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PORT SLANT
By GARY ROLLiNS
Battalion Sports Editor
The word has leaked out in news circles that Texas
A&M’s Board of Directors will not have to turn down any
more coaching candidates—because no self-respecting coach
would want to have his name associated with the Texas
Aggies.
In what might prove to be the biggest blunder since
the United States allowed Russia to move into Germany at
the end of World War II, the Texas A&M Board of Direc
tors gambled and lost—for the fifth straight time.
Whenever a college with the “name” and prestige of
Texas A&M is dragged into the national limelight to be rid
iculed and criticized from coast to coast, it is time that
someone wake up to the situation at the home front.
Last Monday, the coaching vacancy left by Paul Bryant
was almost filled by Iowa State’s Jim Myers, but the majori
ty of the Board of Directors saw fit to stage a delaying
action to allow them to talk to Eddie Erdelatz—who hadn’t
the slightest intention of coming to Texas A&M.
And now, with Erdelatz gone back to Annapolis, Col
lege Station is being laughed at over a nationwide circuit.
Up in Ames, Iowa, the prohetic Mrs. Jim Myers further
enlightened the picture in her statement “Jim was most
fair and he was really treated badly. lie couldn’t possibly
put Iowa State off any longer. I certainly liked some of the
people I met and we loved the campus, but I would have
hated to enter a situation like that. 1 really feel sorry for
you folks down there.”
Time and time again, Texas A&M has been “taken,”
and people who love the school are beginning to ask “just
when will it stop?” So ridiculous has this fiasco become
that coaches merely laugh when they are approached with
questions concerning the “attractive” offer.
There has been Yio consideration for the team itself
who will play for the new coach; a team that Bryant con
sidered a “fine prize” for the asking. It will be interesting
to note their reaction to the refusal of the latest prospect.
Those boys are smart and they follow the situation more
closely than other concerned parties, because it concerns
their future.
J. T. King and Willie Zapalac also remain at Aggieland
along with trainer Charles E. (Smokey) Harper. Their
future, too, lies in the balance, but that hasn’t been brought
into consideration.
It has become increasingly apparent that the Board of
Directorsjis doing the “searching” for the new Aggie coach,
for in the last instance Athletic Council chairman Dr. Chris
Groneman remarked “Jim Myers is the council’s recommen
dation—I don’t even know how Eddie Erdelatz entered upon
the scene.” '
And even more disgusting. Dr. Harrington was in
Washington, D. C. at the time Erdelatz was contacted by
Texas A&M officials and yet knew nothing about the meet
ing.
From all over the nation, people are getting their big
chance to slam Texas A&M from any angle they want—
from coeducation to football coaches—and they can get away
with it because we’re wide open for anything they want to
say.
The press and other interested factions have cooperated
to their fullest extent, but even they will be justified in
their verbose blasts at the college—they have been made
fools of long enough and know when and how to answer
back.
It should never be said the Athletic Council hasn’t done
a fine job and attenmpted to do the right thing in selecting
a new man, and that goes for Dr. M. T. Harrington, too, but
these men are powerless after they make their recommen
dation. The only trouble with their situation is—they’ve run
out of places to look for “big name” coaches, “promising,
young” coaches, or even “money-mad” coaches because they
have all turned their back to A&M and raised their thumbs
to their noses in salute.
Coed Boosters
To Organize
By GAYLE McNUTT
Plans were announced yesterday
for beginning a campus organiza
tion to make a study of the co
education controversy.
William Boyd Metts, freshman
from Bivins, is president of the
group planning the move to charter
a club called the Aggie Association
for the Advancement of Co-educa
tion.
The primary club’s purpose is
to learn the percentage of Aggies
interested in co-education, Metts
said.
Club officers have already been
elected but the charter has not
been completed and more members
are needed, Metts said. He said
several students had expressed in
terest in such a club and a few
got together and drew up prelim
inary plans. He said they were now
ready to open the club for mem
bership.
Besides making a study of how
many Aggies are in favor of co
education, Metts said the group
would have speakers representing
both sides of the question and try
to determine just how co-educa
tion would change A&M and its
traditions and how it would affect
the college as an educational in
stitution.
“We in no way want to create
more controversies on the subject,”
Metts said. “Our purpose will be to<
intelligently approach the situation
and see just how such a move
would affect A&M and the attitude
of Aggies.”
Metts said members would not be
required to pay dues, at least for
the time being.
“The organization may actually
never get organized,” he said, “or
it may not be a lasting organiza
tion. But I feel that at least we
will accomplish something in find
ing out how Aggies really feel
about co-education here.”
Metts asked all those interested
in joining the organization to write
him in care of AAAC, Box 6253,
College Station.
Exam Schedule
Final examinations, which
scheduled as follows.
begin Monday morning, are
Day
Hour
Series
Monday
8-11 a. m.
Classes
meeting MWF
8
Monday
1-4 p. m.
Classes
meeting TThS
8
Tuesday
8-11 a. m.
Classes
meeting MWF
9
Tuesday
1-4 p. m.
Classes
meeting MWF
1
Wednesday
8-11 p. m.
Classes
meeting MWF
10
Wednesday
1-4 p. m.
Classes
meeting TTh
1
Thursday
8-11 p. m.
Classes
meeting TThS
10
Thursday
1-4 p. m.
Classes
meeting MWF
2
Friday
8-11 a. m.
Classes
meeting MWF
11
Friday
1-4 p. m.
Classes
meeting TThS
11
Saturday
8-11 a. m.
Classes
meeting TThS
9
Saturday —:
1-4 p. m.
Classes
meeting TTh
2
the battalion
Number 74: Volume 57
Published Daily on the Texas A&M College Campus
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14, 1958
Price Five Cents
Coaching Picture Dims As
Erdelatz Does About Face
Board Opposition
Blamed for Mess
LEFT HOLDING THE BAG?
An Edilonai Cartoon
Colorful Ceremony Planned
For Graduation Saturday
Mid-term graduation and com
missioning ceremonies will be held
Saturday in Guion Hall with grad
uation set for 9.30 a. m. and com
missioning slated for 2 p. m.
“Cutting the World Down to
Size” will be the title of the bac
calaureate-commencement address
by Dr. James W. Laurie, president
of Trinity University in San An
tonio.
Maj. Gen. William S. Biddle, com
manding general of the Army’s III
Corps and Fort Hood, will be
principal speaker for the commis
sioning exercises. Gen. Biddle will
‘Friends’ Asked
Ann To Enroll
Next Semester
Ann Adams, the Bryan girl
who said Monday she did not
plan to enter A&M next se
mester, said yesterday she
had not seriously considered
entering A&M since the first of the
term.
She told The Battalion that then
it was only after “some friends of
the family” asked her how she
would like to attend A&M.
“Lots of girls in Bryan have been
asked the same thing by friends
who favor co-education,” she said.
Miss Adams revealed that she
had planned to register at the Uni
versity of Texas since two weeks
before the Thanksgiving holidays.
She said she “wanted to be closer
to home.”
Miss Adams’ picture appeared in
numerous state newspapers Mon
day. She was shown reading The
Battalion and the caption indicated
she was considering entering A&M.
Yesterday she said she posed for
the picture after persuasion and
against her better judgment.
Unofficial Bryan sources are
still indicating a girl may be
found to instigate a court action to
seek admission to A&M.
present Army commissions while
Col. James A. Gunn, Bryan Air
Force Base, is to present air force
commissions.
The commencement stage pai’ty
will form a processional from G.
Rollie White Coliseum to Guion
Hall. After their arrival on the
Bryan CofC Not
Behind Girls;
Blamed Anyway
No matter where the co
education movement at A&M
is started, Bryan merchants
will be blamed for commercial
ism, Bryan Chamber of Com
merce Manager Jack Springer said
last night.
Speaking to members and pled
ges of the A&M chapter of Sigma
Delta Chi, professional journalis
tic fraternity, Springer spent about
an hour answering questions di
rected at him by the students.
Most of the questions involved co
education at A&M and the posi
tion local merchants supported.
Springer said no poll had been
conducted to determine exactly
how many merchants would favor
the addition of girls at A&M, but
said that “quite naturally, I as
sume that they are—it would mean
more dollars for them.”
Springer carefully pointed out
that his organization was not in
any way officially sponsoring a
girl-applicant to A&M, nor would
it do so, until the chamber’s board
of directors voted to do so.
Membership on the board of di-
dectors is made up of elected rep
resentatives from the member mer
chants in the organization. Twenty-
four men sit on the board.
He also answered a question con
cerning the animosity between Ags
and Bryan merchants saying that
it was, in his opinion, no more
than in other college towns.
stage at Guion, Thomas R. Harris
will give the invocation.
Dr. M. T. Harrington, president
of the A&M System, will make an
nouncements and greet the grad
uates, their families and friends
with special reference to wives of
graduates.
Following the introduction of
the speaker and his address, the
various deans will present the de
grees.
Dean Page will award candi
dates for the Ph.D. degrees, mas
ters of agriculture, business ad
ministration, education and science.
Dean Miller will present candi
dates for B. S. in agriculture de
grees, followed by Dean Delaplane
who will present nominees for the
B. A. degree, the B. B. A. degree,
and the B. S. degree.
Dean Benson will present candi
dates for the B. of Arch, and the
B. S. degrees in engineering.
Teddy R. Lowe, head yell lead
er, will lead the group in singing
the “Spirit of Aggieland” follow
ing the presentation of degrees.
Richard H. McGlaun will give
the benediction.
Civilian students will wear caps
and gowns to the graduation ex
ercises and cadets or civilians who
expect to receive commissions will
wear cadet uniforms.
For commissioning either the
cadet uniform or the Air Force or
Army uniform may be worn, but
Air Force and Army uniforms can
not be worn to commencement.
All army cadets who are to be
commissioned will meet in the bi
ological sciences lecture room at 4
p. m. Friday.
Weather Today
Cloudy and windy today, becom
ing calm and clearing tonight is
the forecast for the College Station
area. Maximum temperature ex
pected today is 45 degrees, and the
low tonight, 28.
The high temperature yesterday
was 67 degrees, recorded at 4 p. m.
The mercury dipped to a low of 41
degrees at 8 this morning.
the Naval Academy that Fin
ney wished to discuss a pos
sible job at Texas A&M.
He continued his verbal
broadside at the Board of Directors
declai’ing “It scai'ed me!” One
condition on his appearing here
was that A&M telephone the
By GARY ROLLINS
Navy’s Eddie Erdelatz landed at College Station Mon
day afternoon, sniffed the unsalted air, met with Texas A&M
officials and then scurried back to the safety of home port
at Annapolis saying “No, thank you, I’d much rather stay at
Navy.”
Even more emphatically, he was quoted as saying “Hell,
if I’d known that a committee of the board of directors had
more authority in the hiring of the coach than the president
and the faculty athletic council, I wouldn’t have come.”
Engaging in a brief bit of verbal reparte with 4 Jack Fin
ney, the Navy mentor accused the college director from
Greenville of “mishandling the situation” and not doing all
possible to inform the head off : ; ——— 7- .
Mnval Ar-arlamv ih»i Fin. superintendent of the Naval Acade
my, Rear Adm. William R. Smed-
burg ITT, for pei’mission to talk to
Erdelatz or for the coach to come
here.
However, he said it was not until
he arrived here yesterday that he
learned that this had not been done.
He said that Finney had talked
with Capt. Slade Cutter, Naval
Academy Athletic Director, but
insisted this was not sufficient.
Jack Finney issued a statement
last night saying that he and A&M
directors Pat Zachry and Price
Campbell contacted Cutter after
talking to Erdelatz in Washington
last Friday.
“Mr. Erdelatz agreed to come to
Texas to talk to our athletic coun
cil, and if after talking to them
they were interested in offering
him the job and he was interested
in accepting it, then his admiral
would be called,” said Finney.
Finney continued, “We thought
that was the proper procedure.”
Previously, Finney said he at
tempted to reach Dr. M. T. Har
rington, president of A&M, in an
effort to have Harrington secure
the necessary permission from
Smedberg. He was unable to reach
Harrington, he said.
Erdelatz told newsmen another
reason why he had decided to re
main at the Naval Academy was
because of “the ties that I have
had and the great association and
feeling I have had for the Navy,
for the Navy officers and for the
many fine boys on my teams.”
This is the fifth coach that has
come into consideration since the
resignation of Coach Paul (Bear)
Bryant was tendered last December
2, which was 44 days ago.
Among the coaches given con
sideration were Frank Leahy, Duf
fy Daugherty, Jim Myers, Henry
(Red) Sanders, Jack Curtice and
Erdelatz.
Erdelatz’ decision confirmed a
belief of the academy superinten
dent Rear Adm. Smedberg, “I
never believed that Eddie would
break his contract at the Naval
Academy. I am glad to hear that
he is not and will be happy to have
him back with us.”
The matter has been returned to
the Faculty Athletic Council, head
ed by Dr. Chris Groneman, who
will be forced to start from
scratch once again.
There are no names on the
“prospective candidate” list.
Civilians Get
Board Audience
At Next Meeting
President M. T. Harrington
yesterday granted the Civilian
Student Council a brief audi
ence with the board of direc
tors in the Feb. 22 meeting
to air Civilian opinion on compul
sory military training at A&M.
Dr. Harrington told CSC Presi
dent Billy McKown that no re
strictions would be placed on their
presentation or the way they hand
led it. He did request that only
two representatives attend the
board meeting and they limit their
presentation to about 20 to 30
minutes.
Previously, the Council was plan
ning to send four representatives,
McKown pnd three others chosen
from ten nominees, which were to
be chosen from the Civilian body
at large.
Last night, McKown said that
the two representatives would be
selected in similar manner, but in
dicated that he would still probably
be one of the delegates, as sug
gested at the Jan. 9 meeting of the
Council.
Publications Board
Hears Students
Four Corps juniors attended the
regular monthly meeting of the
Student Publications Board yes
terday to “answer any questions
the Board might have.”
Board members queried the stu
dents on several points concerning
recent actions in protest to The
Battalion and asked what the stu
dents were protesting. They re
plied that they felt The Battalion’s
editorials were unfair to them.
Engineer Editor George Rags
dale spoke to the Board about
current and future planning for
the magazine. The purpose of his
talk was to acquaint the Board with
some of the problems connected
with his publication.
Other business taken up at the
meeting included a motion to in
vite the Texas University Student
Publications Board and editors
here for a tour of the A&M Student
Publications facilities, which was
passed; discussion of the opening
of bids for the printing of the 1959
Aggieland.
Students May Tag
Automobiles Now
Students wishing to register
their automobiles on the campus
for the coming spring semester
may do so now, Campus Security
Chief Fred Hickman said yester
day.
Jim Myers