Page 2 THE BATTALION
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1975
■ ■*WWs»i' xv'
TVE SXVED THE BUSING-R)R-I NTE6RATI0N PROBLEM— I'M BUSING Ml THE FEDERAL -JUDGES ID PODUNKJOWA.'
‘Spirit of Aggieland’
Just a summer project.
Off-campus voice
Editor:
Since the majority of students at
Texas A&M live off-campus, it is ex
tremely important that we have a
voice in student affairs and deci
sions. I was elected as an off-campus
undergraduate senator for this
school year. It is my goal, and I am
know their views. Twelve people
were elected as off-campus under
graduate senators, so go to the Stu
dent Government office or ask
around and find out who we are. If
you have questions or want to voice
your opinion contact one of us. That
is why we are here.
Jimmy Arnold
iliillllil Hymn obsolete
■ ■ ■ .vi'i'i . i'i i'i i'i i . ivl i i iEditor:
sure the goal of the other off-campus
senators, to do the best to represent
our constituency. This will take an
effort on both of our parts. How
ever, it is the students’ responsibil
ity to keep informed about issues on
this campus, and to let the senators
Editor:
The aggie war hymn song is obso
lete.
One of the best ways for mature
and intelligent A&M adherents to
celebrate the bicentennial would be
prompt Aggie War Hymn abolish
ment.
Emerson Rutherford
OMBUDSMAN
If you have a question or com
plaint regarding news coverage
please contact our Ombuds
man’s office between 6 and 11
p.m., Monday through Thurs
day. We established the office
to help you with problems re
quiring the attention of any top
editorial personnel of The Bat
talion. Call
845-2611
or write Ombudsman, The
Battalion, Texas A&M Univer
sity, College Station, Texas,
77843.
By DON MIDDLETON
and
JOHN ADAMS
Battalion Staff Writers
Throughout the history of Texas
A&M University, music has been an
integral part of Aggie traditions.
The two best-known Aggie tunes,
“The Spirit of Aggieland and “The
War Hymn,” have been sung for
over fifty years.
“The Spirit” began as a summer
project of Marvin H. Mimms in
1925. Mimms, ajunior at A&M, had
planned to attend Army ROTC
summer camp that year, but a heart
murmur discovered by an Army
surgeon postponed the trip.
In a handwritten article Mimms
sent to the University Archives in
1967 he wrote that he was forced to
spend the summer at his parents’
home in Marlin, Texas. All the jobs
in Marlin were filled by the time he
arrived, and the prospects for an ex
citing summer seemed grim.
“I could look forward to just a lot
of puttering around the place,
Mimms wrote. But “during my first
vacation day at home, an old
thought possessed me, as it had off
Aggietoons
and on during my three years at col
lege. Why hadn’t someone come
out with a real alma mater song for
Aggieland?”
Bothered by the thought that
A&M had been without a school
song for almost fifty years, Mimms
began mentally to form guidelines
for the lyric to an A&M song.
Minim's first criterion was that
“the lyric must be correctly written
so as not to bring down the adverse
criticism of the College English
Department.
The rest of the criteria demanded
that the words express a definite
purpose, and lend themselves to a
military cadence. Minims top prior
ity was that composition be “abso
lutely original.”
With these in mind the young
A&M student began writing the
song, starting with the eight-line
chorus then backing up to compose
the two verses. The second verse is
seldom sung.
With the lyrics on paper and a
tune in his head, Mimms hitched a
—Brad Foster
SLOUCH
Battalion Classified Call 845-2611
Cbe Battalion
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MEMBER
The Associated Press, Texas Press Association
ride to College Station to present
his idea to band director Col.
Richard C. Dunn.
Mimms found Dunn in the lobby
of the Y.M.C.A. and explained to
him why he had come. Dunn im
mediately expressed interest in the
song and invited Mimms to sing it
for him.
While Dunn picked out the
melody on a piano, Mimms sang his
song for the first time in Aggieland.
The band director was so excited
with the tune that he immediately
phoned Col. Ike Ashhurn, Com
mandant of Cadets, asking him to
come hear the song.
After hearing the song, Ashhurn
“came over, put his arm around my
shoulder,” Mimms wrote, “saying
That's wonderful! There will be no
contest. This is it!'
Mimms was told that a contest
was being planned to choose a
school song, but there would be no
need of one since Mimms had writ
ten a song to fill the bill. ^
Dunn and Mimms continued
throughout the summer putting the
finishing touches on the score and
making preparations for the mass
printing of the song.
Dunn composed individual
scores for each instrument in the
band, and when the musicians re
turned in the fall the fW „ ,
they learned was “The
which, according to Mimtn J 1
N “-
At the first yell 1)racti (
year The Spirit of Aggiel^J
flayed and sung for the firstti mt i
the student body.
"The ARgie Wa, Hy.y,
product of the imaginafe,;
Marine private, spurred by thek
for his school. J. V. “Pinky”WL
had left A&M in 1917 to serveg
the American forces in Eurow
While sitting in a trench in4,
Champagne-Argonne Forest, %
son composed the words andui*
to the song, which was first surf!
Wilson and his comrades as fc
marched into Gennany.
When Wilson returned to theb
ited States and Texas A&M, 4
formed a quartet that performed^
song during intermission at tl (
Queen Theater in Bryan, in ei .
change for free admission.
Eventually, the song caught«
with the students and wasadoptel
as the school fight song. Thewrp
first sang the "The War ffymn\
fore a football game with Howaic
Payne College in 1921.
Formed in the now-famousAp
"T”, they started a tradition thatstl
lasts that of beginning every hont
football game with "The AggieWj
Hymn.”
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The greatest sandwiches in the Southwest are served from
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Two of the several types of bread are sour dough and baked
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Editor
Assistant Editor
Cit\ Editor
Campus Editor
Special Section Editor
Sports Editor
Photography Director .
.James Breedlove
. Roxie Ilear.i
ATTENTION FRESHMEN
The Town Hall Committee is in desperate need of eight freshmen to serve as
committee members this year. Membership will be decided from an applica
tion and a short interview. Applications and interview times are available in
the student programs office in the MSC until Friday, October 3, 1975 at 5:00
p.m.
Here is a chance to get involved on campus and step into the MSC Circle.
Join Town Hall today.
/tep Into the m/c circle
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