book of records - Kansas State University

Book of Records 7.17
Due to the fact that the new house was being paid for, an attempt was made to hold the expenses for social
events down as low as possible. It thus happens that no elaborate parties had been given by Delta Theta. However, the
desire for a formal party could not be suppressed; and on May 19, 1922, a formal dinner dance was given--dinner being
at the Gillett Hotel and the dance at the Elks= Hall. This was the first formal party ever given by the organization since
its inception in 1912. A social custom inaugurated in 1921 was to have a picnic each Decoration Day.
It sometimes happens that in an organization such as a chapter of a fraternity, there is one man who has made a
name for himself such as few men can hope to make or ever will make. Delta Theta had such a man in its early years in
the person of Ray B. Watson. Ray is commonly known as ATate@ among his brothers because when he was in the coal
fields he had an insatiable appetite; and in order to appease this, to some extent he would carry with him a baked potato
which he ate between meals. Everyone in the country who was a follower of track athletics had heard the name of
Watson, especially during the early 1920's when he had run several match races with Joie Ray of the Illinois Athletic
Club who was heralded as the world=s premier middle-distance runner.
Watson=s home was in Wichita, Kansas, and it was there that he went through high school. But while in high
school, he was only a fair track man and he entered K. S. A. C. unknown for his ability on the cinder track. It was during
his sophomore year that he began to attract notice by winning the one mile run at the Kansas City Athletic Club indoor
meet in 4:40. During his last two years, he was a runner feared by all in the Missouri Valley. During these two years, he
either won or purposely lost to a teammate every race, with two exceptions, which he entered in Missouri Valley
Conference meets. These exceptions were both at all-Valley meets and in each case he had run a hard mile earlier in the
meet, in one instance equaling the Valley record of 4:22.4, whereas the man who won each of these races had been fresh
when he started. As has been mentioned before, he was captain of track during his senior year. He held the K. S. A. C.
record for the mile at 4:21.6, and the Valley record for the two mile at 9:41. His fastest time in the half mile is 1:59.2.
These last two were also former K. S. A. C. records.
In the summer of 1920, Watson entered the tryouts for the Olympic Games. At Chicago, where the tryouts for
this district were held, he won first place in the 5000 meter race. He had run a 4:12 in the mile, but the coach wanted
him in the 5000 meter race. He then had to go to Boston for the final tryout. En route there, he stopped off at New York
to enter the tryout for the steeplechase. While this was the first time he had ever entered that event, he qualified for the
team. While running this race, he stepped in a water hazard, and when he went to put his shoes on for the race in Boston
a few days later he found the soles to be wrinkled and cracked from the effects of the water. It was then, however, too
late to secure another pair before the race started. He had run only a little way before his feet became blistered and made
running a great torture to him. He did not qualify in this race, and so went to the Olympics in Belgium entered in the
steeplechase only. He placed seventh in this race to which he was not well adapted and bout which he knew little.
In 1921, Brother Watson was first in the mile at the NCAA meet, with a time of 4:23.4. During the year, after
his graduation, he took graduate work at K. S. A. C. and assisted in coaching the track team. He found time to keep trim,
and beginning in the summer of 1921 he ran five match races with Joie Ray. Four of these had been mile races, two of
which had been won by each man. The other race was 1000 yards and was won by Joie Ray. The last event of the
school year was the evening of May 27, 1922, when one of these match races was run on Ahearn Field, K. S. A. C. This
race was especially noteworthy from the fact that it was run after dusk and the track was lighted by parking cars around
the entire course and throwing the light from them on the track. This race was won by Joie Ray, but by only a very few
inches. The remarkable time of 4:16.6 was made. It was believed that the world=s record would be broken by one or the
other of these runners before long, and all Alpha Taus sincerely hoped that Watson would be the one to do it.
In 1924, Brother Watson again made the Olympic team. He qualified in the 800 meter race by running the
distance in 1:52.2 at Ann Arbor, Michigan, which was three-tenths of a second slower than the world=s record at that
time. The Olympics were held in Paris, France.