The Victoria College, 1925-2000: A Tradition of Excellence

THE VICTORIA COLLEGE
1925-2000
A Tradition of Excellence
CHARLES D. SPURLIN

Thank you for your interest in this HPNbooks publication.
For more information about other HPNbooks publications, or information about
producing your own book with us, please visit www.hpnbooks.com.

THE VICTORIA COLLEGE
1925-2000
A Tradition of Excellence
by
Charles D. Spurlin
Foreword by
Jimmy Goodson, Ed.D.

✯
The Victoria College Administration
Building, circa 1950.
First Edition
Copyright © 1999 Historical Publishing Network
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, without permission in writing from the publisher. All inquiries should be addressed to
Historical Publishing Network, 8491 Leslie Road, San Antonio, Texas, 78254. Phone (210) 688-9008.
ISBN: 1-893619-03-6
Library of Congress Card Catalog Number: 99-76696
The Victoria College, 1925-2000
author: Charles D. Spurlin
Historical Publishing Network
president: Ron Lammert
vice president: Barry Black
project manager: Joe Neely
director of operations: Charles A. Newton, III
administration: Angela Lake
Donna Mata
Dee Steidle
graphic production: Colin Hart
PRINTED IN SINGAPORE
2 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

CONTENTS
4 PREFACE
5 FOREWORD
6 CHAPTER 1 genesis
26 CHAPTER 2 depression and war
44 CHAPTER 3 adios, Patti Welder
68 CHAPTER 4 the dynamic duo
106 CHAPTER 5 turmoil and consistency
144 CHAPTER 6 bingdom
178 CHAPTER 7 a new chief, a new era
210 CHAPTER 8 have I told you about the time…
230 APPENDIX
238 INDEX
✯
The Student Union Building before the
porch was added.
Contents ✦ 3

PREFACE
Writing this book was a unique and personally rewarding experience for me. The bulk of my publications
have dealt with topics that were dependent on written materials. In this particular instance,
I had the luxury of interviewing individuals who in one way or another were or are associated with
the Victoria College. The verbal or written interchanges provided a far better insight and a more complete
picture on an item than if I had to rely solely on archival holdings. Additionally, my research
proved what I maintained during the 36 years that I was a full-time faculty member, namely, the college
measures up to any two-year institution of higher learning in Texas. The historical record vividly
demonstrates that the school has steadfastly maintained high academic standards and employed
an exceptionally competent faculty who is unabashedly interested in the educational well-being of
students. Furthermore, the college has been fortunate to have been led by boards of trustees and
administrative officials who have provided an environment that has met the ever changing societal
demands on education. Little wonder, indeed, that the Victoria College has been in the vanguard of
the junior/community college movement.
No author is an island. Invariably, there is a select group of individuals who play a part in bringing
a production to fruition. Since I am not an exception to the rule; there are several people who I
owe a debt of gratitude to for their encouragement, assistance, and cooperation during the composition
of this book. President Jimmy Goodson, a person who was responsible for my involvement in
this project, provided positive reenforcement throughout the writing process. Elizabeth Hoerster and
Elizabeth Wagner, two competent student assistants, saved me an inestimable amount of time by carrying
out critical microfilm assignments. I sincerely appreciate all the people who have shared with
me their cherished stories and who have provided factual information. Bob Allen proved from beginning
to end his quintessential photographic professionalism by taking, duplicating, and developing
images in a timely fashion. I am exceedingly grateful to Richard Walker, C.F. Schneider, and Michael
Hummel who gave up their leisure time to critique the manuscript. Their comments and suggestions
spared me from making embarrassing mistakes. Any errors of fact or interpretation, of course, are
entirely mine. A special kudos goes to Sandy Schramek. She was called upon to transcribe the data
from longhand, make corrected copies, and eventually place the completed manuscript on computer
disk. Sandy performed these tedious tasks, I might add, amiably and patiently. And finally, I wish
to thank my wife Pat for her assistance and forbearance of my many hiatuses from family functions
to research and to write in the “red room.”
Charles D. Spurlin
The Victoria College
4 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

FOREWORD
From its inception in 1925, The Victoria College has been a vital educational resource for Victoria
and the surrounding area. Founded originally as part of the Victoria public school system and located
on the campus of Patti Welder High School, Victoria College has grown and adapted to keep pace
with a growing and expanding community. In response, the Victoria community has provided an
exceptional level of local support for the College.
Three significant concerns have guided the College over the years in its service to Victoria. First,
a strong emphasis on quality has earned Victoria College a well-deserved reputation for excellence in
its programs and services. Also, the College’s continued responsiveness to community needs has supported
the social and economic development of the Victoria area. Finally, and perhaps above all, the
College has provided its services at a relatively low cost, thus making higher education accessible to
virtually all who seek it without regard to financial resources.
Because of its accessibility, it is difficult to find someone whose life hasn’t been touched by the
College. In the early days, it was the son of a farmer who was able to stay at home and still take college
courses in business and agriculture. It was the secretary in the 1930s who received on-the-job
training provided by the local junior college. In the decades to follow, it has been the student who
needs a firm foundation before transferring to an upper level university…the single parent who
wants to earn a degree to acquire a better job…the citizen who just purchased a home computer and
needs training. Whether it be the health care worker who takes care of us, or the police officer who
protects us, we are surrounded by those whom The Victoria College has served.
Decade by decade, the College has responded to growth and changes in technology by developing
new facilities. We began the nineties by providing personal computers for student access on site.
Now, we are expanding our technology to accommodate distance learning, on-line courses, and
multi-media presentations in the classroom. We have met the challenges of the past and now we are
planning an expansion of facilities to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.
As we celebrate our 75th anniversary, we recognize the College not only as an institution of learning,
but also as a community of people. For “the College,” as it is affectionately called, is Victoria’s
cornerstone of higher education academically as well as personally. May this collection of Victoria
College’s history pay tribute to the administrators, faculty, staff, students and alumni, as well as the
community. We all can be proud of the traditions established by The Victoria College and look forward
with anticipation to the achievements in the years to come.
Jimmy Goodson
President,
The Victoria College
Foreword ✦ 5

6 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

CHAPTER 1
GENESIS
The junior college movement in America began in the early 1850s. The initial thrust came, as far as
can be determined, from Henry Phillips Tappan, an admirer of the German education system and president
of the University of Michigan. Prior to his becoming the chief administrator at the state university,
he proposed in 1851 that in order to establish a distinct university, the first two years of higher
education should be designed to emphasize material that is essential for the development of a literate
person and to adequately prepare a student for the specialized studies taught at the university. Before
the decade ended, William L. Mitchell, a member of the board of trustees at the University of Georgia,
expressed the opinion of the board that too many of the all-male student body enrolled in that university
were not properly prepared for the demands of scholarly study. He argued “that the foundation of
failure, if not of ruin, is laid in the Freshman and Sophomore years of college life.” Mitchell therefore
formulated a plan separating the first two years of study from the last two. Neither Tappan’s nor
Mitchell’s innovative ideas became a reality, but their concepts were harbingers of what was to come. 1
Sentiment for a two-year educational institution ebbed and flowed as the nation made its way to
a new century. In 1851, the same year that Tappan made his unusual proposal, Lasell College, a private
school at Arburndale, Massachusetts, “offered two years of standard collegiate instruction” for
women. Four years after the end of the Civil War, the president of the University of Minnesota,
William Watts Folwell, took up the battle cry. In his inaugural address, he called for a system where
“a youth could remain at the high school or academy, residing in his home, until he had reached a
point, say, somewhere near the end of the sophomore year…Then [he could] emigrate to the university.”
Negative reaction to Folwell’s speech in the academic circles was nil, causing the president
to remark that the reason the proposal “was not openly and vigorously denounced was due to the
fact that it was not understood, or if understood, was not taken seriously.” 2
By the 1890s, a wind of acceptance for reform blew across the educational landscape. In 1892,
William Rainey Harper, first president of the University of Chicago, took advantage of the climatic
change by placing the first two years of the university into the Academic College and the next two
years into the University College. Four years later the respective designations became known as the
Junior College and the Senior College. Harper’s reference to the first two years of higher learning as
a junior college may have been the first use of the term. The University of Chicago also holds the
distinction of awarding the first associate of arts degree to graduates of the Junior College. The university’s
successful two-year educational scheme inspired the formation of private and public junior
colleges throughout the nation. In 1901, the Joliet Junior College in Joliet, Illinois, was created as an
extension of the high school, making it the oldest public junior college in the United States.
Afterwards, the number of two-year schools rose sharply. By 1909, there existed 20 junior
colleges. Thirteen years later the figure had increased to over 200. Two-year colleges, most of which
were private, were located in 38 states. They were most numerous in California, a reflection of that
state’s willingness to embrace the junior college concept. 3
In his narrative, The Junior College, published by the United States Bureau of Education in 1919,
F. M. McDowell suggested four principal reasons that motivated popularity of the junior college.
First, universities encouraged the development as a means of reducing or eliminating their general
courses required of all freshmen and sophomore students which allowed them to concentrate on the
specialized upper division and graduate classes. Second, teacher colleges became junior colleges
because of the perceived need to offer collegiate work and not limit themselves solely to pedagogical
subjects. Third, colleges with small enrollments were not academically strong enough to offer fouryear
programs that adequately met accreditation. Fourth, the junior college as a component of the
high school was an evolutionary step of the public education system. The addition of grades twelve,
thirteen, and fourteen allowed students who could not leave their communities to attend a four-year
✯
On February 4, 1925, Frank H.
Crain, Sr., made the motion to
establish the Victoria Junior College.
Genesis ✦ 7

✯
Virgil L. Griffin, superintendent of the
Victoria Independent School District,
also served as president of Victoria
Junior College from 1925 to 1935.
university to be able to at least obtain the first
two years of a collegiate education. It was the
latter factor that weighed heavily upon Frank H.
Crain, Sr., a Victoria Independent School
District board member and the son of William
Henry Crain, a former Congressman. Because
family financial considerations interrupted his
higher educational studies, he empathized with
students struggling to secure collegiate work. 4
Crain was convinced that public education
more than any other factor distinguished the
United States from the rest of the world, and
therefore, whatever could be done to assist its
further development should be done.
Consequently, he envisioned adding two additional
years to the educational program at Patti
Welder High School. Crain maintained that the
cost would be minimal and the results profound.
His enthusiasm for a junior college was contagious,
infecting other board members.
Superintendent Virgil L. Griffin, who had been
superintendent of the Brownwood public schools
for four years before moving to Victoria in 1918,
did not need any encouragement. He was already
a proponent of the junior college movement. On
August 18, 1924, the board requested that Griffin
invite Dr. Peyton Irwin, college inspector for the
Texas Department of Education, to visit Victoria
and discuss the prospects of creating a junior college
at the public high school. No available
records exist that indicate Irwin accepted the
invitation. Nevertheless, the school officials proceeded
to take the necessary steps to establish a
junior college. 5
When the board convened in the office of the
People’s National Bank on February 4, 1925, a
motion was made by Crain and seconded by
Herman Fischer to create Victoria Junior College
as an integral part of the Victoria Independent
School District. Crain was given the honor by
the board to make the motion because of his
untiring zeal for a quality education program
and his strong feeling that a junior college was
an absolute necessity for a progressive public
school system.
A mitigating factor for the adoption of the resolution
was a pending bill in the state legislature
that would limit the establishment of junior colleges
to high schools with five hundred students
or more and a minimum assessed tax value of
$15 million. The Victoria school district did not
meet the proposed criteria. If, as the Texas
Attorney General ruled, Victoria acted promptly
and created a junior college, the legislation when
passed would not affect the district. Crain’s
motion carried by a unanimous vote. 6
After the junior college proposal was adopted,
Griffin was authorized to purchase the
required equipment for the new two-year
school. This was not as easy a task as it might
have initially appeared. There were certain state
educational standards that had to be met in
order for Victoria Junior College to receive a
first-class rating. Under the guidelines, the
library had to have a minimum of 2,000 books,
and the chemistry lab had to have equipment
valued at $1,500 or more. From an organizational
standpoint, the standards required at least
8 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

five departments, three of which had to have
instructors with master’s degrees or higher. 7
To be a successful higher education institution,
public support was critical. The backers of
the two-year college took a positive message to
the people to win their confidence. The
rationale presented to the community for the
establishment of a junior college was very modernistic.
A lengthy editorial in the Victoria
Advocate touted the unprecedented step taken
by the Association of Texas Colleges, an organization
that held Griffin in high esteem, when it
admitted Victoria Junior College as a member
even before the two-year school was operative.
The newspaper also cited the benefits a junior
college offered citizens. Among the advantages
listed were a low-cost education, small classes,
individual attention, experienced teachers
rather than student assistants, and course offerings
for adults “who desire the work for pleasure
and culture.” 8
The new junior college was housed in the Patti
Welder High School building, and despite the
board’s initial thought that only freshman college
courses should be offered, a full complement of
both freshman and sophomore courses were
taught. The board members acknowledged that
in due time a separate building would be erected
for the junior college. Six thousand dollars were
budgeted for the school’s first year of operation.
The money was to be spent on salaries for new
instructors, laboratory chemicals, library books,
and other equipment required to satisfy the law
providing for the establishment of a junior college.
Superintendent Griffin was elected president
of the college and was paid $3,600 a year for
the dual role of superintendent and president.
Tuition was set at twenty-five dollars a semester.
Typewriter fees were an extra charge. 9
The first instructors employed were characterized
by the Advocate as being “men and
women of mature years and experience in teaching
and [who] possess those attributes in a high
degree that aid in developing character in young
people.” The original faculty consisted of E. J.
Dysart, dean and instructor of education;
✯
Initially, the Victoria Junior
College Library had approximately
2,000 books.
Genesis ✦ 9

Sue Moore, history; Una T. Hunter, English; J. L.
Dickson, mathematics; W. W. Ballard, Spanish;
Theresa Klapproth, Latin; Clara W. Glass, commercial
department; and A. C. “Coke”
Williamson, science. All of the instructors
except Dysart, Klapproth, and Williamson held
master’s degrees. None of the females was married.
Board policy prohibited employing
married female teachers unless the governing
body permitted otherwise. 10
On September 14, 1925, the college opened
with fifty-one students, a larger enrollment than
was predicted by school officials. Perhaps the
higher than expected number of students
reflected the community’s high expectations for
the college. Most of the local civic leaders anticipated
it would become a leading educational
institution and the city would emerge as an educational
center. They were therefore very
pleased to be informed of the initial figures. The
students themselves were equally delighted. A
festive atmosphere prevailed among the high
school and college students as they attended
their first day of classes. This was especially true
for the collegians who heard praiseworthy
speeches “delivered by representative citizens.” 11
Prior to the start of the fall semester, on
September 6, 1926, the first college sports team
gathered at the Patti Welder High School football
practice field under the guidance of Coach
J. J. Sasser. The squad consisted of junior college
students, ineligible players from the high
school, and off-campus young adults. Included
among its members were Sidney R. Weisiger,
right end; Hugh Lowery, left tackle; Perry
Larson, right halfback; William Henderson, left
halfback; and Marcus Williamson, fullback.
Practices were held, as Weisiger once remarked,
whenever eleven players were present. Although
the football team won its first game by beating
Port Lavaca High School 6-0, it was usually outclassed
by the opposition. 12
Chester Evans, who was not associated with
the original team but became a manager before
the decade ended, recalled that when the club
traveled to San Marcos for a game, two rather
hefty Yorktown boys, who were not college
students but eligible to play for the college,
were picked up in Cuero. After the game, they
were dropped off at Cuero. Evans also told the
story that once when the team played in
Beaumont, the weather was bitterly cold.
Because of the freezing temperature, the football
players “borrowed” pillows and quilts from the
hotel they were staying in for cover so they
could stay warm on the return bus ride to
Victoria. When the vehicle arrived at the campus,
law enforcement officials met it and sternly
instructed the team, with no questions asked, to
place the heisted items inside a large box that
was in the center of the gymnasium. 13
A significant innovation by the college which
would be emulated by other Texas junior colleges
was the establishment of a student council
as a means of assisting the faculty in solving
problems that arose within the college setting
and serving as a mode for teaching democratic
principles. The student organization was composed
of four sophomores and three freshmen. 14
During the first year of its existence, Victoria
Junior College was officially recognized by both
the State Department of Education and the
Texas Association of Colleges, a feat unmatched
by any other junior college in Texas. Most of
the credit for this momentous achievement was
due to Griffin, who actively sought the endorsement
by the State Board of Education. He was
determined that the college be accredited
before the conclusion of the academic year so
students could acquire teacher certification and
courses could be transferred to senior institutions
without a loss of credits. At the president’s
spring meeting of the Texas Association of
Colleges in Fort Worth, the faculty and students
at the college, in appreciation for being
accepted as a full member of the professional
organization, presented each president with a
box of Victoria roses. The gifts were acknowledged
with a lively standing ovation. Four years
later, in 1930, the college was admitted to
membership in the American Association of
Junior Colleges, thus entitling students the
privilege of transferring to colleges and universities
outside of Texas. 15
Nellie Lee Kelley and George Thurmond hold
the distinction of comprising Victoria Junior
College’s first graduating class. Commencement
ceremonies were held jointly by the high school
and the college on Wednesday evening, May 26,
1926, at Hauschild’s Opera House. The small
auditorium was packed with well-wishers.
Because of the lack of space to accommodate
10 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

everyone who wanted to attend, numerous individuals
were turned away at the entrance door.
Dr. William W. Splawn, president of the
University of Texas, was the guest speaker. In
his address, he emphasized the various benefits
of Victoria Junior College, such as reduced education
expenses, the moral influence the college
had on the town, and the economic value to the
area. Diplomas were presented to the graduates
by Dr. Fred B. Shields, a local physician whose
son, George, is credited with being the first person
to enroll at the college and the first Victoria
Junior College graduate to attend a senior institution
outside of the state. 16
Kelley, who received her diploma before
Thurmond, was startled when Reverend J. C.
Felger, minister at the First English Lutheran
Church, rose from his seat in the auditorium,
jumped on the stage, and grabbed her hand.
Felger remarked that he was “proud to be the
first to shake the hand of the first graduate of
the Victoria Junior College.” 17
At the July 7, 1926, board meeting, Griffin
was instructed to secure architectural drawings
for a college building. Later, on July 28, the governing
body, acting on a motion by Fischer and
seconded by C. A. Schuchert, ordered a $70,000
bond election for the construction of the edifice.
Voting was held on September 4, and the issue
passed 258 to 88, an impressive victory when
one considers that only property owners who
paid their poll tax could vote in the bond election.
But since no tax increase was required, the
proposed item was not controversial with this
typically financially conservative group. 18
William Ward Watkins, a Houston architect
who designed buildings for Texas Technological
College and Rice Institute, was employed to draw
plans for a two-story brick structure. N. A. Evans
of Columbus, Texas, with a bid of $53,928, was
awarded the construction contract. The heating
and plumbing work was done by John Wattinger
of Austin. The new quarters for the college were
to contain ten classrooms, a study hall, science
room, “and all necessary conveniences.” 19
Classroom space at Patti Welder and the college
was at a premium when the academic year
began on September 13, 1926. The shortage was
so acute that two high school students were
assigned to each desk, and the college was
forced to limit enrollment. Since there was no
public outcry, apparently few prospective students
were denied admission. 20
With an increased student population, an
active pep squad was organized and social clubs
were formed. And in an effort toward bonding
students to the college and creating a feeling of
togetherness, freshmen were required to wear
green skullcaps. 21
The first general catalogue was published in
1926, and it provides an informative perspective
on the society, culture, and educational
attitudes of the mid-1920s, some of which
have continued to exist. According to the publication,
the college had three purposes—to
offer transfer courses, to prepare students to
✯
A page from the 1930 Buccaneer.
Genesis ✦ 11

✯
A page from the 1930 Buccaneer.
enter the professions, and to provide college
work for teacher certification. 22
Since Texas public schools consisted only of
eleven grades, it was possible that a person
could graduate from high school at sixteen
years of age. Therefore, the college listed as
one of its advantages that students could
remain home “until they are more advanced
in years and thus enjoy better instruction
and training under school discipline and
parental control than is now given in lower
classes in colleges.” Nevertheless, despite
the youthfulness of the students, the college
pointed out that it considered anyone enrolled
12 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

to have reached “the age of responsibility and
discretion,” and it was expected that students’
conduct in school and off-campus be dignified
and unquestionable. 23
The catalogue also stressed that high school
was not as challenging as college, and it was
imperative that students be prepared to devote
themselves to college work. It was further pointed
out that students should understand their success
depended upon themselves. The publication also
stated, albeit as a warning to the students, what
the college has consistently attempted to attain
throughout its existence. According to the booklet,
“The Junior College could not justify its existence
if it did not require a high grade of work and
demand the same degree of personal responsibility
as do the higher institutions of learning which
the students are preparing to enter.” 24
Subject offerings were characteristically tilted
toward the liberal arts. Courses were taught in
English, history, economics, mathematics,
Spanish, chemistry, Latin, education, stenography
and typing, biology, accounting, and foods
and clothing. College diplomas were awarded to
students who passed ten college courses,
including two in English, and possessed conduct
and scholarship satisfactory to the faculty. 25
An important component of the college curriculum
was teacher certification. Students who
wanted to go into teaching could receive an elementary
certificate, valid for four years, by completing
five college courses, including one
course in elementary education and one in
English. Not more than two courses could be
taken in a single subject. A six-year elementary
certificate required two years of college work,
but the holder of the certificate was “eligible for
a permanent elementary certificate after five
years of successful elementary teaching.” 26
Although the requirements for high school
certification were similar to elementary certification,
the documents varied in their length
of validity and acceptability. Whereas an elementary
certificate was valid for either four
or six years, a secondary certificate was
good for either two years or four years.
Furthermore, a high school certificate unlike
an elementary certificate earned at a junior college
was not automatically accepted in all the
school districts. 27
At the beginning of the 1926 school year, the
college and the high school formed a combined
orchestra. In the preceding nine years attempts
were made to create a musical group, but the
✯
The Victoria Junior College Building
was constructed adjacent to Patti
Welder High School.
Genesis ✦ 13

✯
The Pirates had a respectable football
season in 1929 with five wins, three
losses, and one tie.
efforts failed, which is surprising considering the
community’s rich musical heritage that included
the highly regarded August Wagner’s Silver
Cornet Band. John A. Clack, a University of Texas
product and an accomplished violinist, was
named director. The orchestra began with some
30 students. Before the school year ended, however,
only 15 members remained. After a few trial
performances, the musical ensemble conducted
its major public debut at Hauschild’s Opera
House on February 11, 1927, and drew rave
reviews from those who attended. 28
The second graduation class was considerably
larger than the first one. On May 23, 1927,
18 members participated in the commencement
exercise before a capacity crowd at Hauschild’s
Opera House. The class members selected green
and white for their colors and adopted the
motto “Mens Agitat Molem,” or mind moves
matter. Glenn K. Williamson was the first
named valedictorian, and Gilbert Pritchard was
the first salutatorian. 29
When the students returned for the 1927 fall
semester, they were greeted with a new Victoria
Junior College building. On the previous
May 17, the cornerstone had been dedicated,
and before the end of June, the edifice was
completed. The board officially accepted the
home for Victoria Junior College on June 24.
The two-story, tile roofed, brick building housed
five classrooms, a gymnasium, lavatories, and
the president’s office on the first floor. The
second floor consisted of an additional five
classrooms, an auditorium, a study hall, and
science rooms. 30
During the fall and spring semesters, the
Dramatic Club entertained the community in
the Victoria Junior College auditorium and at
Hauschild’s Opera House with a variety of wellperformed
plays to raise money to pay for a
Miller grand piano. Among the cast members
were Claude Mullins, Billie Smith, Bessie
Kilgore, Margaret LeSage, Clover Dell Hill, Mary
Catherine Curran, Charlotte West, Charles
Copley, and Winston Zirjacks. 31
In 1928, the commencement ceremonies
unlike the previous years were held separate
from the high school. Twenty students were
awarded diplomas. The class valedictorian was
Elena Tyng, and the salutatorian was Elizabeth
Allen. Henry Paulus of Yoakum delivered the
commencement address. 32
On May 3, 1929, Victoria Junior College held
its first homecoming. The activities were conducted
in the college auditorium with Dean E. J.
Dysart presiding as master of ceremonies.
Winston Zirjacks, sophomore class president,
gave a “ringing welcome” to the alumni.
Speeches were made by Griffin and alumnus
George Shields. After a piano solo by Charlotte
West, a reading by Gaynelle Hays, and a violin
solo by Rita Henry, the program concluded with
14 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

a vocal duet by Odessa Robins and Sue McElroy.
Dysart dismissed the audience with “a few well
chosen words…that was [sic] inspiring and
helpful to all in attendance.” 33
After suffering through disappointing football
and basketball seasons, the college in May
1929 finally had something to cheer about. Jack
Compton, a member of the Pirate track team,
won high point honors at a track meet held by
Schreiner Institute in Kerrville. Competing
against athletes from Houston Junior College,
South Park Junior College of Beaumont,
Randolph College, Cisco Junior College, as well
as the host school, Compton placed first in
the high hurdles, pole vault, and high jump.
He came in third in the discus and broad
jump. Despite Compton’s individual achievements,
the Pirate team came in second behind
Schreiner Institute. 34
Under the able leadership of first year head
coach Vernon A. Adams, the 1929-1930 Pirate
football and basketball squads enjoyed their
best seasons since the beginning of the sports
program. The seventeen Pirate pigskin gladiators
played nine contests. They recorded five
wins, three losses, and one tie. The roundballers
lost only one game out of nineteen, earning
them their first conference crown. 35
On January 22, 1930, a group of former and
current Victoria Junior College athletes met in
the college auditorium and formed the “V”
Association. Joseph “Dedo” Fagan, a member of
the 1929 football team, was elected president.
After agreeing to create the organization and
choosing officers, the new association engaged in
an intense discussion on the eligibility requirements
for membership. The debate centered
around the question of permitting the athletes
who participated in sports but did not attend
college to join the association. Eventually, the
issue was resolved by limiting membership only
to former or current athletes who lettered in at
least one sport while enrolled at the college. 36
During the spring of 1930, the college published
its first annual, The Buccaneer.
Throughout the school year, students conducted
a variety of fund raising activities to help defray
the cost of publication. The book was dedicated
to Victoria Junior College President Virgil
Layfayette Griffin. In the inscription, Griffin
was recognized for “his capable organization,
leadership, unsparing aid to each student and
patient tireless efforts to make this [college] a
progressive institution.” 37
The 1930 Pirate football team was the hot
news item during the fall semester. The Victoria
Advocate carried articles throughout the season
detailing the club’s exploits on the playing field.
The newspaper billed it as “the greatest college
eleven in history.” By far the most sensational
football story around the campus was the installation
of lights by the college at Patti Welder
Stadium for a sum of $3,500. On October 10,
the Pirates successfully battled St. Mary’s
University’s reserves in “the first night football
game ever played in the southwest.” A fan of the
newly installed lights remarked that one could
see “close play in the line far better than in
the afternoon, when the glare of the sun is so
much of a strain on the eyes.” Six grandstand
sections were added for the St. Mary’s contest in
anticipation of a predicted crowd of 1,500.
✯
Hester “Stump” Evans, 1930
Best Athlete.
Genesis ✦ 15

✯
The 1930 “V” Association. The
organization consisted of students and
alumni interested in the improvement
of athletics at Victoria Junior College.
School officials expected spectators from the
surrounding area to witness the “historic classic.”
The turnout, however, was less than what
was contemplated. The people who attended
not only saw the Pirates leave the field victorious,
but they were also entertained by the pep
squad, which was composed of co-eds wearing
“natty sailor uniforms” trimmed in the school
colors—maroon and white. 38
In anticipation of large throngs attending the
fall pigskin contests, resulting in increased revenue,
the college established an Athletic
Association Committee. Previously, a committee
of teachers and the student manager were
responsible for overseeing athletic finances.
The administration theorized that with the
expected rise in funds, businessmen should be
integrated into a committee “to further illustrate
the financial affairs of athletics at the
school are open and above board, as always has
been the case.” Accordingly, six businessmen
were selected by the board to serve on the committee.
Other appointed members were a representative
of the press, who had the responsibility
of publishing an itemized list of receipts and
liabilities “at convenient periods,” the college
president, and the dean. With the formation of
the Athletic Association Committee, accountability
of sport events passed from college personnel
to the community. Evidence is lacking as
to the precise reason why the board took the
action it did. One can only speculate. Was it
because the community was concerned over the
ability of teachers handling finances or were the
residents caught up in the excited atmosphere
resulting from the exceptionally good football
season and the lighting of the stadium, and,
therefore, wanted to be part of the sports program?
Whatever motivated the expansion, the
Athletic Association Committee became a viable
component of college athletics as long as the
junior college was an element of the public
school system. 39
The Buccaneer football squad finished the
regular season undefeated. Post-season play
was not as kind to “the greatest college eleven
in history.” In the league championship game,
the Pirates lost to Brownsville Junior College by
the lopsided score of 52 to 0. Coaches, players,
and the approximately 300 Victorians who
16 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

traveled with the team on a special train to the
border city did not have to do any deep thinking
for an explanation of the rout. The local collegians,
exhausted from the long trip, played the
contest without making a single substitution. As
the game progressed, the Pirates “became weary”
and were unable to compete effectively. 40
At the 1931 Texas Junior College Association
spring conference, a statistical report on transfer
students to the University of Texas was presented
to the group. According to the survey,
students who transferred from Texas junior
colleges did excellent work and compared
favorably with the students who began
✯
The 1930 Pep Squad.
Genesis ✦ 17

✯
Ruth Coffey, 1930 College Beauty.
their college careers at the university. Victoria
Junior College was cited as ranking “among
the best institutions of Texas.” The 1932
Buccaneer staff commented with pride that those
“who are on our honor roll are usually on
the honor roll of any institution of higher
learning which they attend.” Members at the
spring meeting reelected Griffin, a former Texas
Junior College Association president, as their
secretary-treasurer. 41
There had been interest expressed by college
officials for a dormitory almost from the establishment
of the school. Apartments in Victoria
were scarce, posing a serious problem for outof-town
students. Especially hard hit were the
parents who wanted to move to Victoria while
their son or daughter attended the college.
Community leaders envisioned Victoria becoming
an educational mecca when Victoria Junior
College was founded. One enthusiastic booster
remarked that the college did “more good materially
and morally for this town than any other
progressive enterprise.” For the two-year institution
to continue to grow and Victoria to
become a recognized educational community,
so the argument went, a dormitory was needed.
Mrs. J. M. Brownson, one of the more civicminded
individuals in the city, responded to
this perceived need by offering the board two
lots in the Brownson Addition, an area adjacent
to the college, for the construction of a girls’
dormitory. The board accepted the donation on
the condition that the school system be permitted
five years to build the structure and that the
edifice be a memorial to the donor. But the dormitory,
for undetermined reasons, never
became a reality and the property reverted to
the Brownson Estate. 42
Despite the nation’s severe economic difficulties
brought about by the Depression, the
college’s 1931 fall enrollment remained
healthy. Although there is no known scientific
study on the relationship between economic
conditions and college enrollment, a survey
of graduation records seems to indicate enrollment
increases when it becomes tougher to find
a job. On the other side of the coin, when work
opportunities increase, enrollment stabilizes or
decreases. A factor that undoubtedly had a positive
effect on enrollment during the 1930s was
the board’s policy of exempting students from
paying tuition until grades were transferred to a
senior college or until a teacher certificate was
awarded or a diploma granted.
In the spring of 1930, there were only 18
graduates. This class was composed largely
of students who began their college education
before the stock market crash of 1929. By
1931, the number of graduates increased to 29,
and in 1932, at the height of the Great
Depression, there were 35 graduates. The
numbers thereafter fluctuated from 30 to 44
until 1938. With an improved economy, the
number of graduates skidded to 25 in 1938. 43
18 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

Because of the hard economic times, individuals
from the nearby towns who would have
normally gone to a more distant college enrolled
at Victoria Junior College. The Edna Herald
mentioned that some 20 Edna High School
graduates would register at the college, only five
of whom were returning Victoria Junior College
students. Before the academic year ended, the
Edna congregation formed the Edna Club to
promote their interests. 44
Other communities represented in the student
population were Angleton, Wharton,
Farmersville, Stockdale, Yorktown, Ganado, El
Campo, Boling, Bay City, Port Lavaca, Austwell,
Refugio, Goliad, Beeville, Dayton, Seadrift,
Schroeder, Houston, and Woodsboro. One of the
reasons given for the out-of-town attendance
was the good highways that led to Victoria.
Margaret Hnatek commented that she and several
others commuted from DaCosta. She stated
that the surface of the road was gravel, and the
car pool consisted of family vehicles with each
person driving his or her automobile for a week.
Hnatek stated the drive was enjoyable. Seldom
was another car seen on the road with the exception
of Monday mornings when the salesmen
began their weekly routes. On one occasion the
DaCosta commuters encountered a heavy rain,
and the automobile became stuck in mud. By the
time the students arrived at the college, they
“were muddy from head to toe.” As for Hnatek
and other students who lived outside of Victoria,
the lack of personal automobiles and other “traveling
difficulties” was not conducive to participating
in the social activities at the college. 45
To gain public support for the junior college,
local journalists and college officials frequently
proclaimed that the out-of-town enrollment
benefitted the town’s economy. By their calculation,
“each boy and girl while in Victoria spends
at least two hundred dollars for living expenses”
and “parents of the young people…make occasional
visits to Victoria,” which produces additional
income for the merchants. Dysart, dean of
the junior college, estimated “that out-of-town
college students here would leave more than
$60,000 in the city during the nine months they
are here.” 46
Owners of local businesses were major supporters
of the college largely because they saw
the economic importance of having an educational
institution of higher learning located in
their midst. They were affected by the idle social
talk pertaining to how cities derived extra
income when senior colleges opened within
their communities. It was no accident that
✯
The 1931 Victoria Junior College
Dramatic Club.
Genesis ✦ 19

✯
The Victoria Junior College Physical
Training Class of 1931-32.
school officials, understanding the dynamics of
support, consistently emphasized the benefits
that out-of-town students and their parents provided
to the local economy.
Unlike several school districts in Texas during
the Depression which found themselves
hard-pressed for revenue, the Victoria
Independent School District was able throughout
the 1930s to raise sufficient income to meet
its expenses. The college’s financial circumstances,
of course, were not utopian, but neither
were they fraught with economic perils. There
were no pronounced cutbacks on teaching personnel,
and there were even slight salary
increases periodically.
In the fall of 1931, vocational training for nontraditional
students, authorized by the 1917
Smith-Hughes Vocational Education Act, was
relocated from Mitchell School to the college
campus. The program was designed to instruct
individuals who were full-time employees in
improving their work skills. Classes were conducted
in the afternoon from one to five o’clock.
Gregg shorthand, the touch system in typewriting,
and the McKinsey bookkeeping system were
popular courses for enrollees, most of whom
were permitted by their employers an hour off
from work each day to take the courses. The large
enrollments for the classes apparently indicated
that the community approved of the program. 47
The college curriculum in the fall of 1932
was broadened to include zoology. The new
subject was offered to attract pre-med students,
specifically, and to accommodate those who
needed a science course for their degree plan. 48
At the request of Griffin, Una T. Hunter, head
of the English department, formed a Journal Club
during the fall semester. Membership in the club
was limited to students with a grade of A in
English. The principal purpose of the organization
was to produce articles of interest about the
college for publication in the Sunday edition
of the Advocate. The stories that were printed in
the first year were straightforward accounts
of college activities and events. In the second
year, the articles became lighter in tone.
Humorous, gossipy items became common.
Perry Satterwhite, Jr., and Ruth McMullen reported
in their September 18, 1932, column how the
sophomores, or seniors as the second-year college
students were referred to, attempted to profit,
in a good-hearted way, from the naive freshmen.
The journalists reported that the sophomore
boys for the first two or three days after
classes began engaged in trying “to sell campus
passes at the extremely low price…of only a
quarter and trying to collect 10¢ for a water fee”
from the first-year students. Satterwhite and
McMullen noted that the freshmen were intelligent
enough to recognize a scam when they saw
one, “and consequently the bright sophs are still
holding their passes and the right to collect fees.”
In February, 1933, the college was the host
school for the District Six Texas Junior College
20 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

Basketball Tournament. The games were
played in the Y.M.C.A. gymnasium. Adult
admission prices were set at 75 cents for an
all-tournament ticket. Students could attend
all the games for 50 cents. A single game
admission fee was 35 cents. Participating
in the tournament, in addition to the local
college, were San Angelo Junior College,
Edinburg Junior College, Schreiner Institute,
and Texas Lutheran College. A local sportswriter
predicted the Victoria Junior College
roundballers would be difficult to beat “if they
[the players] should be fortunate enough to
hit the basket.” The team did not and was
knocked out of the tournament by Schreiner
Institute, 54 to 41. 49
Shortly before the tournament commenced,
Governor Miriam A. Ferguson received a letter
from the Reconstruction Finance Corporation
suggesting that federal relief funds to the state
were in jeopardy unless Texas provided more
assistance to the unemployed. Consistently
keeping its ear to the economic heartbeat, the
South Texas Chamber of Commerce saw a window
of opportunity in the threatening letter by
urging South Texas communities to seek federal
aid. The Victoria Independent School
District Board responded on April 10, 1933, by
instructing W. H. Smith, board president, and
Herman Fischer, board secretary, to make a
formal application to the Reconstruction
Finance Corporation for financial assistance to
construct a girls’ dormitory for the college and
an auditorium that would serve both institutions.
The board estimated the cost for the two
buildings to be $100,000. Apparently, the
response from the federal agency was negative. 50
At the June board meeting, another attempt
was made to attract federal dollars when
the members unanimously agreed to apply for
a loan from the National Industrial Recovery
Board to construct the two buildings. The
school district agreed to abide by the labor,
wages, and working hours stipulated by the
National Industrial Act codes. Furthermore,
the trustees promised to relinquish “net revenues
derived from the operation of the said
buildings until such sum so advanced is repaid,
and also to give unto the said Administrator a
valid lien on the property upon which the said
proposed improvements are to be placed.” 51
As the school officials waited for a reply, the
Marooners Club was organized at the college
in October 1933, to complement the pep
squad and to perform at social functions. Its charter
members were elected by the student body
whereas the cheerleaders automatically became
honorary members. Initiates were required to
carry their books on a designated day in a basket
or bucket, wear oversized or undersized clothing
✯
The Victoria Junior College football
field under the lights in 1932.
Genesis ✦ 21

✯
The Victoria Junior College
Auditorium in 1932.
to a football game, and “fulfill any order given by
a charter or honorary member.” 52
Action by the board and federal bureaucracy
on the proposed buildings moved at a snail’s
pace. There may have been, and probably was,
considerable behind-the-scenes maneuvering
by the parties involved. Nevertheless, the
trustees in August 1934, decided the time had
arrived to push forward on the construction
project. They authorized Griffin to investigate
the possibility of a bond election for a girls’
dormitory. The following October, the board
appropriated $6,391.47 to purchase material to
construct an auditorium/gymnasium. Why the
board dropped the idea for a girls’ dormitory
and only pursued the construction of an auditorium/
gymnasium is not known. Labor for the
new structure was to be furnished by the federal
government, and expenditures were to be
under the direction of the Federal Emergency
Relief Administration. Architect Kai J. Leffland,
son of famed Victoria architect Jules Leffland,
was employed for $300, and J. W. Kimbrough
was hired as supervisor for construction. 53
Construction of the auditorium/gymnasium
began in early 1935. Measurements for the
building were 94 feet by 150 feet with a seating
capacity of 1,000 on the main floor and 700 on
the sides. An additional 200 could be seated on
the 31 feet by 40 feet stage. The ceiling spanned
22 feet above the floor to meet the necessary
requirements for basketball. 54
Meanwhile, the Athletic Association purchased
the uniforms and musical instruments
of the Southern Pacific Drum and Bugle Corps
of Houston. The acquisition consisted of 20
snare drums, 2 bass bugles, 8 tenor bugles, one
pair of cymbals, 20 helmets, 33 white serge
suits, and one drum major’s outfit. Students
jumped at the opportunity to become part of
the college’s new musical organization. On
November 1, 1934, only days after obtaining
the equipment, the Victoria Junior College
Drum and Bugle Corps made its debut at a football
game between the Pirates and University of
Texas freshmen. 55
In an effort to stimulate public support for
athletics at the high school and the two-year
institution, an Athletic Committee was formed.
It consisted of the coaches at the two schools
and three Victoria citizens chosen by the head
coaches from a list of nominees submitted by
22 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

the board. The committee was given the responsibility
of arranging game schedules and serving
as the central agency to receive and to disburse
all athletic revenue. 56
Griffin was the object of a series of newspaper
articles in the spring of 1935. Rumors circulated
through the community that he was
responsible for “irregularities” in an emergency
education project and the student aid program.
What the particular irregularities were is
unclear. However, E. A. Baugh, assistant director
of the Texas Relief Commission, in a scathing
letter to Leopold Morris, editor of the Advocate,
took exception to the unfounded charges. He
asserted that Griffin was in no way involved
with the handling of the public funds, and the
“local reports are to the effect that Mr. Griffin
was placed under arrest and that criminal
charges were preferred against him” were
absurd. Baugh went on to write that the remarks
were “extremely derogatory to the character and
reputation” of Griffin and such comments did “a
rank injustice” to him. 57
Baugh’s apparent admiration for Griffin was
echoed in state education circles. The local college
president was cited for his “production of a
well-planned and painstakingly edited yearbook”
for the Texas Association of Junior
Colleges. The organization proceeded to reelect
him as secretary-treasurer. When a committee of
junior college presidents was formed to meet
with state Superintendent L. A. Woods to discuss
changes in the teacher certification program that
were deemed unsatisfactory by the state’s junior
colleges, Griffin was selected as a delegate. At the
annual meeting of the Austin-San Antonio
District Educational Conference in San Antonio,
he was elected secretary-treasurer and was
placed on the executive board. Griffin also
appeared before the Committee on Classified
and Accredited High Schools, considered to be
the second most important educational unit in
Texas, as a spokesman for the junior colleges. 58
On July 1, 1935, an era for the college ended
when Griffin “voluntarily” offered, and the
board accepted, his resignation, effective immediately.
His tenure as superintendent of the public
schools and the first president of the college
was noteworthy. He was superintendent of the
Victoria Independent School District for a
longer period of time than any other person,
except for C. O. Chandler who held the position
from 1955 to 1974. Griffin also advanced the
standing of the district within the educational
establishment by lending his support to and
being directly involved in the state’s educational
movement. Furthermore, he assisted in guiding
the local public schools through the darkest
days of the Great Depression without the financial
turmoil that was experienced by other
school districts. Moreover, Griffin was a major
player in helping to establish Victoria Junior
College and shepherding it into becoming a
superb institution of higher learning. 59
✯
A page from the 1936 O’ Pioneer.
Genesis ✦ 23

ENDNOTES
1
Thomas Diener, Growth of An Invention (New York: Greenwood Press, 1986), 29-30; Arthur M. Cohen and Florence B. Brawer, The
American Community College (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1982), 4-7; Leonard V. Koos, The Junior-College Movement (New
York: AMS Press, Inc., 1970), 236-239.
2
James W. Thornton, Jr., The Community Junior College, 3rd Edition (New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1972), 48-51.
3
Ibid.; Cohen and Brawer, American, 9-11.
4
Frank H. Crain, Jr., telephone interview with author, 17 August 1997.
5
Victoria Independent School District Board Minutes, 18 August 1924; The Victoria Advocate, 30 July 1918, 29 August 1924; Crain,
telephone interview, 3 September 1997.
6
VISD Minutes, 4 February 1925; Crain, telephone interview, 17 August 1997.
7
Advocate, 8 February 1925; Odie Faulk, Hill College: An Illustrated History (Hillsboro: Hill College Press, 1996), 16-17.
8
Advocate, 3 May 1925.
9
Ibid., 8 February 1925; VISD Minutes, 19 March 1925, 16 May 1925.
10
Advocate, 18 August 1924.
11
Ibid., 14 September 1925, 20 September 1925.
12
The Jolly Roger, 18 January 1951.
13
Chester Evans, telephone interview with author, 17 August 1997.
14
Victoria Junior College Bulletin, 1928-1929, 8.
15
Advocate, 4 October 1925, 26 April 1926, 5 August 1926.
16
Ibid., 27 May 1926.
17
“Mrs. Nellie Hilmers: The First Graduate of the Victoria College,” The Victoria College Kaleidoscope (Spring 1976), 15.
18
VISD Minutes, 7 July 1926, 28 July 1926, 4 August 1926, 7 September 1926; Advocate, 5 September 1926.
19
Advocate, 3 September 1926, 1 January 1927, 14 January 1927.
20
Ibid., 13 September 1926.
21
Victoria College Files, Local History Collection, The Victoria College.
22
Victoria Junior College Bulletin, 1926-1927, 8.
23
Ibid., 8-10.
24
Ibid., 10.
25
Ibid., 11-12.
26
Ibid., 1928-1929, 33.
27
Ibid., 33-34.
28
Advocate, 8-9 February 1927.
29
Ibid., 25 May 1927.
30
Ibid., 16 May 1927, 26 June 1927.
31
Ibid., 1 February 1928, 6 February 1928, 12 February 1928, 25 May 1928.
32
Ibid., 29 May 1928.
33
Ibid., 6 May 1929.
34
Ibid., 5 May 1929.
35
Buccaneer, 1930.
36
Ibid.; Advocate, 23 January 1930.
37
Buccaneer, 1930.
38
Advocate, 9 October 1930, 10 October 1930, 31 October 1930.
39
Ibid., 16 October 1930.
40
Buccaneer, 1931.
41
Advocate, 24 April 1931, 27 April 1931; Buccaneer, 1932.
42
Advocate, 27 October 1930, 8 November 1931.
43
Registrar’s Records, The Victoria College.
44
Advocate, 28 August 1931, 4 October 1931; Buccaneer, 1931.
45
Advocate, 10 September 1930; Margaret Hnatek, interview with author, 13 May 1997.
24 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

46
Advocate, 8 September 1931, 8 November 1931.
47
Ibid., 11 September 1931, 8 November 1931.
48
Ibid., 28 August 1932.
49
Ibid., 22 February 1933, 26 February 1933.
50
Ibid., 11 April 1933.
51
VISD Minutes, 23 June 1933.
52
Advocate, 30 October 1933.
53
Ibid., 6 February 1935; VISD Minutes, 31 August 1934, 10 October 1934, 26 October 1934, 12 December 1934.
54
Advocate, 6 February 1935.
55
Ibid., 30 October 1934.
56
VISD Minutes, 1 May 1935.
57
Advocate, 4 April 1935.
58
Ibid., 14 April 1935, 18 April 1935, 28 April 1935, 19 May 1935, 14 June 1935.
59
Ibid., 2 July 1935; VISD Minutes, 1 July 1935; Robbie Parkman, Victoria Schools, 1824-1980 (privately printed), 73.
Endnotes ✦ 25

26 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

CHAPTER 2
DEPRESSION AND WAR
Within three weeks after accepting the resignation of Griffin, the board, on July 19, 1935, employed
Porter S. Garner as superintendent of schools and president of the junior college. Garner was given a
two-year contract and paid an annual salary of $3,900. The new president had
been superintendent of the Robstown public schools for the past three years and was a highly regarded
administrator. Robstown school officials made an effort to retain him, but the opportunity
to be a college president was too attractive for Garner. His vita included membership on the Curriculum
Commission of the State Teachers’ Association, a past president of the South Texas Division of the State
Teachers’ Association, and a past president of the Gulf Coast Executive Club, a South Texas teachers’
organization. A special attribute of Garner which appealed to Victorians was his experience with the
Texas Inter-Scholastic League, the supervising authority for the state’s interschool competition. 1
Another significant change came to the college’s leaders when in that same year E. J. Dysart
resigned as dean at the end of the spring semester to enter private business. He was replaced by B. F.
Hardt, who had been at the college for several years and had served as interim president and superintendent
after Griffin stepped down and before Garner was named as the chief administrator. 2
Dedication ceremonies for the new auditorium/gymnasium, designated as Smith-Fischer Hall and
vainly proclaimed by school officials as “the largest assembly hall in southwest Texas,” was held on
Friday evening, September 15, 1935. Smith-Fischer Hall was named for former school board members,
W. H. Smith, Sr., and Herman Fischer. The Victoria Municipal Band veered from its weekly concert at
De León Plaza to provide the music for the occasion. During the festivities, all school employees at the
high school and college were introduced as well as local dignitaries and presidents of the Parent-Teacher
Associations. An open house was held, providing the Advocate an opportunity to urge Victorians “to
inspect [the building] minutely.” 3
That same year a bus was purchased by the Victoria Athletic Association with assistance from the
Victoria Independent School District to carry athletes to out-of-town sports contests. The vehicle’s
body was painted blue and white, and the top was aluminum. On each side was stenciled “Victoria
Junior College The Friendly School.” It was used for the first time during the fall of 1935 by the college
football team. 4
Because the college did not have a dormitory facility, a house facing Moody Street between
Goodwin and Forrest streets was rented and used as living quarters by the athletes who were not residents
of Victoria. The structure, known as College Hall, provided adequate accommodations for athletes.
James E. McCord, a football player from Victoria who lived with his parents a few blocks distance
from College Hall, often walked to the athletes’ living quarters and studied with his fellow
sportsmen. Although the players had limited supervision, McCord remarked that no lively parties or
destructive behavior occurred. As he put it, the athletes knew the rules and understood that if any
unacceptable behavior took place, the offending person would be promptly dismissed, a risk too
great to take for individuals who counted on using athletic scholarships to complete college. 5
Not all extracurricular activities were confined to athletics. Some students, such as McCord and
Lela Welder Cliburn, engaged in speech competition. Cliburn’s chief interest was declamation. She
was tutored by Mrs. V. L. Griffin, the former president’s wife, and was motivated to excel in the contests
primarily because her friends at Nazareth Academy possessed medals they won for various
events at that school. Cliburn was envious of these girls and was determined to be a winner in declamation
so she too could have a medal. She attained her goal of winning a contest, but afterwards
Cliburn was told by school officials, “Lela, there isn’t any money to purchase a medal.” What a letdown
for her after all the hard work she put into being victorious. 6
For most students, attending the college in the 1930s was uneventful. David Bianchi, a freshman student
from Victoria who received the highest score on the psychology portion and second in the English
✯
Porter S. Garner, president of Victoria
Junior College from 1935 to 1940.
Depression and War ✦ 27

✯
Ben F. Hardt, dean of Victoria Junior
College from 1934 to 1940.
section of the 1935 entrance intelligence tests for
the fall semester, stated, “you went to class, and
you studied.” College life, however, was not
entirely drab. Although there were few social
events sponsored by the educational institution,
students found entertainment in the community.
Bianchi periodically played bridge at Jewell
Hudler’s home and frequently went with his
friends to Pleasure Island, an entertainment
establishment that served as a center of activity
for Victorians for several decades. 7
A crowd-pleasing feature at Pleasure Island
was performances by live bands. Students on
the weekends congregated at the entertainment
center to hear the latest tunes, to socialize, and
to take a few nips. James McCord remembered
that he and some of his friends met at Pleasure
Island, and afterwards, they would make a trip
to the local bootlegger whose business was
located east of town. The students bought a lot
of “booze” for $1.00 or $1.50. He said the bootlegger
stored his bottles in a well on his land,
and whenever a customer wanted to make a
purchase, he would draw a bucket laden with
bottles of whiskey from the well. McCord further
stated that under the rules the students
established for themselves, those who made the
trip could only take one drink before returning
to Pleasure Island. 8
Not only was the college without a dormitory,
it also did not have a cafeteria. Out-of-town
students either brought sack lunches or bought
snacks at the E. Post Grocery located across the
street from the school complex. When the intown
students could, they went home for lunch.
Eating at home could cause some problems if
the distance to travel was extensive and the individual
did not have a car. McCord was such a
person without personal transportation. He,
however, solved his dilemma by hitching rides
to and from the college. 9
During the lunch breaks and when classes
were not in session, students would sit in fellow
classmates’ automobiles and listen to the radio.
George Filley, Jr., was one of the fortunate students
who possessed a car to drive to school.
After classes were dismissed for the day, Filley’s
friends swamped his vehicle, invariably delaying
his departure from the campus. Another pastime
for students when they had free time from
classes was playing basketball in the gym. 10
A custom that was prevalent in Texas public
schools during this era was a weekly assembly,
most often referred to as chapel. In the 1935-
1936 academic year, the junior college chapel
was held each Thursday at 9:30 a.m. The programs
were varied. They included the election
of class officers, entertainment, pep rallies, guest
speakers, and selection of individuals to represent
the college at off-campus events, such as a
queen for the community fair.
Measles swept through the student body in
the 1936 spring semester. It was estimated that
some thirty students, representing about a fifth
of the enrollment, were stricken. Fortunately, no
28 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

deaths or severe complications were reported as
a result of the illness. 11
Victoria Junior College did not have a 1936
yearbook of its own. The school, in a demonstration
of community cooperation, chose to
participate with Patti Welder, St. Joseph, and
Nazareth Academy in a single volume, named
O’ Pioneer, as a centennial project. Although,
the junior college staff was given overall
supervision of the annual, each institution
selected its own editorial staff and was responsible
for its respective section. To assist in its
publication, an executive committee composed
of representatives from the school
board, the general public, and the various
schools was formed. Grace Fossati, a junior
college student, recalled that she was assigned
the task of writing the essay on the Round Top
House. When the narratives were assembled
for publication, she was absent. Jewell Hudler,
a faculty member working with the students
on the project, signed Fossati’s name, causing
several classmates familiar with the college
student’s handwriting to be quizzical as to why
Fossati signed her name as she did. They were
amused when the reason for the strange handwriting
was explained. 12
In the spring of 1936, the University of
Texas released figures on the success of transfer
students at the institution. The study showed
that Victoria Junior College was head and
shoulders above the other junior colleges
within the state in preparing students to attend
senior colleges. Among the findings issued by
the registrar’s office at the university, fifty
percent of all transfers from the college earned
either an A or B. Transfer students from
the state’s other junior colleges were some twenty
percentage points below the local college. 13
The combined commencement of the
Victoria Junior College and Patti Welder High
School was held on May 26. The ceremony
was different from previous years. Instead
of having one principal speaker, two graduating
students from each school made presentations
on what made an educated man. The
participants from the high school were Wilma
Offer and Billy Murphy. The college representatives
were Elenora Albrecht and Charles
Carsner. James McCord, president of the sophomore
class of the college, and Ella North
Jordan, president of the senior class at the high
school, presided over the students’ portion of
the program. 14
✯
Smith-Fischer Hall was a multipurpose
building.
Depression and War ✦ 29

✯
The 1936 Victoria Junior College ring
depicted a fierce looking pirate.
Because students did not pay their tuition the
board, in the summer of 1936, discontinued its
generous policy of permitting college students
to attend and to graduate without paying
tuition, unless a request was made to transfer
grades to a senior college. The Advocate noted
that “students who failed in their work or who
withdrew from school before graduation have
no use for their credits.” Garner lamented that
several thousand dollars owed by former students
“is not collectable.” 15
Before the beginning of the 1936 fall semester,
the college began a campaign to entice
South Texas high school graduates to enroll.
Garner appealed to the students by announcing
that Victoria Junior College had a plan of
instruction that was not duplicated anywhere
else in Texas. He considered “formal impersonal
group teaching” where students were “herded
into large groups and forced to memorize accumulations
of mechanical facts without thought
of vocational preparation,” the approach used
by most colleges, inadequate. The Victoria
Junior College, on the other hand, was no
longer going to teach in that manner. Hereafter,
“each student is taught individually…and is
given personal supervision from members of the
faculty in an effort to help him recognize and
develop his natural talents.” The president did
not state how the new teaching methodology
was to be executed. 16
After the persistent efforts by the college Press
Club to establish a newspaper, the administration
relented. The Flunky Club, a group of journalism
enthusiasts, assumed the responsibility of
publishing a bi-monthly newspaper, The Corsair.
Tom McCord was selected the editor-in-chief.
The associate editors were Bob Shutt and
Henrietta Ennen. Included among the newspaper
staff were Dorothy Thames, advertising manager;
Ella North Jordan, society editor; Louise
Greer, feature editor; and Ed Mattox, sports editor.
The first edition of the Corsair appeared on
November 30 and sold for five cents a copy. A
person could purchase a year’s subscription for
30 cents. The newspaper published various
innocuous items revolving around campus life. It
informed the students that an upcoming feature
attraction at the Uptown Theater was Gene
Autry in “Ride, Ranger, Ride,” and the price of
admission was fifteen cents day or night. In the
Epigram Column, the newspaper noted that
“Bachelor girls live, and yearn” and…“the boy
who is the bright spot in some girl’s life is usually
taken to the cleaners.” 17
On December 21, 1936, the board held a special
called meeting at which time the decision
was made, by a unanimous vote, to drop the college
football program. The Victoria Athletic
Association, the overseer of athletics in the public
schools, endorsed the move. Reasons given
for eliminating the sport were the difficulty in
30 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

scheduling games with teams of comparable
strength, the desire to place greater emphasis
on intramural sports, and the burdensome
expenses necessary to maintain “a reasonably
strong junior college football squad in a town the
size of Victoria.” 18
In his Advocate column, the campus scribe,
Ed Mattox, took exception to the board’s action
and the lack of student interest in the subject.
He remarked that he would have laughed at
anyone who would have suggested before the
event that the student body would not object to
the move. Mattox, paraphrasing a comment by
Dr. Edwin A. Elliott, a former economics faculty
member at Texas Christian University, asked
rhetorically “who an educational institution is to
benefit, the student body or a bunch of men
who had more than likely bought their way into
the board of regents or trustees.” 19
Morality was a hot issue on the campus during
early 1937. Garner, when addressing a
January 21 assembly, asked the students “with
amorous inclinations to refrain from occupying
parked cars.” It seems the president surprised a
group of vice adherents playing “French Bridge”
in the rear seat of a parked vehicle. His comments
were criticized by some of the students
who apparently condemned the college as being
too righteous. The Corsair in an editorial disagreed
with the latter position by noting “that
there are very few restrictions placed on vices or
other campus activities.” The newspaper
observed that the student council was responsible
for bringing about “the lax restrictions now
in effect,” not the administration. To illustrate
the point, the editorial writer stated that the student
organization persuaded the administration
to permit smoking on the campus. 20
Besides “French Bridge,” Victoria Junior
College students participated in other extracurricular
activities. The Pirate basketball team,
coached by Leo Dillon, won the District No. 2
championship of the Texas Junior College
Conference by crushing Blinn Memorial College
on February 26, 1937, by a score of 51 to 14. The
victory earned the college a spot in the State
Junior College Basketball Tournament that was to
be held in Victoria. In the game against Blinn,
played before the largest crowd of the season,
Pirate forward Doug Farrell with twenty-one
points outscored the entire Blinn team. 21
While the college basketball team was
preparing to engage Blinn, the Dramatic Club
was taking second place at the District 8 one-act
play contest in Corpus Christi. The lead players
in the production were Margaret Crouch,
Dorothy Thames, and Eddie Stark. 22
Victoria Junior College hosted the State
Junior College Basketball Tournament on March
12 and 13 to the delight of local partisans. The
Athletic Association was largely responsible
for “securing such a carnival of entertainment”
for the city. Despite coach Leo Dillon’s pronouncement
that his team was “ready, willing
and able,” the Victorians fell short of his expectations.
In the first game of the round-robin
tournament, they lost to Schreiner Institute 40
to 20. In the second contest, the local heroes
were defeated by Jacksonville Junior College 46
to 27. The Jacksonville squad won the tournament
and remained state champions. 23
Winning intercollegiate contests was not
confined to the basketball team and the
Dramatic Club. The tennis duo of David
Bianchi and Frederick Ennen defeated Marshall
Junior College for the local institution’s first
tennis championship. 24
As a gesture to reflect an educational concept
of Garner’s, the college adopted a motto, “Every
Student an Individual,” and emblazoned it on
the cover of the new 1937-1938 catalogue. As a
manifestation of the changes that had taken
place within the student body, the publication
included additional reasons for attending
Victoria Junior College. Two of the new advantages
cited in the catalogue were that the college
was an agency for adult education, and class
schedules were arranged to benefit students
who needed to work part-time to “enable them
to pay their own expenses.” 25
Hoping to offset a drop in enrollment because
of the elimination of football, the board
employed W. E. Eckles for the expressed “purpose
of contacting prospective students.” The
endeavor to bolster the school population was
supported by the Booster Club, an organization
consisting of local merchants and college supporters.
The club sponsored the production of a
one-reel film that highlighted the institution’s
facilities and showed it in some 36 South Texas
towns. The concerted recruitment efforts were
successful. The enrollment did not decline. 26 Depression and War ✦ 31

✯
Patti Welder High School was
separated from the Victoria Junior
College by the “arches.”
With the advent of the football season, some
students began to bemoan the lack of the sport at
the college and revisited the decision to drop
football. A popular co-ed, Grace Leggett, commented:
“A football team is the life and making of
the school.” “A college team,” opined fellow classmate
Lucille Steele, “would provide more pep
and school spirit for the student body as a
whole.” Despite the misgivings and vocal exercise
by these disgruntled students, the administration
took the position that the college was too small to
properly finance the football program. In January
1938, basketball was axed, largely for the same
reason that football was scrapped—finances. 27
After a year’s absence, basketball, albeit nonscholarship,
was resumed at the college. School
officials found sufficient funds in the budget to
purchase twelve uniforms and three basketballs.
Coach Aubrey Reece assumed the responsibility
of “developing a team from whatever material he
could gather from the college and from boys
in high school who had already played out
their high school eligibility.” Virtually every
member of the squad worked off-campus, causing
Coach Reece some anxious moments. In the
first game of the year, the contest was delayed
thirty minutes “in order that two of the boys
who didn’t get off from work until game time
would be there for the opening.” In what proved
to be a laughable exercise for the Pirates, the
college won, defeating Corpus Christi Junior
College 47 to 11. Alfred Fernandez led the local
hoopsters with twenty-four points. 28
The nonscholarship basketball team enjoyed
a winning season. Apparently a sufficient number
of players were able to get away from their
jobs to participate in the games. Their success
on the court earned them the right to play
Temple Junior College for the regional title in
Victoria. The local hoopsters emerged victorious,
capturing two out of three games. Their
basketball fortunes came to an end at the state
tournament in Gainesville. Coach Reece’s squad
was humiliated in the first game of the double
elimination tournament by falling to
Jacksonville Junior College 65 to 25. In the
32 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

Pirates’ second contest, they fared no better, losing
to Gainesville, 45 to 28. 29
Mary Crouch was extended kudos by the college
community after her successful venture at
the district one-act play tournament in Corpus
Christi. She won top honors as the lead actress
in Cassandra. 30
Students skipping classes became a minor
annoyance for the editor of the Corsair. In
the March 30 edition, the newspaper castigated
the students who were habitually cutting class.
The student publication noted that “When a
student who is making poor grades in his or her
work deliberately takes cuts instead of going to
class—that student fails before he wakes up!”
The comment apparently had no salubrious
impact, cutting classes remained a viable option
for the students—then and today. 31
The 1938 fall term opened with 117
students. There was a slight increase in the
size of the sophomore class. Among the social
activities for the students and faculty at the
beginning of the academic year was a reception
at the home of President Porter S. Garner
and a dinner sponsored by the Victoria
Ministerial Association. 32
In October of that year, the college business
office was robbed. The thieves took $265 from
the vault after entering the building by way of a
window and knocking off the combination knob
on the vault door. The sheriff’s investigators,
who considered this a professional job, reported
that no fingerprints were found, “not even those
of school employees.” 33
During the Forty-Sixth Legislative Session
which convened in January 1939, a bill was
introduced that proposed paying public junior
colleges fifty dollars per student per year. An
education committee was formed by the Victoria
Chamber of Commerce to mobilize community
support for the measure. The civic leaders theorized
that the passage of the bill would increase
enrollment at the college and boost the local
economy. In a front-page editorial, the Advocate
bolstered the prevailing economic view by declaring
that every student at the college pumped
$500 per year into the community. The increased
revenue generated by the institution, the newspaper
stated, would permit the local school board
to develop vocational training “for local consumption,”
a primary goal for the college.
The editorial closed with the comment that the
people of Victoria and the surrounding area had
the “good fortune to have within their midst an
institution of the present caliber and future possibilities
of the Victoria Junior College.” The supporters
of partial state funding for public junior
colleges did not succeed and had to wait two
years before the legislature passed such a measure.
In June 1941, Governor W. Lee O’Daniel
signed it into law even though he considered the
✯
J. H. Bankston, president of Victoria
Junior College from 1940 to 1947.
Depression and War ✦ 33

ill to be imperfect. The state’s chief executive
expressed the hope that “the plan can be greatly
improved by succeeding legislatures.” 34
Fall classes in 1939 were originally scheduled
to begin on September 5, but because the
new science building was not completed, registration
was postponed until September 11.
Classes were convened the following day. An
open house and the formal dedication of the
Science Building were held on Thursday
evening, September 14. State Superintendent of
Public Instruction, L. A. Woods, gave an inspiring
address to an audience of several hundred
curious and proud visitors. 35
A change of leadership in the school system
occurred in the fall of 1939. On November 2,
Garner, who purchased the Nehi beverages franchise
located in Laredo, tendered his resignation
to the school board. The board of trustees
demonstrated their satisfaction for the president’s
education leadership in Victoria by adopting
a resolution expressing “their regret” that
Garner was leaving the district. 36
At a special called meeting on December 15,
the trustees selected J. H. Bankston to replace
Garner, beginning on January 1, 1940. The new
president held degrees from North Texas State
Teachers College and Colorado State Teachers
College. He completed additional college work
at Chicago University, the University of
California, and the University of Texas. His
résumé included a successful stint as school
superintendent in Crane, Texas, for ten years. In
1938, he was employed as deputy state superintendent
of public instruction for District 23 and
stationed in Victoria. 37
Victoria Junior College became a recipient of
an aviation plan formulated by the federal government
in the fall of 1939. Under the proposal,
there were to be twenty thousand trained
pilots nationwide with private certified licenses
within six years. To accomplish this ambitious
goal, the training was provided free of charge.
The fee, ranging from $270 to $290 per student,
was paid by the year-old Civil Aeronautics
Authority, the sponsoring agency. “Ten physically
fit students well qualified,” the college allotment,
registered for flight instruction under the
watchful eye of the veteran aviator Lieutenant
Harold Kindred at the Victoria Airport, currently
known as Ball Airport. In May 1940, four of
the students enrolled in the civilian pilot training
course (J. B. Beams, Jerome Elledge, Billy
Easley, and Delasso Loos) completed the program
and passed the private pilot examination
with “good grades.” 38
In January 1940, KVIC, a 250 watt station,
went on air, making it Victoria’s first commercial
radio station. On March 19, the college became
a rarity among state junior colleges when it
began a twice weekly series of radio programs
that were designed to benefit the students in
radio script writing and broadcasting. Broadcast
times were set at 3:15 p.m. Tuesdays and 7:00
p.m. Thursdays. The first radiocast featured
Clarence Felger, a music teacher, and Raymond
Manning, a business administration instructor,
presenting organ selections. Most of the broadcasts
were not as culturally uplifting as the first
one. The spots were generally filled with topics
such as “The Advantages of the Junior College,”
“Trends in Educational Philosophy,” and a plug
for summer school at the college. In 1943, the
programs originated from the campus after
KVIC established a remote control studio in the
Victoria Junior College Building. 39
At the junior college regional one-act-play
contest in March 1940 at Edinburg Junior
College, Edward Stuart, Mary Halepaska,
Wallace Heaner, and Mary Fern Hawkins won
second place with their presentation of “Miss
Fannie’s Bomb.” Third place honors for individual
actors were awarded to Hawkins and
Stuart. Later, at the district speech meet in
Victoria, the college vanquished the opposition
and captured the district championship.
Winning laurels for the local speech team were
Clarence Durham, first in boys’ extemporaneous
speaking; Fredaline Schneider, first in
girls’ extemporaneous speaking; and Valerie
Hartman, first in girls’ oratory. 40
Schneider considered her victory in girls’
extemporaneous speaking as another joyful
moment in a year filled with happy times. She
and classmate Magdalene Ley smilingly recounted
how the students at the college meshed
together for social outings that included dances
at Smith-Fischer Gymnasium and local private
clubs. Ley remarked that whoever in the group
had an automobile would make the rounds,
pick up the other members, and away they
would go for a fun-filled trip. During lunch
34 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

eaks at the college, Schneider, Ley, and friends
crossed North Street to a Mrs. Evans’ house for
a quick home prepared meal. The front rooms of
her residence served as a dining area for the students
who sat around small round tables and
engaged in small talk, occasionally being interrupted
by the rumble of a noon passenger train
as it steamed by the school complex. 41
The civilian pilots training course that began
in the fall of 1939 was expanded during the
summer of 1940 as the Franklin Roosevelt
administration accelerated the nation’s involvement
in world affairs. Victoria Junior College
was authorized by the Civilian Aeronautics
Authority to enroll fifteen students who had
attained their eighteenth birthdays. This number
was increased to nineteen by the time of fall
enrollment, and the maximum age grew to twenty-six.
Preference was given to applicants who
possessed a degree or graduation certificate from
a university, a technological institute, a four-year
teacher college, or junior college. The minimum
education requirement was one year of college
during the 1939-1940 academic year. 42
William S. Fly, grandson of G. W. L. Fly of
Civil War fame, and a state senator after World
War II, was among the 1940 summer flight students.
His interest in becoming a pilot was longstanding.
He was fascinated with the planes that
landed in the valley between Main and Vine
streets, north of Red River Street. For years he
kept a propeller from a damaged plane at his
house as a memento of his burning desire to fly.
After flying five to six hours in the air in a
Taylorcraft with an instructor, he was told to
“take it around three times” alone. The first solo
flight was the highlight of the course for Fly.
When he landed the plane, the tail of his shirt
was cut off, thus becoming a new pilot, “a shirttail.”
An important element in the course was
navigation. Since there was no sophisticated
equipment in the training plane, the pilot in
cross-country flight learned to navigate by following
railroad tracks and highways. After completing
the Victoria Junior College course, Fly did
advanced flight training in Austin while attending
the University of Texas Law School. In World
War II, he received his wings as a naval pilot. 43
✯
Victoria Junior College began to offer
pilot training in the fall 1939 under a
program sponsored by the Civil
Aeronautics Authority.
Depression and War ✦ 35

✯
A clothing laboratory.
Beatrice Rangow was one of seven females
in a class of 28 who enrolled in the February
1941 flying class. She was prompted to take
the flight course because of her daredevil
inclination and her desire to follow in the
footsteps of Amelia Earhart, the famous
woman aviator who mysteriously disappeared
as she attempted to make a round-the-world
flight in 1937. Rangow noted that she and the
other girls were treated the same as the males
during the training. One of her more memorable
experiences was when the airplane she
was flying stalled. The instructor took control
of the plane and succeeded in restarting
the engine. Shortly after Rangow completed
the course, she married. When the federal
government requested that she ferry a military
plane to the east coast, her husband was
emphatic in telling her she could not make the
flight. Thus, Rangow’s short-lived flying career
came to an end. 44
In August 1940, B. F. Hardt, college dean for
the previous five years, resigned to become
principal of the oil wealthy White Oak School
west of Longview. He was succeeded by W. E.
Eckles, the dean of men and an education
instructor. Eckles earned his bachelor’s and master’s
degrees from Texas Agricultural and
Mechanical College where he taught summer
courses the previous four years. The new dean
did not complete the academic year. Military
service beckoned, and in the spring of 1941, he
entered the army. Since his position was not
immediately filled, his administrative duties
were divided between Jewell Hudler and J. N.
Crawford. In April, the board elected J. D.
Moore, a native of Mineral Wells and principal of
El Campo High School since 1936, as the dean.
After graduating from high school, he entered
North Texas Teachers College and earned his
bachelor’s and master’s degrees. While in college,
Moore was a standout in several sports, and
because of his athletic prowess, he was installed
in the University of North Texas Hall of Fame. 45
With only one day remaining to register for
the fall 1940 semester, enrollment reached 171
36 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

students, “a hundred percent increase” from the
preceding year. The noticeable gain was in part
contributed to the new transportation policy
which provided private bus service from Pierce,
Palacios, Beeville, and Moulton. The buses left
their respective locations at 7:30 a.m. and
arrived at the college in time for the 9:00 a.m.
classes. The students returned to “their home
centers by 5 o’clock.” Cost per student, at least
from Goliad, was six dollars a month. 46
Part-time jobs for students were at a premium
with such a large enrollment. Especially
hard-hit for employment were the girls who
were limited as to what type of jobs were available
to them. In an attempt to assist the co-eds
in finding gainful occupations, the college
appealed to residence owners for part-time
housework for the young ladies. 47
During the 1940 fall semester, Victoria
Junior College made another stab at competing
in intercollegiate basketball with non-scholarship
players. Hester “Stump” Evans, an assistant
coach at Patti Welder and an alumnus of
the college, was named head coach. Evans
received his nickname, according to long-time
president of the board of trustees at Victoria
College Winston Zirjacks, when he broke his
arm hitting the wall while playing basketball in
the closely confined basement of the Patti
Welder building. Thereafter, Evans was known
as “Stump.” 48
Frank Diebel played on the 1940-41 basketball
squad. As a standout player at Patti Welder
High School, the University of Texas showed
interest in him and suggested that he enroll at
Tyler Junior College to sharpen his basketball
skills. Evans intervened and persuaded Diebel
to attend Victoria Junior College. As an inducement
for him to remain in his hometown, the
local coach secured Diebel a job at Groce-
Wearden Wholesalers, which allowed the
roundballer to earn enough money to pay
for his tuition and books. Ed Stuart and Diebel,
characterized by the Advocate as having “to
duck to prevent his head from scraping the
rafters,” led the team in scoring. Other starters
on the squad were Bob Rushing, Cecil Hill,
and “Tricky” Bully Greeson. Unfortunately, the
Pirates did not win enough games to make
the playoffs. 49
Traditionally, societal changes occur slowly.
A case in point was VISD’s antiquated policy
that prevented faculty members from purchasing
a product on the installment plan or on
✯
The girls’ lounge at Victoria Junior
College offered co-eds of the 1940s a
place to relax.
Depression and War ✦ 37

✯
The Victoria Junior College Library
had been expanded by the outbreak of
World War II.
borrowed money. They were relieved of this
limitation when the board at its October 1941
meeting, on a motion by Hugh Stanly, seconded
by D. E. Blackburn, waived the provision. 50
World War II impacted Victoria Junior
College in various ways. Victoria Field, renamed
Foster Field in January 1942, was opened in
1941 as an advanced single-engine flight school
for fighter pilots. The influx of military personnel
into the county made an immediate difference
in the enrollment and class offerings at the
college. A total of 260 students registered for the
fall semester, 120 of whom attended evening
classes. Servicemen from the air base accounted
for seventy-six of the enrollees. In order to
accommodate the educational needs of the military
personnel and individuals interested in
taking a “preparatory course leading to an
exemption from mental examination for flying
cadet work,” the college created additional
evening classes, the largest of which were in
mathematics with sixty-four students. The
emphasis on mathematics was thought to be a
necessity “for the national defense effort.” 51
As the nation inched closer to participating
in World War II, all of the colleges and universities
in South Texas that fell within the San
Antonio Recruiting District were enlisted to
establish special courses “to enable more young
men, ambitious to become Aviation Cadets, to
qualify themselves to meet the increased
demands for pilots.” Recruiting officials suggested
that a student should consider borrowing
money to pay for a year’s college. These
recruiters maintained that upon entering the
Air Corps, the student would become a second
lieutenant and be paid from $205.50 to
$245.50 a month, plus a bonus of $500 for
each year served. The money that could be
saved, the recruiting officer stated, would permit
a person to “easily finish his college education,
go into a small business, or pay on a
home” after being released from the military
service. The recruiting pitch undoubtedly had a
positive result as the country’s young men
looked for an alternative to the army which
awaited them should they be drafted under
the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940,
38 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

the first peacetime compulsory military training
law in United States history. 52
With the formal entrance of the United
States in World War II after the Japanese bombing
of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the
Victoria Junior College role in preparing individuals
for the military was enlarged. Under a
plan formulated by the Department of the Navy,
known as V-1, freshman and sophomore college
students 17 and 18 years of age could enlist as
apprentice seamen and remain in college “at
least until the end of their second year.” After
the completion of a year and a half of college
work, a competitive examination was administered.
The students who passed could elect to
become a naval aviator, deck officer, or engineering
officer. Those who chose to become
pilots were called to active duty at the end of
the second year. The students who elected to
become deck or engineering officers were
allowed to continue in college until they
received their bachelor’s degree, provided college
or university standards were maintained. 53
By 1943, special skills required for the
defense industry and preparatory work for military
service further altered the course offerings
at the college. Out of the need to meet the new
wartime challenges, classes in pre-nursing, fundamental
radio, and specialized training in
engineering drawing and industrial chemistry
were taught. To stimulate an increase in the
courses, the United States Office of Education,
through a cooperative arrangement with Texas
A&I College, paid the tuition and laboratory
fees for qualified students who enrolled in the
engineering, science, and management defense
training program. College credit for the trainee
was optional. Because the war seriously depleted
the number of males in the workforce,
women were especially encouraged to register
in the program “as many positions are open for
them in defense industries.” 54
Equally important to the war effort was a
cadre of educated military personnel. The federal
government expected this to be accomplished
under the Officer’s Procurement
Program, which granted two-year deferments to
young men who joined a branch of the military.
At the end of the second year, provided the
educational standards were attained, the eligible
candidate was “given an opportunity to
become a commissioned officer.” The college
was permitted to register eighteen students in
the program. 55
Victoria Junior College also became involved
in providing assistance on the home front. To
meet the federal government’s call for
18,000,000 Victory Gardens, courses were
offered in growing vegetables and canning.
Residents of the community were encouraged to
enroll in the classes with the slogan, “Grow your
own vitamins.” Tuition and fees were waived, an
indicator of the importance of Victory Gardens
to the nation. 56
Books added to the college library during
World War II reflected America’s participation in
the conflict. Works were purchased to supplement
the history, government, and economic
collection to foster “American ideas through dissemination
of authentic information.” Technical
and scientific books were a priority to support
the courses that were designed for “the nation’s
need for skilled technicians.” Mathematics,
radio, and pre-flight training volumes were
bought and widely circulated among the students.
It was “not surprising to see girls as well
as boys charge out such books.” 57
Besides different course offerings, the war
affected the college in other ways. Because the
military services consumed huge amounts of
petroleum products, gasoline rationing was
implemented throughout the nation. Charlotte E.
Kenell fondly remembers how the lack of gasoline
impacted her college classes. In the summer
of 1944, she took a psychology course, taught by
O. C. Stroman (Stroman High School was named
in his honor), which had a number of nuns in it.
Kenell, along with her fellow classmates, was
asked “to go to Nazareth Academy Convent each
morning for class, so that the Nuns…would not
have to be transported to the college.” She
remarked that “it was an interesting experience
for all of us, including the Nuns.” 58
College athletics were also touched by the
war. Budgetary restraints along with the scarcity
of transportation placed a limit on sports.
The only intercollegiate activity the college participated
in was track, and it revolved around
one person, Monroe Northcutt, a resident of El
Campo who moved to Victoria when J. D.
Moore became dean of the college. Even though
he was a student at Patti Welder, Northcutt was
Depression and War ✦ 39

not eligible for high school athletics because of
his age, but he could run track for the college.
Since there was no money appropriated for athletics,
the dedicated Northcutt hitchhiked to
track meets. Moore did, however, find money
in the budget for his hotel expenses. At the state
meet for junior colleges in Arlington, Northcutt
won the 880 and placed fourth in the 440.
When he completed high school, Northcutt
entered the navy and was assigned to a physical
education program. After his discharge from
the military service, he received a track scholarship
from the University of Texas and was cocaptain
of the team in 1948. 59
While some students took advantage of various
military plans and ultimately became officers,
others, bulging with patriotic fervor and
wanting to take a crack at the Axis, opted to
enlist even before a semester terminated. Two
students who left the college ranks before completing
their courses of study were Rex Easley
and Albert Joost. The pair, in 1942, were sitting
under one of the trees that dotted the college
campus chatting about nothing in particular
when Joost said, “Let’s join the Air Force.”
Easley with alacrity answered, “O.K. When?”
The two Victorians spent the next three years
in the military with contrasting assignments.
Joost served as a general’s aid, whereas Easley
performed duty with a bomber flying out
of Guam. 60
Elton Spiegelhauer was another Victoria
Junior College student who went into the military
during World War II. But, unlike Easley and
Joost, the University of Texas beckoned before
his tenure began in the armed forces.
Spiegelhauer’s drafting instructor at the college,
C.A. Moore, was so impressed with the student’s
analytical mind (Spiegelhauer ranked first in a
class of three that began with twenty-three), he
assisted his prized student in enrolling at the
university by writing a letter of endorsement to
the school officials in Austin. Spiegelhauer
received a letter of acceptance on September 6,
1943, and within two days he had quit his job,
packed, and matriculated at the University of
Texas. After the war, Spiegelhauer worked at
DuPont for thirty-four years. His long career as
a draftsman was, as he said, “because of Claude
Moore,” an inspiring instructor at Victoria
Junior College. 61
In September 1942, hurricane force winds
hit Victoria, causing considerable damage to the
school complex. Among the destruction left in
the wake of the storm was the loss of the Smith-
Fischer Hall roof, warped wooden floors caused
by torrential rain, and windows that were shattered
by flying debris. Instructors at the college,
such as Hester Evans and C. A. Moore, volunteered
their services to ready the school for the
fall semester. While the hurricane was playing
havoc on the city, airmen from a local base took
refuge in the Patti Welder and college buildings,
making themselves literally at home. The servicemen
broke into the cafeteria and, utilizing
school supplies, prepared breakfast. They also
filled the hallways with their litter. It goes without
saying, therefore, that the administration
was upset with the airmen’s stay. 62
Coming as no surprise to the college authorities,
the war took its toll on the number of
full-time students. Jobs were plentiful for those
who wanted to work, and the demands for military
personnel cut a swath into the ranks of
the male students. By January 1943, there were
only 69 students enrolled, of whom 17 were
sophomores. Consequently, with such a small
student body, the spring graduating class consisted
of nine individuals, most of whom were
female students. 63
Meanwhile, at the January 5, 1945, board
meeting, the trustees broke virgin ground by
adopting a sick leave policy for the teachers.
Under the new plan, an instructor was permitted
three days personal sick leave. Teachers claiming
time off for illness were required to sign a certified
statement. If the instructor remained absent
for twenty-one days, employment at the college
was automatically terminated. 64
Throughout American history, the central
government has been magnanimous in providing
benefits to veterans of the various wars. Initially,
land grants were parceled out to qualified ex-servicemen,
but by the twentieth century, the territorial
holdings were drastically reduced to the
point that land was no longer a viable option for
the nation’s veterans. In 1924, over President
Calvin Coolidge’s veto, Congress passed the
Soldiers Bonus Bill, providing 20-year annuities
for veterans below the rank of major. Prior to the
conclusion of World War II, in 1944, out of gratitude
for the duty performed by the service
40 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

personnel and the potentially high voter turnout
by veterans, Congress passed the Servicemen’s
Readjustment Act, commonly known as the “G.I.
Bill of Rights.” The law stipulated, in part, that
eligible returning servicemen and servicewomen
would not be charged tuition, fees, books, and
supplies for academic classes. Furthermore,
single veterans were allowed $50 a month living
expenses, and married veterans received $75
each month. 65
Victoria Junior College, like other colleges
and universities throughout the United States,
profited from the generous legislation for veterans.
Enrollment for day school in the fall of
1946 almost doubled the number from the previous
year. Whereas in 1945 there were 82 students
registered, in 1946 the figure was 159.
More dramatic was the difference in summer
school enrollment between 1946 and 1947.
According to the college records, in 1946 there
were 51 students registered for summer classes,
and in 1947 the number was 147. 66
Veterans were especially interested in the
college’s Vocational Training School under the
direction of V. T. Kallus, an ex-serviceman and
graduate of Texas A&M University. The veterans
who were enrolled in the vocational program,
which consisted of agriculture, business,
and mechanics courses, received subsistence
pay of ninety dollars a month if they were married.
Single students, on the other hand,
received $65 a month. In the spring of 1946, 85
students enrolled in the academic courses,
while there were 75 individuals, fifteen of
whom were black, taking vocational agriculture.
By the fall of 1946, veterans, both in academic
and vocational courses, dominated the
enrollment figures. 67
B. F. Harbour, who replaced Clark C. Wilkes
as dean in 1945, observed in May 1946 that the
veterans “are just as normal as any students I
have ever seen in my teaching experience. If
they didn’t wear their discharge badges [referred
to by the ex-service personnel as ruptured
ducks], you nor anyone else could tell them
from any of the other students.” On the surface,
the comments appeared to be on target, but
behind the facade, there was disrelish by some
of the veterans toward what they considered to
be shallow teaching methods. Herman J.
Krehmeier, who entered the military service a
few months after he graduated from high school
in 1943, was astounded that an English instructor
“was trying to teach like the college was a
junior high school or high school.” Particularly
galling to Krehmeier was when the students
“had to sing happy birthday.” The faculty, he
further stated, “hadn’t quite caught up. They
didn’t know the veterans’ frame of mind.”
“Overall,” Krehmeier recounted, “I enjoyed the
classes. It was a good experience, one that I will
always remember.” The preceding remarks were
made by a 20-year-old who entered the military
as a boy, and exited as a man. Wars have a way
✯
G. V. Prichard was business manager
and registrar of Victoria Junior
College during World War II.
of doing that. 68 Depression and War ✦ 41

ENDNOTES
1
The Victoria Advocate, 19 July 1935, 28 July 1935; Victoria Independent School District Board Minutes, 19 July 1935.
2
VISD Minutes, Ibid.; Advocate, 27 August 1935.
3
Advocate, 10 September 1935, 12 September 1935, 15 September 1935.
4
Ibid., 24 July 1935.
5
James E. McCord, tape interview with author, 27 March 1998.
6
Lela Welder Cliburn, telephone interview with author, 27 March 1998.
7
David Bianchi, letter to author, 28 March 1998; Advocate, 31 October 1935.
8
McCord, tape interview, 27 March 1998.
9
Ibid.
10
Ibid.
11
Advocate, 5 April 1936.
12
Ibid., 12 January 1936; Grace Fossati, interview with author, 30 March 1998.
13
Advocate, 1 May 1936.
14
Ibid., 27 May 1936.
15
Ibid., 7 July 1936.
16
Ibid., 7 August 1936.
17
Ibid., 17 November 1936; The Corsair, 30 November 1936.
18
VISD Minutes, 12 December 1936; Advocate, 22 December 1936.
19
Advocate, 10 January 1937.
20
The Corsair, 14 February 1937, 22 February 1937.
21
Advocate, 28 February 1937.
22
Ibid., 9 March 1937.
23
Ibid., 11 March 1937, 12 March 1937, 14 March 1937.
24
Ibid., 12 May 1937.
25
Victoria Junior College Catalogue, July 1937, 6.
26
VISD Minutes, 2 June 1937; Advocate, 25 June 1937, 19 September 1937.
27
The Corsair, 29 September 1937; Advocate, 4 January 1938.
28
Advocate, 21 December 1938.
29
Ibid., 1 March 1939, 2 March 1939, 3 March 1939, 5 March 1939, 10 March 1939, 12 March 1939.
30
The Corsair, 23 March 1938.
31
Ibid., 30 March 1938.
32
Advocate, 18 September 1938; Victoria Junior College Bulletin, 1938-1939.
33
Advocate, 17 October 1938.
34
Ibid., 1 March 1939, 12 June 1941.
35
Ibid., 18 August 1939, 3 October 1939, 13 October 1939, 15 October 1939.
36
Ibid., 3 November 1939; VISD Minutes, 2 November 1939.
37
Advocate, 17 December 1939.
38
Ibid., 10 May 1939, 7 July 1939, 12 September 1939, 29 October 1939.
39
Ibid., 14 March 1940, 17 March 1940, 21 March 1940, 22 August 1943.
40
Ibid., 10 March 1940, 31 March 1940.
41
Fredaline Schneider Krueger, interview with author, 15 May 1998; Magdalene Ley Johnston, interview with author, 15 May 1998.
42
Advocate, 5 June 1940.
43
William S. Fly, interview with author, 16 May 1998.
44
Beatrice Rangnow Marth, telephone interview with author, 16 May 1998.
45
Advocate, 18 August 1940, 8 September 1940, 9 March 1941, 27 April 1941.
46
Ibid., 24 June 1940, 19 July 1940, 3 September 1940, 4 September 1940, 22 September 1940, 10 October 1940.
47
Ibid., 6 September 1940.
48
Ibid., 13 December 1940; The Jolly Roger, 23 February 1968.
42 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

49
Frank Diebel, telephone interview with author, 16 May 1998; Advocate, 13 December 1940, 18 December 1940.
50
VISD Minutes, 2 October 1941.
51
The Handbook of Victoria County (Austin: The Texas State Historical Association, 1990), 28; Advocate, 21 September 1941,
12 October 1941.
52
Advocate, 31 August 1941.
53
Ibid., 12 April 1942, 15 May 1942.
54
Ibid., 9 July 1942, 16 August 1942, 20 August 1942.
55
Ibid., 9 September 1942.
56
Ibid., 3 March 1943.
57
Ibid., 20 April 1943.
58
Charlotte E. Kenell, letter to author, 30 May 1997.
59
Monroe Northcutt, tape interview with author, 16 May 1998.
60
Rex Easley, interview with author, 18 May 1998.
61
Eldon Spiegelhauer, interview with author, 20 May 1998.
62
Advocate, 6 September 1942; J. D. Moore, interview with author, 8 May 1995.
63
Advocate, 14 May 1943; VISD Minutes, 5 January 1943.
64
VISD Minutes, 5 January 1945.
65
Advocate, 25 July 1944.
66
Registrar’s Records, The Victoria College.
67
Advocate, 3 January 1946, 12 May 1946, 12 September 1946.
68
Ibid., 5 May 1946; Herman Krehmeier, telephone interview with author, 19 May 1998.
Endnotes ✦ 43

44 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

CHAPTER 3
ADIOS, PATTI
WELDER
Immediately following World War II, the board and administration dealt with a variety of issues
and made decisions that had a long-term impact on education in the community. Before the decade
ended, Victoria Junior College was disassociated with the Victoria Independent School District and
Victoria College was a reality.
At its regular meeting on August 14, 1946, the board made a major decision on how the faculty
were to be paid, adopting for the first time a single salary schedule. The base pay for a teacher with
a bachelor’s degree was set at $1,800 a year. An instructor holding a master’s degree received a base
salary of $2,800 a year. There was no mention of a salary schedule for a doctor’s degree. Increments
of $25 a year were given for three years’ teaching experience outside the district and ten years’ within
the district. The board reserved the right to make an exception to the proposed scale in order that
it might employ a “capable teacher” who would not otherwise accept a position in the district. 1
Winds of change, brought about by an all-time high enrollment, blew across the school complex
on North Street. A notable factor in the rise of the school population was 165 veterans in vocational
training. The combined population of the junior high, the high school, and the junior college was
over 1,200 and placed an enormous strain on the school facilities. Furthermore, the age span from
junior high through junior college posed an additional dilemma for the community and school officials
who considered the freer lifestyle of the college students a corrupting influence on the secondary
and middle school students. 2
Recognizing there was an acute shortage of classroom space, the board authorized President J. H.
Bankston to approach the federal government on the acquisition of Aloe Field for “the pursuit of
training or education under Title II of the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944.” Although the
deliberations did not produce an agreement on the abandoned airfield, the negotiations were fruitful.
The Federal Works Administration assented to provide the school system a grant to construct a
“one-story frame structure containing 5,200 square feet of floor space” and to purchase “the necessary
furniture and equipment such as saws, lathes, etc.” William Offer, president of the school board,
gleefully assessed the award with the community by remarking, “All we have to do is furnish the site
and connect up the utilities.” The structure was built in the rear of Smith-Fischer Hall. 3
Meanwhile, with the end of World War II, extracurricular activities were rejuvenated. During the
conflict, the publication of the school newspaper had been suspended because of a shortage of materials.
In October, 1946, journalism students from Patti Welder High School and the college revived
the practice by producing a weekly publication, The Victorian. Thirty-eight high school and college
students comprised the staff. Johnny Goldsum was named the junior college editor. 4
Football as an intercollegiate sport was also resurrected at the college. The last season for the college
to play football was 1936. In February, 1947, the board unanimously decided to field a team to
compete in the South Texas Junior College Conference. The new league was to be comprised of junior
colleges located at Corpus Christi, Laredo, Brownsville, Edinburg, and Seguin. Players were not
to be given scholarships, a policy that was welcomed by some of the local fans. Chester Evans,
Advocate sports writer and an alumnus of the college, wrote that “Victorians have found out in past
years that the game won’t be a success here if you do have to import players by paying their room
and board, etc., as the larger colleges now do.” Another concern of Evans for a successful program
was scheduling. He expressed the opinion, “The teams must be as evenly matched as possible or the
project will not succeed.” Hester “Stump” Evans, Chester’s brother and an assistant coach at Patti
Welder, was employed as the college’s head coach. 5
Under the sponsorship of Lois Parker, college librarian, the Zeta Gamma Chapter in early 1947 was
awarded a charter from the national junior college honor society Phi Theta Kappa. The initials of the
society came from the Greek words phronomon (wisdom), thuemos (aspiration), and katharotes (purity).
✯
T. A. Roach has the distinction of
being the last president of Victoria
Junior College. He served in that
capacity from 1947 to 1949.
Adios, Patti Welder ✦ 45

✯
B. F. Harbour was dean of Victoria
Junior College from 1945 to 1949.
Membership in the organization was open to students
who ranked in “the upper 10 percent of the
student body scholastically and also showed
good qualities in character and leadership.”
Fifteen members were installed by the Gamma
Sigma Chapter of Corpus Christi Junior College
in ceremonies held in the Victoria Junior High
School Library. Alfred Stern was selected president.
The other officers were Johnny Goldsum,
vice president; Jimmie Lee Stubbs, secretary; and
Shirley Krenek, treasurer. A pre-initiation ritual
required students to periodically sing the club
song and to wear beanies inscribed with the
Greek letters Phi, Theta, and Kappa for a week
prior to induction into the organization. 6
President Bankston was informed by the
board in March 1947 that his contract would
not be renewed when it expired on June 30. The
door was left open, however, for Bankston to
reapply for the position, but he declined to do
so “under present conditions.” No explanation
was given by the president or the board as to the
reasons for their difficulties. The board’s action
prompted a community movement to retain the
ousted president. A petition was circulated and
was ultimately signed by 310 individuals. The
document was presented to the board by a quartet
of residents that included the civic and social
leader Mrs. Ruben Frels. The board rejected the
petition and voted to proceed in the employment
of a new superintendent. 7
Meanwhile, public sentiment in the county
developed for separating the college from the
Victoria Independent School District. As early as
July 1946, the Advocate had suggested, which
probably reflected the public’s attitude, that the
college “facilities could be of a much greater
value, if it were expanded on a countywide
plan.” The newspaper pointed out that six colleges
were recently organized in Texas “and all
of these except one is a countywide plan.” 8
Aloe Army Air Field was given the highest
priority by school officials as the location for a
new junior college. Situated on a 1,820-acre
tract five miles southwest of Victoria, the military
complex was opened in 1943 as an advanced
single-engine training base for fighter pilots.
Soon after the conclusion of World War II, on
October 31, 1945, Aloe Field was closed.
Bankston who had previously discussed the
transfer of the government property to VISD was
instructed by the board in April 1947 to resume
negotiations. Partly as a result of “a letter of
intent” sent by the lame duck president to the
War Assets Administration and the U.S. Office of
Education, a meeting was held between representatives
of the two federal agencies, and school
personnel. County officials who sought the land
for an airport were also present. At the gathering,
school authorities proposed the acquisition of
the abandoned airfield and a variety of its facilities,
including the hospital building, the gymnasium,
a cafeteria, a recreation building, the football
field, the tennis courts, and a theatre, which
was to be used as an auditorium. No action was
taken by either federal agency. 9
46 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

Victoria Junior College students held mixed
views on the separation issue. Johnny Goldsum,
in an editorial published by the Victorian, wrote
that in an informal poll of students and teachers,
the overwhelming majority wanted a separate
campus. The supporters of this position
maintained that a division of the schools would
reduce congestion in the halls at Patti Welder,
diminish criticism from high school students
who did not have the same privileges as college
students, and create a better teaching environment
because instructors would not have to
split their duties between the high school and
the college. Goldsum, infected with the current
trend, suggested a countywide college along the
line of Wharton County Junior College. In this
way, he wrote, the college would have a larger
tax base, permitting an expansion of facilities
and the purchase of better equipment. 10
Goldsum’s comments were reenforced by
Hilary Matthews, a freshman, who wanted to
get away from high school teenagers. Wayne
Duncan, another freshman, also held a
jaded attitude toward the high school confines.
He remarked that taking classes at Patti Welder
did not produce a collegiate atmosphere. A
similar position was taken by freshman
Leslie Fuhrman. 11
A segment of the student body expressed
contrary statements. Freshman Earl Truman
maintained that Aloe Field was “too far to go.”
Distance was also a concern to Truman’s classmates
Roy Othold and Mike Crawford.
Although Othold agreed that Aloe Field posed a
traveling problem, he hedged somewhat by
adding “it would be awfully nice at Aloe.” 12
In the meantime, after reviewing the applications
for the superintendent’s position, the
board announced on June 24, 1947, the selection
of T. A. Roach of the El Campo school district
as the new school system’s chief executive.
He was awarded a three-year contract. 13
Before Roach was firmly settled in his office,
he found himself involved in the middle of a
controversy that stemmed from students, teachers,
and administrators who disliked what they
perceived to be the elitism and snobbishness of
fraternities and sororities. At a Rotary luncheon
in August 1947, Roach bluntly stated that sororities
and fraternities “were not in keeping with
the true principles of democracy” and should be
banned. On another matter, concerning a suit
attempting to eliminate the segregation of
Mexicans in public schools, the superintendent/president
remarked, “I have no patience
with any parent who demands that their children
be separated from the Mexicans. So long as
I am superintendent, there will be absolutely no
racial discrimination.” He obviously was not
addressing the state Jim Crow laws. His comments
aroused the Rotarians to the extent they
gave him “resounding applause.” 14
On September 4, 1947, the board, by a unanimous
vote, banned “fraternities, sororities,
secret clubs and similar organizations” for students
in junior high, high school, and junior
college. The trustees based their position on the
belief “that such organizations have a tendency
to destroy good order, discipline and scholarship
in the schools and further that they tend to
disrupt student life generally, and that they foster
rivalries and jealousies which have a deleterious
effect upon practically all of the usual
extracurricular activities, athletic and otherwise,
sponsored by the school system.” 15
Students were required to sign a pledge card,
attested to by parents or guardians, that they
were not current members of a “secret” organization,
that they would not join an unauthorized
organization, or that they would not attend a
meeting held by an unauthorized association as
a “visitor, guest, or in any other capacity.” If a
student did not sign the pledge or broke the
pledge after signing, a host of sanctions could be
applied, the most extreme being expulsion from
school. The bulk of the penalties denied the student
from extracurricular activities, holding
offices, and receiving honors. 16
Criticism of the board’s decision was immediate.
Supporters of fraternities and sororities held
a public rally at De León Plaza and orchestrated
a “coffin dance” at the National Guard Armory.
Although the issue originated in the high school,
college students, particularly those who were
either in a sorority or fraternity while in high
school, got caught up in the affair when they
defended the organizations. Representatives
from the college football team visited the
Advocate and requested that the newspaper publish
“several statements of objections to the ban.”
C. A. Bielstein and Jack Qualls, veterans of the
recent world conflict, were quoted as saying,
Adios, Patti Welder ✦ 47

✯
The 1947-48 Victoria Junior College
Cheerleaders were (left to right)
Mary Gladys Bauer, J. T. Swope,
Bettye Jean Snead, Aubrey Breed,
and Boydene Griffin.
“We came to school to get an education, not
looking for a chaperone to take care of us after
school hours. Now that we fought for freedom,
is this an example of what we’re going to get.
Now that we’re home and in our own country,
we feel that we should be free to do as we please
in our spare time.” Ossie Farrer, an interior lineman,
remarked, “It seems as if junior college
should issue a baby bottle to the students.
We are being led by the hand and told what we
should do with our spare time.” 17
A petition drive designed to sway the board
to reverse itself was launched. The petitioners
mounted loud speakers on a truck and broadcast
their appeal for signatures throughout the
town. They also canvassed neighborhoods
soliciting support for their cause. Their exercise
of a democratic principle produced 1,400
signatures. Undeterred, the board and chief
executive held their position. At the school
year’s opening assembly, Roach explained to
the students that the only organizations
banned were those that had constitutions
or bylaws that permitted new members only
“by vote of active members of the group.”
Excluded from the ban, Roach pointed out,
were the Boy Scouts, Girls Scouts, “school
groups in which membership is attained by
merit, and religious organizations.” 18
Adrian Brandes, a college student and
spokesman for the student opposition, was
introduced by Roach and was asked to present
the counter viewpoint. After giving the outline
of the ban, as he saw it, Brandes admitted that
the prohibition against fraternities and sororities
did “not encroach upon social activities of
the students” although the ban and pledge
themselves were “pretty rough.” Brandes hesitated
in recommending to the students that
they should not sign the pledge. He remarked
“that each student would have to make up his
own mind.” 19
Opposition to the ban and pledge evaporated
after the assembly. Some students were misinformed
as to the board’s action and thought all
social activities were to be eliminated. When
they discovered otherwise, these students had a
change of heart. Teachers who supported the
ban also convinced students to shift their position.
Furthermore, students were unwilling to
buck state legislation banning secret societies
from public schools. With little public support,
48 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

the opponents of the ban withdrew the petition
and never presented it to the board. 20
Enrollment continued to soar, reaching a
dizzying height. Daytime registration for the fall
1947 semester closed at 257 students. There
were an additional 116 evening students, bringing
the overall academic enrollment to a total of
373. The number did not include the 250 veterans
in the vocational agricultural cooperative
program. Because the enrollment was larger
than school officials expected, additional classes
in the evening were added. 21
Hester Evans’ debut as head football coach in
the fall of 1947 was inauspicious. In this first
Victoria Junior College football season since the
1930s, 28 prospective gridders reported for
practice. Since there were no scholarships
awarded to the players, Evans had to rely upon
local talent. During conference competition, the
college won two games, lost five, and tied one.
Sixteen players lettered, a respectable number
when considering that team members played
both offense and defense. 22
In a 1998 interview, Jerry Lenz, a former
member of the 1947 football squad, vividly and
colorfully remembered the coach and players.
He considered Coach Evans as a generous, kindhearted
man who inspired and directed the lives
of the young men, but who never received the
recognition he so richly deserved. As in the case
of Lenz, a former Patti Welder football player, he
was approached by Evans after football practice
began and was asked why he had not come out
for the squad. Lenz told Evans that he was too
small to compete for a position on a college
football team. The coach responded that Lenz
could play center and be the long snapper.
Whenever a squad member was out of cash,
Lenz recalled, Evans would pull a dollar or five
dollars from his pocket and lend it to the financially
strapped player. 23
The football team, Lenz recollected, was a
mixture of the past spring’s graduating classes
and ex-servicemen. One of the veterans
was Felix “Big Doc” Bianchi who knew virtually
nothing about football. The more knowledgeable
players even had to instruct him
on how to wear his uniform. He invariably
placed his football helmet on backwards. But,
Bianchi was a mountain of a man and could
play football. 24
Coach Evans, Lenz recalled, found it difficult
to control the veterans. Since they were not on
scholarship, if he pushed them too hard, the exservicemen
would walk away. Lenz remarked
that in every game there seemed to be a fight,
either brought on by the older players or football
fanatics who came out to watch the games.
At a game with Del Mar in Corpus Christi, the
police were summoned to break up a tussle.
During the contest at Brownsville, a Victoria
Junior College player made a long run, causing
the “beered up” crowd to take action against the
Victorians. The Cameron County Sheriff’s
Department intervened before the disturbance
turned into a riot. Also, in one of the games,
✯
Mary Gladys Bauer was the 1948
Victoria Junior College Sweetheart.
Adios, Patti Welder ✦ 49

✯
Members of a home economics class
doing laundry.
a team had a player of Japanese ancestry, causing
two of the veterans with a strong dislike for
anyone or anything Japanese to viciously attack
him. The most talented player on the team was
Mason Butler, a first team Junior College All-
American selection as a center. 25
Whenever the football squad made a
lengthy out of town trek, it rode in style.
Truman Belcher, owner of the city bus line,
purchased a blue and white Trailways bus to
assure the players were comfortable on the
trip. He installed a radio on the bus for their
enjoyment and on most occasions Belcher
drove the vehicle himself. 26
By 1947, segments of the community that cut
across the socio-economic strata concluded that a
real possibility existed that the Victoria Junior
College would close because of a lack of funding.
The school district with a bulging scholastic population
was using its limited financial resources
on grades one through twelve, which was considered
the district’s primary responsibility. This left
little revenue for the college. Informal conversations
on the district’s financial dilemma at barber
shops, clubs, restaurants, and street corners by
the pillars of Victoria helped fuel the momentum
for a countywide junior college. Much of the talk
centered around personal and community economics,
themes that were inherent in the establishment
of Victoria Junior College twenty-two
years earlier. Figures were invariably quoted as to
how much money was generated in Victoria by
having the college located in the county, and how
much money a family might save by having a son
or daughter stay at home and attend a quality
local college. The time had definitely arrived, so
the advocates of the junior college agreed, to
move forward and establish a first-class countywide
junior college.
A preliminary step was taken by the board
when it approached the State Department of
Education for approval of a new college. On July
16, 1947, the chairman of the Victoria
Independent School District’s junior college
50 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

committee, Dr. Roy Lander, reported at a special
board meeting that the state agency accepted the
establishment of a Victoria County junior college.
The trustees agreed to a motion by Cody
Lentz that a petition be circulated calling for an
election establishing a countywide junior college,
setting a tax, and publicizing the needs for
such a college. Lander and Albert York were
charged with handling the publicity, Frank
Guittard was responsible for arranging public
meetings, and Lentz was given the task of circulating
the petition. All four of the men carried
out their responsibilities admirably. 27
Lander, in announcing to the public the
board’s decision to push for a countywide junior
college, enumerated the reasons why there
should be a separation of the college from the
public school district. He cited the “needs and
interests” of college students could not be properly
met when the ages of students on the same
campus ranged from eleven to over twentythree.
Also, a county college “would be more
attractive to rural students.” Furthermore, a separate
campus would end “overlapping faculties,
overlapping time schedules, overlapping use of
rooms, auditoriums, rest rooms, tennis courts
and gymnasium.” Moreover, a separate facility
would create better school spirit, “a great asset to
any educational institution.” Finally, the school
district’s small tax base could only finance twelve
grades whereas a county college “would provide
a much stronger tax base and that a nominal tax
rate levied on the valuation over the entire county
would bring an adequate revenue and would
not at the same time prove too much of a burden
on any individual taxpayer.” 28
The Advocate allied itself with Lander and the
board. In an editorial trumpeting the benefits of
a different arrangement for the college, the newspaper
reiterated some of the points the committee
chairman made but added that over the years
the college had been successful; however, “the
time is here, if not already passed, where plans
must be made for the future, else it might die.”
The Advocate went further. It prophesied that
with “a proper physical plant adequately
financed” the college will develop into a large
educational institution and one day will have “a
thousand young men and women…attending
the school, which will become the pride and joy
of 99 percent of the people of the county.” 29
Meanwhile, anticipating the passage of the
bond issue, the board drafted a second petition
that called for electing a college board of
trustees. The process for gathering and verifying
the legally required number of signatures and
final board approval was to be completed in time
for Roach to present the college proposal to the
State Board of Education on November 10,
1947. Anticipating a positive vote by the state
agency, the president planned to return from
Austin on “the same day to present the petition
to the County Commissioners” who, in turn,
would call for an election. Since there was to be
a road bond election in December, school officials
expected December 2 to be the date set by
the county. Having the two elections on the same
day saved the school district and county money. 30
Lentz who was in charge of circulating the
petitions placed copies at the Man Shop,
Manhattan Cafe, Krueger’s Restaurant, and the
Victoria Typewriter Company. Neighborhoods
were canvassed by Jewell Hudler and other volunteers.
By October 26, the petitions had been
signed by 909 city, county, and school district
taxpayers. Eventually, there were over 1,000 signatures.
This number exceeded the figure necessary
to hold a bond election by ten percent. It
also met the two percent requirement needed
for the election of a board of trustees. 31
On November 5, the board acted swiftly to
verify the petitions and agreed to present them
to the State Board of Education for approval. To
sweeten its chances of securing consent from the
state agency and enhancing the prospect of a
favorable vote from the county’s electorate, the
board proudly proclaimed “that if the election
carries, no attempt should be made to collect
the College tax on 1947 tax rolls.” The State
Board of Education approved the application for
a countywide college with alacrity on the morning
of November 10. Roach hurriedly returned
to Victoria from Austin and met with the
Commissioners Court that afternoon. The local
county officials set the election date for
December 2. Now, it was the voters turn to
express an opinion. 32
As the countdown commenced to that all
important date in December, no ascertainable
opposition developed. Nevertheless, the supporters
of a countywide college, taking nothing
for granted, conducted an aggressive campaign.
Adios, Patti Welder ✦ 51

✯
Jewell Hudler, history and government
instructor, used her personal influence
to persuade individuals to vote for a
countywide junior college.
Roach opened the drive for the public’s vote.
He cited the usual arguments—a countywide
college would be good for the local economy
and would alleviate the overcrowded facilities.
Roach elaborated on the difficulties of
having such a wide range of ages on a single
campus. The president stated that the “different
age groups in junior high, high school, and
junior college require different environments,
different school facilities and different
regulations of their school life which cannot be
properly achieved when all are housed
together.” He also raised the terrible specter
of lowering “the educational level” of Victoria
by two years. Roach eloquently asserted that
annually “50 to 65 percent of Victoria high
school students go on to college here, while
in areas with no local college only 20 percent
of the high school graduates ever attend any
higher school.” 33
52 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

Individuals and civic organizations threw
their support behind the bond election. Dave
Calliham, a representative of the Junior
Chamber of Commerce, appeared before the
Victoria City Council and received permission
for the organization to stencil on the sidewalks
“get out and vote” signs as a means of motivating
the taxpayers to cast a ballot in the
December election. 34
Jewell Hudler used the personal influence she
built up over the years to persuade her friends
and acquaintances to cast their ballots.
Contributions were made by other instructors
like Una T. Hunter who had her students write
pro-college letters in longhand on notebook
paper to businesses. The speech/drama students
took the opportunity on college radio broadcasts
to do promotional skits. Student Council members
distributed posters and handbills and visited
communities in the county asking for voters
to support the establishment of the College. 35
Leona Jones, business administration instructor
and future Victoria College registrar, released
in a timely fashion the results of a survey conducted
by college students under her direction.
According to Jones, the average Victoria Junior
College student spent $64 a month in the community
while attending the local college. The
findings also indicated that one-third of the academic
students were working “in the city or
county and are earning an average of $45 a
month.” The poll verified the statements that
the college elevated the educational level of
Victoria when 60 percent of the respondents
answered, they would like to remain “in Victoria
after finishing school.” 36
At the request of the board, Dr. C. C. Colvert,
consultant in junior college education at the
University of Texas, made a whirlwind tour in
Victoria on November 25. He was interviewed
on KVIC at noon; spoke to an assemblage
of women, arranged by the Victoria Council of
Parent-Teacher Associations, at the high school
auditorium in the afternoon; and addressed a
joint session of service clubs which included
Lions, Kiwanis, Rotary, and Junior Chamber of
Commerce along with their special guests in the
evening. His message was the same wherever he
went in Victoria—the voters should establish
a countywide junior college. Colvert argued that
a junior college was essential for a community to
have educated residents, be they academically
prepared or technically trained. He was quoted
as saying, “Out of every 500 students of college
age, only 25 ever see the third year of college and
still fewer ever receive the bachelor’s degree. It is
up to the junior colleges to see that the other 475
are prepared to make a living in this highly technical
world.” Colvert challenged Victoria County
“to equal the record made in Laredo last year
when only three dissenting votes were cast
against a county junior college.” 37
A promotional rally, featuring free barbeque
paid for by Albert York and sponsored by the
board, was held in front of Smith-Fischer Hall on
✯
Florine Bielstein and Ted Shields were
popular sophomores in 1948.
Adios, Patti Welder ✦ 53

✯
Joseph Wearden was the first
president of the board of trustees and
a strong, enthusiastic supporter of
the Victoria College.
the Saturday preceding the Tuesday, December 2,
election. F. S. “Ted” Shields, an active participant
in college social activities, and two friends,
including Adrian Brandes, were enlisted by York
to travel around town in a car mounted with a
“bull horn” on the day of the barbeque announcing
the mass meeting and “get out the vote” for
the college election. Shields recalled that he
“went to Vogt’s Radio Shop and had the system
attached to the top of my car. We then proceeded
to drive all around town for about four
hours…We also had a record machine in the car
on which we would intersperse the talking with
‘jitterbug’ and other popular music. I remember
passing some places where employees or home
people came out to the curb dancing and cutting
up to the music, then we gave them our spiel.
They raised their arms and yelled, ‘Yeah’ or ‘Yes’
or the like, then we let them have the music back
and they would be dancing when we rounded the
corner, only to be greeted by the same.” 38
An opponent to a countywide college emerged
and made a last-minute appeal to rural voters to
cast ballots against the proposal. Unsigned post
cards were received by the electorate living outside
the city asking them to vote no on the countywide
college issue. Using an inflated figure as to
the cost of the college, the postcard stated that “A
$3,000,000 Junior College is not needed in
Victoria at this time as the present college is large
enough to take care of the students now attending
Victoria Junior College.” This limited negative
vote campaign proved to be inadequate to stem
the tide for a positive college vote. 39
Few individuals in the county were surprised
as to the outcome of the election. The voters
approved the proposal 935-548. As expected,
the proposition did exceedingly well in the city
and poorly in the rural areas. A factor in the outcome
was rain which began the night before the
election and continued throughout the day the
votes were cast. Because of the inclement weather,
the rural turnout was lower than it would
have been otherwise. The road bond issue, on
the other hand, passed with a better than twothirds
margin. Roads were obviously more
important to rural voters than education. 40
A seven-man board of trustees was elected to
office with the passage of the college proposal.
Receiving a plurality of votes from a slate of ten
candidates were Dr. W. T. DeTar, Arvle Elliott,
Joseph Wearden, Fred Proctor, Raymond Hill, Dr.
C. P. Montier, and Winston L. Zirjacks. Also, with
the adoption of the college issue, a tax of 20 cents
on each $100 valuation of taxable property was
accepted 895 to 565. 41
Four days after the election, trustees of the
Victoria Independent School District met with
the newly elected college board in the high
school homemaking laboratory. The school officials
were served a lunch that was prepared by
the homemaking students at Patti Welder High
School and Victoria Junior College. The students
were supervised by Mrs. Ollie Key and
Mrs. Edith Moore, teachers in the public school.
During the session, Gilbert V. Pritchard, college
registrar and a notary public, administered the
54 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

oath of office to the recently elected Victoria
Junior College Board of Trustees. Afterwards,
the college board adjourned and reassembled in
another area of the school building and elected
officers. Joseph Wearden, a businessman and a
strong advocate for the creation of the college,
was selected president. Winston Zirjacks, an
employee of the Victoria National Bank and an
alumnus of Victoria Junior College, was chosen
vice president. Fred Proctor, an attorney, was
the trustees’ preference for secretary. 42
Although the college now had its own distinct
governing board, the educational institution’s
infrastructure remained the same. The college
continued to be housed at Patti Welder, Roach
retained the presidency, and Harbour remained
the dean. What had changed was the way in
which its financial matters were to be conducted.
To that end, the board’s first major decision was
to choose someone to handle the college’s business
affairs. On January 12, 1948, the trustees
met at 7:00 P.M. in the home of Dr. W. T. DeTar
and appointed J. D. Moore, former Victoria
Junior College dean, as business manager. Moore
was given an office in the Victoria National Bank
Building, and operated it without a secretary
until Mrs. D. K. Harrel was employed in August. 43
When the board made arrangements with the
Victoria Independent School District to conduct
the academic affairs of the college district, a
stipulation agreed upon was that the school district
was to operate a bus to and from Port
Lavaca. Billie Rogers, a Port Lavaca resident who
began her Victoria Junior College career in
1948, was one of the passengers on the bus,
which she described as a “touring car” affectionately
referred to as the “Blue Beetle.” The vehicle
was driven by a student who kept it overnight at
his home. The riders, most of whom were nonscholarship
football players, met at the Shell
Fish restaurant and motored to Patti Welder. On
the way to Victoria, a stop was made at Placedo
to pick up students from Bloomington.
Apparently, the trips were filled with joviality
and all the riders had a terrific time. 44
Moore’s immediate concern was to manage
the tax revenues, monies that were to be used to
pay the Victoria Independent School District for
operating the college for the 1948-1949 academic
year. The board interpreted the results of
✯
The “Blue Beetle” made daily
runs from Port Lavaca to the
college campus.
Adios, Patti Welder ✦ 55

✯
Billie Rogers commuted from Port
Lavaca in the “Blue Beetle.”
the December election as a mandate to establish
a Victoria County Junior College “as expeditiously
as sound fiscal practice will permit.” To
the trustees, when all of the financial considerations
were weighed, “expeditiously” meant having
a new campus complex in place by the
beginning of the 1949 fall semester. The board
emphasized its intent by adopting the slogan
“Ready For September.” 45
Since the trustees were determined to have a
fully operational college by the end of the contract
with the local public school board, the
selection of a site for the college was intensified
in the spring of 1948. There was considerable
interest among members of the college board to
acquire Aloe Field from the War Assets
Administration for the agricultural program.
There was also some consideration given to purchasing
and removing the former air base’s hospital
to a site in town and using it for classrooms.
The board members, however, never
seriously viewed Aloe Field becoming the permanent
site for the primary campus. 46
Meanwhile, several local college students
were victorious at the District 9 junior college
intercollegiate contest that was held in Victoria
on March 25. Clarence Simon and Mary Ethel
Wagoner placed first in the radio speech
division. The two contestants were required
to read a commercial, “a newscast and an original
three-minute current events discussion.”
Undoubtedly, involvement with the college
radio broadcasts over KVIC were an important
factor in their triumph. Virginia Taylor and
Etta Lou Gentry won the girl’s debate competition.
The topic was, “Resolved that a world
federal government should be established,”
an apropos subject for 1948. Betsy Wright
was the winner in poetry interpretation. Merry
Cadden picked up the winning trophy for
girls’ oratory with a splendid presentation on
“The Supreme Sacrifice.” Extemporaneous
speech was won by Adrian Brandes. His talk was
on Finland. 47
As the speech competition and other extracurricular
activities at the college went forth, so did
the planning for the future of Victoria Junior
College. In an attempt to secure community support,
the board invited educators from Victoria
and the surrounding counties to a banquet at the
Denver Hotel. The affair was held on the evening
of March 31, 1948, and was presided over by
Wearden and Moore. Wearden in his opening
remarks stated it was “imperative that the new
college be ready to operate as a separate institution…at
the beginning of the 1949-50 school
year. To this end a bond issue is inevitable and it
will be submitted to the voters of our county for
their action at the earliest possible time.” To
cultivate support for the college, a variety of committees,
composed of faculty members and leading
citizens from the Victoria region, were formed
to assist with the college development program. 48
Affirmation of Wearden’s comments on a
bond election came quickly from the trustees. At
its regular scheduled meeting on April 12, the
board came out in favor of a bond issue of
approximately $750,000 to purchase a site,
finance the construction of buildings, and pay
for the necessary furnishings. To hold a bond
issue required a petition signed by 250 qualified
voters. To be eligible to vote, an individual had
56 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

to be a resident of Victoria County and to have
paid a poll tax and a tax on property within the
county. When the board commenced the petition
process, it gave the county electorate some food
for thought. The trustees expressed the opinion
that the establishment of a countywide educational
institution would distribute the financial
costs over the entire county, and the educational
programs offered by the college would provide
students exposure to academic and vocational
opportunities they would not otherwise have.
Furthermore, the demand for junior colleges
throughout the state was so great that if the
county did not provide “adequate facilities one
or more of the adjoining counties will assume
leadership on the junior college level.” 49
Signatures on the petition were hastily collected.
In less than two weeks the number of people
affixing their name to the proposition exceeded
the minimum number required. When the board
convened on May 10, 1948, it was presented a
petition signed by 401 individuals. The trustees,
thereafter, in an exuberant mood, set June 2 as
the date for a bond issue of $750,000 and an
increase of the tax rate from 20 cents per $100
valuation to 50 cents. The supporters of the
propositions had to act quickly, for they had less
than a month to sell the bond issue and tax
increase to enough voters to win the election. 50
Wearden and Moore collaborated in their
efforts and made the “mashed potato” circuit,
speaking at civic club luncheons. When the two
appeared at the Kiwanis Club, the president of
the board spoke on the economic advantages
the college provided the community. He further
stated that the voters mandated that the trustees
establish a college separate from the public
school. In order to do this, Wearden remarked,
the board suggests “a 30 cent additional
tax…that will be required to build for them the
kind of junior college we think they want, a college
with the plant, the faculty, and the curriculum
to adequately serve the needs of our community
including vocational as well as academic
training.” So convinced was the president that
the proposals were proper ones, he commented
✯
Making a recording in the late 1940s
for “The Junior College On the Air”
program, which was broadcast each
Monday and Wednesday over station
KVIC, are (left to right) Etta Lou
Gentry, Betty Lou Glass, Darrell
Patrick, and Lillian Miori.
Adios, Patti Welder ✦ 57

✯
Who said “Cheese?”
that he could “see no logical basis for opposition
to this issue.” When Moore’s turn came to speak,
he gave a breakdown on how the funds were to
be spent. The business manager “stressed the
need for the right site, and for one large enough
to take care of future growth.” 51
As before in the first election, the Student
Council extended a helping hand by holding at
the college a round-up designed principally for
alumni, but the public was welcome to attend.
Johnny Goldsum, Student Council president,
and members of the organization received
donations from the business community to provide
free barbeque and proper trimmings for
the guests. V. T. Kallus, one of the finest cooks
who ever graced an apron, was in charge of
preparing the food. Gibb Gilchrist, president of
Texas A&M College, was the invited speaker.
Prior to making his presentation to those in
attendance on May 26, Gilchrist qualified his
remarks with a disclaimer of taking sides in the
bond issue. He did admit that his comments
tilted toward junior colleges in general. In his
presentation Gilchrist elaborated on the growth
of junior colleges in Texas; the need for twoyear
colleges, especially with the trend toward
specialization at the senior universities; and
financial assistance from the state to the junior
colleges. At one point during the speech, the
Texas A&M president turned toward Wearden
and remarked in a serious tone, “I believe that
the junior college movement is going to succeed.”
Gilchrist closed his talk with a statement
aimed directly at the college officials and
endorsed the junior college concept. He said,
“There can be no greater service to the community
and the state than such a move.” 52
So that the taxpayers would have some visual
relationship as to how their money was to be
spent, the board employed architect Kai J.
Leffland and structural engineer Jordan C. Ault
to come up with a proposed college campus.
The architectural firm, with input from Moore,
who had visited junior college campuses
throughout Texas, designed a smartly laid out
campus, the centerpiece being a two-story
58 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

administration building that was to house
offices and classrooms. Other buildings included
a 400-seat auditorium, a gymnasium, a cafeteria
that was also to function as a student
union, a domestic science cottage, a farm and
mechanical shop building, and a structure for
the caretaker. An athletic field and tennis courts
were also neatly arranged on the grounds. When
the suggested campus was made known,
Wearden proudly announced that all facilities
would be available for use by the public. With
the rural voters in mind, he chose to mention the
“FFA boys, 4-H boys and girls, home demonstration
women and other city and farm groups”
who could take advantage of the buildings. 53
Voter turnout was lighter than the trustees
and the media expected. Unlike the inclement
weather during the preceding year’s college election,
June 2 was a remarkably nice day. A total
of 1,228 votes were cast. The Advocate in disgust
noted that “At a regular primary election, almost
this number voted in the large Precinct 5 box
alone.” Nevertheless, the outcome was favorable
for the college supporters. The margin of victory,
however, was razor thin. The proposition to
increase the tax carried by only twenty-four
votes, 615 to 591. A somewhat better differential
was reserved for the proposal to issue bonds,
passing 621 to 574, a margin of forty-seven
votes. As in the previous college election, the
majority of rural precincts voted against the tax
increase, and most of the city voters supported
the proposition. Wearden was convinced that
the figures were misleading. He was positive the
college had greater support than the election
reflected. To reassure the supporters they had
voted properly and to allay concerns of those
who opposed the college, the president commented,
“It is our ambition to so administer the
funds we are entrusted with as to obtain maximum
value for every dollar expended and to
make the college serve the best interests of all
the people.” His statement set the course that
college officials have navigated over the years. 54
At its July 12, 1948, meeting, the board made
a monumental decision. The trustees unanimously
selected J. D. Moore as president of the Victoria
Junior College. He retained the position of business
manager. Their choice of Moore was wise
and prudent. The simple fact being they could
not have found a more qualified person to organize
a first-class educational institution in the community.
Moore’s academic and civic credentials
were impressive. He received a bachelor of arts
degree and a master of arts from North Texas
State College. His master’s thesis title was “The
Insuring of Public School Properties.” Moore’s
teaching career included a year’s stint as principal
at Salesville, a three-teacher school in Palo Pinto
County. His next stop was at Dublin, Texas,
where he was principal of the public high school.
He stayed in Dublin for a year before moving to
El Campo High School as principal and athletic
director. Moore spent six years in El Campo. He
left the school in 1941 for employment as principal
of Patti Welder High School and dean of
✯
Betsy Wright has just told
Philip Tibiletti some interesting
campus gossip.
Adios, Patti Welder ✦ 59

✯
The Best Looking Freshmen for 1949
were Dudley Jordan and Everette
Schmidt.
Victoria Junior College. Moore resigned that position
to become secretary-manager of the Victoria
Chamber of Commerce. He later entered business
with Ed Dysart, a former Victoria Junior College
dean. Moore served as president of the Victoria
Rotary Club, campaign chairman of the Victoria
County United War Chest of Texas, chairman of
the district Boy Scout Committee, and campaign
chairman for the Victoria County Red Cross.
Moore developed strong personal ties with the
members of the various organizations that were
invaluable during his presidency. 55
Standing over six feet tall and with an athletic
physique, Moore’s presence in a room was
60 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

immediately noticeable. He was stern, domineering,
sometimes curt and opinionated—yet fair.
Although he was a fiscal conservative, the new
president was not an ideologue, making at times
bold financial judgments. Always in tune with
local public opinion, he anticipated what policy
decisions were acceptable and valuable to the
community. His demand for a day’s work from
college employees matched his own
work ethic. Astute at recognizing his personal
limitations, seldom admitting that any existed,
he hand-picked knowledgeable associates.
Although he was a delegator, Moore invariably
had an understanding of what was transpiring
✯
Merry Cadden and Robert Blanar
appear to be dressed to go to the
nearest malt shop.
Adios, Patti Welder ✦ 61

✯
Hilary Matthews and Mary E.
Wagoner ponder life after Victoria
Junior College.
on the campus. He was a loving father and husband
and considered the college employees as an
extended family, with himself as the patriarch. At
a time when benefits were virtually non-existent,
he saw to it that yearly contracts were honored if
an employee died before the academic year
ended. Moore accepted squabbling among the
faculty so long as it was confined to the campus.
The president was tolerant provided the deviations
did not require compromising his principles.
Uppermost in his actions was the college
itself. The question he continually asked himself
and the faculty was, what can be done to make
the educational institution top-flight? 56
62 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

Also of utmost importance to the board was
the selection of a site for the college. Aloe Field
kept cropping up in the trustees’ conversations.
The closed airfield seemed at first to be the logical
location. However, at the suggestion of
Moore, the base was dropped from the list of
prospective locations. The junior college president-elect
pointed out that the college would be
stuck with old buildings that would retard or
prevent the development of a quality educational
institution demanded by the board and community.
It was the opinion of Moore that the taxpayers
would not support a bond issue to
replace “run down” buildings. Other drawbacks
to Aloe Field were that it was too far from town,
and the War Assets Administration reserved the
right to regain ownership of the property. 57
The board also considered, at the suggestion
of Fred Proctor, land owned by Tom O’Connor,
Sr., that faced Laurent Street and was between
Airline Road and Mesquite Lane, presently the
site of Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church
and the Town Plaza Shopping Center. Proctor
looked into the possible purchase and received
information that thirty acres were available.
However, the board did not follow up with an
offer. Instead, the trustees turned their attention
to an area that lay southeast of the
O’Connor land. 58
Vice president Winston Zirjacks brought to
the attention of the trustees that the Brownson
Home, a charitable organization, possessed
property located north of the old Edna Highway,
a half mile east of the city limits and north of the
Boulevard Addition, it would sell. Thereafter,
the board was consumed in buying the
Brownson Home land. On August 27, 1948, the
governing body adopted a motion to purchase
forty acres of the 160 acre Brownson Home tract
for $500.00 per acre. Moore reported to the
board on September 28 that the transaction with
the seller had been completed on September 25.
The arrangement provided for the purchase of
40.023 acres at a cost of $20,011.50. 59
After securing the site, the board next ventured
into the construction of an administration
building. The architectural firm of Leffland and
Ault was hired to draft a plan for the building
that contained approximately 24,000 square
feet “and will provide space for administrative
offices, library, science and mathematics departments,
business administration, art, social science
and language arts departments.” When the
drawings for the structure were completed, they
were placed out for bids. On November 9, E. J.
Gerdes of Victoria was awarded the contract to
construct the building. His bid of $208,980 was
the lowest of the seven that were submitted. The
work was to begin immediately. 60
Anticipating the construction and the eventual
annexation of the college property, the city
laid a six-inch water main to the campus. Since
the building program was on a fast tract, V. E.
Atkinson, city water superintendent, used “all of
the city water department crew” to lay the pipe.
Subsequently, August Grath, Victoria County
Commissioner, prepared the adjoining streets
for paving. 61
As soon as the board awarded the contract
for the construction of the administration building,
it commenced the process to construct the
student union/gymnasium, reviewing blueprints
drawn by Leffland and Ault. At a special board
meeting on February 10, 1949, Baass Brothers
Concrete Company received the right to build
the student union/gymnasium for $136,000.
The structure was to be completed before school
opened in September. 62
The board planned to construct two additional
buildings, an industrial arts shop and a
homemaking cottage. The industrial arts building
was to house “a drafting room, wood shop,
metal shop, lecture room and offices for the
director of the veterans vocational program
and the dean of the evening and adult school.”
Low bidder on the project was D. W. Marshall
who submitted a figure of $74,500. The last of
the original four buildings to go out for bids
was the homemaking cottage. The structure
was to consist of some 3,000 square feet of
floor space and was to “house clothing and
food labs, dining room, living room, two
porches, office space and storage facilities.”
Baass Brothers Concrete Company with a bid
of $54,000 became the general contractor to
construct the cottage and erect covered walkways
connecting the four buildings. The covering
shielded students and faculty from the torrential
rains that occasionally visited the area
and became closely identified with the educational
institution. As the years went by and the
campus grew, these protected walkways
Adios, Patti Welder ✦ 63

✯
The 1949-50 Victoria College Board
of Trustees were (left to right) Dr. C.
P. Montier, Raymond Hill, Joseph
Wearden, Arvle Elliott, and Winston
Zirjacks. Not pictured are Fred
Proctor, Jr., and A. D. Magruder.
became relics of a bygone era. They eventually
began to show the effects of time and were
viewed as aesthetically unappealing by the
administration. The covered walkways were
razed in the summer of 1998, to the vexation
of faculty members who had come to appreciate
their existence. 63
Because the site for new buildings was unimproved
coastal prairie, some type of landscaping
was a must to beautify the grounds.
Wearden took the lead in enlivening the campus
by donating six live oak trees from his
Jackson County ranch. Three of the trees were
placed near the location of the proposed student
union, another was planted in the proximity
of the cottage, and “one at each end of the
administration building.” Later, 29 one-inch
Virginia live oaks were planted. 64
Meanwhile, at Patti Welder, college and high
school industrial arts students under the supervision
of William H. “Doc” Steele, and vocational
students in the veterans program, which
was directed by P. J. McEnroe, Jr., constructed
classroom equipment for the college campus.
Physics and chemistry tables, shelving, and
miscellaneous furniture were produced by the
students at a substantial saving of money for the
college district. Steele was contracted by the
board “to paint, repair, and redecorate school
equipment during the summer months.” The
furnishings to be repaired and painted included
“facilities received from the War Assets
Administration and desks, tables, shelves, etc.
to be bought for the opening of the college in
September.” The new or refinished furniture
was stored in the administration building before
being moved to the offices and classrooms. 65
During the board meeting on January 10,
1949, the trustees selected The Victoria
College as the new name for the junior college.
The name change gave the institution a separate
identity and recognized that it represented
the entire county rather than the limited area
of the Victoria Independent School District.
The word “junior” was dropped from the name
because of objections from some of the board
members who thought “junior” was often
defined to mean “little, small, or of inferior status,”
and, thus, projected the wrong image for
the college. Why the trustees placed “The”
64 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

efore Victoria remains unclear. A story that
circulated among the faculty for years was that
“The” distinguished the two-year college from
a beauty school referred to as Victoria College.
Administrators at the junior college gave no
credence to the rumor. 66
With the building program underway,
Moore turned his attention periodically to the
employment of a faculty. From the outset, the
president was determined to bring to the campus
the best qualified individuals he could
find, a trademark of the college since its inception
in 1925. He did not look far. Moore
dipped into the talented pool of teachers at
Patti Welder who possessed a wide-spread reputation
for their professionalism, were heralded
by former and current students as outstanding
educators, and were teaching college
courses. Jewell Hudler was tapped as dean of
women and social sciences teacher. The suave,
friendly Ed C. Shinn was appointed dean of
men, head track coach, and assistant football
coach. Leona Jones was employed as student
personnel director and business administration
instructor. B. F. Harbour, dean of Victoria
Junior College and an esteemed school administrator,
became dean of adult education and
the evening school. The Industrial Arts
Department was entrusted to William H. “Doc”
Steele, a man who had more bark than bite.
Employed to teach biology was Lucille Adair.
The Art Department was placed in the hands of
the gentle, soft-spoken Ethel Thurmond, a
member of a pioneer Victoria family and who
held the distinction of being listed in Who’s
Who in American Art. She was commissioned by
Moore to do a large size painting to hang in the
foyer of the Administration Building. Una T.
Hunter who had taught language arts classes
for several years at the junior college was hired
to continue her teaching at the new location.
Mathematics and physics courses were to be
taught by the overly possessive Roland Beard,
an outstanding lay archeologist who assisted in
the restoration of the Presidio La Bahia in
Goliad County. The energetic Esther Etzel
accepted the position of recreation director
and instructor of physical education. Hester W.
“Stump” Evans who was coaching football and
basketball at Victoria Junior College continued
in that capacity at the Victoria College. The
personable Lois Parker was selected as the
librarian to oversee the 5,000 volume collection.
Rounding out the initial faculty, were J. D.
Howell, Mrs. Roy G. Browne, Roy Browne, V. T.
Kallus, Jewell Sockwell, Broyles Hall, W. A.
Routt, Allen Self, Harold Gardner, and Mary
Ann Williams. 67
What Moore needed to complete his grand
design for a pace-setting junior college was a
dynamic individual who possessed impeccable
educational and personal credentials, who
understood how to develop a curriculum that
would meet the demands of transferability, who
could, through his leadership, quickly gain the
confidence of the faculty, and who could be
relied upon to manage the academic demands
of the college. He found such a person in Dr.
John W. Stormont who was then dean of
Schreiner Institute.
Stormont, the son of a Presbyterian minister,
was reared in Robstown. He received a
bachelor of arts degree from Austin College, an
M.A. and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas.
His educational career included a stint as principal
and coach at Edna High School, high
school principal and superintendent in
Yorktown, principal of Robstown High School,
and assistant professor of history at the Texas
College of Mines, now known as University of
Texas at El Paso. Stormont was head of the
Social Studies Department at Schreiner prior to
his entry into the Army Air Corps in 1943.
After his discharge from the service in 1946, he
returned to Schreiner as dean. While Stormont
was employed in the Edna school system, he
met a local girl, Mary Claire Fenner, who
became his bride. 68
Instrumental in acquiring the services of
Stormont was Joseph Wearden, president of the
board at Victoria College. Wearden and
Stormont were acquaintances and held mutual
respect for each other. He drew upon his personal
influence with the dean to persuade
Stormont to accept a position at the college.
After Stormont agreed to become the dean of the
day school, Moore remarked, “The college
administration is highly pleased to have a man
of his caliber and experience.” The presidentelect
further stated, “He will be a definite asset
to the school.” Stormont, without a doubt, was
an asset to the college. 69 Adios, Patti Welder ✦ 65

ENDNOTES
1
Victoria Independent School District Board Minutes, 14 August 1946.
2
Registrar’s Records, The Victoria College; The Victoria Advocate, 11 August 1946, 9 September 1946, 12 September 1946; The Victorian,
27 November 1946.
3
VISD Minutes, 24 August 1946; Advocate, 4 November 1946, 26 November 1946.
4
The Victorian, 17 October 1947; Advocate, 27 November 1946.
5
The Victorian, 30 January 1947; Advocate, 20 January 1947, 23 January 1947; VISD Minutes, 5 February 1947.
6
Advocate, 19 February 1947; The Victorian, 5 February 1947, 19 February 1947, 14 April 1947.
7
Advocate, 6 March 1947; VISD Minutes, 16 April 1947.
8
Advocate, 18 July 1946, 23 July 1946.
9
The Handbook of Victoria County (Austin: The Texas State Historical Association, 1990), 1; Ibid., 26 March 1947; VISD Minutes,
7 April 1947; The Victorian, 30 April 1947.
10
The Victorian, 16 April 1947.
11
Ibid., 30 April 1947.
12
Ibid.
13
VISD Minutes, 24 June 1947; Advocate, 1 July 1947.
14
Advocate, 26 August 1947.
15
VISD Minutes, 3 September 1947; Ibid., 4 September 1947.
16
Advocate, 4 September 1947.
17
Ibid., 5 September 1947.
18
Ibid., 7-8 September 1947.
19
Ibid., 8 September 1947.
20
Ibid., 5 September 1947.
21
Ibid., 29 August 1947, 7 September 1947; Registrar’s Records, Victoria College.
22
Advocate, 4 September 1947, 4 March 1948; The Pirate, 1948.
23
Jerry Lenz, interview with author, 29 May 1998.
24
Ibid.
25
Ibid.
26
Ibid.
27
VISD Minutes, 16 July 1947.
28
Advocate, 3 August 1947.
29
Ibid., 4 September 1947.
30
Ibid., 26 October 1947.
31
Ibid., 15 August 1947, 26 October 1947, 6 November 1947.
32
VISD Minutes, 5 November 1947; Ibid., 6 November 1947, 10-11 November 1947.
33
Advocate, 16 November 1947.
34
Ibid., 18 November 1947.
35
Ibid., 24 November 1947, 26 November 1947; Lenz, interview.
36
Advocate, 21 November 1947.
37
Advocate, 26 November 1947; VISD Minutes, 16 July 1947.
38
Ted Shields, letter to author, 21 January 1996.
39
Advocate, 1 December 1947.
40
Ibid., 4 December 1947; Victoria County Clerk’s Election Return Records.
41
Advocate, 23 November 1947, 4 December 1947; Victoria County Clerk’s Election Return Records.
42
VISD Minutes, 16 December 1947; Advocate, 17 December 1947.
43
Advocate, 13 January 1948, 10 August 1948.
44
The Victoria College Board Minutes, 11 February 1948; Billie Rogers Slotnick, interview with author, 28 January 1997.
45
Advocate, 13 January 1948, 30 January 1949; VC Minutes, 11 February 1948.
46
Advocate, 5 March 1948, 1 April 1948.
66 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

47
Ibid., 7 April 1948.
48
Ibid., 31 March 1948, 1 April 1948.
49
Ibid., 13-15 May 1948, 22 April 1948.
50
VC Minutes, 10 May 1948; Ibid., 11 May 1948.
51
Advocate, 17 May 1948, 27 May 1948.
52
Ibid., 25-27 May 1948.
53
Ibid., 30 May 1948.
54
Ibid., 3-4 June 1948, 6 June 1948.
55
Ibid., 13 July 1948.
56
Ibid.
57
J. D. Moore, interview with author, 12 June 1998.
58
Ibid.
59
VC Minutes, 27 August 1948, 28 September 1948; Advocate, 26 September 1948.
60
Advocate, 26 September 1948, 10 November 1948.
61
Ibid., 17 October 1948, 11 January 1949.
62
Ibid., 11 February 1949.
63
Ibid., 24 March 1949, 8 April 1949, 28 April 1949, 13 May 1949.
64
Ibid., 11 January 1949, 30 January 1949, 15 March 1949.
65
Ibid., 15 February 1949; William H. Steele, telephone interview with author, 16 June 1998.
66
Advocate, 11 January 1949, 23 October 1949.
67
Ibid., 30 January 1949, 21 August 1949.
68
Ibid., 8 May 1949.
69
Ibid.
Endnotes ✦ 67

68 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

CHAPTER 4
THE DYNAMIC DUO
Victoria College presidents come and Victoria College presidents go. Victoria College deans come
and Victoria College deans go. That is the way it has been, and that is the way it will be. Yet, one
Victoria College president, J. D. Moore, and one Victoria College dean, John W. Stormont, shall forever
occupy a preeminent place on the college’s historical landscape. It was these two paragons of
virtue who laid the foundation for the college to become an esteemed institution of higher education
and who left lofty administrative standards for their successors to emulate.
When the college was initially organized, it had two deans. But, in July 1949, B. F. Harbour
resigned as dean of adult education and evening school. At the suggestion of Moore, the board eliminated
Harbour’s position and combined it with Stormont’s, thereby producing a singular dean, a
framework that served the college well for some forty years. 1
During the spring of 1949, a survey was conducted which indicated that 26 African Americans
were interested in taking academic courses. Because racial segregation was mandated by state law,
Moore and Stormont held meetings in the F. W. Gross School auditorium and discussed with prospective
black students a branch campus to accommodate their educational needs. The findings convinced
college officials that sufficient enthusiasm, primarily from veterans, existed to offer classes at
Gross. At the end of registration, nineteen black students were enrolled. 2
As Stormont went about the job of establishing class schedules, he designated a period that was
to be set aside each week for club activities. The dean thought clubs were a good vehicle to build
school spirit. Such groups also compensated for the board’s decision to forbid “fraternities, sororities,
and all types of secret organizations” because they were “contrary to democratic principles of education.”
After the college moved to its new location, with support from the administration, the formation
of student associations expanded. Included among the clubs established were the Aggie Club,
the Art Club, College Forum, Baptist Student Union, and Newman Club. Although interested in
politics himself, Stormont was not receptive to the idea of creating political clubs and, therefore,
discouraged their establishment. He thought partisan groups might lead to divisiveness within the
student body. 3
To cultivate a semblance of harmony with the local business community, Moore forbade the student
organizations from soliciting funds that could be construed as a competing activity. The edict included
selling ads for the newspaper or annual, conducting a bake sale, or wrapping holiday packages. Moore
insisted that adequate operating funds for clubs would be provided in the college budget.
College officials expanded their enrollment horizons by establishing additional bus routes to the
surrounding communities. Accommodations were made with Victoria County School Superintendent
R. C. Pickett to transport students living within the county on buses operated under his authority. A
contract was awarded to the Port Lavaca Transportation Company, owned by William Fly, James
Loyd, and Billy Murphy, which gave the company exclusive right to operate buses over three designated
routes. One bus departed each morning from Yoakum, picking up students from Cuero and
Hallettsville. A second bus ran from Edna with stops at Vanderbilt and Inez. The third bus left from
Port Lavaca and picked up students at Placedo and Bloomington. The terminus of the bus routes was
the east side of the Administration Building. Stormont arranged the schedule of classes in such a
manner that the students riding buses began classes at 9:15 a.m. and ended them by 3:25 p.m., permitting
the students to be at home by 5:00 p.m. Whereas Victoria County students rode free, the
charge from Edna, Port Lavaca, and Cuero was four dollars a month. Yoakum students were assessed
five dollars per month. 4
Work, work, hustle, hustle could have been words spoken by William H. “Doc” Steele to the county
prisoners he supervised prior to the beginning of classes on September 15, 1949. Furniture had
to be placed in rooms, terrazzo waxed, restrooms cleaned and supplied, and glass windows shined.
✯
J. D. Moore, first president of the
Victoria College.
The Dynamic Duo ✦ 69

✯
Dr. John W. Stormont served as dean
of the Victoria College from 1949
to 1964.
Moore would not tolerate any excuses. He
expected an orderly opening of the college. 5
A major component of the campus was the
library. The first library director was Lois Parker
who served as librarian at Patti Welder. She
applied for the position at the college because
“the possibility of building a new collection and
a library service organized more specifically for
the needs of college students seemed an exciting
challenge.” After being elected to the Victoria
College faculty, Parker and the high school
teachers divided the existing library materials
between the two educational institutions. “It
was agreed,” she remarked, “that the new college
district could select such books and other
library materials as had been purchased primarily
for college courses.” Most of the periodicals
at Patti Welder were considered best suited for
high school students; the college, therefore,
chose to claim “relatively few files of bound
periodicals,” such as Foreign Affairs. The decision
was also made “not to purchase reference
sets, preferring to purchase the most recent editions
from other sources,” assuring “an up-todate
reference collection in the beginning.” After
the weeding process was finished and new
books were bought, the college library began
with fewer than 1,000 volumes. 6
Parker insisted that the major constraints in
readying the library for opening day were time
and personnel. “The library staff,” she recalled,
“consisted of one professional librarian and student
assistants, and the weeks were flying by.
The shelves were by no means filled that first
September.” Compared to the surroundings
from whence Parker came, the new college
library was undeniably an improvement. It was
located on the west end of the first floor of the
Administration Building, making it conveniently
located for students. The library room was
furnished with “tables, comfortable chairs to
match, special magazine shelving, newspaper
racks, a browsing table and occasional arm
chairs…And it was designed for college students!!!
The seating capacity was about 54…An
adjoining alcove afforded space for a quiet conference,
a work area with running water—luxuries
not previously available!” 7
A bookmark distributed by the library for several
years embodied the library’s ideals. It stated:
While you are a student in The
Victoria College, we hope that
you find in this library:
…a collection of resources
which will supplement the content
of your course of study.
…an environment in which
you can study effectively.
…a stimulating encounter
with the ideas set forth in books.
Not all of the buildings were ready for use
when the college formally opened. Days and
70 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

weeks would pass before the Industrial Arts
Building, the Home Economics Cottage, the
Student Union, and the Gymnasium were available
for student use. The parking lot and driving
area were graveled until asphalt was laid.
The Student Union posed a particular problem
for the college personnel. The building’s equipment
had arrived before the exterior doors were
hung. There was uneasiness among the college
officials over vandalism should the edifice be
left unattended. Moore was the least perturbed
over the issue. He handled the matter himself by
becoming the night watchman and “spent the
entire night in the Student Union.” 8
Day enrollment figures surpassed Stormont’s
prediction of 250. When registration ended,
there were 287 enrolled in the day classes, seventy-seven
in evening school, and nineteen at
the Gross branch. The number of students
attending day classes represented an increase of
seventy-six from the preceding fall semester.
Enrollment in the night classes doubled. In
1948, there were thirty-eight students whereas
in 1949 the figure was seventy-seven. To say the
least, the numbers caused the college officials to
break into smiles. 9
Classes commenced promptly at 9:00 a.m.
on September 15, 1949. Stormont was a stickler
for classes beginning and ending when scheduled.
The first day, however, was abbreviated. A
college assembly was held at 11:00 a.m. in the
library, and afterwards the students were dismissed.
As what would become custom for
assemblies and faculty meetings, Stormont welcomed
the students and faculty before relinquishing
the floor to Moore. The dean began the
assembly with Psalm 127:1 which deeply
touched Lois Parker. Stormont’s remarks proved
her impression of the dean was correct: “Here is
a man of faith whose hope for this institution is
that it be developed upon sound principles and
with absolute integrity.” 10
The program itself was not lengthy. The
Reverend Charles Hill, pastor of the Trinity
Episcopal Church, gave the invocation. Moore
made a few statements inviting each student “to
✯
Lois Parker, librarian, checks out a
book to Edith Harrell. The library was
located on the first floor of the
Administration Building.
The Dynamic Duo ✦ 71

✯
The Home Economics Cottage
had the most complete and
modern furnishings.
feel just as much a part of the college program
as the teachers, Mr. Stormont, and myself.” The
dean made the perfunctory announcements, J.
D. Howell gave his typical energetic pep talk,
the head football coach, Hester “Stump” Evans,
introduced his assistants, and a rally was conducted
by the preceding year’s cheerleaders
(Lillian Miori, Betty Lou Glass, Mary Gladys
Bauer, Billy Mullen, and Rudy Duran). 11
Excitement abounded among the students
and the community sports fans with the return
of scholarship football in the fall of 1949. In
what was a rare public demonstration of boosterism
for Evans, the coach at a noon meeting of
the Kiwanis Club stated, “We’ve got a good college
out there, and we’ve got a good football
team to go along with it.” His comment was
undoubtedly accurate. The team won seven
games and lost two. The squad was a title contender
until the closing moments of the final
game against Wharton Junior College, losing the
contest 26 to 20. 12
Since there was no campus housing available
for the athletes, a surplus barracks building near
Will Rogers Terrace, an area west of Laurent
Street between Red River Street and Airline Drive,
was rented from Henry Matchett. Although not a
resident in the structure, Kemper Williams, Jr., a
former St. Joseph High School football player
who received an athletic scholarship at Victoria
College, recalled that “it was an animal house.”
The players who lived there, needless to say,
enjoyed their stay. 13
Playing football for the college was a
delightful experience for Williams. His inaugural
year was 1948-1949. He was 17 years
old and weighed 165 pounds. Williams “got to
play in most games that first year primarily
because…[the team] had many veterans of
World War II who would lose their tempers
and get thrown out of games.” He was introduced
to plastic helmets, an advance over the
leather headgear that Williams was accustomed
to at St. Joe. In the 1940s, helmets were
72 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

not fitted with face guards and there were no
teeth protectors. Williams and his team mates
“had scabs on the bridge” of their noses
“because the helmet would crash down…nearly
every time” a player was involved in a collision
with another player. 14
Extracurricular activities, such as football,
club news, and other items of interest to the
student body were printed in the new school
newspaper, The Jolly Roger. The name for the
newspaper was selected by the Student Council
from a list of more than twenty-seven names
suggested by the students. Submitting the winning
entry was Billy Mullen who thought that
since the college was using the nickname
“Pirates,” the Jolly Roger was appropriate.
Mullen received as a prize a year’s subscription
to be sent to an individual of his choice. He
designated Mike Marlin, a friend, as the benefactor
of the award. The editor of the inaugural
publication was Joe Heiling and Jimmy Morris
was the managing editor. By the spring semester,
Pat Terry was installed as the editor. 15
Campus improvements continued into the
fall. Central Power and Light erected a flagpole
that was donated by Charles Jacobson, superintendent
of Barnsdall Oil Company. Eleven date
palms, each eight feet tall, were placed in the
esplanade that was in front of the Administration
Building. An area between the esplanade and the
building was hard-surfaced for parking. The
main paved parking lot for the campus was
located between the Administration Building
and the Student Union. 16
In March 1950, the board decided to construct
a two-story boys’ dormitory. Moore gave as
reasons for the building a shortage of living quarters
for men, and the need for on-campus housing
for athletes. The president remarked, “There
is a demand for facilities. And none are available.”
The rate for room and board at the new dormitory
was initially set at sixty dollars a month. 17
The highlight of the spring semester was the
official inauguration of Moore as president on
April 14. The event had been planned earlier in
the year but was postponed, partly because the
campus buildings and landscaping had not been
completed. Stormont was placed in charge of
putting together this historic affair. Invitations
were sent to administrative officials at all the
colleges and universities in Texas, United States
Representative Clark W. Thompson, selected
individuals at the private and public schools in
the area, and parents of the college students. To
maximize attendance at the inauguration, the
public was invited through press releases. 18
Afternoon classes on Friday, April 14, were
dismissed. An open house was held on the campus
preceding the 5:30 p.m. inaugural dinner at
the Denver Hotel. Instructors and students
served as guides as the crowd meandered among
buildings all of which were decorated with
exhibits that emphasized student activities. 19
✯
Above: Dan Kubola (left), standing
alongside Robert Weisiger, waits for
the outcome of the coin flip at the
beginning of a game in 1949.
Below: Pirate cheerleaders for 1949-50
were (left to right) Betty Lou Glass,
Lillian Miori, Barbara Banks, and Billy
Mullen.
The Dynamic Duo ✦ 73

✯
Top: The first Victoria College
Basketball Team, 1949-50. Kneeling
(left to right): Dalphard Coleman,
Buddy Brock, Billy Evans, Bobby Van
Zant, and Glenn Warren. Standing
(left to right): Gene Hutchins, James
Friedel, Robert Capps, Ken Jarratt,
Richard Kinsel, and Dan Moody.
Below: Bus service was provided to
students from Port Lavaca and
other communities.
At the evening banquet, Winston Zirjacks,
vice president of the board, welcomed the
guests and the Reverend Avery Rogers, pastor of
the First Baptist Church, gave the invocation.
The featured speaker at the evening banquet
was Dr. E. L. Harwin, president of Del Mar
College. He was introduced by toastmaster
Joseph Wearden, president of the Victoria
College Board of Trustees. In his presentation,
Harwin discussed what he considered to be the
qualities of a good college president. The Del
Mar president remarked that among the various
attributes was being a good businessman, and if
Moore was not one, “he won’t succeed with
Victoria College.” Harwin also stated, “Your
leader must lead the community in its thinking,
but very gradually, because all communities
move gradually. In educational philosophy, they
move slowly.” The educator from Corpus Christi
cited several other qualities and closed with the
observation, “I think J. D. Moore meets all these
requirements.” True, indeed. 20
The banquet ended at 7:00 p.m., allowing the
guests time to travel to the college gym for the
7:30 p.m. inaugural program. A crowd estimated
at 500 attended the ceremony. The proceedings
for the evening were reminiscent of an old-time
camp meeting without the “jerks” or the verbal
outbursts. T. A. Roach, superintendent of the
Victoria Independent School District, was master
of ceremonies. Stormont was scheduled to provide
the welcoming comments, but he became ill
on Friday afternoon, leaving the task to Arvle
Elliott, a member of the board. The inaugural
address was made by Dr. Clyde C. Colvert, professor
and consultant in junior college education
at the University of Texas. His presentation,
broadcast by KNAL and a rebroadcast two days
later, was entitled “The Community College—An
Investment by the People.” In his speech, he
74 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

praised communities for creating junior colleges,
maintaining that they were “an investment of
the people which will bring great returns
for each dollar spent.” Colvert proceeded to
explain how the investment in a junior college
brought about financial rewards. He stated that
a two-year education at Victoria College cost
the student $700, but “during the next 30 or
40 or 50 years of a young person’s life, he will
earn many more thousands of dollars…That
means that he spends more money in the community,
buys more clothes, lives in a better
house, buys a better car, subscribes to more
magazines, and better telephones are used. All
of this money is money right back into the
community…It literally lifts a community by its
own bootstraps.” 21
After those Horatio Alger remarks and a version
of The Lord is my Shepherd by The Victoria
College Choir, directed by Broyles Hall,
Wearden inducted Moore into office, declaring
“We dedicate the institution to the fatherhood of
God and the brotherhood of man.” In accepting
the presidency Moore commented that he was
“fully aware of the responsibilities” expected of
a president, and “he would do his best to live up
to them.” His inaugural remarks included praise
for the absent Stormont. Moore stated that the
dean “has been a key man throughout. He has
done a wonderful job. He is perhaps the best
junior college dean in the State of Texas.” Most
of his talk, however, dealt with the college’s
present status and his projection for the fall
enrollment which was in part based on the 1949
graduates of the local public and private schools
who were attending the two-year institution.
The program concluded with the college choir’s
rendition of The Lord Bless You and Keep You. 22
Immediately following the inauguration, a
reception was held in the Home Economics
Cottage for Moore and his wife Edith. The
evening’s activities concluded with a formal
dance in the Gymnasium. Music was provided
by Ray Spoor and his orchestra from Houston.
Frolicking amid the dancers were students representing
the high schools in Victoria and surrounding
counties. Everyone had a grand time. 23
The academic year ended with commencement
exercises in St. Mary’s Hall on May 29,
1950. Texas Attorney General Price Daniel, the
commencement speaker, pointed out in his
remarks some of the challenges the forty-nine
graduates faced, and he expressed the hope that
some of the them would “become leaders in politics
and government.” After the address, Joseph
Wearden handed out the diplomas, the first one
going to valedictorian, Walter Wayne Hodges.
Following Hodges were Clifford Pickett and
Harold Hampton, corecipients of the salutatorian
honors. The other honor graduates were
Grace Rigamonti and Mrs. Margaret Alkek. 24
Band scholarships were extended to students
at the July board meeting. Moore told the governing
body that “all the colleges that I know of
are granting the scholarships.” Wilbur Collins,
the recently appointed band director, was given
the responsibility of selecting uniforms for
✯
The plaque is located on the front of
the Academic Building.
The Dynamic Duo ✦ 75

✯
The rooms in the Boys’ Dormitory
were cozy.
band members. He hit upon the idea of “having
something unique that nobody else has.” The
uniforms were designed as pirates’ clothing,
consisting of “turbans with dangling glass rings
that the metal shop cut out,” sashes, shirts with
“sorta baggy sleeves and tight at the wrist and
open throat.” The 1951 edition of the Pirate, the
college yearbook, noted that the costumes were
“slick uniforms.” Whatever views the annual
staff and Collins may have had, they did not
coincide with Stormont’s. The dean had not
been enthusiastic to the band director’s proposal
to purchase the uniforms but, nevertheless,
gave his approval. When the band made its first
appearance during a football game between the
college and Allen Academy, someone in the
stands exclaimed, “Who are they? They look
like Aunt Jemimas.” “That did it,” Collins
remarked. “Dr. Stormont decided we would
have military uniforms.” 25
The band director also came up with the idea
of having a pirate ship for the band members. He
remarked that “since we were so small, instead of
marching on the field, we would come out on
this ship.” “However, the coaches,” Collins said,
“were reluctant to let any vehicle on the field.”
They were concerned that the contraption would
tear up the playing field. Collins dropped his
notion and “settled for the uniforms.” 26
Because the college administration did not
wish to rely solely upon media advertisements
as a recruiting tool, Collins was hired during the
summer months “to get the word out.” He
recalled that on such an outing Sweet Home was
on his itinerary. Collins “drove out in the field
and there was a prospect whose grandfather was
working in the field, and he was sorta in charge
of whether she went to college or not.” When
the young lady was approached about entering
Victoria College, the grandfather said, “Oh, that
girl doesn’t need to go to college. Why she will
end up getting married, and it will just be a
waste.” Collins typically encountered such an
attitude on his sojourns in the rural areas. 27
Traditionally, colleges and universities in
Texas have homecoming activities during the
football season. Victoria College was no exception.
On November 9, 1950, the college held its
first homecoming, a daylong affair that included
an evening tilt with Laredo Junior College. As
usual, a pep rally was conducted at the college
assembly. Frank H. Crain, Jr., a former Victoria
Junior College student who went on to become a
state district judge, gave an exhilarating speech
76 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

to the student body prior to the “yell practice.”
At halftime of the game, as the college band
formed in the shape of a heart to play Let Me Call
You Sweetheart; Barbara Banks was escorted by
co-captains Walter Meier and Richard Kinsel to
the center of the heart. Banks was greeted by
Moore, Grace Vogt, Student Council president,
and Bruce Miller, freshman class president. The
president crowned her as Queen of Victoria
College. Banks was given mums and a bracelet,
the latter a gift from the student body. 28
In December, the board accepted the
$83,555 Boys’ Dormitory. Originally scheduled
for occupancy on August 27, the late delivery of
millwork for the interior delayed completion
until October 10. There was “no monetary loss
due to the late completion,” Moore told the
board, “since dormitory residents were able to
move in on time.” 29
Fighting broke out on the Korean Peninsula
on June 25, 1950, when North Korean forces
invaded South Korea. Five days later, United
States ground troops entered the conflict. The
American military found itself woefully unprepared
to meet the new challenge. A shortage of
personnel was a particular problem for the
armed services. To remedy the deficiency,
the U.S. government in July 1950 rejuvenated
the draft. College students and the high school
students enrolled in college who were eligible
for the draft could receive a deferment by passing
a Selective Service College Qualification
Test. Local students wishing to take the tests did
not have to travel very far. The Victoria College
became a draft qualification test center, and J. D.
Howell, assistant registrar, was designated as
test supervisor. A qualifying score on the tests,
described by some students who took the exams
as being similar to freshman psychological tests,
was 70 or above. 30
By January 1951, the Korean War began to
take its toll on enrollment. Victoria College, like
state institutions of higher education, offered
credit to students who were passing their courses
at the Christmas break (the fall semester did
not end until the middle of January), withdrew
from school, and enlisted into the military.
Thirty-four Victoria College students took
advantage of the opportunity. All of the enlistments
were in services other than the army and
navy. After the local collegians withdrew, an editorial
in the Jolly Roger quipped that if students
continue to drop out of school at the current
rate, “VC will probably be known as Victoria
College for Women.” During the spring semester,
the earliest a student could withdraw from
college and receive credit for course work was
March 31. 31
Individual and team performances by
students in extracurricular activities during
✯
The gym was the scene for formal
Christmas dances in the 1950s.
The Dynamic Duo ✦ 77

✯
Estelle Evans waits for the next order.
the 1951 spring semester were fruitful.
“Stump” Evans’ Pirate basketball team was
the South Texas Conference co-champs. At the
South Texas speech contest, Victoria College
won three first place awards. The Reverend
Don Youngblood was tops in the men’s extemporaneous
speaking, Martha Truman captured
the women’s extemporaneous speaking event,
and Ann Mikulenka was the winner of the
women’s radio speaking contest. Other individual
honors went to Pat Sunkel who placed second
in poetry interpretation, and Glenn
Warren took third prize in the men’s radio
speaking. Carroll Pickett won the conference
tennis singles championship, while Glenn
Warren and George Pickering walked away
with the doubles championship. Eddie Shinn’s
track team did exceptionally well and established
the foundation for the Victoria College
track and field program that was draped with
laurels in the 1950s and 1960s. 32
Pirate speedsters set a junior college record in
the sprint medley at the Texas Relays and established
five new records on their way to winning
the South Texas Conference at Laredo. The team
won the junior college division in the Border
Olympics, the Ft. Worth meet, and the Del Mar
Invitational. Although the three-man contingent
came in fifth at the National Junior College
Track and Field Meet at Hutchinson, Kansas,
Bill Walters was the event’s high point man. His
achievement was boosted by winning first place
in the broad jump. 33
Enrollment figures were down for both the
1951 fall and 1952 spring semesters. The registrar’s
office reported 285 students attending
classes in the fall, and Stormont reported a figure
of 228 for the spring semester. In an assessment
of the reason for the drop in enrollment,
the dean commented that “if it hadn’t been for
the international situation, our enrollment
might not have dropped at all. The international
situation has caused an 8 percent drop in junior
college enrollment all over the country.” 34
In December 1951, Moore, by plane, and
Stormont, by train, traveled to St. Petersburg,
Florida, and attended the Southern Association
of Colleges and Secondary Schools convention to
learn if the sought-after admission into the
accreditation organization was granted. The two
administrators were not disappointed. The college
was accepted as a member. After the Victoria
College applied for membership, the association
sent a committee to visit the campus in April
1951 to determine if the college was suitable for
membership. The delegation, chaired by J. M.
Godard, executive secretary of the association,
was specifically interested in how transfer
students did at the senior colleges and universities.
The committee found that Victoria College
78 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

sufficiently prepared its transfer students.
According to the visiting team’s final report, 60
percent rated good or excellent, 33 percent fair
or average, and only seven percent poor.
Stormont credited the findings as “the main
thing that got us into the association.” On the
downside, the committee made three major recommendations—“more
student government, a
better student health program and a slightly
higher standard of grading.” Victoria College
became the twelfth junior college in Texas to
become a member of the association. 35
The third annual Western Week, sponsored
by the Aggie Club, was held on February 18-21,
1952. Students and faculty were encouraged to
wear three items of western clothing. If an
infraction occurred, and the offender was a good
sport, the individual was placed in jail and
“forfeited a possession—such as a knife—and
to redeem it he must do something at the
dance…such as singing or putting on a skit.”
College officials generally frowned upon lengthy
student facial hair except during Western Week
when a beard growing contest was conducted as
one of the student activities. Among the other
events were donkey rides, horseshoe pitching, a
dangerous barrel ride, greased pig competition,
a girls’ cow milking event (only test tubes could
be used to hold the milk), and goat roping.
Sometimes, the Aggie Club conducted a trail
ride as a kickoff for the activities. The week’s festivities
ended with a barbecue and a dance featuring
western music. 36
By the 1970s, Western Week degenerated to
a one-day event. Students in the 1960s became
too rowdy for the taste of certain administrators
and faculty members. On one occasion, an outhouse
was placed on a covered walkway, and at
other times, students fortified themselves with
forbidden beverages. But, for the most part, the
event was enjoyed by the college community.
Student participants in intercollegiate functions
shined again in the spring of 1952. At the
South Texas Conference Speech Meet at Del
Mar in Corpus Christi, Dorothy Franz placed
first in the girls’ division of radio speech and
Eddie Harvey matched her feat in the boys’
division. When the conference held its tennis
tournament in Laredo, Carroll Pickett won the
men’s single crown. In the men’s doubles competition,
Glenn Warren and George Pickering
placed first. The men were not the only winners
✯
Barrel riding was a regular activity
during Western Week.
The Dynamic Duo ✦ 79

✯
The 1952 National Junior College
Track and Field Champions. First row
(left to right): Glenn Hoffman, George
E. Auld, Jerry House, Bobby Eklund,
Joe Netarlus, Ben Wayne Boehnke,
Duane Mullenix, and Norval Black.
Second row (left to right): Leslie
Belken, Kenneth Farrow, Ynacensio
Cantu, Billy Taylor, Victor Rodriguez,
Henry Bullock, Ronald Koss, and
Charles Carpenter. Third row (left to
right): Charles Schultz, Glen
Patterson, Mike Trcka, Richard
Thurman, Myron Fougeron, and
Bill Yeager.
at the tournament. Grace Gisler was crowned
the conference women’s tennis champion.
Glenn Hoffman, Dennis Williams, Pat Bell, and
Bill Holzapfel entered the junior college livestock
judging contest at the San Angelo Fat
Stock Show and, to the pleasure of agriculture
instructor V. T. Kallus, came in second. The
Pirate roundballers enjoyed a good season by
winning the conference basketball title when
the team defeated Wharton Junior College in a
play-off game. “Stump” Evans’ boys beat their
opponent 65 to 55 on a neutral court at
Vanderbilt and earned the right to compete in
the National Junior College Athletic Association
regional tournament at Tyler. The local basketball
club lost in the first round to eventual
regional champion Lon Morris Junior College. 37
Unquestionably, the best of the best among
Victoria College’s intercollegiate athletes was
Eddie Shinn’s outstanding track and field squad.
During the regular track season, the extraordinary
thin clads finished ahead of their competitors
at the Border Olympics, the Southwestern
Recreational Meet, and the conference meet.
The team’s greatest accomplishment came at the
1952 spring National Junior College Track and
Field Meet at Hutchinson, Kansas, when it ran
away with the national championship. When
the results of the events were finalized,
Ynacensio Cantu was high point man for the
tournament. He won individual honors by
breaking the tape in the mile and two mile runs.
Personal accomplishments were also achieved
by Glenn Hoffman, pole vault; Kenneth Farrow,
low hurdles; Ben Boehnke, 100 yard dash;
Ronald Koss, 440 yard dash; Jerry House, broad
jump; and Victor Rodriguez, 880 yard run.
Members of the group captured top honors in
the mile relay and 440 yard relay. 38
Beginning with the 1952 fall semester, the
college discarded the practice of contracting
with private firms to operate buses. Instead, the
two-year institution purchased three new vehicles
and employed drivers. The move was
prompted for financial considerations. The lowest
bid submitted by a private transportation
company was 35.2 cents a mile. Moore, ever
the frugal individual, informed the board he
80 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

estimated that the college could operate the
vehicles “for a maximum of 20 cents a mile and
possibly as little as 15.” The actual operating
cost after the first year was 13.8 cents a mile. 39
James Simons, who attended the college during
the middle of the 1950s, rode the bus from
Edna. The driver was a lady from Ganado who
took classes at the college. He remarked that he
was picked up and dropped off at the drugstore
in downtown Edna. There were some ten Edna
students riding the bus, and they almost drove
the driver crazy. “We hollered,” he said, “and
played games. Some of us studied.” Simons said
that on at least one occasion the bus broke
down, “but nothing major.” Simons smiled and
remarked, “We had a lot of fun.” 40
Business instructor Leona Jones acquired a
more prominent role in 1952 when the board of
trustees, at the request of Moore, adopted a
motion elevating her to assistant dean and
registrar. Up to this point, Stormont held the
dual position of dean and registrar. However,
the dean’s responsibilities had expanded significantly
since the fall of 1949, necessitating a division
of labor. Further changes in duties
occurred in the spring of 1953. Jones assumed
the title of registrar and Roy Browne, instructor
of business, became the business manager.
Under Jones and her successor, Louise Hume,
the registrar’s office was an influential administrative
element, especially when it came to
teaching assignments. 41
The Victoria College Pirate Saberettes made
their debut in the fall of 1952. The drill team
was organized to provide half time entertainment
at the college football games. The first
group of Saberettes was led by captains Shirley
Burda, Alma Jecker, Betty Ann Traber, and Anita
Tyng. The drill team’s uniforms included “a
short reversible maroon and white skirt, white
satin long-sleeved blouse, white leather belt
with three-inch gold buckle and white boots.”
In 1953, “a white felt hat with skull and crossbones
insignia on the front” was added to the
wardrobe. The group fared significantly better
from sport spectators than the band’s “Aunt
Jemima” uniforms. There are no reported
derogatory remarks about their garments from
fans who watched them perform at football
games. When football was dropped as an intercollegiate
sport by the college in 1961, the
organization was also eliminated. However, at
the end of the 1960s, another group, the
Saberette Shipmates, was formed to support the
basketball team. Its existence was short-lived. 42
During American Art Week, November 1-7,
1952, art instructor Ethel Thurmond’s oil painting
she was commissioned to do for the college
was unveiled. After being displayed in the
Student Union, the painting was permanently
placed in the foyer of the Administration
Building. The artwork, twelve feet wide and
four and half feet high, depicts a scene on the
Guadalupe River near Victoria. Thurmond
worked on the piece during her spare time for
three months. She remarked, “It was quite a job.
✯
Ethel Thurmond was a noted artist
and compassionate art instructor.
The Dynamic Duo ✦ 81

✯
Jim Lehrer working on an article for
the Jolly Roger.
But I enjoyed doing it. It was for the students of
the college and I wanted to paint something
they’d enjoy seeing. I hope I succeeded.” 43
Larry Shook admiringly recalled Thurmond
as an accomplished artist, dedicated to teaching,
who “took a special interest in students.”
He found himself a recipient of her attentiveness
during a spring semester Ping Pong tournament
that he was playing in at the Student
Union. Shook remembers he “felt a sharp pull
on my ear and heard ‘young man, I think you
are supposed to be in my art class.’ I turned
around and saw my art teacher, Miss Ethel
Thurmond. She kept hold of my ear as she led
me all the way across the campus and upstairs
to class.” He further remarked that when “Miss
Thurmond retired, I took her place as art
teacher at Victoria College and taught for 27
years. Thanks, Miss Thurmond.” 44
After being scrutinized for a year, the college,
in December 1952, was fully accepted into the
Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary
Schools. The organization’s committee charged
with reaffirmation of the two-year institution
reported at the annual convention in Memphis,
Tennessee, that Victoria College conformed to
the scholastic and other required standards.
Stormont, representing the college, was present
when the announcement was made. 45
The regional accrediting association’s pronouncement
that the college met the academic
criteria came as no surprise to individuals who
knew Stormont. The dean insisted that course
work offered at the college be on par with those
taught at transfer senior institutions. His unwavering
principle of equivalence was put to the
test by the University of Missouri in the early
years of his Victoria College deanship and
emerged triumphantly.
Jim Lehrer, a Victoria College student who
later became the anchor on the highly acclaimed
public television program, the NewsHour with
Jim Lehrer, decided to attend the School of
Journalism at the University of Missouri after he
graduated from Victoria College in 1954. When
he applied, an admissions official at the
Columbia-based university refused to accept all
his credits. Lehrer brought the matter to
Stormont’s attention. The dean became disturbed
and asked how badly he wanted to
attend that university. When Lehrer responded
that it “was a life-or-death” situation, Stormont
replied, “let’s take ‘em on.” The dean sent a letter
to the admissions official criticizing him and
the University of Missouri “for their elitism and
shortsightedness.” He told the person to send
“examinations for every subject you have doubts
about,” and they would be administered “to this
kid, and you can see for yourselves the kind of
person he is and what kind of education we provide.”
The university complied and the exams
(English grammar, basic math, Spanish, and
typing) were administered by J. D. Howell on
four consecutive afternoons. Lehrer “did well
enough not only to be admitted as a full-fledged
junior” but his “English grammar and foreign
language requirements were waived.” 46
In the 1953 state legislative session, the
legislators passed a loyalty oath and made it
an annual requirement for anyone receiving
82 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

state money. The passage of the measure was a
product of McCarthyism, the country’s second
Red scare, when fear of communist subversion
of the government was widespread throughout
the United States. The loyalty oath, many patriotic
Americans thought, would identify communist
elements in the teaching field and prevent
fellow travelers from undermining the fundamental
democratic principles by brainwashing
impressionable young people with Marxist-
Lenin doctrines. The same rationale applied to
the state requirement that students in public
colleges and universities take six hours of
American history. State employees, including
teachers in public educational institutions, were
asked to study a list of between 300 and 400
subversive organizations, as determined by the
Attorney General of the United States, and
swear they were not a member. Before the college
instructors received their April paychecks,
they were administered the oath. 47
Victoria College won its second straight
national championship at the National Junior
College Track and Field Meet at Hutchinson,
Kansas, in the spring of 1953 after winning the
conference crown at Corpus Christi. At the
national finals, Ben Boehnke placed first in
the 100 and 200 yard dashes; Jerry House outdistanced
his opponents in the broad jump;
George “Scooter” Auld finished ahead of the
field in the 440 yard dash; Joe Tanecka took the
880 yard run; and Ynacensio Cantu, the track
sensation from El Campo, won the 2 mile run.
A quartet of Pirate runners comprised of Allen
Jank, Boehnke, Joe Zambrano, and House were
victorious in the sprint relay and the 880 yard
relay. First place honors in the mile relay went to
the local team composed of Ronnie Koss,
Tanecka, John Starnes, and Auld. 48
The student enrollment record was shattered
in the fall of 1953. There were 362 registered for
the first day of school, 389 in the evening
school, and 34 at the Gross branch.
Contributing to the increase were veterans and
airmen stationed at Foster Air Force Base. Out
of the thirty-four students attending Gross, at
least fourteen were veterans. A common sight
in town was the wives of veterans working to
help put their hubbies through college, or as
the women said, they were earning a “Ph.T.”
✯
The 1954-55 Majorettes pose in
front of the Administration Building.
They are (left to right) Sue Turk, Jo
Ann Uhlar, Geneva Boysen, and
Lois Hubbard.
The Dynamic Duo ✦ 83

✯
Vollie Williams prepares for his next
track meet.
The influx of returning service personnel to the
college campus led to the formation of an active
veterans club. Enrollment figures for most of the
remainder of the decade showed a steady rise,
though there was a slight dip after Foster Field
closed at the end of 1958. 49
A goal of the college from its inception has
been service to the community. Numerous programs
have been offered to accomplish that end.
During the 1953 fall semester, the Victoria
College Film Center was established, and it
offered more than 200 educational movies to
school districts in the area. Lois Parker, college
librarian, supervised the operation. The participating
schools contributed money and selected
representatives to serve on a committee that set
policies and chose films. “Mrs. Marion Howell,
the efficient library secretary,” Parker related,
“scheduled the films according to requests from
member schools and supervised the distribution
and maintenance of the films. At that time the
college operated buses to transport students
from nearby towns. The bus driver delivered
films to the schools and returned them to the
library. The film library was operated until
Region Three Educational Service was formed.
At that time the films were transferred to the
Service Center.” 50
At its February 1954 meeting, the board of
trustees adopted the first sick leave policy for all
employees. A teacher was granted up to forty
days sick leave with full pay. An employee could
accrue leave credit up to six days per year until
the maximum number of days was reached.
Should a teacher be ill longer than the accrued
leave credit, the college deducted “the cost of a
substitute from his salary.” 51
On March 3, the college hosted its initial
Career Day. Some 550 high school seniors from
the area attended the four-and-a-half-hour program.
The students were given an opportunity
to attend two sessions that were designed to
familiarize the seniors with careers or useful
occupations. Each session was conducted by a
faculty member. Representatives from the professions,
the military, vocations, and at least one
university made presentations. Dr. C. C.
Colvert, professor of education at the University
of Texas, was the featured speaker at the general
assembly. Box lunches were provided the high
school guests while school administrators,
faculty, and the presenters ate at the dormitory
dining hall. The assemblage was entertained
after lunch with the college’s Dixieland Sextet,
the Saberettes, and a performance by a duet.
Moore remarked that the event was a success,
and “the programs were completed as smooth as
clockwork.” The college discontinued Career
Day in the 1960s. 52
The Pirate track squad missed winning the
1954 National Junior College Track and Field
Meet at Hutchinson, Kansas, by fewer than five
points. Hutchinson Junior College won the
championship with 76 1/2 points to runner-up
Victoria College’s 72. The person with the most
points at the affair was Buccaneer J. P. Neely who
took top honors in both the low and high hurdles
and the 220 yard dash. Teammate Pete Sardelich
placed first in the 440 yard and 880 yard runs. 53
Vollie Williams, a graduate of Yoakum High
School, was a member of the 1954 and 1955
track teams. At one of the national meets, the
movie “Picnic” was being filmed, and he and
several members of the squad came face to face
with Kim Novak and found her to be a “regular
person.” The Victorians “nearly got into the picture,
missed it by one car!” 54
Williams enjoyed his relationship with Shinn
and the team. The “guys” were “a close bunch.”
They went to the Jet, a drive-in restaurant on the
84 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

Houston Highway, and “the hang out place for
the college, high school, and the ‘fly-boys’ from
Foster Air Force Base. There were always conflicts,
incidents, etc. going on at the drive-in!”
Williams and his fellow tracksters brought the
wrath of Shinn on them one day after practice.
He stated that “We were returning from a workout
at Patti Welder late one afternoon, and
there was a man working in a flower bed, close
to the street, with his back to the street…Well,
someone in the car leaned out the window and
fired off several blanks…Needless to say, the
track team heard about that from the Coach. I
don’t believe we ever got to carry the starting
pistol again.” 55
State Jim Crow laws segregating the races in
public education took a dramatic and long overdue
hit when the United States Supreme Court
in May 1954 ruled by a unanimous vote in Brown
v. Board of Education of Topeka that segregation in
public education violated the equal protection
clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The decision
prompted African Americans to enroll in
several all-white public education institutions.
Victoria College was such a school and the focal
point for integration in the area.
Businessman and millionaire C. R. Callis, as
head of the Citizens’ Committee in cooperation
with the Progressive Voters’ League and the
National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People, approached Moore on the subject
of integrating the college. According to
Callis, the group decided, shortly after the decision
was handed down, to integrate the Victoria
public schools starting with Victoria College. He,
Dorothy Mae Hobbs, an honor graduate of F. W.
Gross High School, and Leeta Hobbs, mother of
Dorothy Mae, went to the college and spoke with
Moore on the admittance of the younger Hobbs
in the college. The president was cordial as Callis
explained to him that the Gross branch was not
an equal institution and no distinction in the
races was made when the college taxes were collected.
After patiently listening to Callis’ rationale,
Moore responded by telling the delegation
that he would bring the matter before the board
and get back with Callis in a couple of days. The
following day, Callis said, radio station KVIC
announced the college was integrated. 56
When the matter of Hobbs’ admission was
placed before the board, the response was
positive. The governing body in a formal
announcement stated,
In view of the recent decision of the Supreme
Court of the United States holding that compulsory
segregation of the races in the field of
public education was in violation of the rights
✯
Marlene Schoenig and Caroll Young
share a soft drink.
The Dynamic Duo ✦ 85

✯
Bill Baldwin patiently waits for Lois
Hubbard to make a selection.
guaranteed citizens under the 14th Amendment,
and, in view of the recent statements of leaders
of various religious faiths to the effect that such
policy is contrary to the tenets of Christianity, it
is the unanimous decision of the Board that
qualified Negro students should be admitted to
Victoria College beginning September 1, 1954. 57
Four blacks enrolled in the fall. That was it.
No demonstrations. No protests. No white outrage.
No verbal confrontations. The college fully
accepted the Supreme Court decision as the law
of the land and took steps to implement it with
the understanding that the program at the Gross
branch be continued until that date.
Even though the board changed a long standing
entrance policy, there existed some apprehension
among the governing body and the administration
as to how the faculty and the students
would react. The concerns proved to be
unfounded. When Chadbourne Whitmore, who
was employed to teach English, beginning in the
1954 fall semester, was asked by Moore what he
was going to do if a black student was in his class,
Whitmore’s response was that he “was going to
do what he always did—teach.” Esther Etzel,
biology instructor, thought there might be an
incident if she paired a white student with a black
student in lab class. She did and to her delight
the two lab partners carried out their assignments
without any difficulties. Mary Doughtie, English
and Spanish instructor, put the episode in perspective
by remarking that integration of the college
went so smoothly it was a nonevent. 58
Brown v. Board of Education only addressed the
issue of segregation of public education. Its
broader impact on society was yet to come.
Separation of the races largely remained intact
when it came to public facilities, and this posed
a problem for sponsors of college activities who
wanted to utilize such accommodations. In
every known instance where barriers were
encountered, the faculty and white students rallied
behind their African-American classmates.
When the sophomore class in 1955 made its
annual spring trek to a recreational area outside
of Victoria, a black female student was denied
permission to use the swimming pool. The
white female students gave up their opportunity
to swim and remained with their fellow classmate
until the time came to return to Victoria. 59
Lois Rowland, formerly Lois Parker, sponsor
of Zeta Gamma Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, a
junior college honor society, encountered
rebuffs from Victoria eating establishments as
she prepared for the annual initiation ceremony.
Nedra Jennings, an African American, enrolled
at the college in the fall of 1955 and eventually
86 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

“qualified for membership in Phi Theta Kappa
and was invited to join. She accepted the invitation
and was welcomed by the students.” What
happened next was a heart warming experience
for Rowland. She stated:
It was customary to plan an initiation banquet
which was usually held at the hotel or one
of the restaurants in Victoria. The students made
plans and asked me to make reservations for the
dining room. There followed three phone calls
and three polite but forth-right explanations:
management had no objections but other guests
would not understand. The cafeteria in the Town
and Country Shopping Center was relatively
new and had a nicely furnished small banquet
room. I called the manager. Without hesitation
he agreed to schedule our group.
The banquet room at the rear of the building
was entered by the front door of the cafeteria.
After that. . .a long walk through the dining area.
As I stood at the door of the banquet room greeting
students and guests, Nedra entered the front
door alone. With all the dignity, poise and grace
of a queen she walked through the dining room
filled with white diners, smiling as she joined
her friends who greeted her warmly. It was a
lovely evening.! 60
Integration had no appreciable affect upon
enrollment. The day school showed an increase
of sixty-six students from the previous year. The
evening school enrollment, which consisted of
some 150 airmen, decreased by eighty-three,
but there is no evidence that the drop was due
to integration. The increased day figure caused
Moore to reevaluate the college’s capacity to
accommodate the rising number of students. He
estimated that by 1956 the day enrollment
would be greater than 500. Moore was on target.
In 1956, the number was 544. 61
The president presented the board with two
choices to resolve the perceived enrollment problem.
One was to limit the college only to residents
of Victoria County. The other alternative
was to hold a bond election to construct new
facilities. Moore further suggested that enrollment
could be reduced “by increasing tuition,
discontinuing bus service and eliminating intercollegiate
football.” These options were unacceptable
to the board. The governing body stated that
the college was “good advertisement for the
community and attracts customers for local merchants
by drawing students from nearby counties”
and, therefore, “limited registration would
hurt Victoria.” The board did agree with Moore
“that the present facilities are nearing capacity.” 62
✯
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
The Dynamic Duo ✦ 87

✯
Pep rallies were frequently conducted
in front of the Administration Building
during the 1950s.
Within a year and a half, the board found a
temporary solution to the escalating enrollment
by boosting out-of-county tuition by a modest
ten dollars a semester for a regular load.
Students that were not from Victoria County
had been paying the same tuition as county students.
In announcing the new tuition fees, the
board recognized the growing shortage of facilities
and “felt that there should be some differentiation
in tuition rates between out-of-county
and county students since Victoria County residents
pay taxes to support Victoria College.” 63
88 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

As the trustees wrestled with the issues
brought about with increased enrollment, they
applied to the Texas State Department of Public
Welfare to oversee an election to determine if
the employees wanted to enter the Social
Security program. A referendum was conducted
and by a vote of 33 to 3, the college personnel
voted to join Social Security. 64
Another policy change that affected the faculty
in 1955 was the board’s adoption of a
salary schedule for teachers. Under the new pay
scheme an instructor with a master’s degree and
no teaching experience received $3,600 a year;
with a master’s degree and thirty additional
hours, $3,700; and with a doctor’s degree,
$3,800. An annual increment of $150, to a
maximum of 12 years, was permitted. When
instructors were employed, they could receive
up to 5 years credit for previous teaching experience.
However, the “increments allowed for
prior service are $100 per year.” The salary
schedule provided no incentive for an instructor
to earn additional graduate credit or pursue
a doctor’s degree. Over the following decades,
the salary schedule underwent meaningful
change to encourage and reward faculty for
acquiring additional graduate hours or earning
a doctor’s degree. 65
In the Spring of 1955, Shinn’s track team
regained the national junior college championship
after a stellar performance at the national
meet in Hutchinson, Kansas. The squad
accumulated 91 points, doubling the points of
their nearest opponent, McCook, Nebraska. The
Pirate 880 yard relay team of John Mozisek,
George Gillar, Danny Fritsch, and Lewis
Hutchinson established a new record. Victoria
College tracksters who finished first in their
respective contests were Fred Reuter, 100 and
200 yard dashes; Vollie Williams, 120 yard high
hurdles and 220 yard low hurdles; Pete
Sardelich, 440 yard dash; and Marvin Machac,
shot-put. 66
Marshall McCleary’s first year as the college
tennis coach was a memorable one. The astute
English instructor as mentor of the team guided
the squad to the 1956 Longhorn Conference
championship. In fact, the Pirates completely
dominated the conference meet. Ken Pickett
beat his teammate Ralph Gilstrap in the men’s
singles. Pickett and Gilstrap in turn defeated
their college cohorts, John Swoboda and David
Patrick in the finals of the men’s doubles. The
women’s single finals was an all Victoria College
affair as well. Jenell Kolle won her match against
Merle Overgoner. Kolle and Helen Urban captured
the women’s doubles from Del Mar, the
only other entrant to win points. 67
The Pirate track squad successfully defended
its national championship in the spring of
1956. Shinn’s team, whom he considered to be
his finest track group, won the Border
Olympics, Blinn Relays, and Longhorn
Conference meet before taking the national
✯
The Aggie Club’s ship S. S. Pirate
“floats” down Main Street in a
Homecoming Parade.
The Dynamic Duo ✦ 89

✯
Soft drink vending machines were
popular with the students in
the 1950s.
junior college crown for the fourth time in five
years. The Victoria College tracksters won the
440 yard relay, 880 yard relay, and the mile
relay. Individual winners were Fred Reuter, 100
yard dash; Danny Fritsch, 440 yard dash;
Bobby Singleton, low and high hurdles; Herbert
Wuthrich, broad jump; and Marvin Machac,
shot-put. 68
Guest speaker at the 1956 commencement
ceremonies was Joseph Wearden, president of
the board since 1947. When he finished with
his presentation, Wearden “dropped his bombshell.”
The board president announced to an
astonished audience that he was giving up his
position because his doctor advised him to
reduce his civic activities. Winston Zirjacks,
board vice president, who along with Moore
knew beforehand that Wearden was going to
resign, stepped forward, made a brief comment
and motioned toward the college president.
“Moore brought forth a cap and gown—the
same black gown and cap with white tassel that
the regular graduates wore.” The regalia was
donned by Wearden, whereupon Zirjacks stated,
“This board hereby confers upon you,
Joseph Wearden, the highest honor it can
bestow. The honorary degree of Associate in
Arts.” This was the only time in Victoria College
history that an honorary associate of arts degree
has been awarded. With Wearden’s retirement,
Zirjacks assumed the presidency, a position he
held for 40 years. 69
Football absorbed the attention of the college
community during the fall of 1956. At long
last, the pigskin program, under legendary
Coach H. N. “Rusty” Russell, was on course of
having a winning season. Co-captains Ezra
Gordon and Floyd Dellinger understood the
feelings of the victory-starved students and
alumni as the Pirates, who were ranked by the
Associated Press as seventh in the nation,
plunged into their schedule. When the lye from
the gridiron settled, Victoria College had 7 wins
and 3 losses, a record good enough for the team
to be crowned Longhorn Conference co-champions
with Kilgore Junior College. Because of
his outstanding performance throughout the
season as quarterback, Floyd Dellinger from
Waco was the unanimous choice by the Los
Angeles Times and The All-American Grid Index
for the All-American Junior College football
team. He was also selected to the Longhorn
Conference’s first team and was a second team
All-American selection by the Wigwam
Wisemen of America. A teammate of
Dellinger’s, James Sestak from Gonzales, transferred
to McNeese State in Louisiana and went
on to have an illustrious professional career
with the Buffalo Bills. 70
Growing pains continued to plague the college,
causing the school officials to make several
adjustments in the fall of 1956 to cope with
crowded facilities. Activity and assembly periods
were eliminated to better utilize the time
slots for classes, and faculty offices were created
out of the living room of the Home Economics
Cottage, eliminating its use by the community
90 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

for social affairs. These steps were only stopgap
measures. After careful consideration, the
trustees finally came to the conclusion that a
building program funded by a bond issue was
necessary to eliminate overcrowding. 71
Financially, the college was in good shape.
County valuations had increased as new businesses,
such as DuPont, established themselves
in the area and new homes were constructed to
meet the demands of a rising population. As the
county valuations rose, the trustees cut the tax
rate in successive years to forty-one cents per
one hundred dollars valuation from the 50 cents
per $100 authorized by the electorate in the initial
vote. New college construction, however,
would, as the supporters pointed out, lead to a
tax increase. This was a concern. Would the
voters be willing to increase their college tax?
The board and administration thought that a
majority would.
In December 1956, the board gave notice
that it was going to submit a $700,000 bond
issue to the county electorate for the erection
of a natural science building and a library
building. Bond money was also to be used for
converting the existing library facilities and
science laboratories into classrooms. When the
announcement was made, the board stated
that the bond issue would probably necessitate
a 48 cent tax rate, up from the current 41
cents, but below the 50 cent rate which had
already been authorized. 72
Moore pointed out to the community that the
current facilities were inadequate for an expected
expanded enrollment. “If the college is to
continue to grow and to serve the community,”
he said, “we must have new buildings.” The
president further enunciated that the overcrowded
laboratories might lead to a loss in
accreditation. Moreover, he remarked, “at a time
when we are inviting industry to locate in this
area and at a time where the very future of the
nation seems to be jeopardized by a shortage of
adequately trained scientists, it would seem that
we are obligated to our youth to establish adequate
scientific training facilities.” Convincing
arguments, indeed. 73
Supporters of the college rounded up signatures
on the required petition to conduct
the election. By the time the board met in
✯
The football coaching staff for 1954
were (left to right) H. N. “Rusty”
Russell, Eddie Shinn, Hester “Stump”
Evans, and Jack Thomas.
The Dynamic Duo ✦ 91

✯
Mary Nell Schiwitz leads the Victoria
College Band in downtown Victoria.
January 1957, they had secured more than 250
names on the document, enough for the election.
The trustees set January 29, 1957, as the
date for the referendum. 74
Stormont and former board president
Wearden were in the vanguard at local civic
clubs touting the benefits that would accrue
from a favorable vote. The two men emphasized
that the new buildings and the conversion plan
would double the college capacity of 500 fulltime
students. They reiterated the points that
earnings increased for anyone who attended
even one year of college, and families saved
money when their children enrolled in the local
educational institution. 75
Faculty participation in the election was
enlisted by Moore. He called upon the instructors
to remind their acquaintances to vote, and provided
each faculty member with sheets torn from
the Victoria telephone directory marked with the
names of individuals believed to be friendly
toward the college. The faculty was instructed to
call these residents between 4:30 p.m. and 6:30
p.m. on a given date. The president advised the
employees to be prepared to answer questions. 76
To Moore, giving the right responses to what
were likely inquiries was critical to the success
of the passage of the bond issue. Based on conversations
with people at civic, religious, and
social functions, the president anticipated the
questions that would be raised. He was sure that
the instructors would be asked if the college was
going to become a senior institution. The reply,
Moore said, should be there are no current plans
for this happening. The purpose of the bonds
was to build a first-class junior college. Another
likely query, the president remarked, would
center around spending taxpayers’ money to
operate buses out of Victoria County. The reply
should be that out-of-county students pay twenty
dollars more per semester, and the college
receives from the state $200 for these students
per semester. Of course, Moore said, the faculty
members could expect that voters would ask
92 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

about the tax rate increase. This should be
addressed by assuring the public that the rate
would go up seven cents but not go over the
established 50 cents. 77
The result of the election was what Moore
and Stormont expected. The bond issue passed
1,163 to 501. The president was disappointed
there was not a greater turnout, but he blamed
the low voter participation on the inclement
weather. The urban voters, as before, were disposed
to back the college while the rural electorate
was generally against the issue. After the
outcome was announced, the board employed
Jordan C. Ault and Robert Rick as architects to
plan and supervise the construction of the two
proposed buildings. 78
Coach Eddie Shinn’s 1956-57 track team had
another superb season. Under his tutelage, the
squad won the Border Olympics, Victoria
Invitational Track Meet, Blinn Relays, and made
respectable showings at various other college
track contests before ending the year in May 1957
with a fifth national junior college championship.
79 Overcoming flood detours in Oklahoma
that delayed the train’s arrival at Hutchinson,
Kansas, food poisoning among several of the athletes,
and a slow start at the track meet, the team
blew away the opposition, racking up 94 points.
The nearest competitor was Weber Junior College
of Ogden, Utah, with 42 points. Bobby Singleton
put-on an outstanding display of track talent and
became the meet’s high point man. He won the
220 yard low hurdles and the 120 yard high
hurdles, tying the meet record in the high hurdles.
The 440 yard dash was won by Anton Smajstrla.
George Harris finished first in the 100 yard dash
while Hoy Rogers out dueled his competitors
from the shot-put ring. The 440 yard relay quartet
of Herbert Wuthrich, Thomas Mendez, Jack
Gilliam, and Smajstrla was flawless in crossing the
finish line ahead of the pack. The mile relay foursome
of Johnny Orsak, Gilbert Gerdes, Gilliam,
and Smajstrla was also victorious. 80
Construction of the natural science and
library buildings pushed forward in the fall of
1957 and into 1958, despite the delays caused
by shortage of materials and bad weather. While
the building program progressed, work began
on expanding the Student Union by sixty percent.
By increasing the size of the existing structure,
dances, school administrators thought,
could be held in it rather than the gym. Changes
to the edifice included enclosing a porch,
adding a wing that was to be used for a bookstore,
and covering the terrace with tile. 81
The football team took it on the chin in the
fall of 1957. The squad was unable to duplicate
its preceding year’s performance. Nevertheless,
Johnny Orsak, the leading scorer for the Pirates,
was honored by being selected to play in the
All-American Junior College Football Classic in
Jackson, Mississippi. 82
While the football players fared poorly, this
was not the case for all the college’s intercollegiate
participants. The tennis team emerged as
Longhorn Conference champions, and the
✯
A rare snowfall draped the campus in
1958.
The Dynamic Duo ✦ 93

✯
Graduation ceremonies and faculty
dinners were held in the Library
Building for several years after it
opened in 1958.
New to the campus at the start of the 1958-
1959 academic year was Lamar Fly, a former
assistant principal at Cuero High School. Fly
was named director of student activities and
taught business administration. After a tenure
of a couple of years at the college, he pursued
and earned a doctor’s degree from the
University of Texas. Fly would become the
president of Hill Junior College when it
reopened in the 1960s. Dr. Rex Whiteside,
who became dean at Victoria College in 1975,
was a faculty member at the Hillsboro school.
He told the story that when Fly put together
the Hill Junior College catalogue, the president
used the Victoria College catalogue as a reference.
In so doing, he incorporated in his bulletin
a phrase that stated in effect that to be eligible
to graduate from Hill Junior College, the
student must meet the graduation requirements
at Victoria College. Fly apparently had
some embarrassing, but good humored,
moments for this blooper. 85
In January 1959, the board proclaimed that
student bus service would cease as of
September 1. When queried as to why the
action was taken, Moore responded by giving
two reasons. In the first place, the president
stated the cost of funding the buses fell upon
Pirate tracksters in the spring of 1958 again Victoria County taxpayers while the majority of
won the junior college national championship. students who used the service lived outside the
The track team did so, however, in an unusual college district. A second reason, Moore said,
manner. The squad placed first in only one was the buses were old and replacement vehicles
would be very expensive. 86
event, the mile relay. Shinn remarked, “This
was by far the strongest competition we’ve had Attesting to the age of the buses, and in particular
their mechanical unsoundness, was stu-
here.” He added, “We’ve had lots of firsts in the
past, but we had to do it with seconds, thirds dent driver Joel Tanner of Port Lavaca. His bus,
and fourths this time.” The Victorians who affectionately referred to as the “Victoria
placed highest in the events were Hoy Rogers, Meteor” by staff members of the Jolly Roger, on a
second in the discus; Bob Campbell, second in run to the college from the port community
the low and the high hurdles; and Anton stalled at a railroad crossing. Tanner and his
Smajstrla, second in the 440 yard dash. Billy passengers spied a train coming at them.
Weiler tied with two other contestants in the Consequently, “Some headed out the back door,
high jump. 83
cleared away the back traffic, and let the bus roll
Stormont received another appellation from backwards to safety. Others calmly remained on
the college as the 1958 fall semester rolled the bus, commenting that they would rather be
around. He accepted the appointment as vice hit by a train than have to take the tests that
president along with his position as dean. Dr. were due that day.” 87
Roland Bing, employed in 1954 to supervise On April 24-25, 1959, the college held its
student publications and teach economics, first University Interscholastic League event for
became assistant dean and director of the Region IV Conference A and AA high schools.
evening school. 84 School facilities throughout the city were used
94 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

to accommodate some 92 schools from 16
districts as they competed in track, tennis,
golf, and literary activities. Impetus for conducting
the event was to help boost the local
economy. There were an estimated 2,000
persons who would visit the city for the twoday
affair and spend money in the town.
Another factor in holding as many contests as
possible on the campus was to expose prospective
students to Victoria College. In time the
faculty became weary of its involvement in the
event, citing the loss of classroom time and
questioning the affair’s promotional value.
Eventually, in the early 1990s, at the behest of
the instructors, the administration ceased the
college’s involvement. 88
Wilbur L. Collins, music instructor, was honored
in the spring of 1959 when his Psalm 25,
an original composition, was selected for performance
at the Creative Music Festival sponsored
by San Jose State College in California.
The work was written in 1953 and received an
outstanding choral music award in 1954 from
the Southwestern Symposium of Contemporary
Music supported by the University of Texas at
Austin. Psalm 25 was Collins’ fourth composition
published. The other three were He Showed
Me The River of Life, Now As We Stand, and Sing
To The Lord. 89
During the 1950s and into the 1960s, it
became customary for the sophomore class to
present a gift to the college. The president of
the class of 1959, Cecil Durham, selected a
committee chaired by Roger Van Rekom to
choose an appropriate gift. Van Rekom “came
up with the idea of getting a flag or banner, primarily
a flag…so that they could fly it up on the
flag pole, but it didn’t seem to be very practical.”
The committee “decided to go ahead and
get a banner.” The design was chosen from proposals
submitted by the student body. Each
sophomore was asked to contribute twenty-five
cents to pay for the gift. The banner was oblong
and made of white canvas with a maroon border.
A maroon Victoria College logo was placed
in the middle. 90
Victoria College’s intercollegiate athletes
again scored some noteworthy accomplishments
in the spring of 1959. Bobby Coffey shot
a two under par at Riverside Golf Course to
win the Pioneer Conference individual golf
title. Billy Pickett, in a tennis match that lasted
✯
The 1959 Victoria College Saberettes.
The Dynamic Duo ✦ 95

✯
The campus in 1959.
three hours, defeated his opponent from
Tarleton State for the Pioneer Conference’s
men’s singles championship. Pickett and Larry
Doig teamed up to capture the men’s doubles at
the conference tournament. Unlike previous
years, the college had only one representative at
the National Junior College Track and Field
Meet, Sam Ketcham. The Pirate thin clad was
eliminated in the 100 yard dash and placed
fifth in the 220 yard dash. 91
Beginning with the 1959 fall semester, sixteen
tuition scholarships were awarded for
choral music as a “counterpart of the scholarships
in Instrumental Music.” In general, choral
music was “considered sort of second fiddle to
instrumental music as a college subject” prior to
the appointment of Ruth Williams as choral
director in 1954. Under her direction, however,
the choir received worldwide recognition. The
decision by college officials to grant the scholarships
in 1959 was a testimonial to the progress
the choir made in the five years Williams was
director and to the positive impression it had on
the local community. 92
Another endeavor the college undertook with
the commencement of the 1959 fall semester
was a vocational nursing program, the “first
of its kind in Victoria.” A mounting shortage of
nurses in the region and a desire “to provide
qualified women with an opportunity to prepare
themselves for a vital occupation” were the two
key factors influencing the establishment of the
program. Marguerite Weeks was employed as
coordinator. Out of the twenty-five students
who began the course, twenty-one were capped
by Dorothy Swickheimer, administrator of
Citizens Memorial Hospital, on January 7, 1960,
at a ceremony held in the library. The first to
receive the honor was Bessie Perry. After completing
their college work, the students entered
a thirty-three week regimen of clinical training
at the county supported hospital. 93
Nineteen of the vocational nursing students
graduated on August 12 in the Student Union.
96 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

The featured speaker at the ceremony was Dr.
Heaton Smith. The entire group successfully
passed the State Board Examination. Two of the
graduates, Lessie Fay Wilson and Patricia
Buckley, were ranked among the state’s top ten
students. Overall, the first vocational nursing
class at Victoria College placed ninth scholastically
in a field of seventy-four schools that took
the examination. 94
Faculty members took an extraordinary step
at their 1960 fall meeting by agreeing to form a
committee to draft a resolution of appreciation
for the recently retired long-time social sciences
instructor Jewell Hudler. Stormont stated that
she had a greater impact on the community
than any administrator and her presence
was “imponderable.” Wilma Felger, Chad
Whitmore, and Lois Rowland were appointed
by the dean to compose a formal statement “in
appreciation of a teacher who has served the
community and the cause of education long
and well.” The three member committee were
diligent and thoughtful in writing a resolution
that recognized Hudler’s “many years of service
that have contributed immeasurably to the
growth and development of The Victoria
College.” The resolution was passed unanimously
by the faculty on October 30 and
was placed in the minutes. A typed copy was
framed and sent to Hudler. 95
For some reason, perhaps because of a query
from an academician who expressed a dislike for
nontransferable courses, Stormont, during the
faculty meeting in September 1960, made strong
uncompromising comments as to the role of the
local educational institution. He pointed out in a
slow, meticulous, and forward manner that the
transfer function was very important, but when
the overall student body was considered, less
than fifty percent of those attending Victoria
College will enroll in a senior college. Therefore,
as long as Victoria College had an open admissions
policy, Stormont remarked, it has an obligation
to do something for the terminal student,
such as providing post high school educational,
recreational, and social experiences. 96
Tragedy struck the Pirate football team in the
fall of 1960. In the first half of the game against
Cisco Junior College on October 23, Gene
McCann, a nineteen-year-old, 240-pound tackle
from Lacawanna, New York, hurt his leg. The
team doctor diagnosed the injury “as a torn
✯
Dorothy Swickheimer, Citizens
Hospital administrator, fits Bessie
Perry with the first cap of the
vocational nursing program as
President J. D. Moore looks on.
The Dynamic Duo ✦ 97

✯
Darlese Thomas (left), Sharon Kern
(center), and Marie Frerichs (right)
give Gwen Foutz advice on how to
make a poster.
muscle, a bruised artery and a tear in the vein.”
Later that evening in the Boys’ Dormitory, his
leg became swollen and throbbed unmercifully.
At 12:30 a.m. Sunday morning, a doctor was
summoned. The physician ordered him rushed
to the hospital for emergency surgery to remove
a “blood clot that had formed.” In what the surgeons
thought would be a routine operation to
repair the damaged limb, McCann’s heart
“stopped for four crucial minutes.” Physicians
immediately opened his chest and massaged the
heart until it began functioning. McCann lapsed
into a coma that lasted twenty-two days, during
which time he flailed “wildly about until his
hands had to be tied.” Special duty nurses
attended to him “round the clock,” and at least
one male faculty member was assigned to his
room at night “to help handle him during
convulsive fits.” 97
Alfred “Al” Allen, mathematics and chemistry
instructor, offered his assistance at the hospital.
He stated the injury was “one of those tragic
things. When the administration asked for volunteers,
I said I would. He [McCann] did all
right during the day, but at night he became
wild. He was so strong that the nurses could not
hold him. I stayed until midnight when somebody
relieved me.” 98
McCann’s mother lived in the dorm while her
son was in Citizens Memorial Hospital, and
his father spent as much time in Victoria as his
work would permit. A fund was established for
the injured player, and money was raised to
bring the “younger McCann children” from New
York for the Christmas holidays. Unfortunately,
McCann never fully recovered and remained
with physical and mental disabilities. 99
College officials made headlines when they
announced on December 14, 1960, that football
was to be discontinued. In an official statement,
adopted at a special meeting, the board
commented that the move was made “because
of the rising cost of the program and difficulty
in arranging a satisfactory playing schedule.”
The governing body pointed out that revenue
produced from ticket sales in some of the
98 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

games with freshmen of “B” teams from senior
colleges “have not been enough to pay
even the operating expense of the game (officials,
tickets, field rental, travel).” As evidenced
by the gate receipts, there was little
community interest in the senior college clubs
and certain junior colleges would not compete
against a school that admitted “Negroes.”
Incidentally, Booker T. Carter, a Pirate halfback,
and Victor Marshall, a pole vaulter, hold
the distinction of being the first black athletes
at the college. Scheduling games also became
more difficult when Arlington and Tarleton
became senior colleges. 100
A rumor circulated among the students and
the community that the real reason for the elimination
of football was the debilitating injury
suffered by McCann. Moore emphatically
denied the assertion. He continually reemphasized
the board’s position that the cost was too
great, and “the interest among the people in the
city was not enough to keep it going.” Allen
agreed with Moore’s assessment. He recalled
that “Victoria College didn’t draw anybody. I
told the business manager at the time that by
dropping football the college could give the
teachers a $500 raise. He said it could be a lot
more than $500.” The move may have been
coincidental, but the following year after the
elimination of football, the board lowered the
tax rate. 101
In October 1957, Sputnik, the first satellite
to orbit the earth and a product of the Soviet
Union, shattered the nation’s belief that the
United States was scientifically and technologically
invincible. To recoup lost ground and
regain scientific and technological supremacy,
the country responded by supporting policies
that accentuated student participation in
biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics.
The Victoria College emulated the mood of the
nation. When the football program was
dropped, eliminating over twenty scholarships,
the college established ten academic scholarships
and strengthened the entrance requirements
for math and science. 102
Caroline Summers, speech and drama
instructor, escorted her speech students to Big
Spring, hoping to be competitive at the State
Speech Meet in the spring of 1961. The students
measured up to the task and captured the speech
sweepstakes. Her team, reminiscent of the college
days at Patti Welder, won three firsts, three
seconds, and one third. The first place victors
were Peggy Tolbert, poetry; James Wallace, oratory;
and Ada Jackson, dramatic interpretation. 103
Victoria College track and field athletes
and the tennis players in the spring of 1961
✯
There were few empty chairs in
the Student Union Building in
the mornings.
The Dynamic Duo ✦ 99

✯
Coach Eddie Shinn, builder of
champions.
performed superbly and took the Pioneer
Conference titles in both sports. The thin clads
at the conference track meet won nine first
places. Meanwhile, the tennis squad won six out
of seven matches on the first day of play. They
were so successful that the girl’s singles final was
an all Victoria College affair. Although the golf
team did not duplicate the feat of the track and
tennis athletes, Bill Power won laurels for himself
and the college by winning the conference
golf title. 104
The National Junior College Track and Field
Meet at Big Spring in May 1961 proved to be
Eddie Shinn’s finale as a coach. Although the
local contingent experienced moments of joy,
the Pirate competitors overall did not fare well.
A rather inauspicious ending for a man whose
teams dominated junior college track and field
during the 1950s. 105
Hurricane Carla, the largest in Texas history
with estimated wind gusts of 175 miles per
hour at Port Lavaca, savagely roared into the
Coastal Bend area on September 11, 1961.
Property damage along the Texas coast exceeded
$300 million. Because of advanced warning,
people on the coast fled inland. The college
gym was turned into a refuge for individuals
and families seeking shelter from the torrential
rains, and the flying debris that carried a
wallop strong enough to kill a human or a
beast. Out of concern for the safety of students
and college personnel, classes were postponed
until the danger from the wind and flooded
roads was irrelevant. The college suffered
about $5,000 in damage from the hurricane, a
minor figure compared to losses elsewhere in
the region. 106
Moore became actively involved in the local
campaign promoted by the Victoria Chamber
of Commerce to build a new civic center on a
twenty acre tract of land east of the Science
Building. He maintained the new complex
would satisfy the college’s most immediate
need, an air conditioned auditorium. As envisioned
by the backers of the civic center, the
college would cede the twenty acres in
exchange for Brownson Home property that
adjoined the northeast section of the campus,
which presumably was going to be purchased
from bond funds. The president called upon
the student body, as well as the faculty, to take
a role in getting the electorate to the polls on
the bond election day. Moore’s efforts were in
vain, the Victoria County voters rejected the
bond issue. The setback, however, was temporary.
Before the decade ended, the college had
an auditorium. 107
Ever since the Library and Science buildings
were opened in 1958, “there had been some
consideration given to installing a campus
marker.” This goal was accomplished when the
1962 sophomore class, as a departing gift, voted
to install a sign. The college accepted the offer
and agreed to subsidize it. The marker was 28
feet long, 5 feet high, made of hollow tile faced
100 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

with brick with “15-inch-high aluminum letters
spelling out ‘Victoria College.’” It was placed at
the corner of Ben Jordan and Red River streets.
Floodlights were added and directed toward the
sign so it could be seen at night. The marker
became a college landmark. 108
In 1962, the college conducted a self-study
for reaffirmation by the Southern Association
of Colleges and Secondary Schools. Dr. Roland
Bing served as chairman of the self-study committee.
The result of the hard work put in by
the faculty was a report that Bing dubbed “the
little red book” because of its scarlet cover.
Since a majority of the faculty were not around
when the initial study was made in the early
1950s, apprehension as to what to expect from
the organization was rampant on the campus, a
malady that has afflicted those involved in succeeding
self-studies. Moore was unperturbed,
but not wishing to appear too overconfident,
he remarked that “the administrative staff
and faculty will be on their respective toes for
the visit.” 109
Chairing the three member reaccreditation
committee was Dr. J. L. Ashmore, president
of Pensacola (Florida) Junior College. The
educators spent April 8-11, 1962, on the
campus analyzing college policies, checking to
see if the educational institution measured
up to the organization’s standards, and visiting
with the faculty and students. At the conclusion
of the visitation, Ashmore and his associates
met with an assembled faculty in the Student
Union. The chairman made a number of
humorous statements, praised the quality of
education at Victoria College, and then commented
that the college would be reaccredited
even though a few recommendations were
made, a typical move by reaffirmation committees
no matter how thorough the educational
institution is in compiling its report. One of
the recommendations was a college incentive
policy for instructors. The administration
addressed this issue the following year. 110
The first 13 years the college was at the Red
River Street site were, to say the least, remarkable.
Not only had the educational institution
gained the confidence of the community by
providing a quality education at minimal
expense, but it was also recognized as one of
the best two-year colleges in the state. Even
though there was not an appreciable rise in the
cost of attending the college throughout this
period, the campus experienced an expansion
of facilities and faculty to meet the ever
increasing demands of a rising enrollment.
From the outset, the college insisted that student
academic proficiency be equal to, if not
better than, the first two years at senior colleges.
Consequently, Victoria College students
who transferred to upper level educational
institutions performed admirably. Whatever
financial and academic accomplishments the
college enjoyed during the thirteen-year span
can be attributed to two men—J. D. Moore and
John W. Stormont.
✯
The name marker was a gift from the
1962 sophomore class.
The Dynamic Duo ✦ 101

ENDNOTES
1
The Victoria Advocate, 20 July 1949, 9 August 1949; The Victoria College Board Minutes, 8 August 1949.
2
Registrar’s Records, The Victoria College; Advocate, 28 July 1949, 9 August 1949, 11 August 1949, 18 August 1949.
3
VC Minutes, 12 July 1949.
4
Advocate, 9 August 1949, 21 August 1949.
5
VC Minutes, 13 June 1949.
6
Lois Lunsford, letter to author, 7 September 1997; The Jolly Roger, 15 January 1965.
7
Lunsford, letter to author.
8
The Jolly Roger, 23 February 1968; J. D. Moore, interview with author, 8 May 1995; Advocate, 13 September 1949.
9
Registrar’s Records, Victoria College.
10
Lunsford, letter to author.
11
Advocate, 15 September 1949.
12
The Pirate, 1950; Advocate, 19 September 1949.
13
Kemper Williams, Jr., letter to author, 22 September 1997.
14
Ibid.
15
Billy Mullen, interview with author, 8 August 1998; Advocate, 2 November 1949.
16
Advocate, 18 November 1949.
17
Ibid., 14 March 1950.
18
Ibid., 14 April 1950.
19
Ibid., 10 April 1950, 16 April 1950.
20
Ibid., 16 April 1950.
21
Ibid.
22
Ibid.
23
Ibid.
24
Ibid., 30 May 1950.
25
Ibid., 18 July 1950, 20 August 1950; Wilbur Collins, tape interview with author, 12 August 1997.
26
Collins, tape interview.
27
Ibid.
28
The Jolly Roger, 15 November 1950.
29
VC Minutes, 4 December 1950; Advocate, 5 December 1950; Ibid., 19 December 1950.
30
The Jolly Roger, 18 April 1951.
31
Ibid., 18 January 1951.
32
Ibid., 18 April 1951.
33
Pirate, 1951.
34
Registrar’s Records, Victoria College; Advocate, 12 February 1952.
35
The Jolly Roger, 11 January 1952; Advocate, 15 January 1952.
36
Pirate, 1952; The Jolly Roger, 29 November 1950.
37
Pirate, 1952; The Jolly Roger, 7 May 1952.
38
Pirate, 1952.
39
Advocate, 10 June 1952, 15 June 1952, 14 July 1953; The Jolly Roger, 13 October 1952.
40
James Simons, interview with author, 14 July 1998.
41
Advocate, 12 August 1952, 13 May 1953.
42
The Jolly Roger, 13 October 1952; Ibid., 1 October 1953, 3 December 1969.
43
Advocate, 19 October 1952.
44
Larry Shook, letter to author, 23 May 1997.
45
Advocate, 9 December 1952.
46
Jim Lehrer, A Bus of My Own (New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1992), 28-29.
47
Advocate, 10 May 1953, 13 May 1953.
48
Pirate, 1953.
102 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

49
Registrar’s Records, Victoria College.
50
Advocate, 8 November 1959; Lunsford, letter to author.
51
Advocate, 15 February 1954; The Jolly Roger, 19 February 1954.
52
Advocate, 4 March 1954.
53
Ibid., 16 May 1954.
54
Vollie Williams, letter to author, 28 July 1998.
55
Ibid.
56
Advocate, 7 June 1954; San Antonio Register, 18 July 1954; C. R. Callis, tape interview with author, 9 January 1996.
57
Advocate, 15 June 1954, 14 September 1954; VC Minutes, 14 June 1954.
58
Chadbourne Whitmore, telephone interview with author, 7 October 1996; Mary Doughtie, interview with author, 14 July 1998.
59
Whitmore, telephone interview.
60
Lunsford, letter to author.
61
Registrar’s Records, Victoria College; Advocate, 14 September 1954.
62
VC Minutes, 13 September 1954; Advocate, 14 September 1954.
63
Advocate, 13 March 1956; VC Minutes, 12 March 1956; The Jolly Roger, 28 March 1956.
64
Advocate, 15 February 1955, 14 June 1955; VC Minutes, 13 June 1955.
65
VC Minutes, 13 June 1955; Advocate, 14 June 1955.
66
The Jolly Roger, 25 May 1955.
67
Pirate, 1956.
68
Ibid.
69
Advocate, 26 May 1956, 10 July 1956.
70
Pirate, 1957; The Jolly Roger, 18 January 1957.
71
Advocate, 11 September 1956; The Jolly Roger, 24 October 1956.
72
VC Minutes, 10 December 1956; Advocate, 11 December 1956; The Jolly Roger, 17 December 1956.
73
Advocate, 11 December 1956; The Jolly Roger, 17 December 1956.
74
VC Minutes, 7 January 1957; Advocate, 8 January 1957.
75
The Jolly Roger, 18 January 1957.
76
The Victoria College Faculty Minutes, 28 January 1957.
77
Ibid., 14 December 1956.
78
VC Minutes, 4 February 1957; Advocate, 30 January 1957.
79
The Jolly Roger, 12 April 1957.
80
Advocate, 18-19 May 1957.
81
The Jolly Roger, 1 November 1957, 27 November 1957.
82
Ibid., 27 November 1957, 14 April 1958; Pirate, 1958.
83
Advocate, 18 May 1958.
84
Ibid., 17 June 1958.
85
Ibid., 15 July 1958.
86
Ibid., 13 January 1959; The Jolly Roger, 30 January 1959.
87
The Jolly Roger, 11 March 1959.
88
Advocate, 10 February 1959; Ibid., 20 February 1959.
89
The Jolly Roger, 24 April 1959.
90
Roger Van Rekom, tape interview with author, 7 June 1997; Ibid., 11 March 1997.
91
Pirate, 1959; Advocate, 17 May 1959.
92
Advocate, 15 June 1954, 14 April 1959; The Jolly Roger, 24 April 1959.
93
Advocate, 14 July 1959; The Jolly Roger, 5 February 1960; Pirate, 1960.
94
The Jolly Roger, 9 December 1960; Advocate, 12 July 1960.
95
VC Faculty Minutes, 2 September 1960, 3 October 1960.
96
Ibid., 2 October 1960.
97
Advocate, 25 October 1960.
98
Alfred Allen, interview with author, 27 July 1998.
99
Advocate, 15 November 1960; VC Faculty Minutes, 12 December 1960.
Endnotes ✦ 103

100
Advocate, 15 December 1960.
101
Ibid., 15 December 1960, 10 July 1961; J. D. Moore, telephone interview with author, 24 July 1998; Allen, interview with author.
102
Advocate, 14 March 1961.
103
The Jolly Roger, 14 April 1961.
104
Ibid., 12 May 1961.
105
Advocate, 21 May 1961.
106
Ibid., 15 September 1961.
107
Ibid., 10 July 1961; The Jolly Roger, 27 October 1961.
108
Advocate, 14 November 1961, 13 March 1962; The Jolly Roger, 6 April 1962.
109
Advocate, 9 January 1962.
110
Ibid.
104 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

✯
A mid-1950s Victoria College
Women’s Sports Association,
sponsored by Esther Etzel, the fifth
person from the right.
Below: Ronald Koss, Coach Eddie
Shinn, and Ynacensio Cantu stand
behind Victoria College’s first national
track trophy.
Bottom, left: FORE!
Endnotes ✦ 105

106 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

CHAPTER 5
TURMOIL AND CONSISTENCY
During the 1960s, students across the nation took issue with what they considered the inhibiting,
materialistic society of their parents. Crew cuts gave way to long hair, unkempt attire replaced neat
dress, disrespect for authority became commonplace, openness in sexual relations punctured the firewall
that kept intimate relations from becoming a public spectacle, minorities insisted on their rightful
share of the American pie, cynicism toward political figures permeated the campuses, and bad
manners rewrote the book on etiquette. Social historians continually explore and search for causes of
the societal transformation and its long term results.
Even though the overall campus atmosphere was passive, the college was not completely
untouched by the momentous events of the decade. With the conservative social and political environment
of the community, any challenge to the status quo was often looked upon as an extension
of the tumultuous occurrences elsewhere. To many at the college, support for the Civil Rights Act of
1964, skepticism as to the validity of the Vietnam War, calls for a new student dress code, political
activism, or the slightest verbal nourishment for controversial items cast a suspicious light upon a
student or a faculty member. Consequently, divisiveness, albeit minor except for personal differences,
developed among the faculty. Aspersions were cast against those who were viewed as coddling
deviant attitudes that threatened the very existence of society. A running joke among the faculty was
that if two or more instructors were standing and talking in the hall, there was some sort of conspiracy
afoot, or as one senior faculty member remarked, “a cabal.”
Victoria College never came close to replicating the student unrest at the major college campuses,
such as the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Texas at Austin. David
Urbano, a Victoria College alumnus and a keen observer of Mexican-American social and political
behavioral patterns in Texas, provides an explanation as to why, at least, there was not the Mexican-
American upheaval at the college that was experienced elsewhere. He maintains that “Victoria was
a very conservative community and that conservatism is still ingrained in the community’s ethos,
numerous parents admonished their children never to engage in activities that would tarnish the
family name,” and “the lack of minority representation at the city, county, and school boards made
many feel politically powerless to challenge the existing system.” Urbano further observes that
“some Mexican-American parents felt that if their children participated in radical politics the representatives
of the economic and political power structures could have unleashed a severe backlash
that would have wreaked havoc on families already struggling to pursue the American dream.”
Moreover, he argues that “the goals and aspirations of many of the social activists were commendable,
many were in high school and their youth and inexperience necessitated a community leader
to step forth and offer guidance and direction.” Finally, Urbano points out that an insensitive media,
which sometimes equated protest with communism, did not “disseminate the movement’s goals and
aspirations to a community.” 1
Despite the verbal warfare over social and political issues, the faculty was united in the basic goals
and missions of the college—to put forth challenging course work to prepare transfer or terminal students
for their future endeavors and to serve the community’s broad educational needs. From the
administration down to the classroom instructor, there existed a sincere cooperative spirit to achieve
these desired ends. The administrators provided the tools for academic development, the necessary
resources for classroom settings, and, to their credit, they did not enter the teacher’s classroom
domain. Pride in being a member of the Victoria College family and dedication to producing quality
course work at nominal cost to the student and to the taxpayer has never been lacking among the
faculty and administration.
The college took significant steps to upgrade the physical plant in the 1960s. Although faculty
offices were already air conditioned, classrooms in the Administration Building, currently the
✯
Richard Walker presents a lecture to
his history students.
Turmoil and Consistency ✦ 107

✯
V. T. Kallus managed the bookstore
and taught classes in agriculture.
Academic Building, were not climate controlled
until the summer of 1962. Because the administration
deemed a central air system as too costly,
a small unit was installed to cool down every
two rooms. The air conditioners, located in the
classrooms, were extremely noisy, and one room
was usually warmer than the other, causing friction
between faculty members who wanted their
room colder than hotter or hotter than colder.
The units were unreliable and frequently quit
working, thus causing instructors either to
move their classes to vacant rooms with functioning
air conditioners or to open the windows.
Although there were problems with the cooling
systems, the classroom environment was, nevertheless,
greatly improved. 2
Prior to the installation of the air conditioners,
windows were opened for ventilation.
Invariably the shrubs that lined the outside of
the classroom buildings, and the ivy that draped
the exterior facade, housed nests of yellow jackets.
These insects invaded the classrooms and
buzzed the students and instructors, making
education secondary as students and teachers
dodged and swatted, sometimes blindly, at the
intruding yellow jackets. As a matter of self protection,
alertness was the order of the day.
Because the number of classes were limited
and central air conditioning was available, summer
school was conducted in the Science
Building for most of the 1960s. There was, however,
a certain problem associated with teaching
in the Science Building. The cooling system was
cut off on Friday afternoon to save money. Over
the weekend the building warmed. Early
Monday morning, the unit was turned on.
When the cool air collided with the heat, moisture
collected on the desk tops, resulting in student
note pads and books becoming damp.
Besides installing the air conditioners in the
Administration Building in 1962, construction
of a metal maintenance building began and in
October the edifice was completed. The new
building was designed to replace a frame structure
the college purchased in 1948 for $500. 3
Salary schedules, effective for the 1963-1964
academic year, were revised in the spring of 1963
by the board in response to a Southern
Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools
recommendation that the college develop an
incentive program to encourage faculty members
to acquire additional college hours. Basic starting
salary for an instructor with a master’s degree was
increased from $4,800 to $5,000 and for a doctor’s
degree from $5,000 to $5,600. Incorporated
in the scale was a new category—master’s degree
plus 30 semester hours—which had a beginning
salary of $5,300. Yearly increments of $150
108 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

up to a maximum of 12 years were permitted.
President Moore stated that the college goal
was to have 40 percent of the instructors holding
a master’s degree or better and 20 percent
with an earned doctor’s degree by 1966. The
college had little difficulty attaining the 40 percent,
but fell woefully short of reaching the 20
percent figure. 4
Monroe Northcutt’s track team in the spring
of 1963 enjoyed its best season since the glory
days of the national championships. The squad
won first place at the San Antonio College
Invitational, Blinn Invitational, Pirate Relays,
Harlandale Relays, and Alamo Heights tournament.
At the national track meet in Big Spring,
the Howard County tracksters proved to be
unbeatable, producing four records and tying
two. Victoria College finished third at the meet.
Phoenix, Arizona, edged the Pirates for second
place by a single point. An outstanding performance
was made by Victoria College thin
clad Roger Kirkwood. He established a record
for the mile run and won the 880 yard dash.
Victorians also captured the sprint medley
relay. Participating on the relay team were
Kirkwood, John Brandon, Timm Mikulenka,
and John Kiesling. 5
Troubled by societal changes that were often
blamed on the new music craze of rock and roll
and long hair, the administration, ever sensitive
to cultural modifications, issued a Student
Union membership card. The privilege of using
the facility was denied to any student who
engaged in a public demonstration of affection,
spoke or laughed too loudly, played domino
games before 11:14 a.m., or played card games
anytime. Also, male students were not allowed
to wear hats or caps inside the building. Faculty
members were assigned to police the Student
Union and to ask any offending student to leave.
Furthermore, shorts, culottes, pedal pushers,
blue jeans, and slacks were considered inappropriate
apparel for coeds to wear on the campus.
When an instructor brought up the dress code
at a faculty meeting, pointing out that the outlawed
attire was not as revealing as the permissible
mini skirts, he was ridiculed by the administration
for questioning the dress policy. 6
So as not to leave the impression that the college
was a drab, lusterless place, let it be noted
that there were considerable student activities
sponsored by the college that permitted students
to enjoy lively social experiences. The
types of social affairs ran the gamut from formal
dances to country/western entertainment. While
a live band played the appropriate music, students
did the twist, Cotton-Eyed Joe, waltz, or
two-step. Loud, ear-shattering music vibrated
the walls of the Student Union, often irritating
the faculty members who were required to
chaperone these social gatherings. Normally,
when a dance was in progress, instructors and
administrators sat at a distance and played
cards, dominoes, scrabble, or some other game,
leaving their chairs every so often to tell the
band to reduce the volume.
✯
Carolyn Toalson adjusts her PTK cap.
Turmoil and Consistency ✦ 109

✯
Top, left: Dr. John W. Stormont
recognizes Glenn Hackstedt as winner
of Western Week’s Best Beard Contest.
Top, right: Charles Spurlin, history
instructor, serves a hot dog to a
student at a freshmen picnic.
Other social affairs sponsored by the college
included the annual freshmen picnic, either at
the Student Union or local public park, and an
out-of-town sophomore trip. At the picnics, hot
dogs with all the trimmings were served, while
the students enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere in
their slacks, pedal pushers, or blue jeans. With
music pouring from the radios, the young ladies
and men demonstrated how light of foot they
were. The sophomore excursions often involved
similar activities and occasionally a playful
adventure at a swimming pool. Naturally, the
students wore bathing suits. Even the faculty
who disliked the college dress code frowned
upon skinny dipping.
Let it not be forgotten that Western Week,
later Western Day, gave students a lively outlet
for their energies. This was the extracurricular
event that linked the students of the 1950s with
those of the 1960s. Harmless pranks by students
were commonplace in both decades. Vollie
Williams, an athlete in the mid-1950s, remembered
how he and some of his friends caused a
commotion with a four-legged animal in the
boys’ dorm during Western Week. He remarked
that “a bunch of us put a donkey in an upstairs
room…while the guys were gone. They were
quite shocked when they came in…face to face
with a donkey, early the next morning…The
donkey was not ‘house-broke’…[It] did mess up
the room!!!” 7
Dr. C. A. Talley who came to the college in
1961 to teach economics was imminently associated
with the Western Week activities after he
became director of student personnel. He
recalled the progressive extinction of the event
in the 1960s. Talley noted:
About twenty ‘Mafiosos’ from Port Lavaca
came dressed in black with derby hats and carrying
violin cases. They gathered at a large table
in the Student Union. The Sheriff’s deputies and
many ‘cowboy’ members of a posse attempted to
arrest and put the ‘city slickers’ in jail. In the
scuffle the glass of the door of the Student Union
110 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

was broken out. The mafiosos left with a threat
to return with real guns. As Director of Student
Personnel, and an ‘O.K. Corral’ in the making, I
decided to call in the police who stopped the
Port Lavaca men at the campus entrances. The
next day the iron-barred jail was missing. It was
later retrieved from the Guadalupe River where a
fisherman had encountered it. ‘Western Week’
was reduced to three days the next year.
During a city-wide western parade a flat-bed
truck moved down Main Street with an old
wooden outdoor toilet with ‘VICTORIA COL-
LEGE’ painted on it. Someone inside was hollering
and beating on the walls. Viewers were
amused but the Victoria College administration
was not. Western Week was again shortened for
the next year.
Vehicles came onto campus loaded with beer
and other such beverages. The hallways became
clogged with boisterous ‘cowboys’ who were
noisy and discourteous. One faculty member
who apparently thought he was being accosted
nearly ‘ran down’ a ‘Sheriff’ who had decided to
arrest him. The Sheriff jumped to avoid being
hit, landed on the hood and crashed into the
windshield, breaking it. Another student was
found in a stupor on the floor of the men’s restroom.
The student became very uncooperative
and had to be arrested. Several other such events
occurred. Western Week was shortened to one
day for the next year.
An attempt was made to place a faculty member
in jail for not wearing western clothes.
Unknown to the ‘lawmen’ the faculty member
had clinical claustrophobia. The faculty member
fled the campus for the day. Other irregularities
occurred and Western Week was shortened to
✯
Top: Students at a Western
Week dance.
Below: Dr. C. A. Talley lectures to an
economics class.
Turmoil and Consistency ✦ 111

✯
Dr. Roland E. Bing is busy at his desk
in the Administration Building.
one afternoon for next year. Eventually, Western
Week rode off into the sunset. 8
In the meantime, freshman Gayle Wagner
won the 1963 4-H Dress Review held in Dallas.
Her award winning dress was a sheer wool flannel
with a mohair matching coat. Wagner wore
a mohair pillbox hat to go along with her
ensemble. She was given an all-expense paid
trip to the National 4-H Congress in Chicago for
her achievement. 9
Dr. John W. Stormont decided the time had
come to step down as dean and vice president
in 1964. Before officially presenting his resignation
to the board, he informed the faculty of
his intent. Stormont stated that he wanted
more time to pursue private interests. He often
remarked, in jest, that whenever the student
daytime enrollment reached 1,000, it was
time for him to step down. The college was
on the verge of breaking that mark. The
board reluctantly accepted his request to resign
on January 13. After his resignation, which
took effect on July 1, he assumed the responsibilities
as director of the Evening School and
part-time government instructor. 10
As an instructor, the former dean carried his
notes, textbook, handouts, and tests to class in a
cardboard box. He walked into his room, placed
the box on the teacher’s table, took out a pocket
watch that must have cost at least two or three
dollars, set it on the table, and began teaching.
When Stormont finished, he placed his notes
back inside the cardboard box, the watch in his
pocket, and left the room.
Replacing Stormont as dean was Dr. Roland
E. Bing, assistant dean and director of the
Evening School and an individual well-liked by
the faculty and the community. One of Bing’s
personal characteristics was a distinguishable
giggle that caused everyone in hearing distance
to take notice. He was bright, current on educational
matters, a booster of the faculty, a fiscal
conservative, and a hands-on administrator. The
new president was on occasion socially crass
and a distributor of nicknames to faculty members
(e.g., Audley Dry was “Prohibition” and
Blake Farmer was “Progressive Farmer”).
William F. Buckley, Jr., a syndicated columnist,
compared him to author Truman Capote in
social habits and looks. 11
Ruth Williams served as the College Choir
director for thirty-seven years. During her
tenure, she sought to achieve four goals: to
“attain better vocal habits for the future of
each student; to teach basic literature for
their education; to utilize contemporary music
for their enjoyment and social lives; and to tour
112 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

to the max to produce the most finished
performance level.” 12
In 1963, Williams formed the Victoria
Corraliers. These “select voices” were given the
high honor of performing in the Texas Pavilion
on May 28-29, 1964, at the New York World’s
Fair. The eighteen singers left Victoria for the
Big Apple on May 23 in three vans. They “sang
each night on the way to and fro to earn their
dinner, bed and breakfast,” presenting programs
at churches and colleges. When the troupe
reached the nation’s capitol, it stopped long
enough to have breakfast and visit with
Congressman Clark Thompson. When the
Corraliers arrived at Senator Ralph Yarborough’s
office, the Senator “asked them to sing and
opened the door so his neighboring salons
could hear.” Among the vocalists were three students
(Linda Pennington, Kathleen Hummel,
and Joan Horton) known as the Victoria College
Girls Trio who performed special renditions.
Exhausted but satisfied with their performances
on the tour, the local group arrived back in
Victoria on June 6. Frank Deaver, history
instructor and publicist for the trip, summed up
the general feeling of the students and accompanying
faculty members when he remarked,
“Everybody’s happy to be back in Texas.” 13
Because there was a need for additional classrooms
and intercollegiate athletics was downsized,
the Boys’ Dormitory was converted into a
Language Arts Building during the summer of
1964. The basketball and track students on
scholarship who normally resided in the dormitory
were provided room and board off campus,
a move that proved to be undesirable for the
college. Whereas the athletes living in the dorm
had adult supervision, the apartments where
they lived were undersupervised. To the chagrin
of the administration, parties and midnight
swims were not out of the ordinary for the funloving
young men. 14
The board decided at its September 1964
meeting to follow the recommendation of Moore
and authorized the construction of a much
needed auditorium. Seating capacity for the
building was projected to be slightly over 1,000,
ample space for the college according to the
president. Moore told the board that he had visited
with college officials in the state and was
informed that Victoria College did not “need a
big auditorium” because “it doesn’t seem practical
to build a large one when this size will be
good for 20 to 25 years.” 15
Payment for the auditorium was made possible
by a new state law that permitted the college
✯
Corraliers Linda Pennington and
Mickey Regen visit with Senator
Ralph Yarborough on their way to the
1964 New York World’s Fair.
Turmoil and Consistency ✦ 113

✯
The Final Grades Are Posted!
to assess students a building use fee. The board
was enthusiastic over the manner of raising new
revenue without having to go to the taxpayers
for a bond issue. Dr. C. P. Bauer, considered a
leading authority on acoustics and a professor at
the University of Texas at Austin, was employed
as a consultant. Unfortunately, cost overruns
caused a scaling back on the original plans. The
auditorium, as envisioned by Moore, was to
house the art department, but, because construction
expenditures eclipsed the budget, the
plans were altered, and the art classes continued
to be taught in the Administration Building. 16
In 1965, Louise Hume was appointed registrar,
replacing Leona Jones, who retired after
having been associated with the college for
over twenty years. The new registrar had been
employed by the college in 1957 as a business
instructor and in 1962 became dean of women.
As the registrar, she was a dominant force in
the daily management of the educational institution.
Hume oversaw the transition from
manual record keeping to computers. Her
duties included developing schedules, recruiting,
consulting students on classes, handling
public relations, assisting in generating the college
catalogue, and carrying out certain graduation
responsibilities. 17
Duties of the Registrar’s Office changed drastically
by the early 1990s. Martha Watts, assistant
to Hume, succeeded to the position in
1991. Her functions became more specialized
and highly refined. Counseling of students by
the registrar was eliminated and, following a
trend developed by the Social Sciences
Department, scheduling of classes was turned
over to the divisions. One casualty of the change
in counseling procedure was less student interaction
with the faculty. Another change in the
Registrar’s Office was brought about by the
Coordinating Board’s directives becoming more
restrictive, requiring the assignment of a staff
member to concentrate on the compilation of
reports for the state agency. 18
Victoria College students performed
admirably in intercollegiate and other extracurricular
activities in 1965. In sports, Harold
Gardner’s linksters won the Gulf Coast Junior
College Athletic Conference championship for
the fourth consecutive year. Coach Monroe
Northcutt’s thin clads won numerous events
throughout the season but fell short of a national
championship, placing second to a “powerhouse”
squad from Phoenix, Arizona, at the
National Junior College Track and Field Meet in
Garden City, Kansas. Pirate Donnie Coker
received special recognition in Kansas by being
named the outstanding individual performer.
And, perform he did. Coker set a new 220 yard
dash record; came in second to teammate Larry
McCartney in the 100 yard dash; and ran with
Norman Borth, McCartney, and Arthur Jackson
on the first place 440 yard sprint relay team. 19
Impressive also were the journalism students
who received accolades for their quality work
under the sponsorship of Frank Deaver during
the 1964-1965 academic year. At the Texas
114 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

Junior College Press Association convention at
Texas A&M University in the fall of 1964, the
college newspaper was awarded the first place
trophy and was presented the sweepstakes
award for accumulating the most points in
spring competition. Furthermore, three staff
members (Larna Gregory, Mary Streetman, and
Linda Tipton) were elected officers of the organization.
In the spring of 1965, the Jolly Roger
journalists won the association’s sweepstakes
honor for the second consecutive year. First
place awards went to Bruce Spinks for editorial
writing and Gary Smith for cartoons. 20
The Singing Corraliers were chosen by the
Alamo Mission Chapter of the Daughters of the
Republic of Texas to perform during the spring
1965 chapel procession at the annual Fiesta San
Antonio. Their performance was part of a special
ceremony paying homage to the fallen
defenders of the Alamo. Among the other participants
at the observance were military leaders,
city and state officials, patriotic and civic
organizations, and personnel from the San
Antonio schools. The dignitaries led a floral
laden procession from the Municipal
Auditorium to the Alamo. 21
Two significant policy changes effective for
the fall semester were made by the Victoria
College to conform to practices at other colleges.
Prior to 1964, all classes at the college
were 50 minutes long and met three times per
week. That meant that an instructor might have
one day with two classes and another day with
four or five. Other colleges and universities got
around this disparity by conducting Saturday
morning classes. By the 1960s, weekend sessions
were eliminated and all Tuesday-Thursday
lecture classes were lengthened to an hour
and 15 minutes. Not all the Victoria College
faculty were pleased with the new policy.
✯
Coach Harold Gardner gives
instructions to his golf team.
Turmoil and Consistency ✦ 115

✯
Ronnie Jones performs at a college
assembly.
The main argument expressed against the
change was that the longer classes could work to
the disadvantage of the students who had short
attention spans. The other policy alteration
adopted by the college involved going from a
three point grade system to the more common
four point system. 22
Ten acres were added to the campus in the
fall of 1965 when the board agreed to purchase
land from the Brownson Estate for $50,000.
Moore was told by board members that “we had
better acquire the property while we have the
opportunity.” The acquisition increased the college
land holding to 50 acres. 23
Day school fall enrollment at Victoria College
climbed from 702 in 1961 to 1,554 in 1966.
Baby Boomers and accelerated United States
participation in Vietnam had a conspicuous
impact on the college’s increased enrollment
during the 1960s. The bulk of children born to
World War II era parents reached college age
during the decade, sending record numbers of
students to higher education institutions. 24
The Vietnam War also played a role in the
increased number of college students. Many college-age
males disdained the thought of being a
casualty in this highly unpopular conflict and
avoided military service by attending college.
Deferments from military service were granted
for four calendar years to students making satisfactory
progress toward a bachelor’s degree. The
draft-eligible males had to take and pass at least
twelve semester hours each semester. If a student
was placed on scholastic probation or was
not taking the required minimum hours, the
college notified the local draft board. To ward
off criticism from parents whose children did
not meet the standard, Bing commented that if a
student was drafted “it’s the draft board’s decision
and not that of the college.” 25
When the college was created in 1925, it was
under the supervision of the Texas State
Department of Education and after 1949, the
Texas Education Agency; thus, state laws that
governed the junior colleges were generally the
same as those applied to independent school
districts. In 1965, the legislature, acting on a
proposal by Governor John Connally, established
the Coordinating Board, Texas College
and University System. All public junior colleges
in the state were placed under the supervision
of the Commissioner of Higher Education,
an appointee of the Coordinating Board. An
objective of the new arrangement was to make it
less difficult for two-year college students to
transfer to senior colleges by creating regulations
that would permit junior colleges and senior
institutions to work together harmoniously.
Whether or not the Coordinating Board has
accomplished that goal remains debatable
among educators. 26
116 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

In the spring of 1966, journalism students
were thrilled to learn that Victoria College was
the first two-year institution to be accepted as a
participant in a new intern plan sponsored by
The Texas Daily Newspaper Association. The
program was designed “to train and encourage
students who plan to obtain a journalism degree
and enter the newspaper profession.” Student
interns worked during vacations at one of the
seventy-two state newspapers that were members
of the organization. 27
Grand opening events for the new Fine Arts
Auditorium were conducted on October 11,
1966. A morning assembly, featuring foreign
service officer T. Patrick Killough as the speaker,
kicked off the day’s festivities. That evening
“an exciting musical act,” the nationally
renown Four Freshman, performed before an
estimated audience of 700, most of whom were
faculty and community residents. A capacity
crowd of 1,019 was expected, but the entertainers
were passé; students were not inclined
to purchase a $1.00 ticket for the “slow” music
played by the group. 28
History instructor Robert W. Shook, who
possessed an enormous interest in local history,
took the profound step in 1966 of collecting
photographs and slides that were relevant to
the history of Victoria County. He and Frank
Deaver, utilizing their spare time, set up a camera
in the Industrial Arts Building and copied
images from the 1934 historical edition of the
Victoria Advocate. Within weeks, they produced
an estimated 450 slides, a humble start for a
collection that in the 1990s exceeded 10,000
slides and photographs. In developing the photographic
holding, Shook was “especially interested
in old pictures of street scenes, public
buildings, wildlife recreation resources, and
pioneer homes and families.” He contemplated
that the photos and slides “could be used by
civic groups, historical meetings, and interested
individuals.” Little did Shook realize that his
deed to preserve images of the past would
develop into a photographic collection that is
heralded by countless individuals as one of the
best in the state. 29
Hurricane Beulah moved into South Texas in
September 1967. Thousands of coastal Texans
fled inland from the advancing storm, as they
had done during Hurricane Carla, to safer surroundings.
An estimated 7,000 evacuees arrived
in Victoria. To accommodate the refugees, the
gym and Student Union were put into service by
the Red Cross. Classes were dismissed for three
days because of the uncertainty as to how
destructive the hurricane might become and the
unpredictability that torrential rains might have
on classroom attendance. Some students, however,
braved the miserable weather and high
water to assist the Red Cross by serving meals to
refugees and entertaining children either by
playing games or by reading to them. Included
among the college volunteers were Margaret
Ferguson, Patricia Hodge, David De La Rosa,
Juan Bazan, Royce Milberger, Barbara Hyak,
Steve Yarbrough, and Roysteen Hodge. 30
✯
Cathy Benge, copy editor of the Jolly
Roger in 1966, reads an edition of
the college newspaper as it comes off
the press.
Turmoil and Consistency ✦ 117

✯
Hurricane Beulah sweeps across
the Victoria College campus on
September 20, 1967, bringing rain
and high winds.
Although the college’s student population
rose throughout most of the 1960s, the 1967
fall enrollment figure was a major exception.
This decline in 1967 was attributed to the
opening of Bee County College, a decrease in
nursing students, a reduced number of returning
Victoria College students due to a large
spring graduating class, and an exceptionally
high dropout rate that increased from 13 to 20
percent. The latter factor, according to Moore,
was at least in part because the college enrolled
a larger number of students who were incapable
of doing college work. Instead of “dumbing
down” academic course work, remedial courses
were introduced and additional vocational
courses were developed. 31
Charles S. Stone, Refugio county judge in the
1990s and a product of Victoria College’s high
academic standards, attested that the courses he
took prepared him for his upper division classes
at Southwest Texas State University. Initially,
he was not a serious student at Victoria College
and paid little heed to the demands of his
instructors. Stone remarked:
My first college course, first period during
my first semester was in Mr. Jack Edward’s
English class. Mr. Edwards was an excellent
instructor and he had a subtle way of encouraging…his
students to excel. My second period
class that first semester happened to be a break
period during which time I studied the fine art
of table tennis at the Student Union.
I evidently played more table tennis than I
studied because my first test grade in college
which was also in Mr. Edward’s class was ‘D.’ I
was very much dejected and discouraged but by
the time I made it to the Student Union I was
really mad at myself. I slammed so many balls
with so much energy that several were cracked
and my opponents were ducking everywhere.
From then on the friends that I played with
knew pretty much how things were going in my
English class when they saw how I played. By
the end of the semester…I had earned a solid ‘A’
in Mr. Edward’s class and also had become a
pretty good table tennis player to boot. To this
day I still tell people that when I went to college
I ‘minored’ in table tennis but they just wouldn’t
understand that my English teacher was the
motivation behind it. 32
The former county judge’s Victoria College
academic experience would cause him to be
hard pressed to place in his vocabulary the derisive
title, “Pirate High,” the nickname a few students
gave the college.
President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society
programs were a factor in expanding federal
funding for public education. However, Victoria
118 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

College, reflecting the politically conservative
attitude possessed by the majority of the community,
refused to accept any federal financial
assistance. When the college was given the
opportunity for student loans, Moore took the
position that they were not needed since the
educational institution had funds available for
short term loans and local jobs were available
without using federal monies. 33
The college finally acquired its first Xerox
machine in the fall of 1967, and it was greatly
welcomed by the students. The Jolly Roger
noted with glee that the machine was capable of
copying two pages at a time from a book.
Instructors were permitted to use the copier for
class material at no charge, otherwise they paid
the normal ten cents per page. A major benefit
the college derived from the machine was the
reduction in the number of books and magazines
mutilated by students to secure information
for classroom assignments. 34
An additional ten acres of land was purchased
from the Brownson Estate in December
1968 at a cost of $6,500 per acre. Although the
board recognized that the land was “not needed
for any immediate development,” the members
maintained “that it is better to purchase the
property now than to wait until it becomes difficult
to add acreage to the campus.” The ten
acre tract was located east of the college along
Red River Street. 35
W. R. “Dede” Matthews of Matthews and
Associates from Bryan, architects and engineers,
in the employ of the college presented the first
master plan for the campus. Included among the
proposals were the construction of a new health
and physical education building and a technical
building by 1970. Matthews further recommended
that the college build new library and fine arts
buildings by 1975. The architect also suggested
that the current Library Building be used for
administrative offices, that the Science and
Administration buildings be renovated, and that
a new classroom building be constructed. The
master plan called for placing the main entrance
to the college on Ben Jordan, and locating the
library northeast of the old Library Building, “giving
it somewhat of a central position on the campus.”
Total cost for the new buildings and renovation
of the existing ones was projected to be a
little over 2.7 million dollars. 36
Sensitive to faculty demands that employment
and the exercise of academic freedom be protected
from administrations and boards who possessed
contrary viewpoints, the Coordinating
Board issued an order that all public colleges and
universities in the state adopt policies on academic
freedom, tenure, and responsibility. When
the edict was explained to the board members,
the ever self-confident Moore remarked “there’s
not a thing in here I’m afraid of.” 37
A committee comprised of Stormont, as
chairman, Wilma Felger, Carl DuBose, Chad
Whitmore, and Robert W. Shook was chosen by
the faculty to study faculty compensation and
✯
Marie Frankson, librarian,
demonstrates how to use the new
Xerox machine to Bill Moody.
Turmoil and Consistency ✦ 119

✯
Victoria College Cheerleaders for
1966-67 were (left to right) Cathie
Zirjacks, Lydia Serrata, Bea Bauer,
and Judy Knowles.
compose a policy on academic freedom, tenure,
and responsibility. The discussions among the
group entered a contentious stage when Frank
Deaver addressed the committee and requested
that a professional ranking system be established.
Among the advantages of rank, the college
newspaper sponsor pointed out, were
enhanced community respect, prestige at professional
meetings, avenues to publications and
public lectures, academic motivation, professional
recognition, and recruitment and retention
of faculty. On a motion by DuBose that the
committee consider its mandate to draft a statement
on academic freedom, tenure, and responsibility
before considering professional rank, the
committee, by a three to two vote, chose to
ignore Deaver’s item. Shook and Whitmore,
after expressing support for professional rank,
quickly discovered, if they did not know beforehand,
they were a distinct minority on this matter
and other details that arose in the meetings. 38
Deaver’s proposal set off a campus fire storm
as the faculty debated its pros and cons at the
coffee table in the Student Union and in the
hallways between classes. The opposition
thought the idea posed a threat to the pay
schedule, arguing that all instructors doing the
same teaching assignment would be paid
differently because one had a higher professional
rank. Another reason given against professional
rank was that instructors would be pressured
to obtain a doctor’s degree even though at
the junior college level such a degree was
unnecessary since a two-year educational institution
did not require research. Moreover, the
opponents maintained, the entire concept of
rank had the hideous odor of academic elitism.
Moore, never hesitant to speak his mind to
the faculty, became involved in the dispute
when he emphasized that rank was an administrative
matter. If the faculty wanted to create a
committee to study rank, he asserted, so be it,
but all the instructors were to understand that
the final decision, regardless if a majority
favored professional rank, was to be made by
the administration. 39
Bing was adamantly opposed to rank at the
college. He embraced the notion that the faculty
stating that the faculty was employed without
rank, the rights of everyone should be considered,
and that rank was not to be forced upon
any single faculty member. The dean stressed
that teaching and counseling, not research or
writing, were the primary functions of the college.
Bing’s stance prevailed. Although a policy
on professional rank has never been adopted by
Victoria College, it does exist presently for the
Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences. 40
Stormont’s committee completed its work and
presented a “Statement of Academic Freedom
120 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

✯
Left: Dr. Wayne McAlister explains
the importance of science in a
person’s life.
Below: Gasping for air, Richard Wier
beats his competition across the finish
line in the Border Olympics.
and Tenure” to the faculty in May 1968. There
were some minor adjustments made by the
instructors, but overall the document as submitted
remained intact. The proposal suggested that
all faculty members with four years of service at
the college be automatically tenured, a provision
that made it palatable to skeptical faculty members
and, thus, avoided a floor fight. When the
board next convened, the trustees endorsed the
recommendation thereby establishing the college’s
first tenure policy. 41
At the National Junior College Track and
Field Meet in Garden City, Kansas, in 1968, the
track team finished third. 42 The event at Garden
City was the last for Pirate track teams. On the
recommendation of Moore, the board dropped
the program at its July meeting. The president
attributed the decision to budgetary considerations
and “lack of support from both townspeople
and student body.” Moore remarked that
“track is not a spectacular sport…and [there
are] very small turnouts at any of the events.”
He also maintained that attendance at local
track meets were affected by the lesser quality of
athletes competing at the college. Moore stated
that the most sought-after track prospects
attended senior colleges “with smaller schools
being invariably the loser when a student is
offered a four-year scholarship.” 43
Turmoil and Consistency ✦ 121

✯
Above: Dr. Ben Burdine, economics
instructor, finds time to read the Wall
Street Journal between his classes.
Below: Otto Knudson, psychology
instructor, discusses a memory test
with Julius Cano.
Looking forward to expanding the technical/vocational
program, the board approved
the construction of a new technical building.
The structure was designed to house a computer
system and kindred courses. Business
administration classes were to be removed
from the second floor of the Administration
Building to the new building. Matthews and
Associates, the architectural firm that drew up
the plans for the auditorium, was hired to
oversee the estimated $485,000 construction
project. The building was to be ready for occupancy
by 1970. 44
Faculty emotions again sizzled in the fall of
1968. Insistence by instructors advocating a creation
of a faculty senate led to the formation of
a temporary committee to review the issue and
make a recommendation. Ben Burdine, Marshall
McCleary, Charles Spurlin, Michael Hummel,
Wilma Felger, S. T. Boykin, and C. F. Schneider
were elected by acclamation to comprise the
constitutional committee. In a brilliant procedural
maneuver by opponents of a faculty senate,
a naive Spurlin was nominated and elected
chairman of the ad hoc committee when it convened
in the library conference room on
October 3, 1968. The tactic was employed to
prevent Spurlin, viewed as too liberal by a certain
member of the committee, from voting on
items except in case of a tie. 45
There was limited interest among some of
the committee participants. One suggested
that the current World Series was more important.
Nevertheless, useful meetings were held,
albeit with tempers reaching the brink of
exploding, demonstrating a deep division
between those who were satisfied with the status
quo and those who desired a greater faculty
participatory role. To Moore’s credit, he did
not exercise his authority to silence the critics
of the status quo. His inaction was dictated by
122 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

his overall trust in faculty decision making and
his self-assurance that he could handle any and
all situations that might arise.
After intense discussions, flavored with the
chairman being called a psychotic, and
Hummel being accused of trying to take over
the presidency, a majority report emerged by a
three to two vote with one abstention. The
document created a Faculty Advisory Council
composed of the entire faculty. It was chaired
by the dean and convened at the call of the
president, dean, or at the request of four or
more faculty members whenever the matter
related to two or more academic departments.
In effect, the instrument maintained the status
quo. A minority report was drafted, calling for
the formation of a committee comprised of
seven to fifteen members that met periodically.
The second document further stated that an ad
hoc committee be elected to determine the
proposed committee’s structure and function.
Presentations of the two plans were made to
the full faculty. Felger took the lead in describing
the majority report, and Spurlin gave a less
than articulate explanation of the minority position.
After discussing the propositions, a secret
ballot was taken. The majority report was
approved thirty-one to twenty-one, a smaller
margin differential than the spokesmen for the
minority report expected. In the twenty-odd
years the Faculty Advisory Committee existed, it
was used on one occasion.
From time to time, departments initiated
specific-interest publications. In the spring of
1969, English instructors Jessica Warnlof and
Jack Edwards, co-sponsors of the Prism Club, a
creative writing organization, coordinated the
creation of a new literary journal, The Prism,
containing student poems, essays, and short stories.
Ronald Sloan was chosen the first editor.
The next year Dill Starr was selected as the editor.
In order to accommodate the number of
items submitted by students, a welcome development
for the sponsors, the publication of the
journal was increased to twice a year. 46
During the spring of 1969, the local chapter
of the Texas Student Education Association was
selected as the outstanding organization in the
state at the annual TSEA convention in Fort
Worth. The Victoria students also received the
Emphasis ‘69 Honor Award for membership
involvement. As an added bonus, Leon Bazar,
president of the chapter, was elected national
delegate for the South Central States Region. 47
Faculty spirits were lifted when the board, at
the administration’s suggestion, agreed to adopt
a developmental leave policy in the fall of 1969.
The faculty elected a five-member committee to
✯
Gavel Club members at the
Halloween Whoopie in 1969 are (left
to right) Judy Frederick, Larry Bauer,
and Judy May. Eddie De La Rosa is in
the foreground.
Turmoil and Consistency ✦ 123

✯
Michael Hummel is the center of
attention during registration. Seated
(left to right): Kenneth Greenhill,
Geraldine Talley, Hummel, Ricky
Webb, and E. F. “Pete” Gummelt.
compose the eligibility requirements and procedures
for selecting the recipients. Initially, two
instructors were permitted to pursue a doctor’s
degrees or additional hours above the master’s
for a year at half salary. The first two faculty
members selected by the faculty committee were
Wilbur Collins who attended North Texas State
University to study music and Jessica Warnlof
who enrolled in Texas Tech University to take
English courses. Warnlof seized the opportunity
and earned a Ph.D. In the early 1970s, the policy
was scaled back to one instructor a year. The
program was sound and aided several faculty
members who could not have otherwise earned
a terminal degree. Included among the instructors
who were granted leave and earned a doctor’s
degree were Ben Burdine, C. A. Talley,
Michael Hummel, Richard Walker, C. F.
Schneider, and Mary Lee Archer. 48
Without appearing to be too restrictive, yet
trying to avoid the “Yippie” dress on the campus,
administrators in the late 1960s again
printed recommendations for student dress. The
suggestions stipulated that a student could be
dismissed from class “and other activities” if in
the opinion of a faculty member the student’s
appearance was offensive or disruptive. Among
the list of what could be considered unacceptable
were shorts, except for P.E. classes and
intramural competition, bare feet, women with
ungroomed hair, men with hair extending below
the normal dress collar line, men with sideburns
extending below ear lobes, and women dressed
in extreme mini-skirts.
Objections by students, and a few outspoken
faculty members, resulted in a modification of
the recommendations. In December 1969,
females were permitted to wear slacks on campus
without concern of repercussions. Kathy
Newberry summed up the student reaction to
the change when she remarked, “It’s great.”
Frances Workman, a college secretary, reflecting
the viewpoint of many faculty members and
staff, commented that she “would personally
rather see girls in a pair of slacks than a dress
that is inches too short.” 49
There was not an immediate relaxation in the
recommendations for men’s dress. However, recognizing
that campus life was definitely not the
same as in the 1950s, and a dogmatic stand
opposing any alterations in student dress was
counterproductive in recruiting prospective students,
and that court decisions more and more
struck down dress codes, the administration
sought a compromise. Searching for the appropriate
middle ground, graduating sophomores
and the faculty were surveyed as to their opinions
on a male dress code. A majority of the
students responded in favor of long hair, beards,
sandals without socks, and wearing shirttails
out. They were against wearing shorts to class.
The faculty reaction was the same as the
124 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

students except for long hair. The administration
responded to the changing times and tempered
its opposition. As a result, the controversy
surrounding a dress code subsided to the
point that little if anything was said about it by
the end of the 1970s. 50
College basketball enthusiasts suffered a serious
setback in 1970 when the board terminated
the intercollegiate basketball program. Moore
remarked that the poor attendance at the games
did not justify the cost of carrying the sport. He
stated that a survey of five games indicated that
the average student attendance was less than
eighty. By dropping the program, the president
noted, the college saved $16,000 a year. 51
While the statements by Moore were accurate,
the basketball games at the college were better
attended during the period that Harlon Gerhold
was head coach than the preceding three or four
years before he came to the college. He did an
excellent job leading the team. His style of play
was at a faster tempo than previous years and the
spectators enjoyed the change. An added attraction
at the games during the 1969-1970 season
was the Saberette Shipmates comprised of
Jacquelyn Duke, Sandy Phillips, Sherry
Farquhar, Alice Pozzi, and Shirley McMurray.
The group was formed to assist the cheerleading
corps of Jo Nell Arnold, Shelley Ann Schauer,
Judy Lynn Frederick, and Karen Brucene Smith
and to draw more students to the basketball contests.
Ruben Pena even helped to organize a pop
band to provide pregame and half time entertainment.
But, alas, attractive young ladies,
music, and Eddie and David De La Rosa in their
✯
Above: Coach Harlon Gerhold
explains to David Barnes the proper
way to run a play.
Left: The 1968-69 Pirate cheerleaders
were (left to right) Judy Frederick,
Mary Thweatt, Alannah Spinks, and
Carole Haines. In the foreground are
Eddie De La Rosa (left) and David
De La Rosa who gave spirited
performances at basketball games
dressed as buccaneers.
Turmoil and Consistency ✦ 125

✯
Above: Caroline Summers, speech and
drama instructor, produced speech
and drama teams that were successful
in intercollegiate competitions.
swashbuckling attire, and a court-wise coach
were not sufficient to attract people to the games
in the numbers to keep the program afloat. An
exasperated cheerleader sarcastically commented
after one of the games, “What is it going to take
to get students to come to the games? Do we
need to take off our clothes?” Realistically, commuter
schools like Victoria College cannot
expect students to return after they leave for the
day because of jobs and the unacceptable travel
time for out-of-county students. 52
Caroline Summers’ speech students made an
impressive showing in competition during the
spring of 1970. At the Texas Speech and Drama
Contest for Junior Colleges tournament on the
campus of North Texas State University in
Denton, Dianne Ulman won the state championship,
and Ronnie Williams placed third in the
original oratory category. 53
A law enforcement education program was
offered for the first time in the fall of 1970 to
meet the need of individuals who wanted to
make a career of law enforcement. The classes
also afforded those currently in the profession an
opportunity for personal development. Bing
noted in justifying the program that “many agencies
require a basic two years of college education
and investigative agencies at the state and
federal levels usually have qualifications including
four years of college work.” Apparently referring
to the United States Supreme Court decisions
of the 1960s that had law and order advocates
in a tizzy, he further stated, “Today’s society
demands that the law enforcement officer be
an educated, trained and skilled specialist in
crime detection and law enforcement. To be successful,
he must have certain qualities of character,
dedication, training and education in the
basic skills of this profession.” 54
In addition to the new law enforcement program,
students were offered a computer course
for the first time during the 1970 fall semester.
The college leased an 1130 IBM computer,
enabling students to complete a curriculum in
computer science technology. Prior to leasing
the computer, only data processing courses
were taught. 55
In November 1970, Wilma Felger, chairman
of the Department of Social Sciences, was
awarded a plaque during one of her history
classes by a representative of the Texas State
Teachers Association. Making the presentation
was Johnny Peacock, elementary school principal
in Goliad and past treasurer of TSTA’s Region
III. Felger was recognized for her many contributions
to the history sections at the organization’s
regional meetings. Peacock acknowledged
her professional dedication and the giving up of
her time unselfishly. 56
Performances by the speech students at the
Southwest Texas State University Speech Festival
at San Marcos on November 20-21 were exceptional,
resulting in several awards for the
contestants. They received three superior ratings,
six excellent, and six good. The superior ratings
were received by Dianne Ulman, persuasive
126 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

manuscript; Kay Burns, poetry interpretation;
and Sylva Shroyer, persuasive manuscript.
Excellent ratings went to Karen Huegele, original
poetry; Twinkle Johnson, dramatic reading;
Roy Mark, extemporaneous speaking; Shelly
Lee, poetry; and Huegele and Bill Wright,
duet reading. Good ratings were awarded Sherry
Farquhar, Sally Aman, Burns, Shroyer, Mark,
and Turner Mooneyham. 57
Another award winning group was the
Victoria College Chapter of the Texas Student
Education Association, sponsored by faculty
members LeRoy Pahmiyer and Jean Dabney. In
the spring of 1971, the chapter earned a first
place for its scrapbook at the annual TSEA
Convention at Dallas. The local organization
also received the Emphasis Award and was
named first runner-up for the Outstanding
Junior College in Texas. Shirley McMurray was
president of the chapter. 58
V. T. Kallus ended his distinguished career at
the college in 1971 on a high note. The Victoria
District of the Soil and Water Conservation
Society recognized him as the most outstanding
agriculture teacher in the field of soil conservation
management. Furthermore, he was cited by
the Texas Conservation Society as the outstanding
business professional man in Texas in the
field of conservation for 1970. Kallus came to
the college after his discharge from the military
service at the end of World War II. He assumed
the responsibility of running the veterans program
which involved agriculture, distributive
education, and mechanical arts. When he
retired, Kallus was teaching agricultural classes
and managing the bookstore. 59
✯
Top: Al Allen, math instructor, gives
a demonstration on the latest
computer technology.
Left: Wilma Felger, chairman of the
Social Sciences Department, discusses
her visit to the Mid-East with the
Newman Club.
Turmoil and Consistency ✦ 127

✯
Above: Members of the 1971 debate
team were (left to right) Roy Mark,
Cynthia Bielee, David Bissett, Dianne
Ulman, and Coach James Gleason.
Right: Aggie Club sponsor V. T. Kallus
discusses a film with (left to right)
Don Wieland, Janice Fanning, and
Dennis Lala.
Changes in the selective service law and roaring
inflation rates spilled over to the college,
impacting fall enrollment figures throughout the
1970s. From 1971 to 1982, the number of students
who registered for course work was relatively
flat. While the head count increased from
1,711 in 1971 to 2,439 in 1981, full-time equivalency
rose only from 1,649 to 1,760. In 1972,
there was a drop of 145 in enrollment from
1971, and in the same period, full-time equivalency
decreased from 1,649 to 1,480. In 1975,
the number of full-time students increased
(2,180) and so did full-time equivalency
(1,831). However, the head count rose the next
two years, but the full-time equivalency
remained the same. By 1979, the number of
128 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

full-time students expanded to 2,276 while the
full-time equivalency grew to 1,690, a figure
comparable to 1973. Since the fall of 1982, the
enrollment tables indicate a steady rise in both
head count and full-time equivalency, except for
minor aberrations. 60
The college annual, The Pirate, which was
first published in 1930 and intermittently thereafter,
was discontinued in 1971. Reasons cited
by the administration for its demise were: the
college was a commuter school without “a sustained
loyalty as a senior college,” only onefourth
of the students bought the book in 1970
or even had their pictures taken, and the
college decided to produce a more cost effective
college magazine, the Kaleidoscope. 61
“Wow! I know her” was a common refrain on
the campus in the fall of 1971. Victoria College
graduate and former Pirate cheerleader Brucene
Smith from Port Lavaca, after having been chosen
Miss La Bahia Downs and Miss Texas World,
won the Miss USA-World contest, earning her
an opportunity to compete in the Miss World
International Pageant in London. Although the
crown eluded her, Smith was selected as one of
the seven finalists. Ironically, her entry into the
world of beauty pageants was unplanned. The
odyssey began when Smith’s name was placed in
the La Bahia Downs contest over her objection;
but once she was entered, Smith nevertheless
competed. She enjoyed the experience and
entered other beauty events. 62
Speech students continued to perform at an
exceptional level in competition with college
students from other campuses. At the 1971 fall
speech festival at Southwest Texas State
University, Twinkle Johnson and Cynthia Woehl
received superior ratings. Excellent ratings were
awarded Kay Burns, dramatic literature reading;
Shelly Janota, poetry; Charlene Goodman, poetry;
and Rufus Diggs, original poetry. Receiving
good ratings were Shelly Lee, poetry; Linda
Ruddick, entertaining speech; and Woehl,
entertaining speech. 63
In the spring of 1972, a reaffirmation committee
from the Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools made its decennial visit to
the campus. Since the fading weeks of 1970 and
throughout 1971, the administration, faculty,
and staff engaged in preparing a self-study
report under the chairmanship of Stormont. As
the college personnel went about their assigned
tasks of gathering data, attending committee
meetings, and evaluating distinct elements of
the college; personal, philosophical, and issueoriented
differences caused vocal eruptions. The
bickering was over such things as types of university
degrees, faculty participation in areas
considered administration prerogatives, and
alleged closed committee meetings. Stormont
was undeterred by the grumbling and steadily
moved forward to complete a satisfactory document.
When he compiled the final report, the
former dean crafted responses that disregarded
viewpoints and conclusions that were contrary
to his, leaving no guesswork as to what he
✯
Brucene Smith, Miss USA-World,
with escort.
Turmoil and Consistency ✦ 129

✯
Donnell Cole (right), math instructor.
thought of the critics’ opinions. As most of the
faculty and administration expected, the
Southern Association of Colleges reaccredited
the college with a few recommendations.
Off and on, from the time Victoria College
was established, there were community discussions
over the two-year institution becoming a
four-year college. Moore and other college
authorities, whenever they were brought into
the conversations, steadfastly maintained that
the sole aim of Victoria College was to become a
first-class junior college and “serve the needs of
the community.” The president predicted in the
mid-1960s that the college might add junior
and senior years sometime in the 1980s when
the population grew enough to warrant a senior
institution. Considering such a possibility, the
1967 college master plan was prepared in such
a way that it was “adaptable enough to take care
of even greater growth that would result if a senior
college program were required.” 64
Although the board and Moore were not
attracted to the idea of the college becoming a
four-year institution, they supported civic leaders
in the Coastal Bend region who were seriously
inclined to pursue the creation of a senior
college in Victoria, the hub of the area.
Standing in the way of the proponents was the
Coordinating Board’s opposition to the formation
of a new senior college. The state agency
maintained that Texas currently had enough
four-year institutions, but if one were to be
approved, it would be located in San Antonio, a
major city without a state-supported college. 65
Optimistic that the state legislature would be
receptive to their solicitation for a senior college,
the Victoria Chamber of Commerce influenced
the district’s state representative, Richard
H. “Dick” Cory, to introduce legislation in 1969
establishing Victoria State University. Morris
Shattuck, president of the local chamber and a
board member, felt positive about the bill and
stated that he had not encountered any opposition.
Winston Zirjacks, president of the board
and a bank executive, remarked that a university
would significantly boost the Victoria economy.
After the Victoria College trustees endorsed
the proposal, Moore asked the faculty to discuss
the matter with the public and stress that the
establishment of the university was ten or fifteen
years in the future because of the opposition
from the Coordinating Board. 66
Determined to change the position of the
higher education supervisory body and to
secure a favorable vote in the legislature, the
Victoria Chamber of Commerce composed a
report outlining the need for Victoria State
University and gathered testimonials from city
and school officials, business executives, farm
organizations, and spokesmen from professional
130 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

societies within the 15 counties the university
was to serve. Two points were emphasized by
the chamber. One of them being financial savings
for both the state and the students. A second
advantage in having a local senior institution
would be the overall educational benefits
for a growing population in the region. The
chamber predicted that the university would
have an enrollment of 1,309 by 1973 on a 200
acre site it was “prepared to supply.” 67
Sadly, the action taken by the chamber
did not sway the Coordinating Board. Without
the blessing of the college supervisory body,
support in the legislature was insufficient
to secure the necessary number of votes for
Cory’s bill. Although their first meaningful
attempt to establish a senior institution in
Victoria failed, advocates of the objective
were determined to push forward for an upper
level college.
Even though partisans for expanded higher
education opportunities for people living in a
radius of 75 miles around Victoria continued to
give some thought to Victoria State University,
✯
Daniel Potcinske and Kay Robinson
perform a special ballet.
Turmoil and Consistency ✦ 131

✯
Dominoes were a daily routine in the
Student Union.
their primary attention shifted to enticing a senior
university to locate a branch on the Victoria
College campus. It was thought, based on
hearsay, that this approach would be greeted
warmly by the Coordinating Board. Victoria
College trustees C. P. “Pete” Montier and R. E.
“Earl” Cliburn in their reelection bids in 1970
embraced the concept by publicly supporting
“a separate upper level institution located here
by the state in the future to supply needs of
students from Victoria College and other area
junior colleges.” 68
Vigorous lobbying of the Coordinating Board
by local community leaders finally paid dividends.
The state agency on April 23, 1971,
opened the door for the establishment of an
upper division college branch by recommending
that the legislature permit a senior institution to
locate a branch at the Victoria College. Moore’s
response to the step was short and to the point.
He said, “We are very well pleased with the
board’s action.” Sam D. Young of El Paso, a
Coordinating Board member, stated, “The off
campus center…will permit utilization of facilities
for instructional purposes at considerable
savings to the state. In point of fact, the Victoria
plan is the most economical way we have available
to expand educational opportunity, at the
upper division level, and into those communities
showing need.” 69
Which university would place a branch at
Victoria College? How would a branch affect
the Victoria College? These were questions that
dominated faculty conversations. Moore
addressed the queries by remarking that he
thought Texas A&M University was favorably
inclined to establish an extension on the campus.
He said that Texas A&M President Jack
Williams had demonstrated a keen interest “in
pursuing the possibility.” Southwest Texas State
University had also made an inquiry. Moore
also commented that should an upper level
branch be placed on the campus there would be
no loss of investment by the college because
132 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

any additional buildings constructed to meet
the needs of the senior university would be utilized
by the college. 70
Showing the greatest amount of enthusiasm
for the placement of a branch campus in Victoria
was the University of Houston. Because the
University of Houston Board of Regents was convinced
there was an educational need in the area
and the community supported the enterprise, in
1972, it authorized Dr. Philip Hoffman, president
of the university, to proceed with plans to
create a branch on the Victoria College campus.
Under the auspices of Hoffman, a preliminary
study was conducted to prioritize the courses of
study. The findings of the survey indicated that
the teaching field was the greatest demand, a
master’s program in engineering was second, and
business administration placed third. 71
In June 1972, the Coordinating Board, by
unanimous vote, gave the green light for the
University of Houston to open an upper level
center in Victoria. State funding of some
$161,200 was allocated to plan for the establishment
of the branch. Meanwhile, the college
✯
Sherry Pavlica (left) and Adela
Sanchez compete in a table tennis
tournament.
Turmoil and Consistency ✦ 133

✯
Victoria College began teaching
classes at Warm Springs in
September 1973.
received numerous calls from prospective students
inquiring as to when the classes would
begin and what courses would be offered. 72
Dr. Reginald Traylor, who served as chairman
of the University of Houston’s Math
Department, was named as director of the
University of Houston Victoria Center. The
director, from his office in the Victoria College
Administration Building, proceeded to prepare
for the offering of course work in January
1973. Initially, the center, which rented classroom
and office space from the college, intended
to schedule four courses the first semester
and a full complement in the fall of 1973.
Enrollment and demand for classes, however,
were greater than projected. Consequently,
twelve courses were offered to accommodate
105 students, most of whom were taking
education courses. 73
In the meantime, the college proposed a
building program to satisfy the projected needs
for both institutions. Accordingly, the board
called for a $2,750,000 bond election to be
held on October 14. The funds were to be used
to construct a library building, an office and
classroom complex for the center, an additional
gymnasium, an allied health structure, and
more covered walkways. A portion of the
money was to be used to convert the existing
library into a college administration building.
Since the bond issue would not be sufficient to
pay for the entire proposal, $100,000 was to be
used from the college operational budget.
Matthews and Associates of Bryan were
employed as the architects. Don Krueger
Construction Company of Victoria won the bid
to become the general contractor. 74
Soon after the bond issue was accepted by
the county voters, the original gymnasium blueprint
was altered so a three-story library building
could be constructed that would meet
the projected book space requirements for the
University of Houston Victoria Center. The most
important changes in the gym were the elimination
of bleachers and the reduction in size of the
basketball courts. Initially, Moore anticipated
leaving the third floor of the library vacant, but
even before the structure was completed, it was
apparent to the president the entire building
was going to be occupied to satisfy the unexpected
demand for space. 75
Meanwhile, in the fall of 1972, Victoria
College speech and drama students competed
in the Southwest Texas State University Speech
Festival and placed fifth in a field of 35 colleges
and universities from Texas, Arkansas, and
Louisiana. Local participants receiving superior
ratings at the festival were Georganne Joseph,
original poetry; Cynthia Woehl, dramatic
literature; and a nine member cast of the Reader’s
Theatre for their presentation of “Prophets
Write on Subway Walls.” 76 Included in the
entourage from the college was the Black Readers
Theatre which was founded the previous year.
134 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

The group offered a program in which members
Rufus Diggs, Wilfred Burns, Shelly Green, DeTar
Drinkard, Virlece Ellison, and Vicky Lott performed
songs and read poetry and prose written
by blacks. 77
For the first time in its history, the college in
early 1973 sought a federal grant to assist in the
construction of the new library building.
Traditionally, college officials were opposed to
federal assistance on the grounds that the funds
came strapped with burdensome regulations.
But ultimately the lure of lower local taxes
brought a change of heart. 78
In February 1973, the Gonzales Warm
Springs Foundation sent a letter of inquiry to
seven South Texas junior colleges to ascertain
their interest in providing academic instruction
at their facility for the severely handicapped.
Victoria College’s response was immediate and
the only one that demonstrated an enthusiastic
willingness to establish a program. The offering
of course work by the college, however, was
subject to the approval of the Coordinating
Board. On March 26, the state supervisory
agency gave its consent, and soon afterwards an
agreement was negotiated between the college
and the Warm Springs Foundation. The intent
of the project was to “provide students with
saleable skills for self-employment or employment
in the business community” and offer
“transferable credits for continued study at
other colleges and universities.” Jerry Zavesky, a
graduate of Southwest Texas State University
and a resident of San Marcos, was employed by
the college as the instructor and chairman of
the program. Classes began on September 14,
1973, with 19 students. 79
Dr. George Taulbee, who taught courses at
Warm Springs after Zavesky moved to the
main campus in Victoria, attempted “to make
the experience of going to school here as
comparable as possible to what the student
would experience if he or she were attending
a four-year university.” He tried “to maintain
the quality of grading as well as work study
that a university would have to prepare the
students for their future studies.” Taulbee
was impressed with the students, considering
them to be “extremely courageous and
motivated individuals.” 80
✯
Jerry Zavesky was the instructor and
chairman of the college program at
Warm Springs.
Turmoil and Consistency ✦ 135

✯
Mary Ann Wright (left) and Marilyn
Powell want their students to know
they are not heartless!
Caroline Summers’ speech and drama students
again demonstrated their theatrical talents
in the fall of 1973. In the junior college
division at the Southwest Texas State
University Speech Festival which was composed
of 648 students from forty-one schools
in five states, the Victoria College Readers
Theatre received an outstanding award for its
performance of “Searching In, Reaching Out.” 81
The Lyceum has become a major feature of
Victoria College life. Its origins are found in the
old class schedules when special periods each
week were assigned to club activities and assemblies.
The new schedule established in the mid-
1960s eliminated the special periods, but occasionally
classes were canceled or rearranged to
accommodate particular programs. Because the
affairs did not attract many students, in
February 1969, Bing appointed an ad hoc
assemblies committee, chaired by Chad
Whitmore, to suggest programs more appealing
to the students. Whitmore’s committee was to
present its recommendations before the end of
the spring semester so funds for the assemblies
could be budgeted. At the May faculty meeting,
Whitmore reported the committee had reached
the conclusion that only evening events should
be held, maintaining that assemblies did not
warrant the loss of class time. The committee
also suggested that a student activity fee of
$2.00 per semester per student might assure
higher quality programming. It further recommended
that the administration bow out of the
selection process and a standing committee
composed of faculty members and students, but
primarily students, be formed to select the
speakers or entertainers. 82
The advice was duly considered and a sevenmember
Assemblies Committee, comprised of
elected faculty members, emerged. Acting on
the recommendation of the ad hoc committee,
evening programs were conducted, but, as with
day assemblies, student turnout was sparse.
Even Geoffrey Holder, a national television and
radio personality, drew less than 500 people, a
respectable but not an impressive figure. 83
New members were elected to the Assemblies
Committee in 1973, and a different approach
to programming was advanced. The committee
decided to bring a nationally known speaker
to the campus for a morning presentation.
Moore was approached with the idea, and he
concurred. The president requested that the
committee recommend the names of three
nationally prominent individuals, and he would
select one. A list was compiled, and Moore
chose Roger Mudd, a CBS congressional correspondent
and an occasional replacement for
136 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

Walter Cronkite, anchor of the network’s popular
evening news.
Mudd made his appearance on the campus at
9:30 a.m. on March 27, 1974. He was originally
set to speak in the fall of 1973, but because the
television correspondent underwent oral surgery
during that period, his program was rescheduled.
When Mudd made his presentation, the
Fine Arts Auditorium was filled to capacity. In
his speech, he gave an update on current events
in the nation’s capital and predicted that
President Richard Nixon would leave office early
as the result of the Senate Watergate hearings.
When the session was opened to queries from
the audience, Mudd was very adept at fielding
questions. His address proved that with the right
personality a morning event would draw more
students than an evening performance, and the
faculty would accept loss of class time if the
speaker possessed a national reputation. 84
Because the morning assembly programs featuring
speakers such as Mudd became extremely
popular with the students, faculty, regional high
schools, and the community, they were expanded
✯
Chad Whitmore, English instructor, is
surrounded by admiring students.
Turmoil and Consistency ✦ 137

✯
Kenneth Peery and Nancy Nillen in
the foreign language lab.
from once a year to once each semester, and
eventually to five per year. At least one event was
conducted at night, even though the crowds were
smaller, to give residents whose work prevented
them from attending the morning sessions an
opportunity to hear nationally recognized speakers.
Also, since the programs evolved into something
different from a mere assembly for students,
and literally became the envy of colleges and universities
throughout the state, the Assembly
Committee adopted a new name, the Lyceum.
The change came about at the suggestion of committee
member Richard Walker who thought it
necessary because the committee was performing
functions other than arranging assembly programs,
and it needed a distinct identity.
Victoria College choir members were given a
once-in-a-lifetime experience in the summer of
1974. They became one of ten American
singing groups to make a month long tour to
Romania. In preparation for the trip, Ruth
Williams rehearsed the chorus for several
months before taking them to Westminster
Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, for
seven days of intense rehearsal. The party spent
three weeks in the communist country with
some interesting results. One of the Victorians
met and married a student of another American
choir, and a second Victorian “had his passport
lifted from his hip pocket,” causing the group
to spend “four days in fear” before they “arrived
at a location where he could obtain a replacement.”
Williams remarked that she and the students
“were handed flowers on the street,
watched over by plainclothes men everywhere,
hounded for encores and allowed to view some
of the most beautiful scenery and rural sights I
will ever be permitted to see.” 85
Another attempt was made in the fall of 1974
to create a faculty senate. At the September 19
faculty meeting, Michael Hummel made a
motion that a faculty committee be elected to
investigate the possibility of establishing a faculty
organization. After the motion passed, James
Gleason, a government instructor, proposed an
amendment that called for a special meeting in
two weeks to discuss the 1968 faculty senate
resolution. Gleason’s motion was accepted. Bing
asked Charles Spurlin, the chairman of the 1968
faculty committee, to make the report. 86
138 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

When the faculty convened on October 4,
Spurlin presented a brief account of the events
that revolved around the committee in 1968.
He reviewed the faculty’s reaction to the majority
and minority recommendations, and the
subsequent passage of the majority suggestion
to create an advisory council. When Spurlin
finished with his remarks, Jerry Duren, agriculture
instructor, moved that the existing
arrangement be kept. Gary Underwood, biology
instructor, seconded the motion. A lively,
animated discussion followed before Audley
Dry, dean of men, called for the question. By a
show of hands, Duren’s proposal was approved
28 to 22. The status quo remained intact to
the satisfaction of Bing and the misinformed
faculty members who were concerned of a
“liberal” takeover. 87
Interestingly, Dr. Reginald Traylor of the
University of Houston Center played a role in
the eventual reunification of the Victoria College
faculty. Appearing before the college faculty in
1974, he related his thoughts on the merger of
Victoria College and his institution, suggesting
it would be beneficial to the community. In
response to an inquiry by James Franz, English
instructor, as to how many college faculty would
be retained if there were a consolidation, Traylor
commented that the faculty members would
have to apply for employment. The decision
would then be left to UHC to assess the teaching
qualifications of the applicants. Traylor gave
no assurances whatsoever that the college faculty
would be absorbed by the upper-level institution.
The faculty members interpreted his comments
to mean there was a strong possibility
they would lose their jobs. He also provided
unsatisfactory answers, at least to the college
instructors, on tenure, organizational structure,
and salary. The supporters of the UHC were
aghast at Traylor’s remarks. Without a doubt, he
did more to bring about the end of Victoria
College faculty factionalism in the 1970s than
any other person. At the conclusion of the meeting,
the instructors left the room all but united
in opposition to the merger. 88
On a more pleasant note, Monroe Northcutt,
who was employed by the college in 1961, was
recognized with a special award by the National
Junior College Track and Field Association for
his many contributions to national junior college
track and field events. While he was the
track coach, his teams placed in six of the seven
years they competed at the national meets. In
1970, he was selected as referee of the national
meet, a distinctive honor in itself. The association
acknowledged further respect for Northcutt
by choosing him to serve as chairman of the
Rules Committee. 89
On March 17, 1975, Moore surprised the
trustees and college community when he read
to the board his letter of resignation, effective
✯
Listening to comments being made by
President J. D. Moore at a capping
ceremony are (left to right) Harold
Nichols, business manager, and allied
health instructors Mary Ann Wright
and Marjorie Patek.
Turmoil and Consistency ✦ 139

✯
Dr. C. F. Schneider reviews a student
article for the Jolly Roger.
July 1. Trustee Leo Welder made a motion to
accept the letter “with regret.” Bing, on Moore’s
recommendation, was named unanimously to
succeed him as president. At the time the president
announced his resignation, he stated
“that there were a number of things he wanted
to do.” For one thing, Moore expressed a desire
to take some trips with his wife Edith, “assuming
that gasoline is available.” Furthermore, he
wanted to achieve his goal of beating the
eighty-year-old Sandy Santleben, a friend and a
retired railroad worker, in a round of golf at the
Riverside Golf Course before Santleben
reached ninety. 90
Accolades from throughout the state were
showered upon Moore as word spread of his
impending retirement. San Marcos Baptist
Academy presented him with the school’s highest
award, the Exemplary Service Medal, for his
contributions to Christian and public education.
The Texas Public Junior College Association
gave him an award of appreciation at a luncheon.
Making the presentation of the TPJCA
plaque was Tom Spencer, a friend and long-time
associate of Moore. Spencer praised the retiring
president and jokingly remarked, “There are
some stories about J. D. Moore that I could tell
here today, but I won’t because the statute of
limitations on them is not yet up.” 91
Local recognition of Moore’s civic and public
achievements was expressed in diverse ways.
The college chapter of the Texas Association of
College Teachers sponsored a dinner on May 16
at the Victoria Country Club honoring him.
The organization purchased, without Moore’s
knowledge, the desk he used at the college.
During the festivities, economics instructor
Ben Burdine, on behalf of the faculty, informed
the outgoing president that the desk was his
to keep. He also presented Moore with a plaque
that was to be affixed to the desk. The evening
event was enlivened by humorous comments
by Dr. John W. Stormont, Monroe Northcutt,
and Burdine. Entertainment, if the term is
used loosely, was provided by the Moribund
Quartet, a surprisingly harmonious group. The
quartet was comprised of Moore’s daughter,
Cora Jo Hummel and her husband Michael
140 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

Hummel, Ruth Williams, and Don Cole with
Donna Cole providing piano accompaniment.
The City of Victoria and Victoria County
declared June 15, the date the college conducted
an open house of its new facilities, as J. D.
Moore Appreciation Day. 92
After interviewing prospective candidates,
Bing, with the board’s unanimous approval,
tapped Dr. Oscar Rex Whiteside, dean of Hill
Junior College, as his replacement. Whiteside, a
veteran of the Korean War, received an undergraduate
degree from Texas A&M University, a
master’s degree from Texas Christian University,
and a doctorate in education from Baylor
University. He taught in the Fort Worth public
schools and Arlington State College before his
employment at the Hillsboro junior college.
While at the two-year school in Hill County,
Whiteside served as registrar prior to being elevated
to the dean’s position. 93
A favorite story of the students at Hill Junior
College had to do with Whiteside. It seems that
while he was dean, Whiteside taught a math
class, a practice he briefly continued at Victoria
College. One day he was uncustomarily late to
class. After waiting some twenty minutes, his
students left the room. At the next class session,
Whiteside took them to task for leaving
because they knew he would be there. A student
politely stated, “I thought we had to wait
ten minutes for an instructor with a master’s
degree”…which Whiteside had “and 15 minutes
for one with a doctorate.” Whiteside
quickly retorted, “That’s right, but you wait all
day for the Dean!” 94
Whiteside had his first opportunity to visit
with the faculty at a July reception in the
Student Union honoring Bing as the new
president. Reaction from the faculty who met
him was positive. When Whiteside was
introduced at the general faculty meeting on
August 25, Bing, as expected, gave an emphatic
endorsement to the dean. The president
said, “If you do not please Dr. Whiteside in
instructional matters, you will not please me.”
Whiteside in his segment of the meeting provided
a ray of light as to his role at the college.
He remarked that the dean’s position was
strictly to help the faculty, and the instructor’s
position was to create an atmosphere in which
learning took place. His words were comforting
to the faculty, but there remained a dash of
apprehension. Whether the new leadership
combination would be as successful as the preceding
one was anyone’s guess. Only time
would tell. 95
✯
Kenneth Greenhill and Doyle
Christian await the arrival of the
next group of students to register
for classes.
Turmoil and Consistency ✦ 141

1
David Urbano, letter to author, 5 October 1998.
ENDNOTES
2
The Victoria Advocate, 10 July 1962; The Jolly Roger, 28 September 1962.
3
Advocate, 10 July 1962; The Jolly Roger, 26 October 1962.
4
Advocate, 12 March 1963.
5
Ibid., 19 May 1963.
6
The Jolly Roger, 27 September 1963.
7
Vollie Williams, letter to author, 28 July 1998.
8
C. A. Talley, letter to author, 4 September 1998.
9
The Jolly Roger, 25 October 1963.
10
Advocate, 14 January 1964; The Jolly Roger, 14 February 1964.
11
Advocate, Ibid.
12
Ruth Williams, letter to author, 26 August 1998.
13
Ibid.; Advocate, 14 February 1964, 28-29 May 1964, 6 June 1964; Corpus Christi Caller-Times, 6 May 1964.
14
Advocate, 14 January 1964, 12 May 1964; The Jolly Roger, 14 February 1964.
15
Advocate, 11 September 1964.
16
The Victoria College Faculty Minutes, 21 January 1965; Ibid., 27 January 1965; The Jolly Roger, 21 May 1965.
17
Louise Hume, interview with author, 8 April 1995; Advocate, 26 May 1965.
18
Martha Watts, interview with author, 8 April 1995.
19
Pirate, 1965.
20
Caller-Times, 7 October 1964; San Antonio Express News, 7 October 1964; Advocate, 7 October 1964, 8-9 May 1965.
21
Advocate, 18 April 1965.
22
VC Faculty Minutes, 22 May 1964, 21 January 1965.
23
Advocate, 14 September 1965.
24
Registrar’s Records, The Victoria College.
25
The Jolly Roger, 14 January 1966; Advocate, 9 November 1965.
26
Victoria College Self-Study and Evaluation Report, 1972, 7-8.
27
Advocate, 27 March 1966.
28
Ibid., 11 October 1966; The Jolly Roger, 30 September 1966.
29
The Jolly Roger, 28 April 1967.
30
Ibid., 25 September 1967.
31
VC Faculty Minutes, 21 January 1965; The Jolly Roger, 25 September 1967; Registrar’s Records, Victoria College.
32
Charles S. Stone, letter to author, 24 June 1997.
33
VC Faculty Minutes, 20 January 1966.
34
The Jolly Roger, 20 October 1967.
35
Advocate, 6 December 1967.
36
Ibid., 11 July 1967.
37
Ibid., 17 November 1967.
38
VC Faculty Minutes, 17 November 1967.
39
Ibid., 3 May 1968.
40
Ibid.
41
Ibid., 30 May 1968.
42
The Jolly Roger, 24 May 1968.
43
Advocate, 11 July 1968.
44
Ibid., 19 November 1968, 12 May 1970.
45
VC Faculty Minutes, 19 September 1968.
46
The Jolly Roger, 28 March 1969, 14 November 1969.
47
Ibid., 28 March 1969.
48
VC Faculty Minutes, 12 September 1969, 7 October 1969.
142 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

49
The Jolly Roger, 19 December 1969.
50
Ibid.
51
Advocate, 12 March 1970; Ibid., 20 March 1970.
52
Advocate, 19 October 1969, 20 November 1969, 3 December 1969.
53
The Jolly Roger, 20 March 1970.
54
Advocate, 26 April 1970; Ibid., 23 October 1970.
55
The Jolly Roger, 23 October 1970.
56
Ibid., 20 November 1970.
57
Ibid., 18 December 1970.
58
Ibid., 17 March 1971.
59
Ibid., 30 April 1971.
60
Registrar’s Records, Victoria College.
61
The Jolly Roger, 15 October 1971.
62
Ibid., 24 March 1972.
63
“Gavel Club Scrapbook 1971-1972,” Local History Collection, Victoria College Library; Advocate, 23 November 1971.
64
Advocate, 14 March 1967; The Jolly Roger, 24 February 1967.
65
The Jolly Roger, 24 February 1967.
66
Ibid., 28 March 1969, 5 May 1969.
67
A Proposal for Victoria State University, 21 April 1969.
68
Advocate, 23 January 1970.
69
The Jolly Roger, 30 April 1971.
70
VC Faculty Minutes, 21 January 1971; Advocate, 19 February 1971.
71
The Jolly Roger, 24 March 1972.
72
Advocate, 10 June 1972, 18 July 1972.
73
The Jolly Roger, 6 October 1972, 19 February 1973.
74
Ibid., 6 October 1972; VC Faculty Minutes, 21 September 1972, 8 August 1973, 6 June 1973.
75
Advocate, 21 November 1972.
76
The Jolly Roger, 15 December 1972.
77
Ibid., 6 October 1972.
78
Ibid., 9 February 1973.
79
Robert Jerry Zavesky, “Description Of A New And Unique Junior College Program Which Provides Special Aid For Handicapped
Learners,” unpublished Master’s Thesis, University of Texas at San Antonio, 1976; VC Faculty Minutes, 13 May 1973; Ibid., 11
October 1973.
80
Judy Moore, “College for the Handicapped,” The Victoria College Kaleidoscope (Spring 1980), 6.
81
The Jolly Roger, 9 November 1973.
82
VC Faculty Minutes, 4 February 1969, 5 May 1969.
83
The Jolly Roger, 15 December 1972.
84
Ibid., 29 March 1974.
85
Ruth Williams, letter to author.
86
VC Faculty Minutes, 19 September 1974.
87
Ibid., 4 October 1974.
88
Ibid.
89
The Jolly Roger, 13 December 1974.
90
Advocate, 18 March 1975.
91
Ibid., 30 May 1975, 16 June 1975.
92
Ibid, 18 May 1975, 16 June 1975.
93
Ibid., 20 May 1975.
94
Odie B. Faulk, Hill College: An Illustrated History (Hillsboro: Hill College Press, 1996), 128-129.
95
VC Faculty Minutes, 25 August 1975.
Endnotes ✦ 143

144 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

CHAPTER 6
BINGDOM
When Dr. Roland E. Bing assumed the presidency of Victoria College on July 1, 1975, the conversion
of the old Library Building into an administration complex, which began before J. D. Moore
retired, was yet to be completed. It was not until October that the structure was sufficiently remodeled
and furnished. Meanwhile, Bing moved from the dean’s office in the Administration Building
into the existing presidential space across the hall and remained there until his new quarters on the
second floor of the renovated structure became available.
When the trustees met in September 1975 in the newly finished boardroom on the second floor
of the old Library Building, the board members voted to rename the old Administration Building
the Academic Building. Furthermore, they designated the old Library Building as the
Administration Building. It was at their meeting that Bing presented his first report to the board as
president. Being a strong advocate of allied health education, he used the opportunity to provide an
assessment of the nursing program. Assisting him in this endeavor were Ruth Constant, director of
Associate Degree Nursing, and Mary Ann Wright, director of Vocational Nursing. Constant pointed
out that the new two-year nursing program had received accreditation, and its inaugural classes
were filled to capacity. She remarked that a total of forty students were enrolled and the average
composite on the American College Test scores was 20.5 out of a possible 36. Wright provided a
similarly upbeat report on the one-year vocational nursing program. She stated that about 75 percent
of the nurses in the Victoria hospitals were graduates of the college. Wright emphasized the
importance of the training of nurses for the community when she said, “we have calls from doctors
at graduation time every year wanting our nurses.” 1
The appearance of Constant and Wright before the board signaled that the meetings were going
to be different under Bing. When Moore was president, very few faculty members or students ever
attended a board meeting. It was not that they were discouraged from doing so, but the atmosphere
seemed uncomfortable. Bing, on the other hand, regularly asked individuals within the college community
to give reports. During the first year of Bing’s presidency, Student Council president Debbie
Spurlin made a presentation on the activities of student organizations, and Carl DuBose, Evening
School director, commented on vocational courses. As the years passed, students and members of
the faculty, either cheering the college or complaining about a problem, were presented to the board
by Bing.
A Constitutional Review Forum entitled “Community Forum: A New Constitution for Texas?” was
conducted in the Fine Arts Auditorium on October 13, 1975. In 1974, the state legislature had met
as a constitutional convention and failed to approve a new state constitution. At the following legislative
session in 1975 the legislators resolved to place before the voters a proposed constitution in
the form of eight propositions. If approved by the electorate, each proposition in the form of an
amendment would replace an existing feature of the constitution. State officials made numerous presentations
throughout Texas on behalf of constitutional reform. Included on the forum panel at the
college were Speaker of the House of Representatives Bill Clayton, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
of Texas Joe R. Greenhill, state representative Joe Wyatt, Jr., and state representative Tim Von Dohlen.
On November 4, the voters had their say on the matter and by landslide proportions defeated the
propositions; only 4 of 254 counties accepted the items. 2
On February 6, 1976, the first graduation ceremony was held for students who completed course
work in the college’s emergency medical services program. Carl DuBose, director of the Evening
School, remarked the program was established to prepare unemployed low income individuals to
find jobs. 3
Two faculty members became presidents of their respective professional organizations in the
spring of 1976. Robert Meeks, geology instructor, was elected head of the Texas Division of the
✯
Dr. Roland E. Bing was president of
Victoria College from 1975 to 1989.
Bingdom ✦ 145

✯
Debra Spurlin, 1975-76 Student
Senate president.
National Association of Geology Teachers, a
group that included over 200 geology
researchers in higher education. Louise Hume,
college registrar, was chosen to lead the South
Texas Association of Registrars and Admission
Officers, an organization composed of 30 South
Texas colleges and universities. 4
Among the college student community
receiving special recognition during the spring
of 1976 were the Circle K Club and the intramural
basketball team. Circle K, a student
service organization, was awarded first place
for achievements in its division at the Texas-
Oklahoma District Convention in Dallas. The
club was specifically applauded for its contribution
in the District Huntington’s Disease
Fund Drive. The intramural basketball team
was crowned champion at the Texas Intramural
Athletic Association South Zone Basketball
Tournament. Howard Terrell led the squad
in scoring. 5
By a margin of 255 votes, Dave Lack, owner
of a chain of furniture stores, defeated incumbent
board member Dr. C. P. “Pete” Montier for
a place on the college board of trustees. Montier
was an original board member and was seeking
his fifth full term. Although there had been previous
contested elections, Lack, who won the
election by virtue of capturing the city polling
boxes, was the first person to unseat a sitting
board member. 6
A noticeable expansion of vocational and
technical courses occurred in the fall of 1976.
Carl DuBose, who assumed the position of
director of Vocational/Technical Education, stated
that the increase was due to local industrial
expansion and the growing job market. He
remarked, “Parents and students alike are more
interested in this type of training than ever
before.” Among the new courses offered during
the academic year were floral design, structural
steel drafting, air conditioning and refrigeration,
basic emergency training, medical and surgical
nursing, backhoe operation, farm and ranch
management, and heavy equipment operation. 7
In December, the board was approached by
the Brownson Home trustees on the sale of 19.1
acres east of and adjacent to the campus for
$479,000. The board jumped at the chance to
purchase the land since the price was considered
a bargain, and there was concern that an
opportunity to expand the campus to 80 acres
would be lost if the college did not act immediately.
Consequently, the board called for a
$400,000 bond election to be held on March 5,
1977, with the promise that should the bonds
be approved, there would not be a tax increase. 8
Skepticism over the no-tax pledge was
expressed by some of the voters in the county.
The disbelievers argued that taxes would have
to be raised, “if not to pay directly for the land,”
to pay for the higher costs of operations and
146 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

maintenance brought about by soaring inflation
and projected enrollment increases. To emphasize
their position, the critics pointed out that
the college raised the tax rate six cents within
the last year “to meet higher operating costs.” 9
Without denying the possibility of a future
tax increase, Bing and the board members made
persuasive public statements to rally support for
the bond issue. The president remarked, “It’s a
good deal for the college and a good deal for the
public. Land isn’t going down in price.” Leo
Welder noted, “The bonds can be retired over a
12-year period without an increase in the tax
rate.” Jack Wood said, “It would be extremely
short-sighted to fail to seize the opportunity to
obtain this last vacant tract of land adjacent to
the college campus.” Thomas M. O’Connor took
a similar stand by releasing a written statement
proclaiming, “Now is the time to buy the land.
If we wait any longer, the land may not be available
and the only solution for extra land to take
care of the college’s growth would be the condemnation
process, which is slow, expensive
and fraught with controversy.” Morris Shattuck
justified the purchase by emphasizing the land
was needed to accommodate “the role of a community
college.” He remarked, “We furnish the
freshmen and sophomores a highly professional
faculty that is not available to beginners at the
big universities. We are filling a very special
need in higher education.” 10
Opposition to the bond issue emerged shortly
before the election from an unexpected source.
An anonymous group called the Organization for
Concerned Students attempted to drum up votes
against the proposition. In a flyer distributed by
this disgruntled element, criticism was leveled at
the college for spending money on land when the
funds could be used to expand vocational, technical,
and adult education programs, to repair the
roof of the Student Union Building, and to support
the library book budget. 11
Bing quickly refuted the statements. He
punctuated the fact that the organization was
✯
A college float was a component of a
parade held in downtown Victoria
during the 1970s.
Bingdom ✦ 147

“composed largely of students at the University
of Houston Victoria Campus that banded
together to prevent cutbacks in programs and
faculty at UHVC.” The president noted that the
roof of the Student Union Building was repaired
and declared that “more money was spent on
books this year than last year.” He acknowledged
that budgets were “trimmed across the
board” to satisfy higher utility bills, therefore,
the library took a financial hit the same as other
areas of the college. 12
When the ballots were tallied after the polls
closed on March 5, the bond election passed by
a three-to-one margin. College officials were
jubilant that the county electorate concurred
with their decision to purchase the land. The
passage of the bond issue was a testimonial to
the majority in the community that the college
was a sound financial investment. This attitude
first developed under Moore’s leadership and
carried over into Bing’s presidency. 13
Relations between the college and the
University of Houston Victoria Campus
improved significantly in the spring of 1977. In
January, Dr. Reginald Traylor resigned as
chancellor and was temporarily replaced by
Dr. George Taulbee, an administrator at UHVC.
Taulbee, to the elation of the college faculty
who considered him a friend, announced that
all talk of a merger of the two schools would
end immediately and that UHVC would no
longer teach courses which duplicated the ones
being taught at Victoria College. The upperlevel
institution, by using different course terminology,
had been offering classes that were
essentially the same as some courses at the college.
This maneuver had been a source of serious
tension between the two institutions.
Within seven months of Taulbee’s appointment,
the cooperative atmosphere became apparent.
Bing was invited to attend a University of
Houston Board of Regents meeting and, afterwards,
at the request of Bing, Taulbee appeared
before the college board. In the presence of the
trustees, the interim chancellor remarked, “It’s a
pleasure to meet with such warm and understanding
people. It’s been kind of cool out
there.” He further stated that for the first time
the two educational institutions could “offer a
program which enables us to tell a freshman if
he follows a definite program, then he can graduate
on the same campus in four years.” 14
A videotaped weekly television series,
“Higher Education in Victoria,” produced by the
college and UHVC and carried by KXIX-TV, was
launched in July 1977. A total of 78 programs
✯
Dr. E. F. “Pete” Gummelt prepares for
a college television presentation.
148 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

were generated and aired Saturday evenings at
10:00 o’clock. In what was likely a unique public
relations enterprise for a junior college, the
programs ranged from student musical productions
to special interest faculty areas, such as
local archaeology and world travel. The first two
broadcasts revolved around the purposes, programs,
and relations of the two institutions. The
initial installments were followed with presentations
by faculty members. Among the college
participants were Dr. Robert W. Shook, history
instructor, and Colonel Lorne Black, government
instructor, who discussed President Jimmy
Carter’s controversial Panama Canal Zone
Treaty; and Drs. Ben Burdine and C. A. Talley,
economic instructors, who voiced their views on
✯
Wilbur Collins and Ruth Williams,
music instructors, prepare for
a rehearsal.
Bingdom ✦ 149

✯
Audley Dry’s hat is a bit smaller than
the one the student is wearing.
the energy crisis. The series was developed by
Dr. C. F. Schneider, English instructor and director
of Public Relations. 15
On October 26, 27, and 28, the college hosted
the Texas Junior College Choral Festival.
Ruth Williams, choral director, coordinated the
event. Some 200 singers from junior colleges
throughout the state took part in the festival.
Included among the vocalists from Victoria
College were Elaine Mayer, Gary Newman,
Eileen Pickle, Peggy McLaurin, Ed Vogt, Scott
Wilkinson, Janet Cheshire, and Noble Gray. Dr.
Charles Hirt, an internationally known leader of
choral music, conducted a group composed of
representatives from the junior college participants
for the festival concert. 16
The Social Sciences Department held its first
annual Social Sciences Symposium on February
4, 1978, in the lecture room located in the
library basement. Initially, the affair was directed
at public school teachers from the area who
could use the conference to fulfill their in-service
obligations. A factor in the creation of the
symposium was to illustrate that Victoria
College flourished with professionally motivated
faculty members who desired to do more for
the community than meet their perfunctory
obligation of teaching classes. The conference
provided area residents an opportunity to attend
scholarly presentations that were generally limited
to gatherings at larger colleges and cities.
Speakers at the symposium, all of whom were
members of the department, were Charles
Spurlin, Dr. James Gleason, Burdine, Black,
Richard Walker, and Doyle Christian. As an
added feature, Dr. Robert Shook displayed the
S. R. Weisiger Collection and other resource
materials housed in the Local History Room. 17
Until the mid-1980s, the symposium’s annual
programs consisted of varied topics.
Beginning in 1986, the sessions began to
address a specific theme, the first of which was
the Texas Revolution. Also, in 1986, the conference
acquired funds through the effort of Bing
from the Kathryn Stoner O’Connor Foundation
to present an annual Kathryn Stoner O’Connor
Distinguished Texas History Lecture. The first
O’Connor lecturer was Dr. Archie McDonald,
professor of history at Stephen F. Austin State
University, who made a presentation entitled
“Travis: One Chief Rol’d Among the Rest.”
As the symposium evolved, it went through
name changes. In 1990, the sessions began to
focus on South Texas and were referred to as
the Conference on South Texas Studies. It
was renamed the John W. Stormont Lectures
on South Texas five years later when the
former dean’s family, in a generous move
150 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

to honor the distinguished gentleman, funded
the symposium.
One of the splendid by-products that
emerged from the conference was the establishment
of the Victoria College Press, an
accomplishment limited to only a handful of
colleges and universities in Texas. The press
was created in 1986 when the college took the
modest step of publishing McDonald’s presentation.
The following year all the papers given
at the symposium were printed, and in 1990,
when the decision was made to concentrate on
South Texas, the Social Sciences Symposium
periodical was renamed South Texas Studies.
The new publication’s cover featured a distinctive
cactus as a logotype. The symbol was
selected by a committee composed of Spurlin,
Walker, and Hummel.
On Valentine’s Day 1978, the Fine Arts
Auditorium was filled to capacity for a lecture
by folksy, strict constructionist Senator Sam
Ervin of North Carolina, who acquired national
prominence as chairman of the Senate
Watergate Committee which investigated the
improprieties associated with President
Richard Nixon’s administration. In a lackluster,
canned presentation, he denounced the
Panama Canal Treaty as the result of a guilt
complex and opposed the Equal Rights
Amendment as unnecessary. Ervin explained
what he considered the five basic rights found
in the United States Constitution: economic,
personal, intellectual, political, and religious.
At the end of the program Karen Hoefer, president
of the Student Senate, presented the
speaker with a heart-shaped box of candy.
Ervin’s appearance on the campus was sponsored
by the Assembly Committee. 18
After a prolonged study, the board of trustees
in March established an educational foundation
that was authorized “to solicit, encourage and
otherwise obtain gifts, grants, loans and contributions”
which would “contribute to the academic
and physical growth and development of
Victoria College.” Bing suggested that the foundation
would serve as “a vehicle whereby people
who want to give a tax-free gift can do so.”
Board member Leo Welder remarked “that
under the endowment, persons could donate
buildings, machinery or land, etc.” Gifts and
contributions did not flow into the foundation
as its founders envisioned, due to the lack of
any organized fund drive or sustained effort to
solicit grants. It was not until Dr. Jimmy
Goodson became president of the college that
the foundation became effectual. 19
Results of the college nursing students who
took the Board of Nurse Examiners test in
✯
Karen Hoefer, president of the Student
Senate, presents Senator Sam Ervin
with a heart-shaped box of Valentine
candy after his Lyceum presentation.
Bingdom ✦ 151

✯
Coach Monroe Northcutt stands
behind trophies won by his
track teams.
February 1978 were impressive. Thirty-one of
the 36 students passed with average scores
higher than the state mean in the five fields
examined and, except for psychology, greater
than the national mean. Victoria College nursing
graduate June V. Cook received the highest
grade in the state on the medical nursing exam
and tied for the best score on the surgical
nursing exam. 20
Construction projects received considerable
attention in the 1978-1979 academic year. One
was prompted by Federal disability regulations.
Bing announced that elevator access to the second
floors of the Science and Academic buildings
was necessary or the “feds are going to get
us.” Instead of installing an elevator in each
building, the college constructed a two-story
hallway, including an elevator, linking the two
structures. This structure soon became known,
outside of Bing’s hearing, as the “Bing Wing.”
The second project was an expansion of the
Allied Health Building to meet the space requirement
for a new operating room technology
course. A large share of the funds for this addition
to the latter structure was provided by the
M. G. and Lillie A. Johnson Foundation, Inc. 21
Dr. James D. Gleason, government instructor,
noticed one day as he observed the construction
of the enclosure between the Science
and Academic buildings, the concrete ramp on
the south side was too precipitous for wheelchair-bound
students to open the entrance door.
He brought the matter to the attention of college
officials and “a less steep ramp with guard rail
and a flat landing was provided.” After the addition
was finished and opened to traffic, Gleason
and his students found that in order to use the
elevator, a key had to be secured from the secretary
in the Science Building. “Several times my
students were unable to locate anyone with a
key,” Gleason stated. “The final straw” came
when he had to carry his daughter, Heather Kay,
who “was injured in cheerleader practice at
Victoria High [School] up those steep steps in
the Academic Building” to reach his office on
the second floor. Gleason stated, “I was mad. I
finally got a key but then the college administration
changed its mind and let all students and
faculty use the elevator without a key.” 22
As 1978 came to a close, Dr. Julia Riggs,
biology instructor and former dean of women,
was elected to serve as an at-large member on
the eighteen-member board of directors of
the National Association of Biology Teachers. The
organization was composed of over 6,000 life science
and biology teachers dedicated to promoting
better teaching at all education levels. Each
year the NABT selected from every state, the
District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico an
Outstanding Biology Teacher. Riggs as director atlarge
was appointed an ex-officio member to the
Committee of Excellence in Biology Education. 23
In the spring of 1979, special recognition
was bestowed upon Douglas Kidder, a Victoria
College student, for his positive involvement
with the Circle K Club. He was elected lieu-
152 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

tenant governor of Circle K Division 9, an area
that included the junior and senior colleges in
South Texas. In this post, he published a division
newsletter, “Kidder’s Kaller,” three times
a month. 24
Rampant double digit inflation in the 1970s
took its toll upon the college. Escalating operating
costs, largely due to rising utility bills,
placed a hardship on the budget. In an effort to
control expenses, classroom thermostats were
lowered in the colder months and raised during
the warmer months. The administration
requested that faculty turn classroom lights off
between classes and ordered the reduction of
hall lighting, resulting in a dull, eerie appearance.
To further reduce utility expenses, Bing
distributed a memo citing the United States
Department of Energy’s proper use of portable
heaters and ventilating equipment. Although it
never came to pass, a faculty member suggested
that instructors be assigned to each building to
monitor energy usage. 25
Of particular importance to the faculty during
these high inflationary times was the slippage
of real income for college employees. The
Richard Nixon administration responded,
unsuccessfully, to the economic crisis by temporarily
freezing wages. When Gerald Ford
assumed the presidency after Nixon resigned, he
kicked off a “Whip Inflation Now” campaign
whereby the nation was asked to restrain spending.
In an effort to gain public support, his
administration distributed round WIN buttons
and stickers. A few of the labels turned up on
classroom lecterns used by the faculty to mock
the anti-inflation drive. The inflationary spiral
went unabated and dogged the Jimmy Carter
presidency. A partial solution to the critical economic
problems, so his administration thought,
was to limit salary increases to seven percent a
year, a decision that ruffled the faculty.
On May 10, 1979, a committee selected by
the faculty consisting of economic instructors
Dr. Ben Burdine and Dr. Claude A. Talley and
history instructor Richard Walker composed a
letter to Alfred E. Kahn, chairman of the
Council on Wage and Price Stability, requesting
an exemption to the restriction. The trio
stressed the “insidious depletion” of the faculty’s
real income and noted that an exemption would
prevent “further income erosion.” Attached to
the letter was a chart illustrating the decline of
real income for selected faculty members along
with pertinent statements and sections from the
✯
Dr. Robert W. Shook looks through
materials from the Local
History Collection.
Bingdom ✦ 153

✯
Before the computer age, card
catalogues were the vogue in
the library.
government’s Fact Book: Wage and Price
Standards. Before the end of June, the committee
received a response from the Council on Wage
and Price Stability rejecting the request for an
exception to the pay standard. Fortunately, for
the faculty and the nation, inflation was shackled
in the 1980s during the presidency of
Ronald Reagan. 26
When James Ross, a college custodian,
opened the door of the Administration Building
around 7:30 a.m. on November 7, 1979, he discovered
the structure was filled with heavy
smoke. Sometime during the preceding night
hours, a thief or thieves entered the building,
smashing in “the front door…allowing the perpetrators
to either crawl through or reach
through and depress the panic bar door opener
to open the door.” Filing cabinets and desks
were ransacked in the intruder(s) fruitless
search for valuables. The trespasser(s) tore a
hole through the sheetrock wall of the registrar’s
safe and set two fires which destroyed a
few old grade books and documents. Despite
Bing’s public statement that the college was prepared
for a loss of the records, in reality, if the
fire had spread, all the documents would have
been lost. 27
Once again, burglars entered the
Administration Building on December 4, 1980.
Entry was secured by the careful removal of a
large pane of glass from the edifice. Several
offices were ransacked and a candy machine was
broken into. The thieves, oddly, selected only
one variety of candy to remove from the vending
machine. The purloiners also made an
abortive attempt to open a vault. Bing was not
surprised that the would-be safecrackers were
unsuccessful and smiling said, “Getting into that
particular vault is difficult enough when you
know the combination.” 28
During March 1980, college maintenance
workers removed the ivy that covered the
exteriors of several campus buildings. Over
the years, the roots of the vegetation had
grown into the brick mortar and sewer lines,
causing damage to the structures and pipes,
and harbored doves and occasionally snakes.
Furthermore, the ivy attracted yellow jackets
154 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

which endangered the work crews assigned to
trimming the climbing plants and distracted
students when the insects invaded a classroom,
compelling Bing to comment, “I’m afraid we’re
going to get somebody killed.” A less important
consideration for removing the ivy was the distraction
the cutting caused when the work was
carried out while instructors were conducting
classes. Frequently, the attention of the students
and faculty was interrupted when they heard the
clank of an extension ladder on the outside of
the building and saw a smiling maintenance
employee peering through the window gently
moving his lips, expressing a cheerful hello. In
the meantime, first floor classes were amused as
the cut leaves fluttered to the ground. 29
Stating that he was not retiring but “wanted
more time for other activities,” Harold J.
Nichols, college business manager since 1956,
officially submitted his resignation in May 1980.
The board members accepted it “with regret”
and proceeded to name Robert E. Gaines as
Nichols’ successor. Before relocating to Victoria,
Gaines was registrar and director of admissions
at Southwest Texas State University. 30
Bing was notoriously known as a very poor
driver. The faculty knew it. His friends and associates
knew it. Gaines did not know it. The business
manager had been in Victoria a short time
when Bing took him to a local bank to meet the
officials of the business. On the return trek to
the college, the pair traveled north on Bridge
Street and turned east on Rio Grande Street.
They came to the stop light at Main Street. Bing,
oblivious to the red signal, drove across the
thoroughfare without stopping. Fortunately, for
all concerned, no cars were traveling in either
direction on Main Street. After crossing the
intersection, Gaines asked Bing, “Do you do that
often?” Bing replied, “What do you mean?” To
which Gaines responded, “Drive through red
lights.” Bing did not answer. Some time later,
when the two men were walking to the president’s
car located in the parking lot between the
Library Building and the old Industrial Arts
Building, the business manager extended his
hand with palm up toward Bing. Without a
word being spoken, the president placed the car
keys into the open palm. From that time forward,
Gaines was Bing’s chauffeur. “But,” the
business manager fondly remembered, “he
would never buy me a chauffeur’s hat.” 31
On September 23, 1980, syndicated columnist
and advocate of politically conservative
causes William F. Buckley, Jr., addressed the
largest crowd ever to hear a speaker in the Fine
Arts Auditorium. Students from area high
schools were bused to the campus, posing a
serious seating problem for the Lyceum, the
sponsor of the program. To accommodate the
✯
Engrossed with Phi Theta Kappa
matters are (left to right) Melanie
Holland, Charles Stone, Mary
Kilgore, Linda Heinrich, and
Shirley Thigpen.
Bingdom ✦ 155

overflow crowd, folding chairs were set up on
the stage, the first and only time for a Lyceum
program. Buckley’s polysyllabic vocabulary and
speaking style entertained and delighted the
mostly conservative throng by skillfully orating
upon the key issues of the day and taking verbal
swipes at President Jimmy Carter. 32
In the spring of 1980, Dr. S. Joe McCord,
library director, received a letter from C. A.
LaBarre, superintendent of documents for the
United States government, stating that the
library had been given an excellent rating
for its depository collection. LaBarre commended
him for “achieving standards of excellence
in all depository library groups,” which
placed the library “among a select vanguard of
pace-setters serving as creative models for
depository documents.” 33
During the 1980 fall semester, the Victoria
College Library was ranked first among Texas
community colleges in the number of books per
student and faculty. Statistically, there were 78.66
books per student while the number of volumes
per faculty member was over 1,000. This notable
accomplishment was made possible by placing
volumes of Victoria College and the University of
Houston Victoria Center into a joint collection. 34
Dr. Richard C. Allen, Jr., Victoria physician,
was the commencement speaker for the first
graduates of the nursing attendants program, a
course of study designed to provide assistance
to registered nurses and licensed vocational
nurses. The ceremony for the twenty-nine graduates
was held on November 13, 1980, in the
Fine Arts Auditorium. The highlight of the
evening’s event was the presentation of a bronze
plaque by the students to Rose Pustka, RN,
director of the program. Inscribed on the gift
was a statement of appreciation dedicated to
Pustka and the names of the graduating class. 35
Under the able advisorship of Jerry Zavesky,
business instructor, a team of Victoria College
students won the Business Case Competition at
Corpus Christi State University at the beginning
of the 1981 spring semester. The contest was
conducted by the senior institution to provide
community college students an opportunity to
refine their business skills. The local college
aggregate was composed of Norma Martinez,
Reuben Salone, Cindy Kaiser, Kenneth Cykola,
and Lou Talbott. 36
In April 1981, the board adopted a resolu-
✯
Did someone say flag football
was nonphysical?
156 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

tion conforming to a state plan for higher education
that was designed to satisfy the United
States Department of Education. The statement
reaffirmed the college’s “long standing commitment
to operate on a totally desegregated basis
and to provide equal educational opportunities
for all, without regard to race, color, religion,
sex, national origin, or handicap.” The resolution
committed the two-year institution to
increasing “the proportion of black and
Hispanic students enrolled at the Victoria
College.” The board emphasized that the action
it took did not establish quotas or lower the
college’s academic standards. 37
Taxing authorities found themselves in
unfamiliar territory in 1981 as they prepared
their upcoming year’s budgets. A new state
law required the taxing districts, including
Victoria College, to calculate tax rates on an
assessment ratio of 100 percent of the property’s
market value. Previously, tax rates were
based on an assessed value determined by the
taxing authority; the assessed value was generally
the purchase price of the property.
Consequently, severe inequalities developed
between someone who had owned a home for
several years and a new neighbor who had
paid a higher price for a comparable dwelling.
To eliminate the inequities, the measure stipulated
that county appraisal districts were to
be created to set the market value for each
piece of property.
Acting upon a recommendation by Bing, the
board established the district’s tax at ten cents
per $100 on 100 percent of the assessed market
value. The tax rate represented a decrease from
the preceding year’s 33 cents per $100 assessed
value. Alert to the possibility the suggested figure
might turn out to be inaccurate, Bing
remarked, “I just hope and pray the tax roll on
which our levy is based proves to be correct. I
think we can live with little mistakes. But a big
one might cause us problems.” 38
Pulitzer Prize winning writer Alex Haley was
✯
Elmer Outlaw stands ready to answer
questions from students in his
computer class.
Bingdom ✦ 157

✯
The welding program offers
students an opportunity to learn
a profitable trade.
one of the Lyceum speakers for the 1981-1982
academic year. Haley, author of Roots and a marvelous
storyteller, spoke to a packed crowd in
the Fine Arts Auditorium. In a captivating presentation,
he related his background and provided
insight into the events that produced his
major work. When asked by a member of the
audience why he accepted the speaking engagement
in Victoria, the author remarked that barbeque
was a favorite food of his, and Texas had
some of the best barbeque found anywhere. To
satisfy his craving, Haley was taken by some
members of the Lyceum Committee to Leo’s
Feed Lot, located at the regional airport, the
evening prior to his lecture. Afterwards, in a
most gracious manner, he commented that Leo’s
barbeque was the best he had ever eaten. 39
Following the Lyceum program, Haley was
escorted to lunch by several faculty members.
During a conversation at the meal, Mary
Doughtie, a member of the Lyceum Committee,
remarked how lovely San Antonio was with the
Alamo and the Riverwalk. Mike Hummel and
others from the college confirmed the comment.
Haley was so impressed with the descriptive
statements he canceled his travel plans to fly to
Senegal, drove to San Antonio, and leased an
apartment. In explaining his impulsive act, he
said, “It was the ambience that got to me. I just
got charmed like hell. The next morning I woke
up and said, ‘…I’d like to have an apartment in
this city.’” The author commented that his
Alamo City residence would be a hideout when
wanted to work. 40
Recognition came in triplets for Marylyn
Underwood, English instructor, during the fall of
1981. Her superb research and writing on science
fiction were rewarded with an invitation to participate
in the 19th International Festival of
Science Fiction Films at San Guisto Castle in
Trieste, Italy. Underwood was one of 300 journalists,
writers, film producers, and directors from
throughout the world who were invited to attend
the event. Although she was unable to make the
trip, the Victoria College English instructor was
permitted to cast a vote for the eight films she
considered classics worthy of saving. Meanwhile,
Underwood was also notified that two of her
essays were accepted for publication. 41
An unflattering report on the nation’s community
colleges was released by a wire service in
December 1981. The article stated that a threeyear
study headed by David W. Breneman, a
senior fellow at Brookings Institution, concluded
that standards at the two-year colleges were
grossly diluted to assure increased enrollments
and budgets. Bing rose to the defense of Victoria
College, and forcefully argued the study’s findings
did not apply to the local community college.
The president proudly proclaimed, “We
have standards higher than many four-year
institutions in Texas, and we intend to keep it
that way.” He further emphasized that the faculty
took pride in its work. In response to a statement
in the report that belly dancing, poodle
grooming, and Christmas caroling had “prolifer-
158 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

ated” in community colleges, Bing indignantly
remarked, “We will not teach you how to trim
your poodle or decorate a cake. We feel you can
learn that by yourself.” 42
Merging Victoria College and the University
of Houston Victoria Campus became a torrid
topic of discussion again in 1982. At the
University of Houston Board of Regents meeting
in January, Dr. Ed Bishop, University of Houston
System president, presented a six-year plan in
which he suggested “The institutions should
make a study of the potential advantages and
disadvantages of merger.” Without giving his
own personal feelings on the issue, Bishop
remarked, “Naturally, we would be keenly interested
to see if a single four-year approach would
put the Victoria higher education picture in a
better light as far as state funding is concerned.
I would suspect there would be some financial
advantages to us both through merger.” 43
The Victoria College faculty and administration
were not impressed with Bishop’s
comments. Unlike the 1970s when a division
developed among the faculty over merger, there
existed a singular attitude among the instructors
and administrators: the two institutions of higher
education should remain apart. This view was
vigorously articulated by Bing. He remarked that
unification of the college and UHVC “would be a
far piece down the road.” “We’re not ready,” Bing
commented, “to do any serious thinking in that
direction.” The college president acknowledged
that the UH president had broached the subject
and left the impression that it did not matter if
Bing or the board members thought the idea was
or was not sound. As far as Bishop’s suggestion
that the merger should be studied, Bing dismissed
it and said the college had to concern
itself with the current self-study required by the
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
He stated, “We’ve got plenty of things going on
around here right now to keep us quite busy. I
don’t think we will be too receptive to spreading
ourselves too thin in the area of unwarranted
studies.” The foray into merger discussions
proved to be brief, becoming dormant by the
end of the year. 44
Heedful of UHVC’s lack of space as expressed
by Bishop and Dr. Martha Piper, UHVC interim
chancellor, the Victoria College board in
February 1982 authorized that bids be advertised
for the construction of a new upper-division
building. After the specifications were
modified to bring the overall cost of the structure
closer to what architect W. R. Matthews
estimated, construction began. The general contractor
for the 3,645 square foot classroom and
office building was Main Construction
Company of San Antonio. 45
Jim Lehrer, Victoria College alumnus and former
editor of the Jolly Roger, returned to the
campus in February 1982 and addressed the
student body, faculty, and residents of the community
in the Fine Arts Auditorium. The coanchor
of the PBS news show, MacNeil-Lehrer
Report, reminisced about his years at the college.
Parenthetically, Lehrer, who had assisted his
father as a ticket agent at the Trailways Bus
Terminal, admitted publicly he had a crush on
his Spanish instructor Mary Doughtie when he
was a student. Winston Zirjacks, president of
the Victoria College Board of Trustees, presented
him a Distinguished Alumnus Award, and
the city of Victoria declared February 4 as Jim
Lehrer Day. A vase of roses sent to him by his
staff in Washington, D.C., decorated the stage
during his lecture. 46
Previous to Lehrer’s visit, he was socializing
with his friend Roger Mudd, the college’s first
nationally known speaker. When he told the
CBS news correspondent about his upcoming
trip to Victoria, Mudd smugly told him that he
had already spoken at the college. Lehrer
quickly retorted, “But, did the city declare a day
for you?” 47
Special recognition was extended to Victoria
College students for their academic and
extracurricular activities at a banquet held at the
Community Center on February 3, 1982. Cheryl
Brown was the recipient of the first Victoria
College Faculty Scholarship, a product of a recommendation
made by history instructor, Dr.
Richard Walker. At the event, which featured
veteran referee for the National Football League
Dr. Jim Tunney as the principal speaker, more
than $10,000 in scholarships were awarded.
Brown, Candy Marie Brown, and Rebecca Robles
were co-recipients of the prestigious Victoria
College Academic Excellence Scholarship.
The idea for and the impetus behind an
annual dinner to honor the students originated
with Audley Dry, dean of men. He thought there
Bingdom ✦ 159

✯
Victoria College students have
many talents.
was a real need for some type of awards program.
Freshman students, according to Dry, had
been rewarded for their outstanding academic,
sports, and service related performances at special
high school ceremonies, but the sophomores
were not being acknowledged for their
academic and extracurricular achievements. Dry
was convinced a dinner would attain the objective
desired by recognizing the deserving students
and at the same time paying tribute to
their parents. By the mid-1990s, the dinner concept
gave way to an awards program held during
an evening in the Fine Arts Auditorium. 48
The 42nd edition of Who’s Who in America
included Bing in its biographical sketches. His
citation in the esteemed publication was the
first and only occurrence for an employee of
Victoria College. 49
Hoping to reduce electrical use and to provide
better control of temperatures in the
rooms, the college installed a computerized air
conditioning system for the campus buildings
before the end of 1982. Electrical usage did
decline but temperature control in the classrooms
was not satisfactory. Academic Building
room 205 was the worst because since the early
1960s, the thermostat had been located close to
the window where it was exposed to the sun’s
heat, causing the room to be too cold. Under the
new system, instructors could not set the thermostat,
but they could turn it off and they did.
This upset the maintenance director who moved
the thermostat to an adjoining room only a few
inches from the Art Department’s kiln. Needless
to say, when the oven was turned on, the room’s
temperature declined drastically. Accordingly,
without access to the thermostat, instructors
opened windows to warm the classroom. 50
In February 1983, the faculty united with students
to produce a slate of programs during
Victoria College Week. A lecture series featuring
various instructors ran from Monday through
Friday. Jack Edwards, English instructor, spoke on
“James Bowie and the Bowie Knife;” Charles
Spurlin made a presentation on “Texans in the
Mexican War;” Dr. James Gleason addressed
“Pornography in the Court;” Jim Franz, English
instructor, discussed “183 Ways to Simplify Life;”
Gary Underwood, biology instructor, gave a talk
on “How to Make a Million Dollars in Six Days and
Other Lies;” Marylyn Underwood reviewed
“Creative Writing;” and Kenneth Greenhill,
English instructor, lectured on “Winston
Churchill: The Coming of the War.” Members of
the Baptist Student Union and the Victoria College
choirs provided entertainment. Students compet-
160 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

ed for prizes in backgammon, video games, and
photography. Displays in the Student Union
included pottery exhibits, computer art, and welding
projects. Contests in pool, Ping Pong, chess,
and basketball were conducted. The week’s festivities
were topped off with a spaghetti supper in the
Student Union served by Phi Theta Kappa. 51
Although the Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools took the unusual step of
asking the college to delay its institutional selfstudy
report until 1983, Bing, nevertheless, proceeded
to name Mary Doughtie as chairman and
Dr. C. F. Schneider as vice-chairman, to head a
Self-Evaluation Committee. Normally, a selfstudy
report as part of accreditation reaffirmation
is completed at ten-year intervals and,
therefore, a college or university steering committee
to coordinate subcommittees is created
two years before the final document is due. In
this instance, the process began three years
in advance. Unlike the 1972 self-study process,
there was less internal rancor. 52
On March 21, 1983, a nine-member accreditation
team from the Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools, having reviewed the college’s
self-study report, began a three-day visit at
the college for the evaluation of the school’s programs
and policies. The self-study report noted
that Bing did not delegate responsibilities well
and that there were no clear-cut lines of authority.
Not surprisingly, the comments were completely
ignored by the accreditation group, leaving
the existing system intact. Bing, therefore,
justifiably declared at a faculty meeting that the
college remained a president-and-dean institution.
Official confirmation that the college was
reaffirmed came at the December 1983
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
annual meeting in New Orleans. Bing and
Whiteside were at the conference when the
announcement was made. 53
During the visitation, Dr. Blake Farmer,
director of Student Personnel, was interviewed
by a member of the accreditation team. The visitor
informed Farmer of the high value the
Southern Association placed on alumni organizations,
the implication being that if a college
did not have one, it should. Farmer, a pleasant
and thoughtful man who delivered his comments
slowly, responded that Victoria College
did not have an ex-students’ organization, but to
comply with the Southern Association’s criteria,
an alumni association would be formed. He
then asked the gentleman to send him a copy of
the alumni bylaws at his college. Sheepishly, the
inquirer said his school did not have such an
association either. Farmer chuckled and the two
men turned to another issue.
Audley Dry received a vote of confidence
from the Junior College Student Personnel
Association of Texas when he was selected by the
organization to serve on its board of directors.
The association represented two-year institutions
across Texas and was composed of more
than 400 members. 54
Flight training reoccurred as a course in the
✯
Jack Edwards, English instructor, gives
a talk on one of his favorite subjects,
the Bowie Knife.
Bingdom ✦ 161

✯
Warren Nichols (far left) was the first
director of the Police Academy.
fall of 1983. The last time the college offered a
class to train pilots was during the World War II
era. Victoria Aviation Services, Inc., at Victoria
Regional Airport was authorized by the college
to instruct the students in single-engine and
multi-engine planes. Cost of the program,
which held enrollment to ten students, was
funded by the two-year institution to the tune of
$44,540 for the first two years. If the course
succeeded, Bing expected the state to appropriate
the money required to continue the flight
instruction. Insufficient interest and excess cost
doomed the program, and it was dropped from
the class schedule after only a few years. 55
More successful than the pilot training was
the new Victoria College Police Academy. Basic
law enforcement training for the region had
been handled by the Victoria Police Academy, a
division of the Victoria Police Department,
through a cooperative arrangement with the
Golden Crescent Regional Planning
Commission. Victoria County Sheriff “Dutch”
Meyer and Victoria City Police Chief Kenneth
Rosenquest approached Bing and recommended
that the college become the training agency for
a seven-county area. Rosenquest suggested that
the training under the control of Victoria
College would give students an opportunity to
obtain “10 to 12 semester hours” of academic
accreditation and the utilization “of the college
teaching personnel…would improve the standard
of training somewhat.” He also noted,
along with Victoria City Manager James J.
Miller, the college would receive funding for the
program through the Texas Education Agency.
After careful consideration, college officials
went along with the request and employed
Warren Nichols, a ten-year veteran of the
Arlington Police Department who held a graduate
degree from the University of Texas at
Arlington, as the director of the academy. 56
Establishment of the Victoria College Police
Academy was not free from controversy. The
college charged regular tuition whereas under
the previous arrangement small fees, about
$25, for incidental costs had been collected. At
least one GCRPC director, Jackson County
Judge Sam Seale, objected to reserve officers
paying tuition. Bing became adamant and
“objected to implications that the college was
162 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

getting paid too much to provide the service.”
He was emphatic in making the point that
tuition was necessary to pay a director of the
academy and instructors. Michael O’Connor, a
member of the academy advisory board,
remarked that the reserve officers “really have
just had it too good in the past,” and they
should anticipate paying “at least a part of the
cost” of the training. Another bone of contention
was that the students did not receive
college credit for the courses. Patrick Kennedy,
executive director of GCRPC, raised the issue of
college credits for the students. He remarked it
was the understanding of the regional planning
organization that the trainees would receive
credit toward an associate of arts degree.
Rosenquest replied there were discussions with
college officials on the matter and “we’re working
toward that, but we’re not there yet.” By the
time the parties involved in the dialogue aired
their views, most of the questions addressed
were satisfactorily resolved. The principal individuals
agreed that the dispute was due to an
absence of communications, and they were
“going to have to keep this from happening in
the future.” 57
Integration of the faculty became a reality in
the fall of 1983. African-American educator
Agnes Jewett was employed by the college as a
counselor, an administrative position. Jewett
recalled that she was told that she would not be
in the classroom but “ended up teaching psychology
and reading.” She remarked that at the
1983 fall faculty meeting an acquaintance of
hers, Dr. Michael Hummel, said, “Agnes, you are
not the first black faculty member.” She was surprised
and replied, “I thought I was.” He commented,
“No, Lorne Black was.” The two had a
hearty laugh. She further stated, “I was welcomed
with open arms. My colleagues are the
best in the world.” 58
Admiral Hyman Rickover, the father of
America’s nuclear navy, was the Lyceum’s inaugural
speaker for the 1983-1984 academic year. His
address was presented on September 27 in the
Fine Arts Auditorium and centered on the importance
of individual responsibility, excellence, creativity,
and ethical and moral conduct. During the
question and answer session, Rickover made
abrasive and insulting remarks. He characterized
one question as stupid and berated the person
who made the query. Before the admiral finished
his campus visit, the brilliant, cantankerous
octogenarian had managed to ridicule almost
✯
Agnes Jewett was the first African
American employed by the college as
a faculty member.
Bingdom ✦ 163

everyone he encountered. His objectionable
behavior seemed to be calculated to reenforce|
the public perception that he was a difficult
and obnoxious person. If that was Rickover’s
goal, he succeeded. 59
Damage from a hailstorm on March 21,
1984, was extensive in Victoria County. Roofs
on all the college buildings, except one, were so
badly damaged they had to be replaced. The
roof that did survive was sufficiently harmed
and needed considerable repair work. The
tower on the Fine Arts Auditorium, screens,
walkways, and air conditioning equipment suffered
varying forms of destruction from the ice
pellets. Cost for the required repairs was
estimated to be over $250,000. Fortunately,
the college was insured and only paid the
obligatory $1,000 deductible. 60
Audley Dry, in April 1984, released the findings
of a survey he and his colleagues administered
to first-year students during the initial week
of the 1983 fall semester. The study was part of a
larger inquiry on student views conducted on
358 college and university campuses across the
nation. There were 61 two-year institutions
included in the survey. The purpose of the
inquiry was to compare 1973 student attitudes to
1983 collegiate opinions. Dry noted that the survey
was made when the students were “green and
raw” and unaffected by anything they may have
learned in college. Victoria College students,
according to the survey, were more conservative
than the national average and less confident in
government protecting consumers and the environment
than their counterparts in 1973. Only
23.9 percent in 1983 thought women were better
off remaining at home as compared to 35.7 percent
in 1973, and 43.2 percent in 1983 considered
it necessary to develop a philosophy of life,
a drop of 21 percentage points since 1973. 61
Expansion of the Fine Arts Building to provide
space for art classes was given the green
light by the board in the spring of 1984. Coastal
Construction Company of Victoria with the low
bid of $807,921 was awarded the contract to do
the work. To pay for the addition and other
improvements, $870,000 was transferred from
the college building fund. 62
An unusual request was made at the board
meeting in September 1984 by Bruce Spindler, a
petroleum land lease operator for the Jane
Hoffman Land and Minerals Company. He proposed
that Exxon Corporation be permitted to
lease a drilling site on the campus. Spindler presented
“two lease agreements, one for three
years and one for five years.” The three-year
arrangement would produce $10,000 for the
college and the five-year lease would yield
$22,400 in revenue. Both agreements included a
three-sixteenths royalty. Spindler said Exxon
was particularly interested in the college property
because “it is a large single tract.” The suggestion
was tabled and was never rekindled. 63
On October 29, 1984, a closed session consisting
of Victoria College board members; Dr.
Charles Bishop, president of the University of
Houston System; and Dr. Martha Piper,
Chancellor of the University of Houston-
Victoria, convened to discuss a proposed purchase
of college property by the University of
Houston System. UHV was interested in acquiring
twenty-five acres of the college campus that
extended along Ben Wilson Street as a first step
of a ten-year plan “to build facilities that will
adequately best serve the students of the area.”
Once UHV took title to the acreage, the next
move would be to construct a three million dollar
three-story communication center. Piper
noted that if all went well with the college, it
would be at least four years before any building
could actually take place, and “we still have to
get approval of the…coordinating board.” 64
Ultimately, the land purchase transaction
envisioned by Bishop and Piper never materialized.
Negotiations between officials from the two
educational institutions were conducted off and
on until 1986 when an offer was made by the
University of Houston to purchase 11.7 acres
for $571,830. Weighing heavily on the minds
of the college board as it considered the request
was the future of UHV. They asked themselves,
how would the closure of the upper level institution
affect the property purchased? The land,
of course, would revert back to Victoria College,
but at what price? University of Houston officials
insisted that any repurchase agreement should
stipulate the college would pay the fair market
price in the event UHV did not manage to
construct a building on the property within
ten years. This proposal was unacceptable to
the board. Trustee David Lack expressed the
sympathy of the governing body on the matter
164 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

when he said, “I don’t see how we can obligate
the college to buy back land ten years from now
at an unknown price.” Deadlocked and with no
acceptable solution on the horizon, the college
trustees and the University of Houston Board of
Regents issued a press release announcing the
postponement of further discussions on the land
purchase. The joint pronouncement stated that
“in view of the state’s difficult economic situation
and the current state governmental crisis, it
would not be prudent to continue the land sale
and purchase process at this time.” 65
The Victoria community was given a treat on
Halloween in 1984 when the Lyceum hosted a
debate on Reaganomics between syndicated
columnist William F. Buckley, Jr., and former
U.S. ambassador to India, John Kenneth
Galbraith. Kenneth Ashworth, commissioner of
the Higher Education Coordinating Board, at the
invitation of Bing, served as the moderator.
College faculty members Colonel Lorne Black,
Dr. Ben Burdine, Dr. James Gleason, and Dr. C. A.
Talley were seated on the stage and posed questions
to the internationally known guests. The
capacity crowd in the Fine Arts Auditorium
chuckled, hissed, and cheered whenever a
debater made a salient point. Buckley and
Galbraith, long-standing friends, filled the program
with “good humored personal jibes.” If one
of the speaker’s viewpoint prevailed, it would
have been Buckley’s because his comments were
more receptive to the politically and economically
conservative audience. 66
Excitement reverberated across the campus on
the day of the Buckley-Galbraith debate. On the
afternoon of the event, Indira Gandhi, prime minister
of India, died from an assassin’s bullet.
Galbraith who was a close friend of the slain
leader was urgently sought after by news media
across the globe for an interview. The college
switchboard operator, Wanda Gilstrap, was inundated
with messages to pass along to the former
ambassador. Billie North, the college information
officer, received so many calls that for her to count
them “would be impossible.” She passed the notes
to Galbraith who placed them in his pocket.
North fielded questions from all major television
networks, “and there was even a call from the
CNN cable network news.” When phone calls
came in during the debate, they were received at
the night desk in the Academic Building and were
relayed to Galbraith by a student. 67
Meanwhile, Galbraith had received a message
from the White House, via the Victoria
Police Department. Jane McConathy, crew
leader dispatcher, was on duty when a message
✯
When the Lyceum-sponsored debate
between John Kenneth Galbraith
and William F. Buckley, Jr., was held
on Halloween in 1984, the Fine
Arts Auditorium was filled to
capacity. Participants on the program
were (left to right) Galbraith,
Dr. James Gleason, Dr. C. A. Talley,
Dr. Ben Burdine, Buckley, and
Dr. Kenneth Ashworth.
Bingdom ✦ 165

✯
Verifying the correctness of class
schedules are (left to right) Carl
DuBose, Mary Jo Kinghorn, and
Audley Dry.
from an operator at the White House who stated
that “they needed to get some information to
Mr. Galbraith.” “Even though it was Halloween
night…she didn’t think it could be a Halloween
prank.” McConathy transferred the message by
radio to Police Officer Julia Catchings, who
then gave it to the Harvard economics professor
when he arrived on campus after a private dinner
at the Victoria Country Club. Galbraith was
taken to the Academic Building, where he
called an aide in President Ronald Reagan’s
office. The White House official attempted to
persuade the former ambassador “to take an
immediate flight out.” The request was rejected.
Galbraith stated that people were “waiting for a
lecture, and he wasn’t going to disrupt it and
leave them.” 68
Because of the White House call, the debate
did not begin on time. The audience was
unaware of the transpiring events and became
restless. Dr. C. F. Schneider, director of public
relations, detected the uneasiness and stepped
to a microphone at one of the podiums. He said,
“Mr. Galbraith is on the telephone to the White
House, so we decided to give that priority.” His
words had a soothing affect upon the audience.
After the program ended, Burdine took
Galbraith to Victoria Regional Airport, where
the former ambassador caught a flight to
Houston on a chartered plane so he could
appear on an early morning television show. 69
The October 31 program was the first of what
was hoped to be a permanent string of speakers
in the John W. Stormont Distinguished Lecture
Series. Funds for the presentation were provided
by the Stormont family as a means to acknowledge
the former dean’s multitude of civic and
educational contributions. Stormont unselfishly
devoted much of his time to causes he deemed
worthy. Bing spoke for many people when he
referred to him as “a giant among men.” Former
Victoria College President J. D. Moore credited
Stormont for the high academic standards that
“have been responsible for the excellent reputation
of the college and for the acceptability of
programs by the senior colleges and universities.”
Although the lecture series was not officially part
of the Lyceum, the committee was charged with
recommending speakers to the president and
making all arrangements for the guests. However,
the series was discontinued for lack of funds,
Charlton Heston being the last speaker. 70
Meanwhile Victoria College campus facilities
continued to expand. In January 1985, the Allied
Health Building was renamed the M. G. and
Lillie A. Johnson Building in recognition of the
$600,000 donated by the M. G. and Lillie A.
Johnson Foundation for health education. A portion
of the funds was used for the construction
of the main complex and the remainder for a
166 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

wing that was designed for associate degree and
vocational nursing programs, emergency medical
training, and the Police Academy. Bing
remarked that the addition was necessary
because “Medical science is moving so fast that
we have to plan ahead to keep in step.” 71
In 1985, Victoria Mayor Ted Reed declared
February 17-23 as Victoria College Week. The
five fun-filled days included basketball and
table tennis tournaments; a performance by the
Victoria College/University of Houston-Victoria
Choir; a “chalk in” for students; displays in the
Student Union; and literary, photographic, and
art contests. Among the winners were Diane
Bush, painting; Pat Soward, drawing; David
Locher, three-dimensional; Lori Immenhauser,
best overall photography; Carol Tippins for her
essay “Down at the Dump;” and Mia Jones for
her poem “Butterflies.” 72
On May 30, 1985, exhausted and weary from
lack of sleep after a two-week excursion to
China, the Victoria College-University of
Houston-Victoria Choir was thrilled to be home.
The tour which included performances in
Beijing, Hong Kong, and Honolulu, produced
life-long memories and opportunities to experience
cultural diversity. Melissa Thiele found
“adjusting to the food was difficult because it
was so unusual.” She remarked, “One time
everyone decided to try something, and it turned
out to be jellyfish tentacles.” Although the choir
members were apprehensive over how they
would be received in China, the entourage discovered
the people were exceedingly friendly.
When the Victorians sang the Chinese national
anthem, which they learned phonetically, the
audience untraditionally “stood up through
theirs, and then through ours.” Roel Padilla commented
that the Chinese “went crazy for the
‘chicken’”. . .and “tried dancing to ‘Cotton Eyed
Joe,’ and they even picked up the schottische
pretty fast.” Billie North, Victoria College information
officer, noted, “We gave a good impression
of the American people, and Victoria. We
did a good job of creating good will.” 73
During the early 1980s, the Texas oil industry
witnessed a sharp decline. In drafting its
budget for higher education, the legislature
failed to make adequate adjustments for
increased enrollments and inflation, and it distributed
funds later than usual. Victoria College,
a financially conservative bastion, was impacted
less than other colleges and universities.
Fortunately for the college, local taxable property
values showed increases, partially offsetting
the state shortfall. 74
Bing, an astute observer of the poor economy,
assured the faculty and staff there would be no
salaries cut or positions terminated, but he took
other steps to address the problem. The administration
continued to assign biology instructor
Harvey Spies agriculture classes, rather than hire
a new agriculture teacher; eliminated the career
pilot program because enrollment in the class was
✯
Kemper Williams, Jr., (left) of the
Victoria Civic Chorus listens to
comments by Governor Bill Clements
who handed Victoria College
Choral Director Ruth Williams a
proclamation making the Victoria
singers the official Texas ambassadors
to the 1988 Australian World’s Fair.
Also present at the ceremony are (left
to right) Dr. Glenn Goerke, UHV;
Rosamund Haynes of New Zealand;
and Dr. Roland E. Bing.
Bingdom ✦ 167

✯
Luther Troell (left) and Dr. Rex
Whiteside await the results of another
University Interscholastic League
track and field event.
never high enough to create enthusiasm for it;
declined to spend $52,000 for desired computer
drafting equipment; and asked the instructors to
reduce the amount of Xeroxed material they were
distributing to the students. As an added step to
better the college finances, tuition was raised two
dollars per credit hour in 1985. Even though the
economic circumstances were bleak, Bing still
managed to secure moderate salary raises for the
faculty and staff. 75
For the audience in the Fine Arts Auditorium,
the Lyceum program on the evening of October
22, 1985, was something for them to remember.
As the speakers Rowland Evans and Robert
Novak, Jr., syndicated columnists, were concluding
their presentations on national and international
issues, they were interrupted by the
Lyceum Committee chairman, Charles Spurlin,
who announced that word had been received
that a bomb was planted in the building. The
lecturers were extremely reluctant to end the
program. They were convinced there was no
explosive device and did not wish to give in to a
terrorist. Nevertheless, at the insistence of college
officials, Evans and Novak left the stage, and
the auditorium was quickly vacated in an orderly
fashion. Local law enforcement officers made
a thorough search of the premises but did not
find a bomb. 76
This was the first time the college encountered
a bomb threat. It was not, however, the last. In
the fall of 1995, classes were temporarily dismissed
on a couple of occasions because of
anonymous telephone callers uttering that explosives
were hidden in campus buildings. In none
of the occurrences was such a device uncovered.
The threats did, however, lead to the college
developing a bomb evacuation and search policy.
In the 1985-1986 school year, Victoria
College received some very good news. First,
results of a pre-professional skills test that was
taken by students in the state’s colleges and universities
were released in November 1985. When
he announced the results of the Victoria College
students, Dean Rex Whiteside said, “It shows
that our students were adequately prepared for
the test and the first two years of college.” How
correct he was. Victoria College’s pass rate of
77.3 percent surpassed the state average of 57
percent, placing the local school eighth overall in
Texas and first among the community colleges. A
good showing for the local students, indeed.
Additionally, the Victoria College campus at the
Warm Springs Rehabilitation Hospital of
Gonzales was lauded for its exemplary program
by the Regional Rehabilitation Exchange, a federally
funded project based at the Southwest
Educational Development Laboratory at Austin.
The RRE examined 52 rehabilitation programs
and selected the Warm Springs campus as one
of the seven best for the disabled in the United
States. The college was applauded for “providing
a high quality of service related to the delivery
of support services to disabled students in a
college environment.” 77
After 30 of dedicated service as a board
member, Leo Welder resigned on November 18,
1985. His announcement coincided with the
installation of Ron B. Walker as a trustee. Welder
remarked, “You have one young man now.
Perhaps you can get another young man or
woman to serve on the board.” His replacement,
co-owner of the Victoria Advocate, Catherine
McHaney, was a distinguished, well-qualified
168 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

lady, and the first woman in the college’s sixtyyear
history to be a board member. She was at the
time of her appointment serving on the Executive
Committee of the Texas Research League, the
Citizens Medical Center Board, the Warm Springs
Rehabilitation Hospital Board, and the Victoria
Fine Arts Association Board. 78
On April 15, 1986, at the 66th annual banquet
of the American Association of Community
and Junior Colleges in Orlando,
Florida, Jim Lehrer, a 1954 graduate of Victoria
College, received the 1986 Alumnus of the Year
award. He was chosen for his “outstanding contribution
at the national or international level.”
Lehrer was co-anchor of the MacNeil-Lehrer
Report on the Public Broadcasting System. He
and his associate, Robert MacNeil, had received
over 30 significant awards for their superb journalism.
Whiteside attended the event and
accepted a $2,500 check presented by John
Wiley & Sons, a publishing firm, for the creation
of a scholarship at the college in the name
of Lehrer and Wiley. 79
Two instructors were singled out for special
recognition during the spring semester of 1986.
Mary Doughtie, a member of the faculty for over
30 years and chairman of the English
Department for 23 years, was made a life member
of the Conference of College Teachers of
English for her dedicated service to the organization.
She was the first person in the organization’s
history to be so honored. Ruth Williams,
director of the college choir, was chosen by her
alma mater, Beaver College in Glenside,
Pennsylvania, for the 1986 Golden Disc Award,
an annual offering presented to a deserving
alumnus. She was the first music major at
Beaver College to receive the award. 80
The possible merger of the Victoria College
and the University of Houston-Victoria again
attracted the attention of the area in May and
June of 1986. The first salvo fired on the merger
issue was by Dr. Michael C. Gallagher, UHV
interim chancellor. At his initial news conference
after taking the reins from former chancellor
Dr. Martha Kimper Piper, he remarked,
“At some point of time, we may merge next
door.” Gallagher did add that the union was
more than ten years away and then only after
“a thorough study and debate.” Afterwards,
Bing refused to comment on the merger but
did say that the college “stands ready to cooperate”
on activities that were of mutual benefit
to the two institutions. Later, Gallagher, who
may have received negative feedback from
his earlier comment, stated, “Right now, there
are two strong institutions of higher education
in Victoria. Changing the system as it now
✯
Joyce Miller receives instructions on
registration from Louise Hume,
registrar.
Bingdom ✦ 169

stands may weaken one of them (referring to
UHV).” He further remarked, “It will be up to
the people of Victoria if they want the college
and university to merge.” 81
Less than two weeks passed after the interim
chancellor’s news conference when Bing
received a memo from the Select Committee on
Higher Education asking for a response to its
suggestion that the two schools unite. The committee
was charged with recommending ways
the state could streamline and reorganize public
colleges and universities. One of the options
that developed from the committee was the
merger of Victoria College and the University of
Houston-Victoria. Another option was to convert
UHV into a branch learning center. Bing’s
immediate reaction to the memo was to call for
a special meeting of the board members, a group
that was not a proponent of merger. Influential
trustee Thomas M. O’Connor commented, “I
don’t think a change is necessary. We want a
strong junior college and a strong university.”
Catherine McHaney concurred. She said, “I feel
what we have is the best.” Trustee Ron Walker
proposed that an assessment be made as to how
any modification in higher education would
affect Victoria and the college. He was concerned
that any alterations, especially if UHV
was converted to a branch learning center,
“would change the delivery of higher education
in Victoria.” 82
After deliberating the issue, the board drafted
a letter to the state committee that carried
the signatures of Winston L. Zirjacks, board
president, and Bing. Reacting to Walker’s recommendation
of considering higher education
in Victoria as a whole, the missive rejected the
committee’s suggested option of converting
UHV into a branch study center, stating, “We
think that it would be detrimental to the best
interest of the University of Houston-Victoria
because it would lessen its credibility and
would lessen its public esteem and materially
effect enrollment.” Moreover, the board rejected
the merger option, noting, “We recommend no
change in the current structure.” Five reasons
were given for the latter position. The board
listed among its explanations that the instruction
at the community college was less costly
than a four-year institution, the college has an
open door policy which allows more students
to enroll and advance their education, and
merger might lead to the elimination of allied
health programs which would deprive commu-
✯
Sweating to the “oldies.”
170 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

nities “of trained medical personnel.” In the
end, the Select Committee on Higher Education
listened to the ground swell of opposition to its
suggestions and dropped the ideas of the college
and UHV merging or UHV converting to a
branch studies center. 83
Only one Lyceum program has ever been presented
on a Sunday. That was on October 12,
1986, when actor Charlton Heston was the featured
speaker. His visit was set for a weekday
but was changed to accommodate the popular
performer who would have otherwise canceled
his visit to Victoria. Even though the lecture was
on a Sunday evening, usually a poor time for
any type of event, the Fine Arts Auditorium was
packed. Heston mesmerized many in the audience
as he related his thoughts on several
extraordinary historical figures and expressed
his views on freedom. The actor was eloquent in
reading an excerpt from Thomas Wolfe’s Of Time
and the River. 84
At the close of the 1986 fall semester, the Jolly
Roger, after thirty-six years of continuous publication,
ceased being circulated as a student
newspaper and became a college newsletter. Bing
stated that the decision to drop the student publication
was based on the declining enrollment in
journalism classes and the need to reduce expenditures.
Billie North, college publicist and composer
of the Victoria College Newsletter, assumed
the responsibility of editor of the new formatted
Jolly Roger. Later, there was an attempt made to
revive the student-driven newspaper, one edition
was published in 1988 and another in 1989, but
the new versions were not in the same league as
the earlier paper. 85
Enrollment for the 1987 spring semester was
lower than expected, showing a drop of one percent
from 1986. Robert Gaines, business manager,
was unconcerned, pointing out the reduction
was “not significant because there are several
variables that can affect registration.” Bing
attributed the decline directly to elimination of
courses at Warm Springs where only one class
made the previous fall. 86
College participation at the Gonzales facility
took a downturn when the Warm Springs
Rehabilitation Hospital closed its live-in quarters.
John Davis, live-in facility director, gave as
a factor for decreased enrollment the increased
availability to senior institutions for physically
challenged students. He stated that since 1973,
when the facility opened, state colleges and universities
had made their campuses accessible to
handicapped individuals. Davis commented
that in the early 1970s “there were not many
facilities open to the disabled.” “But due to mandates
and legislation,” he said, “students with
✯
Gary Underwood slices a cabbage
for instructional purposes in his
biology class.
Bingdom ✦ 171

handicaps can now have their choice of which
institution of higher learning they want to
attend.” The college continued to maintain a
presence at Warm Springs by offering basic academic
courses and a licensed vocational nursing
program. Prior to the elimination of the live-in
quarters there were 60 to 70 students regularly
enrolled at Warm Springs, but in the fall of
1986, the first semester without resident students,
four of the five classes offered did not
have sufficient enrollment to make. 87
Dedication ceremonies were conducted on
March 11, 1987, for the official opening of the
Johnson Symposium Center, an auditorium
with a seating capacity of over 200. Dr. Charles
L. Borchers, a Victoria physician, was the principal
speaker. In his remarks, he praised the
M. G. and Lillie Johnson family for their benevolent
contribution, funding that was essential
for the construction of the facility. In recognition
of her financial assistance, a resolution was
presented to Mrs. Johnson by Debbi Rader,
president of the Victoria College Nursing
Student Association. Presiding at the ritual was
Winston Zirjacks, president of the Victoria
College Board of Trustees. 88
Economic doldrums in the state continued
to plague public higher education, preventing
the legislature from appropriating monies necessary
to offset rising education costs. For the
1986-1987 fiscal year, state funding to the college
was reduced $323,000. Compounding the
financial crunch for the college was the depreciation
of local property values. When Bing
was informed of the cut in the state appropriation,
he took the news in his customary unperturbed
stride and quipped, “We’re going to
pull in our belts and we are going to have
school.” To compensate for the loss of revenue,
major improvements to campus buildings were
sidelined, the tax rate was increased, the
tuition was hiked, and a variety of austerity
programs were implemented. During this period
of financial juggling, Bing, ever vigilant to
the pecuniary comfort of the faculty, secured a
modest raise for the college employees in the
1987-1988 budget. 89
Academic enrollment cracked the 3,000 barrier
in the fall of 1987 with a head count of 3,168.
The overall figure which included vocationaltechnical
courses was 3,494, a 7.5 percent
increase from the fall of 1986. Bing was especially
delighted to see the growth in the “good old
basic academic areas: English, government, history,
mathematics and computer science.” He also
noted that the allied health programs were at
capacity. The president stated, “Medical lab technician
training, full; respiratory therapy, full; and
surgical technology, they’re full too.” Bing added,
“I cannot leave out the sciences. They’re full too.
✯
Mark Keathley (left) shows his latest
creation to art instructor Larry Shook.
172 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

We have had trouble trying to get students to take
organic chemistry. The enrollment in that course
right now is double what it has been.” 90
The excellent enrollment figures eased the
college’s budgetary pressures. With classes “full
to the brim and bursting at the seams,” the
board authorized the extension of the parking
lot located next to the Technical Building.
Because of strong opposition from residents in
the Brownson Terrace addition to an outlet on
Loma Vista Drive, Bing made it clear that the
parking lot would not be extended to the residential
street. He stated, however, “The next
time we expand parking, we may have to have it
empty into Loma Vista. And if we ever do, we
should have them just turn left.” 91
Spanning the years, Victoria College offered
courses and programs to fulfill its obligations as
a community college, but none was more
important than the college’s assault upon
regional adult literacy. In November 1987, the
board approved the implementation of the
Phonetic Alphabet Learning System (PALS), an
IBM computer program designed for individuals
with less than a fifth grade reading level.
Supposedly, any person who spent an hour a
day, five days a week for sixteen to twenty
weeks, would be able to read and write at a
higher level. Counselor and psychology instructor
Agnes Jewett was given the assignment of
directing the computer literacy system housed
in the Academic Building. Her fervor to assist
the functionally illiterate was abundantly plain.
Jewett remarked, “We are creating a stimulating
environment that enhances pride and learning.”
“On a college campus,” she said, “they are solving
their problems with dignity. These learners
have endured years of failure and frustration,
and they have developed a cover for a fragile
self-concept. It takes tremendous courage for
the adult non-reader to come forward and admit
there is a problem.” After a couple of years, the
program was assumed by the Victoria
Independent School District, but was later
returned to the college. Jewett was content with
what she accomplished as director stating that
“the program was very successful.” 92
Dr. S. Joe McCord, director of the VC/UHV
Library, was honored by the Texas Library
Association when the organization named him
Librarian of the Year for 1988. At the time he
was presented the award, McCord was chairman
of the Texas Council of State University
Librarians. He was acknowledged for his role in
legislative issues important to the Texas Library
Association, the unification of the VC/UHV
staffs, numerous publications and presentations,
implementing of grants to improve library services,
and the establishment of the only hospital
library circuit housed in a nonmedical library. 93
In March 1989, the board employed the
architects Warren Young and Rawley McCoy of
Victoria to draw plans for a vocational building
and a classroom/office building. To keep from
✯
Three members of the Business Office
are poised to collect donations for a
scholarship fund established for the
outgoing Victoria College President
Dr. Roland E. Bing. They are (left to
right) Joanie Lytle, Becky Payne, and
Rosalie Hutcherson.
Bingdom ✦ 173

✯
State Senator Kenneth Armbrister
(left) and Victoria County Judge
Norman Jones chat with guests at the
reception on August 4, 1989, honoring
Dr. Roland E. Bing.
pushing for a tax bond referendum to pay for
the structures, college reserve funds and revenue
bonds were used. Because approximately
$500,000 had been donated to the college
by the William A. Wood Family Foundation,
the new vocational building, located north
of the tennis courts, was to be named in honor
of William A. Wood. The classroom/office
complex, designated as the Language Arts
Building, was placed between the Library and
Technical Building where the razed Industrial
Arts Building had been located. Total cost
for the two structures was estimated at two
million dollars. 94
From spring of 1972 to spring of 1989, the
Victoria College Kaleidoscope, provided a chronicle
each semester of the college’s development
and activity. Originally a replacement for the
more costly yearbook, it was mainly a record of
student functions edited by journalism students.
Eventually, under the editorship of journalism
instructor and public relations director
Dr. C. F. Schneider, it became a medium, not
only for student activities, but also for features
on the college itself, a pictorial series on Victoria
County history by Dr. Robert Shook, and special
professional interest articles by faculty members.
After seventeen years of continuous publication,
it was discontinued in favor of a more
diverse approach to public information.
Because of his distinguished contributions
to the teaching profession, the positive ways he
influenced his students, and his invaluable
service to the community, Dr. Wayne McAlister,
174 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

iology department chairman, was named a
Piper Professor for 1989, the first such award
given to a Victoria College faculty member. The
honor was bestowed upon him by the Minnie
Stevens Piper Foundation, which selects ten
Piper Professors a year from the state’s colleges
and universities. On May 1, 1989, in recognition
of his receiving this prestigious award, a
reception was held for McAlister in the
Holidome at the Holiday Inn. Bing presented
the recipient with a plaque and a check for
$2,500 that accompanied the award. McAlister’s
numerous academic achievements include the
publications Trees of Victoria, Common Spring
Wildflowers of the Victoria Area, and A Guidebook
to the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. Clearly, he
was an outstanding instructor and well-respected
by the entire faculty. The honor could not
have gone to a more deserving individual. 95
By legislative mandate, individuals enrolling
in the 1989 fall semester were required to take
the Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) test, a
measurement of student skills in mathematics,
reading and writing. Anyone failing the quiz or
parts thereof would be required to enter remedial
classes. An exception was made for any student
who had earned a minimum of three college
credit hours prior to the fall semester. To circumvent
TASP, recent high school graduates enrolled
in the 1989 summer term in record numbers,
smashing the previous all-time high. Over 1,700
students registered for classes the first term, a 30
percent increase from the preceding year’s 1,316.
Bing responded to the sharp rise in enrollment in
his characteristically nonchalant manner by
remarking, “That’s a pretty good jump.” 96
In the summer of 1989, the Bing presidential
era came to an end. On January 16, the
board, to the surprise of most faculty and staff
members, announced it intended to establish a
presidential search committee. The trustees
further stated that as soon as a replacement
was employed, Bing was to be designated as
president emeritus and contractually permitted
to teach two years, at which time he would
turn seventy. Board member David Lack
praised Bing for his dedicated service to the
college by remarking, “Dr. Bing has done an
admirable job over the years in steering
Victoria College, and we’re glad to see he has
the opportunity of continuing with us for
awhile.” Comforting words to a man who most
faculty and staff thought would remain at the
helm of the college until he was carted off on
a stretcher. 97
✯
The Victoria College has had only
three presidents since it was
established. They are (left to right)
Dr. J. D. Moore, Dr. Roland E. Bing,
and Dr. Jimmy Goodson.
Bingdom ✦ 175

1
The Victoria Advocate, 16 September 1975.
2
The Jolly Roger, 24 October 1975.
3
Ibid., 20 February 1976.
4
Ibid., 9 April 1976.
5
Ibid.
6
Advocate, 4 April 1976.
ENDNOTES
7
Ibid., 1 August 1976; “Technical-Vocational Education,” The Victoria College Kaleidoscope (Fall 1976), 10-11.
8
Advocate, 7 December 1976, 24 December 1976, 4 March 1977; The Victoria College Faculty Minutes, 10 December 1976.
9
Advocate, 4 March 1977.
10
Ibid., 2 March 1977.
11
Victoria College Files, Local History Collection, Victoria College Library.
12
Advocate, 8 March 1977.
13
Ibid.; The Jolly Roger, 8 April 1977.
14
VC Faculty Minutes, 10 January 1977; Advocate, 19 July 1977.
15
The Jolly Roger, 11 November 1977; 14 December 1979.
16
Ibid.
17
Ibid., 9 December 1977; Advocate, 5 February 1978.
18
The Jolly Roger, 24 February 1978.
19
Advocate, 17 January 1978, 7 March 1978.
20
Ibid., 2 May 1978.
21
Ibid., 19 September 1978, 21 November 1978, 27 January 1979, 22 May 1979.
22
James D. Gleason, letter to author, 5 October 1998.
23
Advocate, 16 December 1978; The Jolly Roger, 2 February 1979.
24
The Jolly Roger, 4 May 1979.
25
Richard Walker, interview with author, 29 September 1998.
26
Victoria College Files, Local History Collection, Victoria College Library.
27
The Jolly Roger, 21 November 1979; Advocate, 8-9 November 1979.
28
Advocate, 5 December 1980.
29
Ibid., 4 March 1980; The Jolly Roger, 31 March 1980.
30
Advocate, 6 May 1980; Robert E. Gaines, telephone interview with author, 1 October 1998.
31
Gaines, telephone interview.
32
Ibid.
33
Ibid., 2 May 1980.
34
Ibid., 21 November 1980.
35
Ibid.
36
Ibid., 13 February 1981.
37
Advocate, 22 April 1981.
38
Ibid., 21 July 1981, 24 September 1981; The Jolly Roger, 2 October 1981.
39
The Jolly Roger, Ibid.
40
Ibid., 6 November 1981.
41
Ibid.
42
Advocate, 4 December 1981.
43
Ibid., 13 January 1982.
44
Ibid.
45
Ibid., 4 February 1982, 16 July 1982, 20 July 1982.
46
The Jolly Roger, 26 March 1982.
47
Jim Lehrer, interview with author, 4 February 1982.
48
Audley Dry, telephone interview with author, 15 October 1998.
176 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

49
The Jolly Roger, 3 March 1982.
50
Advocate, 16 November 1982.
51
Ibid., 20 February 1983.
52
Ibid., 18 November 1980.
53
Ibid., 16 March 1983, 22 March 1983, 15 December 1983; The Jolly Roger, 23 March 1983.
54
The Jolly Roger, Ibid.
55
Advocate, 8 March 1983, 17 May 1983, 21 August 1983.
56
Ibid., 31 August 1982, 21 August 1983; Eva Easley, “New-Victoria College Police Academy,” The Victoria College Kaleidoscope (Fall
1983), 6-8.
57
Advocate, 17 September 1983.
58
Agnes Jewett, interview with author, 14 October 1998; The Jolly Roger, 6 October 1983.
59
The Jolly Roger, Ibid.
60
Advocate, 6 May1984, 5 June 1984.
61
Ibid., 18 April 1984.
62
Ibid., 6 March 1984, 5 June 1984.
63
Ibid., 19 September 1984.
64
Ibid., 24 October 1984, 28 October 1984.
65
John Cordary, telephone interview with author, 22 October 1998; Advocate, 3 June 1986, 25 July 1986, 9 August 1986.
66
The Jolly Roger, 13 October 1984; Advocate, 1 November 1984.
67
Advocate, 2 November 1984.
68
Ibid.
69
Ibid.
70
Ibid., 17 January 1984.
71
The Jolly Roger, 11 February 1985; Advocate, 21 November 1984, 22 January 1985.
72
Advocate, 22 February 1985.
73
Ibid., 15 May 1985, 31 May 1985.
74
VC Faculty Minutes, 27 August 1984; Advocate, 16 July 1985.
75
VC Faculty Minutes, 17 January 1985; Advocate, 16 January 1985.
76
The Jolly Roger, 6 December 1985.
77
Advocate, 7 November 1985, 20 December 1985.
78
Ibid., 12 December 1985; Victoria College Newsletter (December 1985).
79
Advocate, 13 February 1986.
80
The Jolly Roger, 7 March 1986; VC Newsletter (April-May 1986).
81
Advocate, 30 May 1986, 10 June 1986.
82
Ibid., 10 June 1986, 17 June 1986.
83
Ibid., 27 June 1986.
84
VC Newsletter (October 1986).
85
The Jolly Roger (February 1987).
86
Advocate, 3 February 1987.
87
Ibid., 20 August 1986, 3 February 1987.
88
The Jolly Roger (April 1987); Ibid., 10 March 1987.
89
Advocate, 12 August 1986, 16 September 1986, 26 September 1986, 18 November 1986, 19 May 1986, 19 May 1987, 28 July
1987, 18 August 1987.
90
Ibid., 3 September 1987, 17 September 1987.
91
Ibid., 22 September 1987.
92
Agnes Jewett, interview with author, 28 October 1998; Ibid., 17 November 1987, 8 April 1988.
93
Advocate, 21 April 1988.
94
Ibid., 14 March 1989.
95
Ibid., 2 May 1989; VC Faculty Minutes, 16 May 1989.
96
Advocate, 7 June 1989.
97
Ibid., 17 January 1989, 4 April 1989.
Endnotes ✦ 177

178 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

CHAPTER 7
A NEW CHIEF, A NEW ERA
Soon after Dr. Roland Bing’s public announcement of his “retirement,” the entire board of trustees
assumed the role as a search committee. Winston Zirjacks, board president, served as its chairman.
Trustee David Lack provided pivotal insight as to the type of individual the search committee was
looking for to assume the presidency. Bing’s successor, he stated, would have to be three dimensional.
The candidate should be sensitive to “the need for higher education in this community to serve
the students who graduate from the high schools, as well as those people who didn’t attend college
and want to further their education;” be willing to assist in the training of personnel for the petrochemical
industry “that we hope will come to this area, as well as other down-stream companies we
believe will come to this area;” and be disposed to “look at the quality of life that will be improved”
by college classes which will bring about the “enhancement of minds to seek enjoyment and pleasure
in books, music and other activities.” Lack’s ideal president was a tall order for the search committee,
but one that was filled. 1
Candidates throughout the state who held creditable educational credentials sought the presidential
position. Guided by Bing through the search process, the board interviewed four impressive finalists.
Ultimately, Zirjacks, on June 30, 1989, announced the appointment of Dr. Jimmy Goodson,
president of Southwest Texas Junior College in Uvalde, as the new Victoria College president.
Goodson received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Sam Houston State University and his
doctorate from East Texas State University. He began his association with the Southwest Texas Junior
College in 1968 as an instructor of history and political science, and eventually assumed the school’s
presidency in 1981.
In declaring the selection of Goodson, Zirjacks stated that the board was influenced in its choice
by the appointee’s experience with Sul Ross State University’s extension center at Southwest
Texas Junior College, similar to the type of arrangement Victoria College had with the University
of Houston-Victoria. The board president remarked, “This (experience) is a rare thing. This will
help him be knowledgeable of the relationships we have (with UHV).” Goodson was just as charitable
in his comments when he accepted the position. “I am delighted,” he said, “to have been
named president of Victoria College…Victoria College enjoys a reputation throughout the state as
an outstanding two-year college with a superb faculty and strong commitment to academic excellence.
It also has enjoyed a solid tradition of sound administrative leadership at the presidential
and trustee levels.” 2
A public reception to honor Bing was held on August 4, 1989, in the dome area of the Victoria
Community Center. One of the highlights of the day’s festivities was when Mayor John Blackaller and
County Judge Norman D. Jones proclaimed August 4 as Roland Bing Day. Invitations were sent to
residents from the eleven counties served by the college. Some 500 friends and acquaintances
responded, including local and state dignitaries who presented the retiring president with certificates
of appreciation or offered accolades. Dr. Marvin Felder, president of Temple College, delivered a document
adopted by the Texas Public Community Junior College Association acknowledging the many
contributions Bing made to the two-year college movement. State senator Ken Armbrister, a former
Victoria College instructor, gave the outgoing president a certificate of recognition from the Texas
Senate. Former congressman and state legislator Joe Wyatt took the microphone and remarked, “I
did receive an education from Dr. Bing. He educated me on how I should vote on education.” Wyatt
was followed by Texas Railroad Commissioner John Sharp who commented to the assemblage that
“for the first six years I was in the State Legislature I thought my first name was ‘Now.’ Dr. Bing would
call me up and say, ‘Now, John—.’” The UHV interim president, Dr. Don Smith, commended Bing
heartily to the group saying that “I have been serving with Dr. Bing for two years. It has been at times
an honor, at other times a pleasure and sometimes it has been an education.” Joe Ferguson,
✯
Dr. Jimmy Goodson became president
of Victoria College in 1989.
A New Chief, A New Era ✦ 179

✯
Chitchatting before a board meeting
are (left to right) Thomas M.
O’Connor, Dr. Rex Whiteside,
and Dr. Jimmy Goodson.
a graduate of Victoria College and an employee
of UHV, good naturedly said to the group that
when he received his diploma from the college,
it was not signed. He took it to Bing and the
president “looked at the diploma and then
called for my records.” Ferguson noted that
“After he was satisfied I really had graduated he
signed the diploma.” Most of those present at
the Community Center thought the evening’s
affair was an apt balance of seriousness and joviality
to laud a man who had devoted an enormous
amount of energy to Victoria College. 3
On August 15, Goodson officially assumed
the presidency. Six days later he addressed an
assembled faculty in the Johnson Symposium
Center. As was the custom, the meeting was
called to order by Dean Rex Whiteside who
immediately stepped aside and turned the session
over to the president. Goodson’s opening
remarks, intended or not, eased any apprehensions
the group might have possessed with
a new leader who was relatively unknown
among its ranks. After expressing his delight
to be given an opportunity to work at the college
and praising the faculty, he reaffirmed a
practice that was an important centerpiece in
the relations between the college employees
and administrators by emphasizing that his
office was accessible to all faculty members and
students at anytime. These were welcome
words, indeed, to those seated in the symposium
room. 4
Although Goodson continued the practice of
presidential accessibility, he veered away from
the concentration of administrative authority
used by Bing. Within a year after his selection
he steered the college down the path of
inclusion whereby the faculty materialized as
an element in the decision-making process. In a
gesture to reduce to a minimum issues that
interested the campus community from falling
through bureaucratic cracks, Goodson began to
meet with faculty elected representatives at a
monthly luncheon. Faculty committees were
180 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

also formed to provide directional advice on
long-range planning and to review the faculty
policy handbook. Goodson also changed the
time-honored system of certain courses and
instructors not being assigned to any department.
The new president instructed the dean to
assign every teaching faculty member to one of
the newly created divisions. Furthermore, the
division chairs were given responsibilities and
authority much beyond the minor roles of
department chairmen under the previous modus
operandi. Chosen by Whiteside to present to the
president for confirmation as the first division
chairs were Dr. Ben Burdine, Social and
Behavioral Sciences; Dr. C. F. Schneider,
Humanities and Fine Arts; and Bennie
Schramm, Science and Math. Additionally, two
individuals remained in their posts but were
placed on par with the divisions. They were
Tom Walton, director of Vocational and
Technical Programs, and Marilyn Morris, director
of the Associate Degree Nursing Program. 5
An administrative overhaul took place as
well. Goodson reduced the number of administrators
who reported to him and renamed
positions to better reflect his viewpoint that
two-year colleges were providers of services.
Whiteside assumed the title of dean of
Instructional Services and Bob Gaines was
named dean of Financial and Administrative
Services. A dean of Student Services was also
established under the new administrative
arrangement. The person who probably would
have been appointed to fill that spot, Director of
Student Personnel Dr. Blake Farmer, announced
his intent to resign at the end of the academic
year. To fill the vacancy, a nationwide search was
initiated. At the end of the interview process,
which included applicants from the college,
Goodson selected Dr. Alice Ann Isaac, director
of School Relations and Academic Development
at Hartnell College, Salinas, California, to round
out the dean positions. 6
How to resolve the issues associated with
deteriorating buildings, inadequate classroom
and science lab space, a new facility for UHV,
and landscaping was near the top, if not at
the top, of Goodson’s agenda when he moved
into his office on the second floor of the
Administration Building. He tackled the questions
by appointing a sixteen-member planning
committee comprised of administrators,
faculty, and staff. Goodson charged the group
with the responsibility of reviewing the existing
infrastructure and recommending a building
program. What the committee initially
suggested in the way of new structures was,
perhaps, more ambitious than the president
✯
Dr. Alice Ann Isaac, dean of Student
and Information Services.
A New Chief, A New Era ✦ 181

✯
Dr. Steve Thomas, dean of
Instructional Services.
had in mind. The group’s proposal called for
a $19 million outlay to construct new buildings
and to renovate the existing ones that
evaded the bulldozer. Goodson characterized
the plan as “frightening” and observed that the
college could not realistically accept it in its
entirety. The board agreed. David Lack
remarked, “I think we all know it’s not within
our reach.” Nevertheless, the president recognized
that a few of the more expensive items
needed to be immediately addressed because
some of the buildings were in such poor condition.
As he put it, “We just don’t have an
option.” The board concurred and instructed
the president to trim the improvements program
to $12 million. 7
Acting upon the board’s directive, Goodson
teamed with the planning committee and
devised an acceptable alternative. The governing
body approved the proposal and set
December 9, 1989, as the date for a bond
election. The $12 million expansion and
improvements program was to be accomplished
over a three-year period. The first stage
was to be the construction of a science lab
complex, a UHV classroom and office complex,
a student center building, and improvements
to building sites. Later, the Science Building
was to be renovated, the physical education
facility expanded, the current Student Union
and old Language Arts buildings razed, and
asbestos-contaminated soil removed. Last on
the campus enhancements list was the remodeling
of the Academic Building. 8
An orchestrated campaign was conducted by
boosters of the college improvements to persuade
voters to support the bond issue. The
Victoria Advocate ran a series of five articles illustrating
the sad condition of the Student Union
and Industrial Arts buildings. In a show of solidarity
with the college, UHV officials, whose
campus would be a beneficiary, expressed
strong support for the plan. UHV President Dr.
Glenn Goerke stated that the current upperlevel
institution’s building was “bursting at its
seams” with students. He further noted that,
“[The new building] is critical to us if we’re
going to continue to grow and to bring new programs
on line. We’re getting to the point now
where I don’t know what we’ll do if the bond
issue doesn’t pass. There’s no more room.” Dr.
Don Smith, UHV’s dean for Academic Affairs,
envisioned the day “we’d be able to have all of
our faculty and staff together under one roof.”
Even Victoria College students went to bat for
the proposal. Kari Perry was direct and succinct,
but, yet, understated the situation when she
remarked that the Student Union Building was
182 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

“falling apart,” and “it’s not very nice.” The
structure was more than “not very nice.” It had
been in need of replacement for years. The
building’s interior floor had subsided and separated
from the walls. To hide the deterioration,
maintenance employees during Bing’s presidency
placed wooden benching over the crack. 9
Never knowing for sure how any election
will turn out, especially because bond issue
elections offered by other public entities had
failed, there were anxious moments for the
proponents. Such anxiety was unwarranted.
The county’s voters gave a resounding
approval, favoring the bond issue 1,323 to
446, a three-to-one margin. When the results
were finalized, Zirjacks stated, “today has been
one of the most important days in the life of
Victoria College and the University of
Houston-Victoria.” Goodson was gratified that
the county residents continued to have confidence
in the college. The passage of the bond
package, the president maintained, assured
students continued low tuition. Analyzing the
results, Goodson commented that “educational
opportunity will be made available to all
Victoria County residents without undue
regard to economic circumstances and that’s a
very proud achievement for the county.” The
results were largely a testimony to the school’s
excellent reputation and the people’s confidence
in the administration, faculty, and staff.
In terms of money and space this project was
much larger than the original campus or bond
issues of the subsequent building projects. 10
While waiting in the Administration Building
for the precinct election judges to bring in the
voting packets, Goodson and two senior faculty
members, one of whom was Bennie Schramm,
chair of the Science and Math Division, engaged
in idle conversation about the election. The
chief executive expressed the opinion that he
thought that the bond issue would prevail but
realized there existed the possibility the vote
could go the other way. The president was not
going to relax until a final tally was announced
approving the proposition. Schramm and his
colleague were more presumptuous and assured
Goodson the bonds would be accepted by 70
percent of the voters. Startled by such a forecast,
the president stated he would buy lunch for the
two faculty members if the prediction proved
correct. The three men enjoyed their meal at the
Golden Corral.
In typical fashion, Goodson turned to the
faculty and staff for advice in developing plans
for construction and renovation. By involving
✯
The Victoria College Choir under the
direction of Ruth Williams entertain
the audience at a commencement.
A New Chief, A New Era ✦ 183

✯
Police Academy students learn to take
down a suspect.
those who would actually be using the structures,
a partnership was created, resulting in a
friendlier teaching and working environment.
Clearly, not all the advice given the president
was accepted. There was enough, however,
that a true collaborative relationship existed.
The beneficiaries of the alliance, without their
realizing it, were the students passing through
the portals.
Demands for qualified registered nurses in
the region contributed to the expansion of the
college nursing program by sixty percent in the
fall of 1990. The move was prompted by a
survey that found that 111 budgeted RN
positions were vacant in Victoria and the surrounding
counties. Marilyn Morris, director of
the Associate Degree Nursing Program, said the
students “will have no difficulty in securing
employment.” She further remarked that
recent follow-up studies showed that “100 percent
of the graduates are being employed
immediately upon graduation.” Affirming
Morris’ comments were Dorothy Miller, assistant
administrator at Citizens Medical Center,
and Jean Herman, assistant administrator at
DeTar Hospital. Miller noted that “the bottom
line is, recruiting from Canada to outer
Mongolia has proved unsuccessful. We have to
rely heavily on Victoria College to supply our
RNs.” Herman argued, “We simply have no
resource for RN recruitment other than the
Victoria College program.” The three allied
health specialists were on sound footing with
their statements. According to figures produced
by the three Victoria County hospitals,
fifty-two percent of their full-time registered
nurses were graduates of Victoria College. 11
In May 1990, jubilation reigned among the
47 graduates from the Associate Degree
Nursing Program when they learned the entire
group had passed the state licensing exam.
This was the sixth time since 1975 that a
Victoria College graduating class enjoyed a
100 percent pass rate. Morris attributed the
achievement to the students’ “dedication to
learning, a supportive administration, and
excellent nursing and general course teaching
faculty.” Furthermore, “our students,” she stated,
“are also fortunate to have quality health
care facilities in the area that play a major role
in their clinical experience.” 12
The nursing students were not the only ones
to demonstrate that Victoria College graduates
received quality preparation. Spring graduates
of the Emergency Medical Technology Program
earned the second highest scores on the state
184 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

EMT licensing test. Mark Reger, director of the
local program, pridefully proclaimed that his
former students’ exam scores averaged 91.45,
a shade behind the highest average of 92.06
but conspicuously higher than the state average
of 84.3. 13
Equally excited were Alan Baker and
Richard Evan, instructors of the EMT intermediate
programs. Their students in Gonzales and
Victoria ranked first and second, respectively,
on the state’s certification test. The students
who attended Baker’s class in Gonzales averaged
93 percent while Evan’s students in
Victoria posted an average of 92.5 percent,
well above the state medium. 14
Data was released by Dr. Luther Troell, director
of Institutional Research, that signified former
Victoria College students who transferred
to senior universities performed competently.
The grade point average for the students at the
two-year institution was 2.76 while their average
GPA at the transfer schools was 2.71.
Universities used in the study were Texas A&I,
Texas A&M, North Texas State, Sam Houston
State, Southwest Texas State, Texas Tech,
University of Houston, University of Houston-
Victoria, and the University of Texas. Troell,
after analyzing the data, sagaciously stated, “At
Victoria College students receive quality academic
instruction in a supportive atmosphere.
When the time comes to transfer, the foundation
for success is there.” 15
Students again competed for top honors in a
variety of contests during Activities Week in the
spring of 1990. When the event concluded,
first place winners were Tria E. Airheart, poetry;
Cathy Fleska, essay; Bob L. Morgan, Jr.,
short story; Rachel Thomas, ceramic; Eric Ross,
three-dimensional; Stephen Hyde, drawing;
Darla Rhodes, painting; Vicky Speed, nature
photography; Nancy Bruns, people photography;
Mary Fricke, typing; and Valerie Novian,
word processing. 16
Trustees at the May 1990 board meeting
revived the drama program, dormant since the
1970s, by employing Charles “Chuck” Root, an
adjunct teacher at Dallas Community College
and Collin County Community College, as a
speech and drama instructor. The action taken
by the governing body was a bona fide effort by
it and the administration to improve the quality
of life on the campus. Under the direction of the
✯
Harry Wagner, geology instructor,
comments on a fossil to (left to right)
Linda Wagner, Matthew Morrison,
and Andrew Cande.
A New Chief, A New Era ✦ 185

new instructor there were to be two major stage
presentations each year and scholarships for
student actors. The chief goals for Root were “to
prepare Victoria College theater majors to continue
their education in drama and to train students
who want to go into acting school and
become professional actors.” 17
Classes were held for the first time in the new
William A. Wood Vocational Building in June
1990. The design of the latest campus structure
was largely the handiwork of Chris Warren,
welding instructor. As Warren envisioned, the
building was furnished with the finest equipment
that could be purchased to accommodate
welding, drafting, electronics, and air conditioning/refrigeration
courses. Among its state-of-the
art features was a self-contained welding lab
which provided “students with a near perfect
learning environment.” 18
Charles Spurlin, head of the Social Sciences
Department, was surprised in the fall of 1990
to learn that he was one of 20 Texans selected
to receive the Texas House of Representatives
Certificate of Citation Award. The award
acknowledged his “generous gift of talent
and effort to enrich” the community.
Presentation ceremonies were conducted in
the Texas Senate Chamber by Mack Wallace,
a state representative, from the Houston
area. Afterwards, a reception was held in the
lieutenant governor’s quarters adjacent to the
Senate Chamber. 19
Concluding that the time had come to step
down as dean while his health was good, Dr.
Rex Whiteside at the beginning of the 1990 fall
semester announced his resignation, effective
December 31. Recognizing that the dean’s
responsibilities had changed over the years, he
remarked, “The Dean of Instruction now needs
to work with the division chairmen and department
heads rather than with student counseling.”
Goodson appointed a search committee to
screen and to recommend a replacement for
Whiteside. After interviewing several hopefuls
and submitting a pool of names for the president
to choose from, Goodson selected Dr. Steve
Thomas, dean of Academic Affairs for Lexington
Community College, Lexington, Kentucky, as
the new dean of Instructional Services. 20
Retiring with Whiteside at the close of the
fall semester was Louise Hume. Since assuming
the position of registrar in 1965, she had been
a potent element during the two decades that
spanned Bing’s years at the college as dean and
president. Stating a truism, she commented in
an interview prior to her retirement, that as registrar,
“I was able to watch and help with each
student’s progress, all the way from registration
to graduation.” Hume was succeeded by Martha
Watts, assistant registrar. 21
✯
Louise Hume, registrar, checks to
see if the form is completed with
black ink.
186 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

When the faculty members convened in
January 1991 to start the spring semester, they
were told that the college had ended its association
with the University Interscholastic League.
The announcement brought cheers from the
assembled faculty who, for years, had campaigned
for the college to drop its sponsorship.
Instructors criticized the loss of critical class
time and dissatisfaction with being put into a
position of “volunteering” their free time to
judge events. If a tear was shed by a single faculty
member over the loss of the college’s participation,
it was not evident. 22
Preparations for the decennial reaffirmation
visit by the Southern Association of Colleges
and Schools began in earnest in January 1991.
Dr. Ben Burdine, chair of the Division of Social
and Behavioral Sciences, was picked by
Goodson as chairman of the Self-Study Steering
Committee. In a presentation at a faculty meeting,
Burdine informed the assemblage that the
process would take two years, and he provided
each member a performance time line. In addition
to Burdine, the steering committee was
composed of Morris Azbill, Audley Dry, Vera
Johnson, Marilyn Morris, Dr. Dale Pigott, Dr.
Julia Riggs, Dr. C. F. Schneider, Dr. Joe Sekul,
Dr. Geraldine Talley, and board member
Catherine McHaney. 23
Open house was held for the new Language
Building on the evening of April 18. The $1.7
million, two-story structure offered an “up-todate”
teaching and learning facility for both students
and faculty members. Recognizing the
necessity for the building, Goodson commented,
“We are getting some badly needed classroom
space. Our college has had steady growth
and the University of Houston-Victoria has also
had substantial growth. The Language Building
will provide immediate relief to the overcrowding
problems of both schools.” 24
Stating the obvious in introducing the Tech-
Prep Cooperative Program to the public in
August 1991, Tom Walton, director of
Technical-Vocational Education, remarked, “A
lot of kids leave high school without any preparation
for what lies ahead of them. Not all will
be going off to college and all too often they
have had no vocational or technical training to
prepare them for a job.” The new program was
✯
Victoria College’s Marie Alaniz
addresses a question at a financial aid
seminar in Goliad.
A New Chief, A New Era ✦ 187

✯
Children and their parents have fun
at a Halloween carnival in the
Student Center.
designed to remedy the deficiency by focusing
on industrial and technical, business and office,
and health and protective services. “Instead of
students being trapped in [high school and college]
courses that lead nowhere,” explained
Carrie Nelson, state project director for Tech-
Prep, “they are put in courses where they have
many options that can allow them to go on and
directly earn a baccalaureate degree or get a
job.” Under the course of study, students could
take general education and technological classes
and “at the end of the two years in high school,”
said Melonie Wade, Tech-Prep coordinator at
the college, “you have to be sure the kid has a
salable skill—one in which they could find a
job.” She stressed that the goal was “to assure a
good solid foundation of marketable skills [so]
secondary students would get a head start and
would be ready to enter the labor market with
employable skills.” 25
Students returning to the campus for the
1992 spring semester found the scenery had
changed for the better. There now existed a new
Student Center and a Science Building. The
Student Center officially opened on January 15
in time for spring registration. A few weeks later,
the Science Building became available for occupancy.
By April, the University of Houston-
Victoria Building was completed. To give the
local taxpayers an opportunity to see the results
of the 1989 bond package, the public was invited
to an open house on April 11. Meanwhile,
demolition of the old Student Union and
Language Arts buildings was embarked upon. 26
After thirty-seven years teaching voice,
piano, organ, and choir at the college, Ruth
Williams announced her retirement, effective
at the end of the spring semester. In jest, she
remarked, “I know in a couple of years, I’ll
probably want to come back. I’ll miss a lot
about this job. I love being in the big middle
of everything.” Under her direction, the choir
was recognized throughout the state as exemplary.
At the May faculty meeting, state senator
Ken Armbrister presented the retiring instructor
with a Senate Proclamation praising her
for the contributions she made to the college
and the community. Armbrister also conveyed
to Williams a congratulatory letter from
Governor Ann Richards. The governor
applauded the choir for being “one of our
state’s musical treasures” and complimented
Williams by stating, “you have proven your talent
and audiences around the world have been
touched by your music.” 27
Within two months after receiving accolades
from the state senate and the governor,
Williams was on the road again for one final
188 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

trip with the college choir. The group was
appointed by Governor Richards as the Texas
representative at the World’s Fair in Seville,
Spain. Some thirty students, faculty, civic chorus
members, and area residents embarked for
Spain on July 8 via Morocco and Portugal. On
July 16, the choir made its scheduled performance
at the United States Pavilion in Seville
before an appreciative crowd composed of people
from around the world. 28
Victoria College’s countywide election system
was brought into question when a federal
lawsuit was filed against the community college
by Alex Rojas, a local businessman and
former Victoria College student. Rojas claimed
the litigation was necessary because “the
method of electing board members discriminates
against the minority community.” His
attorney, Roland Rios, contended that the legal
action should not be viewed as a hostile move.
The litigants, Rios said, were “not saying that
the present board is doing a bad job (of representing
minorities). But this will just make the
board a little more democratic.” He further
stated, “With minorities comprising approximately
34 percent of the population served by
the Victoria College district it is clear to me
that minorities should have the opportunity to
elect officials of their choice.” 29
Winston Zirjacks, board president, held a
dissimilar view. He stated the lawsuit came as
a surprise to him for there was “no reason for
minorities to be objectionable to anything
we’ve done.” Maintaining that any eligible individual
could seek election to the board, he
commented that “they just have to run.” The
board president further remarked, “Truthfully,
I don’t know if anything needs to be changed.”
Zirjacks did say, however, that the board would
discuss the legal action “before officially replying
to the suit.” Goodson concurred with the
board president that no public statements
should be made until he and the trustees conferred
with an attorney. The president did
point out that the board had “always tried to
represent the interests of all citizens of Victoria
County in providing the best educational
opportunities possible.” Goodson’s assessment
was correct. On the other hand, the plaintiffs
were dead-right by insisting “a change in the
election process is needed.” 30
Of utmost concern to the board and
Goodson was how the lawsuit could be
resolved “to save taxpayers money that would
be lost during a prolonged court battle.” To
assist them in reaching a satisfactory solution,
the trustees employed Bob Heath of the Austin
law firm of Bickerstaff, Heath and Smiley. After
wrestling with the issue for six months, an
acceptable understanding between the two
sides was agreed upon. Goodson announced
that “the board felt it was in the interest of the
✯
Jack Warren (far right) discusses
career opportunities with
prospective students.
A New Chief, A New Era ✦ 189

college and the population of Victoria County”
to adopt a new method of electing its members.
He added that to do otherwise “would
have been expensive to pursue the matter in
court.” The settlement agreed to provide that
four board members be elected from singlemember
districts, two from super districts (a
combination of two single-member districts)
and one at-large from the entire district.
Boundaries of the single-member districts were
drawn to coincide with county commissioner
precincts. As structured by the board, Super
District 3 was composed of precincts 1 and 2
while Super District 7 comprised county commissioners
precincts 3 and 4. Another stipulation
of the arrangement obligated the college to
pay Rojas’ lawyer $9,000. 31
At the end-of-the-year faculty meeting on
May 19, 1992, Dr. Michael Hummel once again
placed before the group a recommendation to
establish a faculty senate. Contrary to past
attempts to create such an organization, the
motion passed with no dissenting votes. A
seven-member ad hoc committee was elected to
draft a constitution and bylaws and present it to
the faculty for consideration. Chosen to perform
that duty were Dr. Ben Burdine, Morris
Azbill, Hummel, Marilyn Morris, Dr. Dale
Pigott, Dr. Richard Walker, and David White.
The members of the committee elected
Hummel as chairman. 32
Working persistently through the summer
months of 1992, the ad hoc Faculty Senate
Committee drafted “a policy defining the structure,
composition, responsibilities, and authority
of a faculty senate.” Immediately following
the adjournment by Dean Steve Thomas of the
regular faculty meeting in the Johnson
Symposium Center on August 24, the instructors
reassembled in Room 213 of the Allied
Health Building to consider the proposed faculty
senate constitution and bylaws. The initial
issue discussed was the ad hoc committee’s recommendation
that a faculty organization be
established. After a brief dialogue, a secret ballot
was taken. The proposal passed 84 to 14. 33
Following the adoption of the motion to
establish a faculty organization, the instructors
turned to the committee’s recommendation to
approve the proposed constitution and bylaws
and “to expedite the implementation of the documents.”
During the discussion on the motion,
minor changes were embraced. An attempt was
made by some overly concerned faculty members
to table the recommendation, but they
failed to sidetrack the process by a vote of 39 for
✯
Amused by Dr. Jimmy Goodson’s
comment are (left to right) Catherine
McHaney, board president, and
Victoria College’s first lady,
Michelle Goodson.
190 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

and 55 against the motion. When the faculty
finally got around to deciding on the constitution
and bylaws, the documents, as amended,
were adopted by secret ballot 77 to 20.
Afterwards, the new senate appropriately selected
Hummel as its president. 34
The Faculty Senate quickly became a positive
force for the college because both the senate and
the administration conscientiously avoided an
adversarial relationship in favor of a collaborative
one. While most of the formal senate recommendations
to the administration emanated from the
faculty, the administration also actively solicited
the senate’s input on a number of key issues.
Certainly there were differences of opinions,
sometimes strong differences, but they were
resolved in a spirit of cooperation. Among the
accomplishments of the senate were revisions to
the tenure policy, salary schedule, faculty evaluation
by students and administrators, creation of
faculty development grants, and guidelines for
experimental or innovative teaching.
After two years of acute self-evaluation conducted
by the faculty and staff, the college was
ready for the Southern Association of Colleges
and Schools Reaffirmation Committee’s visit that
began on February 22, 1993. Burdine, chairman
of the college self-study, had exercised exceptional
leadership in supervising the preparation
of a final report to present to the regional
accreditation team. The revisitation, to say the
least, went prosaically for the four days the
group was on the campus. When the obligatory
junket concluded, the committee made a minimal
number of recommendations. No matter
how exhaustively a college self-study has been
conducted and recorded, reaffirmation committees
apparently think their work is not complete
unless recommendations are produced as evidence.
At its annual meeting on December 15,
1993, SACS reaccredited Victoria College for
another decade. The college was required to
respond to five minor recommendations in a follow-up
report. Acting upon the directive, Dean
Thomas compiled a reply that was accepted by
the board and submitted to SACS. 35
Doors of the new Sports Center were opened
in August 1993. Featuring an assortment of athletic
equipment, the facility, designed with individual
utilization in mind rather than team
sports, offered the students, faculty, and staff
opportunities to stay physically fit. Each segment
of the college community quickly took
advantage of the accommodations. Harlon
Gerhold, kinesiology department head, noted
that “students are really enjoying using the
Center during their off hours.” Kelly McKay,
kinesiology instructor, remarked that “the faculty
and staff enrolled in the wellness program
were having a great time.” She added, “Everyone
✯
Cindy Bedwell (left), manager of Food
Services, and her assistant, Kim
Reger, arrange decorations in the
Student Union.
A New Chief, A New Era ✦ 191

✯
Elaine Marcinkowska (left), dean of
Administrative Services, and Patti
Sagebiel, purchasing director.
leaves with an overall great workout.” Bob
Leach, kinesiology instructor, pointed out that
the faculty and staff involved in the wellness
program had a participation menu that ranged
from group tennis to shooting hoops.” 36
Decision making had been relatively easy
for the board when it came to the construction
of new buildings, but with the Sports Center
in place, the trustees had to tackle the thorny
issue of whether to tear down the existing
Academic and Science buildings or to do
major renovation work on the two facilities. At
its March meeting, the governing body discussed
the options and concluded that some
additional information was needed. The matter
was passed to the board’s building committee
and architect Rawley McCoy of
Young/McCoy Architects of Victoria. When the
assigned parties reviewed their charge, they
concluded the taxpayers would best be served
by refurbishing. McCoy stated that the cost of
razing the structures and constructing new
ones would cost the college over ninety percent
more than it would cost to renovate them.
Another factor that entered into the decision
for restoration was historical preservation. The
Academic Building is the last surviving structure
of the original campus and is representative
of 1940s architectural style. Wisely, the
board chose renovation. 37
Bids submitted by prospective contractors
were not exactly what Goodson and the trustees
expected. Approximately $2 million was dedicated
from revenue bonds and private foundation
donations for the restoration work.
However, the lowest quotation received by the
college was $2.165 million. A consideration for
the increased cost was the removal of window
and room air conditioners from the Academic
Building and replacing them with a central heating
and cooling system. Because the bids were
higher than anticipated, the suggested improvements
were postponed. The board’s building
committee in consultation with the president
and architect McCoy commenced exploring
ways to reduce the expenses. By reevaluating the
original proposal, McCoy pared the specifications
sufficiently enough to reduce the costs. On
February 11, 1994, the trustees awarded a
$1.97 million contract to Alvarez and Associates
Construction Company of Victoria for renewal
of the two buildings, replacement of the connecting
hallway’s glass windows so they conformed
to state requirements, and the cleaning
of the stone and brick at the Fine Arts Building.
The Academic Building was carefully restored to
192 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

preserve the extensive woodwork and to maintain
the “feel” of the old building. 38
Concluding that “the time is now” and that he
was “old enough to start smelling the roses,”
David Lack, a veteran of the board for 18 years,
resigned in February 1994. “After lamenting
how much they’ll miss David Lack, Victoria
College trustees wasted no time” in naming
Arnold Galindo Davis as his replacement. The
new board member, the executive director of the
Victoria Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and
manager of Casa Ole, was the first Hispanic in
college history to serve on the board. He represented
a redrawn district that emerged from the
Alex Rojas lawsuit. Davis served the remaining
three months of Lack’s term and was elected
without any opposition to a full term as trustee. 39
What many individuals who were acquainted
with him considered an overdue honor, Wesley
Aldis, bookstore manager, was selected as a
member of the National Association of College
Stores Board of Trustees at the organization’s
April 1994 meeting in Orlando, Florida. The
association consisted of approximately 3,200
college and university bookstores in the United
States and Canada. Six board members were
elected by store members to represent regional
districts and there were also two at-large places.
Aldis was chosen to represent the Southwest
region which was composed of Texas and four
surrounding states. 40
Wesley Aldis, or “John Wesley” as Bing
referred to him, had been associated with the
college since the 1960s, first as a student and
later as an employee. While he attended college,
he wrote a sports article for the college newspaper.
As bookstore manager, a position he
assumed when long-time employee V. T. Kallus
retired in the early 1970s, Aldis witnessed
changes in its operation and the items sold. The
most striking difference was in technology, ranging
from electric cash register to computer. Aldis
has “sold everything from slide rules to calculators
that run a space ship.” He recalled that Al
Allen, math instructor, purchased an early
“hand-held calculator, which he had to assemble
for something like $300.00, now that same [calculator]
can be bought for only $6.99 assembled.”
His prescription for operating a bookstore—“adjust
and be flexible.” 41
Interactive video was introduced on the campus
during the spring of 1994. The movement to
employ its use at the college was led by Marilyn
Powell, coordinator of vocational nursing, after
she observed its application in January 1994
when a medication administration lecture was
beamed from Houston to Victoria. From her
point of view, Powell noted the “technology
✯
Wesley Aldis, bookstore manager.
A New Chief, A New Era ✦ 193

✯
Gladys Bolting, student employment
coordinator, gives instructions to
Mandi Wallace on the proper way to
complete a job application.
allows us to better utilize faculty and support
service resources, and to offer educational
experiences to individuals who now have
distance as a barrier to accomplishing their
educational goals.” Dean Thomas expressed a
similar opinion when he said, “this state-of-theart
technology not only creates access for rural
students, but also can be utilized for conferencing
and staff development.” The responsibility of
teaching the first academic interactive video college
credit courses fell to Dr. Stephen Hardin,
history instructor, and Dr. Jerry Novosad,
psychology instructor. During the first session of
the 1994 summer term, courses were offered,
with mixed success, to students in Hallettsville
and the main campus. Television monitors were
set up in the Victoria College Library Building
and the hospital in Hallettsville. Hardin taught a
course in Victoria, and his lectures were simulcast
to the Hallettsville site, whereas Novosad
conducted a psychology class in Hallettsville and
his presentations were transmitted to Victoria. 42
Another historical event took place at the
college in the spring of 1994. On May 14, Dr. F.
Benton Burdine, retiring chairman of the
Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences,
delivered the address at the college commencement,
thus becoming the first faculty member
to be the principal speaker at a graduation ceremony.
The idea to have Burdine make the
presentation came from Goodson. The affable
speaker, who was held in high esteem by his
colleagues, told the Victoria College graduates
they had “the right to make their own mistakes—just
don’t repeat ours.” He counseled
them to “be productive citizens” for they owed
it not only to themselves, but “to your children
and to your country.” 43
Heeding a directive by the state for community
colleges to increase their activity in workforce
development, the local college responded
by offering “customized training and education”
to Union Carbide and Formosa employees
in August of 1994. Working closely with
the ABC Merit Shop Training Program, established
in 1987 by Formosa and five other companies,
the classes were initially held at Union
Carbide, but they were expanded to Formosa
employees. College credit was earned for
“real-world subjects like carpentry, welding,
pipe-fitting, electronics, instrumentation, and
industrial mechanics.” 44
Consummate Texas historian and Victoria
College instructor Dr. Stephen Hardin walked
off with virtually every major historical book
award for 1994 with his work, Texian Iliad: A
Military History of the Texas Revolution. Among
the laurels he received were the Texas Historical
194 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

✯
Left: Dr. Steve Thomas awards
a scholarship to a delighted Betty
Jean Bland.
Bottom: Jerry Dvorak, director of
Media Services, catches up on his
office work after delivering
audio/visual equipment for
classroom use.
A New Chief, A New Era ✦ 195

Commission’s T. R. Fehrenback Book Award, the
Summerfield G. Roberts Award, and the
Certificate of Merit from The American
Association for State and Local History.
Furthermore, the Victoria College instructor
was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters.
His exhaustive study on the Texas Revolution
made him a much sought-after person by the
news media. He made appearances on the TV
series “The Real West” and gave interviews on
radio talk shows. When the controversial
José Enrique de la Peña diary, With Santa
Anna in Texas: A Personal Narrative of the
Revolution, was to be auctioned in the fall of
1998, Hardin was interviewed in New York on
NBC’s Today show. 45
Funding for technological resources by the
board rose dramatically in 1994. The trustees
authorized $650,000 to implement a five-year
plan that permitted faculty, staff, and students to
access Internet from any building on the campus
and thereby provided instructors new
opportunities for classroom instruction.
Another $80,000 was spent to develop a drafting
program that was compatible with area
industries. Jody Muschalek, director for drafting
technology and instructor of the classes, accurately
remarked that it was “important to keep
students up to date.” Cognizant of how rapidly
computer technology changes, he astutely stated
that “you can graduate from college and five
years later, be behind the times.” 46
Student accessibility to technology on the
campus was hastened during the fall of 1995.
The college received a portion of a grant from
the National Science Foundation awarded to the
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to
connect to Internet. When the grant was
announced, Dr. Kenneth H. Ashworth, commissioner
of the Coordinating Board, stated that the
Internet “capability will improve the college’s
ability to play an even larger role in workforce
and economic development by providing stateof-the-art
opportunities to students, faculty and
administrators.” Internet quickly became an
instructional tool for some of the faculty. The
Allied Health Division downloaded material
from medical libraries and the world for distribution
to students, and psychology instructor
Dr. Karen Hoblit assigned research papers
requiring Internet sources. Furthermore, students
were provided with e-mail addresses, thus
permitting them to send and receive electronic
mail from various campus locations. 47
Because of the financial assistance the M. G.
and Lillie A. Johnson Foundation contributed to
the college for allied health facilities and equipment,
the board renamed the renovated Science
✯
The covered walkways may
not have been aesthetic, but they
did provide protection from
inclement weather.
196 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

Building the M. G. and Lillie A. Johnson Hall.
Monies from the foundation were the principal
source of funding for remodeling the structure. In
another gesture of the college’s gratitude for the
foundation’s financial contributions, Goodson
dedicated a classroom in the renewed building
for Lewis Allen, Jr., the Johnsons’ nephew. 48
In the spring of 1996, Winston Zirjacks
retired after serving on the board for 49 years,
forty of which as the president. He was elected
to the Victoria College Board of Trustees in 1947
when the two-year institution became a separate
entity from the Victoria Independent School
District. His connection to the college in 1927,
two years after it was established. While a student
at Victoria Junior College, Zirjacks was
president of the student body and participated
in extracurricular activities. At the May 6 board
meeting, he was made president emeritus, and
Catherine McHaney, the new board president
and the first woman to hold that position, read
a laudatory proclamation for his service to the
college, and Goodson presented him with an
official state judge’s gavel that was manufactured
by the Texas Department of Corrections. More
than 200 people attended a public reception for
the retiring board president in the Student
Center. During the festivities, Zirjacks was presented
with a congratulatory letter from
Governor George W. Bush, proclamations from
the state senate, city, and county, and Dr.
Michael Hummel, president of the Faculty
Senate, presented him with a gift, purchased
with money raised by volunteer contributions,
on behalf of the faculty. 49
History instructor, head of the Social
Sciences Department, and teacher at the college
for thirty-five years, Charles D. Spurlin was
selected as a 1996 Piper Professor, an honor
given by the Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation
to ten Texas college and university educators a
year to recognize excellence in teaching. Only
one other Victoria College instructor was a
recipient of the award, Dr. Wayne McAlister in
1989. On May 1, at a luncheon in the Student
Center sponsored by the college, Hummel, with
Spurlin’s wife, Pat, and five children in attendance,
presented him a framed Piper Professor
Award certificate. Goodson, in turn, gave the
recipient a $2,500 check from the Minnie
Stevens Piper Foundation and a Piper Professor
Pin. The college president suggested the honoree
should take a well-deserved trip with the
money. Spurlin, tearfully, thanked his colleagues,
students, and friends. He remarked,
“When you’re selected from a faculty of over
✯
Lines can be long at registration.
A New Chief, A New Era ✦ 197

✯
In November 1996, two live oak trees
were dedicated in memory of former
board members Leo Welder and Tom
O’Connor, Jr. At the podium is Board
President Catherine McHaney.
100 to be the nominee, that in itself is an honor,
because there’s a lot of fine people out here who
teach.” How true. 50
Spurlin was further complimented in the
spring when members of the Texas State
Historical Association elected him to the
Executive Council, a position seldom held by a
person from the ranks of a community college.
Another faculty member who received recognition
during the spring of 1996 was Caroline C.
Garrett, instructor of accounting and office systems
technology. She was named to Who’s Who
Among America’s Teachers. Garrett was actively
involved in the Texas Community College
Teachers Association by serving as the organization’s
local campus representative. 51
In November 1996, live oak trees were
planted and plaques were placed in front of the
Academic Building in memory of two staunch
supporters of the college, Leo Welder and
Tom O’Connor, Jr., both of whom had died
the previous summer. Approximately 100 people
attended the ceremony and heard commendable
remarks by Catherine McHaney,
board member Robert J. Hewitt, Sr., and
Goodson. The plaques were unveiled by board
members Mark Zafereo and Ron Walker.
Afterwards, a reception was held in the
Academic Building. 52
A major highlight of the 1997 spring semester
was a February 11 presentation by the world
renown poet Maya Angelou. Before a packed
house in the Fine Arts Auditorium and people
watching closed circuit television broadcast in
the Student Center and the Johnson Symposium
Center, she mesmerized the audience by her
captivating demeanor and dramatic poetry reading.
The program attracted the second largest
number of persons to ever attend a Lyceum
sponsored event in the Fine Arts Auditorium. 53
On April 23-25, a peer review team
representing the Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board conducted a site visit.
Although not as intense as an evaluation by a
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Reaffirmation Committee, the group reviewed
the college’s programs and interviewed faculty
and staff for an overall assessment of the
services provided by the local two-year institution.
The visiting team was generally
impressed with the college. It declared the
Licensed Vocational Nursing Program an
Exemplary Program and praised a number of
other courses of study. 54
198 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

University of Houston-Victoria’s dream of
having its own property and buildings finally
became a reality in 1997. Serious discussions
between Victoria College and UHV officials on
the sale of college land to the upper division
university had transpired periodically for the
preceding three years. When the negotiations
reached the point that a sale-purchase agreement
appeared certain, the college in 1996
employed local attorney Munson Smith as a
negotiator. Throughout the discussions, the college
officials wanted to devise an offer that was
fair to UHV and did not jeopardize in any way
the college’s educational capacity nor its constituents.
In a gesture to bring the matter to an
end, state Representative Steve Holzheauser succeeded
in attaching a rider to education legislation
authorizing $10 million of state funds for
UHV expansion if the University of Houston
System rejected a purchase proposal. 55
On April 21, the college board met and agreed
to sell the UH System the building that was currently
being used by UHV and fifteen adjacent
acres for $5.05 million. Three days later, the
University of Houston System Board of Regents
convened in Houston and approved the purchase.
Kay Walker, a regent from Victoria, commented,
“It’s a new era for wonderful opportunities for
Victoria.” UHV President Karen Haynes remarked,
“We can now begin to plan for initiatives and
implementations of those.” Obviously, both ladies
were ecstatic over the regents’ decision. 56
In the summer of 1997, Victoria College once
again became the primary agency within the
community for adult education, assuming the
responsibility from the Victoria Independent
School District. The adult education program
was originally established “to reach out into the
community and help those adults needing to finish
high school requirements.” Transfer of the
responsibility was mutually agreeable to the college
and public school officials. Goodson noted
that the state legislature in 1973 “added a literacy
mission to our general adult mission,” and Dr.
Jack Clemmons, VISD superintendent, stated,
“Philosophically it belongs with the college.
They’re in that line of business.” The center was
housed in a building at 802 East Crestwood
Drive leased from Central Power & Light
Company. As a practical matter, to accommodate
students in need of adult education, the college
provided the Victoria Adult Literacy Council
space in the new facility. Unification of the two
programs at a central location was placed in perspective
by George Alexander, director of
recruiting and marketing. He remarked that
“area adults who need help can come to one
place and receive a range of services.” 57
✯
Dr. James Gleason (right) has the
attention of John Sharp (left), state
comptroller, as Dr. Joe Dahlstrom,
library director, stands ready to enter
into the conversation.
A New Chief, A New Era ✦ 199

A study released in the fall of 1997 by the
Institutional Research and Planning Office
comparing the performance of Victoria
College transfer students with first-year transfer
students from other community colleges
once again illustrated that the local two-year
institution offered excellent higher education
course work at a fraction of the cost at a senior
institution. The data was compiled on
transfer students to the University of Texas at
Austin, Southwest Texas State University, and
Texas A&M University and indicated that former
Victoria College students earned higher
grade point averages than other community
college transfer students. The GPA for Victoria
College students at UT-Austin ranged from 3.0
to 3.5 whereas the GPA for transfer students
from the other community colleges was
between 2.5 and 3.0. Former Victoria College
students also performed better than their
counterparts from the other two-year institutions
at Southwest Texas State University and
Texas A&M University. Remarkable findings,
indeed. The Institutional Research and
Planning Office also noted that 3,822 students
were enrolled for the 1997 fall semester, the
all-time high for the college. 58
With only $203 remaining in the Victoria
College Foundation, the board of trustees, on
Goodson’s recommendation, reorganized the
foundation in the fall of 1997 to include nonboard
members. As it was originally designed,
the foundation was established to accept large
donations to be principally used for building
projects, but there now existed other important
needs for funds. The foundation was an ideal
solution, so the trustees thought, as a means of
paying for programs because its monies were
less restricted than contributions placed in the
general funds. The board and the president
reasoned that in order to attain the new funding
goals, individuals in addition to board members
should be involved in foundation activities. On
November 17, 1997, after revamping the
foundation, the trustees initially appointed
Catherine McHaney, Mark Zafereo, John
Vasquez, John Brimberry, David Gaddis, Lee
Swearingen, Zac Lentz, Gene Moreno, and
Dennis Broughton as directors. The members in
turn elected Gaddis as president. Penni Gietz, a
new appointee, was chosen secretary, and
Zafereo was selected as the treasurer. 59
During the spring of 1998, Police Academy
Director Herman “B. J.” Roe was named to the
✯
In 1998, Jim Lehrer presented the first
“Jim Lehrer Award for Print
Journalism” to Russell Gold.
200 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

State Testing Committee for the Texas
Commission on Law Enforcement Officer
Standards and Education, the state’s law
enforcement governing body. His appointment
signified the high esteem that he and the
Victoria College Police Academy had earned in
law enforcement circles. According to the commission,
the local program ranked as one of the
state’s exemplary regional police academies. 60
Of equal significance to Roe’s selection were
Karen Hoblit’s and Wes Aldis’ accomplishments.
Hoblit, who began teaching an on-line
psychology course in the fall of 1997, became
one of only eight psychology instructors across
the nation to be given the opportunity to scrutinize
an interactive web-based online program,
CourseNet, that was created by Russ
Whitehurst from the State University of New
York at Stony Brook and distributed by Worth
Publishing Company. Additionally, a biographical
sketch on her was included in the 1998
edition of Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers.
Aldis, on the other hand, was featured in
ShelfTalk, a newsletter sent to booksellers by
Springhouse, a publishing firm. The article on
the efficient Victoria College bookstore manager
was titled “Meet the Pied Piper of Book Fairs
and Learn How He Draws ‘Em In.” The item
was especially complimentary of the way he
conducted a “medical book and career fair” on
the campus. 61
Meanwhile, two faculty members were recognized
for their professional achievements.
LeAnn Wagner in August 1998 became the
chairperson of the Texas Nurses’ Association
Council on Education. A couple of months
later in El Paso the college’s venerable Director
of Counseling Services Audley D. Dry was
conferred the 1998 Distinguished Service Award
by the Junior/Community College Student
Personnel Association of Texas. The honor
was presented to him at the association’s
annual meeting for his consequential statewide
and local service and for the numerous
contributions he made to student development
in community colleges and to the organization. 62
In the summer of 1998, the college was
notified that it was awarded a $1.7 million,
five-year federal Title III Strengthening
Institutions Project Grant. The grant had the
purpose of improving the “infrastructure
(other than buildings) in colleges and universities
to provide assistance to institutions in
reaching their full educational potential.”
Victoria College intended to use the money in
two ways. One was to improve the academic
programs by the implementation of multimedia
presentations in the classroom. Secondly,
there was to be a gradual expansion of off-campus
or distance learning courses. To fulfill the
objectives, a Faculty Resource Center was created
in the Student Center to train the faculty
✯
Left to right are Joseph Lara; Dr.
Keith Kilpatrick, sociology instructor;
Dr. Karen Fritz, history instructor;
Kelly Picha; and Leslie Finster. The
picture was taken at the beginning of
the 1999 fall semester.
A New Chief, A New Era ✦ 201

in the utilization of multimedia. The first
remote learning center was established in
Cuero and became operational in 1999. The
college administration predicted that by the
year 2000, remote centers would be functioning
in Hallettsville, Refugio, and Gonzales.
Each site is to have an interactive television, a
minimum of ten computers, Internet access,
and a phone connection to the main campus.
Dr. Dale Pigott assumed the position of Title III
grant coordinator, relinquishing his post as
chair of the Mathematics and Science Division
until the conclusion of the grant period. 63
Calling its initiative the “Tradition of
Excellence,” the Victoria College Foundation
commenced the first annual giving campaign on
November 1, 1998. Although pledges were previously
sought from businesses and charitable
organizations, the foundation’s newest effort was
to reach out and tap contributions from the
entire community. In announcing the fund
drive, Gaddis stated that “the gift-giving
campaign would allow the college to improve its
services and help more students.” Goodson
added that since the public was sensitive toward
taxation, the “annual giving campaign will allow
the community a choice in supporting the college
in reaching its goal of providing even higher
levels of excellence.” Money raised in the
drive was earmarked as matching funds for a
Telecommunications Infrastructure grant from
the state and to fund scholarships, faculty and
staff development, and technology. 64
In what was the largest nonfoundation donation
to the college, the board accepted $180,000
from the Ruby A. Nelson estate for scholarships
that were to be awarded to students from
Goliad, Karnes, Bee, Refugio, DeWitt, and
Victoria counties. The scholarship fund was
named for Jake A. Nelson, Jr., the benefactor’s
brother. Ruby Nelson “believed in children,”
remarked the executor of Nelson’s estate, Darrel
Cooper. He added that “she would do anything
she could to help them…With this, she backed
up her commitment to children.” Cooper further
stated “the estate plans to add another
$40,000 to $50,000” in future years. 65
As a means of making transfer of courses
between higher educational institutions easier,
the state legislature in 1997 required all public
colleges and universities to formulate a core curriculum
consisting of a minimum of forty-two
credit hours. The local college’s response was to
create a curriculum, effective for the 1999-2000
academic year, that was composed of 45 to 47
credit hours, a more stringent requirement than
✯
Gayle Hardcastle, library assistant,
announces that all is well with the
computer hook up.
202 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

the state’s mandated minimum. The additional
requirements imposed by Victoria College were
a computer science course and up to two physical
education courses. 66
Band instructor Jonathan Anderson was recognized
for his musical skills in Downbeat magazine.
In the publication’s May 1999 issue,
Anderson was cited as a Jazz Combo winner. The
college instructor was a member of musical
groups who recorded and released CDs entitled
“Kentucky Roastup” and “Stinkin’ Up the Place.” 67
President Goodson in the spring of 1999 presented
a ten-year master plan, produced with
the assistance of the faculty and staff, for the
construction of new buildings on the campus.
Under the proposal, a general services building,
a technology center, and another allied health
building would be added to the college complex.
All of the structures were to be funded by
revenue bonds. Top priority was given to the
construction of the maintenance/general services
building behind the Student Center and east
of the Wood Vocational Building. After the completion
of this structure, a multi-story technology
edifice would be placed on the site of the
metal Maintenance Building. The allied health
edifice is not to be constructed until the close of
the 2000-2010 proposal. 68
On May 7, 1999, the board authorized six
million dollars in revenue bonds to fund the
construction of both the general services and
the technology buildings. Goodson commented
that work on the general services building
would begin by the end of 1999, whereas the
construction of the technology edifice should
begin in 2001. He noted that the revenue bonds
would not require a tax increase or an increase
in student fees. Goodson remarked that the new
buildings would allow “Victoria College to grow
and expand.” Completion of the general services
building is projected to be December 2000
and the technology structure December 2002. 69
While college officials planned for the construction
of the two new facilities, steps were
✯
Dr. Joe Sekul (left), director of
the John W. Stormont Lectures on
South Texas, visits with speakers
Dr. Rosario Torres-Raines and
Dr. Jose Hinojosa.
A New Chief, A New Era ✦ 203

✯
In attendance at a John W. Stormont
Lectures on South Texas luncheon are
Mrs. John W. Stormont (left) and
Janet Stormont Miller.
being taken to convert Administration
Building I into a museum to collect, preserve,
exhibit, and interpret the history and heritage
of the region. Administration Building I had
originally served as a library, but when the
current Library Building was opened in the
mid-1970s, the structure was converted to
house administrative offices. The facility, however,
proved to be inadequate as an office
building. A high ceiling, for example, prevented
the construction of satisfactory work areas.
Consequently, unsightly portable partitions
were erected. With the construction of new
buildings and the renovation of older ones on
the campus, the first floor of Administration
Building I was vacated by the fall of 1999
except for the president’s office, the development
office, and the boardroom.
Since the Administration Building I was
not suitable for offices and razing it was not in
the cards, Goodson concluded the structure
was ideal for a museum, an item of interest for
the community that fell within the scope of
the college mission. The president formed an
informal committee composed of himself; Dr.
Joe Dahlstrom, library director; Catherine
McHaney, president of the board; Louise
O’Connor, an interested citizen; and Charles
Spurlin, director of the Local History
Collection. After the initial meeting, John
McLean from Jarrell, Texas, became a member
of the committee to represent the interests of
O’Connor. Larry Francell, a museum consultant
from Fort Davis, Texas, was employed to
assist in formulating a museum policy and to
provide advice on the conversion of the facility
to a museum. Under Francell’s guidance,
the group chose a name for the museum,
Museum of the Coastal Bend, and a policy
was adopted. The museum was projected to
open in the spring of 2000.
Stress on technological usage at the college
continued unabatedly in 1999. First, the library
pushed forward its involvement in areas of
technology that began in the early 1980s.
Electronic subscriptions were improved to permit
“access by students and faculty from home,
and access for students taking classes at offcampus
sites and students enrolled in online
[courses].” According to Dr. Joe F. Dahlstrom,
library director, “the library’s vision is for
students to be able to access the information
they need whenever and wherever they need
it.” Also, in May 1999, the first students to
complete the process technology program
received the associate of applied science degree.
204 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

The course of study was designed to train individuals
as entry-level process operators at
petrochemical plants. Third, an online psychology
course was taught by Dr. Karen Hoblit, psychology
instructor, as one of the interim courses
offered in May 1999. By the fall, online
courses were expanded to include math,
accounting, art, business, and computers.
Hoblit noted that students taking the classes
“have to be very self-disciplined…self-motivated.”
Furthermore, the college, in the fall of
1999, utilizing recently purchased video
conferencing equipment, taught courses from
a renovated classroom in the Academic
Building to 283 students who were enrolled in
distance education classes at sites located in
Cuero, Hallettsville, Refugio, and Shiner. Mary
Hall, English instructor, placed the interactive
television courses in perspective when she
remarked, “We are reaching people who would
not have otherwise enrolled in college.” Dr. Joe
Sekul, government instructor, added that “the
goal of teaching distance education is to make
it as natural as possible.” He further stated that
this could be done by providing the distance
learning students “the same course they’d get in
a normal setting.” 70
During the summer of 1999, registration
for course work became easier for students,
and a creative approach to teaching Spanish
was launched. Computer-based registration,
known as EZREG, allowing students to selfregister
for academic and workforce credit
courses commenced with the second summer
term. Moreover, the program, written by
Victoria College programmers Allen Brotze
and David Barth, permits certified students “to
review their course grades, check stops, print
unofficial transcripts, and perform degree
audits.” Following the introduction of EZREG,
the college through the efforts of Spanish
instructor Rafael Venegas signed an agreement
with the Universidad International-Center for
Bilingual Multicultural Studies in Cuernavaca,
Mexico. Victoria College, therefore, became
the first community college in the United
States to enter into an arrangement with the
Mexican educational institution in which
students are eligible to receive college credit
after spending two weeks enrolled at the
Center. Under the terms of the accord, which
takes affect in May 2000, students start their
course work on the local campus and finish
their studies in Mexico. An elated Venegas
remarked that the program “is a wonderful
opportunity for VC students and residents to
participate in a complete immersion into the
Spanish language and culture.” 71
✯
Dr. Stephen Hardin (left), history
instructor, stands alongside a guest to
the campus, Stephen Harrigan.
A New Chief, A New Era ✦ 205

✯
Dr. Jimmy Goodson (right) listens to
Governor George W. Bush’s proposal
to reduce state taxes.
Victoria College scored another first on
August 31 when nine students became the first
graduates of the firefighters certification program.
Instructor Jode Zavesky commented
that the course the college offered was different
than those found at other community colleges
because the local program was designed
to permit students to take the training and
hold full-time jobs. He said, “There are other
firefighting schools in the state, but most of
them are 8 to 5.” Zavesky added that this
poses a hardship for those who want to
become a firefighter but find it difficult to give
up their employment. “This one,” the instructor
noted, “has filled the gap.” 72
At its meeting on September 20, the board
adopted a ten-year master plan designed to
give “the College direction in construction and
layout for about the next 25 years.” Among the
proposal’s features are “enhancing the entrance
off of Red River Street leading to the Student
Center to create a main campus entrance and
focal point,” developing the quadrangle area in
the rear of the Academic Buliding, and relocating
“parking to the exterior of the campus
which provides space future construction.” 73
There have been many changes at Victoria
College over the past seventy-five years. When
Victoria Junior College was established, course
offerings were minimal, class enrollment
was small, the college shared a campus
with Patti Welder High School, students were
nattily dressed, walking to school was commonplace,
and racial segregation was the order
of the day. As the first decade of the new millennium
approaches, students have a wider
array of courses to choose from; class sizes
have mushroomed; males as well as females
wear earrings; the students dress less formally;
automobiles of all descriptions are driven on
206 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

campus by students; and students of all races
are, without reservation, welcomed as part of
the college community.
Yet, despite the variations, there has been a
profound consistency of fundamental values
throughout the years. From 1925 until today,
the college has provided high-quality educational
programs to fulfill the needs of individuals
and the community. The college from its
inception has had an exceptionally well-qualified
faculty who have had a sincere interest in
the educational well-being of the students.
From the beginning there has existed an attitude
among the various administrations and the
governing bodies that the physical facilities be
technologically current and conducive to a
higher education learning environment.
Beginning in the 1930s, the college has engaged
in programs that effectively fulfill business and
industry needs. Albeit the delivery method has
not remained the same, counseling has been a
mainstay to ensure that all students have the
maximum opportunity to pursue their higher
educational goals. Finally, the college has been
led by individuals over the past 75 years
who have been conscious of their financial
stewardship and have prudently managed the
financial resources.
What about the next 25 years for the college?
Will the scribe who pens the centennial
history of Victoria College, most likely a current
faculty member, note a dramatic shift in
the college’s mission, or will the study show
continued continuity? A partial answer to
the questions is provided by Dean of
Instructional Services Steve Thomas. He foresees
“a more ethnically diverse population”
enrolled in “a variety of flex courses” that are
designed “to accommodate students’ needs.”
Thomas also expects competition between
institutions of higher learning to “become
more of an issue due to distance education
technology” and Victoria College, therefore,
will find itself “competing in a global society.”
In this changed environment, the dean is confident
that the college will continue its “long
standing tradition of academic excellence,”
maintain the time-honored practice of employing
a faculty of “experts in subject matter and
pedagogical methodology,” and remain “a valuable
educational resource for Victoria and the
surrounding region.” 74
✯
The Victoria College Board of
Trustees, 1999-2000. Standing (left to
right): Robert J. Hewitt, John E.
Vasquez, Thomas M. O’Connor, and
Ernest G. Guajardo, Sr. Seated (left to
right): Ronald Walker, secretary;
Catherine McHaney, president; and
Mark E. Zafareo, vice president.
A New Chief, A New Era ✦ 207

1
The Victoria Advocate, 4 April 1989.
2
Ibid., 1 July 1989.
3
Ibid., 4-5 August 1989.
4
The Victoria College Faculty Minutes, 21 August 1989.
5
The Victoria College Newsletter (March 1990).
6
Advocate, 23 January 1990, 22 May 1990.
ENDNOTES
7
Ibid., 9 September 1989; The Victoria College Files, Local History Collection, Victoria College Library.
8
Advocate, 21 October 1989.
9
Ibid., 17 November 1989.
10
Ibid., 10 December 1989.
11
Ibid., 13 April 1990.
12
Ibid., 12 October 1990.
13
Campus Communicator (August 1990), 6.
14
The Experience (November 1990), 4.
15
Ibid., (August 1990), 2.
16
VC Newsletter (March 1990), 4.
17
Advocate, 22 May 1990, 6 December 1990.
18
Campus Communicator (May 1990), 1.
19
The Experience (December 1990), 2.
20
Ibid., 1.
21
Ibid., 1, 4.
22
VC Faculty Minutes, 7 January 1991.
23
Ibid.
24
Advocate, 16 March 1991, 8 April 1991; The Experience (April 1991), 1, (May 1991), 2.
25
Advocate, 9 August 1991, 28 September 1991; The Experience (September 1991), 4.
26
Advocate, 10 April 1992.
27
Ruth Williams, letter to author, 26 December 1998; Ibid., 16 March 1992; VC Faculty Minutes, 19 May 1992.
28
Williams, letter to author; “Victoria College Choir Scrapbook 1991-1992,” Local History Collection, Victoria College Library.
29
Advocate, 22 May 1992.
30
Ibid.
31
Ibid., 31 May 1992, 2 June 1992, 21 July 1992, 17 November 1992.
32
VC Faculty Minutes, 19 May 1992; Michael Hummel, “Memorandum to All Benefit Eligible Faculty,” 10 August 1992.
33
Victoria College Special Faculty Session Minutes, 24 August 1992.
34
Ibid.
35
Self-Study Newsletter, 27 February 1991, 8 April 1992, 8 February 1993; Steve Thomas, “Memorandum to Academic Council,” 3
February 1994; Charles D. Spurlin, “Memorandum to Social Sciences Department,” 2 March 1994; The Board Report, 21 September
1993; 1993 Self-Study File, Local History Collection, Victoria College Library; Advocate, 21 December 1993.
36
Advocate, 29 June 1993; VC Today! (Spring 1994), 2.
37
The Board Report, 22 March 1993; Advocate, 30 March 1993.
38
Advocate, 21 December 1993, 12 February 1994.
39
Ibid., 19 February 1994, 22 February 1994; The Board Report, 9 May 1994.
40
VC Today! (Spring 1994), 6; Wesley Aldis, letter to author, 14 December 1998.
41
Wesley Aldis, letter to author, 15 December 1998.
42
Advocate, 21 April 1994; VC Today! (Spring 1994), 1, 3.
43
VC Today! (Spring 1994), 4.
44
Advocate, 20 August 1994.
45
VC Today! (Spring 1995), 7, (Spring 1996), 8.
46
Advocate, 20 August 1994; Ibid., (Fall 1994), 1.
208 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

47
VC Today! (Fall 1995), 1; Measure of Success: 1995-1996 Report to The Community, 8.
48
Board Report, 18 September 1995; VC Today! (Spring 1996), 4.
49
Board Report, 6 May 1996; VC Today! (Spring 1996), 1.
50
VC Today! (Spring 1996), 3.
51
Ibid., (Fall 1996), 7.
52
Ibid.
53
Ibid.
54
Strategic Insight (Spring 1997), 5, (Summer 1997), 5.
55
Advocate, 20 April 1997; Board Report, 26 November 1996.
56
Advocate, 25 April 1997.
57
Ibid., 18 June 1997; VC Today! (Winter 1997), 4.
58
Strategic Insight (Fall 1997), 1; VC Today! (Winter 1997), 2.
59
Advocate, 16 September 1997; Board Report, 17 November 1997; VC Today! (Winter 1997), 5.
60
VC Today! (Spring 1998), 7.
61
Ibid.
62
Ibid., (Fall 1998), 10; Advocate, 15 November 1998.
63
Strategic Insight (Summer 1998), 1; VC Today! (Fall 1998), 1.
64
VC Today! (Fall 1998), 6; Advocate, 2 November 1998.
65
Advocate, 19 January 1999; Board Report, 18 January 1999.
66
Ibid.
67
VC Today! (Spring 1999), 11.
68
Board Report, 15 February 1999; Advocate, 16 February 1999.
69
Advocate, 8 May 1999; Strategic Insight (Spring 1999), 1.
70
Board Report, 15 February 1999; Joe F. Dahlstrom, letter to author, 4 January 1999; Advocate, 14 May 1999, 6 October 1999.
71
Strategic Insight (Summer 1999), 2, 6; Advocate, 3 September 1999.
72
Advocate, Ibid.
73
Ibid., 21 September 1999; Board Report, 20 September 1999.
74
Steve Thomas, letter to author, 8 June 1999.
Endnotes ✦ 209

210 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

CHAPTER 8
HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT THE TIME…
…Robert E. Gaines, registrar at Southwest Texas State University, was interviewed by Dr. Roland
Bing to replace the retiring business manager Harold Nichols. During the meeting, a conversation
developed over how many weeks vacation would be allotted to Gaines. At Southwest Texas State
University, he was granted three weeks, but Bing offered only two weeks. This was unsatisfactory to
Gaines, but by the time the discussion ended, the university registrar was promised four weeks.
About a year later, Gaines was in Dr. Rex Whiteside’s office chatting. The dean asked the business
manager when he was going on vacation. Gaines remarked that he “couldn’t take four weeks.” The
best that he could do “was ten days or two weeks,” Whiteside was astonished and his face turned red,
and he exclaimed, “What! You get four weeks?” Come to find out, the dean didn’t.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Mary Ann Wright taught nursing in a section of the Homemaking Cottage when another part
of the building was used as a faculty lounge. It was not uncommon for LeRoy Pahmiyer, William
Miller, and Jerry Zavesky to arrive “with barbecue wrapped in butcher paper…and use totally contaminated
pocket knives for utensils.” There was also the time that William “Doc” Steele was summoned
to open the jaloused windows. As he was carrying out the task, lightning hit the transformer
causing yellow jackets to swarm into the classroom during a lecture, creating a chaotic scene as students
scattered to safety.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Earline Grizzle was moved from office to office. During her first year at the college, she and
Marylyn Underwood shared Jessica Warnlof’s office in the “English Building” while Warmlof was on a
leave of absence working on her doctor’s degree. At the end of the first semester, Dr. Roland Bing, the
dean, said, “Mrs. Grizzle, Dr. Warnlof would like to have her office back.” She questioned Bing as to
where he wanted her to take her things. He remarked that “we’d find you a place.” Since there was
nowhere else to put them, she stored all her personal belongings from the office in the trunk of her car.
Grizzle was finally assigned the outer office in Dr. John Stormont’s complex in the Administration
Building, a space previously used by the former dean’s secretary. Before she took up residence, Stormont
approached her and asked if she was a good speller. Grizzle informed him that she was and had medals
to prove it. He commented that the instructor had to pass a spelling test before taking up residence.
“Mrs. Grizzle,” Stormont queried with a twinkle in his eyes, “can you spell asafetida?” She responded,
“I can spell it two ways. Which way would you like it?” Her comment startled him, and he said, “Mrs.
Grizzle, can you spell idiosyncrasy?” She did, and Stormont remarked with a sheepish smile, “Mrs.
Grizzle, you may move in.” After a short stay in this office, she was relocated in a room down the hall.
Grizzle remained there for a short time before moving into the Science Building to share an office with
Harvey Spies.
In an attempt to make the room more attractive, Grizzle brought a Persian rug from her home and
laid it on the floor. Because of the height of the rug’s fiber, the office door would not close. She asked
William H. “Doc” Steele, maintenance director, to cut a portion of the door off so it could be shut. Steele
said he would but not immediately. Eventually, he appeared at the office and began removing the door.
Spies, who was alone at the time, asked him what he was doing with his door. Steele curtly said it was
not his door. Spies, good-humoredly, queried, “Who’s door is it?” Steele replied, “Mrs. Grizzle’s door.”
When Caroline Summers retired, Grizzle was moved back to the Administration Building and given
a cubicle that was constructed within a classroom that was formerly used by the drama department.
✯
Michael Hummel, history instructor,
wears appropriate attire in the 1970s
in an effort to relate to his students.
Have I Told You About The Time… ✦ 211

✯
Top: Hazel Johnson and Robert
Gaines, dean of Administrative
Services, partake of refreshments at a
retirement party.
Below: Mary Doughtie, English
instructor, finalizes her semester
grade sheet.
Shortly thereafter, computers were placed in
the area adjacent to her office for an adult learning
program. When Bing informed her as to why
the computers were in the room, she said, “Dr.
Bing, how about my office?” He quickly
remarked, “Oh, you won’t bother them.” She did
her best not to do so. Grizzle was relocated one
additional time before settling down in the
Language Arts Building.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Mary Doughtie shared an office during the
1950s with Louise Browne, Chad Whitmore,
and Marshall McCleary in the college mailroom
located in the Administration Building. The
administration expected faculty members to
drop by the college post office each morning
and pick up their letters and packages, and
especially the daily bulletin which contained
brief campus information that was to be read to
an instructor’s first two classes.
One morning, Browne, feeling extraordinarily
lively, entered the office. With her back to the
door, she began to read in dramatic fashion the
bulletin to her colleagues. While giving her spirited
reading performance, Dr. John Stormont
walked into the room without Browne seeing
him. Doughtie, Whitmore, and McCleary sat
dead still at their desks and did not call to the
English teacher’s attention the dean’s presence.
When Browne finished her animated demonstration,
she turned, saw Stormont, became
embarrassed, and quietly sat down. The four
instructors waited to hear a disparaging comment
from the dean, but he didn’t utter a remark
to the relief of the quartet.
212 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Louise Hume shared an office with J. D.
Howell and Lucille Adair when she began teaching
at the college in 1957. Invariably, when
Hume returned to the her office after a class,
“there would be Lucille’s dead pig” on Hume’s
desk and Howell “smoking those cigars!” Under
the circumstances, Hume could do little but
find a vacant space in her office to put her books
down and leave.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Donnell Cole and Michael Hummel, feeling
rather spry one day, disassembled the scaffolding
which had been left in the hallway and reassembled
it across the instructor’s desk and lectern in a
room used by Richard Walker. When Walker
arrived in the classroom, he saw the temporary
platform, became highly irritated, and immediately
exited the room. When he saw his two professional
associates standing nonchalantly in the hall,
Walker angrily asked, “Who put that scaffolding in
there?” He also wanted to know where James Ross,
the custodian, might be. Hummel told him that he
and Cole were unaware of the rearranged room
and speculated that Ross was downstairs. Away
Walker went to find the custodian. Meanwhile,
Cole and Hummel tore down the scaffolding and
put it back together again in the hall. What was
Walker’s reaction when he saw the temporary platform
in the hall? His colleagues could not answer
the question. They had vacated the scene before
Walker returned.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Mary Doughtie was caught off-guard by
remarks made by a student. During the spring
of 1961, a banquet was given by the college to
honor Rusty Russell, the retiring football coach.
Invited as a special guest was the legendary
Doak Walker who played for Russell at
Southern Methodist University. Word of Walker
coming to Victoria spread rather rapidly
throughout the campus. A student approached
Doughtie and excitedly informed her of the
approaching visit by the former college All-
American football player. Doughtie unaware of
Walker’s acceptance of the invitation to attend
the banquet jokingly said, “Yea, and I’m
Marilyn Monroe.”
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Ben Burdine was embarrassed at a faculty
meeting. An issue that received an “inordinate”
✯
Earline Grizzle (left) and Marilyn
Morris (right) welcome poet Maya
Angelou to the campus.
Have I Told You About The Time… ✦ 213

✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Louise Hume interviewed an interestingly
dressed applicant for a job. As college registrar,
Hume was responsible for hiring the individuals
who worked in her department. There came a
time when she needed to employ a secretary. A
very buxom young lady applied for the job and
was interviewed by Hume. The applicant wore a
tee shirt with the word “boo” that ran across the
breast portion of the garment. Hume attempted
to avoid looking at the woman because every
time she did, her eyes saw the “boo.” The young
lady did not get the job.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
✯
Above: Martha Watts, registrar, has
witnessed numerous technological
changes in her office over the years.
Below: Morris Azbill, English
instructor, was assigned to work in
the bookstore during spring
registration in 1983.
amount of the faculty’s time when Burdine first
arrived on the campus was the girls’ dress code.
At a faculty meeting, he addressed the issue and
remarked that the dress code was like a newspaper
story, “the women’s skirts should be short
enough to be interesting and long enough to
cover the subject.” President J. D. Moore looked
him “square in the eye” and asked, “Mr. Burdine
what is the subject?” The instructor’s “only
response was to shut up and blush.”
…Morris Azbill was arranging his office after
being hired by the college to teach English.
When the football program was dropped, the
Boys’ Dormitory was converted into a classroom
and office facility, primarily for English instruction.
In the reconfiguration of the interior of the
building, the kitchen area was turned into faculty
offices. Azbill was assigned accommodations
that were shared with C. F. Schneider and
Kenneth Greenhill. To liven up his allotted area,
he decided to place an 8” x 10” cartoon on the
wall. The item featured a man with a funny
expression on his face with a large screw sticking
through him. The original cartoon had a
caption that stated “work diligently with integrity
and you will get your just reward.” Azbill
removed the statement beforehand. Being a new
instructor and having been told by acquaintances
that the college was very conservative, he
asked Schneider and Greenhill if they thought
President J. D. Moore would object to his displaying
the cartoon. The two men responded
that to their knowledge Moore had never been
in the office, and “they didn’t think it would
bother him anyway.” Azbill proceeded to attach
the sketch to the wall “and within five minutes
the door opened,” and Moore entered the room,
looked at the picture, “never said a word,
turned, and walked back out.” Although
Moore’s visit didn’t phase Azbill, Schneider and
Greenhill were “pole axed.” The three English
teachers searched the office looking for a listening
device because they just “knew it had to be
there.” Finding none, Azbill hypothesized that
214 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

Moore was standing outside the room “waiting
to come in to see how things were going and
overheard their conversation.”
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Jim Franz told Otto Knudson that if you
spelled his name inside out, it was toot.
Knudson was speechless, an unusual condition
for him.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Geraldine F. Talley, history instructor, had
an interesting, but personally rewarding experience
with a male student who professed to hold
a liberal philosophy. This particular individual
originally attended Texas A&M University after
graduating from high school. His attitude at the
university was “there was no need to take tests”
since “he should be able to merely sit in class
and learn with no tests required.” This approach
to an academic education led to his dismissal
from Texas A&M and subsequent colleges and
universities he attended. Finally, the student
entered Victoria College and enrolled in Talley’s
history class. He disliked the local college’s dress
code and expressed his opinion in her class. She
“suggested that [if] he continued to do
well…that his efforts would culminate in a
Ph.D. Then, inferring that he should return to
tell the ‘Administration’ his proposals, he would
be qualified to be heard.” He responded, “Dr.
Talley, if I take that long then I will be as conservative
as you are.” The student became a
medical doctor and a lawyer, “specializing in
medical court cases.”
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…C.A. Talley and Ben Burdine had offices in
the Technical Building and learned they were to
be relocated by reading about it in the local
newspaper. The preceding day the trustees met
and decided that the faculty in the building
were to be moved. The item was placed in the
newspaper by the reporter covering the board
meeting. The two economics instructors were
surprised by the story since they were not given
any previous notification by a college official.
Thus, Talley and Burdine became the only
known faculty members in the history of the
college to be informed in a newspaper article
they were being moved from their offices.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Morris Azbill helped influence the demise
of the faculty beard code. During the summer
months, some of the male faculty who did not
✯
James Franz, English instructor,
proudly displays a sign he carved.
Have I Told You About The Time… ✦ 215

✯
April Nunley (left), director of
development, and Susan Windwehen,
administrative assistant to
the president.
teach grew beards. To comply with the college
policy prohibiting beards, the men shaved them
off at the start of the fall semester. On one occasion,
however, Michael Hummel challenged the
code by attending the beginning-of-the-year faculty
meeting with a beard. Hummel was sent
home by the administration to remove it. Which
he did. A summer or so later, Azbill and Wayne
McAlister wearing their summer growth by
chance met in the mail room. The two instructors
exchanged compliments on the other man’s
beard. As Azbill and McAlister chatted about
their facial hair and the beard code, they decided
to approach Dr. Roland Bing and ask him if
he would approve the retention of their beards.
After they pleaded their case, Bing said he
would look into the matter. A short time later,
Bing told them they could keep their beards if
the facial hair was neatly trimmed.
Consequently, the beard code became a thing of
the past.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Steve Spurlin worked during the summer
at the college assisting the maintenance workers.
Because the days were extremely hot, whenever
Spurlin, Chuck Zavesky, and the other
employees had an opportunity to get in the
shade, they did so. Vincent Terrell, a regular
maintenance worker, was given the responsibility
of cutting the grass on the back part of the
campus. At lunch one day, he parked the tractor
under a shade tree and went to sleep. After it
was time to go back to work, there was no activity
from the resting driver. Bob Schramek, the
maintenance supervisor, yelled at Terrell to go
to work, but there was no movement. By this
time, Schramek became concerned, thinking
that the employee was dead. He leaped into his
pick-up, and at an above normal speed, jumped
the curbing and raced to where Terrell was
located. To Schramek’s relief, he found the grass
cutter was in a deep slumber.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Susan Windwehen was a student and she
dropped by the Student Union for relaxation.
She recalled that Conway Twitty seemed to be
the only singer on the juke box as the students
“gathered around the vintage 1950s chrome
tables with matching red vinyl chairs.”
Windwehen considered it “a really big deal
when the lunch counter started offering sandwiches
on wheat bread.” A person had to be
quick of feet to buy one because whenever the
sandwiches were “sold out, they sold out—
216 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

no making extras!” The Student Union was the
site of the spring dances, including the formal
occasion when Pirate Belles were introduced
under the watchful gaze of the male students
who were “‘stylin’ in their baby blue polyester
tuxedos with ruffled shirts.”
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Audley Dry assisted the faculty cooks at a
barbecue. The college for a number of years had
a spring barbecue for the families of the faculty
and staff. On one of the occasions, the affair was
held at the Central Power & Light Park. When
the faculty who were doing the cooking arrived
on the morning of the barbecue, they found an
almost full keg of beer left from a party the night
before. By noon, the contents of the container
had been consumed by the cooks and other faculty
members who dropped by during the
morning to visit. Everyone had a great time!
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Wayne Dierlam demonstrated his skill as a
basketball player. In the early 1960s, ten intramural
basketball players were selected to play
the Pirate team. Dierlam was chosen and at 5’4”
was by far the shortest person on the court. As
he put it, “When you are 5’4” everybody is tall.”
Dierlam’s performance was fantastic. Although in
a losing cause, he scored twenty-two points.
Players on both teams were thrilled to see such a
gutsy little guy do so well. The game was the
“highlight” of Dierlam’s college career.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Chris Rivera and Gloria Trevino Cano were
the key figures in a tournament never played. As
part of the recreational entertainment for students,
intramural Ping Pong games were held in
the Student Union. Both Rivera and Cano were
exceptionally skilled players, dominating their
opponents throughout the year. When a tournament
was scheduled, they were placed in different
brackets. The two students played their normally
good games, but in the end Rivera and
Cano, for reasons beyond their control, did not
square off against each other in the championship
game, thus the two best players throughout
the year and the tournament missed the
opportunity to officially determine who was the
better Ping Pong specialist.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Ben Burdine was having coffee with
Kenneth Greenhill in the Student Union. The
ultra-patriot English instructor Greenhill was
very amused at a sketch of an “Andy Gump”
looking, toothless character who was dressed in
an Air Force uniform decorated with an overabundance
of medals. A caption stated something
to the effect that “I sleep a little better
knowing that the person was an officer in the
Air Force.” Greenhill thought Dr. John
Stormont, who was at the adjoining table,
would also be titillated. When he showed
Stormont the drawing, Greenhill discovered his
perception was incorrect. The stately Stormont
pointedly remarked, “Mr. Greenhill, I think you
are supporting something here that you don’t
intend to support.” The message was loud and
clear, leaving Greenhill in a withered state.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Lydia Serrata entered Victoria College after
attending a Presbyterian boarding school. When
she arrived at the local campus in 1966, Serrata
“felt liberated” as a “college girl.” Yet, the college
produced a “secret tension” for her. Serrata
“marched, yelled, whined for equal rights as a
woman—on the other hand,” she “thanked God
that the sheer fact” her gender eliminated her
from being drafted. Serrata renewed her friendships
from the days she was a Patti Welder
Termite and made new ones. She and her friends
“did everything together: school, dances, athletics,
Riverside Park, Magnolia Beach, dates, and,
of course, V.C. Library.” The library gave her a
“nightly way out of the house and doing dinner
dishes because ‘we had to study.’”
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Charlotte E. Kenell attended Victoria
Junior College during World War II. There were
few males registered because of the war. They
“had left to join the Military Service or work in
defense plants.” Kenell and the other girls in her
Have I Told You About The Time… ✦ 217

class thought they were “special” because of the
greater amount of personal freedom they had as
college students. She was one of the seven allgirl
graduating class of 1945.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…David Bianchi applied for admission to
Texas A&M University in 1938. For some
unknown reason, Victoria Junior College
gave him credit for a semester of integral
calculus that he had not taken. Bianchi did
not complain. At the university, he took the second
semester of the course and earned a grade
that exempted him from the final. He has
often wondered if he could have passed the
final examination.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Chad Whitmore, chairman of the English
Department, sought approval of textbooks by Dr.
John Stormont. The chairman was asked if he
“had looked at this and that in the various
books.” Whitmore said that he had. Again,
Stormont was queried by the chairman about the
books. After the discussion, Whitmore returned
to his office “placed all the textbooks on a hand
truck and took them to Dr. Stormont to review.”
Afterwards, whenever he approached the dean
about a textbook, Whitmore received an “okay”
without having to go through the torturous
inquisition of selecting textbooks.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Marilyn Morris and other nursing instructors
held a social event and invited Dr. Roland
Bing. For the occasion, Lee Zawadzki baked a
rum cake. “She apparently reasoned that if 1/4
cup of rum was good, 1/2 cup would be better.”
Before the guests arrived Zawadzki heated the
cake up, and “the entire Allied Health Building
exuded this aromatic fragrance of rum.” All
those in attendance, including Bing, had a
splendid time.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Lela Welder Cliburn gave a student a ride
home in her car. “He rode in the rumble
seat…and played his tuba the entire trip.” The
driver was not amused.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Mrs. Charles Baass was a Pirate
cheerleader during the Depression. She had a
✯
William H. “Doc” Steele, director of
the Maintenance Department.
218 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

great time interacting with other members of the
squad and rooting for the football team that was
composed of several players “who paid their
tuition by doing janitorial work.”
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Mark Zafereo gave a thumbs up to Eddie
De La Rosa and David De La Rosa for their spirited
participation at college activities. At basketball
games the two brothers dressed as buccaneers
and displayed a life-sized pirate they constructed.
Many students considered the De La
Rosas as mascots for the roundball squad.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Mary Ann Wright’s stressed-out vocational
nursing students decorated a skeleton “that was
gender-specific with baubles.” The
students decorated the skeleton immediately
prior to a Christmas break as a lark. Starley
Boykin, math instructor, “with pipe in
mouth, lit of course, stood in front” of the
room and seemed completely oblivious to it.
Oh, well! he was probably too absorbed with
a math problem.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Gloria Espitia received a bomb threat. On
Tuesday evening, October 22, 1985, the Victoria
College Lyceum was featuring Rowland Evans
and Robert D. Novak. It just so happened that
she was the librarian at the reference desk that
night. Espitia was experiencing a routine
evening until the “call” came through.
During the mid-1980s, the VC/UHV Library
was able to afford a student assistant specifically
to answer phones and do some clerical work.
The “lucky” student assistant answering the
phone that night was Michelle Perez. Sometime
before 9:00 p.m., Perez received a call informing
her that a bomb had been placed inside the Fine
Arts Auditorium earlier in the day, and the
building should be immediately evacuated.
Espitia recalled:
Michelle who was well-versed in her role
as a student assistant, calmly told the caller
that she was going to have to transfer him to
the librarian on duty since she did not have
the authority to follow up with the call. At
first when she told me about the call, I
thought it was a joke, but after speaking to
✯
Gloria Espitia, librarian, gives
instructions to her student assistant,
Michael Moore.
Have I Told You About The Time… ✦ 219

✯
Psychology instructor Dr. Karen
Hoblit (left) and Dr. Martha Jones,
reading instructor, participated in the
1996 John W. Stormont Lectures on
South Texas.
the caller I could see that it was not. Since the
topic of ‘bomb threats’ had never been discussed
in my library science courses, I had to
really do some serious thinking as to what
immediate action I should take. The first step
that I took was to call the police department.
After what seemed like an eternity, the dispatcher
said they would send a police car to
the auditorium. After hanging up with the
dispatcher, I called the auditorium lobby
phone to see if somehow I could get a message
to Dr. Roland Bing about the bomb
threat, but of course no one was going to
answer since everyone was inside listening to
the speakers.
So many thoughts raced through my head
after I placed the calls. Would the auditorium be
blown up like the caller had said? Should I get
everyone out of the library in case the bomb was
quite powerful? Should I try to contact some of
the other buildings and inform them of the
bomb? Why did I have to be the one on duty
that night?
About forty-five minutes after I called the
police department, a police officer came into
the library. He asked Michelle and I numerous
questions for his report and then said that the
auditorium had been evacuated and that a
bomb had not been found. Never had the
library had so much excitement like that night.
Oh, what a night!
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Victoria Moreno found a piece of lingerie
in the ladies’ restroom on the third floor of the
library. When she entered the restroom to clean
it, Moreno “found a slip laying on the counter.”
The undergarment “was no good, and it had a
huge hole and a large silver safety pin on it.”
Since she thought whoever owned it had decided
to dispose of the slip, Moreno threw the tattered
item in the trash. Later that day, a student
assistant approached her and asked about it. She
told Moreno that the slip was left in the restroom
“because it kept falling down.” When the
young lady was informed that the undergarment
had been thrown into the trash, her response
was, “Oh, no! I need that slip, that was the only
one I had.”
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Erma Gutierrez and other library personnel
had to contend with bats that had taken up
residence in the library. The nocturnal flying
mammals zoomed throughout the building, and
on one occasion a bat flew straight at a librarian
causing her to “hit the floor” and run “to the
back room as soon as she was able to get up.” In
another incidence, a reference librarian took
refuge under a desk to escape a pesky flying animal.
Throughout the bat ordeal, “students
220 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

thought it was exciting.” Whenever the librarians
arrived for work in the morning, they took
caution not to “spook” the bats that “hung from
the walls or ceilings.” Eventually, maintenance
workers “figured out how the bats were getting
inside the library and closed the entrances.”
Ever so often a bat finds “a way to get into the
building and hangs out for awhile to keep” the
staff aware “that they are still around.”
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Richard Walker was caught with his zipper
up and his mouth open. Walker had an office
that was located directly across the hall from
Michael Hummel’s on the second floor of the
Administration Building. All of the office doors
at the time were required to have plain glass
windows because the administration thought
visibility offered some protection to faculty
members against possible student charges of
molestation. A female student one day dropped
by Walker’s office to discuss class work.
Hummel, sitting at his desk across the hall, saw
Walker talking to the student and phoned to tell
him that he was unzipped, causing Walker to
glance down at himself.
Walker, who had been embarrassed by the
episode, decided to reciprocate. At what he
thought was the opportune moment, Walker
placed two cigarettes in the nostrils of his nose
and sneaked to the door of the classroom that
was supposedly occupied by Hummel. Walker
rapidly rose from his kneeling position, peered
through the glass of the door, and made a babbling
sound. To his astonishment, he discovered
that Hummel was not teaching in the classroom,
Dr. Roland Bing was. The chagrined Walker
quickly slithered away.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Brenda Fisseler and other members of the
library staff helped Vera Johnson celebrate a birthday.
“One year, very early on the morning of Vera’s
birthday, the pages met in the library and proceeded
to fill Vera’s office, from floor to ceiling,
with balloons, confetti, signs and other items…
deemed appropriate for the occasion.” The student
assistants “used shaving cream to write birthday
messages on the windows” of Johnson’s office.
Because there was ample glass to write upon, the
well-wishers extolled her “virtues” and extended
birthday wishes. When Johnson arrived for work,
she was surprised and graciously thanked the students
for the “many good wishes.” Afterwards, a
sufficient number of balloons were deflated “so
she could get to her desk and went to work,
✯
Erma Gutierrez, library assistant,
looks at the call numbers to make
sure the books are properly shelved.
Have I Told You About The Time… ✦ 221

✯
Top: Vera Johnson, librarian, was
responsible for the initial indexing of
the Victoria Advocate.
Below: Dr. C. F. Schneider, English
instructor, hosted the college’s Fourth
of July picnic for over a decade.
leaving her office decorated the entire day.”
Fisseler extended a special thank you to Johnson
“for being such a good sport.”
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Martha Everman Jones mentioned the time
that her brother-in-law Norman Jones was a student
at Victoria College. As often was the case,
Norman Jones in 1965 went to the library to
study with his friends. When he sat down at a
table with his study group “and prepared to open
his books, the librarian and long-time friend of
the family, Lois Rowland Lunsford, dutifully
walked over and quietly told him he had to leave
because he was not properly dressed.” It seems
that Jones was wearing a tee shirt, Bermuda
shorts, and flip-flops, a clear violation of the college
dress code. Jones left the library as requested.
“A short time later, he returned, making a
grand entry through the library’s main doors
fully attired in a dark suit, starched white shirt,
tie, his dad’s dress hat, and carrying a matching
umbrella.” Lunsford “looked up from her desk
and burst out laughing, accompanied by everyone
in viewing distance.”
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…C. F. Schneider hosted the annual Fourth of
July picnic at his home on the Lower Mission
Valley Road. The “flag-waving celebration” lasted
“nineteen years for the faculty and staff and families.”
It had a modest beginning with a limited
number of participants, but before the social
affair ceased to exist, it “had grown to one hundred
thirty-five.” Initially, only watermelons and
cookies were served. Later, hot dogs with chili
and corn-on-the-cob were added. “A hay wagon
and a 1952 Ford tractor provided hay rides to
the river for kids, in addition to romps in the
creek, and early on a hay ride for adults was
petitioned with success.” Inclement weather
222 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

conditions did not interrupt the picnics. “Shelter
was always found in the barns, or the shop, or
the house.” Ultimately, “the activity outgrew
itself and was relegated to the scrapbook of
unique events for the college.”
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Vincent Terrell found himself in “hot
water” with Dr. Roland Bing. Chuck Zavesky,
Steve Spurlin, and Pat Erskine were working
with the maintenance employees during the
summer. As Terrell and the summer employees
were walking by the tennis courts they saw
another regular employee, Boo, at a distance.
They began to yell loudly, “Boo, Boo.” A lady
was playing tennis and thought the group
was shouting “Moo, Moo.” Thinking the men
were disrespectful, she turned them in to Bing
who was very upset over the perceived employees’
remarks and “jumped them.” When Terrell
and the others explained to him they were
saying “Boo” not “Moo,” Bing calmed down
and grinned.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Debra Spurlin was a student at Victoria
College. Frequently, she and her classmates
met in the temporary structure that was placed
at the entry of the library when the new facility
was under construction. Her family didn’t
think she was doing much studying under the
circumstances, but apparently there was considerably
such activity. There was, however, a
great deal of laughing and socializing among
the students. The hilarity did not please the
librarians, but there was little said to discourage
the collegians.
Spurlin was involved in a number of college
extracurricular activities, including playing on
the intramural volleyball team. The first day
she went to the gym, there was a talented black
girl spiking a ball against the wall. Spurlin recognized
quickly how good a player the spiker
was and muttered to herself, “I sure hope she is
on my team.” The young lady was and the
two became companions. The girl’s name—
Florence Grant.
When Spurlin was elected president of the
Student Council, she possessed limited knowledge
on how to run a meeting and she found
herself “making some embarrassing mistakes.”
However, with assistance from Caroline
Summers, a speech instructor, the errors were
gradually reduced. By the end of the academic
year, Spurlin had “learned a few things about
the proper way to conduct a meeting.”
✯
Taking time out from a busy work
schedule are (left to right) Victoria
Casas Moreno, Dolly Holmes, and
Vincent Terrell.
Have I Told You About The Time… ✦ 223

✯
Sandy Schramek is thinking how
elated she will be when this book
is completed.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Eddie Shinn commented to a reporter
about how barren the Victoria College site was in
1949. The area was so underdeveloped that his
track squad did not have a “track to work out
on” so the thin clads “worked out in the street.”
discovered the female gender.” Williams enrolled
in a government class taught by Jewell Hudler.
The instructor had the habit of snapping
“her garter belt with her left hand while lecturing.”
Some of the students in the class would
“guess how long it would take for her to snap the
garter belt.”
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Chester Evans assisted in putting up a
fence at Patti Welder Stadium in the 1930s to
keep spectators off the football field during
games. Invariably, during a football contest, fans
roamed “the sidelines following the progress of
the game.” Occasionally, the crowd would walk
on the field. To prevent this, a barrier of cedar
posts and wire was erected.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Kemper Williams, Jr., was a freshman
at Victoria Junior College in 1948. A favorite
meeting place for the students was the Student
Union room located between the high school
and college buildings. The area was generally
filled with tobacco smoke “because everyone
smoked in those days.” During his first
semester he “learned to play pinochle and
…David Urbano had a class under sociology
instructor Doyle Christian. During the semester,
the Chicano movement was addressed. As a
device to stimulate class involvement, the
instructor played the devil’s advocate, causing a
heated debate “that made an hour class seem
like five minutes.” Urbano and some of his
classmates took the position that the movement
“was basically an attempt by an ethnic community
to get the nation to live up to its democratic
principles.” By contrast, “Christian, by design
or accident, rallied around the American flag
and that motivated class discussion.”
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Lois Rowland Lunsford described the
library when it was located on the second floor of
the Victoria Junior College Building. “The room
224 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

was light and airy, thanks to tall window along
the south wall. At one end of the room four locally
constructed, double-faced book cases comprised
a stack area which was separated from the
reading room by a waist-high locally constructed
counter which served as a check-out desk.
Admittance to the stacks was through a swinging
door—kept in constant motion! The reading area
seated 25 or 30 students at small tables and nononsense
straight chairs. Reference books and
periodicals were on built-in wall shelving.”
Because the library was dreary, the “Victoria
Art Guild…placed several paintings by local
artists on loan in the room to make the area
‘attractive’.” Also to spruce up the library someone
added, “a small bronze of a young Susie
Maud Ward…playing croquet. She wore long
braids, a ‘middy-blouse’ and a pleated skirt, turnof-the-century
style. Every detail was charming.”
Lunsford “was tempted to kidnap her” when the
college was relocated “but thought better of it!”
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…when the faculty was expected to go by the
college post office in the Academic Building every
morning to fetch their mail and, in particular,
the daily bulletin. If a member of the faculty
failed to do so, the administration sent someone
looking for that person. Each faculty member was
to retrieve his or her mail in person. During her
first semester as an instructor, Earline Grizzle
found it more convenient to go by the mail room
after her first class, but quickly learned to get
the mail before classes began. It seems that
Grizzle failed to deliver a note to a student in her
first period class and was brusquely informed by
an administration official to pick up her mail
before class!
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Monroe Northcutt helped with registration.
Northcutt was employed by the college in 1961
to replace the retiring Eddie Shinn as track coach.
During the first semester, registration was held in
the library. Pencils were placed on tables for the
students to use to fill out class schedules.
Afterwards, the students went to various stations
to complete their enrollment. Some of them,
however, inadvertently carried the writing instruments
with them. “Leona Jones, the registrar,”
Northcutt recalled, “gave me the job of retrieving
the pencils before the students left the building.”
✯
Jim Lehrer tells Elizabeth Wagner,
student assistant, a story about the
time he was a student at Victoria
College.
Have I Told You About The Time… ✦ 225

✯
A happy trio during intermission at a
John W. Stormont lecture are (left to
right) Clare Brice, Pat Spurlin, and
speaker Donaly Brice.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Ben Burdine, Louise Hume, Morris Azbill,
Richard Walker, Joy Walker, Mary Doughtie, and
Earline Grizzle attended the beginning of the
year dinners in the 1960s and 1970s.
Traditionally, the affair is held on the first
evening after the faculty reported to duty at the
start of the fall semester. Generally, socialization
before the meal has been minimal. The faculty,
staff, and, in recent years, maintenance personnel,
and their spouses arrived at the facility
where the dinner was to be served and stood in
a buffet line. Periodically, there was a speaker. In
the mid-1960s, the library was the site of the
evening event. One night, the speaker did not
arrive on time. While waiting for the honored
guest, each faculty member, at the request of
J. D. Moore, was asked to recite what they did
during the summer. Ten years or so later, the
dinner was held at the Holiday Inn. The speaker
at one of the events was an official with the
Coordinating Board who was considered an outstanding
orator. That particular evening Joe
Wyatt, a state representative, was invited and
was presented an attaché case for his support of
the college. The speaker, to the surprise of the
faculty, cited a series of statistics on the history of
the state’s community colleges. The talk was
extremely boring. Azbill and Michael Hummel
amused each other by folding their dinner napkins
into different shapes. Pat Spurlin and Wyatt
cast humorous glances between them to pass the
time. Virtually everyone in the room could not
wait to leave. The presentation was undoubtedly
the worst the dinner guests had ever endured.
In the 1960s and early 1970s, evening
gowns were frequently worn by the ladies to
the affair. The tradition waned when wives of
the younger faculty members began to attend in
their short skirts. A custom emerged among
some of the faculty to meet after the dinner at
one of their homes where a lively, friendly get
together occurred. The party was justification
for the social attire worn by the faculty members
and their spouses. The after-dinner
episodes were also a means of bonding among
those who attended.
226 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Donnell Cole’s clothes were mysteriously
padlocked in a gym locker, along with the key to
open it. Cole had placed his street clothes in the
locker before donning his workout attire. He
went to the restroom, and when he returned, the
locker door was closed and secured with his
lock. Michael Hummel offered to drive Cole
home if the nude instructor would buy the gas.
Since Cole did not at the moment have any ready
cash, Hummel went about his business, leaving
the bare instructor “stuck in the locker room for
two hours.” Eventually, Harry Wagner arrived
and found Cole naked and offered assistance.
Wagner located bolt cutters and cut off the lock,
allowing Cole to roam the campus again.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Richard Walker had a student enrolled in
his geography class who thought it was a geology
course. The student was not doing well on the
tests, and he kept referring to Walker as “Mr.
Wagner.” A slip of the tongue, Walker thought.
At mid-term, the geography instructor asked the
class to bring their textbooks to the next meeting
because he wanted to go over some maps and
other items in it. The students dutifully did so,
and at the conclusion of the session, the particular
student in question came up to Walker and
said that the pictures in his book were not the
same as the ones being described. Walker asked
to see the book. When the student showed it to
him, the instructor discovered that it was a geology
textbook. Walker told the student that it was
the wrong book to which the reply was, “Isn’t
this Mr. Wagner’s geology class?” The student
had thought all along he was in a geology class,
and obviously did not know the difference
between the words “geology” and “geography.”
He had been reading the assigned pages from the
wrong textbook for the entire semester.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Nancy Bandy’s workroom was so cold that
it felt as if she were in a meat locker. Because of
difficulties in maintaining adequate climate control
in the Academic Building room 205, William
“Doc” Steele reinstalled the thermostat in the
adjoining workroom. However, he placed it in
close proximity to the kiln. Whenever the oven
was in use, it produced heat that rose to about
2200 degrees. Consequently, the room temperature
plummeted.
✯
Richard Walker seems to be looking
for a razor.
Have I Told You About The Time… ✦ 227

✯
Mark Zafareo (right), board member,
visits with Lech Walesa, former
president of Poland.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Morris Azbill thought he was going to be
frostbitten because of the sub-zero temperature
in his office. The heating system was not functioning
properly due to a filter problem. During
a particularly cold day, the temperature dropped
to 23° in the room. President J. D. Moore was
notified, and he brought “his personal heater”
that served as a foot warmer. Azbill turned it on
and let the heater run while he was in class.
When the instructor returned, the temperature
had risen two degrees. The heater was obviously
not a solution.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…John and Judy Clegg were students at the
college during the 1960s. John lived in Port
Lavaca and commuted to the campus, “making
many of the trips…in record time.” One day
when he and his companions were returning
home, they tied “a rope to the back of their car
and skied home in the ditches” that were filled
with water from an exceedingly heavy rain.
Judy found the college to be “an educational
center” and “a meeting place for all the surrounding
area students.” She “became friends
with fellow students from Edna, Hallettsville,
Cuero, and most of all Port Lavaca.” Judy had
a great time in the Student Union Building,
“the social center for students.” The facility
served as “a domino hall and social club
all rolled into one.” It was the site for such
entertaining games as moon and forty-two, and
the dances that were held “about every six
weeks with a different theme for each one.” She
was a lively participant in campus activities. In
1967, Judy was elected along with Lydia
Serrata, Cathie Zirjacks, and Bea Bauer to the
cheerleading squad.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Betsy Mynette Wright, the first female
Student Council secretary-treasurer at Victoria
228 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

Junior College, collected coins from the soft
drink machines that were located in the “junior
college lounge.” As treasurer, she had the
responsibility to “clean out the money” at least
once a week. Wright took the cash to Gilbert V.
Pritchard, registrar, who “locked it up.” Later,
when sufficient funds were accumulated, a picnic
was held for the students in the area behind
the junior college building.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Donnell Cole attended his first faculty
meeting. When he walked into room 202 of the
Science Building where the meeting was being
held, the new instructor found the faculty segregated
with the women and administrators
seated on the west side of the room and the science
and math instructors on the east side. “The
further back one sat, the more radical the faculty
member was considered to be.” Cole found
that the people who spoke to him were in the
rear of the room. At the meeting, he was
“shocked” when J. D. Moore told the faculty that
“if anyone stayed past 3:30 p.m. everyday, he
may have hired the wrong person.”
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Ben Burdine’s office was next to Dr. John
Stormont’s in the Administration Building. One
afternoon Burdine was sitting at his desk when
Stormont opted to call it a day. The two instructor’s
rooms were configured in such a way, that
Stormont, in order to exit his office, had to pass
through Burdine’s. The former dean, oblivious
to Burdine, turned out the lights as he left the
room and locked the door.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Mark Zafereo, an active member of the student
body and later a member of the college
board of trustees, recalled a presentation he
made in a speech class he had under Caroline
Summers. He noted, “I once dressed up like a
butcher, whipped out a whole chicken, head and
all, out of a bag, chopped off the head and proceeded
to demonstrate how to properly cut up
the bird for frying. Several of the girls in the front
row passed out. Mrs. Summers gave me an A!”
Zafereo, when he was not in class or working
in the meat market at Dick’s food store on
Crestwood, spent much of his off time with the
Student Council. The sponsor of the group was
Iris Baillio, a physical education instructor. To
Zafereo she was “a no-nonsense kind of person,”
an individual “you had to work really hard to
make her depart from the agenda or to make her
laugh.” Of course, he remarked, “We often succeeded
in accomplishing both.” Duties the students
performed on the Student Council were
varied, but not necessarily heady.
Zafereo remembered that the members dealt
with such things “as fending off gripes about
parking and Student Center food selections.”
He also said the Student Council was “allowed
major input on the Western Day activities (such
as where to buy the eggs for the egg toss), and
the intricate details on Student Council
sponsored campus elections, All-College and
Class Favorites, a get-acquainted dance at the
beginning of each year (in other words, scope
out any new talent), a Christmas dance and the
Spring Formal.”
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
…Richard Walker confessed to his involvement
in an episode that took place in the 1970s.
He, his wife Joy, and two children went into
Michael Hummel’s office on a Sunday afternoon
and “turned everything backwards,” including
books, desk, file cabinet, and pictures. Even a
“mirror that had a logo on it was turned upside
down.” The family afterwards “went into his
classroom that he taught in that next morning,”
placed the lectern in the back of the room by
the windows, and turned the chairs backward.
“The no smoking sign was turned upside down
and backwards.”
When Hummel arrived on the campus the
next day and spied his office and classroom in
disarray, he “never said a word about it.” As a
matter of fact, the history instructor did not
mention that anything had happened for about
three months so that his colleagues would not
know he was disturbed. For years, Hummel
blamed Donnell Cole. Walker never corrected
Hummel’s charges because, as he said, “Cole
takes blame so well.” Finally, the rest of the story
has been told.
Have I Told You About The Time… ✦ 229

230 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

APPENDIX
The Victoria College Alma Mater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
The Victoria College Fight Song . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Victoria Junior College Administration, 1925-1949 . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Victoria Junior College Board of Trustees, 1925-1949 . . . . . . . . . . 235
The Victoria College Administration, 1949-2000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
The Victoria College Board of Trustees, 1949-2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
✯
Using blackboard diagrams, Dr. John W. Stormont points out the organization of various types of government.
Appendix ✦ 231

THE VICTORIA COLLEGE
ALMA MATER
To Victoria we pledge our hearts
To evermore be true.
For everything she stands for,
Maroon and white to you.
The friends we’ve made while going here
Will last our whole lives through.
To the Pirates and our school
We pledge ourselves anew.
THE VICTORIA COLLEGE
FIGHT SONG
Pirates bold we’re loyal to you
Faithful through all the years.
When Maroon and white is unfurled
We will rise and proudly cheer
Rah! Rah! Rah! Rah!
Bold and fearless we will remain
Add more laurels to your name.
Take this as a tip you’ll never
sink our ship so go you Pirates
Win this game!
To the left to the right
Fight you Pirates fight
Hit ‘em high, hit ‘em low
go you Pirates go—OH!
232 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

✯
Top: Jose Rodriguez attended
Victoria College before becoming
a DuPont engineer..
Middle: Willie Brooks, criminal
justice instructor, promotes The
Victoria College to prospective
students at College Night in 1999.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF KEVIN JORDAN.
Bottom: Dustin Keane and
Erika Timpoine browse a
reading assignment.
Appendix ✦ 233

✯
Top: Shannon Anderson, recruiting/
marketing assistant, with George
Alexander, recruiting/marketing
director.
Middle: Left to right are Billy Blevins,
John Winkenwerder, Allen Schoener,
Harold Ballenger, and David Hagan.
Bottom: Left to right are Chris Kallus,
respiratory therapy instructor,
Shuvonne Pennell, Rubi Guajardo,
and Mickey Lange.
PHOTO COURTESY OF KEVIN JORDAN.
234 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

VICTORIA JUNIOR COLLEGE ADMINISTRATION
1925-1949
PRESIDENTS
Virgil L. Griffin
Porter S. Garner
J. H. Bankston
T. A. Roach
DEANS
E. J. Dysart
B. F. Hardt
W. E. Eckles
J. D. Moore
C. C. Wilkes
B. F. Harbour
REGISTRARS
Mae J. Kohleffel
Stella Rice Collins
Lillian Pierce Lewis
Margaret DuPre
Louise Stromberg
Nan Proctor
Avis Adcock
G. V. Pritchard
BUSINESS MANAGERS
Margaret DuPre
G. V. Pritchard
DIRECTOR OF
INSTRUCTION
J. W. Edgar
VICTORIA JUNIOR COLLEGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
1925-1949
A. Theo Andersen
Ed. L. Atzenhoffer
D. E. Blackburn
Ralph Calhoun
W. B. Callan
Frank Crain
R. L. Daniel
C. O. Durham
Herman Fischer
Frank Guittard
G. H. Hensley
George E. Hofmann
J. V. Hopkins, M.D.
P. H. Keefe
Roy S. Lander
H. A. Lawrence
Cody Lentz
Jules Meyer
Dennis O'Connor
William Offer
P. P. Putney
Morris Roberts
Fred Schneider
C. A. Schuchert
Allan Shields, M. D.
W. H. Smith
Hugh Stanly
T. L. Sterne
J. H. Tolson, M. D.
T. P. Traylor
J. E. Weatherly
Albert York
Appendix ✦ 235

THE VICTORIA COLLEGE ADMINISTRATION
1949-2000
PRESIDENTS
J. D. Moore, L.L.D.
Roland E. Bing, Ph.D.
Jimmy Goodson, Ed.D.
DEANS
John W. Stormont, Ph.D.
Roland E. Bing, Ph.D.
O. Rex Whiteside, Ed.D.
DEANS OF
INSTRUCTIONAL SERVICES
DEAN OF STUDENT &
INFORMATION SERVICES
DEANS OF
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
O. Rex Whiteside, Ed.D.
Steve Thomas, Ph.D.
Alice Ann Isaac, Ph.D.
Robert E. Gaines
Elaine C. Marcinkowska
THE VICTORIA COLLEGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
1949-2000
E. A. Brinkman
R. E. Cliburn
Arnold G. Davis
Webb T. DeTar, M.D.
Gerald Dubose
Arvle Elliott
Ernest Guajardo, Sr.
Robert J. Hewitt
Raymond W. Hill
David B. Lack
Mary Logan
A. D. Magruder
Roy McFaddin
Catherine McHaney
William F. Moeller
C. P. Montier, D.D.
Thomas M. O’Connor
Tom O’Connor, Jr.
F. C. Proctor, Jr.
Morris Shattuck
John Vasquez
Ronald B. Walker
Joseph Wearden
Leo J. Welder
Jack Wood
Mark E. Zafereo
Winston L. Zirjacks
236 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

✯
Top: Dian Denker, 1999-2000
Student Government president.
PHOTO COURTESY OF KEVIN JORDAN.
Middle: Student assistants
Maria R. Hernandez (left) and
Stephanie M. Grewe.
Bottom: The benches in the rear of the
Academic Building are used by
students between classes.
PHOTO COURTESY OF KEVIN JORDAN.
Appendix ✦ 237

INDEX
A
Adair, Lucille, 65, 213
Adams, Vernon A., 15
Airheart, Tria E., 185
Alaniz, Marie, 187
Albrecht, Elenora, 29
Aldis, Wesley, 193, 201
Alexander, George, 199, 234
Alkek, Margaret, 75
Allen Academy, 76
Allen, Alfred, 98, 127
Allen, Elizabeth, 14
Allen, Lewis, Jr., 197
Allen, Richard C., Jr., 156
Aloe Army Air Field, 45, 46, 47, 56, 63
Aman, Sally, 127
American Association for State and Local
History, 196
American Association of Community and Junior
Colleges, 169
American Association of Junior Colleges, 10
American College Test, 145
Anderson, Jonathan, 203
Anderson, Shannon, 234
Angelou, Maya, 198, 213
Archer, Mary Lee, 124
Armbrister, Ken, 174, 179, 188
Arnold, Jo Nell, 125
Ashmore, J. L., 101
Ashworth, Kenneth H., 165, 196
Association of Texas Colleges, 9
Athletic Association Committee, 16, 22
Atkinson, V. E., 63
August Wagner's Silver Cornet Band, 14
Auld, George, 80, 83
Ault, Jordan C., 58, 93
Austin College, 65
Austin-San Antonio District Educational
Conference, 23
Autry, Gene, 30
Azbill, Morris, 187, 190, 214, 215, 216, 226, 228
B
Baass Brothers Concrete Company, 63
Baass, Mrs. Charles, 218
Baillio, Iris, 229
Baker, Alan, 185
Baldwin, Bill, 86
Ballard, W. W., 10
Ballenger, Harold, 234
Bandy, Nancy, 227
Banks, Barbara, 73, 77
Bankston, J. H., 33, 34, 45, 46
Baptist Student Union, 69
Barnes, David, 125
Barnsdall Oil Company, 73
Barth, David, 205
Bauer, Bea, 120, 228
Bauer, C. P., 114
Bauer, Larry, 123
Bauer, Mary Gladys, 48, 49, 72
Baugh, E. A., 23
Baylor University, 141
Bazan, Juan, 117
Bazar, Leon, 123
Beams, J. B., 34
Beard, Roland, 65
Beaver College, 169
Bedwell, Cindy, 191
Bee County College, 118
Belcher, Truman, 50
Belken, Leslie, 80
Bell, Pat, 80
Benge, Cathy, 117
Bianchi, David, 27, 28, 31, 218
Bianchi, Felix, 49
Bielee, Cynthia, 128
Bielstein, C. A., 47
Bielstein, Florine, 53
Bing, Roland E., 94, 101, 112, 116, 120, 126,
136, 138, 139, 140, 141, 145, 147, 148, 150,
151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 157, 158, 159, 160,
161, 162, 165, 166, 167, 168, 169, 170, 171,
172, 173, 175, 179, 180, 183, 186, 193, 211,
212, 216, 218, 220, 221, 223
Bishop, Charles, 164
Bishop, Ed, 159
Bissett, David, 128
Black, Lorne, 149, 150, 163, 165
Black, Norval, 80
Blackaller, John, 179
Blackburn, D. E., 38
Blanar, Robert, 61
Bland, Jean, 195
Blinn Memorial College, 31
"Blue Beetle," The, 55
Boehnke, Ben, 80, 83
Bolting, Gladys, 194
Borchers, Charles L., 172
Borth, Norman, 114
Boykin, Starley, 122, 219
Boysen, Geneva, 83
Brandes, Adrian, 48, 54, 56
Brandon, John, 109
Breed, Aubrey, 48
Breneman, David W., 158
Brice, Clare, 226
Brice, Donaly, 226
Brimberry, John, 200
Brock, Buddy, 74
Brooks, Willie, 233
Brotze, Allen, 205
Broughton, Dennis, 200
Brown v. Board of Education, 85, 86
Brown, Candy Marie, 159
Brown, Cheryl, 159
Browne, Louise, 212
Browne, Roy, 65, 81
Browne, Mrs. Roy G., 65
Brownson Addition, The, 18
Brownson, Mrs. J. M., 18
Brownsville Junior College, 16
Bruns, Nancy, 185
Buccaneer, The, 11, 12, 15, 16, 18
Buckley, Patricia, 97
Buckley, William F., Jr., 112, 155, 156, 165
Buffalo Bills, The, 90
Bullock, Henry, 80
Burda, Shirley, 81
Burdine, F. Benton, 122, 124, 140, 149, 150, 153,
165, 166, 181, 187, 190, 191, 194, 213, 214,
215, 217, 226, 229
Burns, Kay, 127, 129
Burns, Wilfred, 135
Bush, Diane, 167
Bush, George W., 206
C
Cadden, Merry, 56, 61
Calliham, Dave, 53
Callis, C. R., 85
Campbell, Bob, 94
Cande, Andrew, 185
Cano, Gloria Trevino, 217
Cano, Julius, 122
Cantu, Ynacensio, 80, 83, 105
Capps, Robert, 74
Carpenter, Charles, 80
Carsner, Charles, 29
Carter, Booker T., 99
Carter, Jimmy, 149, 153, 156
Catchings, Julia, 166
Central Power & Light Company, 73, 199
Chandler, C. O., 23
Cheshire, Janet, 150
Chicago University, 34
Christian, Doyle, 141, 150, 224
Circle K Club, 146, 153
Cisco Junior College, 15, 97
Citizens Memorial Hospital, 96, 98
Civil War, 7, 35
Civilian Aeronautics Authority, 34, 35
Clack, John A., 14
Clayton, Bill, 145
Clegg, John, 228
Clegg, Judy, 228
Clements, Bill, 167
Clemmons, Jack, 199
Cliburn, Lela Welder, 27, 218
Coffey, Bobby, 95
Coffey, Ruth, 18
Coker, Donnie, 114
Cole, Donna, 141
Cole, Donnell, 130, 141, 213, 227, 229
Coleman, Dalphard, 74
Collin County Community College, 185
Collins, Wilbur, 75, 76, 95, 124, 149
Colorado State Teachers College, 34
Colvert, Clyde C., 53, 74, 75, 84
Committee on Classified and Accredited High
Schools, 23
Compton, Jack, 15
Conference of College Teachers of English, 169
Connally, John, 116
Constant, Ruth, 145
Cook, June V., 152
Coolidge, Calvin, 40
Cooper, Darrel, 202
Copley, Charles, 14
Corpus Christi Junior College, 32, 46
Corpus Christi State University, 156
Corsair, The, 30, 31, 33
CourseNet, 201
Crain, Frank H., Jr., 76
Crain, Frank H., Sr., 7, 8
Crain, William Henry, 8
Crawford, J. N., 36
Crawford, Mike, 47
Cronkite, Walter, 137
Crouch, Margaret, 31, 33
Curran, Mary Catherine, 14
Cykola, Kenneth, 156
D
Dabney, Jean, 127
Dahlstrom, Joe F., 199, 204
Dallas Community College, 185
Daniel, Price, 75
Daughters of the Republic of Texas, 115
Davis, Arnold Galindo, 193
Davis, John, 171
de la Peña, José Enrique, 196
De La Rosa, David, 117, 125, 219
De La Rosa, Eddie, 123, 125, 219
Deaver, Frank, 113, 114, 117, 120
Del Mar College, 49, 74, 78, 79, 89
Dellinger, Floyd, 90
Denker, Dian, 237
Denver Hotel, 56, 73
DeTar, Webb T., 54, 55
Dickson, J. L., 10
Diebel, Frank, 37
Dierlam, Wayne, 217
Diggs, Rufus, 129, 135
Dillon, Leo, 31
Don Krueger Construction Company, 134
Doughtie, Mary, 86, 158, 159, 161, 169, 212,
213, 226
Downbeat, 203
Drinkard, DeTar, 135
Dry, Audley D., 112, 139, 150, 160, 161, 164,
166, 187, 201, 217
DuBose, Carl, 119, 120, 145, 146, 166
Duke, Jacquelyn, 125
Duncan, Wayne, 47
DuPont, 40, 91, 233
Duran, Rudy, 72
Duren, Jerry, 139
Durham, Cecil, 95
Durham, Clarence, 34
Dvorak, Jerry, 195
Dysart, Edward J., 9, 10, 14, 15, 19, 27, 60
E
Easley, Billy, 34
Easley, Rex, 40
East Texas State University, 179
Eckles, W. E., 31, 36
Edinburg Junior College, 21, 34
Edna Herald, The, 19
Edwards, Jack, 118, 123, 160, 161
Eklund, Bobby, 80
El Campo High School, 36, 59
Elledge, Jerome, 34
Elliott, Arvle, 54, 64, 74
Elliott, Edwin A., 31
Ellison, Virlece, 135
Ennen, Frederick, 31
Ennen, Henrietta, 30
Erskine, Pat, 223
Ervin, Sam, 151
Espitia, Gloria, 219
Etzel, Esther, 65, 86
Evan, Richard, 185
Evans, Billy, 74
Evans, Chester, 10, 45, 224
Evans, Estelle, 78
Evans, Hester W. “Stump”, 15, 35, 37, 40, 45,
49, 65, 72, 78, 80, 91
Evans, N. A., 11
Evans, Rowland, 168, 219
Exxon Corporation, 164
EZREG, 205
F
F. W. Gross High School, 85
Fagan, Joseph, 15
Fanning, Janice, 128
Farmer, Blake, 112, 161, 181
Farquhar, Sherry, 125, 127
Farrell, Doug, 31
Farrer, Ossie, 48
Farrow, Kenneth, 80
Federal Emergency Relief Administration, 22
Federal Works Administration, 45
Felder, Marvin, 179
Felger, Clarence, 34
Felger, J. C., 11
Felger, Wilma, 97, 119, 122, 123, 126, 127
Fenner, Mary Claire, 65
Ferguson, Joe, 179, 180
Ferguson, Margaret, 117
Ferguson, Miriam A., 21
Fernandez, Alfred, 32
Filley, George, Jr., 28
Finster, Leslie, 201
First English Lutheran Church, 11
Fischer, Herman, 8, 11, 21, 27
Fisseler, Brenda, 221, 222
Fleska, Cathy, 185
Flunky Club, The, 30
Fly, G. W. L., 35
Fly, Lamar, 94
Fly, William S., 35, 69
Folwell, William Watts, 7
Ford, Gerald, 153
Fossati, Grace, 29
Foster Air Force Base, 38, 83, 85
Fougeron, Myron, 80
Foutz, Gwen, 98
Francell, Larry, 204
Frankson, Marie, 119
Franz, Dorothy, 79
Franz, James, 139, 160, 215
Frederick, Judy Lynn, 123, 125
Frels, Mrs. Ruben, 46
Frerichs, Marie, 98
Fricke, Mary, 185
Friedel, James, 74
Fritsch, Danny, 89, 90
Fritz, Karen, 201
Fuhrman, Leslie, 47
G
Gaddis, David, 200, 202
Gaines, Robert E., 155, 171, 181, 211, 212
Galbraith, John Kenneth, 165, 166
Gallagher, Michael C., 169
Gandhi, Indira, 165
Gardner, Harold, 65, 114, 115
Garner, Porter S., 27, 30, 31, 33, 34
Garrett, Caroline C., 198
Gentry, Etta Lou, 56, 57
Gerdes, E. J., 63
Gerdes, Gilbert, 93
Gerhold, Harlon, 125, 191
Gietz, Penni, 200
Gilchrist, Gibb, 58
Gillar, George, 89
Gilliam, Jack, 93
Gilstrap, Ralph, 89
Gilstrap, Wanda, 165
Gisler, Grace, 80
Glass, Betty Lou, 57, 72, 73
Glass, Clara W., 10
Gleason, Heather Kay, 152
Gleason, James D., 128, 138, 150, 152, 160, 165,
199
Godard, J. M., 78
Goerke, Glenn, 167, 182
Gold, Russell, 200
Goldsum, Johnny, 45, 46, 47, 58
Goodson, Jimmy, 151, 179, 180, 181, 182, 183,
186, 187, 189, 190, 192, 194, 197, 198, 199,
200, 202, 203, 204, 206
Goodson, Michelle, 190
Gordon, Ezra, 90
Grant, Florence, 223
Grath, August, 63
Gray, Noble, 150
Great Depression, The, 18, 20, 23
Green, Shelly, 135
Greenhill, Joe R., 145
Greenhill, Kenneth, 124, 141, 160, 214, 217
Greer, Louise, 30
Greeson, Bully, 37
Gregory, Larna, 115
Grewe, Stephanie M., 237
Griffin, Boydene, 48
Griffin, Virgil L., 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 18, 20, 22,
23, 27
Grizzle, Earline, 211, 212, 213, 225, 226
Guajardo, Ernest G., Sr., 207
Guajardo, Rubi, 234
Guittard, Frank, 51
Gulf Coast Executive Club, 27
Gulf Coast Junior College Athletic Conference, 114
Gummelt, E. F., 124, 148
Gutierrez, Erma, 220, 221
H
Hackstedt, Glenn, 110
Hagan, David, 234
Haines, Carolyn, 125
Halepaska, Mary, 34
Haley, Alex, 158
238 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000

Hall, Broyles, 65, 75
Hall, Mary, 205
Hampton, Harold, 75
Harbour, B. F., 41, 46, 55, 65, 69
Hardcastle, Gayle, 202
Hardin, Stephen, 194, 196, 205
Hardt, Ben F., 27, 28, 36
Harper, William Rainey, 7
Harrel, Mrs. D. K., 55
Harrel, Edith, 71
Harrigan, Stephen, 205
Harris, George, 93
Hartman, Valerie, 34
Hartnell College, 181
Harwin, E. L., 74
Hauschild's Opera House, 10, 14
Hawkins, Mary Fern, 34
Haynes, Karen, 199
Haynes, Rosamund, 167
Hays, Gaynelle, 14
Heaner, Wallace, 34
Heath, Bob, 189
Heiling, Joe, 73
Heinrich, Linda, 155
Henderson, William, 10
Henry, Rita, 14
Herman, Jean, 184
Hernandez, Maria R.
Heston, Charlton, 166, 171
Hewitt, Robert J., Sr., 198, 207
Hill, Cecil, 37
Hill, Charles, 71
Hill, Clover Dell, 14
Hill Junior College, 94, 141
Hill, Raymond, 54, 62
Hinojosa, Jose, 203
Hirt, Charles, 150
Hnatek, Margaret, 19
Hobbs, Dorothy Mae, 85
Hobbs, Leeta, 85
Hoblit, Karen, 196, 201, 205, 220
Hodge, Patricia, 117
Hodge, Roysteen, 117
Hodges, Walter Wayne, 75
Hoefer, Karen, 151
Hoffman, Glenn, 80
Hoffman, Philip, 133
Holder, Geoffrey, 136
Holland, Melanie, 155
Holmes, Dolly, 223
Holzapfel, Bill, 80
Holzheauser, Steve, 199
Horton, Joan, 113
House, Jerry, 80, 83
Houston Junior College, 15
Howell, J. D., 65, 72, 77, 82, 213
Howell, Marion, 84
Hubbard, Lois, 83, 86
Hudler, Jewell, 28, 29, 36, 51, 52, 53, 65, 97
Huegele, Karen, 127
Hume, Louise, 81, 114, 146, 169, 186, 213, 214,
226
Hummel, Cora Jo, 140
Hummel, Kathleen, 113
Hummel, Michael, 122, 123, 124, 138, 141, 151,
158, 163, 190, 191, 197, 211, 213, 216, 221,
226, 227, 229
Hunter, Una T., 10, 20, 53, 65
Hurricane Beulah, 117, 118
Hurricane Carla, 100, 117
Hutcherson, Rosalie, 173
Hutchins, Gene, 74
Hutchinson, Lewis, 89
Hyak, Barbara, 117
Hyde, Stephen, 185
I
Immenhauser, Lori, 167
Irwin, Peyton, 8
Isaac, Alice Ann, 181
J
Jackson, Ada, 100
Jackson, Arthur, 114
Jacksonville Junior College, 31, 32
Jacobson, Charles, 73
Jane Hoffman Land and Minerals Company, 164
Jank, Allen, 83
Jarratt, Ken, 74
Jecker, Alma, 81
Jennings, Nedra, 86, 87
Jewett, Agnes, 163, 173
John Wiley & Sons, 169
Johnson, Hazel, 212
Johnson, Lillie, 172
Johnson, Lyndon B., 118
Johnson, Twinkle, 127, 129
Johnson, Vera, 187, 221, 222
Joliet Junior College, 7
Jolly Roger, The, 73, 77, 82, 94, 115, 117, 119,
159, 171
Jones, Leona, 53, 65, 81, 114, 225
Jones, Martha Everman, 220, 222
Jones, Mia, 167
Jones, Norman D., 179, 222
Jones, Ronnie, 116
Joost, Albert, 40
Jordan, Dudley, 60
Jordan, Ella North, 29, 30
Joseph, Georganne, 134
Junior College, The, 7
Junior College Student Personnel Association of
Texas, 161
K
Kahn, Alfred E., 153
Kaiser, Cindy, 156
Kallus, Chris, 234
Kallus, V. T., 41, 58, 65, 80, 108, 127, 193
Kathryn Stoner O'Connor Foundation, 150
Keane, Dustin, 233
Keathley, Mark, 172
Kelley, Nellie Lee, 10, 11
Kenell, Charlotte E., 39, 217
Kennedy, Patrick, 163
Kern, Sharon, 98
Ketcham, Sam, 96
Key, Mrs. Ollie, 54
Kidder, Douglas, 152
Kiesling, John, 109
Kilgore Junior College, 90
Kilgore, Bessie, 14
Kilgore, Mary, 155
Killough, T. Patrick, 117
Kilpatrick, Keith, 201
Kimbrough, J. W., 22
Kindred, Harold, 34
Kinghorn, Mary Jo, 166
Kinsel, Richard, 74, 77
Kirkwood, Roger, 109
Klapproth, Theresa, 10
KNAL, 74
Knowles, Judy, 120
Knudson, Otto, 122, 215
Kolle, Jenell, 89
Korean War, 77
Koss, Ronald, 80, 83, 105
Krehmeier, Herman J., 41
Krenek, Shirley, 46
Krueger's Restaurant, 51
Kubola, Dan, 73
KVIC, 34, 53, 56, 57
KXIX-TV, 148
L
LaBarre, C. A., 156
Lack, David, 146, 164, 175, 179, 182, 193
Lala, Dennis, 128
Lander, Roy, 51
Lange, Mickey, 234
Lara, Joseph, 201
Laredo Junior College, 76
Larson, Perry, 10
Lasell College, 7
Leach, Bob, 192
Lee, Shelly, 127, 129
Leffland and Ault, 63
Leffland, Jules, 22
Leffland, Kai J., 22, 58
Leggett, Grace, 32
Lehrer, Jim, 82, 159, 169, 200
Lentz, Cody, 51
Lentz, Zac, 200
Lenz, Jerry, 49
LeSage, Margaret, 14
Lexington Community College, 186
Ley, Magdalene, 34, 35
Locher, David, 167
Lon Morris Junior College, 80
Loos, Delasso, 34
Los Angeles Times, The, 90
Lott, Vicky, 135
Lowery, Hugh, 10
Loyd, James, 69
Lunsford, Lois Rowland, 222, 224, See also
Parker, Lois and Rowland, Lois
Lytle, Joanie, 173
M
M. G. and Lillie A. Johnson Foundation, Inc.,
152, 166, 196
Machac, Marvin, 89, 90
MacNeil, Robert, 169
Magruder, A. D., 64
Man Shop, The, 51
Manhattan Cafe, 51
Manning, Raymond, 34
Marcinkowska, Elaine, 192
Mark, Roy, 127, 128
Marlin, Mike, 73
Marshall Junior College, 31
Marshall, D. W., 63
Marshall, Victor, 99
Martinez, Norma, 156
Matchett, Henry, 72
Matthews and Associates, 119, 122, 134
Matthews, Hilary, 47, 62
Matthews, W. R., 119, 159
Mattox, Ed, 30, 31
May, Judy, 123
Mayer, Elaine, 150
McAlister, Wayne, 121, 175, 197, 216
McCann, Gene, 97, 98, 99
McCartney, Larry, 114
McCleary, Marshall, 89, 122, 212
McConathy, Jane, 165, 166
McCord, James E., 27, 28, 29
McCord, S. Joe, 156, 173
McCord, Tom, 30
McCoy, Rawley, 173, 192
McDonald, Archie, 150, 151
McDowell, F. M., 7
McElroy, Sue, 15
McEnroe, P. J., Jr., 64
McHaney, Catherine, 168, 169, 170, 187, 190,
197, 198, 200, 204, 207
McKay, Kelly, 191
McLaurin, Peggy, 150
McLean, John, 204
McMullen, Ruth, 20
McMurray, Shirley, 125, 127
McNeese State University, 90
Meeks, Robert, 145
Meier, Walter, 77
Mendez, Thomas, 93
Meyer, Dalton G. "Dutch", 162
Mikulenka, Ann, 78
Mikulenka, Timm, 109
Milberger, Royce, 117
Miller, Dorothy, 184
Miller, James J., 162
Miller, Janet Stormont, 204
Miller, Joyce, 169
Miller, William, 211
Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation, 175, 197
Miori, Lillian, 57, 72, 73
Mitchell, William L., 7
Montier, C. P., 54, 63, 146
Moody, Bill, 119
Moody, Dan, 74
Mooneyham, Turner, 127
Moore, Claude, 40
Moore, Edith, 54, 75, 140
Moore, J. D., 36, 39, 40, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60,
61, 62, 63, 65, 69, 70, 71, 73, 74, 75, 77, 78,
80, 81, 84, 85, 86, 87, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 97,
99, 100, 101, 109, 113, 114, 116, 118, 119,
120, 121, 122, 125, 130, 132, 134, 136, 139,
140, 141, 145, 166, 175, 214, 215, 226, 228,
229
Moore, Sue, 10
Moreno, Gene, 200
Moreno, Victoria, 220, 223
Morgan, Bob L., Jr., 185
Morris, Jimmy, 73
Morris, Leopold, 23
Morris, Marilyn, 181, 184, 187, 190, 213, 218
Morrison, Matthew, 185
Mozisek, John, 89
Mudd, Roger, 136, 137, 159
Mullen, Billy, 72, 73
Mullenix, Duane, 80
Mullins, Claude, 14
Murphy, Billy, 29, 69
Muschalek, Jody, 196
Museum of the Coastal Bend, 204
N
National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People, 85
National Association of Biology Teachers, 152
National Association of College Stores, 193
National Association of Geology Teachers, 146
National Industrial Act, 21
National Industrial Recovery Board, 21
National Science Foundation, 196
Nazareth Academy, 27, 29, 39
Neely, J. P., 84
Nelson, Jake A., Jr., 202
Nelson, Ruby A., 202
Netarlus, Joe, 80
Newberry, Kathy, 124
Newman Club, 69
Newman, Gary, 150
Nichols, Harold J., 139, 155
Nichols, Warren, 162
Nillen, Nancy, 138
Nixon, Richard, 137, 151, 153
North, Billie, 165, 167, 171
Northcutt, Monroe, 39, 40, 109, 114, 139, 140,
152, 225
Novak, Kim, 84
Novak, Robert D., Jr., 168, 219
Novian, Valerie, 185
Novosad, Jerry, 194
Nunley, April, 216
O
O. C. Stroman High School, 39
O’ Pioneer, 23, 29
O'Connor, Louise, 204
O'Connor, Michael, 163
O'Connor, Thomas, Jr., 198, 207
O'Connor, Thomas, Sr., 63
O’Connor, Thomas M., 147, 170, 180
O'Daniel, W. Lee, 33
Offer, William, 45
Offer, Wilma, 29
Officer's Procurement Program, 39
Orsak, Johnny, 93
Othold, Roy, 47
Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church, 63
Outlaw, Elmer, 157
Overgoner, Merle, 89
P
Padilla, Roel, 167
Pahmiyer, LeRoy, 127, 211
Parker, Lois, 45, 65, 70, 71, 84, 86, See also
Rowland, Lois and Lunsford, Lois Rowland
Patek, Marjorie, 139
Patrick, Darrell, 57
Patrick, David, 89
Patterson, Glen, 80
Patti Welder High School, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 29,
32, 37, 39, 40, 45, 47, 49, 54, 55, 59, 64, 65,
70, 85, 100, 206
Paulus, Henry, 14
Pavlica, Sherry, 133
Payne, Becky, 173
Peacock, Johnny, 126
Peery, Kenneth, 138
Pennell, Shuvonne, 234
Pennington, Linda, 113
Pensacola Junior College, 101
People's National Bank, 8
Perez, Michelle, 219, 220
Perry, Bessie, 96, 97
Perry, Kari, 182
Phillips, Sandy, 125
Picha, Kelly, 201
Pickering, George, 78, 79
Pickett, Billy, 95, 96
Pickett, Carroll, 78, 79
Pickett, Clifford, 75
Pickett, Ken, 89
Pickett, R. C., 69
Pickle, Eileen, 150
Pigott, Dale, 187, 190, 202
Piper, Martha Kimper, 159, 164, 169
Pirate, The, 76, 129
Pleasure Island, 28
Port Lavaca High School, 10
Port Lavaca Transportation Company, 69
Potcinske, Daniel, 131
Powell, Marilyn, 136, 193
Power, Bill, 100
Pozzi, Alice, 125
Prism Club, The, 123
Prism, The, 123
Pritchard, Gilbert V., 14, 41, 54, 229
Proctor, Fred, Jr., 54, 55, 63, 64
Progressive Voters' League, 85
Pustka, Rose, 156
Q
Qualls, Jack, 47
R
Rader, Debbi, 172
Randolph College, 15
Rangow, Beatrice, 36
Reagan, Ronald, 154, 166
Reconstruction Finance Corporation, 21
Reece, Aubrey, 32
Reed, Ted, 167
Reger, Kim, 191
Reger, Mark, 184
Regen, Mickey, 113
Reuter, Fred, 89, 90
Rhodes, Darla, 185
Rice Institute, 11
Richards, Ann, 188, 189
Rick, Robert, 93
Rickover, Hyman, 163, 164
Rigamonti, Grace, 75
Riggs, Julia, 152, 187
Rios, Roland, 189
Rivera, Chris, 217
Roach, T. A., 45, 47, 48, 51, 52, 55
Robins, Odessa, 15
Robinson, Kay, 131
Robles, Rebecca, 159
Rodriguez, Jose, 233
Rodriguez, Victor, 80
Roe, Herman, 200, 201
Rogers, Avery, 74
Rogers, Billie, 55, 56
Rogers, Hoy, 93, 94
Rojas, Alex, 189, 190, 193
Roosevelt, Franklin, 35
Root, Charles, 185, 186
Rosenquest, Kenneth, 162, 163
Ross, Eric, 185
Ross, James, 213
Round Top House, 29
Routt, W. A., 65
Rowland, Lois, 87, See also Parker, Lois and
Lunsford, Lois Rowland
Ruben Pena, 125
Index ✦ 239

Rushing, Bob, 37
Russell, H. N. "Rusty", 90, 91, 213
S
S. S. Pirate, The, 89
Sagebiel, Patti, 192
Salone, Reuben, 156
Sam Houston State University, 179, 185
San Angelo Junior College, 21
San Jose State College, 95
Sanchez, Adele, 133
Santleben, Sandy, 140
Sardelich, Pete, 84, 89
Sasser, J. J., 10
Satterwhite, Perry, Jr., 20
Schauer, Shelley Ann, 125
Schiwitz, Mary Nell, 92
Schmidt, Everette, 60
Schneider, C. F., 122, 124, 140, 150, 161, 166,
174, 181, 187, 214, 222
Schneider, Fredaline, 34, 35
Schoener, Allen, 234
Schoenig, Marlene, 85
Schramek, Bob, 216
Schramek, Sandy, 224
Schramm, Bennie, 181, 183
Schreiner Institute, 15, 21, 31, 65
Schuchert, C. A., 11
Schultz, Charles, 80
Seale, Sam, 162
Sekul, Joe, 187, 203, 205
Selective Service College Qualification Test, 77
Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, 38
Self, Allen, 65
Serrata, Lydia, 120, 217, 228
Servicemen's Readjustment Act, 41, 45
Sestak, James, 90
Sharp, John, 179, 199
Shattuck, Morris, 147
ShelfTalk, 201
Shields, F. S. "Ted", 53, 54
Shields, Fred B., 11
Shields, George, 11, 14
Shinn, Ed C., 65, 78, 80, 84, 85, 89, 91, 93, 94,
100, 105, 224, 225
Shook, Larry, 82, 172
Shook, Robert W., 117, 119, 120, 149, 150, 153,
174
Shroyer, Sylva, 127
Shutt, Bob, 30
Simon, Clarence, 56
Simons, James, 81
Singleton, Bobby, 90, 93
Sloan, Ronald, 123
Smajstrla, Anton, 93, 94
Smith, Billie, 14
Smith, Don, 179, 182
Smith, Gary, 115
Smith, Heaton, 97
Smith, Karen Brucene, 125, 129
Smith, Munson, 199
Smith, W. H., Sr., 21, 27
Smith-Hughes Vocational Education Act, 20
Snead, Bettye Jean, 48
Sockwell, Jewell, 65
Soldiers Bonus Bill, 40
South Park Junior College, 15
South Texas Association of Registrars and
Admission Officers, 146
South Texas Chamber of Commerce, 21
South Texas Junior College Conference, 45
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools,
159, 161, 187, 191, 198
Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary
Schools, 78, 82, 101
Southern Methodist University, 213
Southern Pacific Drum and Bugle Corps, 22
Southwest Educational Development Laboratory,
168
Southwest Texas Junior College, 179
Southwest Texas State University, 118, 126, 129,
132, 134, 135, 136, 155, 185, 200, 211
Southwestern Symposium of Contemporary
Music, 95
Soward, Pat, 167
Speed, Vicky, 185
Spencer, Tom, 140
Spiegelhauer, Elton, 40
Spies, Harvey, 167, 211
Spindler, Bruce, 164
Spinks, Alannah, 125
Spinks, Bruce, 115
Splawn, William W., 11
Spoor, Ray, 75
Spurlin, Charles D., 110, 122, 123, 138, 139,
150, 151, 160, 168, 186, 197, 198, 204
Spurlin, Debra, 145, 146, 223
Spurlin, Pat, 197, 226
Spurlin, Steve, 216, 223
St. Joseph High School, 29, 72
St. Mary's University, 15
Stanly, Hugh, 38
Stark, Eddie, 31
Starnes, John, 83
Starr, Dill, 123
State Junior College Basketball Tournament, 31
State University of New York, 201
Steele, Lucille, 32
Steele, William H. “Doc”, 64, 65, 69, 211, 218,
227
Stephen F. Austin State University, 150
Stone, Charles S., 118, 155
Stormont, John W., 65, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74,
75, 76, 78, 79, 81, 82, 92, 93, 94, 97, 101,
110, 112, 119, 120, 129, 140, 150, 166, 211,
212, 217, 218, 229, 231
Stormont, Mrs. John W., 204
Streetman, Mary, 115
Stroman, O. C., 39
Stuart, Edward, 34, 37
Stubbs, Jimmie Lee, 46
Summers, Caroline, 99, 126, 136, 211, 223, 229
Sunkel, Pat, 78
Swearingen, Lee, 200
Swickheimer, Dorothy, 96, 97
Swoboda, John, 89
Swope, T. J., 48
T
Talbott, Lou, 156
Talley, Claude A., 110, 111, 124, 149, 153, 165,
215
Talley, Geraldine F., 124, 187, 215
Tanecka, Joe, 83
Tanner, Joel, 94
Tappan, Henry Phillips, 7
Tarleton State University, 96
Taulbee, George, 135, 148
Taylor, Billy, 80
Taylor, Virginia, 56
Temple College, 179
Temple Junior College, 32
Terrell, Howard, 146
Terrell, Vincent, 216, 223
Terry, Pat, 73
Texas A&I College, 39, 185
Texas A&M University, 41, 58, 115, 132, 141,
185, 200, 215, 218
Texas Academic Skills Program, 175
Texas Agricultural and Mechanical College, 36
Texas Association of College Teachers, 140
Texas Association of Colleges, 10
Texas Association of Junior Colleges, 23
Texas Christian University, 31, 141
Texas College of Mines, 65
Texas Community College Teachers Association,
198
Texas Council of State University Librarians, 173
Texas Daily Newspaper Association, 117
Texas Historical Commission, 194, 196
Texas Institute of Letters, 196
Texas Inter-Scholastic League, 27
Texas Junior College, 179
Texas Junior College Association, 17, 18
Texas Junior College Conference, 31
Texas Junior College Press Association, 115
Texas Library Association, 173
Texas Lutheran College, 21
Texas Nurses' Association, 201
Texas Public Community Junior College
Association, 179
Texas Public Junior College Association, 140
Texas Relief Commission, 23
Texas State Historical Association, 198
Texas State Teachers Association, 27, 126
Texas Student Education Association, 123, 127
Texas Tech University, 11, 124, 185
Thames, Dorothy, 30, 31
Thiele, Melissa, 167
Thigpen, Shirley, 155
Thomas, Darlese, 98
Thomas, Jack, 91
Thomas, Rachel, 185
Thomas, Steve, 182, 186, 190, 191, 194, 195,
207
Thompson, Clark W., 73
Thurman, Richard, 80
Thurmond, Ethel, 65, 81, 82
Thurmond, George, 10, 11
Thweatt, Mary, 125
Tibiletti, Philip, 59
Timpoine, Erika, 233
Tippins, Carol, 167
Tipton, Linda, 115
Toalson, Carolyn, 109
Tolbert, Peggy, 100
Torres-Raines, Rosario, 203
Traber, Betty Ann, 81
Traylor, Reginald, 134, 139, 148
Trcka, Mike, 80
Trinity Episcopal Church, 71
Troell, Luther, 168, 185
Truman, Earl, 47
Tunney, Jim, 159
Turk, Sue, 83
Tyler Junior College, 37
Tyng, Anita, 81
Tyng, Elena, 14
U
Uhler, Jo Ann, 83
Ulman, Dianne, 126, 128
Underwood, Gary, 139, 160, 171
Underwood, Marylyn, 158, 160
United States Bureau of Education, 7
Universidad International-Center for Bilingual
Multicultural Studies, 205
University Interscholastic League, 94, 187
University of California, 34, 107
University of Chicago, 7
University of Georgia, 7
University of Houston, 133, 134, 139, 148, 156,
159, 164, 165, 167, 169, 170, 179, 183, 185,
199
University of Michigan, 7
University of Minnesota, 7
University of Missouri, 82
University of North Texas, 34, 36, 59, 124, 126,
185
University of Texas, 11, 14, 17, 22, 29, 34, 35,
37, 40, 53, 65, 74, 84, 94, 95, 107, 114, 162,
185, 200
Uptown Theater, 30
Urban, Helen, 89
Urbano, David, 107, 224
V
"V" Association, The, 15, 16
Van Rekom, Roger, 95
Van Zant, Bobby, 74
Vasquez, John E., 200, 207
Venegas, Rafael, 205
Victoria Adult Literacy Council, 199
Victoria Advocate, The, 9, 15, 20, 23, 27, 30, 31,
33, 37, 45, 46, 47, 51, 59, 117, 168
Victoria Art Guild, 225
Victoria Athletic Association, 27, 30, 31
Victoria Aviation Services, Inc., 162
Victoria Chamber of Commerce, 33, 100
Victoria College Kaleidoscope, The, 174
Victoria College Nursing Student Association,
172
Victoria Corraliers, 113, 115
Victoria Council of Parent-Teacher Associations,
53
Victoria County United War Chest of Texas, 60
Victoria Field, 38
Victoria Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, 193
Victoria Independent School District, 8, 20, 21,
23, 27, 37, 45, 46, 50, 54, 55, 64, 173, 199
Victoria Junior Chamber of Commerce, 53
Victoria Junior College Dramatic Club, 14
Victoria Junior College Drum and Bugle Corps,
22
"Victoria Meteor," The, 94
Victoria Ministerial Association, 33
Victoria Municipal Band, 27
Victoria National Bank, 55
Victoria Typewriter Company, 51
Victorian, The, 45
Vietnam War, 107, 116
Vogt, Ed, 150
Vogt's Radio Shop, 54
Von Dohlen, Tim, 145
W
Wade, Melonie, 188
Wagner, Elizabeth, 225
Wagner, Gayle, 112
Wagner, Harry, 185, 185
Wagner, LeAnn, 201
Wagner, Linda, 185
Wagoner, Mary Ethel, 56, 62
Walesa, Lech, 228
Walker, Doak, 213
Walker, Joy, 226, 229
Walker, Richard, 107, 124, 138, 150, 151, 153,
159, 213, 221, 226, 227, 229
Walker, Ronald B., 168, 170, 198, 207
Wallace, James, 100
Wallace, Mack, 186
Wallace, Mandi, 194
Walters, Bill, 78
Walton, Tom, 181, 187
War Assets Administration, 46, 56, 63, 64
Warm Springs Rehabilitation Hospital, 134, 135,
168, 169, 171
Warnlof, Jessica, 123, 124, 211
Warren, Chris, 186
Warren, Glenn, 74, 78, 79
Warren, Jack, 189
Watkins, William Ward, 11
Wattinger, John, 11
Watts, Martha, 114, 186, 214
Wearden, Joseph, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 64, 65,
74, 75, 90, 92
Webb, Ricky, 124
Weber Junior College, 93
Weeks, Marguerite, 96
Weiler, Billy, 94
Weisiger, Robert, 73
Weisiger, Sidney R., 10
Welder, Leo, 140, 147, 151, 168, 198
West, Charlotte, 14
Western Week, 79, 110, 111, 112
Westminster Choir College, 138
Wharton County Junior College, 47
Wharton Junior College, 72, 80
White Oak School, 36
Whitehurst, Russ, 201
Whiteside, Oscar Rex, 94, 141, 161, 168, 169,
180, 181, 186, 211
Whitmore, Chadbourne, 86, 97, 119, 120, 136,
137, 212, 218
Who's Who Among America's Teachers, 198, 201
Who's Who in America, 160
Who's Who in American Art, 65
Wieland, Don
Wier, Richard, 121
Wilkes, Clark C., 41
Wilkinson, Scott, 150
William A. Wood Family Foundation, 174
Williams, Dennis, 80
Williams, Jack, 132
Williams, Kemper, Jr., 72, 73, 167, 224
Williams, Mary Ann, 65
Williams, Ronnie, 126
Williams, Ruth, 96, 112, 138, 141, 149, 150,
167, 169, 183, 188
Williams, Vollie, 84, 89, 110
Williamson, A. C., 10
Williamson, Glenn K., 14
Williamson, Marcus, 10
Wilson, Lessie Fay, 97
Windwehen, Susan, 216
Winkenwerder, John, 234
Woehl, Cynthia, 129, 134
Wolfe, Thomas, 171
Wood, William A., 174
Woods, L. A., 23, 34
Workman, Frances, 124
World War II, 35, 38, 39, 40, 45, 46, 116, 127,
217
Worth Publishing Company, 201
Wright, Betsy Mynette, 56, 59, 228
Wright, Bill, 127
Wright, Mary Ann, 136, 139, 145, 211, 219
Wuthrich, Herbert, 90, 93
Wyatt, Joe, Jr., 145, 226
Y
Yarborough, Ralph, 113
Yarbrough, Steve, 117
Yeager, Billy, 80
York, Albert, 51, 53, 54
Young, Carroll, 85
Young, Sam D., 132
Young, Warren, 173
Youngblood, Don, 78
Z
Zafereo, Mark, 198, 200, 207, 219, 228, 229
Zambrano, Joe, 83
Zavesky, Chuck, 216, 223
Zavesky, Jerry, 135, 156, 211
Zavesky, Jode, 206
Zawadski, Lee, 218
Zirjacks, Cathie, 120, 228
Zirjacks, Winston L., 14, 37, 54, 55, 63, 64, 74,
90, 159, 170, 172, 179, 183, 189, 197
240 ✦ THE VICTORIA COLLEGE, 1925-2000