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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 9, 1950)
Thursday, November 9, 1950 THE BATTALION Page 5 Traveling Troubadors . . . Reknowned Singing Cadets \ Started As '06 Glee Club By JOE GRAY Tfhe Singing Cadets have long beefr a permanent fixture at Ag- gielamd, and a very pleasant one. This ) unique choral organization was formed on the campus in 1906 with f 24 members who chose the names of Texas A. & M. Glee and Mandolin Club. These singers per formed for many campus activities and Sponsored the first fine arts numbers. Mr. F. D. Steger joined the Glee Club in 1911 and served as director until 1916. In 1912 under Mr. Steger’s guidance, and faculty sanction, the Glee Club embarked on its first tour staging concerts in North Texas cities. During the month of February, after successful appearances in Bryan and College Station, the Glee and Mandolin Club accom panied by the college orchestra made another successful trip, touring North Texas in a private railroad car. The groups made stops at Cor sicana, Dennison, Baylor Univer sity in Waco, Polytechnic College in Fort Worth, C.I.A. in Denton, and Kidd Key College in Sherman. During the early days of the college the Glee Club furnished the music for these compulsory shapel services. 1 In 1929 the Glee Club re-organ ized and, during the 1931-32 school year, gave concerts in Bryan, Caldwell and San Antonio under the direction of Mr. K. H. Beach. In 1934, under the direction of Mr. E. W. Glenn, the Glee Club tang for the faculty banquet, the rhurches in Bryan, and journeyed , to Galveston to present a concert. The Glee Club rocked along un der shaky organization until 1938 when 18 Aggies with spirit and determination banded together to put it on a stable foundation, which was later to make it the great or ganization it isf today. After receiving official sanc tion from the faculty, the group literally drafted Professor J. J. Woolkett, head of the Modern Languages Department, as dir ector and became known as the Texas A&M Glee Club. In his College days at Oberlin College in Ohio, Woolket had been a member of the glee club and had organized several singing groups at this college. During the first year member ship and interest increasing sub stantially and the Aggies were able to journey to San Antonio to pre sent their first off-campus pro gram. This was the forerunner of the many superb concerts to be staged all over the South by the Aggies in the next 12 years. During the 1938-39 school year the club, which numbered sixty, presented concerts in Houston and Galveston where they toured schools, radio stations and clubs. Even with scholastic requirements and other interests interfering with the singer’s practice, the club elec ted to tour south Texas and was received with great ovation. The people of Texas were beginning to take notice of the Aggie voices. While basking in the rain of praises the club was not all to happy with their name, so they decided to sponsor a contest to rename the club. The name of Singing Cadets was thus chosen. Richard Jenkins succeeded Wool kett as director and immediately embarked on a program to make the Singing Cadets known through out the South by touring schools, colleges, clubs, and various other groups. In 1942 when Universal Pictures personnel began production of the picture “We’ve Never Been Lick ed,” the Singing Cadets were selec ted to do all the choral music under the direction of Ken Darby, leader of radio’s King’s Men. The group not only received valuable exper ience, but contributed greatly to the film itself. While on a tour to Houston and Camp Wallace in 1943 the Singing Cadets were invited to appear with the Houston Sym phony Orchestra in one of its concerts. It was spring of 1944 before the Cadets hit the road again, this time headed for Dallas and Den ton. Jenkins resigned shortly af terward and was succeeded by Euell Porter who held the reins un til Bill Turner took over the direc tion the next Fall. In the Spring of 1945 the Sing ing Cadets were invited to perform at the Billion Gallon Celebration of the Humble Oil and Refining Company. The event marked the production of one billion gallons of aviation gasoline at the Beau mont refinery. In 1946, after 40 years of dis tinguished service, the Singing Cadets were given a permanent home on the campus. The old A&M Consolidated School build ing was remodeled and turned over to the singers by the col lege. The building, now the Music Hall, included an up-to-date studio which could be used for broadcast ing and recording purposes and rooms which were accoustically treated and equipped with pianos and other musical instruments. Through the 1948-49 school year the Cadets were constantly on the move touring San Antonio, Denton, Coni’oe, Texarkana, Wharton, Wichita Falls, Fort Worth, Cor pus Christi, and Austin. The Battalion Aired First Sportscast. . . 4 Voice of the Texas Aggies’ Is Pioneer of Texas Radio By JOE GREY On October 7, 1922 radio activi ties began at Aggieland with the installation of a broadcasting sta tion for experimental purposes. The station was maintained by ten electrical engineering professors and their student followers who transmitted Morse code messages. WTAW, which were the call let ters of the station, had the honor of being the first radio station to broadcast an athletic event when they sent in code a play by play description of a football game be ing played at College Station. The code was received in Waco where the newspapers based their late sports stories on the message. In 1923 WTAW employed the use of radio telephone and in 1925 the power of the station was in creased from 250 watts to 500 watts. its present location of the top floor in the Administratin Building, where its facilities could be en larged and its technical equipment brought up to date. The station’s power output was enlarged two fold by the installation of a 1000- watt Collins commercial broadcast transmitter. In 1944 WTAW became affiliated with the Blue Network which was a national broadcasting organiza tion. Thus the station was able to receive and transmit popular programs and to receive the bene fits of a coast-to-coast hook-up. In 1949 the station severed rela tions with the American Broad casting Company, which had grown out of the Blue Network, and be came an independent station, al though during the past summer it affiliated with the Liberty Broad casting System for the purpose of bringing Major League Baseball to Aggieland. WTAW has one of the most com plete record libraries in this area and cooperates with the Archives Department in preserving voices and special program activities for that department’s files. At the present time WTAW is staffed by Richard Webb, station manager; John Scoggin, program director; Anne Wilson, secretary; and four student announcers, Al lan Waldie, George Gray Jr., Don Mai'shall and Bill Simms. Ruben Cook is the sportscaster and J. A. Dodd, James Birdwell, George Aso- ro, and John Webb are engineers. $2.50 PER DAY FLOOR WEAR es OtflY'SKW deep'' Sarscl off that dull surface coat and you'll have new floors again. It's as easy as running the vacuum cleaner and you can sand 3 or 4 rooms a day. We carry everything you need and show you how to get best ^ results. Why notstopsn or phone u$ now? v " LONDON’S PAINT STORE 2201 College Rd. Above price to users of our materials Two years later the station mov ed to new quarters in the YMCA from which it went on the air reg ularly twice a week and broadcast chapel services and athletic events. The Extension Service had already taken over management of the sta tion and remained in this capacity until 1939 when the Publicity De partment assumed control of the station. Credit for the development and maintenance of WTAW rests large ly with Dr. F. C. Bolton, now Pres ident Emeritus of the college, who at the time of the establishment of the station was Dean of the School of Engineering. Since the inauguration of a radio broadcasting station on the cam pus Dr. Bolton has devoted much of his time to the furtherance of radio at Aggieland. During the past 28 years the sta tion has had a variety of broadcast ing periods. At present the station is what is known as a “daytime only station” and broadcasts from sun-up until sun-down. Shortly after the first of the year in 1943 the station moved to For the BEST IN MUSIC * DELECTABLE FOOD ^ ^ ATTRACTIVE SURROUNDINGS Friday, Nov. 10 —Art Mooney’s Orchestra Phone EMerson 2688 for Reservations NOW Anything from Buffet Dinners to Top Grade Steaks! LOUANN’S Greenville Ave. at Lovers Lane Lawrence Sullivan Ross, Founder of Aggie Traditions "Soldier, Statesman, Knightly Gentleman" The Battalion, official newspaper of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, is published five times a week during the regular school year. During the summer terms, The Battalion is published four times a week, and during examination and vacation periods, twice a week. Days of publication are Monday through Friday for the regular school year, Tuesday through Friday during the summer terms, and Tuesday and Thursday during vacation and examination periods. Subscription rates $6.00 per year »r $.50 ..pen month. Advertising rates furnished on request. News contributions may be made by telephone (4-5444) or at the editorial office, Room 201, Goodwin Hall. Classified ads may be placed by telephone (4-5324) or at the Student Activities Office, Room 209, Goodwin Hall. The Associated Press is entitled exclusively to the use for republication of all news dispatches cred ited to it or not otherwise credited in the paper and local news of spontaneous origin published herein. Rights of republication of all other matter herein are also reserved. Entered as second-class matter at Post Office at College Station, Texas, under the Act of Congress of March 3,’ 1870. Member of The Associated Press Represented nationally by National Ad vertising Service Inc., at New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. DAVE COSLETT, CLAYTON L. SELPH Co-Editors John Whitmore, L. O. Tiedt Managing Editors Frank N. Manitzas Sports Editor Jerry Zuber Campus Editor Joel Austin i i City Editor • « T. M. Fontaine, Carter Phillips Editorialists Ralph Gorman, Ray Holbrook, Harold Gann, Joe Blanchette, Pat LeBlanc, Dale Dowell, Jimmy Curtis, Chuck Neighbors, Fred Walker Sports Writers Ray Williams, Roger Coslett Special Assignments Autrey Frederick Advertising Manager Russell Hagens, Frank Thurmond. .Advertising Representatives 9 Sid Abernathy Campus News Editor Bob Hughson, George Charlton, Tom Rountree, Leon McClellan, Raymond Rushing, Wayne Davis, Robert Venable, Herb O’Connell, Norman Blahuta, John Hildebrand, Jerry Fontaine, Jack Fontaine News and Feature Writers Rose Marie Zuber ; .Society Editor Emmett Trant, Jerry Clement, Bob Hendry Cartoonists DIAMOND JUBILEE Stop by our New Loca tion today and see for yourself. Our service is especially for you. WhCartt) JEWELERS Congratulations on 7 5 wonderful years as a great College. W e e x- tend our heartiest good wishes for 75 more. Now Located on Sulphur Springs Road — — Next to Charlie’s Grocery FRIDAY AND SATURDAY SPECIALS.. NOVEMBER 10-11 In Paper Sacks—Weigh About 21-22 Oz. Per Dozen. Guaranteed Mixed Eggs dozen 43c Vacuum Tin Chase and Sanborn Coffee lb. 79c Costs Less than 1c Per Cup—Tepderleaf Tea .' lb. 25c No. (4 Tins Libby’s Deviled Ham each 15c No. 300 Cans Libby’s Custard Pumpkin ... tin 10c No. fi Cans Bits O’ Sea Grated Tuna . . 1 . . . each 27c Carton Mrs. Tucker’s Shortening 3 lbs. 69c Tide Large Box 27c Popular Brands Cigarettes Carton $1.85 Top Grade Colored—In Sticks Dixie Oleo lb. 27c No.^ 2 Cans Dole’s Half Slices—Ukelele Brand Pineapple ...... 2 cans 55c No. 2 Cans Libby’s Crushed Pineapple . 2 cans 53c 14 Oz. Bottle Libby’s Catsup 2 for 39c COMPLETE STOCK OF Fruit Cake Ingredients \/i Oz. Tin Monarch’s Pure Black Pepper each 29c No. 211 Tins Libby’s Pineapple Juice .... can 10c By analysis the best buy for your money—PRINCE Dog Food 5 cans 48c CASE OF 48 CANS—$4.50 and Pard, 10.5%; of Ken-L-Ration, 10.0%; of Vigo, 7.5%; of PRINCE 10.5%. Vigo, 7.5%; of PRINCE, 10.5%. • FRESH FRUITS AND • VEGETABLES Fresh Blackeye Peas .... 2 lbs. 27c Jumbo Avocados . . 2 for 25c Mesh Bag No. 1 Idaho Russett Potatoes . 10 lbs. 39c Central American Bananas . . 2 lbs. 27c No. 1 Yellow Onions . . 3 lbs. 11c Fresh Cello Pack Cranberries . . . . . . 1 lb. 19c Washington State Fancy Delicious Apples . . 2 lbs. 25c Texas Mesh Bag Oranges . . 5 lbs. 31c • FROZEN FOODS ® 12 Oz. Pkgs. Pictsweet Green Peas . . . . 2 pkgs. 49c Snow Crop or Honor Brand Orange Juice . . . 2 cans 41c © MARKET SPECIALS ® Thanksgiving Turkeys We suggest you consider Heart o’ Texas broad breasted turkeys for Thanksgiving. We have samples on hand for your inspec tion. Currently they sell for 55c per lb. for toms and 65c per lb. for hens, dressed. Jasmine Brand All Meat- Franks 1 lb. Cello 45c Well Seasoned Home Made—Pure Pork Pan Sausage . . . lb. 49c Heart O’ Texas Fryers . lb. 57c End Cut Pork Chops . . lb. 53c Swift’s Oriole Bacon . lb. 53c Beef or Veal Stew Meat . . lb. 33c Shoulder Roast . . . . . lb. 65c WE RECOMMEND YOU TRY OUR AA GRADE ARMOUR’S HEAVY BEEF FOR A TASTE TREAT IN STEAKS OR ROASTS. THE PRICE IS ONLY APPROXIMATELY 5 CENTS PER LB. ABOVE A GRADE VEAL FRESH FISH - also Shrimp and Oysters PREMIUMS There is still time to save our cash register receipts for redemption — you can still save enough before the end of the year to make it worthwhile. WARNING rapidly, as stocks will be low r after Dec. 15th. We urge you to spend premium allowances We reserve the right to limit quantities SOUTHSIDE FOOD MARKET Save all our Cash Register Receipts. They may be exchanged for valuable premiums.