Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 22, 1982)
local Battalion/Page 3 February 22, 1982 A&M may be home for military institute by Lezlee Smith Battalion Reporter Texas A&M University may become the home of a unique Military Research Institute, says University President Frank E. Vandiver. Vandiver said the idea, First introduced by John Carroll, a local historian, has attracted a great deal of attention, includ ing that of Gov. William P. Cle ments. Vandiver, who already has formed an advisory committee, said the next step probably will be a meeting of that committee, which he hopes will take place sometime within the next few weeks. One of the primary functions of the committee, he said, will be to raise money for the institute, which will be funded solely through private endowments. Carroll, who has written and edited more than 150 books and articles about General Custer and the Western frontier, said he hopes a military research in stitute will put the military of frontier times in a more truthful perspective. “So many people believe that the soldier’s primary duty after the Civil War was to kill Indians and steal land — all of which is absolutely contrary to the living records,” Carroll said. I he military on the frontier was primarily a pathfinder, a road builder, a trailblazer, a fort builder, a protector of immig rants, and if in the process, they had an Indian battle, then so it was.” Carroll’s collection, valued at more than $500,000, probably will become the cornerstone for the institute. “There is nothing yet on paper, but the intent has been fully subscribed to by all the concerned parties,” he said. Members of the committee in clude: Carroll, Clayton W. Wil liams Sr., of Fort Stockton; Dr. Eli Whitely, of College Station; Lt. Gen. Herron Maples, of Bonham; Wilburn J. Butler, of River Ridge, Lousiana; Maj. Gen. Andrew Rollins, of Dallas. John M. Carroll, a military frontier historian, looks at this staff photo Micheke Rowland Custer chess set he had custom made in Montana. Custer mementos make last stand in collection by Larry E. Baggs Battalion Reporter s^ ome detractors — the nice ones — call him a Custer II i |&l6gist and a fanatic. | But John Carroll, 53, said he is a man searching for truth — the truth about frontier military history. ■ Carroll is most noted for his Stings about Gen. George Hmstrong Custer. Any conver- Bon with him inevitably cen ters upon Custer. ■ In addition, he has a large Bection of Custer memorabi- |a. In fact, Texas A&M Univer- ;; ■ is negotiating to purchase ,jkMrroll’s collection, valued at Ci vm>re than $500,000, for a prop- WwBd Frontier Military Institute. I One of the more unusual Rees of his collection is a hand- , Shade chess game, one of only a 11 ^kUN 11 * ts tyP 6 * n existence, -f. So i ns te a d of kings and bishops, lea that the pieces represent Custer and ically sajhe 7th Cav&lry, and Sitting Bull iignshaifc the Indians. .•V rk Carroll said he can trace his o ...merest in military history to ' n > frrol Flynn’s portrayal of Cus- ’ThefliR i n the 1941 movie, “They d “1( Died With Their Boots On.” ■Carroll’s quest began in the |9&0s when, as a history teacher ' ^ j,. in [New Jersey, he noticed the n ^ r ’ Mrcity and prejudice of the sr r • wjuks available, towns ifjh am particularly incensed at CapistW oversight of the black contri bution and have published five [popks on that subject myself,” Carroll said. Since his first book was pub lished in 1971, Carroll has writ ten or edited more than 150 books or pamphlets, including books on American Indians and Orientals. Carroll’s work takes two forms: he uses the old docu ments he has collected and edits them into book form or he uses the documents to analyze and interpret historical events. He researches painstakingly, spending as much as two hours documenting five footnotes. Or, he may spend weeks waiting for answers to his questions before finishing a chapter. Carroll said he has a dozen more books that he wants to write. “I want to leave a legacy of truth about the military history of that time period,” he said. Carroll said he has two major goals that he wants to achieve. The first is the establishment of the Texas A&M frontier milit ary institute. , The second goal is the estab lishment of a Texas Academy of Arts and Science. Its purpose would be to reward the excell ence of writers and artists from Texas — possibly with an annual award for the best project in each category. “It’s a shame we reward athletes while ignoring these people who also give so much to our culture and heritage,” Car- roll said. His drive to accomplish these goals and writings is a simple one — fear. He said he is afraid that all the documents, memen tos, artifacts and personal cor respondence of the past will be lost or destroyed and he wants to save these items for future generations. s today the day you’re going to do something about your weight? Weight Watchers is the most successful weight loss program in the world. Learn what to eat, how to eat, how much to eat. i Eat three full meals a day. $0 Meetings at 3006 29th St. #1 and Lutheran Student Center Call 822-7303 For Times i t- Weight Watchers International Inc 1982 ^ ^iijdsey’s jewelers noil Doritmssou.WhonrtvenW celebration wtib many at “one ot a kind" herns drastically reduced. Manor East Mall Bryan, Texas 77801 Monday thru Saturday 10-9 etc. ver ’ Tuesday: LUNCH SPECIALS — FRIED CHICKEN — 2.95 HAPPY HOUR: 4:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. & 10:00 p.m.-12:00 p.m. Now you can great music system for the price of a good one. tedlyjs® s, howeif le a ratis dge on* may niche' ■smeM it there J, sane® Jy. ike Ben 1 G> raiorsot^ labonW nndpM teeming 111 editor »licy cut if ightio' 4 ' ^effort' .stalsok* ufthe'*' 11 ' 1 are al* ,const< iponde^ ald.Tf, or pi' 0 ” idurii'?^'* ° rh0l S a** 16 SperM' 1 216 R 0((l . ColleT AL WEEK Rice Broocks Speaking on the power of a totally committed life. • FREE ADMISSION • 22 23 24 Room #102 Room #165 Room #102 Zachry A&A Bldg. Zachry 7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. im wmm, : ..... Our special S699 system features Boston Acoustics A100 floor standing speakers, the Yamaha R-300 AM/FM stereo receiver and the Yamaha P-350 semi-automatic turntable with an Acutex cartridge. Because of a manufac turer’s overstock, we’re now able to make one of the best music system offers in our company’s history. The system is centered around a pair of Boston Acoustics A100 floor- standing speakers. The AlOOs use a special tall, wide and slim cabinet design that results in clean stereo imaging and a feeling of “big ness” you won’t find in a conventional bookshelf model. Because Boston Acoustics was over- Limited Quantities In stock AUDIO stocked, we just got a great deal on AlOOs that we can pass along to you. So for a limited time, you can own a sys tem with AlOOs, a Yamaha R-300 AM/FM stereo receiver a Yamaha P-350 semi automatic turntable (with new low reso nance arm) and an Acutex cartridge for only $699! You won’t find a sys tem of this quality at this price anywhere else. And you won’t find this system at this price for very long. $699 Upgrade yoar system! Boston AlOOs. rci-. $W0pr. $299 pr. Boston AlOOs. i si It. nr. $440 pr. $334 pr. 707 Texas Avenue in College Station 696-5719