Puts You at Ease . . ,
Ernest Langford
Is Amiable Mayor
By FRANK DAVIS
Some people have a way of
making others feel at ease. Wheth
er this trait is inherent or acquired
is not known, but any one who has
had occasion to be in the presence
of Ernest Langford, mayor of Col
lege Station, knows that he dis
plays such a characteristic.
It is a characteristic that has
carried him far. In the eight years
that Langford has been mayor of
College Station, he has had only
one opponent. In the election of
1944, Dr. Ralph Steen of the His
tory Department ran against him
without success.
Puts Others at Ease
There is something steadying
about a person that puts others at
ease. To meet and to talk with
Langford is to feel that the me
dium, slender slightly greying man
wearing glasses is timeless, so
complete is your relaxation.
There is certainly nothing spec
tacular about Langford’s record,
but just to review it denotes that
steady, tireless quality which
marks him from other men.
He was raised in Burnet County
and graduated from Bertram High
School in 1909, entering A&M as
a freshman architecture student
the same year.
In June 1913, Langford was
graduated from A&M with a de
gree in architecture, whereupon he
went to Austin where he was em
ployed in architecture offices for
two years. December of 1913
marked his wedding in Austin to
Miss Lela Davidson from Bertram,
Tex.
Came Back to A&M
Langford came back to A&M as
an instructor in architecture in
1915. After four years here he
entered the faculty of the Archi
tecture Department at the Uni
versity of Illinois. Enrolling in the
graduate school there, he was giv
en his Master’s degree in architec
ture in 1924.
One year later he returned to
A&M as a full professor of archi
tecture, and after four years was
made head of the department, a
position he has held since.
When College Station was in
corporated in 1939, Langford was
on the city council. April of 1942
rolled around and Langford was
elected mayor of the city.
A history of development in
this area could be written from just
talking with Langford, and joting
down his remarks.
“College Station started from
scrap—only someone who has seen
a city built up from nothing can
fully appreciate this,” Langford
said.
Contrasting Start
Conti’asting this feeble start, the
city today owns her sewerage dis
posal, electrical and water distri
bution and fairly adequate facili
ties for the maintenance of these
services.'
Within his department, estab
lished in 1905, Langford noted that
in a period of 21 years the depart
ment has grown from four faculty
members for 60-80 students to a
faculty today of 12 which supplies
the needs of 350 students of archi
tecture.
The department became a mem
ber of the Association of Colleg
iate Schools of Architecture in
1940 and eight years later was
acredited by the National Archi
tecture Acrediting Board.
Believing that everyone should
belong to their professional socie
ties, Langford is a member of the
American Institute of Architects
and a charter member of Texas
Society of Architects.
“Pm Not a ‘Joiner’ ”
“Pm not much of a joiner,”
LangfoxM is apt to reply in answer
to questions concerning this club
or that fraternity:
So far as known outside of his
professional society Langford is a
member of Tau Beta Pi only.
“Establishment of the Basic
Division marks one of the most
progressive steps the college has
taken,” Langford remarked.
With the Basic Division the col
lege has an opportunity to work
with freshmen students more than
ever before, and to save many from
being di’opped from the school.
Mi’, and Mrs. Langford, living
at 1600 West Dexter Park, have
one son, Ernest Keith Langfoi’d,
who was graduated from A&M in
THE
Page 8
BATTALION
THUR., SEPT. 7, 1950
1 fffii i
Singing Cadets Expect Large Organization
By DALE WALSTON
One of the largest groups in
the history of the Singing Cadets
is expected this fall, according to
Bill Turner, director. The addition
of freshmen is expected to swell
the enrollment of the organization.
Often billed as the “South’s
finest male glee club,” the Sing
ing Cadets have an enviable impu
tation throughout Texas. The
group annually appears several
times on the campus as well as
making numerous tours over the
[state.
The Singing Cadets is not an
j organization of professional sing
ers; you don’t even have to be
able to read music to join. Only
requirements for membership are
the desire to sing and an inter
view with Turner. Corps and non
corps members alike are welcome
in the organization, regardless of
classification.
Original Arrangements
Ken Darby, the well-known chor
al leader and director of music at
Universal Studios, has done ori
ginal arrangements of the Aggie
songs especially for the glee club.
Always appearing in the A&M
cadet uniform, the group presents
a very distinctive appearance.
Highlights of last year’s off-
campus activities included a tour
of North Texas, with concerts at
Dallas, Fort Worth, McKinney,
TSCW, and Arlington. While in
Dallas the Singing Cadets were
featured on a 30-minute radio show
over WFAA. Other trips took the
singers to many of the major cities
over the state.
Plans are now in the making
for several trips this year for the
group. A tour of West Texas is
planned, to include at least Abilene
and San Angelo. Of course, one of
the highlights of the year’s activ
ities will be a trip to TSCW. A
trip to the Rio Grande Valley is
being considered, to include El
Campo, Refugio, Corpus Christi,
Harlingen, and several other cities.
Programsi Planned
Besides these off-campus con
certs, the organization always takes
part in several traditional Aggie
programs. Regular appearances in-
clifde a Christmas program, the
Aggie Muster, the Mother’s Day
program, and numerous campus
shows.
Officers of the Singing Cadets
include David Haines, president;
Ken Wiggins, reporter; Bob Stin
son, vice-president; John Derry,
business manager; and Foster
Gray, Librarian.
Bill Turner, the director of the
Singing Cadets, is a graduate of
the North Texas School of Music.
He has studied with Fred Waring
in the Waring Choral Workshop.
This summer he studied in New
York City. Always friendly and
always smiling, Turner is known
to the members of the Singing
Cadets as “Pop.”
Any students interested in join
ing the Singing Cadets are invited-
to contact Turner at the Music
Hall from 3 to 6 p. m. and week
day. Rehearsals are held every
day from 5 to 6 p. m., except on
Tuesdays. *
Mayor Ernest Langford
1939 with a degree in civil engin
eering. He is presently employed
with the Armco Metal Products
Company in Dallas.
Bryan Students
Receive Masters
The following students from
Bryan received their advanced de
grees at A&M August graduation.
Master of science in chemistry,
John Blair Meckham; Albert J.
Druce, electrical engineering; Don
ald Paige Hanks, chemistry; Wal
ter T. Matzen Jr., electi’ical en
gineering; Frederick Adolph Rau,
animal husbandry; Glenn Ribert
Ross, rural sociology; John Wayne
Overall Sr., education; Joseph Wel
don Young, agricultural education;
Cecil Floyd DeVilbiss, civil en
gineering.
McCarthy to Speak
In Houston Sept. 18
Houston, Aug. 31—OP)—Senator
Joseph R. McCarthy (R-Wis) is to
speak here September 18 at an
American Legion Americanism and
defense program.
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