Ihe Battalion
Number 33: Volume 54
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1954
Price 5 Centa
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*
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AND IT COMES OUT HERE^—A Bryan air force base sergeant explains the workings of
a jet engine to a group of A&M student members of the Society of Military Engineers.
Sixty-nine members of the group made a tour of the air base, inspecting all its facili
ties and hearing a talk by Col. James Givhn, base commander.
Freslimen Elect Don Elledge
As ’58 Class President
News of the World
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
UNITED NATIONS, N.Y.—U.N. officials said last
night Peiping has not yet replied to the bid by Secretary
General Dag Hammarskjold to fly there and discuss the case
of 11, American aviators jailed by Red China as spies. These
officials said it had been expected Red China would take some
time to answer.
★ ★ ★
PARIS—^NATO’s military leaders said yesterday
it is up to their governments to decide when and how the
West shall use atomic weapons to repel any attack from
the East.
★ ★ ★
NEW YORK—Secretary of Agriculture Ezra Taft Ben
son said today the administration is considering direct trade
of some farm commodities With Iron Curtain countries.
★ ★ ★
NEWARK, N.J.—Senator-elect Clifford P. Case said
today he would attempt to block Sen. McCarthy, R-Wis.,
from being appointed to any Senate investigative com
mittee.
Dallas Firm
Gets Contract
For Aggieland
The Student Publications
board last night awarded the
contract for production of the
1955 Aggieland to the Taylor
Publishing company of Dallas
on a base bid of $23,325.50.
Other action taken by the board
included raising the payroll of The
Battalion student staff from $350
to $500 per month with fixed sal
aries for the co-editors, the man
aging editor and the spoi'ts editor.
The co-editors were authorized to
apportion the remainder of the
added funds among staff members
according to time spent working
on the newspaper during each
month.
The meeting began Tuesday aft
ernoon with representatives of pub
lishing companies which had sub
mitted bids for the Aggieland con
tract in attendance. After the bids
had been opened and samples of
work displayed by the bidding com
panies, the meeting was adjourned
nntil Wednesday night for final
(study of the bids and awarding of
the contract.
During the Wednesday session,
fhe Battalion co-editors were asked
to leave the meeting for a brief
closed session period after which
they were called back for the re
mainder of the meeting.
Meeting Cancelled
The junior class meeting sched
uled for last night in the Memorial
Student Center was called off due
^o lack of a quorum. The junior
ball and banquet were to have been
discussed, but less than 20 students
showed up. Allen Greer, junior
class president, said that a meet
ing would pi’obably be held in
January, but set no definite date.
Weather Today
no.
/A. I > I yy
PARTLY CLOUDY
The forecast for today is partly
cloudy with high thin clouds and
cooler. A cold front is expected
tonight.
Yesterday’s high was 64, low 42.
The temperature at 10:30 this
morning was 62.
Goodwin’s Condition Still
Critical After Explosion
Robert J. Goodwin, graduate stu
dent from Bryan who was injured
in the first-floor petroleum engi
neering laboratory explosion yes
terday, is still reported by St. Jo
seph hospital in Bryan as being
on the “critical” list. Hospital
authorities said he “rested poorly”
Wednesday night.
Denton Wieland, graduate stu
dent from Falfurias, was released
from the College hospital this
morning. Hospital authorities said
that he was doing fine, and that
his injuries were not as serious as
had been at first thought.
Howard Andrew, senior from
Houston, is at home, and his moth
er reports that “he is going to be
fine.” She said that the family
doctor had ordered him to remain
in bed for a few days. He is ex
pected to remain at home until
classes resume after the holidays,
she added.
Federal Insurance
Here Up To Vote
A referendum election will be
held here this spring on Federal
Old Age and' Survivors Insurance
coverage, according to the chancel
lor’s office.
The election will determine
whether or not a majority of the
eligible employees of the A&M
System want to have the federal
coverage in addition to the present
retirement system.
The board of directors author
ized the referendum at its last
meeting. An amendment to the
state constitution this year per
mits state employees participating
in retirement system also to be cov
ered by the federal system.
The board requested John W.
Winters, executive director of the
State Department of Public Wel
fare, to allow 110 days before the
election, so an explanation of the
terms of the insurance can be made
to all state employees.
Twenty-four students who were
on the first floor of the building
when the blast occurred escaped
injury. Most of them got out be
fore the smoke filled the rooms.
Robert L. Whiting, head of the
petroleum engineering department,
BULLETIN
The condition of Robert Good
win has improved. The Battal
ion learned this morning from
St. Joseph’s hospital authorities.
He rested “much better” la^t
night, they said.
said that the exact cause of the ex
plosion had not yet been deter
mined.
“We in the .department think
that there were two explosions,”
he said. “The fii-st one was a gas
explosion, but we do not yet know
what the second one was.”
After the explosions, fire bi'oke
out, causing more damage to the
building and equipment that had
not been destroyed by the blast.
The first explosion may have
been caused by a gas leakage from
a valve or a connection on the ap-
BCTA Seal Drive
Stands At $3,780
Christmas Seal sales in the Bra
zos valley area total $3780.84 as
of yesterday, said Miss Malcolm
Mclnnis, chairman for the Brazos
Valley Tuberculosis association.
This year’s total is an increase
over the returns of this date last
year, she said. The total does not
include money budgeted to the as
sociation by the College Station
Community Chest.
“I am very pleased with the
drive,” said Miss Mclnnis.
Anyone wishing - to buy Christ
mas seals can do so by contacting
Miss Mclnnis at 2-2220, or at the
Masonic building in Bryan, where
the BCTA has its headquarters.
paratus, according to Whiting.
The second explosion could have
been gas that had accumulated in
the room after the first blast, he
explained.
Goodwin and Wieland had been
working on research involving gas
under pressure of about 5,000
pounds per square inch. Wieland
said that he was leaving the lab
oratory when the explosion occur
red. Goodwin, who is employed by
the Texas Petroleum Research
committee, was still at the experi
ment, he said.
Damage to the laboratory equip
ment and facilities and an adjoin
ing storeroom was estimated at
around $50,000. Whiting said that
laboi'atory equipment damage alone
was about $25,000.
W. H. Badgett, manager of col
lege plants, estimated repair costs
to the building to be $6,000. Re
pairs have started, he said, but he
did not know when the laboratory
will be ready for use as the depart
ment will have to replace equip
ment and rework the laboratory.
A&M Power Plant
To Be Overhauled
• The College is^asking every
one on the campus to use a
little less electricity during the
holiday periods, because the
power plant is going to be
overhauled.
Since the auxilliary power
generators have only about
half the capacity of the nor
mal load, there won’t be as
much electricity when the
main unit is turned off.
Woolket Elected
J. J. Woolket, head of the mod
em languages department, has
been elected head of the Texas
Masonic Priory for 1955. He will
arrange for five meetings of the
Priory in Texas before the national
meeting at Chicago next June.
Scholarships
Bowl Game Helps Students
One-half the profits Prom the
third annual 12th Man Bowl game
played today on Kyle field will go
to the student aid fund, and will
help some Aggies complete a col
lege education.
students are attending
on a 12th Man scholarship
Four
A&M
now as a result of previous inter-
branch grid contests. The first
scholarship student graduated last
year. Many other students have
received financial aid from the
student aid fund.
In addition to the scholarship
awards, the aid fund loans money
on a no-interest basis to students
who, because of sickness or lack
of funds, can’t make ends meet.
J. Gordon Gay is chairman.
E. E. McQuillen, director of de-
Aggieland To Play
The Aggieland Orchestra will
play for a Clmstmas dance spon
sored by the Abilene hometown
club Dec. 29 in Abilene. The dance
is open to all Aggies in that area
and will be held in the VFW hall
from 8-12.
velopment funds for scholarships,
said, “I imagine most of the
money to support the scholarship
comes from the game, and it’s a
truly worthy project.”
McQuillen explained that the de
gree of financial need is a major
factor in awarding scholarships.
Last year’s game netted $1,774,
following a profit of $2,034 for the
3952 game. Tickets are 50 cents.
The game was first originated
in 1940 but died out during World
War II, then was revived as an
annual contest in 1952.
Annual Dinner
Will Be Held
Friday Night
The annual Christmas din
ner for A&M system employ
ees, will be held in Sbisa din
ing hall at 7 p.m. Friday.
At the dinner, 23 persons
who have completed 25 years of
service with the system will be
honored. Tickets for the dinner
may bo purchased at the main desk
of the Memorial Student Center.
The honorees will be Dr. C. C.
Doak, biology department; Robert
G. Reeves, genetics department;
Joseph A. Orr, civil engineering
department; A. E. Finlay, mathe
matics department.
H. R. Covington and Charlie
Smith, Buildings and College Util
ities department; Dr. Joseph F.
Fudge, Byron C. Langley, Otto P.
Seeman and Nolan V. Thurmond,
agricultural experiment station.
David Andrew Adam, Miss Thel
ma Casey, Elmo V. Cook, Mrs.
Irene Duncan, Jack P. Forgason,
Miss Vida Holt, Miss Doris Leg-
gitt, Miss Gladys Martin, Charles
Wade Simmons, agricultural ex
tension service; Anton Blazek,
farm service department; Frank
Nedbalek, Texas Forest service;
Paul L. Rodriquez, subsistence de
partment; and Henry Turner, ani
mal husbandry department.
The Faculty Dinner Dance club
will meet following the dinner.
Gatlin Wins
Vice President
Don T. Elledge was elected president of the freshman
class yesterday in the run-off election held in the Memorial
Student Center.
Approximately 650 students voted in the election, said
Dave Lane, chairman of the student election committee.
Elledge had 238 votes; Jon L. Hagler, 169, and James O.
Moore, 107.
For vice president, James P. Gatlin had 223 votes. The
other candidates were William Evans who had 179 votes and
Roy E. Mitchell, 107.
Don McGinty was elected recording secretary. He .had
254 votes; Bill McLaughlin, 144; and Donald Dunlap, 113.
; For social secretary, winner
Edward Cashman had 289
votes. Glenn Galloway had
200 votes.
J. L. Martin was elected
treasurer with 193 votes. Reagan
George had 134 votes and Homer
D. Smith, 177.
Ted Lowe was elected parliamen
tarian. He had 195 votes; Joe R.
Harris, 154; and James Cartrell,
149.
For reporter, Larry Van Doozer
was elected with 248 vote% Alvin
Grantham had 240.
John R. Dosher was elected ser
geant-at-arms with 220 votes. Jack
Bailey had 191 votes and Jack
Montgomery, 97.
In the first election held Dee.
8, 750 freshmen voted. The elec
tion resulted in a run-off for every
position. Candidates for office had
to have a 1.0 grade point ratio or
better, and only freshmen were al
lowed to vote in the election.
Student
Suspended
For Fire
Jerry Schnepp, junior me
chanical engineering student
from Houston, has been sus
pended for setting the fire
that did an estimated $250
damage to a door in Mitchell hall
early Sunday morning.
Schnepp was suspended until
February of 1956 and will be re
quired to pay for the damage to the
dormitory.
The fire was set in several hall
waste cans which had been pushed
against the door on one of the sec
ond floor rooms. A student who
was in the room at the time was
unhurt.
Schnepp, who also lives in Mitch
ell, said he came in from Austin
about 4:30 that morning and found
“nine or 10 rolls of unwound toilet
paper spread all over my room.”
“I thought it was good bull and
was going to return the prank to
the boy I thought did it,” Schnepp
said.
He said he didn’t know the waste
cans, which are plastic, would bum,
and he also thought the toilet pa
per he put in the cans would-only
cause soot and smoke.
“I made a mistake and I’m sor
ry for it,” he said. “I’m sorry for
any inconvenience it has made on
any of my friends here and I’m
grateful for the leniency Mr. Zinn
(B. A. Zinn, head of student af
fairs) has shown me on this mat
ter.”
Christmas Party
The oceanography department
will hold a Christmas party today
at 8 p.m. in the Gild Scout Little
House for all staff members, fac
ulty, and students.
Sigma Delta Chi
Comes To A&M
A&M will become the sixth
school in Texas to receive a col
lege chapter of Sigma Delta Chi,
national professional journalism
fraternity when they are installed
Feb. 18 by the Texas association.
At the recent national conven
tion at Columbus, O., A&M was
accepted by a unanimous vote.
Delegates to the convention were
Ralph Cole, news editor of the
Battalion, and Bill Fullerton, city
editor.
Cole was elected temporary
president at the group’s organiza-
ional meeting this week.
Other officers elected were Bill
Thomas, vice president; Don Shep
ard, secretary; Jim Collins, treas
urer; Phil McNemer, publicity di
rector; and Jimmy Tyree, parli
amentarian.
IliP
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a ?> d ? ower Champion have a glass of punch with four of the 16
' nfmm wov! + tl6 - S wi? 1 B ^ lor who were here for the Town hall show Tuesday. The Cham-
nor v,dii v G ° P1C k w mner , but only picked the eight most beautiful. The final win
ner will be announced later.