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VOLUME 61
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 1968
Number 587
‘Cowtown ’Oilman Gives Aid
To Aggies, Not Buildings
“Snuff money!”
That’s the way C. J. (Red)
Davidson of Fort Worth refers
to what Texas A&M officials con
sider generous gifts to its stu
dents.
Davidson, a partner in David
son Brothers Drilling Company in
Fort Worth, obviously feels a
keen rapport with students who
have a tough time getting
through college.
That’s the intimation of his
scholarships to youngsters at
A&M, John Tarleton State Col
lege at Stephenville, and Prairie
View A&M, Hempstead.
The Cowtown oilman likes for
his financial assistance to go to
students who really need help.
Candidates don’t have to make
straight A’s to get aid from Dav
idson. A “C” student is as likely
to get badly needed money.
DAVIDSON HAS contributed
to A&M for years, and his gifts
are growing as a giant oak
springs from an acorn. A&M’s
funds have increased more than
$60,000 in the past four years as
a direct result of Davidson’s gen
erosity.
Recipients are as varied as the
former student’s interests. The
New Names Needed
For City Streets
College Station residents are.
being asked to help re-name
some of the city’s streets, ac
cording to Mayor D. A. “Andy”
Anderson.
The City Council is now con
sidering new names for five
streets o r highways : Jersey
Street, County Road, State
Highway 6, Wellborn Road,
and Sulphur Springs Road
from State Highway 6 to the
East Loop.
Mayor Anderson urges all
interested citizens to submit
their suggestions to City Man
ager Ran Boswell at City Hall.
The new names submitted
should be in writing to facili-
tate selection.
Bryan Building & Loan
Association, Your Sav
ings Center, since 1919.
B B & L —Adv.
Singing Cadets, A&M’s glee club,
warmed Davidson with a stellar
performance in Fort Worth. He
responded with a $1,220 gift.
Recently, Davidson became in
terested in work of the Texas 4-H
program. Quickly, he volunteered
two $500 college scholarships for
deserving young men and women.
And he chipped in $1,125 for oth
er state 4-H projects.
“HIS IDEA OF helping young
people achieve their potential in
life is commendable,” Lynch ob
served.
“He helps teach young people
a wonderful lesson in life by ex
tending their scholarships after
they have done satisfactorily the
first year,” the 4-H leader added.
“And that is, that each oppor
tunity in life, if properly fulfilled,
opens another gate for a still
greater opportunity.
A&M’s Association of Former
Students is another organization
which receives financial contribu
tions from Davidson. He has es
tablished a Davidson Fund and
his family set up the Davidson
Family Charitable Foundation.
It’s likely, but unknown, that
Davidson extends fiscal aid to
other A&M organizations and in
dividuals for which he receives
little notice, school officials say.
Davidson is no publicity seeker.
DESPITE HIS RETICENCE
concerning public recognition for
his aid to A&M and other schools,
Davidson was persuaded to at
tend a spring awards dinner re
cently at John Tarleton State
College at Stephenville.
The Agriculture Department
gave him an engraved plaque in
appreciation for continued as
sistance in scholarships and other
areas. His picture soon will be
placed in the college’s Hall of
Fame, said acting Agriculture
Department Head W. W. Reed.
Davidson’s gifts to John Tarle
ton total more than $26,000, ac
cording to records in the presi
dent’s office.
Prairie View A&M President
A. I. Thomas said college stu
dents and officials are appreci
ative for Davidson’s scholarship
support. The school received
$1,220 for 1967-68 scholarship
aid from Davidson.
The slightly-built oilman and
rancher apparently may present
a gruff, rough picture of himself
to the general public. People who
know him well say he’s extremely
conservative, but has a “real”
feeling for youths who are will
ing to work.
Coming from the Frio County
community of Moore, Davidson
signed on in 1916 for a two-year
electrician’s course at Aggieland.
Financial difficulties forced him
to become a dropout the next
year, but “Red,” as his campus
buddies called him, didn’t blame
his problems on A&M.
Somehow, he wedged his way
into the oil business, and through
the years amassed a small for
tune. Now, he’s anxious to help
young men and women over the
rough spots through financial
support.
Perhaps an expert from a Da
vidson letter to A&M Develop
ment Fund officials almost seven
years ago best describes David
son’s inner feelings for mankind:
“I am more interested in in
dividuals than brick, mortar,
swimming pools and flagpoles.”
Cadets Named Top
AFROTC Students
Texas A&M Air Force ROTC
cadets John D. Cunningham of
Augusta, Kan., and Myles A.
Yanta of Runge were the top
students in their military sub
jects for the spring semester.
Col. Vernon L. Head, professor
of aerospace studies, said appro
priate recognition will be ac
corded the sophomore and fresh
man.
Cunningham, a Squadron 6
cadet corporal in the corps,
scored 94 per cent to lead 169
sophomores taking AS 200. The
Air Force financial assistance
grant recipient has a 2.44 grade
point ratio and is the son of Air
Force Maj. and Mrs. C. H. Cun
ningham of Augusta.
A Squadron 9 cadet, Yanta had
the top score among 318 aero
space studies freshmen. The
financial assistance grant appli
cant scored 96 per cent and is a
straight A student, with a 3.11
Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Yanta,
Runge, is also studying physics.
Sen. Kennedy Dies
From Gun Wounds
Presiden tDeclares
Day Of Mourning
By WALTER R. MEARS
AND
JOSEPH E. MOHBAT
LOS ANGELES (•£»> — Sen.
Robert F. Kennedy, felled like his
President brother by an assas
sin’s bullet, died early today.
He never regained conscious
ness, never showed signs of re
covery after a savage burst of
revolver fire sent a bullet plung
ing into his brain—at the pinna
cle of his own campaign for the
White House.
The New York senator, 42, his
pregnant wife, Ethel, at his bed
side, died at 1:44 a^m., PDT, lit
tle more than 24 hours after the
assault at the Ambassador Hotel.
Kennedy’s bddy was to be flown
from Los Angeles to New York
later today on a jet airplane pro
vided by the White House.
PIERRE SALINGER, former
presidential press secretary, said
the body will lie in state Friday j
A telegram expressing the
sympathy felt for the Robert F.
Kennedy family will be sent by
students of A&M, according to
Student Senate Vice President
David Maddox.
Signatures must be obtained
before 2 p.m. tomorrow. Anyone
who wishes to sign the telegram
can do so at a special booth in
the Memorial Student Center.
A&M organized the first tour
of the late senator on southern
university campuses, according to
Maddox.
at St. Patrick’s Cathedral between
8 a.m., EDT, and 10 p.m.
A Requiem Mass will be held
there Saturday morning.
Salinger said Kennedy will be
buried in Arlington National
Cemetery, probably near the
grave of his brother, the late
President John F. Kennedy.
“I think) Mrs. Kennedy is bear-
AggieGraduate
Biesln Vietnam
Marine Capt. Thomas H.
Ralph, Jr., 27, a 1962 graduate
of Texas A&M, was killed in ac
tion on May 17, while on an
operation at Quang Nam, near
Da Nang, Vietnam.
While at A&M Capt. Ralph was
a distinguished student and yell
leader for two years. He was
company commander of the Ross
Volunteers and was in several
honorary societies.
He attended the Marine Pla
toon Leader’s Class at Quantico,
Va., in the summers of 1960 and
1961. In 1961 he was recognized
as the outstanding Marine Corps
Cadet in the United States. Both
he and A&M received trophies
for this award.
After finishing his require
ments for a Bachelor of Science
degree in civil engineering in
1962, he began work on his mas
ter’s and received it in 1963.
Capt. Ralph entered the Ma
rines on active duty in 1963 as
a second lieutenant. He served
three years with the 2nd Marine
Division assigned to the Atlantic
Ocean area.
Upon his discharge from the
Marine Corps in 1966 as a cap
tain, he was employed by Brown
& Root, Inc., as- a structural en
gineer.
In 1967 he returned to active
duty and was sent to Camp
Pendleton, Calif. He was with
the 27th Regiment, 3rd Battalion,
1st Marine Division at Da Nang
and was made company com
mander in April.
Capt. Ralph attended high
school in Clifton, and was an
honor graduate in 1958.
He is survived by his wife,
Jean, and children Laura Lee, 3,
and Thomas Andrew, 1, his par
ents Mr. and Mrs. T. H. Ralph,
Sr., and his brother Sam Ralph, a
junior here, all of Clifton.
ing up very well,” Salinger said.
President Johnson, the man
who succeeded the assassinated
President Kennedy on Nov. 22,
1963, issued a proclamation call
ing for a national day of mourn
ing for the senator next Sunday.
As Kennedy died, the man ac
cused of shooting him was un
der heavy guard at a downtown
prison hospital, he is on $250,000
bail for a court appearance which
had been scheduled Monday.
SIRHAN BISHARA SIRHAN
was accused of wielding the .22-
caliber revolver which cut down
Kennedy and wounded five other
people early Wednesday as the
senator and his supporters cele
brated victory in the California
presidential primary.
Mrs. John F. Kennedy, widow
of the assassinated Preisident,
was in her brother-in-law’s room
when he died.
Two of Kennedy’s sisters, Mrs.
Stephen Smith and Mrs. Patricia
Lawford, were there, too.
Salinger said three of Kenne
dy’s 10 children were in an adja
cent room and saw their father
before he died.
Pale and haggard, Frank Man-
kiewicz, Kennedy’s press secre
tary, announced the death to
newsmen.
“SEN. ROBERT FRANCIS
Kennedy died at 1:44 a.m. today,”
he began.
Then he answered questions.
What was the specific cause of
death ?
Mankiewicz looked up numbly.
“The gunfire attack,” he said.
He said “the bullet that went in
to the head near the right ear”
was the fatal shot. It entered
Kennedy’s brain. Surgeons oper
ated for 3 hours and 40 minutes
to remove all but a fragment in
a vain attempt to save the sena
tor’s life.
But Kennedy never rallied.
“IT WAS NOT A QUESTION
of his sinking,” Mankiewicz said,
“but of not rising. He needed a
rally and steady improvement in
(See Sen. Kennedy, Page 2)
Army Continues
Engineer Program
The Department of the Army
has renewed its contract with
Texas A&M for a maintainability
engineering program conducted at
the university and the Red River
Army Depot near Texarkana.
President Earl Rudder signed
the two-year contract in a cere
mony attended by Col. Nathan
Reiter, Texarkana depot comman
der; E. W. McMichael, Red River
logistics intern training center
director; Dr. Richard E. Wainerdi,
associate engineering deal, and
Dr. A. W. Wortham.
A&M’s Industrial Engineering
Department, headed by Wortham,
conducts the program which has
graduated two classes.
Dr. Wortham said the new con
tract calls for an expanded pro
gram and more courses, with in
struction in maintainability en
gineering still the primary con
sideration.
Maintainability engineering in
volves measuring and predicting
maintenance needs of various
Army equipment systems in terms
of repair costs and lost operating
time.
“The next two classes of 30
students each have been recruited
and are on board at Texarkana,”
Wortham added. The graduate
engineers program can lead to a
master’s degree in industrial en
gineering, as well as Army certifi
cation.
Instructing the next class will
be Dr. Joseph W. Foster, Robert
Lawless and Hubert Jones of the
Industrial Engineering Depart
ment.
University National Bank
“On the side of Texas A&M.
—Adv.
SEN. KENNEDY DEAD
Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, shown here debating on national
television Saturday night, died early this morning of gun
shot wounds suffered moments after his victory speech
in the California presidential primary Tuesday. (AP Wire-
photo)
Over 2,000A ttend
State 4-H Roundup
Judging contests, career booths
and award programs highlighted
the State 4-H Roundup on the
campus this week, according to
state 4-H leaders.
Approximately 2,500 members,
adult leaders, extension agents
and friends from across the state
attended the two-day event.
Dr. Zener Retires
Science Dean Post
Dr. Clarence Zener, 62, an
nounced Wednesday he will retire
July 1 as dean of science at Texas
A&M.
The National Academy of
Sciences member will continue his
association with the university as
the science advisor, A&M Presi
dent Earl Rudder said.
The former director of science
for Westinghouse came to A&M
in 1966 when the College of
Science was created as a separ
ate division.
Rudder noted the university’s
regret at the loss of Zener as a
member of the institution’s Exec
utive Committee.
“We are pleased he has agreed
to continue in an advisory capaci
ty to assist in the fulfillment of
his plans for excellent under
graduate and graduate programs
in science,” the president added.
Plans are under study to pro
vide continuity for the College of
Science until a new dean is
named. Rudder said.
Booths were set up by each of
the colleges of the university and
representatives from James Con-
nally Technical Institute in G.
Rollie White Coliseum for the
4-Hers.
At the Roundup all previous
training and hard work was put
to the test and winners announced
in 31 different judging and team
and individual demonstration con
tests. Each of the participants
had already won honors in county
and district contests. The two
high scoring teams for each of
the 12 Extension Districts in Tex
as were eligible to participate in
the Roundup contests.
The winners in the dairy cat
tle, livestock and poultry judging
contests /will later compete for
national honors, the state 4-H
leaders say. Other state winning
teams will be invited to present
their demonstrations at state and
national meetings.
Austin Attorney Robert T. Da
vis, widely known for work with
many youth groups and organiza
tions, was the featured speaker
at the main banquet which hon
ored contest winners and donors.
4-H Club work is the youth
phase of the educational pro
grams carried on by the Texas
Agricultural Extension Service,
a part of the Texas A&M Uni
versity System. Local county Ex
tension agents supervise, with the
assistance of adult 4-H leaders,
county and community 4-H pro
grams and activities.
TECHNICIAN COMMENDED
Ed Vos of Texas A&M was commended by Capt. Lewis
Newton of the oceanographic research ship Alaminos and
Dr. Richard A. Geyer, department head, for his work dur
ing a Gulf of Mexico cruise. Equipment failure left the
ship dead in the water. The marine technician aided crew
men in repairs to get the vessel under way again.