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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 25, 1976)
THE BATTALION Page 5B WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25, 1976 Aggie ring product of evolution, tradition, love L By DON MIDDLETON and see Sysla 1 J°HN ADAMS, JR. 'ident ofl Get ready to excercise your brain, the Tfl fee rica has the stars and stripes, he Olympics have the torch. Phi | n y acadK|ta Kappa has its key, Betty Gra- < membetsiyhas her legs, and Texas A&M lms is os:as[— what? frozenf; you said a cowhide bench [ ,c ‘> AnC' oujre wrong. If you said the Aggie -ampbelljing you’re right, i'amondS!| the Aggie Ring is the product of of evolution, born out of tradi- and love for an institution. The desire for a symbol to repre sent a student’s days at A&M was first expressed in early 1889. The end result of the wish was a unique but now forgotten ring. The design selected had the letters “AMC” in tertwined across its face and sur rounded by four small diamonds. It was cast in solid gold. Only two of these rings exist today. The distinc tive design was sued only for the class of ’89 and never cast again. Five years passed before the forerunner of the present ring was born. Under the direction of Ed ward C. Jonas, 94, Commander of Company “C” and business man ager of the Battalion, suggestions for the design of a class ring were solicited. From these suggestions Jonas drew up the preliminary de sign. Approval by the 32 member class soon followed. Ten dollars was col lected from every senior in order to contract a New York firm to cast the gold rings. Two weeks before the June commencement the first con signment of rings arrived. All were delighted with the ring’s tries planned for fall Lots of lecturers visit A&M rfERICAM ■exas A&M is not lacking in its iare of visiting lecturers outside of ihficlassroom. pie major lecture series, which jtiidents attend at minimal or no ^■ge, are the Centennial Visiting ■lessors Series, Great Issues, |litical Forum and the University fakers series. |Many academic departments isor visiting professors. These |ures are usually announced in ses. Speakers also come to A&M [articipate in Continuing Educa- short courses. Ijiformation and speaking times of Titinuing Education speakers are liable from that office, located on leigth floor of the Rudder Tower. Ihe Student Conference On Na- lal Affairs (SCONA) is held an- jjially on campus. Nationally- 3wn speakers address one issue :rpm many viewpoints during the pk-long student gathering each spring. These lectures are open to A&M students. The Centennial Visiting Profes sors program is still in the formatory stages with invitations and dates still being worked out by the vice- president of academic affairs office. Lecturers who are coming include Dr. Charles Drake from DarU mouth’s earth science department, Dr. Charles E. Kellough who served as director for the Soil Con servation Service, and Dr. Norman Borlough who is a Nobel Prize win ner in biology. Great Issues, a student-run lec ture series, deals with different as pects of American or international life by sponsoring speakers with ex pertise in their field. The Great Issues speakers for this fall will speak on problems facing the cities. The list of speakers and their subjects include Nicholas Gage on organized crime, Sep tember 23; Elmer Cooper on trans portation, September 28; Michael Harrington on social programs, Oc tober 21; Robert Kukla on gun con trol, November 10 and Norman Shields on gun control, November 16. Political Forum, also a student- run series, has a sketchy schedule because of the election year. The group has received commitments from Rep. Alan Steelman for late September and Carl Albert for Oc tober. The University Speakers series is conducted by a University commit tee and speakers have not yet been chosen. The speakers will be chosen by the Evans Library staff amd the faculties of Geosciences and Liberal Arts and approved by the commit tee. Four speakers will be chosen to lecture at regular intervals during the academic year. One of the speakers chosen will be an A&M professor. rea prepares for students ■exas A&M University initiates 30 what promises to be its ■iest school year yet. ■all semester classes start the last ■nday in August, with a preced- ng week of preparation. This week Deludes delayed registration, a jxas tourists >ending less kUSTIN — Last spring’s auto Jtors to the Lone Star State en- ed Texas more but spent less, ac- Iding to the state’s quarterly Itor industry report. I Based on a tabulation of more than 10,000 questionnaires com- ileted by travelers from out of state Iho came to Texas during the ipting quarter, spending per person let day was down 18 per cent from same period last year. However, |e unexpected frugality of those prist and business visitors was [tially compensated for by an in- Jased length of stay that averaged 1.9 days. Although the number of ques- nnaires returned was almost [uble that of the comparison iod in 1975, total visitor volume |not measured in the quarterly re nts. Such totals can be deter- iined only on an annual basis, and are reported in the state’s year-end visitor industry survey. ■Except in the categories of spend ing and length of stay, other data in the report show almost identical parallels between the two gringtime periods. Origins, desti- Itions, purpose of visits and other jtails are very similar. To see if reduced spending is a continuing factor, tourist industry Catchers will be awaiting the summer-quarter report which cov ers the greatest surge of the state’s visitor year. That report will be is sued in September. ■The current analysis of the spring Iparter is available free from the flravel and Information Division, State Department of Highways and Public Transportation, Austin, Ixas 78701. I s For Battalion Classified . Call 845-2611 makeup conference for new stu dents, various orientations, a work shop for resident hall advisors and a Memorial Student Center “wel come back” picnic. Commanders Conference for Corps of Cadets student leadership is part of the fall semester pre liminaries. University officials expect a fall enrollment of nearly 28,000, includ ing a freshman class that could sur pass the size of Texas A&M’s entire student body of 1960-61. The projected gain by the nation’s fastest growing institution of higher learning would be an increase of about 10 per cent over the 25,247 enrollment last fall. Enrollment in creases of 2,000 or more students have occurred since 1972. Harbingers of the influx showed up last week. They were mostly graduate and married students with youngsters to enroll in public schools. The sudden increase in local populations also has merchants and businessmen on the move, prepar ing and stocking for the increase in customers. Santa Anna Trejo, with a firm located near the campus, said the change will be almost over whelming at first. Almost three- quarters of the fall enrollment will reside off-campus. The 1976-77 enrollment includes the 101st class to start classes at the Centennial-celebrating Texas A&M. Dr. Billy Gene Lay, admis sions director, said 7,800 new un dergraduate students are expected, counting freshmen and transfers. A&M gets a fairly accurate indica tion of the new group through summer conferences. The sessions held throughout the summer enable new students to become academi cally oriented, preregisfer and pre pare for the semester start with University officials on an individual basis. ' New undergraduate students had to apply for admission by July 31, the first such deadline in recent years. Fall semester activities will in clude several centennial-related events. A number of Centennial Academic Assemblies are planned, along with the Oct. 4 special cen tennial convocation. Texas A&M was formally dedi cated on Oct. 4, 1876. First term enrollment totaled 48 students. Our Original THIN CRUST PIZZA America s Favorite Pizza . . . thin crust perfection! ONION flavor-baked to BLACK SLICED TOMATO BEEF SAUSAGE DOUBLE CHEESE CANADIAN BACON PEPPERONI & MUSHROOM .... PEPPERONI & GREEN PEPPER BEEF & CHOPPED ONIONS.... EACH ADDED INGREDIENT Small Medium Large Gian* 1.30 1.75 2.65 3.60 1 45 2.05 3.00 3.85 1 45 2.05 3.00 3.85 1 55 2 20 3.15 4.10 1.55 2.20 3.15 4.10 1.55 2.20 3.15 4.10 1.75 2.35 3 60 4.65 1.75 2.35 3.60 4.65 1.75 2.35 3.60 4 65 1.75 2.35 3.60 4 65 1 80 2.40 3.70 4.85 1.80 2.40 3.70 4 85 1.80 2.40 3,70 4.85 1.90 2.50 3.85 4.95 2.00 2.65 4.00 5.15 2.00 2.65 4.00 5.15 2.05 2.70 4.10 5.35 2.05 2.70 4 10 5.35 2.35 3.10 4.50 5.95 .25 .30 .40 .50 Prices for all custom made pizzas with added ingredients are computed from the highest priced menu item ordered FULL SERVICE UNISEX SALON 410 S. TEXAS RAMADA INN COLLEGE STATION 846-1441 design and appearance. But an in quisitive senior and chemistry pro fessor P.S. Tilson, ’89, ran a test in the chemistry lab to determine the gold content of the ring. To their surprise, they found it had been weighted and plugged with lead. A close look at the other rings in the first shipment revealed the same impurities. With commencement only two weeks away, reordering the whole shipment was impossible. So each senior was forced to reorder his own ring. Most members of the class of ’94 had their new ring by 1897. After considering many possible ring designs, the class of ’95 selected the same ring their pre decessors .wore. And the ring re mained unchanged until 1899 when a committee headed by Josh B. Sterns and R.J. Porter met to dis cuss design changes and the con tracting of a new company to cast the ring. “After much friendly argument,” Sterns recalls, “we rearranged the designs and selected a combination composed of the seal of Texas on one side, a cannon and two crossed muskets on the other side. On the top oval we placed a spread eagle with A.M.C. around the top rim and a space for 1899 below.” During the discussion much con cern was expressed by E.L. Martin to have the classes of 00, 01 and 02 adopt the same design in order to “perpetuate the design as the class ring for the succeeeding years.” The Linz Brothers Jewelry Com pany of Dallas offered to quote the junior, sophomore and fish classes lower prices if they would meet and vote to approve Martin’s idea. With the possibility of the price per ring being raised to $10.50 all classes concurred. The ring remained unchanged during the next 30 years. Year after year each class agreed on the 1894 design for their class ring with only minor changes — a saber and a rifle instead of two rifles, the cannon pointing right instead of left or the eagle facing east instead of west. In 1933 college president T. O. Walton appointed an official Senior Ring Committee to oversee the handling and any design modifica tion that seemed agreeable with the students. The consensus was that unless controls were exercised the ring and its heritage would prove meaningless. Prior to 1933 many companies manufactured the ring and practically anyone could obtain a “bootleg” copy. A five year contract was awarded to Star Engraving Company of Houston in November, 1933 to begin making Aggie rings with the class of ’35. In 1934 the state and national flags were added as background to the crossed rifle and saber. The words “A&M College of Texas — 1876” were also added around the crest. In 1939 the Registrar’s office began distributing the ring in order to exercise tighter controls on those who were permitted to purchase it. 1943 saw the ring enlarged and the seal raised. When Texas A&M Col lege became Texas A&M University in 1963 the ring underwent a corre sponding change. 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PIZZA INN SPECIAL EACH ADDED INGREDIENT all the goodness Smaii Medium Large Giant .... 1.70 2.25 3.60 4.70 ... 1.85 2.55 3.95 4.95 ... 185 2.55 3.95 4.95 ... 195 2.70 4.10 5.20 ... 1.95 2 70 4.10 5.20 .. 95 2.70 4.10 5.20 • • Z 15 2.85 4.55 5.75 ... 2.15 2.85 4 55 5.75 ... 2.15 2.85 4 55 5.75 ... 2.15 2.85 4.55 5.75 ,.. 2.20 2.90 4.65 5.95 ... 220 2.90 4.65 5.95 ... 2.20 2.90 4.65 5.95 ... 2 30 3.00 4.80 6.05 ... 2.40 3.15 4.95 6.25 IR 2.40 3.15 4.95 6.25 ••• 2.45 3.20 5.05 6.45 ... 2.45 3.20 5.05 6.45 ... 2.75 3.60 5.45 695 »• • • • 25 .30 .40 .50 Pizza Inn pizza is made from a secret recipe of old world sauces, dressings and dough which cannot be copied or equalled 1 former students today proudly wear the symbol of Aggie heritage and tradition. Fierce loyalty has caused many to protect and honor its mean ing. There are many stories of rings being found on battlefields in Europe, Korea and Vietnam. One member of the class of ’45 lost his ring while on a fishing trip near Corpus Christi in 1952. A year later it was found between two dead Communist soldiers in Korea by another Aggie, class of ’50. Of course, there are also stories that tell of the lighter side of Aggie rings. In 1967 the $6 million dollar Cyclotron was completed and oper ation begun. One Aggie decided to inaugurate the new atom smasher and perhaps gain a valuable keep sake by exposing his ring to the alpha particle beam. Instead of get ting a mildly radioactive memento he got a ring with half the crest melted by the 65 million electron volt beam. The ring had to be kept in a lead strongbox. Wherever Aggies go, the ring serves as a binding link with other former students. It provides ready identification with the good old col lege days and the comradeship ac quired while at Texas A&M. For those of you who have never been told the whole story of the symbolism of the Aggie Ring, here it is: The shield on the top of the ring symbolizes protection of the good reputation of the Alma Mater. The 13 stripes in the shield refer to the 13 original states and symbolize the intense patriotism of graduates and undergraduates of A&M. The five stars in the shield refer to phases of development of the student; mind or intellect, body, spiritual attain ment, emotional poise, and integ rity of character. The eagle is sym bolic of agility and power, and abil ity to reach great heights and ambi tions. One side of the ring symbolizes the Seal of the State of Texas au thorized by the Constitution of 1845. The fivepointed star is encir cled with a wreath of olive or laurel leaves symbolizing achievement and a desire for peace, and live oak leaves symbolizing the strength to fight. They are joined at the bottom by a circled ribbon to show the necessity of joining these two traits to accomplish one’s ambition to serve. The other side with its ancient cannon, saber and rifle symbolizes that the men of Texas fought for their land and are determined to de fend their homeland. The saber stands for valor and confidence. The rifle and cannon are symbols of pre paredness and defense. The crossed flags of the United States and Texas recognize the dual allegiance to na tion and state. What else can you do when someone tells you your fly is open? Buy Levi’s with the button front. For guys and gals. Tom’s Pants 800 VILLA MARIA 823-8213 Across From Manor East Mall Our Dinner Size S.iLic) of Garden Fresh Greens Served with Your Choice of Thousand Island. Italian or Pizza Inn Special Dressing Pizza Inn’s Large Deluxe Salad of Garden Fresh Vegetables . . Garnished with a Tempting 1 Assortment of Meat, Cheese, Olives and Fresh Tomato. Served Simmering Hot with Savory Ham, Salami Italian and Swiss Cheese, Lettuce, Onion, Fresh Tomato and Pizza Inn Special Dressing. Pizza Inn s Delicious Hot Sandwich. A Full i Quarter Pound of Lean. Tender Steak. With Cheese. Steak Sauce. 'Lettuce and Fresh Tomato. Italian Style . .. With Cheese, Sweet Bell Pepper. Onion and Our Own Italian Sauce. Served with Our Special Italian Meat Sauce Garden Fresh Green Salad, and Garlic Toast edKen BRYAN 1803 Greenfield Plaza Next to Bryan High 846-1784 COLLEGE STATION 413 S. Texas Ave. 846-6164 Open 7 Days a Week — Dine in or take out. Phone orders ready in 20 minutes! FAMILY NIGHT BUFFET EVERY TUESDAY 6:00-8:30 P.M. ALL THE PIZZA AND SALAD YOU CAN EAT FOR $1.89 CHILDREN UNDER 6 - 99c 1 i li i 1 i