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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 5, 1976)
Page 2 THE BATTALION THURSDAY, FEB. 5, 1976 fair Semi-centennial celebrated fifty years Marion T. Harrington, Pre sident of Texas A&M Col lege 1950-53. Courtesy Uni versity Archives. By DON MIDDLETON and JOHN ADAMS Battalion StaiT Writers Well, Governor Dolph Briscoe made it official, the Centennial Celebration is on. A less than capac ity crowd in the Rudder Center au ditorium listened as the Governor read the proclamation which begins a year of hundredth-year festivities. Some people have wondered why the Centennial was inaugurated on Groundhog Day. There’s been speculation that if we crawled out of our holes and saw our shadows, we’d turn around and go back to sleep for another 100 years. Not to worry, we saw plenty of people running the ob stacle courses to class the day after. And don’t think that you’re the only Aggie who ever had to suffer FOR VALENTINE’S DAY FEBRUARY 14th GIVE A MUSICAL JEWELRY BOX | OR A BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF JEWELRY (including Turquoise) OR OTHER UNUSUAL GIFTS FROM [happy cottage gift shoppe 809 E. 29th - Bryan - 3 blocks from City National Bank IF MAN HAD BEEN MEANT TO FLY HE WOULD HAVE HAD WINGS Well We Can Give You Some RENEW LIFE WITH U $ SUNDAY UNIVERSITY LUTHERAN CHAPEL 315 N. Main — 846-6687 Hubert Beck, Pastor WORSHIP WITH US SUNDAY AT 10:45 A. M. OR 6 P. through a little construction. When President W.B. Bizzell made a speech to the June graduates of 1916, he called for an expansion of college facilities and an increase in enroll ment to 2,500 by the year 1926. Im agine, 2,500 students. And even then folks were wondering if a stu dent body of that size was good for A&M. When the Semi-centennial rolled around, quite a few a of Bizzell’s am bitions had come true. There we ren’t quite 2,500 Aggies in atten dance, but no less than 17 major buildings had sprung up on the A&M campus. As a prelude to the 50th Anniver sary celebration, Bizzell quit. Thomas 0. Walton was appointed to fill the vacancy in the front office on Sept. 1, 1925, and was formally inau gurated during the Semi-centennial fair the following Spring. The celebration was a three day affair prior to commencement in June. There were speeches, lunch eons, memorial services and a lot of good will. Institutions of higher learning from all over the world, 103 to be exact, sent words of congratula tion and best wishes for the future. They represented countries on every continent, except Antarctica. Thirty-three foreign states in all wished the Aggies a happy 50th birthday. But of course the farmers weren t satisfied to rest on their laurels, and after the hoopla died down, they were off and running to get the school in shape for its 75th birthday. When President Frank C. Bol ton s term of office came to an end in mid-1950, there might have been some history-minded Aggies who marked the day as the unofficial be ginning of the 75th anniversary. Marion T. Harrington filled the post vacated by two-time President Bolton, but before he was officially inaugurated the 75th birthday party drew the full attention of 14,000 well-wishers. On hand to help the Aggies celeb- Thomas O. Walton, Presi dent of Texas A&M College 1925-1943. Courtesy Uni- sity Archives. 75th Anniversary celebration, October 4, 1950, Courtesy University Archives. Commencement procession down Military Walk to Guion Hall during the Semi-centennial celebration, June 1926. Courtesy Archives. rate were Gov. Alan Shivers, and past A&M Presidents Gibb Gil christ, chancellor of the A&M Sys tem, and Frank Bolton. The Diamond Celebration festivities in cluded a barbecue and soda pop pic nic on the lawn outside the stadium. Special Lecture-Film co-sponsored by the Department of Philosophy, Texas A&M University with support from the Sea Grant College Program through the Division of Continuing Education as a part of the Humanities of the Sea Series. Scott McVay Chairman, Committee on Whales, Environmental Defense Fund, and Executive Director The Robert Sterling Clark Foundation will present a screening and discussion of In Search of the Bowhead Whale” Produced by the National Film Board of Canada Award Winner American Film Festival June 1975 Thursday February 5 8 p.m. Rudder Theater 1950 was a landmark year for A&M in several ways, not the least of which was the completion of the 18- hole college golf course. Also, the Memorial Student Center was com pleted and began operation that year. It might be interesting to note that both the “C and the golf underwent face-lifts before the Cen tennial year. Then again, it might not. The director of the MSG in 1950 was a young man named J. Wayne Stark, who was instrumental in the design, construction, and operation of the “Campus Living Room.” Under the watchful eyes and helping hands of Wayne Stark, Aggies have planned and taken part in a myriad of activities for 26 years, including sip ping coffee in the cafeteria before, during and after classes. Wayne Stark is something of an Aggie tradi tion in himself. Also that year the University Arc hives was established. They’re the folks who furnish all the photos and much of the information found in this column. We might as well take the time and space to express our pro found thanks for all the help they have been to us in filling this space from week to week. It sounds like were signing off for good, doesn’t it? No such luck. On Nov. 9, 1950, Harrington was installed as head Aggie. The main Barbecue picnic on the lawn outside Kyle Field duritL (l the 75th Anniversary celebration. Courtesy UniversiBrtor Archives. speaker for the inauguration was Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, then president of Columbia University. A couple of years later he resigned that job to take up residence in the White House. Also in the stage party was the president of the Board of Direc tors of the A&M System, G. Rollie White of Brady, Texas. That brings us to 1976. It kind of sneaked up on us without advance warning since President Jack K. Williams didn’t resign last year, in the grand tradition of his forebears. However, most of us suspected something was up when all these buildings started going up : ieph novie" everywhere and the erowdsB^ 11 the bookstore at the firstlr^ 1 semester got bigger. In all honesty and seriijfer. ' President Williams has conlf? 1 Sl much to A&M in his short here and he deserves tosticW a little longer to see howevtp turns out. One sad note in an ot happy story. One man achievements and contribi the A&M Centennial are ^ measure by his contempon' not be present to join hither f .f. r tion. Earl Rudder was the 111 force behind much of the e ®j ex j SLOUCH Jim Earle ^ ** .3715 ERST 2.9* Sr. ■"T6V/f4 i CcaITSJ*. O fV- Top of the Tower Texas A&M University Pleasant Dining, — Great View SERVING LUNCHEON BUFFET 11:00 A.M. - 1:30 P.M. Each day except Saturday BankAmericard $2.50 DAILY $3.00 SUNDAY Serving soup & sandwich 11:00 A.M. - 1:30 P.M. Monday - Friday $1.50 plus drink Available Evenings For Special University Banquets Department of Food Service Texas A&M University “Quality First” “It used to be sick grandmothers, every student who is absent now says that he’s been celebrating the centennial!” that is now beginning to bloss pot to the dynamic institution that ,, . A&M University. Perhap watching the progress of the JT'. 1 he loved from another vantage j^ 1 And so the big celebratim Here’s to another 100 years: , . old Aggie Spirit. | ^ Deadline 9 ■ in ibile Degree application deJ ay a approaching for Texas Al dents who expect to gradi spring. The deadline is Friday Graduate and undergradi dents must apply in ordf granted degrees May 8. Di plication is the student sresi ity. Because of an anticipal number of graduates ati Centennial-celebration mencement, Registrar Rol says it is important thatde| didates meet the deadline Application should bem Richard Coke Building, the $8 fee in the Fiscal graduate students apply Graduate College, Room n dergraduates present thefef[ in Room 7. Cbe Battalion Opinions expressed in The Battalion are <,nose of the editor or of the writer of the article and are not necessarily those of the university administration or the Board of Regents. The Battal ion is a non-profit, self-supporting enterprise operated by stu dents as a university and community newspaper. Editorial policy is determined hy the editor. Represented nationally hy National Educational Advertising Senice| York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. 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Second-Class postage paid at College Station, Texas. Address correspondence to Listen Up, The Battalion, Room 217, Services Building, College Station, Texas 77843. MEMBER The Associated Press, Texas Press Association Editor James Managing Editor News Editor h® 1 Members of the Student Publications Board are: Bob G. Rogers, Chairman; Dr. Gary Halter; Dr. John Hanna; Roger P. Miller; Dr. Clinton A. Phillips, Jeff Dunn, Tom Dawsey and Jerri Ward. Director of Student Publications: Gael L. Cooper. City Editor *«|| Contributing Editors Sandy Russo, Sports Editor hd