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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 25, 1976)
Page 6B THE BATTALION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25, 1976 Six students present for classes on opening day CEJAit By DON MIDDLETON and JOHN ADAMS As you fight your way through herds of bicycles to class this fall — as you bite and claw for a chair in classrooms designed to hold the single traditional class — as you compete with 28,000 other Aggies for a place in every conceivable type of line — pause for a moment to let your thoughts drift back to an Oc tober morning 100 years ago when the doors of the A&M College were opened for the first time. If you were one of those original six students you would have arrived at the entrance to the campus by way of railroad and walked down the dirt trail that led straight to Old Main, past what is now the Grove and through what would eventually become the Coke Building. After presenting yourself to College Pres ident Thomas Gathright for matricu lation, you would have been shown to your lodgings on the third floor of the same building. As enrollment increased, reaching 48 by mid- November, you would be lodged in Gathright Hall. Try to forget that as you drove to campus in 1976, many of the roads are still dirt trails, and that you had to carry a dozen loads of potted plants, stereo records and cinder blocks from a parking lot miles from your fourth floor dorm room. Upon registration in 1876 each student was issued textbooks to be used in courses that were all elec tive. A fixed college curriculum was not established until 1880. If you’re concentrating hard enough on this illusion you will forget that monstrous check you wrote for that book required for the course you didn’t want to take but your advisor said you had to in order to graduate. In those early days rabbits, deer, wild cattle, mustangs and other wildlife freely roamed the Brazos valley. One faculty member re ported that, “It was no uncommon sight at that time to see a pack of wolves leap out in front of us, at the sound of footsteps from among the tall rank weeds that encompassed the campus grounds. One prospec tive student — a fish — who had arrived to enroll was attacked by wolves during the day “in full sight of the main building.’’ Of course, the wild bicyclists leaping out from between buildings and maverick salesmen peddling newspapers and insurance policies pose no less of a threat in this day and time. Of the six faculty members pre sent on opening day, 22-year-old R. P. W. Morris was chosen as acting Instructor of Military Tactics and Commandant until a regular officer of the U.S. Army could be detailed for duty. Morris organized the cadets into companies A and B. Since most of the professors had fought in the war for the South, the traditional gray uniform with two rows of brass buttons was chosen as the cadet attire. The environment of the new col lege was raw and rugged. The stu dents were equally tough and rowdy. A former state senator wrote that he “had rather give his boy a pony, six-shooter, bottle of whisky and deck of cards and start him out to get his education than send him to A&MC.” Equipped in that man ner, the senator’s son or anyone else’s son would have made friends quickly. Life was simpler in October, 1876 and the cost of living was definitely lower. There were no lines and no insurance salesmen. Walking to class meant a leisurely stroll across the grass to the main building. Doesn’t it sound nice? View of Gathright Hall circa 1885. University Archives Medical ethics to be studied |FARMER*S MARKET DELICATESSENI SANDWICH SHOPPE NOW SERVING BREAKFAST . . . Donuts • Kolaches • Pastries . . . AND FANTASTIC LUNCHES! Po-Boys • Reubens • Muffalattas Meatball Sandwiches 329 UNIVERSITY NORTHGATE Across from the Post Office 7:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. Monday-Saturday 5:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. Sunday Aficionados of Texas medical his tory have a rare treat in store Sept. 16 at Texas A&M University when they have a chance to hear men who actually made much of that history come alive. Dr. Truman G. Blocker Jr., pres ident emeritus of the University of Texas Medical Branch-Galveston, and Dr. A. A. Price, dean of Texas A&M’s College of Veterinary Medicine during 15 of its most formative years, are among speakers at a two-day conference on the im plications of ethics to human and veterinary medicine. The joint conference is thought to be the first of its kind in the nation and will discuss a number of con troversial issues common to, and in volving each, of the two professions. “Dr. Blocker is an exceedingly famous man,” says Texas A&M Dean of Medicine Dr. James A. Knight. “He has been the major force in building one of the best history of medicine collections in the world at UTMB. He has enjoyed a distin guished reputation in medical his tory and the humanities in medicine,” Knight explains. Price retured as dean of Texas A&M’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 1972 and now is ad ministrator of biomedical science at A&M. He became dean in 1957 and during the years won A&M Board of Directors praise for his initiation of academic and research programs and his coordination of major expan sions necessary to accommodate ex panded enrollment and broadened programs. Price first joined the A&M faculty in 1949 and holds three degrees from his alma mater. He handed the reins of dean to Dr. George C. Shel ton in 1973. Blocker and the former A&M dean are featured in an 8:30 a.m. program Sept. 16 that kicks off the overall conference on ethical impli cations. Also on the morning program with the two is Dr. W. W. Armis- tead, dean of the University of Ten nessee - Knoxville College of Vet erinary Medicine, who will discuss history of the medical arts. Cornell University historian Dr. L. Pearce Williams will relate the implications of history to modern medicine as the conference enters such realms as animal patient rights, human obligations, patient- physician relationships, food and companion animal ethics, law in medical ethics and ethics in ex perimentation. AUGUST 20-26 FORT WORTH - Todai day, and the farmer, there the editor, the merchant, san, the teacher, the bail tailor and the lawyer cants the saloon keeper has day, the same asifitwasi day. Ought not somelawl* for their protection? FORT WORTH - 14 hang their fans by a two-ii cardinal ribbon, caught all on the left side. The brigk the ribbon, with aflashytn pretty contrast with dark dresses. AUSTIN — The Legislat journed sine die Monday 21. Before adjourning it number of routine measure not pass the Galveston bill or a bill to increaseai taxes by 15 cents. Proponts tax increase contended necessary to avoid fu debt. SAN ANTONIO-Col, commanding a scoutingpait Staked Plains, reports(ii Indian camp recently ah Shaffer says the camp wasi and the Indians escay the horse they rode. Herei no Indians were killed. Crash cushions save lives on Texas roads .o° ✓y / v ' y Someone once said, “The penalty for running off the road in your auto shouldn’t be death.” This credo was taken to heart by Texas A&M University engineers who recently published a report on work they ve been doing for the last seven years, indicating they’ve come up with what may often be a pardon for that dismal sentence. The latest figures from A&M s Here are 4 reasons why the Negative Heel Look is America’s Newest Footwear Sensation: First: A Full Toe box is shaped like your toes are, so no cramping. Second: The Rocker Sole design allows you to shift your weight naturally. Third: A Counter Arch supports the midsection of your foot, so more relaxing. Fourth: The Lower Heel reduces the pounding your legs take from walking. Presenting 4 of our exciting fashion designs for Men & Women: W AX HIDE 27.99 blue suede 20.99 BROWN LEATHER 21.99 lEMS TAN GLOVE 27.99 £ltoe. DOWNTOWN BRYAN Texas Transportation Institute show a new crash barrier system already in use in Texas has saved more than 100 lives, although they say that this figure is a very conservative esti mate. This barrier evolved after a study in Houston, from 1965 to 1968, showed that eight separate fatalities occurred at three highway locations in just three years. “All three of these locations had elevated gores (highways divided with a large concrete abutment),” explained researcher E. L. Mar quis. “To keep the crashes from being fatal, researchers here at TTI developed and built crash cushions made from steel barrels and tires filled with sand. “Houston now has 60 of these sites, Dallas has 61 and Austin, Fort Worth and San Antonio all employ significant numbers of these bar riers,” he said. “Since the crash barriers were in stalled, they have been smashed into 363 times in the Houston area alone,” added principal investigator T. J. Hirsch. “In the 363 accidents there were only 65 injuries and one fatality in seven years. An even broader projection for all the loca tions state-wide show more than 450 accidents involving the crash cushion with only one other fatality during the same time span.” “We feel that even a conservative guess would be that out of the 450 accidents at least half would have caused major injuries, and of that, probably half would have included fatalities,’’ Hirsch went on. "That means a saving of more than 100 lives.” One collision in Houston in volved a ear, traveling over 70 mph, crashing head-on into a crash cush ion which protected occupants from the concrete barrier. The two passengars, who weren’t belted in, suffered only a broken nose and a broken collarbone. GRIFFIN — The b somewhat depressed, il there are more hunterstls former period. The hides being poisoned on the raj but few will be broughtf October. It is thoughtll 100,000 hides will be shipp this point next season, years will suffice to extern buffalo, and thus prevenl dians from living in asavagr depredate on the frontier, GALVESTON —The he* of weather seems to have the potency of the reign of cohol, and likewise the qualities of his subject slightest provocation is the a resort to blows, and sir were made by the police p.m. to midnight on a fighting. RICHMOND — The cotta made their second appeal about a week ago, and the; getting through their wort eaten up almost alloftlf crop. Some of the planteis portion of their cropwi green, hut not many. ADVERTISEMENTS Raven Pianos. Stool andOr Octave. Our elegant Raven Organ, seven stops, of reeds, $100. Deal direct! money. Our prices are nolle other first class makers p dealers, but we give our the profits they give the men and do not ask for yon till you have thoroughly toll instrument and proved its Send for circular with lars. cor Ch be< cla coi out cat I twi her Th< wo A& thi wh mo pre to - - - The unifi TA& I