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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 9, 1950)
Page 6 THE BATTALION Thursday, November 9,1950 Signal Corps Unit Comes to A&M August 31, 1917 A signal Corps Company will be stationed at the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas by the middle of September, although the date is not yet fixed. The news was brought back by President W. B. Bizzell who has just returned from Washington. In other words, the government has designated the college for a unit of the Signal Corps as instruction in the Southern division for a traning depot. One company con tains 75 men and two commis sioned officers. It is probable that other units will be sent here. Sparked by Research Needs Something New in Radioactivity f/PM/Q REPAIR . • . The way we fix your radio at high speed and low cost! A mod ern, completely equipped shop run by experts is our secret. Tubes tested and estimates given without charge. Callus! THE RADIO SHOP One Block West of Post Office on 26th Street PHONE 2-2819 BRYAN A&M Library Grew Slowly In Early Days of College By W. A. STREICH The library of A&M was not al ways the institution of research that it is today. In fact, for many years the library made little or no advancement. The College Report, 1879-80, esti mated that only 1,390 books and pamphlets were available for stu dent use. The library at that time was open for two hours only each week. In the year 1883-84 the Board of Directors recognized the need for improved library facilities. Consequently, $1,500 of the $5,000 appropriated that year went for the use of the library. Charles W. Hutson of the De partments of English and His tory reported more than a dec ade later that “Frequent addi tions to the college library are needed, because it is the true laboratory of this department. going to DALLAS or HOUSTON? GO SP! Enjoy Comfort and Safety at Low Cost Three convenient trains daily SP $425 ONE-WAY $7*5 ROUND TRIP DALLAS $234 ONE-WAY $425 ROUND TRIP TO HOUSTON From College Station Good in Choir Cart-Coaches Fares do not include Federal Tax The friendly Southern Pacific T. H. BUCK, Agent Phone 4-1175 It would be a great help to us if the library could be kept open a greater part of the day so that cadets could have constant access to it. 5 ’ In 1898-1900, the Board appro priated $1,000 annually for library use. By this time the number of volumes had increased to 6,000. On October 1, 1907, the library took a “transitory step forward” by the addition to the staff of Miss Willie Davis (now Mrs. W. H. Thomas of College Station) who came to the college from the Uni versity of Texas to become libra rian. She was the first person with professional library experience to become connected with the col lege. From its beginning, the library was housed in the old Main Build ing. When the building burned in 1912, the library was completely destroyed. Miss Davis rejoined the staff in 1914 after an absence of five years because of insufficient funds to pay her salary. Her return coincided with the ap pointment of President W. B. Bizzell, and together they took steps to rebuild the library. The library was now housed in two rooms on the first floor of the new Academic Building, and the collection was quickly built up to 4,000 volumes. During the next five years the library did not ma terially progress. At about this time, Dr. Thomas F. Mayo came to A&M to teach English and become librarian. He continued in this capacity until 1944 when he gave up his library duties to become head of the Eng lish Department. For a number of years the prog ress of the library continued to lag, but in 1930 the new Cushing Me morial Library was completed at a cost of $250,000. By the mid 1930’s the library was growing- in earnest. During this period, the Agri cultural Experiment Station, in response to mounting research needs, began providing a large sum of money annually for the purchase of library books. From that time on, there have been increasingly large expenditures for books, staff and mainten ance. During the 25 years that Dr. Mayo was librarian, there were many improvements beneficial to students. Mayo’s main objective as librarian was to “Make it (theover 1879! library) a force for broadening the intellectual experience of students in a technical college.” He recalls that the library once housed the music room. This was necessary because at the time there were no other adequate facilities in which the students could enjoy good music. He contributed an old phono graph, and at the suggestion of some students made several speech es to local clubs in an effort to secure money with which to buy records. Around $45 was contrib uted. A record player, 1,200 records and a book on the lives of some of the great composers was giv en to the college library by the Carnegie Corporation, after Mayo wrote them several letters. At one time the Asbury Browsing Room was turned into a meeting- room for intellectual clubs. During this time no books were kept in the room. Each club was allowed to use it two nights a month. In 1940, books on fiction and biography were moved into the room because there was no other- available space for them. Mayo resigned in 1944 and Paul S. Ballance became librarian. In 1949, Ballance asked that the ad ministration appropriate funds to conduct a full-scale survey of the library facilities of the college. Two of the top land grant col lege librarians of the country, Robert W. Orr of Iowa State College and William H. Carlson of Oregon State College conduct ed a survey in which 45 key fac ulty members, 20 representative students, college officials and members of the library staff were interviewed. This report was published in the late spring of 1950, and stated, “It is hoped that the results of the survey will prove an important milestone in the library growth and development at Texas A&M Col lege.” This year, 1950, finds the library continuing to expand, and with the largest appropriations for books and periodicals in the history of college. A large scale reorganiza tion program is now underway to build up the library to the high levels recognized by the surveyors. Today the*, library has over 175,- 000 books and periodicals, and some 2,500 scientific and technical pe riodicals. Quite an improvement CONGRATULATIONS DR. M. T. HARRINGTON C.-';: . We Salute.... DR. M. T. HARRINGTON . . . for the splendid work he lias done for A&M College. Now that he has become president of the College, we whole-heartedly wish him the best of hick. AMERICAN LAUNDRY & DRY CLEANERS ROLAND DANSBY, CLASS OF ’31 ■ Granddaddy to today’s “North Gate” was this 1920 era structure Guinea Pigs in Bed . . . Cadets ‘Used" College Zo< Imagine waking up in the mid dle of the night and hearing from across the campus the boisterous, bellowing roar of a hungry, car nivorous lioness. Well, it wasn’t so much out of the question back in the early twenties, according to Professor D. B. Gofer, archivist of the Col lege. In those days, a pair of As iatic lions were kept with numer ous other animals in a College Zoo, located west of the present Cream ery. , It wasn’t uncommon at any time during the night for the loud hollow cry of a yawning “cat” to arouse campus residents from deep dreams. Families living as far as Walton Hall and even further were exposed to the intermittent frowls. Established by William Bennett Bizzell president of the College from 1914 to 1925, the complete little menagerie included monkeys, racoons, coyotes, wolves, bears, birds, elks, deer, foxes, ostrich, buffalo, javelin, pheasants, par tridge, and quails. Purpose of the institution was to acquaint young sters with animal life and to have on hand a representative group of the state’s fauna. Physically, the (See ZOO, Page 8) YOU'LL PROFIT ON THESE BUYS Special for Friday & Saturday - Nov. 10th & 11th POCK IT BOOK SAVINGS Blue Ribbon LONG GRAIN RICE 1 Lb. Cello Bag ... . 14c 2 lb. Cello Bag ... . 27c 3 Lb. Cello Bag .... 39c (With Coupon) Crisco 3 lb. 74c Vi GALLON Lilly Mello Kream . . . 39c Pillsbury’s Hot Roll Mix . . . Pkg. 19c Pillsbury’s Pie Crust Mix . . . Pkg. 15c Kraft’s—Vz Pound Kay Cheddar Cheese . . 25c Chase & Sanborn Coffee 1 lb. 74c Salad Bowl Salad Dressing . . . Ft. 25c Libby’s—303 Custard Pumpkiu, 2 for 21c KimbelTs—Carton of 6 Matches 33c Blackburn’s—22 Oz. 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