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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 29, 1955)
The Number 67: Volume 55 COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1955 Price 5 Cents Looking Through Balt 1955 Files “Time has no divisions to mark its passage, there is never a thunder-storm or blare of trumpets to announce the beginning of a new month or year. Even when a new century begins it is only we mortals who ring bells and fire off pistols.” —Thomas Mann Thomas Mann was right; it is only we mortals in a lonely world that mark the passage of- time. And the means by which time is marked for the majority of us is through the medium of the newspaper. With this thought in Tihnd, I leafed back through the files to bring to our readers the world of 1955 as seen through the eyes of The Battalion. January January, 1955, started with a boom as the muscular youth of our colleges and universities unleashed the power and brains of their bod ies on the battlefields of New Year Bowl games. In the Cotton Bowl, the visiting Georgia Tech Rambling Wreckp rolled to a 14-6 win over Arkansas, the champion of the Southwest Conference. Jan. 4. The first 1955 issue of The Battalion. On the front page we find “All Aggies Return; No Holiday Deaths,” and a story about murder in Panama. The next day shows that bids for the sewer outfall lines will be taken Feb. 1, and that finals at A&M College now count a fourth of the final grade. Rice Institute beats the Aggies in a basketball game. Robert G. Cherry is installed as the new president of the Col lege Station Kiwanis Club, while A&M awaited Governor Shivers to appoint new members to the A&M Board of Directors. N. Ross Strader was hired to take over as manager of Student Publications, at the college. On Jan. 7 the president of the United States pledges swift retalia tion to Red agression; that same day we carry a story about a defense school to be scheduled at A&M in February. Mrs. W. A. Price and Mayor Ernest Langfo?-d are named as Col lege Station’s Woman and Man of the Year for 1954. An A&M student is suspended for violation of the rule against secret fraterniaties. January gi-aduates prepare to leave A&M and go out into the world to make their living. The Aggies drop another basketball game, the March of Dimes needs funds,'and dog ownei’s are urged to get tags for their pets. The Rt. Rev. John E. Hines is named as the principal speaker for Religious Emphasis Week at A&M. A visiting dignitary from Great Britain, speaking at a Great Issues presentation, tells us that an attack at Formosa is unlikely. The Battalion is advised in a “Letter to the Ed itor” to put the letter’s contents in the “garbage-liner wo call a student publication.” An Aggie dies of a heart attack at the school; a top Air Force general is announced as a visitor for Military Day. The Aggies drop another basketball game; Consolidated’s Ti gers win a pair from Waller. Finals start at A&M. The cadets dump LSU in a basketball game. , February February comes in with a welcome to new students at A&M. The United States turns thumbs down on Chiang Kai-shek’s wish that we agree to go to war if necessary to protect the islands of Quemoy and Matsu. Feb. 8. Silver Taps are held for an Aggie killed in a car crash; Malenkov resigns in Russia. The Aggie Band is considering going to California for the UCLA football game. Ike says America will remain alert. Shivers appoints four men to Board of Directors. Religious Emphasis Week opens Feb. 20, with Bishop Hines, saying that temptations often show signs of strength. On the same page: “Campus Thefts Increasing.” March March 1. Boai'd approves gymnasium fee; “Pinky” shows im provement in Galveston hospital. High School Day at A&M draws about 1,000. Senate asks for earlier holidays and sets a new location for the pre-Turkey Day bon fire. A headline: “This Takes All the Fun Out of It.” March 8 brings Public School Week at Consolidated. In Austin the State Boaixl of Education avoids discussion of the school troubles in Irving, Tex. Shepardson is approved by U.S. Senate as a member of the Federal Reserve Board. The new buildings at A&M Consolidated are dedicated. The local Lions Club elects as president A. B. Medlen. John Floyd, basketball coach, resigns March 15; Placement Office at the college keeps busy; Col. Henry Dittman named to take over as PAS. The city’s Chamber of Commerce and Development -Association runs into a problem. They want to amend the constitution—but no constitution. A search proves to no avail. Later, a copy was found in Battalion files. Aggies win two baseball games, giving them a 5-1 record. Student killed in a car wreck; city approves widening of Highway 6. A variety show is held March 24, honoring “Pinky.” New charges are filed against a student in a dog-killing case. Ken Loeffler is named as basketball coach; Military weekend starts at A&M; a headline reads: “What’s Happening.” March ends with President Eisenhower saying that too much speculation over war does not serve the cause of world peace. April April 7. Churchill resigns and Eden takes over as prime min ister in England; three class officers at A&M elected; new editors for the college’s student publications named. “Ag Nine Meets SMU for Lead Today” SMU game postponed. Loeffler arrives. First and second graders at Consolidated are to get Salk shots. Baseball team splits with the University of Texas; Aggie netters split a pair of matches, cadet golfers down Rice 6-0; Aggie Bowlers tumble Rice; Ag Soccer team blanks Ellington; A Armor Fish dump Squadron 22, 29-5. Oh, yes—Dr. Einstein died yesterday. April 21. A&M Muster around the world. Aggies split two games with Baylor and will meet SMU for the showdown in baseball. Ag golfers to meet SMU also. Board meets, coming through with the proverbial horn-of-plenty: “Room, Boai’d Fees Raised; Board Names Two Deans.” On the same page a headline: “Anything For The Students.” New PMS&T, Col. D. P. Anderson, takes over. Nelson pitches Aggies back into the baseball title race, following Hardgrove’s win the day before. Arkansas knocks Aggies out of golf championship. May Pet show held at Consolidated early in May. Aggie seniors are given barbeque by Former Student Association. May 5. “Plans Complete for Student Conference on National Af fairs” (See BATTALION, Page 2) Lawrence Welk Bringing His ‘Champagne Music’ Here Jan. 5 Here’s Hoiv To Reach The Battalion As does every phone in our area after yesterday’s change to a major city system of sev en digits, The Battalion has two new numbers to call. These are VI 6-4910 and VI 6-6618. The Office of Student Pub lications’ new number, which is the proper one to call for classified or display adver tisements and subscriptions, is VI 6-6415. The changeover was made by the Southwestern States Telephone Company in antici pation of the future when long distance numbers can be dialed. New Year Games Played Jan. 2 Cotton Bowl Matches TCU vs. Mississippi New Year’s Day, or rather the day after, promises to bring a lot of football into the homes of those having tele vision and radio sets. And a lot of people will be seeing the games in person. The Cotton Bowl game in Dallas Jan. 2 provides the ma jor point of interest for local fans. This battle will pit the Horned Frogs of Texas Christian University and their great James Swink against Mississippi. Both teams piled up 9-1 records during the regular season; TCU was rated number six team in the nation by the Associated Press and Missis sippi number 10. Swink is a tremendous runner, coming within just a few yards of breaking A&M’s Bob Smith’s ♦most-yards record- and within Town Hall, Jan. 5 Welk Show Promises Fun If the Hooper ratings of televis ion shows mean anything A&M should have the best popular show that is available foi’ the special bonus Town Hall attraction in White Coliseum Jan. 5. For Lawrence Welk is bringing his “Champagne Music” to A&M on that date, and his show has the highest rating at this time. The program will start at 8 p.M., and Town Hall season tickets are good for the evening. Indi vidual tickets can be bought at the Office of Student Activities, sec ond floor of Goodwin Hall, start ing Jan. 3 and on until the show starts. Tickets will be on sale at the door. General admission for students is $1 and for non-students, $2. Reserved seat tickets are $1.50 for students and $2.50 for non students. Lawrence Welk recently com pleted a tour of cities in the Middle West, breaking the box-office i’ec- ord in every city he played. He is featured each Saturday night ov er the ABC television network on his own one-hour show. Alice Lon is the orchesti’a’s new “Champagne Lady.” She started her career when six years old, singing for clubs and over the lo- Commencement Speaker Named Chancellor M. T. Harrington of the A&M College System will de liver the commencement address at the Jan. 20 graduation cere monies at A&M. Rabbi Robei’t I. Kahn of Hous ton will deliver the baccalamreate sermon at 10 a.m. and the com mencement address will begin at 6:30 p.m. Two hundred and forty-one stu dents are candidates for degrees. Carl Tishler, head of the Phy sical Education Department, is general chairman for the com mencement program, which will be held in Guion Hall. Graduate Students Attend $50 Dinner Three graduate students in the Department of Oceanography and Meteorology were invited as guests for a $50 per plate benefit dinner for the Institute for International Education. Attending the dinner which was held recently in the Rice Hotel, Houston, were Marius Todsen, Ivar Dugstad and Herman Gade, all fi’om Oslo, Norway. Among the guests at the meet ing were Dr. Kenneth Holland, president of the Institute, and Sen. William Fulbright (D.-Ai’k.), whose Fulbright Act provides for the exchange of students between this country and other nations. cal radio station in her home town of Kilgore. By the time she was 10 years old she was singing reg ularly on her own sponsored radio show. Welk also has the most expen sive accordian ever made in the United States, according to its manufacturers. This $5,000 in- France Starts New Year Off With Elections France is preparing for an other of its man elections for a new National Assembly Jan. 2, and the pre-election campaigning promises that this will be one of the hottest elec tions ever held in the history of that country. Recoi’d crowds are being drawn throughout France, according to the Associated Press, by Premier Edgar Faure and other candidates. Campaign meetings were being held at the rate of 3,000 a day and even more on weekdays. According to the AP, a public opinion poll has reported that 88 per cent of those questioned in tend to vote in the coming elec tion. Eleven per cent either have n’t -decided or won’t say; five per cent have no plans to vote. The best record in the last 80 years was set in 1936 when 84 per cent voted. Frenchmen often say they are disgusted with politics, but when election day comes they turn out in numbers that put many other countries to shame. This year the number of voters is esti mated to have jumped 700,000 over the 1951 figure of 24,530,523. Faure has claimed credit for this in speeches in his home district. An example of the busy schedule followed by the campaigners is Faure’s Sunday a couple of weeks ago. He held five village meetings in the morning, five more meet ings in the afternoon, and a big session at night. All of his speeches followed the same gen eral theme — defense of his dis solution of the National Assembly, a plea for governmental stability, a report on his financial and so cial programs, an outline of his ac tion in North Africa, and a brief statement on foreign affairs. Hope for 1956 “Courage,” .the Old Year whisp ers as it ends, “Weary’s the world, and peni tent and sad, Waiting the touch to make all mankind friends— Yours may be the luck and strength to do it, lad!” —Harry Irving Phillips strument has 14 automatic switches and electric volume control, and was under construction for a year. The love of music, and especially accoi’dian music, Welk inherited from his father. He started on the road, leaving his parent’s farm, during his teens. At Aberdeen, S.D., he formed his first orchestra, which consisted of drums and ac cordian. Eventually it was aug mented by a saxaphone and piano. The band got a daily program on station WNAX in that stateT'’ After experimenting with vai’- ious arrangements and giving prominence to various instruments, Welk hit upon a grouping of in struments that created a bouncing effect. Because of its lightness in quality and bubbling flow it was labeled “Champagne Music.” A few years later he and his orchestra struck out for the “big time”. During the past seven years “Champagne Music” has been featured on all major radio net works, records, NBC transcriptions and Paramount movie shorts. And now the orchestra is firmly estab lished in television. This is the show which the Ac tivities Office has predicted will be one of the most popular programs ever brought to A&M. New Commission To Meet Jan. 9 AUSTIN—'<A > )—The first meet ing of the Texas Commission on Higher Education will be held here Jan. 9 after members are sworn in during ceremonies in the gover nor’s reception room. The commission was created by ■the Legislature this year to study problems of state supported junior colleges, colleges and universities. MISS SALLY TULL of Ama rillo will reign Jan. 2 as the Cot ton Bowl Queen in Dallas. She is a senior at Texas Christian University, the host team in the Cotton Bowl, which will play Mississippi. Also on hand for the game will be Miss Kathy Rodgers, “Miss Mississippi Re bel” of 1955; and princesses from other Southwest. Conference schools. Miss Tull recently went to New r York to appear on sev eral television and radio shows in that city. three points of beating' the scoring record. Much of the credit for TCU’s success must go to the faking of their fine quarterback Charlie Curtis and to a solid front wall led by Hugh Pitts, Norman Hamilton and Bry an Engram. TCU Athletic Director Dutch Meyer has said that the 1955 team is the best they’ve ever had at TCU, not excluding the 1936 team of Sammy Baugh and the 1938 team of Davey O’Brien. The Rose Bowl will feature Michigan State (No. 2, 8-1) against UCLA (No. 4, 8-1). Ohio State won the Big 10 title this year, but under conference rules could not return to the Rose Bowl where last year it beat Southern California 20-7. UCLA last year won the Pacific Coast Conference title but could not play in the Bowl Game because of the agree ment that no team could play in the Rose Bowl two years in a row. Michigan State, which finished second to Ohio State in conference play, had a more successful sea son record and a higher AP rating. So the game should be quite a bat tle. The Orange Bowl present what is probably the top game of the day with the No. 1 team in the nation playing the No. 3—Okla homa versus Maryland. Maryland was at the top of the heap for awhile, so this promises to be (See BOWL GAMES, Page 2) New Year’s Eve Fun Highlight for Students Dallas, (Spl.)—Highlight of stu dent activities—-always a big part of Cotton Bowl Week—will be the annual Cotton Bowl Student Dance here New Year’s Eve. Held in the new Umphrey Lee Student Union on the campus of Southern Methodist University, the dance is Dallas’ welcome to the vis iting students of TCU and Missis sippi as w^ell as to all other college students vacationing in Dallas for the holiday. The dance Avill feature a floor show and music by the Cell Block Seven Dixieland Band, a nationally known recording group. There is no admission charge to college stu dents. Guests for the evening include YEAR from ihe BATTALION the Cotton Bowl Queen, Miss Sally Tull of TCU; “Miss Mississippi Rebel,” Miss Kathy Rodgers; and princesses from other Southwest Conference schools. Southwest Conference student I'epresentative here to vote on the conference’s Sportsmanship Award —to be made at halftime of t h e January 2 Cotton Bowl Classic— are also special guests, as are the famed Rangerettes of Kilgore Col lege. The SouthAvest Conference Spoi’tsmanship Committee includes the student body president, cam pus newspaper editor, head cheer leader and representative athlete from each member school of the Soutlnvest Conference. The student committee along with the Cotton Bowl Queen, her princesses and their escorts will attend several other Cotton Bowl Week functions, among them the State Fair’s production of “Plain and Fancy”, Texas Sports Hall of Fame Luncheon and “Cinerama Holiday.” The ladies of the group are invited to the Cotton Bowl Style Show in Neiman-Marcus’ Zo diac Room. Climax will be the participation in pre-game and halftime activities at the 20th annual Cotton Bowl Game, January 2, between TCU and Mississippi. A&M representatives to the Sportsmanship Committee meeting are Byron A. Parham, Gus Mijalis, Ronnie Greathouse, Ralph Co^e and Jim Bower, who is executive secre- tary of the Committee. Student Activities Student Activities’ new numbers are VI 6-4751 and VI 6-4752. Guion Hall’s number is now VI 6-5112; the Golf Course, VI 6-4813; and the Music Hall, VI 6-7110.