he Battalion
i\ LIFESTYLES
11
Thursday, September 14,1989
“1 never dreamed that A&M would ever be its present size. I’ve seen changes that were unimaginable.”
James Boone, Class of ’21, talks about his experiences at Texas A&M. Boone attended A&M with the grandson of Lawrence Sullivan Ross.
Photos by Frederick D.Joe
Aggie reminisces about A&M history, progress
By James A. Johnson
Of The Battalion Staff
n
ASIC
/
Aggie
more about the history of Texas
A&M, they can simply check out a
copy of “Twelfth Man” or take a
quick tour through University Ar
chives.
But one Bryan resident who grad
uated from A&M in 1921 can give
you an eyewitness account of many
of the traditions which have fas
cinated history buffsddth young and
old.
James Leroy Boone is not your av
erage retired A&M graduate. One of
the few living alumni from the Class
of’21, Boone, who is 91, is what you
might consider an authority figure
about the University’s history.
Because A&M was strictly a mili
tary school when Boone was an un
dergraduate, he recalled other
Southwest Conference schools using
their non-female status as an excuse
to lure high school graduates away
from A&M.
When Boone entered A&M in
1917, he attended school with Law
rence Sullivan Ross Clark, the
grandson of Lawrence Sullivan
(Sully) Ross.
Then, as now, freshman cadets
experienced hazing, and the young
Clark was no exception. But Clark’s
superiors found it appropriate to
keep his hazing in the family.
Boone recalled how Clark began
to wish he were not the elder Ross’
grandson. On rainy days, it was
Clark’s duty to hold an umbrella
over his grandfather’s statue (which
still stands in front of the Academic
Building).
“He (Clark) got to where he
dreaded bad weather,” Boone re
called, smiling.
Boone also has the rare distinction
of being a witness to the birth of the
Twelfth Man tradition.
“It was an unusually exciting ex
perience,” Boone said enthusiasti
cally. “And even though Coach Bible
had to get Gill to play with no expe
rience, we still managed to have a
first-rate ball team.”
For any football fan, that stood to
reason. The Aggies went undefeated
during Boone’s freshman year.
They did not have a single point
scored against them in 10 games,
and he remembers one game in par
ticular when they mauled another
school 100-0.
“We may not have attracted the
same crowd as the games do now,”
Boone said. “But the noise was al
ways there.”
Boone, like all other students
then, was a member of the Corps of
Cadets. He said that he is pleased
with the way the Corps has main
tained basic traditional values, but
he is surprised to hear so many com
plaints in recent years concerning
hazing.
According to Boone, life as a
freshman in his day was worse than
it is today.
He recalled one cadet being
crippled for several months after his
superiors gave him a “shoe shine,” a
term in Corps lingo which referred
to applying shoe polish to a fresh
man’s shoe before setting fire to it.
“His foot was so badly burned that
he didn’t wear a shoe for six
months,” Boone said. He added that
the incident lead to the expulsion of
the four men responsible.
In comparing past and present
students, Boone says he is concerned
at the lack of independence he no
tices on occasion.
“I remember my father sending
me off on a midnight train from
Houston,” he said. “I didn’t know a
soul and had never been here be
fore. But that was how I learned.
“In the last few years. I’ve seen
many parents accompany students
to register or pay fees. They’re miss
ing out on a part of growing up.”
When A&M considered becoming
co-educational, Boone remembers
there being a great deal of opposi
tion, especially from those like him
self, who graduated from the Unive-
risty decades before.
“We were just sure the school was
going to be killed,” he said. “But, of
course, that’s been proven wrong.”
Boone recalled reading newspa
per headlines in 1917, declaring the
freshmen class enrollment to be a re
cord-breaking 600.
“I never dreamed that A&M
would ever be its present size,”
Boone exclaims. “I’ve seen changes
that were unimaginable.”
Indeed, a number of changes
have taken place since 1921. When
he first enrolled here in 1917, the
original Guion Hall was still stand
ing. He saw the second Guion Hall
built across the street from the origi
nal one that same year. After more
than 70 years, Hart Hall currently
stands where the first Guion Hall
was built.
“Gosh, I’ve lived through two
Guion Halls,” he said with surprise.
“Not too many people can say that.”
Despite all the changes the school
has made since Boone’s college days,
the valuable lessons which students
learn from their experience here are
abundant, he said.
“Always, if you went to A&M, you
had that great fraternal feeling for
other Aggies,” he said. “Aggies are
taught to be servants to their com
munities. They don’t shirk duties.
They have and always will have that
can-do attitude.”
While he resides comfortably in
his apartment at Walden Retirement
Community in Bryan, Boone contin
ues to make frequent visits to his
alma mater.
“Texas A&M has magnetism,” he
said. “No matter how long it’s been
since you’ve graduated, you always
have a desire to return.”
The official partier’s guide to Aggieland
By Katsy Pittman
Of The Battalion Staff
What is your party persona?
You know your horoscope, your biorythms,
your “colors” and your marketable job skills. But
do you know your potential party type?
There are several categories of party-goers at
Texas A&M, ranging from the casual partier to
the intense, around-the-clock party maniac.
Read on and perhaps you can figure out what
type of party personality you have.
The Weekend Warrior.
(Thursday nights included.)
Though a mild-mannered accounting major
by day, these supressed students become poten
tial party paramours four days into the week.
Scamming is a priority to the Weekend War
rior, so significant prepartion with mousse and
spray starch often delays these soldiers until the
11th hour. Drink specials and dance floors are
secondary draws to the ample presence of the op
posite sex, and the careful listener can often hear
the Weekend Warrior mating call: “I’m so
wasted! I’m so wasted!”
Where can they be found? The Mercury Bar
and Zephyr’s. Both bars offer weekly drink spe
cials, ample dance floors and often feature five
bands. The Mercury Bar is located near campus,
while Zephyr’s is a block away from sorority row.
Although Greek membership is not a prequisite
to the latter, it is a predominate factor.
The Bandito Incognito
These undercover consumers either are
looking for a place where their conversation is
audible over the dance tracks or are trying to
look inconspicuous in shadowy corners as they
desperately hide from psychotic ex
boyfriends/girlfriends. While these students
aren’t looking for “hole in the wall”-type bars,
relative anonymity is welcomed.
Where can they be found (though they may
not want to be)? The Ptarmigan Club, Carney’s
Pub or the Gunns N’ Roses Club, all located on
South College Avenue in Bryan.
For a unique atmosphere, try the Ptarmigan
Club, popular for its multiple dark corners and
infamous flaming Dr. Pepper shots.
Carney’s Pub has several pool tables and dart
boards, and plenty of tables with essential low
lighting. The Gunns N’ Roses Club (don’t let the
name scare you) has been open for about six
months, and is a great anonymous bar for club
escapees who feel like kicking back with a draft,
or playing a pool game without ten more impa
tient players sticking pool cues down their neck.
The Off-Campus Cowboy
wranglers grab their requisite ropers
e up for a big night in cow town. Better
partner, ’cause novices
1 hese
and saddle
practice that two-step,
need not apply.
Where can they be found? Graham Central
See Party/Page 14
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