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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (May 15, 1953)
• Friday, 15, 1963 THE BATTALION Pag-e 3 Forerunner to Commentator Was Battalion Magazine By JON KINSLOW Forerunner to the present Arts and Sciences magazine, The Com mentator, a monthly Battalion Magazine was started in 1930. Under the editorship of The Bat talion newspaper staff, the maga zine was substituted for one of the weekly issues each month. How ever, it was sold separate from The Battalion on a subscription basis. The brightest years for the mag azine came in 1941 and 42 when Pete Tumlinson was editor. In ad dition to his editorial duties, Tum linson was also staff cartoonist. His original comic strip, Fish Blot to, still lives in the minds of Ag gie-exes here during the first years of World War II. Cover Creations Covers for the magazine in 1941- 42 were also Tumlinson creations. Combining excerpts from Aggie life with scantily clad women, his covers had a special appeal for the students. The Battalion Magazine func tioned as the campus humor maga zine, since very few of its articles were of serious nature. Often, half of the issue was devoted en- tii’ely to jokes and anecdotes per taining to campus life. The last page was usually reserved for an editorial on some problem facing the students. An eloquent style of writing flourished in these edi torial, which commended or criti cized everything from the corps to the administration. The publication of this magazine marked the beginning of student magazines at A&M. In 1943, with the loss of much editorial talent, the magazine died and was forgotten. Besides the loss of talent, two other factors contributed heavily to the maga zine’s death. First was the paper shortage brought about by the war. Second and more noteworthy, how ever, was the opposition of the Board of Directors to the maga zine. Although it has never been definitely confirmed, it has been said that one member of the Board in 1943 felt that the jokes were not of the proper moral quality. It was not until 1947 that the magazine as we know it today was started anew. Published by the Schopl of Arts and Sciences, The Commentator has since been the campus humor and literary publi cation. ; 1 The Tumlinson Boy A Pete Tumlinson Creation Military Test Came for A&M In World War ! In 1917 came the first real test for A&M as a military college. During the first forty years of the school’s history, the gx-aduates had been eligible for commissions in the Army if they enlisted im mediately after graduation. Quite a number of these had fought in the Spanish-American War, and a few of them withdrew from school to join the Boer War. Aggies were fighting on both sides in the latter. In answer to the call which Un cle Sam issued, the enth’e senior class enlisted as a body in 1917. They were sent to Leon Springs training camp in April, where they were given their diplomas in spec ial commencement exercises. After the war, the Reserve Of ficers Training Corps was estab lished and A&M became an integ ral part of that system. Those 55 who died in World War II are commemorated in sev eral ways around the campus. One way is the East Gate marker, and another is the Memorial Student Center. However, the MSC also honors all Aggies who have died while in the service. Another commemoration to these men is the flags which are flown over Kyle Field dm-ing each foot ball game. The trees and markers around the main drill field which extend east to Hart Hall are another re minder of these heroic war dead. risn BLOTTO By Pete Tumlinson Wanted To Go To TSCW Fish Blotto Imitated Aggies By BOB HENDRY In the fall of 1941, a small, chubby, saucer-eyed freshman named Fish Blotto made his way into the pages of The Battalion. Except for being a cartoon, a fig ment from the imagination of Pete Tumlinson ’42, Fish Blotto was drawn to characterize a typical A&M freshman. Fish Blotto did not want to come to A&M; he wanted to go to TSCW. After giving up hope of attending TSCW because of phy sical!?) reasons, he decided that he would like to go to the Uni versity of Texas. However, since his dad was an Aggie-ex, he found himself hitch-hiking toward Bryan. Being a typical Aggie freshman, a series of beautiful women offer Fish Blotto rides. Fish Blotto ac cepts and soon becomes more in terested in what is in the car than out, however, and finds he has turned himself around and is back where he started. Finally, he gets another ride, but this time ends up at UT. See ing the beautiful buildings. Fish Blotto is convinced that at long last he has arrived at A&M. He discovers later that he is actually at the University when the tower bell rings and everyone runs for a cup of tea. Escaping from UT, Fish Blotto hitch-hikes a ride with an A&M sophomore. When they reach the college, Fish Blotto starts to leave, but the sophomore, a man by the name of Blurts, stops* him, tells him to “Hit a brace!,” and de mands that he call him “Mister” henceforth. Blotto, not knowing the A&M traditions, says, “Say, what do you think you are? This is a free country. I’ll do as I please!” “Freshman!” barks Blurts, “Shat up! You ain’t in the Newnited States anymore! You’re at A&M an’ you’ll act accordingly!” Blotto immediately wants to fight, but ends up in the usual manner with hours on the bull ring. That was the beginning of Fish Blotto. Back in ’41 and ’42 the escapades of the chubby little hard- luck guy earned his creator high acclaim on the campus. Blotto’s trails and tribulations exemplified those of a typical freshman and became as familiar to Aggies as rain at a football game. Some of Tumlinson’s strips be came classics, and were printed over and over again. Tumlinson, talented originator of the rotund freshman is also remembered for the Tumlinson boy, Aggie counter part of the Petty and Varga girls. Member of the class of ’42, Tum linson was editor of The Battalion magazine, now defunct, which achieved national recognition under his editorship. He left A&M in 1942 for the Air Corps, where he served for four years. He was discharged from the service in the spring of 1946. He returned to A&M that year, and, after his graduation in 1947, traveled to New York, where he set up shop as a commercial artist. "PISH” BLOTTO By Pete Tumlinson > Exchange Papers Keep Batt Informed To keep in touch with happen ings in other colleges across the country, The Battalion exchange papers with 250 colleges. This includes almost all Texas colleges, as well as Harvard, the University of Minnesota, all the California college papers, the two large Oklahoma colleges and many other colleges and universities. Professional papers are also on the exchange list. Besides The Battalion receiving these papers, each of these other papers, both school and profes sional, receive The Battalion daily. SHEET MUSIC — Order From — * • Southern Music Co. 1100 Broadway SAN ANTONIO 6, TEXAS Tool Killer’ Is Topic of Letter A fool-killer was suggested for the state and national gov ernments by Sam Ford ’78 in ft letter to the editor of T h e Texas Collegian, now known as The Battalion. “I am in favor of reform that will lay in the shade all that was accomplished by the Fifteenth Leg islature. My reform,” said Ford, “is to have a constitutional conven tion to alter the organic law and to provide for a fool-killer and to recommend that this action be tak en by all the states.” He also said that when a fool- killer shall have been chosen in each of the states there shall be a convention of state fool-killers who shall elect a national fool-killer to have jurisdiction over the District of Columbia and over federal offi cials. “No state need wait for the ac tion o fany other state, but it is in the interest of each to call a convention as early as possible and pi-ovide for this important officer.” Student Directory Covers All College | The A&M Student Directory is I compiled and published by Student Publications. The directory contains a com plete list of all students, with their classification, major, room number, school address and home address. | It also has a list of the faculty and staff members of the college, with their telephone numbers and | addresses. A listing of the departments and their phone numbers is included in the back of the directory. The directory is issued in the fall of each year, as soon as the list of students can be completed accurately. It is sold to the stu- j dents for 50 cents. C/3 K QC C/3 LOUANNS FOR HAPPY MUSIC Happy Music Means Louanns Times at When in Dallas, A&M Cadets and their friends, find at LOUANNS an environment that is in keeping with the fine traditions of A&M . . . Ann Bovis' Louanns LOUANNS FOR HAPPY MUSIC C/3 '-Ej o K C/3 «“3 your guarantee of Cxtra quality HUMBLE MOTOR FUEL Esso Extra G A S O 1.1 N E ATLAS TIRES Esso Uniflo MOTOR OIL ATLAS BATTERIES Esso Extra MOTOR OIL
