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

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

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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),