Brother Jackson desires to
speak before a tiled meeting.
Jackson was Grand Master of
the Grand Lodge of Texas A.F. &
A.M. during 1948. He is a grad
uate of Baylor University and a
resident of Gatesville, Texas.
The talk will begin promptly at
7:30 p. m. The meeting of the Sul
Ross Research Club is open to all
E.A., F.C., and Master Masons.
The Caissons Go Rolling Along
Peashooters One of First Outfits
After Great Change In 1918 ROTC
By CHUCK MAISEL
(Authors Note: This is the
first of a series of articles
wherein each branch of service
on the campus will be written up
with a brief history, listing of
“characters,” and the set up of
the outfits today. If it seems
that I am prejudiced, it’s be
cause I am. This first article is
about the Field Artillery. There
are many reasons why I began
with this unit, the most import
ant of which is that I am one of
the Caisson Kids).
The fall of 1918 saw the com
ing of ROTC contracts to the A&M
campus. For the first time, every
one didn’t wear infantry brass,
for in that yeai’, the Field Ai'til-
lery was boim in the cadet corps.
Thei'e had been a single artillery
battery on the campus from the
turn of the century, but this unit
was discontinued in 1913 because
of its genex-al rowdiness.
During the years following the
peashooter’s return, the Field Ar
tillery produced more cadet col
onels than any other branch on
the campus. In intramui’al cham
pionships, it has been second only
to the infantry. In overall glam
our, the Field’s greatest rival has
always been the Cavalry as both
units were mounted until the early
Forties.
Today, if one were placing the
outfits according to their beliefs
and just what they stand for,
the Artillery would be put on
the extreme right as opposed to
the Cavalry standing on the ex
treme left. (No reflection on
their political ideas, of course.)
Today’s Field Artillery, with
some exceptions, is the bulwark
of conservatism on the campus.
Battery men tend to look down on
extra-curricular inter-outfit squab
bles. If forced into some fray like
a bench war, however, they usual
ly give a good account of them
selves. Their spirit is more of
the strong silent type. Potent, but
not boistrous.
The unit occupying the top stoop
of Dorm 8 is referred to often
times as A Battery and often as
the Camel Corps. They earn this
distinctive name by virtue of the
fact' that they are practically an
Arab Legion. In past years, A Bat
tery has been famous for the many
feathers adorning the legs of its
members. This yeai', however, it
is probably the most easy-going
outfit on the campus. There are no
moguls in the outfit and none is
“bucking.”
B Battery (that’s home base)
comes next in the line of the Regi
ment. This unit boasts the distinc
tion of being the most erratic out
fit in the corps. Despite what time
of the day or night you visit B
Battery, someone is always awake
and there are two things going on
—a poker game and a bull session.
This unit takes greatest pride in
its card playing and grade-point
getting abilities. Twenty-Sixty is
not at all an uncommon posting.
By actual count, 43 of the 58 mem
bers play poker. Every senior does
except Pat Henry and he’s too
busy making money other ways.
They tend to live in the glorious
past when they were the outstand
ing military outfit on the campus
and they are still anxious to see
the red patch of B Battery once
more supreme.
C Battery is in two factions.
One is a very serious and brainy
group as exemplified by J. B.
Rochelle, outfit CO and possessor
of many honors and grade points.
The other group is a man-about-
town set which think partying is
the more important thing in life.
Together they make a proud lot
and count many successes in the
field of inter-outfit competition.
The truly serious outfit of the
Field is D Battery. Bitsy Davis,
the CO, sets the pace and D Bat
tery men’s motto seems to be
“Try”. Numerically, they are the
smallest unit of the Artillery, lack
ing seniors more than any other
class. They are very closely knit
and therefore are not as generally
known over the campus as the
others.
Last year’s Moore Trophy win
ners are the guys in E Battery.
Perhaps no other outfit has ever
won so coveted an award and still
managed to keep the good feeling
of the rest of the Corps. Perhaps
it is because E Battery is noted
for its friendly men—the CO Bob
Smith, Yell Leader Jimmy Steph
ens, and plain Murray Cox to name
a few. The goal they seem to set
is to “get along,” but in the pro
cess of attaining that goal they
still have managed to amass many
points toward next year’s trophy.
An overall distinguished char
acteristic of the Field is that they
are not referred to like the other
outfits on the campus by their
brass — for instance, everyone
thinks of the Cavalry, the Engi
neers, etc, but the peashooters are
known as being B Battery men or
C Battery men, or what have you.
But don’t think they don’t stick
together against outsiders, because
they do.
uses
cards and will make their recom
mendations concerning them.
The report on campus traffic
conditions will be presented by
George Edwards, chairman of the
special committee appointed at the
last session of the Senate. After
several meetings with students and
Campus Security officials, the
committee has drawn up its re
port and recommendations.
Aubrey Sprawls will explain
plans of the World Student Service
Fund Committee. The WSSF Com
mittee will soon launch a drive to
collect donations from A&M stu
dents to send needed aid to Euro
pean students.
Discuss Student Center
After having considered possible
plans for administration of the
new Memorial Student Center, a
Senate committee headed by Fred
Hambright will present to the
Senate their recommendations in
the form of a letter to President
Bolton.
This year’s Aggie Muster will
be planned and presented by a
joint Senate—Brazos County A&M
Club Committee. Marvin Rice will
tell the Senate of progress made
by the committee so far.
James Whatley, as chairman of
the Mother’s Day Program Com
mittee, will report his committee’s
plans. The committee is planning
to arrange a band concert for
Mother’s Day afternoon as well as
the Sunday morning Guion Hall
program.
Housing Conditions
Present rent conditions in the
Bryan - College Station area witU
be reported by Robert Ransom.
This report will concern rent con
ditions as they affect married stu
dents of the college.
Luther Leatherwood, an Annex
representative to the Senate, is
in charge of arrangements for the
Senate meeting. Before their meet
ing the Senate will eat in the
Freshman Mess Hall.
Though visitors are welcome to
all meetings, this will be the first
opportunity for Annex freshmen
to conveniently attend a Student
Senate meeting.
Construction Of
Student Center
Back on Schedule
Work on the Student Memorial
Center is in full swing again after
being temporarily halted last week
by foul weather, accoi’ding to E.
A. Palma, labor foreman. Muddy
ground permitted only 15 days of
work last month, but the project is
back on schedule now.
Had the project not been ham
pered by miscellaneous jobs, such
as having to bread, melt, and
pump snow out of the basement,
the project would have been ahead
of schedule, Palma said.
The ground floor above the
basement has been poured and the
remainder of the ground floor will
have been poured by Saturday.
“After this is completed, the work
will progress more rapidly,” sta
ted Palma.
Palma added that work is going
nicely now and if the weather re
mains good until the remainder of
of the ground floor is completed,
additional bad weather will not
hamper work a great deal.
Architect Places
First in Contest
Edwin F. Redondo, fifth-year A
&M architecture student, won first
place in a cover design contest
sponsored by the National Council
on Schoolhouse Construction.
W. D. McClurkin, secretary-trea
surer of the Council, notified W.
W. Caudill, professor of architec
ture, of the winners.
The winning design will appear
on the 1949 edition of the Coun
cil’s publication “Guide for the
Planning of School Plants.”
Other Aggies in the run-offs
were Jean Du Bose, Gene R. Sum
mers, A. Ray Morse, John P. Wells
and Robert L. Palmer.
EGYPT AWAITS PEACE TALK
CAIRO, Egypt, Feb. 8 —bP)—
Egyptian Foreign Minister Des-
souki Abaza Pasha said today six
other Arab nations might wait the
results of the Egyptian-Israeli ar
mistice talks on Rhodes before an
swering acting mediator Ralph
Bunche’s invitation to begin nego
tiations with Israel.